To Pursue Freedom

Over the last few weeks this verse has been deep in my heart. I was listening to this song from Bethel called, Freedom, about a month ago & ever since have not been able to shake this scripture from my heart.

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Freedom" 2 Corinthians 3:17

That means that regardless of what you are going through in life, there is hope, you are PROMISED freedom from the one who died on the cross to bring it to you. 

If you are.. 

deep in despair

lost in depression

crippled by fear

out of faith

stripped of joy

worry consumes you

have a hardened heart

feel like you are never good enough

buried in grief

an addict

in denial

prideful 

need encouragement

bound by anxiety

can't get free of gossiping

are never happy

selfish 

judgmental

suicidal 

in an abusive relationship

have low self esteem

are beyond arrogant 

bitter

hopeless

need healing

lost in regret

lonely

or maybe you are

swimming in a sea of all of all of these

know there is

FREEDOM!

Trust me.  Over the years the Lord has set me free of many of the things listed above that the enemy tried to keep me bound up in but because I know the one who saves & rescues I have found freedom. It hasn't always been perfect or easy but it is a promise that I continually pursued until the day I walked in freedom. Freedom comes different for everyone. Some can pursue it & find it instantly while others have to work at it. Whatever the case may be for you, you do not have to do it alone. Confide in the Lord & let him be the one to free you.

I encourage you to listen to this song, be encouraged, find hope, and ask the one named Jesus to be alive in your heart & to set you free. Feel free to send me an email or message & I'd love to pray and talk with you. 

Scripture References:

John 3:16

Romans 3:23

1 John 1:9

Romans 10:9

2 Corinthians 3:17

those are just a few to get you started.

~Brit

The Ugly that Use to Live in My Heart, but Not in My Kitchen

Um, what if the dishes stay dirty & the laundry stays piled in a basket on the floor for just one more day? What does that say about this wife, this momma? 

I'll answer that in a bit, first I'll share my Monday with you. 

So these pretty blue kitchen counters of mine love to collect stuff. Stuff like the depressing mail, half eaten bananas, sunglasses, paint brushes, and toys. And that sink over there, it tends to be full of pretty white dishes, cute little tea cups, and empty mason jars with soggy paper straws. 

The laundry's favorite spot in the house is cozied up by the foot of our bed in baskets. As much as I ask it to find its way into our closet & drawers it refuses to deny me this request. So each week I close my eyes as I walk past it, until two or three days pass & I give in to put it away. For the past 1.5 weeks I let the laundry disappear totally from my mind.

Heres the truth. I'm a proud stay-at-home mommy to this little guy. Sometimes I would rather take him on a play date with other mommas & their kids than stay at home to clean. Inviting a friend over for coffee on the back porch sounds more appealing to me than putting my laundry up, so I'll let it hide in our room for another day. Snuggling on the couch with a very sweet little three year old while he talks to this baby bump of mine is way more precious to me than washing dishes after lunch. 

So what does it say about this wife & momma who some weeks lets the laundry pile 3 feet high & lets the pretty dishes stay unwashed for a whole day or two? 

For me it says I've learned where my value rest. It says I know where to invest my time. It says I've made a small victory in this life as a momma & wife. 

To me, it means that I've learned how to give myself grace in the little things to enjoy the better things in life. Two years ago if these house chores were not done this wife & momma might have refused to invite a friend over because her sink had dishes from last night still in it. I may not have stopped to call a friend who I knew needed some prayer or encouragement. Or I might have stayed home from a play date to get the laundry put up before small group at our house later that night. 

Thats the ugly truth. 

The truth of who I use to be. 

The momma I use to be. 

The wife I use to be. 

The believer I use to be. 

Yuck. Thank the Lord I've invited & allowed him to teach me the value of relationships, friendships, and place more importance making memories with my Noah than keeping my house looking perfect. And praise the Lord for a husband who sees the importance of this grace in his wife's life. 

Just keeping it real. Happy Tuesday!

~Brit

Linking up with a sweet lady for Pint Sized Moment.

The Bump: 20 Weeks

Somehow I am already 20 weeks pregnant with this sweet little one on the way. This pregnancy seems to be going by rather quickly and I can hardly believe that month 5 is almost over. Wednesday, we learn if baby w. is a boy or a girl. Getting pretty excited to find out if I can start buying boy or girl clothes & thinking about nursery ideas. I've been looking at pictures from when I was carrying Noah. Below I was 21 weeks pregnant at a march for, The Calling, to protest an abortion clinic opening in Houston. Hence the red tape across my belly.

So, this pregnancy has been very different for many reasons. With Noah nausea never left my side, it was faithful up until the very end. Making itself known while I was driving down the freeway, giving presentations, and even taking test. Oh good times. However, with this pregnancy it was around but just not that often & almost completely stopped after the first trimester. Praise Jesus. 

The main difference between this pregnancy & expecting Noah is the extreme tiredness that I feel all the time. I'm so very thankful for modern medicine. I'm so thankful for progesterone shots, because they have helped make it possible for me to be pregnant & carry our sweet little one on the way. Seriously, I am so happy every monday to get my shot!! I've had to adjust to life with progesterone because one of the side affects I experience is the lack of energy. Like, I'm crazy tired. All the time. To the point that if someone offered me a million dollars to stay alert or awake from 2-8 pm on any given day, I would have to forfeit the money almost immediately. It just wouldn't happen. I'm just wiped out to the point that I feel like someone slipped me something. oh my! So me & this bump take it easy a lot. 

So it has been a challenge to slow down, take time to rest, and to truly be okay with not doing as much. I'm thankful that I'm learning to give myself grace, not feel guilty,  & ultimately do what is best for me and this baby. Also, I love being pregnant. There have been so many moments during the last few months that I just start crying for no real reason other than I'm so overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord to bless us with another baby. So with that said, we are looking forward to finding out the gender! Woohoo!

Happy Monday!

~ Brit

A Dimple: Our Reminder of Healing

Forever I just want to keep him so close to my heart.

My little Noah turned 3 on May 12. Noah came into our lives as a very big surprise. Johnny & I were only married 3 months when we learned I was two weeks pregnant. Life was a bit crazy at that time as we were in full time ministry (youth & college), I was a full time student, and we lived in an apartment on the church property. Perhaps Noah was not a part of our life plan at that time, but the Lord knew exactly what he was doing when he gave us our son.

When I was 5 months pregnant we learned Noah had kidney problems. The rest of my pregnancy I saw a specialist often & had ultrasounds every month. (The fun ones that our 4D) The doctors worked with us on a plan of action for Noah to have immediate surgery & on going care because one of his kidneys was very large for his tiny self.  Noah came three weeks early and he was born just over 6 lbs. after 22 hours of labor & his mommy having some intense complications. The Lord was faithful to us through it all. Immediately after he arrived the specialist completed an ultrasound & a few other test on him to prepare for surgery. However, the Lord had already healed him. His little kidneys were perfect & he has never had a problem. The only reminder we have of his kidney problems is the tiny dimple on his right ear. The specialist explained that the reason for the dimple is because the kidneys & the ears develop at the same time. Often when there are problems with the kidneys in the womb there is a small dimple in the ear that forms. For us it is the perfect reminder of the Lords faithfulness in healing our little Noah. 

This baby. He has always been silly & making us laugh.

He has never been afraid to show us how he truly feels.

& napping anywhere has never been a problem for him.

There has not been a single day to pass that our little Noah has not brought us true joy & laughter. I have been looking over the hundreds, thousands of pictures I've taken of him over the last three years & my heart is so full as I thank God for giving him to us. Thankful for his healing. We were not sure of the timing when we found out we were expecting, but God knew exactly what he was doing. Excited for this new year with our little man! Happy he will be a big brother soon.

Happy Thursday!

~Brit

Linking up with Lovely Little Whimsy for Thankful Thursdays.

Life is in the Happy

Something you may not know about me, unless we are friends in everyday life, I'm not a planner. I can be & if I'm throwing a party or hosting something I'm all about the planning. However, everyday life is much more enjoyable-to me-if things just happen. 

One day last week I came home from grocery shopping & thought it would be fun to enjoy a picnic outside. Texas is experiencing some very unusual cool May weather so we are living outside until things heat up. A friend gave me a fun basket the day before so I threw in it a thrifted tablecloth, packed us some lunch, including a piece of pie from a local bakery, and grabbed some mason jars & the water jug. 

Noah loved it. It was a fun little adventure that he now wants to go on everyday. We eat outside all the time, but rarely pack a lunch & make it a fun event. Can I just say that sometimes things don't have to be a big deal & thought through. Life is really wonderful when we just enjoy it, everyday-in fun little ways. There is so much life in the small but happy things of our every days. Life passes us by so quickly so lets be sure to enjoy all the life to be found in happy regular moments. I may have had a huge stack of laundry awaiting me in the house but chose to have a little more fun outside. How are you finding Life in the Happy Lately? I would love to hear!

~Brit

Winning the Lottery

This weekend was such a sweet one. Johnny was in Nashville all last week for a MAPS trip, so when he got home we relaxed all weekend. Sunday was a special day, Mothers Day, my dads birthday, & our little guy turned 3 years old! 

Love the way my little Noah holds onto me all the time. Sometimes I think my heart might burst with how much he means to me. I am so blessed to be this sweet little man's mommy.

Look how big my baby is.

Saturday was a movie day in bed as a family. Just wonderful.

We came home from church yesterday & enjoyed lunch on the deck. Johnny & Noah built me a table from an old pallet on Saturday & I made a yummy cake & cucumber sandwiches for lunch the next day. The weather in east Texas is just beautiful. We spent the entire day outside on Sunday, I was even in a sweater I was so chilly. Um, thats just craziness for Texas.

I sketched while my guys played baseball. Couldn't help but think of all of our little ones, our sweet Noah, the two we lost this past year, and this precious little one on the way. I still can't believe I'm already 5 months pregnant. We find out what we are having in a week. Although we are overjoyed about this precious baby on the way, my heart is still missing the two not with us. To be honest, yesterday I struggled a bit just thinking about how much my heart misses them. I was telling Johnny in the afternoon that I'm so happy yet still my heart is sad at times. We know that is okay & my heart can always miss them even though I'm happy all the while. Its wonderful how love  and grace work in our lives like this.

I bought some new water colors last week & yesterday put them to use. Saturday night Johnny & Noah gave me my mothers day gift, I'll have to show y'all what it is later.

Johnny serenaded me with some Ray LaMontagne :) 

It was such a beautiful day. We enjoyed every minute of it outside. How is it possible that we have a three year old? My heart can barely believe it. Thankful I can enjoy the best job in the world, being his mommy. Yesterday was one of those days that I just didn't want to end. Spending my day with the two most important people in my life in the setting of my choice meant the world to me. Although yesterday wasn't anything too over the top I went to bed feeling as if I had just won the lottery. The lottery of life. 

Before I go, a picture of my mom & I. 

Thankful I had her to show me how to be a mom. 

Happy Monday!

~Brit