Are you made of clay?

Ok people!  We are counting down now, only 14 more sleeps til we begin our adventure!  God continues to do miracles with our finances in paying for our trip.  We received a call last week, from a great couple wanting to know how much we still needed for our trip.  We told them, and they DOUBLED it!!!  I am continually surprised at the creativity of God- just when you think you can guess what he's going to do next, or how He'll do it, something else completely different and new comes up!  I love it.  I am so thankful and blessed, and can't wait to see what He has in store on this trip..because He obviously wants us to go!  :D

I have been thinking lately of the journey we've been on, where the Lord has brought us, what we've come out of, what we've left behind and what we're still learning. 

The danger in becoming confident in one area of our faith-walk, is that we may think that we've ARRIVED.  That we have figured out, learned all that we need.  Amazing.  BUT....

I think the Lord teaches us where we're at, and once we've learned some great truth, HE BRINGS ALONG A NEW LESSON. 

And then we have a choice.  We can either learn the lesson, gain more truth and understanding and move on, or we can refuse to be teachable, malleable, and stop in our tracks. "Thanks anyway, Lord, but i'm good right here."  The only thing is, the Lord will keep bringing the lesson until we've learned it! Hmmmm....

I am thrilled that i have finally learned and ABSORBED some great truth. My eyes have been opened, i have seen the light!  :) I feel as though I have achieved something great, an understanding that previously eluded me. But I also know that with that truth comes responsibility to live out what I've learned,  to model it to those around me.  Will i be known as a person  of great faith, a woman after God's own heart?  How will people remember me, describe me?  I have no idea, but I bet it'll have something to do with the lessons i've learned, and how I've dealt with the process.

I'm learning to enjoy the process.  That the distance from planting the dream to it's reality requires a journey.

To plan less and rely on the Lord more.

I am learning that I cannot do even one day in my own strength without failing in some way.  That the armor of God is essential for success.

I am learning to fully trust the Lord. REALLY trust.  I have also learned that in order to do that, I'll be put in situations where I have no other choice. (yikes!) :)

I am understanding how to be built up as I wait, strengthened in my faith and not weakened by fear and doubt.

What a ride!  Not fun at times, not often easy, but oh, SO GOOD. 

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Every day, one more piece of the puzzle put into place, and comfort in knowing Who created the final picture.

Be blessed, be teachable,

One day at a time,

Darcie.

one month to go! a few prayer requests...

I can't really believe that in 4 weeks we will be on the ground in Ukraine for our church team trip.  Financially we are doing great so far!  We have a little over half of our funds for airfare, and are anticipating being able to save most of what we need for the tickets, and are trusting God for the rest. We would love to have some extra to sow into the church in Ukraine too.  Please pray for us as we prepare to go!  Our expectations are high, and the enemy will try to knock us down in these next few weeks i am sure.  Pray for our funds to be covered, either by our income or otherwise.  Please pray for provision for our family as we will be gone for 2 weeks without pay.  Pray for some income we're waiting for by mail to come in time to pay for the tickets!  God is so good and i am amazed that we have been able to save most of what we need.  I am so thankful for my babysitting job and my 12 piano students..God's provision through this work is awesome. 

Please pray too for our time over there, for the church in Krasni Mak, for our team's unity, for safe travels and smooth flights.  We are flying from different places, connecting in different places, and are meeting in Kiev to fly to Simferopol together. 

We have a great opportunity to serve the church in Ukraine, to bless our friends there, and to begin a relationship with this church plant.  Please pray that we would be sensitive to their needs, attentive to Holy Spirit's leading, and willing to serve in any way. 

Gabe and I are excited to be meeting with a pastor in Kiev at the end of our trip, to meet him and his family, see his church and it's needs, and see if we could be helpful in working with him in the future.  We are also excited to meet with the NLI staff in the UK! Please pray that all of our meetings go well, and that God will begin to knit together close relationships that will carry us into our future in Ukraine as a family.

Trusting Him, FULLY CONVINCED,

One day at a time!!

Thank you for your prayers, i'll keep you posted!

Darcie.

I don't want to be Supermom

I have a slight addiction. I'll admit it.  I am addicted to Facebook.  I love to keep up with what my friends are doing, watch their kids grow, to gain access to lives that i could never have a part of because of distance or otherwise. 
Today my status update could have read something like this:
"Whew!  taught home school, did laundry, swimming lessons, taught piano lessons, made supper, took kids to AWANA club, hosted cell group, pick up kids, more laundry, .... DONE."
pretty impressive, hey? :)

I see a lot of great things happening on Facebook.  I also notice some not-so-healthy things.  In the lives of my friends, and in my own life.  I love to hear people say that they don't know how i do it!  How could one POSSIBLY lead my life and still be sane?  OR, ANY of our lives for that matter?  Mine is really no different from the next.  I am a mom who loves my kids and does my best for them.

Is this world a race?  Is it a contest?  What will the winner get, i wonder?  What must we do to WIN? 

Is there a prize for who puts their kids in the most activities?  Is there a special trophy for the mom who got the most done in the shortest amount of time? (I just might win that one! lol)

Life with 4 kids is busy. Goodness, life with ANY amount of kids is busy! It is not busy because of things that randomly fell into my lap, however.  I have the power to control what we do, how much we do, when we do it.  Activities, school, birthday parties, coffee dates, play dates, work, play- we choose how to divide our time. 

We know our limits- or do we?

  Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to DO?

Lord, I don't want to be Supermom.  I don't want to finish each day exhausted because i failed at finishing in my own strength.  I don't want to be worked to the bone, worn out, tired, spent. 

My desire is for You Lord, for the things that You would have me do. You say that your yolk is easy and your burden is light!  I cannot do this on my own.  I cannot do even one single day on my own.  Because as i attempt to, i fall into the race.  I give in to the competition.  I strive to win at something that is unattainable. 

There will never be enough of me to go around.  There will never be enough hours in the day to get it all done. There will never be a prize at the end because i got everything checked off of my list. 

In the end, there will be You.  My Lord and King, standing before me, and I will hear one of two phrases.  It will not be, "wow, Darcie, you are AMAZING! here is your crown because you exhausted yourself in your life!"  It will not be, "come in and sit down.  Supermom needs a break!" (well, at least that won't be the FIRST thing He says! hahaha!!)When it all comes down, we will hear either, "Well done, my good and faithful servant", or "Depart from me, I never knew you!"

Who are we serving today?

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.  Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  For i was hungry, and you fed me.  I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing.  I was sick, and you cared for me.  I was in prison, and you visited me." 

Matthew 25:31-36 (emphasis mine)

In His strength, for His cause,
One day at a time,

Darcie.

Lies vs. TRUTH

It never ceases to amaze me how we are unable to distinguish lies from truth. How we so easily receive whatever thoughts come from the enemy and claim them as our own. There are times when we get so down on ourselves because we believe the lies that we hear: Ugly. Stupid. Fat. Incompetent. Worry. Fear. Alone. Blamed. Unloved. Words that tear down, hurt, destroy.

I think it's time to remember a little bit of truth. I am sure that if you were to ask God,

"Who do you say that I am?",

the answers would sound JUST a little different!

I AM/You ARE:

Chosen

Predestined

Redeemed

Forgiven

An Heir

Sealed

Accepted

Alive

Saved

His Workmanship

Blessed

Blameless

Adopted

Loved

Guaranteed

Purchased

Raised Up

Rich

Created

Reconciled

a Citizen of Heaven

a Habitation of God

Whew! Has a bit of a different ring to it, don't you think? The truth doesn't hurt, it fills. The truth is not hard, it completes. Truth is where you need to train you mind to rest, to live your life under the power of God, not the poisen of the lies of the enemy. Living in truth will enable you to be the most effective person you can be for God!

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19

(emphasis mine)

When in doubt, ask the Lord what HE thinks. You'll never be disappointed with the answer. :)

One day at a time,

Darcie.