Wedding and remembrances...

This weekend I was able to go home to Pa/NJ for my cousin Jennie's wedding. It was such a blessing to be able to witness her and Michael commit their lives to each other in marriage. As I sat through their ceremony I was reminded how important our relationship with our spouse is. The Bible makes it very clear that a man and wife become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). There are no longer 2 but 1! It really is something quite unique how God's math works out in that 1+1=1 (a quote taken from my wedding and my amazing grandfather Rev.William M. Kolb). Marriage is not always easy - in fact a lot of times it is hard. You have to work at it, you have to fight off the selfishness that infuses our sinful nature, you have to deny yourself and give all for your partner. Hmmm, makes me understand why Jesus Christ himself has called those that are His followers "the bride" and He is the bridegroom. Is it not the perfect picture of marriage?...
A groom that has given his entire life, literally, for His bride. As I thought about my own marriage and the man God has so graciously given me, I thought about how my sin and selfishness have crept in at times and caused dissension and difficulties in our marriage. In Genesis it speaks about how the woman's desire will be for her husband (Genesis 3:16 -- To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”)
This desire is not a sexual desire but one where the woman will want to be the leader, the head of the home and yet the man as God has designed should be the head of the house. This is a direct result of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden. Many times I have wanted to control my husband because I have a better way or I see things a different way, but this is wrong, and it is sin (Hmm, I want, I'd like, I desire him to be... sounds a lot like selfishness to me)! I need to give up myself to allow Dave to lead our home and our family. You know what's crazy? When I do, our family is so much more peaceful and in line with what God wants. I don't have to be the one to fix my husband, make him see things my way because I have faith in the one that has created my husband and He will lead him and guide him and our family way better than I could ever do. Ahh, there truly is peace and comfort in that. Here's to marriage designed God's way and to my dear sweet cousin and her new groom!!
Enjoy some photos of the beautiful bride, Jennie Saul and the handsome groom, Michael Bury.

Blessed...

Happy Mother's Day!!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body" - Author Unknown.

This quote really sums up being a mom to me. No matter what your kids do, good or bad, I almost think we as mom's feel it more than them.
We cry with them, we laugh with them, we hurt for them, we get angry at and with them :), we live for the hugs they give, and we spend hours praying for them. They truly encompass all parts of our life and I wouldn't want it any other way.
I am so grateful that God chose me to be a mom to these 2 amazing kids. Yes, they drive me crazy sometimes, and yes, they make me mad and sad sometimes but they are truly the joy of my life. Enjoy the pictures which even includes one with my furry son as well :)

Help my unbelief.

Our mentors and family at GFA have been encouraging us to "pray big" for our support to come in and that we will go soon. I have struggled with this. I never have an issue praying for God to do awesome and amazing miracles in this world or in others lives so why, why do I find it so difficult to know that God can and more importantly wants to do the same things for me?
It boils down to my lack of faith in the almighty God. I feel like the man in Mark, chapter 9 who took his son to the disciples to have a demon casted out of him. Here is the story...

Mark 9:14-28 -- And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" And someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." And he answered them, "O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me." And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

I read this passage a couple months ago in my daily Bible reading and really marveled at how the man asked Jesus to "Help my unbelief". God is the one who grows our faith and this is my prayer now!! "Help my unbelief, that I may know and trust you more and that you will do great things" Please pray "big" with us that God would see fit to send us soon.