Two faces we couldn't wait to see again...

We love these kids!

I took this pic today and it made me laugh - Haddie's crazy hair and Seth saying "cheese" with such exuberance!

We're back!

Hello Everyone! We hope all of you are doing well! Steve and I had a wonderful week. We're also thrilled to be back home with our kids! :o) We had a great time of learning and inspiration, and also enjoyed getting to know many amazing people. (A huge thank you to our parents for watching Seth and Haddie. We appreciate you sooooo much!)

We were blessed to spend time at Campus Crusade National Headquarters. What a beautiful place!!

We enjoyed many meals outside! What a treat!

We weren't surprised to see snow on the ground when we returned home (although I think we were secretly hoping it would just disappear while we were gone!)

Some people asked if it would be really hard to go back home to our Northern climate. We didn't think so. That's home and what we are used to. (We didn't really care what kind of weather we were going home to - we were just eager to hug and kiss Seth and Haddie again!)

...However... I do have to admit that it was a little disheartening to climb into our iced-up van at the airport! I must have gotten spoiled while we were away! ;o)

SPIKES!

Just thought you might like this one! ;o)

"Getting Married"

The other day Seth and Haddie were playing outside with an umbrella. For some reason, any time the two of them were standing under the umbrella together, Haddie would say,

"Getting Married!"

Hehe! ;o)

Getting Organized to Go!

Well, S. and Company are going to be out of town for the week. The kiddos are staying at our parents' houses and Steve and I will by flying out for a short trip! I haven't been away from the kids for more than two nights before, so I'm a little nervous about it (but the kids will have a blast, we're sure!) We're praying that all goes well and that everyone stays safe and healthy. Tonight after Seth and Haddie fell asleep it was cram time for packing. Here, in the above picture, I'm trying to be organized with the kids' clothes. I packed outfits complete with socks and underwear for Seth (and diapers for Haddie) in zip lock bags in hopes it will help the grandparents have one less thing to worry about! ;o)

Hope you all have a great week! I'm going to try to schedule a couple posts to automatically show up throughout the week, but if it doesn't work out, we'll write again as soon as we're home!

Blessings to you!

Muddy Outing

Rubber Boots are a Beautiful Thing!

Happy 1st day of Spring to all of you!!!

Catching up on life and 40 days

Hi y'all!

Life's been pretty busy around here lately, as you might have guessed by the absence of new posts! Steve has been working on youth group lessons and the upcoming Galveston missions trip, I've been keeping an eye on Haddie as she is on different antibiotics for an ear infection (with results now!) and waiting for news about a biopsy to check for skin cancer (so thankful to find out yesterday that it was normal!!)

We're also preparing for a trip coming up next week, so I thought it might be good to combine some highlights to catch up a little bit on our "40 days". :o)

Here's some significant times of spiritual growth for me during my teen years ....

Day #8

When I was about 13 I started to notice a difference among people who called themselves "Christians". (I have to remind you that I considered myself a Christian. I asked Christ to forgive my sins and come into my life five years earlier. However, up until this point, I hadn't spent much time thinking about what it meant to be a Christian.) Now, I noticed that a lot of Christians lived lives that did not look any different than those of self-proclaiming non-Christians. And then I noticed that there were some who stood out from the crowd. I could see something different in the lives of these people, and I began to watch closely to determine what it was. Before long I realized the difference was a relationship with the Lord. These people weren't perfect, but they knew Jesus. They loved him, spent time with him daily in prayer and by reading his Word, and they desired to live in a way that would glorify him, even if meant not fitting in with the majority.

I realized that I wanted that kind of life.

So, in seventh grade, I made the decision to get to know God better and live my life for him.

Day # 9

It turned out that this decision to live for God came at a very critical time in my life. I remember seventh grade vividly. There was excitement about being in junior high. The merger of three elementary schools meant there were lots of new friends to be made... but also lots of scrambling on everyone's part to figure out "who's who" and what your social ranking would be.

Ugh. I remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I saw some classmates climb their way to the top of the popularity ladder, while others were pushed out of more than one clique. I'm sure I wasn't perfect either, but my eyes began to see fickleness for what it was. I began to turn to the Lord daily for help in making choices... looking back I can see that it was in these tough times I began to walk with him.

Day#10

I have loved books ever since I received the "Little House on the Prairie" series for Christmas in first grade. :o) When I was beginning junior high I received another book series. They were about a teenage girl named Christy and the struggles and joys she faced as she began to live her life for the Lord. I remember devouring the books because I so enjoyed the encouragement they were to my own walk with God. I also remember being deeply impacted by reading about how Christy began to pray for the man she would some day marry. I had never thought about this before, but immediately I knew this was important and I began to follow suit. Although I had never even had a boyfriend before, I began to pray each night that God would work in the heart of a guy who would some day become my husband.

Keep reading our "40 days of faith" to find out what became of those prayers! ;o)

Day #11

Throughout my seventh grade year I began to notice a certain freshman boy regularly catching my attention. I didn't know who he was, but I my interest was sparked as I observed that he was someone who could go against the flow - and I admired that! (not to mention there was a physical attraction). ;o)

Dating was not an option for me, as my parents had long ago told me that I couldn't date until I was 16. I was quiet too, and definitely not the type to approach a guy, so quietly I brought my thoughts to God. I prayed and I waited. And my dependence on the Lord continued to grow.

Day #12

The summer after eighth grade I had the opportunity to attend a large Bible camp. That week was a huge highlight in my journey of faith thus far. Seventh and eighth grades had proven to be tough years for me as I strived to live a life that was pleasing to the Lord... but also longed for popularity and the approval of my own classmates. Most days found me realizing that I couldn't do both. And so, I found myself even more overjoyed than usual when the school year came to a close after eighth grade. Mid-summer I packed up my suitcase and headed off to Bible camp with two other girls from my church. My stomach had butterflies as we pulled into the camp and I saw hundreds of teenagers I didn't know. It didn't take long though, for me to relax and begin to enjoy myself. After my past two years, it was so uplifting to my soul to be surrounded by teens and adults who loved the Lord and were seeking to follow him. Every morning and evening my heart overflowed with praises to my God as I joined the rest of the camp in worship. Throughout each day I was encouraged by the counselors and speakers to make choices that would be pleasing to the Lord, despite what others might think. The last evening at chapel was especially moving, as the speaker talked about the joy of life committed to following God. When he gave an invitation for campers to stand who wanted to publicly commit to a life of service to the Lord, I knew that I had to rise. That is what I wanted more than anything in the world.

Stay tuned for more true stories! :o)

Day #7 The Character of a Man

(From Steve)

As I look back on my spiritual journey it is interesting to me the impact of Thursday release time. It was the 6th grade and I met a young pastor from the Assembly of God Church named Dan who volunteered to minister to a group of 6th grade boys. In fact, it was his idea to take all the boys...big mistake. We were a crazy bunch of young men, and I am not sure if Pastor Dan ever made it through a whole lesson.

I am not totally sure what we talked about every week, but as I look back, that time had a huge impact on me because of Pastor Dan. Even though I don't remember much of what he said I sure remember what kind of man he was. Here was a young guy who took time to be with us, was patient, kind, good to his wife and family, and loved Jesus. A guy who let Jesus permeate every part of his life; a man who read his Bible and then applied it to his life; a man of true character inside and outside of his church. Now that I am a pastor I often think of how Dan lived and try to emulate that.

I haven't seen Pastor Dan in over 10 years, but I looked him up the other day to thank him for making a difference in my life. Dan, if you are reading this, I want you to know that the way you live your life is a powerful sermon of what God can do in a person fully surrendered to Christ. Thank you.

Day # 6 and Meshach thinks it's cold!

Here's our collie, Meshach. Looks like he thinks it's cold out! We think so too! This was taken Tuesday, the day we got a whole bunch of snow!

If my foot had eyes, this is what it would have seen Tuesday as I opened the door to go out and get the mail. Yep, it's March and we just got another foot of snow.

This isn't the greatest picture because I took it through a screen window. I just wanted to point out that little bump inside our fence. That's the top of Seth's slide. It isn't a huge slide (about as tall as him), but last week he was climbing up the steps and sliding down! Our snow was quiet diminished, and now we have more than I've seen since we moved here about 5 years ago!

O.k., this day #6. I'm mixing things up again. ;o) My original thought was to have every highlight in our "40 days of Faith" in chronological order. But.... I felt like I should share a little snippet of something God's been saying to me this week.

As you may have noticed, things have been relatively stressful around here lately. (I haven't posted this because I didn't want to sound whiny, but we are sick. Again.) This makes about two months of minor yet frustrating health issues in our home. Cabin fever has also been hitting hard. Throw in the news of an extended family member passing away, a nearly fatal gun shot wound to a young man we know, plus some other though decisions to be made and I have a recipe that makes me want to sleep, eat chocolate, and spend my time reading other people's blogs. (Sleep seems to be a defense mechanism of mine. Eating chocolate and reading blogs are things I enjoy. However, I find myself gravitating toward these things waaaaay more than I should when I am stressed or have things I need to work on in my own family/home or spiritual life.) It is just so much easier to eat something that makes me feel good (for a while) and read about what's going on in other people's lives.

Don't worry. This story does have a point relating to 40 days of Faith. ;o)

Anyway, I like to read about what's happening in the lives of our friends, as I've mentioned. I also simply like to hear other people's opinions about lots of issues (for stay-at-home-moms who are cooped up with children due to sub-zero temps, blogs are great for this!) What I'm trying to say is this: when I feel like my life isn't going as well as I hope it would, I am quick to want to loose myself in what's going on in other people's lives (and chocolate).

Now, God has been speaking to me about this lately.

Last week I was feeling overwhelmed and didn't really want to think about all of the things on my plate, so I sat down at the computer to read blogs.

"I'll just spend some time thinking about what other people have to say," I thought to myself.

As quickly as that sentence was finished, a still small voice in my soul said,

"But don't you want to read about what I have to say?"

Uuh.

"Well, God, these blogs are just so..... interesting".

"I am interesting too. I love you and when you read my word you will find guidance and strength for everything you are facing."

"Hmmmm. That is true."

And He was right. As always.

Sometimes it takes a while for me to change habits, but God has been reminding me to turn to Him first. For help, for satisfaction, for guidance, even for entertainment. I'm always so happy when I listen. He never disappoints.

So, as you see, my journey of faith has not been completed. I still have a long way to go!

Stop by soon to read about Steve's journey again!

Day # 5

Today I was actually going to post about a different highlight in my faith journey. When I realized it was my cousin Lisa's birthday, I thought I would rearrange a little bit and share this with you....

This is my cousin Lisa and me this year around Christmas time.

Happy Birthday Lisa! I wanted to write about you tonight because you have had an impact on my faith journey. When we were young, maybe late elementary or early junior high, I started to notice the evidence of certain things in your life. You had always been a very wonderful and special person, but this was something more. As I grew in my own faith, I realized I was seeing the fruit of the Holy Spirit living in you. It became such an encouragement to me to be able to talk with you about the Lord and what He was doing in our lives. I loved hearing about your experiences of growing closer to God through working at Bible Camp and different missions trips you went on. My own faith was strengthened as I listened to you talk about answered prayers and your growing trust in the Lord. I was blessed to witness your faithfulness in obedience to God, especially as it played out in your relationship with the man you eventually married. Thank you for your commitment to Jesus, Lisa. For many years you have encouraged me to glorify Him.

It has been a huge blessing to be able to not only have you as a cousin and friend, but also a sister in Christ!

Serious Life and Goofing Around

Hey there, just wanted you to know about this publication we're a part of called Serious.Life Magazine. They just published the March issue today, and we are in their Featured Blog Directory. It’s a very high quality magazine… we think you’ll like it if you check it out.

The magazine includes a lot of great content from bloggers you’ll appreciate, as well as really good features, photos and more. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides great articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.

Again, the subscription is FREE, and we think you’ll enjoy the magazine, so take a minute to check it out and sign up to get future issues. http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

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And here's a peek at our own serious life - or lack there of.... at this moment anyway! This is Seth and Haddie the way we found them in the bathroom getting ready for bed tonight. ;o)

#4 and Asian Ribs! ;o)

Hello there! If you're wondering what this is all about....

just scroll down a few pages to Day #1!

Here is day #4, and following it is Steve's great Crock Pot Asian Ribs Recipe!



Well, this is Natalie again, picking up after "Experiencing His Presence in the Pews". From now on my posts will be red and Steve's will be blue so you will easily be able to tell the difference. (After a while our lives and faith stories will combine... I guess that means we'll have to change to purple!) ;o)




After that day (see Day#2) life went on as usual. It was a good life. In the evenings my dad would kneel beside our beds to pray with us, and throughout each day my mom taught us what it meant to live a life that pleased God. When I was in first grade my parents made a decision to start attending a Baptist church in a nearby town. The following year, when I was in second grade, I had another defining moment in my journey of faith.
It was a bright spring morning and pastor Randy happened to be giving a sermon about the reality of Hell. I had heard about Hell before, but I hadn't put too much thought into what Hell was really like, or the fact that I deserved to go there. I listened as if hearing it for the first time, while Pastor Randy explained that every person is a sinner. No matter how hard we might try, we cannot be perfect or earn our way to Heaven. As sinners, Hell is what we all deserve. I was startled by just how horrible Hell would be. Pain, sorrow, loneliness, and torment. With relief, I listened as Randy explained that a sinless Jesus had paid the penalty for us when he died on the cross over two thousand years ago. Instead of an eternity in Hell, I could be with Jesus in Heaven forever. All I needed to do was accept the gift of salvation Jesus was offering me.


My family went home from church that Sunday, and there my thoughts turned to other things. My siblings and I enjoyed the rest of our afternoon off and before we knew it, evening had come and we were tucked into bed. That night my mind returned to the message about Heaven and Hell. Tears began to stream down my cheeks as I realized that I had a decision to make. I knew that I wanted to be in Heaven after I died. So, as I lay there under my pink comforter, I prayed to God. I asked him to forgive my sins and come into my heart. Relief flooded over me and I felt peace.




(Stay tuned this week to find out what happens next for Steve and me!)



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Here's a recipe that a couple people have asked about! We wanted to try something fun and different for our Christmas Eve supper, so Steve decided to make Asian Ribs! They cook in a crock pot, so it worked perfectly for us as we were out of the house right until supper time!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 to 4 pounds boneless country style pork ribs
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped green onion, with greens

Preparation: In large bowl, combine, the first nine ingredients. Add ribs and turn to coat. Place the onion in bottom of slow cooker; arrange ribs on top. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Place ribs on serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Hope you like it as much as we do!

(recipe found at http://www.southernfood.about.com)

Day #3 (from Steve)

A Challenge From the Pastor:

It was the fourth grade and I had moved to town a little over a year before that spring morning. It was Thursday and we were meeting at the Lutheran Church for release time. The school I was attending allowed kids to get out of school for an hour on Thursday morning for religious education. Honestly, most of us just wanted to get out of school.
Today, however, was different. Today Pastor Ivan was talking to us about something that I had never thought of before. Today was the day that I first heard an invitation to follow Jesus Christ and trust Him as my savior for my sins. I had always thought that just going to church with your parents meant that you believed in God, but forgiveness of sins?
I couldn't help but listen as Pastor Ivan told us about Jesus dying on the cross as a substitute in my place for my sin. I had heard all of this before but today was the day that it penetrated my heart and took root in my soul.
At the end of his message Pastor Ivan had us bow our heads and if we wanted Jesus to come into our lives we could raise our heads. I raised mine. Of course, being 10 years old I looked around to see who else had raised their head....no one. Pastor Ivan prayed and then it was time to get back to school.
I still had a lot of growing up to do, and I have been by no means perfect since then. To be honest, I am not even sure if that is the day that I truly became a follower of Christ. I do know that is the day that the Holy Spirit first tugged at my heart. It was then that I became aware that there is a God out there and that He wanted to talk to me. Pastor Ivan's message was for me that day and I am forever greatful to him for it.

Day #2

Experiencing His Presence in the Pews

I slid my hand along the smooth, worn wood of the pew as I took a seat next to my little brother. My dad sat on his other side, and my mom and baby sister slipped in behind me. As the rest of the congregation also found their seats, our pastor walked to the front of the sanctuary. My short legs silently swung back and forth as I listened to the pastor welcome everyone to church. It was a little Lutheran church in a town with a population of 103. The church was small and the thin carpet was old, as was much of the congregation.

As the pastor motioned, the congregation stood to sing the first hymn. With anticipation, I waited for the organist to begin. The selection was entitled, "Holy, Holy, Holy" and when the music started I chimed in what words I remembered.

It was during that song at about the age of 5 that I experienced it for the first time. Voices around me were raised in worship and I joined them with all my might. Something in the atmosphere was different. The air around me felt light, yet full and close. My heart swelled with the same feelings. It was overwhelming and good. It's hard to describe to you unless you've felt it for yourself, but I know it was real and I have experienced it many times since. This was the first time I experienced the presence of God.


Continue to stop by here if you'd like to read about what happened after this!
Steve's first faith experience is coming up too!

Day #1

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he inclined to me and heard my cry.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon

a rock, making my steps secure. He put a

new song in my mouth, a song of praise

to our God. Many will see and fear, and

put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes the

Lord his trust, who does not turn to the

proud, to those who go astray after a lie!

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts

toward us; none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they

are more than can be told. ~Psalm 40: 1-5

When we decided to create this blog, we had a few goals in mind. There are many special people in our lives who reside far away, and we wanted to provide a chance for them to stay up to date with our family. We love our children more than words can say, and they bring delight to our lives every day. We wanted to share that delight with anyone who has an interest. We thought it would be fun to have a place to share ideas now and then. Even more than those things, however, we wanted to create another avenue for us to tell the world (or whoever cares to read!) ;o) about our incredible God and all of the amazing things he has done in our lives. We have been changed from the inside out, and it has been a great (albeit sometimes crazy and hard) journey. Our hope is that through sharing our experiences, we might be an encouragement to some of you.

A couple months ago I felt like it was time to share a little more about our stories of faith. I thought it would be fun to write for 40 days leading up to Easter. Soooo, that's what brings us here. We hope you enjoy learning a little more about us in the coming weeks. And don't worry - for those of you who aren't interested in this kind of thing, we'll continue to post pics of the kids and other events in the lives of S. and Company!

(Side note: The goal is a post for every day, but this is subject to change depending on other household happenings!)

Stay tuned for the beginning of our faith stories coming soon!

~find out what this is all about tomorrow!~