One Thousand Gifts

21 Starbucks' runs with Amber
22 laundry detergent clean smell
23 bobby pins with fake diamonds
24 picking my husband up from work
25 guys that aren't jerks
26 fast internet (!!!)
27 laughing with Igor at T-Mobile
28 big, fluffy summer clouds that sometimes turn into thunderstorms
29 sermons that make me want to stand up and clap and shout, "Hallelujah! Amen!"
30 that connection you find when you meet someone who is a believer and you don't know they are a believer, but you have that shared "knowing"

Love,
Anna

Fill-in-the-Blank-Friday

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1. The last thing I ate was a chocolate chip muffin and a banana for breakfast.

2.  The next thing I'd like to eat is Skyline chili!! Yum yum.

3. The best things in life take work. Relationships with God, your spouse, your family and your friends are the very best things in life and they don't thrive without purposeful action towards their growth and life.

4. Something that makes me supremely and utterly happy is being with my husband. It makes me happy to just be in the room with him, even happier when he's next to me, and most happiest when we're touching. 

5. Sports are enjoyable for some, but not for me. Personally, I feel like watching them are a waste of time but that's just because I don't really find it enjoyable. I went to a baseball game with Aaron the other night for his birthday, and I found it enjoyable to be with him but I wasn't there for baseball's sake! 

6. I miss my family! All thirteen of them. I love them all so very much!

7. Right now I am excited for this weekend! First and foremost, I get to be with my dear darling husband (that was for you, Rog!) and secondly I get to see some wonderful friends and spend good time with them. (More on that next week including pictures!)

Have a good weekend and spend some time today marveling on how much God has given you that you don't deserve, considering that the only thing you deserve is death in hell. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

Love,

Anna

Waiting, Contentment and Desires

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Waiting is hard. Especially when you have a desire for something. For instance, the desire in a girl to get married and have babies is hard. You want a man to hold you, to come home to you, to call you his own wife. You want a little baby to hold in your arms, a baby that is your own, a baby you don't have to give back to his mother and say goodbye to. Don't get me wrong, these aren't bad desires, they are wonderful, beautiful God-given desires! He wants us to desire to be a wife and mother! Marriage and motherhood is the highest calling for a woman that there is! But what do we do with this desire when there isn't an eligible guy in sight and hence babies are even farther away?

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in His way..." ~ Psalm 37:3-7

 God has you in the circumstances you're in right now for a reason. I think we've all heard the phrase, "Bloom where you are planted". It's the concept that God has you in this season of life for a reason and that we are to be content right where we are, not focused on another stage or another episode of life. Jeremiah Burroughs once said, in his book The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment,

 "Christian Contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition."

I love the last phrase. It "freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." Think about every single word in that phrase. This is something I definitely haven't attained yet! So, our prayer when we have these desires is to ask God for more contentment in our present circumstances.


Another way to help with these good desires is to channel them into action. When Psalm 37 verse 7 says to "Be still and wait patiently for the Lord", it's not saying to sit around and twiddle your thumbs until God brings you your heart's desire, it's saying to not force the issue. Don't try to "make" it happen. Wait on the Lord, He will do it! But while you're waiting on the Lord, it's our job to conform ourselves to His image and become more like Him in every way. So while you're waiting for Prince Charming to appear on the scene, your job is to become more like Christ. What sins do you struggle with on a daily basis? Work (with the Spirit, of course!) on eradicating that from your life. Ask God to show you what He wants you to work on. Here's another thought about that: what if God isn't bringing that Man into your life because of a certain sin in your life? Ask God to show you! He's always willing to, I promise.


And one last thought. Proverbs 31 verse 12 says, "She [the wife] does him [her husband] good, and not harm, all the days of her life." It doesn't say, "she does him good all the days of their marriage," it doesn't even say, "she does him good all the days that she knows him"! It says, "all the days of her life." So how can you be doing good for your husband now? Instead of pining away for Mr. Right, how can you be conforming yourself to become more like Christ and do your Mr. Right good right now?


Love,
Anna

One Thousand Gifts

11 sunflowers

12 early morning birdsong

13 Aaron's smile

14 sweet friendships, online and face-to-face!

15 Alison

16 my Mom

17 inside jokes with my husband

18 drives in the country

19 a stranger's smile

20 overhearing someone speaking Russian

Love, 

Anna

Fill in The Blank Friday

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1. The last movie I saw was Kung Fu Panda 2. It had a lot of eastern mysticism/Buddhism throughout, but it was a really sweet adoption story. I cried at the end. 


2. I want to pass this test. I just need to take World Religions and get it over with.


3. Surprises are fun, but only if I have no idea about them beforehand. If I know something is a secret, it about kills me. My dad tells me it's for my good! 


4. The best accessory is jewelry, especially earrings.


5. My favourite warm drink is Pike's Place Roast at Starbucks. It's the perfect combination of strength, bitterness, and depth.


6. My favourite cold drink is a Mocha Coconut Frappucino.


7. Currently loving the new Owl City CD, All Things Bright and Beautiful and the beautiful weather that we've had for the past week. It's been lovely to have the windows open and hear the birdsong! I know Mocha loves it too.




(Questions originate from The Little Things We Do )


Love,
Anna

Things I'm Learning As a Wife...

Here are just a few random things I've learned and I'm working on as a wife. I have a loooong way to go, just in case you think I've arrived. {laughs}

• Pouting isn't a good idea. It just isn't. And I knew that before I got married too. You'd think I would have figured that out by now! It just makes life miserable for both of us. And Aaron loves me and wants the best for me, so when he says no, it must be that it's for my good. (This principle applies to God too!)

• Every day right before Aaron gets home or I go to pick Aaron up from work, I spray a little perfume on and fix my hair and swish with mouthwash. I know Aaron appreciates it and it certainly makes me feel fresher! 

• "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1. It really works too. Funny how that is! The problem is that I tend to feel self-righteous after I've responded gently! So I jump from one ditch into the other. So I'm learning to stay right in the middle. 

• Even when you just know you're right, is it really worth arguing? In view of eternity, does the subject at hand need to be won? Maybe not, especially when it's put that way.

• Your spouse comes with habits, good habits and bad habits. And both good and bad habits are hard to be broken. Be patient, marriage doesn't change a person. They are the same person after the vows as before the vows. Just like you! You come with plenty of bad habits yourself. 

• When you pray out loud for your spouse, pray with your eyes open, staring deeply into their eyes. There is something intimate and tender about talking to God while gazing on the person you love.

• Don't talk badly about your husband. The wife of the pastor who officiated at our wedding is a dear friend of mine, and neither I nor my mom have ever (ever!) heard her say one negative word about her husband. That is who I want to be, all the time.

• Read together. Aaron and I are reading three different books together: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, and The First 90 Days of Marriage by Eric and Leslie Ludy. Most of the time it's just a way to relax together, but sometimes something causes us to have a good discussion. The best part is that I get to put my head in Aaron's lap and watch his face while he reads. 

I had thought of some others while I was driving to pick Aaron up today, but I can't remember anymore. If I remember them, they will probably become another post! 

Love,

Anna

PS - Being a wife is awesome!

Don't Limit God

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"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things, above all that we ask or think. Each time, before you Intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!"

~ Andrew Murray 

Love,
Anna

One Thousand Gifts

I have seen several other bloggers that participate in "One Thousand Gifts". I am not exactly sure where the idea came from, but I think it's a wonderful practice to encourage and actually have been wanting to start it myself. The idea is to find one thousand things that you are grateful to God for. Once I get started, I'm sure I will be able to continue far beyond one thousand gifts! So here goes, one thousand things I am thankful for. Here are the first few:

1 my husband

2 dusk

3 Starbucks

4 sparkles

5 shoes

6 Shabby Apple dresses

7 Skyline chili

8 peonies

9 my sweet puppy Mocha

10 bright red cardinals

Love,

Anna

Mary Thoughts: May the Mind of Christ My Saviour

This is one of my very favourite hymns. I have only sung it a few times in church, but the words are so wonderfully rich. Sometimes I like to pray the lyrics. I hope it blesses you today! 

May the mind of Christ my Savior
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and pow'r controlling
  All I do and say.

May the Word of Christ dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
  Only through His pow'r.

May the peace of Christ my Savior
Rule my life in every thing,
That I may be calm to comfort
  Sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me,
As the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing,
  This is victory.

May I run the race before me,
Strong and brave to face the foe,
Looking only unto Jesus
  As I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
  Seeing only Him.

Mary Thoughts: Blessings

"We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise"


~ Laura Story

Fragments: Lingering Light

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Fragments: Lingering Light

The light of You

Catches my eye.

It lingers, playing

With the shadows 

On my face.

Piercing so bright

I raise my hand

To shield my face.

How do You know?

Let the light of Your presence 

Cleanse me.

Lift me from the mire of life

To soar with Your sunbeams

Shining from Your face.

~ Anna M. Nix

Martha Thoughts: In The Kitchen

I'm going to share a cake recipe that I got from my Nana. Every time my family would make the 10-hour drive out to Denver, Colorado, this ultra moist cake would be awaiting us in her immaculate kitchen. As my family expanded, she had to make two cakes for everyone to have some! Once I got married, I discovered that my husband prefers coffee style cakes over cakes with frosting, so I determined to get my Nana's recipe. After the very first bite, Aaron was instantly a fan! Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 4 bars (1.55 oz each) Hershey chocolate bars
• yellow cake mix
• 1 package vanilla instant pudding mix (3.4 oz)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tsp. powdered sugar

Spray and flour Bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break up Hershey bars into small pieces. Mix yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate and pour into Bundt pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Leave in pan for 20 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool completely. Shake powdered sugar on top. Enjoy! 

PS - This cake simply begs to be eaten with a glass of milk! 

Love,

Anna

Mary Thoughts: Isaiah 1:16-17

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"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;

Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.

Cease to do evil,

Learn to do good;

Seek justice,

Rebuke the oppressor;

Defend the fatherless, 

Plead for the widow."

~ Isaiah 1:16-17

{Pardon the re-post, so to speak, but I'm re-organizing some things. :) }

Encouragement

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I'm lonely. I have lived here for just over two months and haven't found a good friend yet. I feel at home with Aaron's family and love them very much. His sisters are good friends, but I just haven't found that community of friends, good Christian friends, that I had back where my family lives. Of course, I am living with my best friend in the entire world which is wonderful in and of itself. But we haven't found a church family or community to plug into yet. So it just is a struggle sometimes.

However, today I received some very sweet encouragement from a long distance friend who lives in Texas. (This is her blog : Musings from the Feet of Jesus) Kathryn sent me a box with two yummy recipes, some Starbucks coffee (yippee!!), a "Friends" picture frame, and a very encouraging note. She reminded me that God will provide me with amazing friends, sending me the recipes and coffee that I could enjoy with my future friends, and the frame so I could place their smiling face within it as a reminder of God's faithfulness. Kathryn's kindness to me really brightened my day! And I definitely needed that reminder that God would provide friends in His own timing.

And you know what? I decided to start praying differently. Instead of saying, "Dear God, please bring me a friend," I decided to pray, "Dear God, please show me someone who needs a good friend." Instead of looking at what I don't have, I decided to look at what I do have. God has given me world's best husband as my best friend. He has given me in-laws that feel like family that I have known forever. He has given me two new sisters that are great friends!

Yes, it's still lonely sometimes. But that's when I need to remind myself of God's enduring faithfulness and remember the blessings God has provided for me already! Thank you Kathryn for your wonderful encouragement and your ray of sunshine that brightened my day.

Love,
Anna

The Gospel

We all need to remind ourselves of just how good the Gospel is on a daily basis. This video does an excellent job of sharing just that.



G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

Love,
Anna