I am not sure how to begin this blog, but I think the title sums it up. We are again in a season of trusting and I am beginning to think that this is exactly how God wants us to live.
While we were on vacation, Michael and I were both presented with some decisions to make. We took a day off to really press into Him and seek what He wanted from us. A little buildup to this is that I have been wrestling with the idea of not being in Austin with Michael when he goes with Steve in January. We had discussed back in March that I would just live with the in-laws and work my three days for Legacy and then go back to Austin. I started having some restless nights the last few weeks due to this. My heart just wasn't at peace.
So I spoke with Michael and we began to seek the Lord. I continued to not be at ease with everything! I didn't want to leave my job because I have always taught and I have really been looking forward to working at Legacy. Teaching is something that I am super passionate about and I simply just enjoy it. I also didn't want to risk my integrity by not fulfilling my commitment for the entire year as well as or to just up and quit before the school year even started. That just isn't the kind of person I am or that I want to be. We continued to pray about it.
While I was dealing with this Michael was also pressed with some issues about his work. His contract was going to be up at the end of the month with Resolute. He is going to start graduate school in the fall and we know that we need to up our game with Mr. Steve Toth. As Michael began talking with some current chief of staffs he realized he needed to get to work soon! Work, campaign, and graduate school all added into a very short time period would make for a very tired husband.
I am not one to cry a lot and I know that is mostly due to pride, however, I spend several nights in tears over these issues because I just didn't know what to do.
Now we come to our time we took off while on vacation. It was hard to not hang out with the family, but we knew that we needed to really press into the Lord. So we spent time praying and reading the Word and praying some more. The Lord is good! I really felt like I needed to send an email to Legacy and share with them my heart. So, I did that. I got a response the next day and I was overwhelmed at how the conversation went. They had prayed about it and completely saw the purity of my heart in wanting to be with my husband as well as grateful that I spoke with them now before the year got started. They had contacted someone else who had interviewed and were going to offer her my job. I got a call the next day and she had taken the job and all was well with Legacy! My biggest concern was that Legacy wouldn't look at me like I was a flake or that I was non-committal and that there was no bad blood. They were completely honest with me and said they were sad that I wasn't going to be working for them, but they would love to hire me in the future. There is not bad blood on any part.
On Michael's side of the story, he felt as if he needed to end our time with Resolute so that he could focus on school and on Steve. He got some very specifics from the Lord and let's just say it was sweet time!
Where do we go from here? We continue to trust God! We have money saved up that could last us a year or so and we know and trust that again God is in control. We will technically only live on savings for 4 months in this transition period. Once we get to Austin, we will be getting paid. And just by the grace of God we will be taken care of!
My hope and prayer is that no one will look at us and judge us for this or tell us we are wrong. We are confident that God is in this and that we are doing what He wants!
I ask for those of you who read this to pray for us. We are going to continue to trust that God is in control and seek Him and we ask that you would do the same. Thank you to those who read and who will be in prayer with us during these next few months!
Much love,
Brittany
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Trust
Vacation is a wonderful thing and I enjoyed ours thoroughly, however, I am glad to be back home. We have been traveling a lot this summer and we just got back from our 2 week long vacation. From New York to Washington D.C., I feel like we have traveled to Africa and back. Obviously that is not the case, but we did take lots of transportation in getting to all these places.
God has taught us a lot through these last two weeks and the major theme is TRUST. I think I have blogged about trust before and I am thinking that it will be a common theme of our life. Our Christian faith is based on trust! It's about not relying on our own self and what we think we can handle, but seeking God and asking Him what He wants us to do and then following through with it yet still relying on Him.
I just finished reading Numbers this morning and I would say that the major common theme is trust. The jist of this book covers the Israelites leaving Egypt and wandering in the desert. Moses gave orders for twelve men (one from each tribe) to go spy on the promised land. They go and do just that, but when they come back they were so scared of what they saw that they gave an inaccurate view of the land! Caleb was the only one who was bold enough to take a stand and tell the others and the entire community that they could do it! He took a very bold stand for the Lord and yet no one listened to him. Because of their lack of faith and trust in God, they were made to wander in the desert for 39 years. The ENTIRE book of Numbers! Thirty six chapters! They also were not allowed to go into the promised land. Any man aged twenty or older was killed off during the time in the desert and they couldn't see what God had promised.
I think about my life in comparison to the Israelites. Do I trust God? Is it evident to others? Am I honoring God in all that I say and do? I know I am not perfect and I won't be until I get to Heaven, but when I die I want people to think of me as a woman of great character. One who honors the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind. I want to be remembered as a loving, giving, serving person.
Lord, you know my heart and you know my desires. I know that without You, nothing is possible. So I ask that You would be the center of my life and evident in it. Lord let Your will be done and not mine. Teach me what it is to trust You with all that I have. Amen.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Numbers
I am not sure if I have expressed this in my blog yet, but I am going to read through the entire Bible. I don't have a time frame necessarily, but if I get it done by the end of the year, that would be fabulous. So I have definitely stepped it up in reading through the Word and trying to really understand what God is teaching me through this. I have been a Christian now for almost 13 years and have never read through the entire Bible. I have a Life Application Bible that helps me understand what is going on. Plus I have an amazing, intelligent husband whom God has gifted with an abundance of wisdom when it comes to almost anything!
Because I have finished with Leviticus, I went straight to Numbers. Now Numbers is somewhat like Leviticus in that it is repetitious and a little mundane. Numbers is basically a census of all the people. God tells Moses to go and count all the different tribes that will be traveling to the Promised Land. After he gets done numbering everyone (and this is just the men who can fight in battle) the total is 603,350! Let me stress that this is just the MEN! Not including the women and children. However, if they were to have counted everyone (minus the Levites) the number would have been more than two million Israelites! HOLY COW! I am so amazed at this number.
God tells Moses to count all the 12 tribes and then he gives them an arrangement of how He wants them to be around the Ark of the Covenant. Below is a diagram of how the camp was set up.
Can you imagine being apart of this camp? In modern times this camp would have taken up 12 square miles to just set up the tents for the men...again not including the women!
Moses didn't count the Levites because they were given specific duties within the camp and taking care of the Ark. They counted them later on, but it wasn't important in the beginning for setting up camp.
Being a teacher I have had on average 19 kids in my class and because I am specialized and just teach Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies, I switch with the Math/Science teacher and I have another 19 kids. That's a lot of kids to keep up with! Think about Moses. He had to keep track of ALL these people! I think he was probably very good at delegating.
This brings me to a conclusion that our God is an almighty God who brought these people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Eventually. They did some complaining and were disobedient and so it took a lot longer to get there, but they did. God fulfilled His promise. God tells us to ask for things and it will be given to us. He may not give it to us right then and there, but I do believe that God will either change our heart or He will follow through when it is His timing and His will.
Abba, I pray that Your will be my will. I want what You want for my life and nothing more. Help me to have a heart of worship towards the things You have already given me and be obedient to the things You have called me to. Use this message today to speak to someone else. Amen.
Because I have finished with Leviticus, I went straight to Numbers. Now Numbers is somewhat like Leviticus in that it is repetitious and a little mundane. Numbers is basically a census of all the people. God tells Moses to go and count all the different tribes that will be traveling to the Promised Land. After he gets done numbering everyone (and this is just the men who can fight in battle) the total is 603,350! Let me stress that this is just the MEN! Not including the women and children. However, if they were to have counted everyone (minus the Levites) the number would have been more than two million Israelites! HOLY COW! I am so amazed at this number.
God tells Moses to count all the 12 tribes and then he gives them an arrangement of how He wants them to be around the Ark of the Covenant. Below is a diagram of how the camp was set up.
Can you imagine being apart of this camp? In modern times this camp would have taken up 12 square miles to just set up the tents for the men...again not including the women!
Moses didn't count the Levites because they were given specific duties within the camp and taking care of the Ark. They counted them later on, but it wasn't important in the beginning for setting up camp.
Being a teacher I have had on average 19 kids in my class and because I am specialized and just teach Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies, I switch with the Math/Science teacher and I have another 19 kids. That's a lot of kids to keep up with! Think about Moses. He had to keep track of ALL these people! I think he was probably very good at delegating.
This brings me to a conclusion that our God is an almighty God who brought these people out of Egypt and to the Promised Land. Eventually. They did some complaining and were disobedient and so it took a lot longer to get there, but they did. God fulfilled His promise. God tells us to ask for things and it will be given to us. He may not give it to us right then and there, but I do believe that God will either change our heart or He will follow through when it is His timing and His will.
Abba, I pray that Your will be my will. I want what You want for my life and nothing more. Help me to have a heart of worship towards the things You have already given me and be obedient to the things You have called me to. Use this message today to speak to someone else. Amen.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Kolaches
Or some people might consider these pigs in a blanket. Where I come from a pig in a blanket is served during New Years for "good luck" and is a piece of cabbage with meat inside. Very tasty in my opinion! Texas version, however, is a roll with a sausage link in the middle. I again used Meagan Peters recipe for this wonderful breakfast! It was so delicious! We ate them with organic ketchup that is flavored with agave nectar. Super tasty!
Kolaches
Dough:
2 ½ cups almond meal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (I find this cheap at our local Marshall's)
¼ cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 Package of sausage (I used turkey sausage)
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350°
2) Grease baking sheet with coconut oil. I usually take a small paper towel and dab that in the oil.
3) Heat the sausages in a small pan while you make the dough.
4) Mix all the wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
5) Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
6) Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
7) Grab about a ¼ cup dough and flatten in your hands. A little trick I learned this morning is to have your hands a bit damp. That way the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
8) Roll the dough around the sausage and place on the baking sheet.
9) Bake for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!
Kolaches
Dough:
2 ½ cups almond meal
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (I find this cheap at our local Marshall's)
¼ cup agave nectar
2 large eggs
1 Package of sausage (I used turkey sausage)
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350°
2) Grease baking sheet with coconut oil. I usually take a small paper towel and dab that in the oil.
3) Heat the sausages in a small pan while you make the dough.
4) Mix all the wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
5) Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
6) Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
7) Grab about a ¼ cup dough and flatten in your hands. A little trick I learned this morning is to have your hands a bit damp. That way the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
8) Roll the dough around the sausage and place on the baking sheet.
9) Bake for 12-15 minutes and enjoy!
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| Mix the wet ingredients. |
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| Mix the dry ingredients. |
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| Warm the sausage while making the dough. |
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| The kolaches ready to go into the oven. |
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| The final product...with a little ketchup! DELICIOUS! |
Blueberry Cobbler
I borrowed a recipe from my friend Meagan Peters. She has a lot of good recipes on her website and you should check them out! This is one I have been wanting to try for awhile now, but finally had the time too.
Here is my go at this recipe!
Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients:
3 cups frozen berries (I used ones we picked from Moorehead Blueberry Farms)
1 ½ cups almond flour
¼ cup flax seed meal
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. cinnamon
Agave nectar or honey for the drizzle
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°
2) Pour the blueberries in a pie pan
4) In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the almond flour, flax seed meal, coconut oil, and cinnamon.
5) Drizzle honey or agave nectar over the berries.
6) Evenly spread the mixing bowl over the berries. I also used a spoon to stir the berries so that they would be evenly coated.
7) Bake for about 35 minutes!
Here is my go at this recipe!
Blueberry Cobbler
Ingredients:
3 cups frozen berries (I used ones we picked from Moorehead Blueberry Farms)
1 ½ cups almond flour
¼ cup flax seed meal
2 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. cinnamon
Agave nectar or honey for the drizzle
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°
2) Pour the blueberries in a pie pan
4) In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the almond flour, flax seed meal, coconut oil, and cinnamon.
5) Drizzle honey or agave nectar over the berries.
6) Evenly spread the mixing bowl over the berries. I also used a spoon to stir the berries so that they would be evenly coated.
7) Bake for about 35 minutes!
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| Before... |
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| After! It was amazing! |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Celebrations
As we prepare for the 4th of July tomorrow and in my continuation of Leviticus I want to dig into the idea of celebrations.
Michael and I got married in October of 2011 and really had only spent a few holidays together because we didn't date very long. I don't look back on this and regret it, however, I do think we should have had some conversations about holidays. When Christmas came along last year Michael didn't want to put up a Christmas tree. I was SHOCKED! "You mean, we can't put up a tree with all the ornaments that I had collected over the years?" I didn't understand and it led to several hard conversations and lots of tears. My mother-in-law, Keely, had some great conversations with us though. We worked through all of those and we decided to put up a Christmas tree.
I am telling you all this because in my reading today I read through Leviticus 22-23. In this God gave the Israelites several different "feasts" to celebrate with specific rules for each of them. Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Trumpets to name just a few. Each of these days or weeks were set apart for specific reasons. For example, Pentecost was celebrating the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. It showed joy and thanksgiving over a bountiful harvest. I think about Thanksgiving when I think about Pentecost. Shelters was another celebration because it reminded them of God's protection and guidance in the desert. It renewed their commitment to God and trust in His guidance and protection.
When Michael and I had some conflicts over the Christmas tree I now realize that it wasn't over the Christmas tree. He was trying to dig deeper and ask why it is that we celebrate these holidays and do the things we do. Is it simply because of tradition and that's what our parents did? Or do we do it because it is pleasing and honoring to the Lord?
I know that we have discussed this topic so many times and there are certain holidays we won't celebrate when we have children. As I am understanding all of this more, though I do think setting aside other days throughout the year to help us remember God's grace, love, mercy, justice, and His ultimate sacrifice.
Question time:
1) Think about the holidays you celebrate. Why do you celebrate them and for what purpose?
Lord, help us to keep the focus on You when we celebrate holidays. Help me to always give thanks to You for these special days. We wouldn't be celebrating anything if it wasn't for Your love for us. Thank you for giving us these times to remember You and to honor Your name! Amen.
Michael and I got married in October of 2011 and really had only spent a few holidays together because we didn't date very long. I don't look back on this and regret it, however, I do think we should have had some conversations about holidays. When Christmas came along last year Michael didn't want to put up a Christmas tree. I was SHOCKED! "You mean, we can't put up a tree with all the ornaments that I had collected over the years?" I didn't understand and it led to several hard conversations and lots of tears. My mother-in-law, Keely, had some great conversations with us though. We worked through all of those and we decided to put up a Christmas tree.
I am telling you all this because in my reading today I read through Leviticus 22-23. In this God gave the Israelites several different "feasts" to celebrate with specific rules for each of them. Passover, Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Trumpets to name just a few. Each of these days or weeks were set apart for specific reasons. For example, Pentecost was celebrating the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. It showed joy and thanksgiving over a bountiful harvest. I think about Thanksgiving when I think about Pentecost. Shelters was another celebration because it reminded them of God's protection and guidance in the desert. It renewed their commitment to God and trust in His guidance and protection.
When Michael and I had some conflicts over the Christmas tree I now realize that it wasn't over the Christmas tree. He was trying to dig deeper and ask why it is that we celebrate these holidays and do the things we do. Is it simply because of tradition and that's what our parents did? Or do we do it because it is pleasing and honoring to the Lord?
I know that we have discussed this topic so many times and there are certain holidays we won't celebrate when we have children. As I am understanding all of this more, though I do think setting aside other days throughout the year to help us remember God's grace, love, mercy, justice, and His ultimate sacrifice.
Question time:
1) Think about the holidays you celebrate. Why do you celebrate them and for what purpose?
Lord, help us to keep the focus on You when we celebrate holidays. Help me to always give thanks to You for these special days. We wouldn't be celebrating anything if it wasn't for Your love for us. Thank you for giving us these times to remember You and to honor Your name! Amen.
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