2014 In One Word

Years seem to come and go more quickly than I remember as a child. 2013 was no exception. Looking back it was some of the best of times.  And there were days I struggled to keep myself afloat.  One thing is certain, Christ has walked this road with me.  He has been by my side when the tears flowed and when my heart rejoiced. To say I am thankful may be an understatement.



This new year has begun and already I know that Christ has ordained some vital, life giving things for me and my family in 2014. What, well, I can't say for sure.  However, I can say that when considering this new year, the word He laid on my heart was Less. That little four letter word has such a BIG meaning.

Sitting down to flesh out some of what might be less in my life this new year resulted in a list, a conglomeration, of decisions that are made daily. Decisions to make less of worldly possessions and passions that unhealthily draw me away from responsibilities and relationships that have eternal value. Choices in healthy eating habits, daily exercise, removing clutter from my home, thought patterns, healthy media boundaries and choices of responsibilities outside the home, just to name a few.

Romans 6:12-14

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

Some of those decisions may seem trivial, but for me, they are vital.  Because I have been made alive in Christ, I am seeing the importance of using my whole body as an instrument of righteousness.  Freely living in the grace God has provided.  Just as Romans 6:12-14 says. 2014 will bring less of me...my thinking, habits and choices.  It will reflect Christ and how He has changed my life.

What is your one word for 2014?  What are you hoping this year will bring?

21 Day Challenge

Nearly nine years ago, I married the most incredible man I'd ever met.  He's fun, outgoing, smart, spontaneous...practically every thing I had on my future husband wish list.  Though our differences are numerous, there are several things we have in common - some good, some not so good.

One area, that I believe is safe to say, we have both struggled with is self-discipline in the area of healthy living.  This includes but is not limited to:

• Healthy food choices


• Regular exercise


• Teaching our boys the importance of maintaining good physical health

Just about a month ago, it was decided that we'd make some changes in the right direction.  We began by trying to incorporate more whole foods into our diet.  I think it's safe to say that we've done okay in that area.  Though our children are reluctant, they are slowly coming around.  However, I'm struggling still with the exercise portion of living healthy.  This was not something that was taught as a necessity to myself or my husband growing up.  So making time for it has been quite a challenge.  Not to mention we live in a rural community and have 3 boys under the age of 5.

I was so excited when I read on Erin's blog Home with the Boys about Crystal's, from Money Saving Mom, new ebook 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life. And I was even more excited to learn about the challenge that will begin tomorrow, November 1st!  One of the challenges in the book is to pick a mega project to work toward completing during the 21 day challenge.  And boy did I come up with a list of projects I could work on! Here are just a few of my mega project list for future months.

• Homeschool Curriculum - since it looks like that's the route we'll be taking, I need to start working on what next fall will look like for us.


• Make a Quilt - something I've been wanting to do for a while.


• Declutter my house - something I could put off indefinitely but really needs has to be done!


• Prayer book for my boys - a book for scriptures my boys can look at and we can pray together.

But my choice is obvious. Exercise will be my focus the next 21 days.  I'm not going to jump in and try to over do it - which I'm really good at.  However, I want to invite a family lifestyle that embraces exercise.  We, meaning I, will start small and work toward my goal progressively.  Since my college days, I've gained a good bit of weight and a lot of remorse over it.  I'm watching my children embrace an unhealthy lifestyle that I've promoted through my inaction. So here are a few of my goals for the beginning:

• Exercise for at least 15 minutes a day.


• Utilize my resources - walking track at the local park, Couch to 5K phone app, exercise videos, exercise games for the game systems, etc.


• Actually use the My Fitness Pal app on my smart phone to track my daily food and exercise goals (& put a badge on my blog - for accountability)

So, have a mega project you've been thinking about  putting off for a while? Buy the book here. And then join the challenge! Looking forward to beginning a new, healthy lifestyle over the next 21 days.  Will you join me?

 

 

33 Years & A Million Miles

Woke up this morning to a little curly red-haired boy climbing into my bed at 2:45 AM.  Just like any other night he comes into our room he snuggles up close and begins to whine for his "tup".  This beautiful gift finished his cup of choc and restlessly fell back to sleep.  He tossed and turned, kicked and cried for the next 3 hours.  And though my words may not always express it, I am thankful for his life.

I can only imagine the joy my own parents felt as this day thirty three years ago they welcomed their own red-haired baby girl into this wild and crazy world. Through the years I have done my own share of kicking, screaming, whining and crying. I own a stubborn streak that can even be attested to by my loving husband.  In thirty three years some things have changed and others have, well, changed.

I've learned many valuable lessons over my 33 years and some million miles on this planet.  The one that is etched in my heart and mind today is about change.  Lucky for me I'm no longer the 5 pound 15 ounce baby girl I was when my mother delivered me.  I've grown and matured over the years.  Change.

These are a couple of things I've learned about change.

• Change is inevitable.  We cannot stop somethings from changing no matter how hard we try.  These events/circumstances are things we likely have little or no control over.  That doesn't mean that instances where we can affect change, we shouldn't.  Sometimes we can see change coming and all we can do is prepare.  We should choose our battles wisely.

• Change is a choice. We have the choice to make changes within our own lives that will affect us and those around us. This is by far the hardest for me. To incite change means I recognize something within me that is not the best it could be.  Choosing change pushes me to be a leader and holds me accountable for my attitude and my actions.

After 33 years, I know that change is coming. I can't live a dormant life.  I'm either living or dying.  The choice is will I face change or run from it?  May my next 33 years be something to tell the world about!

The Ministry of Motherhood

The last 12 months have been some of the toughest I've had to face, possibly ever.  I knew last August when we left the full time ministry position my husband was serving, that change was inevitable.  To the depth, I had no idea.  Through much prayer and time in God's Holy Word, Hebrews 11:6 continued to come up.

And it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

We left knowing that God would provide for our family of five.  How, was a different story (for another time possibly).  Here I sit, nearly a year later.  My husband is serving as the lead pastor of a local fellowship. Change has been evident in our lives.  We have and are continuing to learn to live once again in a rural community.  We're learning still what it means to sincerely seek Christ in the areas of marriage, family and ministry.

Yesterday, as I was reading in Luke 19, I came across the passage in scripture where it talks about Jesus entering Jerusalem.  Reading it, I paused to see that before Jesus came into Jerusalem, while he was still approaching the city, he began to weep.

⁴² “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. ⁴⁴ They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

To visualize my Lord weeping over a people.  Tears still come to my eyes as I think about it.  He was so moved with compassion for these people.  People who had already rejected him.  Oh how he longed for them to have accepted the way to salvation, the way to peace.

When we left Birmingham, our oldest son was almost 4 years old.  He didn't understand why we had to leave.  Instead of trying to make a 4 year old comprehend what even as an adult can be difficult, we just simply told him that God had another people for us to love.  And that in time, God would show us those people.  Change.  Change of scenery, change of people, change of heart.  As I read this passage again and again, I asked,

"Has Christ's love so filled me for a people, that I've sincerely wept for their salvation?"

As I thought about this question all day yesterday, I kept asking myself what people has He sent me to love?  Mind you, not only did my husband surrender to the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I did also.  So for me to not be as involved in the ministry as he is, is often frustrating.  So, I kept asking, what people, Lord? The answer, your children, Naomi.



I must confess.  I haven't spent near the time playing with my kids as I have telling them to go play.  I haven't rocked my babies to sleep at night as often as I fuss for them to go to bed.  Today, yet another change has occurred in the Stephens' household.  The change from general church ministry to the ministry of motherhood.  I have a ministry right under my roof.  A people I'm to be so filled with the love of Christ for that I weep over their salvation, that I disciple them daily and I teach them all that Christ has taught me through His Word.  Though I have the same responsibility to others, my boys come first.

What people have you been so filled with the love of Christ for that you weep over their salvation?  How has the ministry of motherhood changed your relationship with Christ and with your children?

 

Something New

Today was a bittersweet day for our family as Anthony announced first to the youth and then to the church family we are leaving First Baptist Church of Birmingham.  I did good. I didn't really cry...I'll save that for a later date.  We've so enjoyed living life with this wonderful fellowship of believers.  We've seen the birth of our second son, Samuel, and soon our third son, Nicolas.  We've watched the growth of this fellowship in faith as well as numbers. And as sweet LM asked this morning, "why do you have to leave?"  How do I explain to this sweet, young girl?  So I simply replied that when God tells you to do something, obedience is the best choice. Now what?  Well, Anthony will be commuting to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary two days a week to work on finishing his master's degree.  We will not initially be serving on staff in a church.  As a matter of fact, Anthony will not have a job or means of income to start out.  What a step of faith with three young boys!  Thankfully, my parents have graciously and generously opened their home for us to move to until God opens the doors for us to serve him among a local congregation.  Watch out Crystal Springs, MS here we come!

We've known for some time now that God is directing Anthony to step out of student ministry and into the role of a senior pastor.  Scary stuff...not just for him but for me as I've never been the pastor's wife.  And honestly, as a youth minister's wife, you aren't quite as in the spotlight as the pastor's wife.  We know that the Lord has a mighty plan that we may not be able to yet see fully.  Thankfully, the Lord - in all His ways - is trustworthy and never taken by surprise.  We, I, ask for your prayers for our family as we make some BIG changes over the next 5 weeks - welcoming our 3rd child into the world, packing our house, moving in with family and Anthony beginning seminary full-time.  Looking forward to what the Lord has in store for our marriage, family and ministry!