ForeverLOVEd

"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9 We wrote down what we were thankful for...family, friends, nature, moments...and I placed each family member's leaf on our thankful tree for the year. A couple nights before I had decorated the tree with all the leaves we declared our thanks on over the past few years. I had grown to love this tradition we had started only a few years back. It's a beautiful thing, to recognize the good in your life. It's a beautiful thing, to be able to say thank you! I looked at each person's thanks written on leaves of orange and red. I saw the varying good they had to celebrate with each passing year. And even though the thanks we had to give was all unique, it was certain that, however small or big, each of us had something to be thank...

For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:24-25 Everyone wants. For instance, right now I could name a list of things I want. In this moment, I want a back massage, a bowl of ice cream and a cozy blanket. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, I will probably want to go back to sleep. Then I'll want a cup of coffee. And throughout the day, I am sure there will be many more things I want. Those wants change from moment to moment. They are a result of my most basic needs. Then there are bigger things I want. These are things like my wants of friendship, love, and faith. These things, I want continually throughout my days and these things tend not to vary with the season or moment. These wants come out of my desire for heaven and out of my most complex needs. It is in our human nature to want. We were created to long for something that is ...

"For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18 Our breath floated through the air as we headed to the car. A pile of signs saying "garage sale" and coffees in hand, we were on our way to lead customers to the destination of my driveway. Over the past year or so we have had maybe 10 similar sales in an effort to raise funds because we believe in the cause for which we are raising them. So it's no surprise that over time, and many early mornings, we've perfected our sign hanging strategy. We selected the lime green posters, wrote words in big letters, and after many tries and failures we attached string to the back of our posters to easily hang them from the poles which line the entrances to the neighborhood. We've mapped out which entrances receive the biggest flow of traffic and know exactly which light poles, stop signs, and trees to place each sign a...

Through him we received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles on behalf of his name. You also are among them, called to belong to Jesus Christ. To all those loved by God in Rome, called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Romans 1:5-7 Last Thursday we celebrated my mom's birthday! Those of you who are date savvy might have put together that the date was November 1st. And some dedicated Catholics might even recognize that holy day. On the first of November every year, the Catholic Church celebrates the saints. And my mom, being that she was born on this day, reminds us every year that this is just because God thinks she's a saint. Now, let me tell you a few things about my mom. She's single handedly the most influential person in my life. She is beautiful, and goofy, and so kind. She's taught me every important lesson on life and my faith is so much a result of the faith t...

But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,”What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:7-9 Home. Majority of our lives are spent within the walls that hold a roof over our head. We sleep, and eat, and exist within this place. And to most of us, home is a happy place to be. Think about the effort we put into making our homes into that safe haven. There are stores that sell just home supplies. Shows and cable channels are dedicated solely to home decorating. Entire careers are based on the interior design of homes. And admit it you've browsed the home category on Pinterest. For me, at least, making a safe, and cozy, and pretty place to live is something I enjoy doing. Even before I could sit down and wor...

"My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing His designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings" Isaac Jogues You couldn't count the red lights in front of us if you tried. Our map showed red the entire way and our car moved at a snail's pace. We were in traffic. And I was annoyed. We sat there. Seconds ticking on the clock, well aware that we were going to be late. I was getting car sick and had to pee. The stop and go had me aggravated. We continued on to our destination but I couldn't help but curse the fact that an accident had us in so much traffic. And on top of that, I was mad that it had ruined my carefully thought out plans to get off work early and avoid the very thing I now found myself smack dab in the middle of, bumper to bumper traffic. We eventually made it to where we were heading, after some careful navigation and a tw...

2 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4 Me, myself, and I. Three people, all of us know, and unfortunately, three things I've been more concerned with then I should be, lately. Isn't it so easy, in our hectic worlds, to only seek what is best for ourselves? I can't peg the exact reasons for periods of my life when I turn the attention to solely what is best for me. Or tell you why I, at certain parts of my life, feel the desire to only look out for myself. But what I can tell you is, when...