The Springtime Promise

I sit in the stillness of the early morning, in the comfort of my living room, drinking in the beauty of the snow-capped mountains which appear to be just outside my window. Winter is fading...slowly...and every day we see a bit more the promise of Spring. 

The sun is coming over the Eastern horizon now, illuminating the mountains in the West. The new light exposes their unfathomable depth and detail. Creation truly does sing the joy of the Father.

How my heart wants Winter to be replaced by a permanent Spring. How I want the Son to come today, lighting up the darkness and replacing this cold world with warmth and joy. I want Him to expose the beauty of the Earth as we have never seen before. I want to see The Promise fulfilled. I want to see the Kingdom come. I want to see Jesus. 

"Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness."

Psalm 96:11-13

The Winds of Change

Life is full of changes. The winds of change blow soft and subtle some moments and then howl and swirl the next. 

Pregnancy is one of those howling and swirling moments of change. I wake up every day looking and feeling different than the day before. My belly's grown bigger, my hair thicker, the contractions stronger, the bladder smaller, and the emotions feebler. I have new decisions to make, new priorities to align, a new role to fulfill, a new person for whom I'm responsible. Life is in the process of changing drastically for me. Some changes have already come, and others will come now at any moment. Each of these changes, though difficult, are sweet sweet blessings coming as a result of God's beautiful gift to me and Nathan. 

Though I am so thankful for our coming child and each of the changes that come along with him, this season of change plants the seed of fear in my soul. With all the physical changes comes the fearful question, "Am I still beautiful?" With the entrance into motherhood comes the fearful question, "Will I know what to do?" With the many new decisions to make comes the fearful question, "Will I make the right choice?" And on and on...

With a fearful soul I am always tempted to run to my husband, seeking affirmation and confidence in his love and steadfastness. But I know in my mind (so much more than in my heart) that Nathan has such limited resources to offer me - he is only a man. I know that peaceful rest will only come when I run to my God, seeking that affirmation and confidence in His perfect love and faithfulness toward me. I was reminded in Hebrews 4 this morning that I can confidently draw near to the throne of grace receiving mercy and finding grace in my time of need. How beautiful, how satisfying to know that God is sovereign over every change coming my way and so graciously provides His Word so I can face every change without fear. How I treasure the Scriptures and their Author today. 

Reader, surely you face some fear of change and uncertainty even now. Might I encourage you to draw nearer to the throne of grace and read deeper into the Word of truth? May you find rest for your soul there. 

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:14-16

Our Little Nursery

Over the past few weeks, Nathan and I have been working to get the nursery ready for baby Titus' arrival. Today, I feel like it's as close as possible to being complete without our little boy himself asleep in the crib. The following is a "photo tour" through the nursery for all who are interested.

From the door...

 From the closet...

While I was in Ohio, my mom (and I) made the crib bumper & skirt. I was so thankful for all my mother's work on it and so happy with how it turned out!

My parents gave us this little rocker which has been in the family for who knows how long! I crocheted the blanket draped over the back. As my sister-in-law, Karin, put it...I love to just sit in this rocker and enjoy the serenity of it all. We are so blessed.

 I just love his little bath towel & robe. Aren't they the cutest?

Nathan spray painted this bird cage for me! The nest is what our rings were carried in at our wedding, and I crocheted the birds to put inside.

 Nathan was a huge, very patient help with this picture frame letter project! I'm love him so much.

Nathan spray painted the frames (purchased at Goodwill) as well as the letters. I covered the glass with leftover fabric we used for the bedding and stuck a square of burlap & the letters inside.

 Just a closer up picture of the bedding for my mom. : )

There you have it! The nursery has been a fun project for me and Nathan to do together. : ) We're getting anxious now to meet our little one! Just a few more weeks!

Stepping in Strength

It has been a very busy month for me and Nathan, hence the long lapse in blog writing! The beginning of the month was spent in Ohio on a wonderful visit to my parents' house. All of my siblings were there together (along with three of my aunts from across the country), so it was quite the party! My sister, Elisabeth (who is also pregnant), and I had a lovely double baby shower. What fun memories were made!

As soon as my plane landed back in Denver, Nathan whisked me away to the mountains for a little getaway that he had planned as part of a Valentine's Day surprise. We spent a couple days relaxing in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado and even took a quick drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. Here are a few of our favorite pictures:

Since returning home, I've been trying to get settled back in to "normalcy." Word around here is that someone's having a baby soon, so we've been very busy making sure we're all ready for a little one to arrive, as well! It seems as though there are endless things to think through, purchase, and prepare for... so please forgive me if blog posts are a little sparse over the the next few months. : ) I'll do my best!

For now, we're relying on God's strength and wisdom to help us know how best to prepare (but not over-prepare) to have a child soon. God was faithful to remind me the other morning that He will give me sufficient strength to take just one step at a time. So, when the days seem overwhelming and wearisome, I walk step by step in the strength of my Savior and rest knowing all will be well.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Interview with Rosaria Butterfield

Because life is short and time is valuable, I typically shy away from sharing or recommending youtube videos. Nine times out of ten there is a much better way that someone could and should be using those minutes than watching a video I think is nice.

However, today I share a video with you confidently, knowing that there is not likely any better way you could spend your minutes than watching it and learning from it. This video is an interview that took place on January 11, 2013 with Rosaria Butterfield at Patrick Henry College. Rosaria is a former tenured professor at Syracuse University who described herself as a "leftist lesbian who despised Christians" in an article entitled, "My Train Wreck Conversion," in Christianity Today. In this interview, she tells the story of how God transformed her life and gives incredible insight into how Christians can best have a lasting, loving, powerful impact in the LGBT community.

Colorado-esque Adventures

Last weekend, Nathan and I had fun taking a couple of Colorado-esque adventures! On Saturday we drove up into the mountains to Cripple Creek, CO for their Ice Sculpture Festival! And on Monday we toured through the famous Cave of the Winds here in Colorado Springs with some great friends of ours. Enjoy the pictures!

The scenery was truly breathtaking!

I am very quickly falling in love with the mountains.

An Ice Slide!

Carving so meticulously with chainsaws!

Inside Cave of the Winds!

At the bottom of the cliff we're standing on is a walking trail with two people walking in the bottom left corner. That gives you a bit of perspective as to just how high up we were! I was very proud of my husband (who is not fond of heights) for taking this picture. : )

Letter to My Valentine

I thought I'd share with you my letter to my valentine today, so you can see why I love ...and respect... him so very much.

Dearest Nathan,

This day is all about love. But I hear that as much as a woman wants to feel loved, a man wants to feel respected. So for you, this day should really be all about respect.

I want you to know today that I respect you. I’ve never met a man who more sincerely loves God and wants to live righteously than you. You do a better job of leading your family in the pursuit of truth and joy in Christ than anyone I’ve ever seen. The way you live an absolutely consistent lifestyle completely amazes me. Be it at work, here in our home, with the church, in your leisure, in your relationships, in your words, or in your attitudes, you truly live excellently always for the glory of God only.  Never once have I not been able to trust you. You’ve never given me reason to doubt your love for me. You show me Christ and his grace every day. Nathan, the longer I live with you, the more I get to know you and the deeper in love with you I fall, the greater my respect for you becomes. 

I am humbled by the pleasure of being loved and lead by you.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Yours Always,

Joanna