I Spy…

February 19, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! I feel like shouting from the rooftops! This week has been SO long and I have had Friday-itis all day! It’s sunny and beautiful and 63 degrees out right now and I want to be outside enjoying it!!

So with today’s quick post, I’ll give you a peek into the good ol’ outdoors with the most adorable thing I have seen in a long while – A bald eagle girl (at Berry College in Rome, Georgia) and her bald eagle husband just had two babies and this is a 24 live feed next cam!!

Click Here To See Mama & Papa Eagle, and their babies!

Seriously, how cool!?!?

I won’t keep you today…Just wanted to share some of God’s beautiful creation!! Have a BEAUTIFUL weekend – I hope it’s just as gorgeous wherever you are as it is here!!

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

I Believe…

February 18, 2016February 18, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

As you may have seen via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter last night, I’ve embarked on a challenge – A challenge specifically dealing with drinking more water every day – One Gallon, to be precise.

At first, it was incredibly daunting – especially since I was literally starting at square one (aka I drank zero water per day)… but I’ve been following this health and fitness guru who swears by drinking a gallon per day. The health and detox benefits are phenomenal – I mean, I can already (on Day 4) feel a difference! It’s crazy how one ‘little’ change can seem so impossible, and yet make such a huge difference!

Mere water isn’t the only little change with big results.

True conversion to becoming a Christ Follower makes an even BIGGER and EVERLASTING change in your life, both now and for eternity. But that conversion is just what the word means – CHANGE. One cannot be a true Christian and live life in the same old way he (or she) did in the past. There must be a conversion, a change, a turning away from the past, a new life. This is what is means to be reborn.

Just as I’m adding a gallon of water to my daily intake, as a believer (and I’ll get to that tricky little word in a moment) I’ve added Bible reading, prayer, avoidance of certain activities, attending church services, and a daily strife for the strength to do all of these things (through He who strengthens me!) to my lifestyle. No one is perfect. No one gets it right all of the time! Just as there may be a day when I just can’t fit ALL of that water into my diet…but I don’t give up! “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Belief is a tricky little term – one I believe (no pun intended) satan has tricked a multitude of people out of salvation with. You see, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.” James 2:19 True Christianity is more than just “I believe in God and Jesus…”

No ma’am. That’s missing the mark.

Billy Graham has this to say about the word BELIEVE and how it is used in the Bible and in reference to our salvation – vs the sneaky way satan has encouraged it to be translated in society:

The word “believe” in the Bible means more than simply agreeing in our minds that something might be true. It means “trust”—that we believe so strongly in God that we are willing to commit our lives to Him and live the way we know He wants us to live.

Suppose you were walking along a path and you came to a bridge which crossed a deep canyon. You might look at it and believe that it would hold you, and you might even see other people walking across it so you know it would hold your weight. But so far, your “belief” in the bridge is only in your head. When do you really believe the bridge will hold you? You only really believe it when you are willing to commit your life to it and actually walk across it.

It is the same way with Christ. Yes, we can believe that God exists, but God wants us to come to know Him personally. And He has bridged the gap between us by sending His Son to remove the barrier of sin and become that “bridge.” To believe in Christ is to commit our lives by faith to Christ—to trust Him personally as our Lord and Savior.

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Acts 16:31 The Greek word translated here as ‘believe’ is ‘pisteuson‘, which means “to entrust, to place complete confidence in”.

This is different that society’s definition of the word: “Belief is the state of mind in which a person thinks something to be the case, with or without there being empirical evidence to prove that something is the case with factual certainty. In other words, belief is when someone thinks something is reality, true, when they have no absolute verified foundation for their certainty of the truth or realness of something…”

Obviously, these two types of belief of vastly dissimilar, as Dr. Graham points out in the previous passage. Being a Christian is more than just ‘believing that God is real and thinking there is no factual evidence to prove this’.

Being a Christian means placing your complete confidence in Christ, which involves making real and significant change in your lifestyle and routine.

If you want to truly experience the abundant life that a relationship with the Lord Jesus provides, totally entrust your life to Him. Peace With God will show you step-by-step how to do just that – it’s a website with a beautiful purpose, and there are even counselors there to speak to you, free of charge, about your decision for Christ and how to make the change.

The Christian life isn’t easy. You can’t sit back with your feet up, as satan would love for you to believe…but the RESULTS (eternity with God in Heaven!?!?!) are well worth the effort!!

What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up Wednesday? #95750

February 17, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

I know, I know. I definitely ruined any hope of keeping my New Year’s resolution of daily blogging in tact with my lack of posts this past week and a half!!

I don’t even have much of an excuse…so…please forgive me? 😉

Since I’ve last blogged, we have been all over the place – from Georgia to Maine, with Craig in Texas and juts in and out of Massachusetts. Here are the highlights:

We visited Maine, by way of Boston, once again! This time around, I got to see several of my former Youth Group members!

This group (and those who aren’t pictured) is what I miss most about Maine! It was so awesome to see them and reconnect!

As always, especially in Maine, we ate very well! We had the chance to revisit another of our favorite restaurants – Snow Squall. YUM!!

We worshipped at Cross Church the next morning, and then ate lunch at Robert’s Maine Grill – I totally blew my regimented eating plan and splurged on a Lobster Roll….Totally worth every single consequence!

Since flying back to Atlanta, it’s been mostly business as usual… With a little bit of Valentine’s adventure thrown in… 😉

My husband sent the most beautiful flowers to my office!! If you ever need flowers in the Atlanta area, Blooms of Dunwoody should be your go-to. Craig uses them every. time. #goodman

He sent me out for a ~~much-needed~~ mani/pedi on Saturday morning, and we had a delicious and romantic dinner at Chequer’s Steak & Seafood. Recently, I have been on a seafood kick – The Metformin I’m taking has really done a number on the list of food aversions I have, and seafood is one of the only things I can stand to eat!

After church on Sunday morning, Craig took me on a beautiful drive up into the North Georgia Mountains, where we ate some yummy sushi and ended up at Yonah Mountain Vineyards!!

Oh my goodness…GORGEOUS!!!! In short, our Valentine’s weekend was just wonderful and the perfect time to celebrate the amazing blessing the Lord has given us in our marriage!

So see? Maybe we have been a little bit busy gallivanting all over, since I have been blog-absent… Forgive me? 😉

See you tomorrow!! (Promise!)

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

What Kind of Faith?

February 4, 2016February 4, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:14-17 NLT

For a long while, I felt like the passage above from the book of James rivaled this one from Ephesians…and it bothered me:

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9

In fact, these passages don’t rival each other in the least. They are simply written for different audiences, and are both speaking about true faith.

So what kind of faith do you need exactly?

One that is real.

James isn’t saying here that grace is negated. No, the grace of God, Jesus’ death on the cross is what saves us from our sin and brings us to eternal life. No, James is saying that if you truly know Jesus your life will be a reflection of that.

This is not to say we aren’t human and make ~~a ton of~~ mistakes (Romans 3:23), but once you encounter the Lord, you cannot help but be changed! Having true faith is more than just believing in God…It is more than believing Jesus was truly the Son of God. Faith is defined in Hebrews as “…faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

The Second letter to the Corinthians tells us, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7). If you are living by faith [the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things not seen], you are putting your trust and reliance solely on Him – or at least striving to do so.

And how would a lifestyle like that look?

You would be kind to others, no matter how they treated you.

You would give anything you had to help someone else.

You would pray for those around you – whether you liked them or not.

You would never be worried about how your basic needs would be met, so you wouldn’t live in a constant stress about finances.

Your life would emanate the Light of Christ.

So then, plain faith, alone, isn’t enough. True faith – the kind with the Holy Spirit living inside of you – guiding your life.

59 James - 1985 — Click Here For An Entire Series On The Book of James By Skip Heitzig

If your life isn’t completely surrendered to Him, and He isn’t knocking on the door of your heart about it…

What kind of faith do you have?

We would love to pray with you! Comment below or send us an e-mail! We would love to hear your heart.

What's Up Wednesday

Scary Movies & A Healthy Treat

February 3, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Happy Mid-Week Everyone!

Craig left for Texas this morning, but we have a special weekend away planned, and I just can’t wait!! #2DaysUntilFriday

Last night, we went to the movies and saw The Boy.

I love a good scary movie every now and then, and this one definitely had a twist at the end I didn’t see coming. Poor Craig’s hand is probably numb today from my squeezing it so tightly at the theatre last night! If you’re looking for a jolt, this is your movie.

We took this picture last night at the movies…I’m not sure why it looks like it was taken with a 1999 digital camera…but…there you have it. 🙂

In other news, we all know I love cooking and baking…and trying to make either of those things as healthy as possible is one thing I love to be challenged with! So, this week, I made SuperMan Breakfast Bars with coconut flour and all-natural clover honey for Craig to have a healthy, but travel-ready breakfast to bring on his trips.

SuperMan Breakfast Bars

These are SUPER simple, and according to my husband, extra yummy – not to mention healthy!

Here’s what you’ll need:

parchment paper
1 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup flax seed (milled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1 1/4 cup mixed nuts
2 TBS chia seeds
2 TBS dried blueberries
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup clover honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*, and line a smaller baking dish with parchment paper. (Hint: You can make it a lot easier on yourself by spraying the dish with non-stick spray for to make the parchment stick.) In one bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda soda, coconut flakes, nuts, flax and blueberries. In another bowl, combine butter, honey and vanilla. Once well combined, pour dry ingredients into wet and mix well. Press into baking dish on parchment, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place into refrigerator to chill (at least 2 hours), and then cut into squares to serve. These can be kept fresh for about a week in a zip-lock bag, refrigerated.

If you try them, let us know what you think! I have found ‘sugar-free honey’ at Aldi, and can’t wait to try this recipe for myself – Insulin Resistant Style! 🙂

Y’all have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Much Love,

TTC Tuesday

In The Waiting: How You Can Help!

February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Good Morning Friends!

I don’t know how the weather is where you are, but here in Atlanta, we have almost 70* temperatures!! Raining or shining outside, it makes me smile when the weather warms up! There’s just something about not having to have either the heat or the air conditioning on!

Today, on Thank You Jesus Tuesday, I wanted to share an amazing organization with you – and an opportunity to help children. Craig and I have made it no secret that we have been ready (since September 15, 2012) to be parents for a while now, but in the waiting for Jonah…in the waiting for an adoptive child…there is so much we can do to help.

‘Dream Weavers of Georgia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of foster children.[Their] goal is to create opportunities and provide resources that promote educational, emotional and social well being of Georgia’s foster children.’

No matter where you reside or how many children you have, you can help Dream Weavers of Georgia’s children, too! Click here to see an array of opportunities to donate money towards new shoes, school supplies, a haircut or even dance lessons for a precious foster child.

In 2014, in the State of Georgia alone, there were almost 9,000 children in the foster care system. For the same year, the U.S. Department of Children & Family Services reported over 415,000 in foster care in the country! Programs like Dream Weavers provide a little light and love for these kids, and you can so easily be a part of making a difference in a precious child’s life!

If you live in Georgia, there are tons of volunteer opportunities and numerous events throughout the year to participate in! DWOG does an annual Tubing Trip, Pool Party, Fall Festival & Christmas Parade each year for the kids and I’m sure they can never have too many hand on-deck! 🙂

Check out Dream Weavers of Georgia or do a little research and find out how you can help foster children in your area. Let this be your Valentine. ❤

My Choice Monday

My Choice Monday: Valentine’s Day Gifting

February 1, 2016February 1, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Happy Monday!

And what a Monday it has been…! In the spirit of having not gotten anything (work-wise) done today — thanks, in part, to a two and a half hour meeting!!! — I did accomplish one thing.

A very important thing, I might add!

I found and ordered my husband’s Valentine’s Day gift.

That’s right – It’s already February, ladies and gents! No matter how trite you may (or may not) think this holiday is, I will take any opportunity to show Craig how much I love him!

But it isn’t always easy. Men, in general, are not easy to buy for – and my husband is no exception! I’ve done a lot of DIY things for him in our relationship, and this year, I wanted to gift him with something both practical and special.

Trying to find the perfect gift took quite a bit of research, but I wanted to share with you some sites that might make your search for the perfect Valentine’s gift (for your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, or secret admirer) a little bit simpler:

UnCommon Goods : If you’ve never visited this website or flipped through this catalog, you are in for a treat!! There is always something from this store I want or could give to Craig! Think: whimsical & unique.

2. Man Crates : For the hard to buy for man in your life, you can definitely find a gift for him here – beer, tools, grilling, sports…They have it all.

3. two chicks & company – Ever heard of the ‘Happy Everything’ plate?? It’s too cute and such a great decorating idea!!! If the special lady in your life loves to decorate for every season but is also crazy busy, this is the gift spot for her! Check it out!!

Hopefully, one of these stores has just what you’re looking for… If you’re looking for a Christian gift, Christian Bookstore is certainly my go-to!

If you use any of these ideas to find your special someone a Valentine, let us know! We would love to know how it went!

Have a great evening!!

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Prayer Changes…?

January 28, 2016January 28, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Prayer. If I don’t begin my morning with it, the rest of my day goes quickly downhill. And the question is: Why?

Does my prayer change what’s happening around me? Does prayer persuade God to do things differently? And what is it that we should be praying for, anyway?

I believe much of the answer to all of these questions is found in the book of 1 Kings, Chapter 3 – to be specific:

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked,both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 1 Kings 3:3-14 ESV

Solomon could have asked God for anything, and yet, he chose to ask for wisdom… and God responds by not only giving him wisdom in abundance, but by giving him all the more on top of this – things above and beyond, that Solomon didn’t even ask for.

So, what does this have to do with our prayer lives?

It should tell you two things:

We should be praying for wisdom to discern God’s Will in our lives above all else.
When we are following the Lord, not only will He answer, abundantly, our prayers for wisdom and guidance, He also will provide the things we unselfishly don’t ask for.

We are all familiar with The Lord’s Prayer – right?

It’s found in Matthew 6:9-13:

Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation,
    but rescue us from the evil one.

Lord, let us honor YOU above all and anyone else. Please come quickly and take us with you to your Kingdom. Please give us wisdom to discern your will on earth. Provide our basic necessities, and forgive us like we have forgiven others. Give us the strength to follow you at all costs and overcome temptation. Save us from death and satan’s tricks.

I think it’s pretty obvious from only those two (of thousands) passages from the Bible what we should pray for and how. I also think reading these prayerfully, it becomes quite clear that prayer changes us – the way we think, how we go about our day, our interactions with others…

If I am praying for the Lord to guide me and give me wisdom, the same troubles and difficulties may come my way…but how I approach them will be different.

If I am praying for God to give me strength to resist the devil, when temptation comes, I am prepared to stand firm.

Recently, God put something on my heart. Something big. Something I didn’t even want to think about talking to Craig about. But the Lord was persistent. The more I sat in prayer with Him…the more I was convinced I just had to talk to Craig…

…Craig reacted in just the way I thought he would. He was totally opposed to what I told him God had put on my heart. I told him I was too…but that the Lord was very strongly speaking to me. We prayed about it more…We studied Scripture and we prayed again.

About two weeks later, Craig came to me and said, “The Lord changed my heart. He is telling me exactly the same thing as He’s been telling you.”

Still, this calling was/is not what neither Craig nor I would have chosen for ourselves, but prayer gave us peace with God’s plan. It provided understanding about how this would be possible. It allowed us the wisdom we needed to hear Him.

Until Tomorrow,

What's Up Wednesday

What’s Up, Wednesday: Anchored In Hope!

January 27, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Hola Friends!

As we mentioned yesterday, things have been busy with our recent trip to Maine & Minnesota! Craig was in recurrent training literally until hours of when we flew out, so we definitely hustled to make it on time!

In Maine, we met with some folks who are quickly becoming extremely good friends of ours who pastor Cross Church Maine.

Those of us who reside in either the Southern or the Midwestern United States cannot grasp the need for evangelization in New England… A Gallup poll from 2012 shows the four (4) least religious states in the country are all located in New England – so the work that our friends, Dr. Aaron & Kathy Werner, are doing to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Maine is absolutely paramount! Check out this article by Ruth Graham about the need for re-evangelizing the historic birthplace of Christianity in our country – It’s quite eye-opening!

Once we left Maine, we headed to see our Minnesota family and, as usual, thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

We visited the Como Zoo & Conservatory, where the flowers were BEAUTIFUL and the monkeys were too fast for me to snap a photo of!

We also saw the show ‘Jerusalem’ at the IMAX Omni Theatre at the Science Museum in St. Paul. It was breathtaking!

What a wonderful little getaway that ended way too quickly!!

I did come home to a fabulous surprise, though! If you didn’t see/notice this on Facebook this morning, I am one of 45 women across the country who is so blessed to be a contributor to a devotional about infertility, and the book, “Anchored In Hope” by Ali Forrest is for sale on Amazon! We will be running a giveaway soon for the book, but if you or anyone you know deals with (or has dealt with) infertility, this would be the perfect gift – for both of you! Sometimes those of us with an ‘invisible’ disease feel incredibly alone in dealing and coping with it…It’s a beautiful thing to know that this entire book was compiled by women who contributed their stories out of experience!

Well, y’all, I need to wrap things up so I can bid my precious husband farewell! He’s heading to Texas this evening for the rest of the week. 😦 #boohiss

Until Tomorrow!! We send our love!

TTC Tuesday

Bless The Lord, O My Soul!

January 26, 2016 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Yes, I know. I have been a bad blogger and ALREADY broken my ‘resolution’ of daily (M-F) blogging and we aren’t even out of January yet! 🙂 But, I have a good excuse…

Wednesday I trained a temporary employee all day at work, and then Thursday through Monday we were out of town. So, see…Does that really count as breaking my resolution??? 🙂

Well, since I have been playing catch-up all day at the office, I wanted to keep this post short and to the point, so here goes!

The current Bible reading plan I am using also includes one ‘focus Scripture passage’ for every week…I’m a little bit behind (of course), but I have been stuck on the first passage of the year. I keep it on a post-it note at my desk, and I feel like I have been gaining insight about what scripture is saying for several weeks now:

I realize now that I’ve attached the photo you can’t really see the verses written on my turquoise stickie (because you know I can’t use a plain yellow stickie note, right?!?!???)… So let me share what my little note says:

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:1-4

Wow!!! I just LOVE that Psalm!! What beautiful knowledge to be reminded that our Savior forgives everything we do, heals us to complete perfection (upon our entrance into Heaven), saves us from eternal fire, and once we are His, we are CHANGED!!

When I look up at my little note at my desk and see this, I am reminded that no matter how busy I am – no matter how much I am dreading the commute home or the upcoming meeting – no matter how sad I am that Craig is on a trip for work and I’m still not pregnant…this little reminder reminds me that He is in control; reminds me that He is my Savior, and I am His – that no matter what else is erupting around us in this world, our Lord is THE Almighty, and all things are possible through Him.

When you don’t know what to pray, repeat this passage. Praise Him for all the many things He has done for us! Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NLT) says, “Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.”

The Lord is so amazing and wonderful, He is beyond our human capacity of understanding! So this small set of four verses is a good place to start in our praise of Him. It reminds me to be thankful, joyful, peaceful and patient. So for you, I have made a little printable, so that you, too, can have Psalm 103:1-4 close-by to keep your mind on how amazing God is!