His Way Or The Highway

February 20, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

{Note: Please view this post within a browser to see the included video.}

Ah, choices. The famous Robert Frost poem “The Road Not Taken” was written about our difficulty in making decisions:

The Road Not Taken

BY ROBERT FROST

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Choices and our reactions to them are discussed in the Bible, as well.

Mark 8:27-33 says,

“Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.‘ ”

Rebuke. Interesting word. I was pretty confident I knew what it meant, but I looked it up to be sure…because I really wanted to understand what was being said here.

re·buke

verb

to express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions.

So Peter criticized Jesus for what He said…Wow. Can you imagine making that choice?!?!

WAIT A SECOND…

Peter may have criticized the Lord in His physical presence, but don’t we often do the same thing exactly the same thing? And with the Holy Spirit living right in our souls…

How many times have you read or heard something Jesus asks of us as Christians to do and rolled your eyes or talked your way around obeying Him? How often do we doubt His Word and His promises? If you’re human (and I’m guessing most of us are), you are guilty of it every single day. I know I am.

But let’s look at Jesus’ reply:

‘Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.‘

S. Michael Houdmann head of Got Questions Ministries says,

” …we must also see how easily we can become an unwitting spokesperson for Satan. This is especially true when we lose sight of God’s plan for us. This comes about when our focus is on our careers, our possessions, our security, the things of the world rather than upon sacrifice and service and the proclaiming of God’s message. When Peter’s focus shifted to his own desires and plans, Jesus rebuked him in order to get him back on track. May our focus always be on God and His plans, that we may never experience a similar rebuke from our Lord.”

I think our loss of focus on GOD’s will for our lives can sometimes stem from prayer we feel has been unanswered. I know I am guilty of losing grasp of any understanding of His purpose for my life when things take an unexpected turn.

But the more I pray, the more I force myself out of my comfort zone and into my Jesus zone, the more I push myself into scripture reading and singing…the more I fall back into God’s grace.

Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

Let’s make a steadfast effort to make the choice for HIS WAY… because I don’t even want to fathom what awaits us heading the other way…

Last night on my way home this song was on and it brought me to tears and my newly found up-raised arm…How powerful.

Make the choice and the change for Christ.

PS – Here are the lyrics for the song above. I just have a feeling you’ll want to know them, and pray them.

“Keep Making Me”

Make me broken
So I can be healed
‘Cause I’m so calloused
And now I can’t feel
I want to run to You
With heart wide open
Make me broken

Make empty
So I can be filled
‘Cause I’m still holding
Onto my will
And I’m completed
When you are with me
Make me empty

[Chorus:]
‘Til You are my one desire
‘Til You are my one true love
‘Til You are my breath, my everything
Lord, please keep making meMake me lonely
So I can be Yours
‘Til I want no one
More than You, Lord
‘Cause in the darkness
I know You will hold me
Make me lonely[Chorus]

TTC Tuesday

With A Learning Spirit Or A Broken Heart?

February 4, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Yesterday at Pure Barre, at 6AM, there was a young lady in the front of the class…drinking a Starbucks Frappuccino…Yes, in the middle of class…While the rest of us were lifting, tucking and burning…She was half-heartedly going through the movements, rolling her eyes, as if saying, “I have better things to do!”.

Again, this morning…again, at 6AM, there was a different young lady at the front of the class…While she wasn’t drinking a Starbucks coffee, she was half-heartedly going through the movements, looking at her watch, rolling her eyes…

Now, it isn’t any of my business how you participate in your workout class. I’m not paying for your enrollment. But, my goodness, as my husband will attest, Pure Barre ain’t cheap! Why wake up in the morning early enough to make a 6AM class, and pay a premium to participate, if you aren’t going to give it your all and get something out of it?

We should be considering the trials and struggles and hardships we face in our lives in the same way. If you’re currently (or have ever been) trying to conceive, you know it is absolutely the definition of a trial, a struggle, a hardship. It is a disciplined routine of waiting, worry, panic, sadness, hope, and despair. It is hard not to get mucked down with depression after months and months and months (or even years) of placing all your hope in finally becoming parents, and having that hope dashed, repeatedly.

Here is what the Bible has to say about the heartaches and troubles we face here on Earth:

JAMES 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds

So, we should be happy about struggle in our lives? Why?

JAMES 1:3-4 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Difficulties in our lives are times for learning, growth – a reawakening, if you will. As we face something challenging, we should look to see what God could be teaching us as we navigate through the rough waters. One of the greatest men the world has ever known, the apostle, Paul, says (regarding the perpetual ‘thorn in his side’):

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

What life lessons could we learn through the struggle of infertility? Here are some benefits and lessons Craig & I have gained as we have faced this storm in our life head on:

Spiritual Benefits/Lessons/Changes
We have used the past 17 months of marriage, without children, to truly build a solid foundation in our relationship firmly (gaining more and more everyday) rooted in the Lord.
Our prayer life has greatly deepened. We went from praying separately to (nervously) praying together to holding hands and baring our souls out loud as we have a conversation with God – together.
Our relationship with God has deepened. Neither Craig nor I has ever had to go without much. We both come from wonderful, supportive, Christian families, and grew up with equally great siblings. We had everything in the world to be thankful for – but were we, then? I mean, truly, deeply, thankful? Fully appreciative of all the many blessing we had been graced with? No. This difficult time in our life has increased our devotion to the Lord so many times over, I cannot even describe it. If it were appropriate to say the change has been ‘like magic’, I would certainly describe it that way…but it isn’t magic. It’s something so much more amazing. It’s grace.
Worldly Benefits/Lessons/Changes
Craig & I are truly a team. Dealing with infertility, together, in our marriage has created this strong partnership. We know we can go to each other with any.single.thing, and speak openly and honestly about it.
We have a savings account – just for the future Baby Lefebvre – whether by adoption or natural birth.
I was able to gain almost a year’s experience as a nanny to (very) young children. This was real world, invaluable, experience I would never have otherwise had. I am now intensely familiar with potty training a two-year old, changing a tiny baby’s diaper while holding his twin sister on your hip, preparing formula, and getting (twin) infants on a sleep/eat/play schedule-all while entertaining a two-year old. Invaluable experience.

And those are just some of the things we have learned or gained from this angry storm cloud called infertility. I am not, in any way, shape, form or fashion, saying this is fun, ‘not a big deal’, or easy; however, we should absolutely take our trials and grow, learn, and prosper from them.

Just as those two girls in Pure Barre this week were not taking advantage of the workout going on right under their noses, we cannot let the lessons and significant opportunities of our pain and difficulty pass us by. What a waste it would be to sit around and mope (although, the easiest way to pass the time…)… We should be using our time in the tunnel wisely.

Food For Thought Friday

Hope

January 31, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres4 Comments

Happy Friday From ~~The Arctic Circle~~ Georgia!

Things are finally beginning to warm up to a normal 50 degree winter around here and the snow and ice are starting to melt! What a nice little respite we have enjoyed the past few days – bring on the weekend!

Today’s post is short, but powerful. A friend of ours from the blogging world reminded me of verse today:

I know Craig & I can rally around this verse, and I know of a few others dear to us who can benefit today, as well.

Hope. We give it to our government, to our friends, to our family, to our G-Mail Inboxes… Let’s find HOPE today in the Holy Spirit.

Have a great weekend everyone!

XOXO,

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

With The Faith Of A Mustard Seed

January 23, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres4 Comments

Good Morning & Welcome to Thirsty For Christ Thursday – Craig’s Favorite Day of The Blog Week!

Do you know how awesome that is? I was listening to “The Bible From 30,000 Feet” in the car on my way home this week – as I usually do, and Skip Heitzig mentioned to all the young women in his audience they should seek a God fearing man for a husband – first and foremost. I certainly prayed for one…and God blessed me so.well. God is GOOD, and by good, I mean unbelievably wonderful.

We have been telling you about the healing power of God we experienced at the service we went to almost a week ago, led by Joan Hunter, but I promised I would explain our encounter further today. Let me begin by sharing this quote from Kenneth Copeland:

The impossible. That’s what we experienced last Friday evening. Faith in Christ, & Jesus’ power – that was all it took for healing to occur. We all know the verse:

Luke 17:6

6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Do we believe that with all our heart and soul? Take a moment to meditate on that verse, and ask God for the faith of a mustard seed.

Craig & I entered A Call To Salvation church last Friday evening, and had no clue what to expect. Neither of us had ever been to this church, or to a healing service of any kind – Catholic, Protestant, or Non-Denominational. All we knew was that God led us to Joan Hunter’s book, and then to come to see her in the small town of Jefferson, Georgia. We just needed to be there.

The service began with some great worship music, and we were really able to set our hearts and minds in the right place. This is the song that touched both of us the most that night:

Oh, it gives me goosebumps to even talk about that evening. God was there. You could tangibly feel Him. After the worship music, we settled down to listen to Ms. Hunter speak a little bit about her ministry and some of the wonderful things God has used her for and done through her.

In her book, “Freedom Beyond Comprehension”, she writes, “Today, I am doing exactly what God has called me to do and ministering wherever He guides me to go. Every day is an exciting adventure. I love to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. Wherever I go, the power of God goes with me as evidence that I am walking out His plan for me.”

And lay hands on the sick she did. Many were healed Friday night right in front of our eyes, in Jesus’ name. One woman was having issues with her rotator cuff and when she stretched out her arms, one was about 4 inches longer than the other. We watched as the shorter arm grew to meet the longer arm in amazement. But why were we so amazed? We serve the God who created the Heavens and the Earth, why would He not be able to heal His human creations?

The faith of the individuals present that night was, for the most part, astounding. An elderly woman hobbled to the front of the church, hunched over and stumbling. She had suffered five fractured disks in the past year. Jesus healed her. Right then and there. We watched as her spine straightened, and she bent forward to touch her toes. She thanked Jesus each time she bent and each time she thanked Him, the lower she was able to bend, until she was able to touch the floor!

I sat in tears, my heart overflowing with faith and love. What a wonderful God we serve.

When I went up to the front of the church at the end of the service, Ms. Hunter’s daughter, Melody, told me praying for babies is her favorite thing. It made me smile, and as she laid her hands on me and asked Christ to heal me from PCOS, to grant me a new right ovary (again, we did not specify to her which ovary was affected), and a new pancreas, this amazing, tingly warmth crept over my stomach. Jesus is healing me.

Thank you, Jesus.

Matthew 8:17

17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

(Note Isaiah’s role in that verse…Haven’t I told you the book of Isaiah has been popping up in all of our scripture study?! 🙂 )

Luke 7:1-10

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

7 After Jesus[a] had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion there had a slave whom he valued highly, and who was ill and close to death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his slave. 4 When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy of having you do this for him, 5 for he loves our people, and it is he who built our synagogue for us.” 6 And Jesus went with them, but when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; 7 therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and the slave does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.

The second half of verse 6 (above) is one of my favorite parts of the Mass, and it is the epitome of the power of faith and Christ to heal us.

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

For further healing scripture, you can click here.

We will end today’s post with one final scripture. I’m going to be using this one as my ‘mantra’ if you will, and maybe you would be blessed by doing so, as well.

James 4:8

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Keep Him close to you, and He will heal you.

All Our Love,

Food For Thought Friday

What Lies Ahead

January 17, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres4 Comments

We made it! It’s Friday & we have a busy weekend planned! Tonight we will be attending the Joan Hunter service at A Call To Salvation in North Georgia; Tomorrow, we head to LaGrange for haircuts & highlights & maybe a little bit of late Christmas-ing; Sunday, I cantor at Mass, and may be heading to Pure Barre in the afternoon; Monday, we round out our weekend as we visit the Atlanta Center For Reproductive Medicine and meet with our endocrinologist, nutritionists, counselors, etc etc etc. Very productive few days!

Today, I thought I would share with you a beautiful story written by Zig Ziglar‘s daughter, Julie Ziglar Norman, for Guideposts Magazine. It is a touching story that should leave you with the following “food for thought”:

It’s never too late for God to change you, and work through you.
God is truly the Almighty and anything is possible through Him.
Heaven is real.

Read the story here.

Another piece of “food for thought” this Friday also comes from Guideposts, in the 2014 Devotional. It’s all about being present and looking forward.

Philippians 3:13

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead

In this first month of this new year, one thing we all can take away from Paul’s writing in Philippians is to move forward. Don’t dwell in the past – whether you are looking back with longing for those “good ol’ days”, or with regret and disdain toward memories filled with shame and darkness.

Revelation 21:5

5 And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me: Write, for these words are most faithful and true.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

We are new in Christ. He forgives our sins, and He isn’t interested in all those bright & shiny worldly objects from your earthly past. A Christian past isn’t enough either. We were not created to play for God’s team once or at one time. We are called as Christians to live for Him every single day.

John 10:10

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.

Christ came for us to live our lives to the FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. He created us for joy, not for sulking. Oh such a lesson that will change lives! If only we were all to look forward and live out our Christian walks with abundance and with joy.

And now to end this post with some joy 🙂 , watch the video below of a little girl meeting her father’s twin brother for the first time! It is just precious!

Happy Friday Everyone! May your weekend be filled with joy & laughter!

XOXO,

TTC Tuesday

Standing On His Promises

January 14, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres3 Comments

God has been really using the middle of the book of Isaiah this month as I have read His Word. It seems Isaiah is everywhere I turn – Mass, Jesus Calling, One Year Book of Hymns Devotional, blogs we read, and just this morning on the Mentoring Moments For Christian Women Facebook page: What a beautiful thought.

And as it turns out, God may (just maybe!) have a reasoning for pushing me to look at Isaiah more closely. Just take a look at chapter 54:

Isaiah 54:1-17

The Fertility of Zion

54 “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
Than the sons of the married woman,” says the Lord.
2 “Enlarge the place of your tent;
[a]Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
Lengthen your cords
And strengthen your pegs.
3 “For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
And your [b]descendants will possess nations
And will resettle the desolate cities.

4 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
But you will forget the shame of your youth,
And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 “For your husband is your Maker,
Whose name is the Lord of hosts;
And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
Who is called the God of all the earth.
6 “For the Lord has called you,
Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
Says your God.
7 “[c]For a brief moment I forsook you,
But with great compassion I will gather you.
8 “In an [d]outburst of anger
I hid My face from you for a moment,
But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”
Says the Lord your Redeemer.

9 “For [e]this is like the days of Noah to Me,
When I swore that the waters of Noah
Would not [f]flood the earth again;
So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
Nor will I rebuke you.
10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
Says the Lord who has compassion on you.

11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
And your foundations I will lay in [g]sapphires.
12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of [h]rubies,
And your gates of [i]crystal,
And your entire [j]wall of precious stones.
13 “All your sons will be [k]taught of the Lord;
And the well-being of your sons will be great.
14 “In righteousness you will be established;
You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
And from terror, for it will not come near you.
15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
Whoever assails you will fall because of you.
16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
And brings out a weapon for its work;
And I have created the destroyer to ruin.
17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that [l]accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.

Isn’t that something? “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child“, because God says, “For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the married woman,”.

We are called to ‘enlarge our tents’, and to me, this is our call to put our full trust in the Lord. It’s like saying, “Lord, I trust you. You have promised in your Word we will be blessed with children, so I will lay that ‘concern’ in your Hands. I will prepare my heart, my soul, my marriage for this blessing, and in the meantime, I know that YOUR timing is perfect.”

Craig & I have started praying for His timing, and His Will to be done in our waiting for our child. It has given me a sense of peace, of an almost relaxation. Craig & I are putting our full trust in God, and devoting our energy – instead of to worrying & frustration – to our relationship with the Lord and with each other.

As my blogger friend & fellow PCOS girl, Elisha said, ” If He can cause a virgin teenager to get pregnant and give birth, then He can cause you to get pregnant and give birth, even with all of your short, long, non-existent cycles, and crazy up and down hormones. Just believe.”

Well friends, I have a ton of e-mails to respond to and a new guest post to begin writing (Stay tuned!)… If you didn’t have a chance to read yesterday’s guest post at The Veil of Chastity, you can here.

We will see y’all tomorrow for What’s Up Wednesday! In the meantime, follow our blog and “like” us on Facebook (see the Follow widgets in our left sidebar)!

Love Love Love,

TTC Tuesday

Grieving What Never Was

January 7, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres8 Comments

{Deep breath}

Oh, this is a hard topic. For me anyway…and for any of you out there who have experienced infertility. This post covers something never spoken about, but felt so strongly by those of us who have endured this trial. Those of you who have had no issues in conceiving a child might not understand this pain, but for those of us who know it – it stings. (What an understatement.)

Gena Golas of the blog “CT Working Moms“, writes in the Huffington Post about “The Five Stages Of Infertility Grief“, and while it might seem a humorous post for some…It is all too real to be laughable.

For those of us who deal with infertility on a daily basis, to hear: “Oh, it’ll happen. Don’t think about it so much. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.” or “It will happen as soon as you ‘stop trying so hard’,” is akin to being punched in the stomach. I can’t tell you how many times we have heard those phrases, and on each of those occasions, I have been forced to hold back my tears. Every time we see horror stories on the news about child abuse and neglect, I am reduced to a puddle on the floor – wondering why them, and why not us!?!?

I will admit it gets harder and harder every single day to bow my head in prayer for the same thing Craig and I have been praying for for the past 16 months. I keep in my heart Hannah, Sarah, Rachel, the mother of Samson…Women of the Bible who were infertile only temporarily, until God stepped in and gave them a blessing, a miracle, an utterly amazing gift.

I keep these verses close by for comfort:

“…that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:5
“…God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

At the end of the day, this excerpt from the Infertility Survival Guide by Cindy Lewis Dake, hits the nail on the head of how Craig and I feel:

“We have a good life together. I don’t want us to “embrace the emptiness” that seems to swallow up some infertile couples. “Empty arms” doesn’t mean empty hearts. When a couple desperately wants a child, they begin to think their life is empty without one. They become completely centered on the quest for a child, financially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually. We don’t want that feeling to ever control us. We love our life together and want to always be satisfied with it, so if a child comes along, he/she will be an added blessing.”

But it is the biggest struggle we have ever faced – together or apart – to go on without that blessing – wondering if we will ever be blessed with a child.

As always, we ask for your prayers.

All Our Love,

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

A New Habit To Form!

January 2, 2014January 2, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Good Morning Folks!

Is everyone back to work and settled into their routines this morning? I know we are! Craig and I got up bright and early this morning at 4:15 AM. He headed to work, and I raced to make Pure Barre at 6 AM, then on to my office at 7 AM. After two weeks of short work weeks, road trips, vacation days, family, too much food, and too many presents, “real life” has returned and we are blessed with a new year. I don’t know about y’all, but I wasn’t ready. Not yet. A few more days, please! 🙂

As we all know, new years are ‘supposed’ to start with resolutions – commitments we make to live better and differently, changes for a more fruitful year ahead. I know one of mine is to finish reading straight through my Bible. (The Learning Bible is one of our favorite versions of the Bible to read with and study from.) I’ve just begun 1st Samuel, but I dilly-dallied and getting to that point took all last summer until now. Getting into daily Bible reading means developing my relationship with the Lord. Craig and I are in the midst of one ‘heavy’ devotional right now, plus two daily devotionals – and while, to some, that might sound like ‘more than enough’, it just isn’t.

As Christians, we are blessed with this amazing gift of being able to spend time with God, our Creator, our heavenly Father – to spend time with Him! Wrap your head around that one…

Shouldn’t we take as much advantage of that as possible? Is reading a chapter or two from our Bible each day really too much to ask – even if that is in addition to studying His word with our spouse or friend or family member daily? A dear friend of mine said something to me about 20 years ago (oh my goodness that was so scary to think it’s been THAT long), that has always stuck with me… She said, “Think of the Bible as a long love letter from the Lord, written especially to you.”

Wow.

I challenge you in this new year to develop a new habit, not try to kick one. Get in the habit of beginning with just one chapter of the Bible per day – just one, followed by a short prayer of thanks – and see what amazing changes God will make in your life, just with this one little addition to the daily routine.

Here are a few verses to get started (beginning with Craig & I’s favorite – God spoke these words to me on a bike ride almost a year ago, and they have been a banner over our household ever since):

Matthew 6:33

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

1 Peter 2:2

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

I’ll leave you with this verse and corresponding song, sung by Amy Grant & Michael W. Smith:

Psalm 119:105

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Enjoy your 2nd day of this glorious new year, and check back in with us tomorrow for Food For Thought Friday!

Much Love,

Food For Thought Friday

The Bible In Hollywood??

December 27, 2013December 27, 2013 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres11 Comments

When is the last time you went to the movies? With today’s technology, it hardly seems worth it to visit an actual movie theater and fork over a whole week’s pay to watch one movie, eat one scoop of popcorn and have one sip of Diet Coke…It has to be a pretty good movie…

Well, we have a GREAT movie for you! We saw it with Jenna, Craig’s youngest sister, on Christmas Eve – and for a steal – $5 per ticket, $2 off a drink purchase and a free popcorn!!! All 3 of us saw a movie, with a drink and our own popcorn, for a TOTAL of $20! Maybe that kind of a deal would make ANY movie great, but this one is a must-see (provided you’ve seen the movie “Mary Poppins” in the past, anyway):

This is actually based on the true story of the creation of the beloved Disney movie, “Mary Poppins”, and brought tears to my eyes (and Jenna’s) for sure – I can’t say the same for Craig, but I know he really enjoyed it. 😉 Click on the picture for all the information you’ll need on “Saving Mr. Banks”, then go and see it!

Here’s another movie tidbit that might interest you: Biblical Films Are Making A Hollywood Comeback . While this seems like wonderful news, and I am SO excited to see “Noah” in March 2014, as well as “Mary: Mother of Christ”, remember Isaiah 55:8 and don’t just believe everything you SEE and HEAR – especially when it is of this world. Take it all with a grain of salt, and know that Hollywood is in it for the MONEY – not for the Will of God – although, God works in miraculous and mysterious ways, and they may be doing just that, though certainly unintentionally…

For example, Brian Godawa – a Christian who is also a screenwriter in Hollywood, and who also wrote a book I recently purchased about Noah, of all people, and the Nephilim – has seen an early version of the script for the upcoming movie, “Noah”, which reveals the following:

“…It has been suggested that the film shows Noah as an early opponent of climate change. Its director, Darren Aronofsky, has called him the “first environmentalist”.

Brian Godawa, a screenwriter, claimed to have read an early version of the script and said it portrayed a scenario in which the Great Flood was caused by man’s “disrespect” for the environment…” From The Telegraph, “Biblical films’ Hollywood Comeback”, by Nick Allen

Definitely “food for thought” on this Friday…and on that note, we leave you with pictures from our Christmas (thus far – more to come!)…

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Until Monday,

X’s & O’s,

Food For Thought Friday

His Mysterious Ways (& They Aren’t OUR Ways!)

December 20, 2013 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Happy Happy Happy Happy Friday!!!

Can you tell I’m excited and energized this morning?!?! It isn’t ONLY because I’ve been up since 4AM, and have already gotten the day’s work-out in and have had 3 cups of coffee and half of one Monster Energy Ultra Zero drink (but that has a lot to do with it!).

Tonight Craig and I exchange our Christmas cards (letters) and our not-in-a-stocking stuffers, and have “our little Christmas dinner” on the Christmas Tree Spode. It’s our 1st (2nd if you count our ‘big gift’ exchange last Sunday) Christmas of 4, and beginning things reverently and quietly is my favorite way to ‘begin the season’, so to speak. Tonight, Craig will read from our “Family Bible” the Nativity Story from Luke. And we will give the furs their Christmas bones and catnip, before sending them off to the pet nanny in the morning. These are parts of the Christmas tradition we are beginning within our little family.

Traditions, practices, good habits: these are important in our lives – much as our switch to Monday thru Friday blogging has become our practice – something we do every weekday, and some of you have asked “Why?”.

Well, let’s talk for a moment about why we are blogging daily, and networking with Christian Blogging Networks/Communities. Why is this a ‘new tradition’ for the Newlywed Lefebvres?

Because God is reaching people through us.

Amazingly, our little blog has been viewed in these 43 countries:

U.S.A.
Canada
United Kingdom
India
Costa Rica
Italy
Phillipines (Just yesterday actually)
Thailand
Germany
Hong Kong
Australia
Romania
U.A.E.
Saudi Arabia
France
New Zealand
Malaysia
Taiwan
Russian Federation
Singapore
South Africa
Trinidad & Tobago
Sri Lanka
Portugal
Hungary
Mexico
Ireland
Switzerland
Indonesia
Slovakia
Bulgaria
Norway
Brazil
Finland
Spain
Israel
Qatar
Netherlands
Bolivia
Austria
Albania
Botswana
Republic of Korea

And our words & pictures have been shared on Twitter, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, PressThis, Pinterest & via e-mail…

Feeling called to write about the journey we are on with Christ in our marriage, it is utterly amazing to see we have touched people all over the world, and all over the United States. God is powerful, unfathomably so.

When He tugs on your heart to do something for His Kingdom, there is a reason, and it is bigger than you…Craig and I may not be able to get away from work and the furs to go to Botswana, and tell the people there how awesome our God is…But God can use simple words in a blog to reach someone all the way across the world. It is just CRAZY what God can and DOES do when you follow Him.

Remember that when you feel your heartstrings pulled to do something for Christ, that is not YOU talking in there. It’s the Holy Spirit. Follow Him.

Isaiah 55:8-9 says,

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This Christmas, let the Holy Spirit be your food for thought.

Love & Blessings,