Don’t Be Fooled…

December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Because sometimes all you need is a visual reminder of His goodness…

In today’s world, many – in fact MOST – do not set the Lord before them…They do not set ANYONE or ANYTHING before THEMSELVES at all, in actuality. And isn’t that satan’s trick? When we place everything else before God, and nothing in front of our selfish desires, we are only fooling ourselves. True pleasure, pure joy, real love…all those things come only from Our Father Above.

This weekend, do yourself a favor and read ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C.S. Lewis. It’s a classic, and it will make you think and open your eyes into the world of spiritual warfare.

Don’t let yourself be fooled. Set the Lord always before you, and He will guide you along the path of life.

Happy Friday!

TTC Tuesday

A Speech I Was Speechless About

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

For those of you who know us well, you know that after this past weekend, we have such a praise to the Lord, such a ‘Thank You Jesus’ kind of Tuesday! As I continually remind the teens in my youth group, the story God gives you – His miraculous work in your life, is meant to be shared for His glory. Having a blog that reaches over 400 people with every post is an awesome platform for sharing, to be sure, but being able to reach an additional 240 women who may never have otherwise come across our humble blog, is quite another reason for praise!

Several weeks ago – weeks that I was absent from blogging – yes, I know – I was approached, completely out-of-the-blue (to my mind), and asked to give my testimony at the Maine Catholic Women’s Conference. What?!? Wow!

Craig & I have complete faith that God called us to Maine for a reason – but He really works FAST! We’ve only been here since the end of August, and already He has placed the opportunity, the sheer blessing in front of me to share His Mysterious Ways in my life through a large public forum! Really and truly, from the moment I was asked to speak, I was speechless.

So, without further ado, Craig and I have prepared a video of my testimony to share with you! There is about a minute of the talk missing, due to some technical difficulties, but if you’re really interested in the missing piece, send me a message and I’ll forward the full audio clip to you.

Psalm 115

¹Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

I encourage all of you to write your story. When you hear from God, make a note of it, and discover His miraculous ways at work in your own life!People often stop me and say, “I wish God spoke to me in the way He speaks to you…”

My reply:

Matthew 7:7-12 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?

Have a beautiful day! Check back in tomorrow for What’s Up Wednesday!

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Taking A Leap of Faith

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

What if God asked you to do something you were unsure about?

What if God asked you to go somewhere you didn’t want to venture?

What if God made a demand of you that made you uncomfortable?

It’s quite a challenge for our (very) human selves, but unless your will and the will of the Lord are one, the questions above just may prove to be true for your walk with Christ. Where He wants us and what He wants us to do is not always easy, or fun, or within our comfort zone. Sometimes “letting go and letting God’, means standing at the edge of a proverbial cliff and taking a giant leap of faith.

We see this plainly in Jesus’ plea to God to let Him forgo the suffering of the cross:

Luke 22:42 (NLT)

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

It is not always ‘suffering’ but some of the destinations God has in store for your life are certainly uncomfortable situations. Check out the video below {Click the title of this post if you are reading it within an e-mail to view this in a browser!} from Beth Moore:

If that didn’t bring tears to your eyes… (If you didn’t watch the video clip above, please make sure to do so. It is a POWERFUL story!)

What amazing things can happen if you just allow God to lead you in every single step you make!

So what will you say to Him the next time He compels you to venture into the unknown?

Say Yes!

My Choice Monday

Restored By The Master

June 24, 2014June 24, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Better late than never, right? 🙂

Today, we are sharing a beautiful devotional from one of our favorites, Our Daily Bread.

http://odb.org/2014/06/23/restored-by-the-master/

Our Lord calls us to become RENEWED and RESTORED, to turn from our old lifestyle to follow Him! And trust us when we tell you, His restoration is miraculous…and I feel like that’s a ridiculous understatement!

If you enjoyed this devotion, be sure to check out Our Daily Bread in our sidebar. They have a great FREE app, as well, with included reminders to spend time with God! Not that any of us forget…right? 🙂

Have a great night all!
Love,
Pier & Craig, straight from our kitchen tonight to your computer screen

Posted from WordPress for Android

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Captivate Your Thoughts

March 20, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

I don’t know about you, but today has been one of those days I just don’t have the energy to function. Between work and my morning workout, and handling the whole household alone because my dear husband is out of town, I am EXHAUSTED. Two dogs and a (very demanding) cat may not be children, but they can still tire a lone gal out!

satan (the non-capitalization is intentional – he isn’t worthy of it!) can and does use this to his advantage. Beware on days you are too tired to talk and exchange pleasantries with co-workers or take the stairs instead of the elevator, the enemy creeps into your thoughts.

he tells you you aren’t good enough. he encourages you to take the easy way out, to lean on your exhausted state as a crutch to be unkind. And once the net has been cast, he reels you in by further taking over your thoughts…

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

No matter what is going on in our day, we must keep our thoughts focused and under control…This is the entrance point for the enemy.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

When we “keep our thoughts captive”, we are making it more difficult for the devil to enter. Even as a negative, hateful, spiteful, thought enters our mind, we must say, “I reject this thought.”

James 4:7

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

As the song below says, ‘we are more than conquerors’. We have the power to resist satan and keep our hearts, minds and souls captive to God.

Romans 8:37

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

{To view, open within browser.}

TwoListeners.Org says, “let us not deceive ourselves into thinking that satan will not attack us. He will assault—sometimes in our thought, sometimes in our body, sometimes in our spirit, and—sometimes in our environment. We will succumb to his attack only because of our foolishness. If we know our position and know that we are one with the Lord, and if we resist, he will flee from us. This resisting must be done in faith. Believe that he has fled, and he cannot but flee, for he has no ground to stand before the authority of God.”

Let’s be grounded in our faith and keep our thoughts on Him. It’s one of the reasons I only listen to Christian radio – it keeps my mind in the right place!

Have a great night everyone!

TTC Tuesday

Follow The Leader

February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

TTC Tuesday…While Craig’s most favorite “blogging day of the week” is Thirsty For Christ Thursday, it’s a toss-up for me between Tuesday and Thursday. Some people have asked why on earth we have chosen to share such an intimate facet of our marriage, and our answer is: we were led to. Believe me, I was not excited about sharing our pain with the world in the beginning…but I do feel God is using Craig & I to bring others to Him, and our pain of infertility is an invitation for many to get to know us.

When I was (finally) diagnosed with PCOS, it was a shocker…I didn’t know much about the disease and I was scared…but I was also glad to know what was behind our infertility. God took this rotten time and discovery in our lives to introduce us to some wonderful people who inspired us with their stories of infertility and both successful and unsuccessful outcomes, and He led us to where we needed to be – not to another doctor (although we found an awesome one – finally!) but to Him.

Winter Jam 2014 was out of this world amazing, and one of the awesome tidbits we gleaned from it is this: Many times, while singing a powerful song to the Lord, people lift up their arms in praise. As very conservative Catholic Christians, every time Craig and I have been in an event where this happens, I think we feel nervous…and like, maybe if we “participate” we’ll be doing it just to “fit in”… The preacher/speaker at Winter Jam told us this: Lifting up your arms to the Lord is not, and SHOULD not be about show. It is not about fitting in.

When children want to be picked up, what do they do?

How beautiful…It brought me to tears and to a realization of Christ as my true Heavenly Father. I was awestruck at the thought and lifted one arm up to the Lord, praying, “Please help us. We NEED you.” I didn’t feel embarrassed or out of place or nervous. I felt at home.

Psalm 107:19-21

Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.

Listen to that still, small voice of God. He will lead you to do incredible things you never imagined. He will lead you into situations that teach you and bless you. Reach out to the Lord, your FATHER, and allow Him to heal you and save you.

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

December 12, 2013 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres16 Comments

Good Morning!

Waking up at 4AM for work has its good and bad points. I think actually seeing the clock read 4:00 and realizing I have to put my feet on the floor is the worst part. After that, it’s actually not too awful. It’s still dark outside, peaceful, quiet.

When I am on the road at 6AM, my struggle has been trying to keep that sense of early morning peace about me along the way. One thing I cannot stand is a morning radio show, trying to be funny and discussing all of last night’s reality television. Gag me with a spoon. So, I have mainly listened to a News/Talk station, but after awhile that gets depressing, and depending on how long the commute is, repetitive – and who wants to hear bad news twice?!

I have tried some of the Christian radio stations, but have always felt like they were trying to sell themselves as “inspirational” and “safe for the whole family”, rather than saying we are a CHRISTIAN RADIO STATION and this is CHRISTIAN MUSIC meant to be used to WORSHIP AND GLORIFY THE LORD. And then, I found Victory 91.5 . What a wonderful way to drive to work: prayer – deep prayer, devotion, profound Bible verses, and a blend of Christian music weaved throughout. So refreshing! Such a great way to put on Christ for the day.

Which brings me to my whole point for this post: being unapologetic about our faith. We are all guilty of toning it down – buying any kind of Christian book via Kindle so we don’t have to walk around with the title showing; when someone asks us ‘what we did this weekend’ we never mention going to church and that amazing message we heard; we shy away from our faith and our beliefs and our love for Christ – but is that really love? You love your spouse, your parents, your children – Do you disavow any of them? Aren’t you proud of those you love? Do you have pictures of your family on your desk at work? Probably so.

But do you have a cross?

This brings me to the book, “In His Steps” by Charles Sheldon (clicking the picture above will direct you to where to purchase this book). Craig and I found it, completely by chance, at the Edward McKay Used Bookstore on our trip to Fayetteville, NC (it was one of my all-time favorite places to go as a child!) for $1.30, used. And well-read. And for good reason.

Actually written in the late 1800’s, this book (still quite relevant today) is the story of a group of self-proclaimed Christians, as many of us are today. They attended church on Sundays, and they called themselves Christians. But did they really live for Him unapologetically?? When they took on the challenge of living for an entire year by asking themselves “What Would Jesus Do?” in every situation, they found out how lives can be radically changed by being absolutely unapologetic about following Christ, and making Him Lord of your life.

Pray for us, as we pray for you, to live for Christ and ask ourselves “What would Jesus Do?” in every situation.

All Our Love,

Uncategorized

What Would YOUR Book In The Bible Look Like?

June 11, 2013 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Good Evening Everyone (Or Early Morning, Depending On How You Look At It),

So during our Bible Study a week or so ago, the chapter we are studying in “Experiencing God” mentioned that the Bible, as a whole, isn’t an account of the people in the Bible – like John, Peter, Ruth, Noah or Abraham, but rather is a story of God working through the lives of these people. The Bible is then an autobiography of the Lord, and the other characters throughout were vehicles through whom He worked.

This got me to thinking. Suppose Noah hadn’t built the ark, as God instructed. Suppose Noah heard God’s instruction and thought, “Ugh. It’s too hot to build an ark. I don’t even know HOW anyway! I’m not a boat builder! Plus, I have plans! I don’t have time to do this.” Or what if Mary had not said YES to God’s invitation to carry His Son?

The Bible would be a very different book if those who accepted God’s instruction had lived according to THEIR will, rather than HIS will. So, what would a Bible story of YOUR life look like? Would the book be full of detail as you followed Christ and carried out His plans, or would it be a short account in which Jesus asked you to do something, and you told Him you were too busy and let YOUR plans get in the way?

In considering this, Craig and my ‘Mission Statement’ for our marriage had to be re-examined. And so, even though he was off work all last week, and I usually enjoy the luxury of not having to be at work until 11AM, we followed God’s call and rose early each morning to lead the music together for our church’s summer program for middle and high school students – who were less than thrilled to be at church at 8AM when on summer vacation. This week, even though I am working a 9-5 schedule with the sweet children I nanny, I am rushing off to help lead the music for VBS each evening after work from 6-8:30PM.

We certainly aren’t asking for medals or accolades here. Not in the least. BUT the whole idea of considering what your story in the Bible would resemble certainly made us realize that following God’s Will and putting Him first in our life was absolutely the MOST important thing. Even though 12-13 hour days are NOT fun, and getting up early on your day off is NOT typically anyone’s cup of tea, living life for Christ is our mission, and as we have learned, His ways are not always OUR ways.

I thank God He brought me my soulmate, who stands right by my side as we endeavor to lead our lives for Him. The Lord doesn’t always guide us down the newly paved road, but more often than not, the bumpy, gravelly, dirt path most people try to avoid.

We pray He will continue to guide us, and we ask for your prayers for our journey, as well. We would love to pray for you, too, and many of you we already do! If you have a special request you would like us to pray for you or with you, please e-mail Craig and I at newlywedlefebvres@gmail.com

Well, it’s now time for bed, as there is another full day of nannying and VBS and puppies…Yes, we have multiple doggies in the Lefebvre household now! Don’t worry, our next post will include more on recent events and if we are diligent, even some pictures!

Take Care and God Bless,

Pier & Craig