Adoption

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

In many countries, there is a requirement that one of the parents has to be 25 years old before a couple is eligible to adopt. I have had a heart that was for adoption for a long time, and always thought it would be a part of Michael and I’s future. So, with that background information- December 8 was Michael’s 25th birthday. So, naturally, the day after he turned 25, I took him to a nice dinner to celebrate his birthday, and didn’t really mean for it to come up but the words just began coming out of my mouth like I couldn’t stop it. I was bringing up the idea of adopting- and doing it now. After chatting about it for a while, we decided that we needed to pray about it for 40 days before we did anything. So, today – January 18- marks 40 days. And it didn’t take us this long to decide that this was something we wanted to do- so we have already started the adoption paperwork process! haha. We are applying for an adoption to Uganda, Africa. It is a 2-3 year process from the time we start to the time we actually bring our child home, so we have a long road ahead of us. We greatly appreciate the prayers of our friends and family as we are on this journey. We plan to request a male child, between the age of 6-12 months. So the child that we will one day have is not even born yet! But we are excited that we have started the journey toward him.

As one of our pastors always says in his sign off-

Adopted(by my Heavenly Father) and loving it,

Lauren and Michael

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Community

Posted on December 2, 2012 by

It has been an interesting month or two in my life, with ups and downs relating to particular circumstances. But something that I can say I am very grateful through it all is the steady biblical community that I have been blessed to have. I have such encouraging and godly people around me, whether my family or my friends, or church family, and I am just grateful. Today my church family offered so much support and prayer, that it brought tears to my eyes. God created us to live in relationship and community with others. We talked in the Young Adult Sunday School class thismorning at Council Road Baptist Church about the importance of allowing people to be in your life in a way that they can speak truth into your life, or call you out and keep you accountable. This type of deeper relationship can be difficult, but it is the most rewarding usually. I just want to say thank you to all the people that have been in my life and will continue to be in my life. Thank you for the prayers, and support. What a blessing they are.

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Rome!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

Well it was a good day in Rome! I went back to the church I visited here last time: Rome Baptist Church. I have ally enjoyed my two visits at this church! It is a congregation of about 260 people on average, and it is a very diverse group, which is so fun! I think it is beautiful to see people from all over the world coming together and worshiping the same Savior. Just in the short time I had to meet people at the church, there were people from every continent except Antarctica. It was wonderful! And my favorite person I met was a woman from America who lived in Italy and had just adopted two babies from Ethiopia! Ah so fun!
The sermon that Pastor Dan gave was from John 20:24. The point that Dan was trying to get across is that we should trust in God and not doubt, and we should go forward in His work and not waste time. This challenged me because God was showing me how selfish I am with my time. I have been talking about wanting to serve Him with my time for a few months now but haven’t actually taken the initiative to give of my time and serve in some compactly. I felt challenged to find somewhere to serve when I get back home, so that is what I intend to do!
Something else that hit me was from a tangent that Pastor Dan went on during his sermon. :) He mentioned the importance of considering how you personally can grow from a teaching, instead of thinking of all the other people that you think need to hear the message. I thought that was so good. It is easy to try to point to others who need to grow of change, and point the finger at them as you compare yourself and think you are doing better. In a book called Humility by C. J. Maheney, the point is made that we should not compare ourselves to others, because that can bring up pride and self righteousness. Rather if we are going to compare ourselves, compare ourselves to God, and we will realize there is no reason that we should be prideful.

I have so much to learn. I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to learn from Rome Baptist Church.

After church, I ran down to the monummento a Vittorio Emanuele II. Here are some photos from the views of the top of the monument.

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Exciting court rulling!

Posted on January 31, 2012 by

A woman named Juila Ward was getting her counseling degree from Eastern Michigan University and she was toward the end of the degree, when you have to practice counseling people, and she was assigned a person to counsel who was homosexual. Julia, a Christian, respectfully informed her supervisor that because of her beliefs, she could not tell the client that she supported his decision to be homosexual, and therefore she requested that her supervisor assign this client to a different counseling student. Julia did not judge the person that was homosexual, but she simply did not agree with the choices that he had made to live the kind of lifestyle he did.
Her supervisor got upset and got the school involved. The school got other faculty involved, and after interrogating Julia on her beliefs, the school expelled Julia Ward from the program for refusing to counsel and affirm the homosexual person and his lifestyle and told her that she needed to be more accepting of all people.

Well- Julia got in contact with ADF who provided her attorneys to take her case to court. Ward vs. EUM went to court, and Ward lost. Then Ward vs. EUM went to the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Thankfully, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit ruled today in favor of Julea Ward and that Eastern Michigan University was wrong. The US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit went on to make some bold statements. ADF reports that the court went on to write “Ward was willing to work with all clients and to respect the school’s affirmation directives in doing so. That is why she asked to refer gay and lesbian clients (and some heterosexual clients) if the conversation required her to affirm their sexual practices. What more could the rule require? Surely, for example, the ban on discrimination against clients based on their religion (1) does not require a Muslim counselor to tell a Jewish client that his religious beliefs are correct if the conversation takes a turn in that direction and (2) does not require an atheist counselor to tell a person of faith that there is a God if the client is wrestling with faith-based issues. Tolerance is a two-way street. Otherwise, the rule mandates orthodoxy, not anti-discrimination.”

This is an interesting and exciting case that shows support for our religious freedom. It is a blessing to live in a country that is free- and I never want to take that for granted.

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Grateful

Posted on December 8, 2011 by

I didn’t have time to write a post about my thoughts the week of Thanksgiving, so even though it is late- here are my thoughts:

As I was thinking back over my year, I had so many things for which to be grateful. There are so many times throughout the year that I have been overwhelmed by the blessings in my life. This is not to say that I have not had a few difficult experiences to walk through this year, because I have. It seems like it is because of the trials that I am more grateful for the blessings in my life. I am also grateful for the difficult times because I learned so much through them. I have continued to see God’s faithfulness in the trials, I have learned to trust God better, and I have spent a lot more time growing in my prayer life this year because I was driven me to my knees. I am SO grateful for those trials! I would not have grown in ways that I did without them! What a blessing.

Besides the growth from trials, I am grateful for lessons that God has taught me just through our time together. As I think back over what I have learned this year, it seems that the things God has taught me have coincided with the seasons. I can see that in the summer, God taught me about having confidence in who He made me to be. I learned more about His character, and came to trust that He created me the way that I am for a reason. I want to continue to be more like Him, and trust in Him, and be okay with the way he created me.

Ironically, after God walked me through a journey of having confidence through Him in myself, God then taught me humility. I would characterize this fall with growing in humility, because  as I learned more about God, and who He is, I became much more aware of my pride. Wow, I am prideful! God is really working in my life, and my time in Scriptures has changed my life.

Me- learning about my pride, and I'm hanging out with the "pride" (aren't these little lion cubs cute?!)

Now winter is about to set in, and what do you know- I have begun to feel God moving in my heart again in a different direction. He is showing me my selfishness! Its fun to look back and see that all these things can tie together, because as I have allowed God to grow me in humility, it coincides with my selfishness. This is something that God has begun to work on in my heart, and I am looking forward to the journey of trusting in Him, and allowing His Holy Spirit to work in my life. Everything that has happened in my life this year is because of God, and He gets all the glory. I am far from perfect in any of these areas, but all of this is just to say that I am learning. Learning that I have a lot to learn, and a lot of growing to do.. I never would have been able to realize my own insecurity, pride and selfishness if it wasn’t for God and his grace moving in my life. I am so grateful for my Savior, I am nothing without Him.

I may write in more detail later about the journey that God brought me through with each of these learning areas, but for now- this is just an overview. Just a brief look at my year, and what I am grateful for. Until next time,

A grateful learner,

Lauren

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God Given Roles in Marriage

Posted on November 26, 2011 by

Well readers, I’ve done it again. I am writing about marriage, thanks to the Pre-Marital and Marital Counseling class that I am currently taking. This post is inspired by a homework assignment I had this week…

This picture was taken RIGHT after Michael asked me to marry him!!!

God designed male and female, and created each individually. God speaks a lot about how he designed male and female for marriage in Genesis, and we also see how sin twisted God’s design. Genesis 2:26-28 shows God creating mankind. He formed mankind in his own image, male and female. Instead of creating man like he had with the animals, he formed man and woman.(Matthew Henry Commentary) God brought male and female together, and gave them the earth to rule over, and told them to multiply. God had created man from the dust of the earth, but he created the woman out of a rib from the man. Woman wasn’t created from Adam’s foot, to be trampled on, but she was created out of Adam’s rib, to be next to him, side by side. God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so he created the woman, to be a helper.

When a man and woman come together in marriage, they are one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) The man is to lead in the relationship, and work hard to provide. The woman is to be a helper to her husband. This is God’s plan and design, but when Eve disobeyed God, and sin entered the relationship, the marriage relationship changed. Because of sin, there is “enmity between man and woman” and the woman’s “desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:15-16) This scripture shows that there will be difficulty on accepting the God-designed roles for man and woman because of sin. Couples need to understand the design for man and woman that is given by God, and outlined in scripture. Our culture does not follow God’s design of roles very well, but living according to God’s plan is the best way to live.

The roles of men and women in a Christian marriage are clear, for God gives clear direction to the husband, in Ephesians 5:25-27, to love his wife sacrificially. Ephesians 5 gives understanding that a husband is not to take advantage of his wife, but to love her, cherish her, and meet her needs, this means physically, emotionally, and lead spiritually. This fact alone, give much responsibility to a husband, but wives are also given the direction to not only submit to their husband’s authority, but also to meet her husbands needs and to be his helper. Understanding these God-given roles, and understanding each other’s needs in marriage will help the marriage to be successful.

Just like Satan attacked the first married couple, Adam and Eve, he is attacking every marriage that is in existence today. Scripture says in 1 Peter 5:8 that “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (NIV). Married couples need to realize that they have an enemy that is attacking their marriage. Just like an army won’t win a war by passively sitting around hoping for the best, a married couple will not have a successful, healthy marriage if both parties are sitting back and hoping the marriage lasts. It is at times a battle, and couples need to actively fight for a healthy marriage, and work toward growing in love and servant hood every day.

The first thing we did as a married couple at our wedding: Prayed

I pray that I remember that every day, and I never take for granted the blessing that God has given me in my husband. It is because of God’s grace that we love each other more today than we did when we first began dating six and a half years ago, and when we got married two years ago. J My husband is such a strong spiritual leader, and a servant leader. He inspires and challenges me every day.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 2000.

The Bible, New International Version. 2011

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Communication?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by

Hey there readers… (all 2 of you. Actually, that may be a generous estimate:) )

Well, I haven’t had a lot of time to write up a new post, so here is a very short little post with some scatterbrained thoughts on communication. This kinda comes from my Pre-Marital Counseling class that I am in right now. (my LAST class- I graduate in 4 weeks, woo!)

Communication is so key to a relationship, that it is hard to know what all to mention if I were to throw out just a few main points that are important. There is so much to learn about communication, and almost everyone can always be learning how to better our communication with individuals. Once we learn how to communicate pretty well with one person, that doesn’t mean we are perfect at communicating all the time, and it does not mean that we will be able to communicate well with a different person. People have different communication styles, love styles, and love languages. Understanding a person can help to communicate with them, and then a person can know them even better through good communication. I would mention the idea that communication is so important to be able to understand where each other are, and how to work together.

For a marriage, there are a lot of communication “hot spot” that can be identified, and they will vary depending on the person. Some typical hot spots are family, kids and money. These are very personal things, and difficult conversations can come up about these topics.

Scripture says in Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Also, in the definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13 starts off by saying that “love is patient, love is kind…” Patience and kindness will go a long way in communication about difficult these such as hot spots. In communication, it may be helpful to try to put your self in the other person’s shoes and try to see their perspective. Taking on someone else’s view, and learning not to be as selfish is difficult, but with the Holy Spirit, He can grow us in that area

Thats all for now. Short and Sweet.

Lauren

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University of Oklahoma

Posted on November 5, 2011 by

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The University of Oklahoma is a lovely place- particularly the football stadium. I LOVE walking around campus and going to the OU games. It reminds me of my college days, and how much God taught me during those years. They were years that included growth, heart-break, independence, new friendships and growth in previous friendships, lots of chick-fil-a meals and grilled cheese sandwiches, late nights, sleeping until 10 minutes before class, being late to a class for the first time in my life (ever), Tridelta, learning to study (high school was a joke compared to college studying), leading small groups, organizing multiple small groups, date parties, complaining about the cold during the long walk to class, rush, big/sis lil/sis, being in college with siblings: Derek & Lindy, roller blading to sonic (Casey), lots of moving in and out of the dorms and tridelt house, 6 different roommates in 4 years, marriage, matching class schedules with my husband, learning from other Christians who are not like me, OU/TX, finding my identity in Christ, the crew (you know who you are), experiencing bitterness and walking through having forgiveness, human delta, swimsuits/rain boots/rain in the delta lawn, new challenges, broken trust, learning to trust God, and so much more. How can I not love OU, when it was such a great season of my life? I love OU.
I love the football team too, and I cheer them on no matter what- so, with the OU/A&M just a few minutes away from kickoff- I will end this post with a BOOMER SOONER!!

Lauren

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What’s really going on?

Posted on October 25, 2011 by

We all have times that we have particular responses in our lives. Sometimes I catch myself getting so upset about something, and I won’t even know why I am as upset as I am. There are so many battles that go on in my mind, as Paul says in Romans 7:15
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

I often feel that I can understand how Paul was feeling when I read this verse. There are so many times when I do not allow God to work in my life, and I fall to the flesh. I don’t want to live by the flesh, but I do. I hate what I do, but what I want to do I don’t do. Does anyone else know what I mean? Maybe it’s just me.

I find that when I am having a “fleshly” moment, whether that means I am being stubborn, prideful, argumentative, etc. there is sometimes a deeper issue or insecurity that I am not trusting God with. Most recently, I found myself in a situation where I was arguing with someone, and I just wanted so badly to be “right” and I wanted the other person to see that I was right, and agree with my side. I realized that my need to be right was coming from an insecurity about not being smart enough. I have felt so defeated lately in my ability to make good decisions or be smart enough as others around me, that in this particular argument, I had decided I HAD to be right so that I could feel like I was smart enough to have thought SOMETHING right. This is a time I have to lay this insecurity down at the feet of my Savior. My value is not in being “right” and proving I am “smart”. God created me the way I am, he created my mind the way it is- as smart or un-smart as it is, and I am grateful and can trust in Him and the way he made me.

Always trying to learn to trust God,

Lauren

Posted in Marriage, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

But I don’t want to grow… it’s hard!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by

Well, pastor Rick said it best today when he said “Life is not fair.”

That is definitely true. For all of us. Life is not fair, and it is not always easy.

I have found that my current “difficulty” is challenging me. The difficulties in life always seem to be the thing that grow us the most. We can either become bitter, angry, jaded, or hateful because of the difficulties, or we can choose to let them mold us, challenge us, and grow us into a better person. I know that God allows difficulties to come because they can allow us to experience God in a new way. If I had not walked through some of the difficulties in my life, then I would not know God and his Strength as deeply. If it weren’t for the difficulties I wouldn’t understand forgiveness quite like I do now. It is amazing to see what you can learn, and the joy that can come through growing in difficulty. God has an amazing way of working through ALL things in life.

It is a constant battle for me to be in a frame of mind where I accept that the difficulties can be used by God, and for my good. When I am in the midst of the hurt, the frustration, the anger, I don’t really feel like giving it over to God, and saying “I accept that this is happening, I know you have a plan, teach me and let me respond the way Christ would.” I usually feel like holding on to the anger and frustration. It can seem like it feels good to be angry at the person that has caused the pain. From past experience though, and relying on God, I have to remind myself it is much more freeing to give it over to God. I always have to learn how to trust Him, over and over. But, I am learning it again.

I am thankful for a God and Savior who doesn’t leave me to handle things on my own, but who is right there with me.

“You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.” James 3:18, The Message

Loving my Savior,

Lauren

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