One of the many things I'm thankful for!

Today I am filled to the brim with gratitude.  So very thankful for ALL God has been doing and has done in my life!  Wow, as I stop and think back to what He’s taken me through the last 10 years or so, it just makes me shake my head in amazement, really!  I feel compelled to share a little of what I’m thankful for today….

1.  God’s love and faithfulness.  I am overwhelmed and reminded daily just how much he loves me and feel forever indebted for his pursuit of my heart.  It seems that no matter how many times I fall, He is there to lift me back up.  He gently dusts me off and whispers in my ear exactly what I need to hear.  Oh, the love of my Heavenly Father is so rich, so deep, so close; it’s unmatched.  So thankful….

2.  For an amazing Husband!  Seriously, Jack is incredible in so many ways.  He is the man of God that I always dreamed of marrying and I couldn’t imagine doing life with any other. Thankful for his sincere love for me and our family.  The smiles that emerge on my kids faces when daddy walks through the door is simply joyous.  He is such an amazing man of God & leader; he’s called to greatness and so glad I am his helpmate in life.    So thankful…..

3.  Two fabulous children!  Writing this brings a smile to my face!  My two kiddos have taught me so much about who I really am; I learn daily from them.  There is nothing like the love of a child to melt your heart.  Thankful for all the laughs, memories, hugs, & even those hard, frustrating times; for it’s in those times that God builds perseverance and character deep within.  Most days you will hear me tell my daughter & son, “Thanks for being my child!”, and I truly mean it!  So thankful….

4.  For my mom, dad, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws & beautiful grandmother.  FAMILY!  My life is filled with men & women who love and pursue God with all their hearts.  I am richly blessed in the family department & that is undeniable!  I cherish the moments when we all gather around the table; it’s like we never skipped a beat. Love how the noise fills the house & laughter is heard in EVERY room.  Growing up we often said it’s all about food (we’re Italian so we like to eat.. a lot!), family & fun.  Simply stated and so true!  So thankful….

5.  My LifeStone Church family.  Wow, what a journey it’s been. This dream God dropped in our hearts years ago and now we’re living it.  I love doing life with this extraordinary group of people.  There is nothing like watching people come to know their Creator & Savior and seeing them step into the life God has for them! Watching them grow in their relationship with God is truly incomparable! Feel blessed and honored that God has called Jack and I to lead such an amazing group!

There you have it, a few things I am thankful for today.  What are you thankful for?!

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

I have been journaling for years now.  I can’t remember when exactly I started.  As I think back, I can remember getting a “diary” back in 5th grade and filling that book up!  The smell of the perfumed pages and the cheap metal “keep out” lock are still visible in my mind!  I now have well over a dozen journals filled and they changed so much over the years.  A few times I have gone back through and read page after page of my early entries.  At times I found myself feeling sorry for this girl I was reading about, but then I remembered — that girl was me!  Makes me so thankful for the Lord and His loving kindness that brought me to repentance and a true relationship with Jesus Christ.  My life has drastically changed and it is so evident from these journals from my early years!  These journals are such great reminders of who I once was and what God has brought me through.

Once I gave my life to the Lord,  I began journaling for a new reason; a new purpose.  I no longer journaled to vent about that day’s problem or to get things off my chest.  My journals have turned into so much more.  I have found that when I journal, I can stay focused and I don’t find my mind wandering off.  At times these entries are a heart-filled prayer to my Lord; a song that springs from the depths of my heart; a sincere thank-you letter to God for all He’s been doing in my life.  Other times it’s a painful cry from deep within asking God to help me through a trial or asking Him to forgive me and cleanse me from my sins.  It really allows me a chance to get “alone” with God and speak openly and sincerely from my heart.

Over the years, it has been during these times of pressing into Him and journaling that God has really spoke to me and revealed some amazing, mind-boggeling things!  I really want to encourage those who have never  journaled  to start!  Give it a try for a month; see if it changes your prayer life!  I truly think you will be amazed at what is in your heart and what you have to write.  I promise you won’t be disappointed!

And he said unto me, Write.     Revelation 21:5

Today, my daughter and I went to the store to pick up a few things we needed for the house and to also pick up some school supplies for City Reach.  City Reach is an amazing outreach Allison Park Church does every year at six different locations across the Pittsburgh region.  On the final night of City Reach (it’s a week long outreach), they have a Back To School Block Party where they give away bookbags filled with school supplies to hundreds of city kids.  I just LOVE this idea! What a great way to show the love of Christ to these children!  So, before we went to the store, I explained to Annali that we were going to the store to get some school supplies so we can bless some children who need them.  I told her how excited this is going to be and how she could help me pick out the supplies.  So, we did our shopping and Annali gladly helped pick out the supplies (and to my shock didn’t complain that she wanted some, too.  This is a big feat for a litte girl!).  At the end of our shopping adventure, we headed to the check out where this mid-aged man was checking us out.  As he proceeded to scan all of our school supplies, he looked at Annali and asked if all these were for her.  Without hesitation, she quickly responded, “No, these are for children who need them for school and don’t have any.”  I could tell the man was a little taken back at what this 4-year old girl just said and his response was “That’s so nice, I bet you’ll make a lot of friends that way.”  As a mom, this is one of those times where you are just so proud.  I know it doesn’t seem that signifincant, but to me it was.  Wow, she actually understood what I talking about when I explained why we were buying the supplies!  As we walked out, I let her know just how proud I was of her and told her that it wasn’t about us making friends, but it was about showing how much Jesus loves these kids.  Today’s lesson for me: Wow, my child really DOES listen and I am teaching her things everyday whether I am conscious of it or not!  Thank God for his little blessings.

Well, it’s Monday night before the big election and I am just in a state of expectation!  Let me just tell you how much I love to exercise the privilege to vote!  I also LOVE to take my daughter along so she can see the whole process; she’s already been to the voting booth twice now.  I just want to encourage all the parents out there to take along your children when you vote.  I can still remember going to the polls with my parents and how it instilled such a sense of curiosity and excitement!

God has so much to say about the issues that effect us in this day and age. I just pray that we all would take time out and pray for God’s will in this election.  It’s easy to let what the candidates promise “tickle our ears”, but we really need to look further.  From the beginning of this whole 2008 presidential campaign, I have promised myself that I would not get caught up in tallying what I could get from each candidates promises.  I have been determined to look farther down the line; to try and imagine the future.  What would be the legacy each canditate would leave for our nation?  What effects will this election have on my children… on my children’s children.  Yes, that is how important I feel this election is.  More than likely, there will be 3 Supreme Court justices appointed during the next presidential term (these are lifetime appointments).  In addition to these justices, the next president will appoint numerous court of appeals and district judges, which will preside over so many cases that will effect us for years to come.  We all know the plethera of other issues that have been plastered over the tv and airways.  One thing the American people can’t say is that they haven’t been told what each candidate stands for or what they believe.  (I have to admit that I will not miss the campaign commercials or the unlimited knocks on our front door from grassroots workers trying to persuade us to vote for their candidate!)

So much is at stake this election and I hope that no matter who you are voting for, you get out there and let YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!  We get to cast our ballots in a few hours– Oh, I am so ecstatic!  Have your way God!

Wow, I just noticed that I haven’t blogged in quite a long time.  I have to admit I have been extremely busy lately and just haven’t taken the time to sit down and write out my thoughts.

These last couple months have been crazy and exciting!  God is SO faithful and He has been really showing me that He ALWAYS provides– in EVERY circumstance.  Just when I think there is no way, God pulls through and just totally amazes me!  He’s always on time and never fails me.

God granted me this awesome opportunity to teach third grade at a Christian School this year and I am totally enjoying every minute of it!  I count it a privilege to be able to teach these precious students.  As my very wise mentor and friend says, “My students are living messages to a time I will never see”.  He has truly pushed me to be an encourager and mentor… to be “eaten up” with legacy, destiny, and heritage.  How wise and something I have been trying to instill in my kids.  (Thank you, Dr. Bill!)

It’s good to be back in contact with the blogging world again!   Next time, I hope it doesn’t take me this long to write a post!

Today, my little girl was expending some much needed energy outside. She was running around the backyard having a good time and making Jack and I be the “ready, set, go!” announcers. It got quite humorous when Jack decided to help her work on her “stride”. He yelled out, “Hey, sweetheart, pick up your legs!”– all of a sudden Annali stopped, put her hand underneath her knee and pulled it up. Jack and I looked at each other and had a good old laugh! Gotta love when things get lost in translation!

There is just something about the book of Proverbs that I love so much. I seem to always be drawn back to Solomon’s wise sayings. One thing really caught my attention and spoke to me today. It was in the first chapter where it talks about bad companions who go out and take things that aren’t theirs; things that don’t belong to them.

The Message version says this “They’re racing to a very bad end, hurrying to ruin everything they lay their hands on. Nobody robs a bank with everyone watching, yet that’s what these people are doing- they’re doing themselves in. When you grab all you can get, that’s what happens: the more you get, the less you are.

It just spoke volumes to me– “the more you get, the less you are.” Wow, doesn’t that just go against the grain in our modern society? I mean hasn’t that seem to become the American Dream? Give me, give me; I want more, more, more. We might not be stealing from old men and women, like the writer of Proverbs speaks about, but don’t we sometimes try so hard to get things that God maybe hasn’t intended for us to have? Can we sometimes try to get to the top, paying no attention or care to those we have just trampled and crushed to get there? If we aren’t careful or wise about life, the more we get the less we are. Makes me want to enjoy and thrive in simplicity. It’s not about the toys or the status in life! Hmm, I wonder if the opposite is true– the less (things) you get, the more you are. I’m thinking that simplicity is the key here…… just something to think about.

I never realized just how much you can love your children until I had one. Time and time again I find myself speaking blessings and encouragement to my little girl. It may seem a little crazy since she is just under 3 years old, but I believe these are such pivotal years in a young child’s life. I don’t even really have to think about doing it… it just happens. I just want so much more for her life than what I have. I want her to experience a whole new level of existence, joy, peace, success, education… and the list goes on and on. I truly know that God has such a mighty call on her life and believe that He wants to use her in ways I can’t even muster up. It’s humbling for me to think of my great grandparents. Three out of my four sets of great grandparents left their home lands, their families, their friends, their everything and came to America. They came in search of a better life.. they wanted a greater opportunity for their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. Back in 2002, I went to the National Archives in Washington, DC and searched for information on my Romanian great-grandfather. After a lot of searching, scrolling through old documents, asking gracious volunteers numerous questions, I stumbled upon a 1910 census. I will never forget what it said. He had come over to America at a very young age, eventually he married a woman from Mississippi and they settled in Pennsylvania. In 1910, it said that he could not read or write English– he still could only read and write in his native tongue. I remember tears almost welling up in my eyes when I read that. Here was a man who came over in search of the American dream. He knew that he wanted more for his future children and he was willing to risk it all for them and the generations to follow. Wow, and here I am only a few generations away and I have had such an amazing opportunity and have been blessed beyond measure because of not only their sacrifice, but their belief in the next generation. He knew if he could just get “here”, he could one day raise up a family that would do greater things! God has reminded me of this passage in the Bible- John 14:12(CEV) I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.

Totally amazing that Jesus would say those words. He is saying that once we believe in Him and have faith that we WILL do the same things He is doing and that we WILL do even greater things! He didn’t say we may do the same things or that we might do greater things.. no, he said we WILL! He loves His children and He believes in us… he trusts us to keep His legacy, His mighty name, going here on earth! In fact, His desire is for us to do even greater things. I just really need to soak in this one for a while.

Can you truly grasps that He loves us that much? It helps me understand why I feel so strongly the way I do about my daughter; how I can love and believe in her SO much and how my desire for her is to achieve and do much greater things than me. See, it is my heavenly father’s desire for me! Amazing.. it has been “passed” down to me! Lord, help me grasp this concept for my life and live out your desire for me!

I’m reading this book by Bill Johnson entitled “Dreaming With God” and I read something that I can’t shake (in a good way).

“Royalty is my identity.  Servanthood is my assignment.  Intimacy with God is my life source.  So, before God, I’m an intimate.  Before people, I’m a servant.  Before powers of hell, I’m a ruler, with no tolerance for their influence.  Wisdom knows which role to fulfill at the proper time.”

You know how businesses have their vision statement.. well, this is what I like to call my life statement!   I’m going to keep going over and over this.. and then re-over and over this!

I love those moments when God uses our circumstances to show us His truth. A decent storm came through the area a few days ago and caused a lot of fallen trees to block roads and numerous intersections were without power. Let me tell you from experience that Washington, DC/ Northern, VA traffic is bad enough when it’s just a run-of-the-mill day, so when you throw a curve ball like this one– beware! It made me stop (I had a lot of time in traffic!) and think about the structures and boundaries God sets up for us to navigate through life.

I have to be quite honest and admit that when I was a teenager I thought that religion was just something that kept me from having fun; it was there to steal my joy. To me, it was all a bunch of rules and regulations and I didn’t want much to do with it. Wow, I was so blinded and wrong!

You see, the traffic lights are there to keep order; they tell you when to advance, when to slow down, and when to stop. I saw so many accidents the day of the storm — not because of the storm, but because the lights weren’t working properly and people were trying to make it through on their own.

God’s basic rules for life are like the traffic lights, they tell us when to stop. Not to be a kill-joy, but to keep us from getting tangled in a mess that we have no business being in. He wants to do all He can to keep us from accidents in life– He is a GOOD God!

Makes me STOP and thank God for the traffic lights in my life (no pun intended!!)!