Giving Thanks

As I've been busy wrapping up lose ends before Jon and I head to Florida we continue to wait on God's timing as far as a job is concerned. Right now God has given me a lot of peace about our future which is a praise considering our crazy circumstance. Over the past few weeks I've been meditating on these couple of verses and they have served as a reminder of the goodness of God and what we as his people are to do as his followers. I could easily get wrapped up in trying to figure out our lives but the calling that these few verses ring out is a life focused on our Savior. A life like that is much more appealing to me than trying to control everything especially since almost nothing is in my control to begin with. So this is my prayer for the coming weeks and months no matter what may come our way.

"Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

- Psalm 105:1-4

Emmanuel- Isa Agape

A dear friend of mine gave me a CD with this song on it and it has been on repeat in my car a lot lately. Hope this blesses you as much as it has me.

You are my portion God. I will hope in You!!

I believe, help my unbelief.

I was looking over old posts and I came across one from May 9th of last year. In that post I anticipated that within a year I would be done with my current job and Jon and I would join in ministry together at a church. I just realized...it's now May 22nd. We have passed the one year mark and are still waiting. I honestly never imagined that this waiting period would be so trying for me. I'm sure the stress of preparing and providing for a baby is making things a little more intense; but I can easily say that this has been the most difficult learning period I have ever been through, which probably shows how easy my life has been. At this moment we don't know where we will be living in September, where Jon will have a job, and if I will have to continue working after the baby arrives. Hundreds of questions are constantly swirling around in my head. Everything, I mean every little thing is up in the air. This has been slightly terrifying for me and I have quickly realized that my faith is so small. Lately I have found myself praying the phrase, "I believe, help my unbelief."

In the midst of all this uncertainty there are some exciting opportunities that may be coming our way soon but those opportunities also mean that there will be decisions to be made, big ones. All I can think to do is ask for prayer. I know beyond any doubt that the God we serve is faithful. He always has been and always will be. So in this waiting period I'm praying and would like to ask those of you who read this to join with me in prayer as we wait expectantly for God's amazing provision. The biggest prayer we have right now is that the Lord would provide Jon a job specifically in some sort of ministry position. Everything else completely hinges on what happens with that. The rest, details and all, we leave up to the Lord. Even as I write this I'm excited for the day when I can share specifically how God has provided for all of our needs and I'm sure many of these answers will come in unexpected ways. September 8th is closing in and job or no job, one bedroom apartment and all this baby is coming and I'm so tempted to worry. So all that said, I'm humbly asking you to pray with me as we wait expectantly for God to show up in amazing ways. I'll keep you posted if any big developments happen but for now my plan is to seek the Lord, questions and all. God is good!!

I'm in love!!

Jon and I went back to the doctor's office yesterday for my monthly appointment and another ultrasound. Thankfully this time around baby Groves decided to cooperate and we were able to get a few glimpses of our little one's face. Here are a few of my favorites!! In the two 3D shots you can see part of the umbilical cord in front of the neck and some across the top right side of the face. Once again the ultrasound tech said that everything looks great. I'm definitely head over heels in love!

About a week or so ago Jon and I decided to start a baby blog (separate from our own personal blogs). Since we have so many friends and family stretched all across the States we wanted one place they could all go to to receive updates on how the pregnancy is progressing. So for those of you who want more details on the pregnancy we will be posting most of that information on our new blog.

http://littlebabygroves.blogspot.com/

Coming Soon!!

I'm so thrilled to announce that my mother-in-law has a book coming out in August!! If raising four boys isn't enough of a feat she has now put her years of experience, chock-full of stories, down on paper. Here is the first glimpse of the new book I'm Outnumbered! written by Laura Groves.

Feel free to check out her personal website and then head over here purchase your own copy of her upcoming book.

It's a...

SURPRISE!! Yes, we have decided NOT to find out the sex of the baby which I think might be driving my mom crazy. Love you mom!! :-) Jon and I went to the doctor last week for my 20 week ultrasound. It's hard to believe that we are now halfway through the pregnancy. During our visit we spent about a half an hour just getting to see little glimpses of our peanut! It was truly amazing. The ultrasound tech took all kinds of measurements and everything looks great so far. The only problem we had is that our stubborn little baby refused to show us it's adorable face. When I go back to the doctors office in about three weeks we'll have another ultrasound to see if the baby decides to cooperate. So for now here are some pictures. Enjoy!!

This is a great side shot, especially of the spine.

Look at that little hand!

Another shot of the hand and an even better view of the arm.

The next two pictures are a 3D, which I LOVE!! Here is evidence of our stubborn baby refusing to smile for the camera. Ah well.

This picture I believe is my favorite! In the lower right hand side of the picture you see peanut's back and as you follow it up you can catch a glimpse of the rear end (SO CUTE!!). It almost looks like our baby is sitting on it's legs. If you look where the arrows are pointing you can see two little feet complete with toes!!

As you can see everything continues to go so well and for that I am thankful! A few weeks ago I started feeling some movement and now the jabs are becoming more defined. Jon as already been able to feel the baby move! We're loving the journey and are looking forward to holding this precious little baby in our arms.

Come, Lord Jesus

The Last Judgment- Michelangelo

A little less than a year ago I felt a conviction in my heart. I had never read through the entire Bible. I am humbled to say that God has been so gracious and faithful to lead me through his entire Word and today I finished! The past year has been challenging as I have had to face the realization that I so easily value everything else above God and his Word. I learned a lot about myself and even more so about the God I serve. I am reminded that the Bible is the living, active, and powerful word of the Lord that convicts people of sin and declares the hope of a Savior. His Word is offensive to many, filled with passages even most Christians choose to ignore. Every word is inspired by our great Creator and as I read the final words of scripture my heart felt enlivened as I was so vividly told of Christ's return. Those final words are an encouraging exhortation to His church to live with the knowledge of His coming burning in our hearts. Are we living for His return? Do those around us see a difference? Are we sharing this hope with others? As I prepare to dive into the Word again for another year I have and will continue to be challenged and changed.

"He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes I am coming soon.'
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.

Amen."