We Are Blessed! :)

It has been a little while since I have taken the time to share on our blog about the blessed happenings in our lives. Over the next few days, I hope to take more time to share all that God is revealing. For now, I would love to write a little bit about what God has been doing in our hearts and in our lives. In a nutshell, God has been showing us the following:

1. God must remain number 1 of own individual lives, even before our spouse, and even before Brody. Mike and I must spend time alone reading the Bible and praying in addition to doing so together. God's Word speaks to us when we are quiet and alone with Him. His Word can be studied alongside a friend or spouse, but it all comes down to having a personal, one-on-one relationship with our friend, Jesus.
2. We are deeply loved by God. He adores us. He wants to bless us, as we bless others. 3. God works all things for good when we are His children. There is rest in God.
4. God has a divine, awesome purpose and direction for our lives.
5. We must lay all of our requests before God. This includes letting God carry our concerns, burdens, and anxieties. I know I am learning not to run to Mike with my problems. I am learning to call on God asap when difficult moments come.
6. God uses people to speak to us, which God can use to align and confirm with beautiful themes being studied and/or revealed in Scripture!
7. We need to use our mouths for praising God every chance we can! We need to speak an active testimony about what God is doing in our lives!
8. We need to stop and ask God what He is trying to teach us during seasons in our lives. We need to listen for God's voice.
9. God knows our hearts. He knows our needs. He listens when we speak to Him. He responds and speaks to us and can be found even in the smallest ways. The little blessings are God's ways of letting us know He is with us.
10. Every encounter we have with people, good or bad, is an opportunity to see God at work and to share Christ's love. There are no coincidences with God.

Wow! That was a lot to share. More is to come, along with fun photos and more updates. For now, please enjoy these sweet photos of Mike and Brody watching the hot air balloons from our backyard. I love looking at these photos thinking about the similarities of Mike holding Brody and God "holding" his children. Likewise, God savors moments with His children, adoring the look of joy on His children's face when the spectacular views He brought to their attention are appreciated together.