John Piper & Scripture Memorization - Sermon Jam

T-Minus 10 Days!

T-Minus 10 Days until Thanksgiving! I love the holidays! I love what they mean as a family and I love what the next day means...Time to put up Christmas decorations and a TREE!!! And, I just couldn't wait any longer to update my blog...plus, I have been having complaints that the last blog was hard to read color wise.


We had a little pre-Thanksgiving fun at our 2nd (maybe 3rd) Annual Bible Study Thanksgiving! Here's a picture of our spread! Wonderful!!! Mike fried a turkey (well, two actually) and I must have forgot how good it was the year before because it was sooo yummy! We had plenty of desserts and the traditional stuffing, corn casserole, Sister Shubert rolls...yum!

And, I am so excited about this next picture! Since the kids in our group are beginning to out number the adults (ok...might be exaggerating a LITTLE here) we have to start thinking of ideas to keep the kids entertained so both The Eptings and us had brought our kids play gym's and we thought it would be cute to let them "play" together under one! It was so cute seeing both play gym's set up...Izzy's is all girly and pink and Maks' is blue and green like a sweet boy! Anyways...enough making you wait...here it is and please notice that they have their arms interlocked...It wasn't on purpose, obviously, but still... So CUTE! Maks' onesie says "Give Peas a Chance" and the pea is throwing up a peace sign...too cute, right?

Maks and I managed to get a picture together but Grant, Maks and I haven't all had a picture together since he was born! I hope to have Jolaura take our Christmas card pictures sooner than later so hopefully we will have some good family portraits to show!

Lately, I think the Lord knew I needed some encouragement to read his Word more and stop making him so low on my totem pole. Grant challenged me with starting to memorize Romans chapter 5, so we are starting today with verses 1 and 2: 

We had a bible study with a group in Tipton County last night and I am reviewing the notes today. Grant said this and it stuck with me: "We are people who have been forgiven and we are people who need to learn to forgive". Our bible study last night ended up being all women and Grant teaching and Grant was talking about forgiveness and how everyone says "forgive and forget" but how we never truly "forget". But, he read another definition for the word forget that meant "Treat with thoughtless inattention or neglect". So when we say forgive and forget, we need to think of this definition because it's honestly impossible to "forget". Some of the ladies talked about their hurt and how it's hard to forgive. It was encouraging to talk about all of that and get a reminder that you are not alone.

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you" Ephesians 4:32

Grant also talked about how one thing our pediatrician told us which has stuck with him and can be applied to our walks with Christ was this: Take it one day at a time.

With our Christian walks we need to take it one day at a time like Jesus said to take up your cross daily...take it day by day.

Thankful Thursdays!

It just seems to be the perfect time of the year to be thankful ...although it shouldn't be the ONLY time of the year, by no means!


Today I am thankful for many things:


My wonderful husband, GREAT father and preacher, Grant!

My sweet baby! We really are so blessed! He pretty much only cries when he is hungry, sleepy, or wet. I hope we get this lucky with all of the rest! But, I would still be obsessed if he wasn't such a sweet one, too...how can you resist this face?

My new business venture, Premier Designs! Who doesn't need a little extra cash and this is an exciting business to be a part of! I had a hostess receive over $500 in absolutely FREE jewelry this week! Crazy how good the benefits are for hosts AND jewelers! As a jeweler you earn 50% of all of the profits. I am really excited to be selling this fashionable, trendy, and fun jewelry!!!

Family. I guess with having a baby, my love and respect for my families has tripled! And, you should see everyone with Maks...they are like mush! Here are a few pics of the grandma's! Funny how much Maksim has changed and grown just since these pictures!

Friends. Restored Friendships. Deeper connections. New friends. All of the above. We are extremely blessed to have a bible study group who has been meeting for about 2 years now (maybe more) and also have the advantage of having several different friend groups from church as well!  Our bible study group is actually having our annual Thanksgiving party a few weeks early! Can't wait for some fried turkey! Here's a picture of the spread from last year! Makes my mouth water!

Weight Watchers. You will all think I am crazy, but I do enjoy Weight Watchers! My goal was to have the baby weight gone by Thanksgiving...so I technically have a few more days...13 to be exact, so we shall see. Not looking good, but I am making progress...my extremely last deadline to have the weight gone is Christmas. Good news is I am back to my "fat" pre weight baby...just not back to what I was right before baby when I was doing WW. The reason I like Weight Watchers is because I can eat what I want and just have portion control. I know there are critics out there who say it's not healthy and all of that, but I have found a diet that works for me, so I am going to stick with it until it quits working. AND, I hate vegetables (except the bad ones like potatoes and corn) so that limits my ability to "diet". I have tried to tough it up but it doesn't really work. AND, with the spread above, you will be glad to know that I can count two things on that table now that ARE Weight Watcher approved. Last year I had a WW buddy...this year I am on my own, so it seems! 

Work. In an economy where jobs aren't stable, I am glad that I have a job that I truly do enjoy. www.campelectric.com 

Christ Church-our church. I am thankful for a church that is moving in the right direction...not flawlessly, but moving all together. I am thankful for my husband being on staff and really desiring movement and direction in the church. I respect that and appreciate it as a member of the congregation.

Baby Mobiles. See two posts before this. Maksim has just started to realize mobiles and LOVES them. I tried one morning laying him in his pack and play so I could brush my teeth...comb my hair...look presentable and I found him laying there laughing and kicking his feet! So sweet! Here is a picture: 

My relationship with Christ. I am thankful that I live in a country where I can serve my God and have the opportunity to live out my faith. 

Today is Veteran's Day and I am abundantly thankful. No words can express the gratitude for all that has been done and sacrificed.

50 FREE Christmas Cards!!!

This is what happens...I remember I have a blog and then here you go...two posts in one night!


I saw my friend, Lauren Butler, had a blog post with the word "FREE" in it and you know I had to check it out! Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly...sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010


What I found on her blog was that if you write a blog about Shutterfly.com and their new Christmas cards, you receive 50 FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS of your choice. So, please visit their website to see these awesome choices! Click above or here to see the designs.

There are a few links I recommend visiting on their website for different options:

Holiday Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

Photo Christmas Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Wall Calendars: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars

New Years Cards: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards

By the way, what I did was I sorted them by price and found some really reasonable ones for $0.33-$0.55 each...of course you could do the more expensive ones as well! You could probably sit at your computer for hours trying to decide on which card format you want to use! So many choices!!!

I have not used Shutterfly in the past, but I definitely will this year. I love their designs because they aren't the typical designs and I love the fact that there are so many colors incorporated into the designs! These cards make me happy! For me, Christmas time is a chance to send out your card to the family members or friends that you may not have had a chance to catch up with during the year so you want to make the best of it!

Here are some of my favorites. I have a million so it will be super hard to narrow them down (I am beginning to see by my choices that I like brown and red!!! And, sometimes I wonder if I like the card itself or the adorable picture/s)....ENJOY!!!:

All about Maks!

I am a horrible blogger...very inconsistent! But, I do have a good excuse.


After a hiatus of a little over 2 months, 9 days, I am back and excited to be blogging again!


2 months and 9 days is the age of my sweet son, Maksim!!! I honestly can't believe how much he has grown up since he was first born! This Mom thing has really changed my life! I am in love and it's increased my love for my husband, too...which I didn't think was possible. It's cool to see God through this child...what a miracle birth is. Tissue, please.


Here are a few pictures and you will see why my attention has been taken off of blogging onto this baby!

Here is a picture of him on his play mat... he will just lay there and squeal and laugh looking at the mobiles, ceiling fans, and lights! He's a bright baby! 

 Here is a picture of Maks in his Baby Bjorn and Grant at a Mercy Me and Phil Wickham concert! Maks was so great during the concert! And, Grant is an AMAZING Dad! Truly! I could not be more blessed! I am very thankful that Maks doesn't mind loud noises considering a lot of our time is spent at church listening to the band or around loud (but EXTREMELY fun) youth students! Maksim seems to love the busyness of our lives...he fits right in!

And, last but not least, I love Maksim just chillin' on his Daddy's legs at church this past week! I found this sweater for sale at Target and just had to get it! 

Someone asked me yesterday about my hospital experience for when I gave birth and it made me want to make sure I documented it (mainly so I wouldn't forget a thing!) And, I wish I had someone to tell me all of the details so I would be prepared. I am not going to say anything gross though.

Ok, the day Maks was born at Baptist Women's Hospital. Here we go. Skip this if it doesn't interest you...

Well, rewind two days... I went in that Monday before for my 39 week check up and everything was ok in the office but the doctor called me later that day and said some levels in my body were up and he was nervous that if we didn't go ahead and induce then I would have preclampsia and be sick by that time the next week which was my due date when I was scheduled to be induced. I have told my doctor since day one that he is the doctor and I completely trust him. He had told me before that they never induce before the due date unless there is a medical reason to do so, so that made me comfortable that he wasn't just doing this out of convenience or anything like that. So, he scheduled me for that following Wednesday, September 1st. That happened to be the day he was in labor and delivery, too. He knew that I wanted him to deliver Maks if at all possible. I go to Ruch Clinic and they have several different doctors and you are not guaranteed that the doctor that you see every week will be the one to deliver. It's who ever is on call. Some people see multiple doctors at the clinic, but I saw Kennedy from the beginning and really liked him. He was straightforward with me (which my detail oriented self LOVED) and he was laid back (like I LIKE to think I am). I saw another doctor twice on days when I had to go in for unexpected things and I liked the other doctor too, but still preferred Kennedy. That's my little tangent on how much I liked Ruch Clinic.

We got to the hospital about 5 a.m. if I remember correctly. They sent just me back to ask me some questions and get my IV put in. It wasn't until about 7:00 that they let Grant back. I didn't understand why it took so long to let him back. I started out with these two nurses but a shift change was about to happen so I only had them for maybe 2 hours at the most. I liked them. The main nurse asked me where I worked and I told her Camp Electric and she proceeded to tell me how much she loves K-Love. They aren't connected but we advertise on K-Love. The other nurse seemed like she was a beginner. She was about my age, maybe younger and one of my fears came true that morning when she was trying to get the IV in and couldn't do it. The other nurse had to come poke me for like the 3rd time. Oh well. It wasn't too horrible.

Then I got my new nurse who I LOVED! She was great! They started me on the pitocin at probably about 8ish and then my doctor, Dr. Kennedy (GREAT Doctor!), came in and broke my water...a little bit of a yucky thing then but not too bad. Kind of like pouring hot tea in your lap. Ha! Probably about 9:00, I got my epidural. I was more scared in anticipation for the epidural than the actual epidural. I cried before but it was because I was nervous. I heard that pain was HORRIBLE. But, honest, it was not that bad at all. It felt kind of like a bee sting. Then it was over. 

Besides the after effects of my C-section, the pain beforehand was very minimal. I really didn't have strong contractions and I never had to do a vaginal delivery...so if you look at it that way, I was pretty blessed with a very pain free PRE-delivery. Not so much POST delivery though because of the C-section.

The next part was kind of scary. My monitor kinda started going crazy and the nurse came to check on it and got kind of worried and buzzed for help. The baby's heart rate was going from the 60's to 150's and jumping back and forth. As she was waiting on the other nurses, she gave me my catheter (usually she likes to wait longer after the epidural, but she was worried they would immediately need to take me to surgery...I didn't feel anything). So, 2 other nurses hurry in there and they have me roll to my left side and right side ...back and forth. Remember, I now have my epidural so I am having to pull myself using my upper body. They put me on oxygen and paged my doctor (kind of frantic). That is when Grant said he got nervous. So, as they are rolling me from side to side to try to get the baby's heart rate down, I ask them "Should I be nervous?" and one of the nurses (not mine) says very adamantly "YES". So, that was not very helpful...I mean...I appreciated the honestly, but at the same time, I am obviously distressed here. My nurse tried to cover up her blatant disregard for my feelings and ATTEMPTED to make me feel better. Then they told me to take off any jewelry because they might have to roll me back for a C-section right then. 

Long-ish story short, they got the baby's heart rate down when they turned off the pitocin. My doctor came in shortly afterwards and checked a few things, put a heart monitor on the inside (maybe on the baby...not sure) and said that, for now, I was good but he wanted to wait for a while to turn the pitocin back on to see if I progressed. 

So, probably about 11:00 a.m. they tried turning the pitocin back on (for those of you who don't know what pitocin is...I wouldn't have before this...it's what kind of forces your body into labor). After they turned the pitocin back on, Maksim's heart rate spiked again so they decided to keep me off of the pitocin for good. 

Well, turning off the pitocin made me not progress at all for four hours...I went in at between 1-2 cm dilated and I was stuck then at 4 cm dilated. It was at that point that they decided to give me a C-section. I honestly did not want a C-section at ALL and I had made that clear to Dr. Kennedy that the only reason I would want a C-section is if the baby was in danger and so I trusted him when he made the call. The reasoning for giving me a C-section were two: 1. Failure to Progress and 2. Fetal Distress....so Maks was in distress. So, when he made the final call, I think Grant was relieved that in less than an hour we would be holding our baby, but I was scared out of my mind. 

But, they wheeled me back to surgery...made Grant go in another room for a bit and when they wheeled me back there I got nervous even more...I was still crying at this point but luckily a lady from our church, Kerry Griggs, was there with me the whole time and so was my favorite nurse (who's name I forgot).

Sidebar...my favorite nurse was actually not going to go with me into surgery. Guess who was? The "YES" lady! I made a face when she told me that lady was coming and a few minutes later she came over to me in private and asked me if I was uncomfortable with the "YES" nurse and I told her yes. Earlier that day, the "YES" nurse had been rude to my family and friends when we were one person over the limit in my room. That one person was Hudson, a 1 year old! Come on! So, after I told my favorite nurse that I was uncomfortable with the "YES" nurse, my favorite nurse made plans to come to surgery as soon as she could. She had another patient that required her attention as well at the same time. But, she really did bend over backwards to be there for me. I have GOT to remember her name!

ANYWAYS, going into the surgery room was intimidating because it's stark white with all of those big lights. I was relieved when they let Grant come back. So, because of the epidural, obviously I was numb, but I could feel them tugging hard (well, it felt hard to me). One of the anesthesiologists told Grant that if he wanted to see, he would tell him when he could stand up and he did and Grant was amazed! We video taped it ..see below...just kidding. But, we did video tape it and it was pretty cool! I didn't hear him cry when he first came out but Grant says he did. Maksim automatically peed first thing and it made Dr. Kennedy chuckle!

They weighed him in at 5 pounds 14 oz! I was shocked because I was told he would be around 7! One of the nurses looked at Maks when he was born and actually said "OH, there's no way he was going to make it down the birth canal"...so that reassured me that we did the right thing with the C-section. I guess more of my stomach was my fat than it was Maks! I definitely have a more healthy plan for eating with the next one...you don't want to know what I gained. It was just me having an excuse to not really watch how much I ate...I still at "healthy" I thought, but portion control pretty much went out the window. 

Well, we were stuck back in recovery until almost 7:00 p.m. which was ridiculous! Maks was born right around 4:00 p.m.  Our nurse in recovery had just switched over to a new computer system and was taking her sweet time. That was annoying. But, so we FINALLY got to see our friends and family... there were a TON of them when they took us off of the elevator and back to our room! It was great! If you known Grant and I, you know we are people persons and we loved that we had that many people to greet us! 

So, that's that! We were in the hospital from Wednesday to Saturday...and did I mention that Grant was the sickest he had been in a while...bad timing! Breastfeeding went GREAT! If you know me, you know I was bound and determined to try to breastfeed and it's been a success! Still going on that. We will see how long I can make it, but my goal is 6 months. If I can go that long then I will set a new goal. I AM back at work now, so that makes it more difficult considering I have to pump now, but it's doable. Someone told me that it is the least selfish thing I could do and the most beneficial for my baby! So I am going to keep pressing on for Maks! 

OOOH, and since I said I would be straightforward...the C-section did not hurt the day of because I was on meds, but the following 3 days were not fun at all. I don't know if I was not told or what, but I just assumed after a major surgery that the hospital staff would just automatically give you pain medications to keep you comfortable...but no, you have to ask for them...so for some reason, I thought "the longer I wait, the better"...umm...no.... get that pain medication every 4 hours (or as soon as you can). There is no shame in that. I don't know why I thought I had to be tough. BUT, I still don't understand why they don't give it to you automatically...at least for the first day after surgery! 

The day after my C-section (I think it had to be 12 hours after), the nurse took out the catheter and that part didn't actually hurt, it was the fact that I had to go to the restroom after that and literally couldn't for an hour... that was pretty painful. So, I did walk like an old lady with a bad back for a few days because that's all I could do. 

But, our friends and family were ...and still are!...AMAZING! And, Maks is SUCH A GOOD BABY! We got lucky with this one! My overall experience at Baptist Women's Hospital was a great one (besides the "YES" nurse). 

Ok, I think this long post makes up for all of the time I have spent away. 

Til next time!

Maksim's Room Completed!!!

FINALLY, I have the final product ready to share with the blogging world :) It's been a long time coming...about 7 1/2 ish months and Grant and I worked hard on it! I wanted something modern and not typical and yet still fun! I think he will be able to grow up in this room too (at least for a few years) and I still got to stick my designer knowledge in there too!

Here's the rundown of the room:


1. I started by picking out the fabric...the black fabric with elephants, birds, giraffes and other zoo animals. I originally wanted a fabric with owls on it, but it was way too expensive and I am so much more excited about this one! The fabric is from Fat Quarter Shop and it is a Michael Miller fabric. I chose two of his fabrics...one as the main fabric and one with dots in different colors to coordinate.  I had my friend, Hannah, ask me if the fabric I bought just happened to be Michael Miller (even before she saw it or I described it to her) because she thought that looked like me! My friends know me so well!

2. I handed off the fabric to my seamstress, Jenny Beth Rodden, of The Preppie Peonie who did an excellent job of making the draperies and bedding for Maksim's room! She's taking orders now!!! (The above picture with the black blobs are my sweet cat, Jack Bauer, and my handful, but sweet Puggle, Reilly.)


3. I debated on the wall color for a while. I didn't want to do the typical blue for a boys room (not that that is a bad thing....I just wanted Maks' room to be different and outside of the box). I visited one of our close friends, The Metcalf's, house to see their BEAUTIFUL baby's room, Eleanor or Ellie, and right next to the baby room was their upstairs bathroom done in yellow stripes! I don't remember if it was wallpaper or paint, but I loved it! So....then started the long, grueling process of painting stripes. If you get up really close to the stripes in Maks' room then you can see pencil markings, but I am ok with that. If someone has an idea on how to remove those, I am all ears!

4. After that I started working on wall decorations! I got a text from a good friend, Laura, one day who had seen my fabric and was in Hobby Lobby one day and saw these wall pieces that were black, big, and zoo animals! So, I put those on my list of "must-haves" and waited for them to go on sale to 50% off. Because they were 50% off, they did have a few bumps and bruises on them, but nothing that spray paint couldn't fix! (See picture below...we are still working on the dresser, but you get the idea).

5. I don't remember exactly when we stumbled upon this website, but Grant and I were keeping our eyes open for Maksim's room as well as for some decorations for our Arlington youth room at Christ Church and one day Grant sent me this website, Dali Decals, where he had found an awesome tree, gorilla, birds, squares and some other decals for our youth room. Little did he know that I had stumbled upon the same website as well! I was already getting ideas galore for the room! Grant purchased and applied the decals at the church and they turned out GREAT!


The idea to use a tree decal in Maksim's room came from my above friend mentioned, Hannah. She has a daughter named Ivy who has a white tree (I believe) in her room.


A quick note on Dali Decals, they have been beyond AMAZING to work with. I was hired on to design two large areas at Hope Church here in Cordova, Tennessee and Dali Decals did several custom decals for us along with some decals that are on their website for the two areas I worked on. They were extremely helpful and wanted to make sure we were 100% satisfied...and we were! Another blog on Hope Church's designs will come soon!


So, all of the decals in Maks' room are from Dali Decals. The green tree, the birds, the owls, and the elephants. I can't speak enough good about the company!

6. The furniture is from the ole faithful Target! The brand is Delta and the crib is one that you can "transform" into a big boy bed when the time arises! I hear time flies with the babies! We did have a little trouble with the dresser, but the company made it right (after about 3 months)...it was Delta's issue, not Target's.


7. And, luckily, my parents bought Grant and I the glider for our anniversary back in March! So nice!!! And, the little baby rocker is from an Amish community in Ohio that Mom picked up for me on a trip to see family back a few months ago! Also, if you see that white thing that looks like a coaster on the side table...that is a handprint of Grant's from when he was around 5 years old. We hope to do one of Maksim, too and put them side by side....a little sentiment there :) So that it doesn't get mistaken as a coaster, I will probably buy a small stand to prop it up.

8. The letters for Maksim's name were from an idea I stole from our friend, Laura, who just had a baby, Isabella! I believe her sister made the letters, so I wabbled down to Hobby Lobby and found these white, wooden letter cut outs (which would have been pretty on their own) and I bought scrapbooking paper to go with our "zoo" theme and spray painted the letters and placed the scrapbook paper on top of the letters and used a small box cutter (an exacto knife would have worked better, but I couldn't find my floral printed one) and just cut away the excess paper. I was pretty proud of the end result! One of the letters was trial and error because I rushed it, but I fixed it...no biggie! We won't say that the reason for the lettering was because I placed the elephants in the wrong spot on the wall. OOPS!

9. And, last but not least, the rug is from Walmart. Not exactly what I was looking for, but I am pleased with the overall look.

All of this was done on a budget. Don't believe me...ask :) I am PRETTY proud! I know that a lot of people say that for the first child you go all out and then you don't want to do the same for the second...but I think I still will....especially with my degree being in interior design! I just love it! And, Grant is pretty good at the designing, too...must come from his artist background!

NOW, all we need is Maksim!!!!

Updates Galore! The Countdown Begins!!!

Yesterday was my 38 week appointment with the doctor and things are looking good! Maksim has dropped (Stage 2 now...he said I was a Stage 3 last week and now I am a Stage 2...I guess all that's left is a Stage 1...whatever all that means,  ha!), 80% effaced and about 1 cm dilated. Sorry if any guys are reading this and it weirds you out. I never thought I would talk in terms of weeks, effacement, dilation, stages, etc! But, here I am!!!


I asked the doctor whether he thought Maks would come early and he was very general in his speaking (I guess they are so scared of getting lawsuits that they can't speak freely) saying that he could be in our arms before next week or he could wait until his due date to grace us with his presence! I told him the only thing I am nervous about is that I won't know I am having contractions...or I will mistaken them for little pains...Doctor said I will for sure know. We live about 45 minutes from the hospital so that makes me slightly nervous, but from what I hear, the first one is the longest labor wise.


So, the news for now is that if Maksim doesn't get here before September 8th, then we will head into the hospital to be induced. I told my doctor my fear of being induced too early and he definitely made me feel better about it and said that he just didn't want me going past my due date. He said they like for the babies to weight between 6 and 7 pounds because anything bigger than 8 makes the delivery a little more challenging for the baby to maneuver down the birth canal. I am trying to be as nice with my words to not make anyone feel uncomfortable, here...bear with me!

The countdown for today is 15 days until my due date!!!

Grant and I spent the later part of yesterday visiting new babies! We visited two brand new baby girls from two girls/MOMS (!!!) that I have went through the pregnancy process with at the same time! Here are the beautiful baby girls!!! Maksim has some pretty cute girlfriend options to choose from :)

Isabella Ann Epting

(This is the "Tucker" that I wrote about two posts before)

Parents: Mike and Laura Epting

Laura was 2 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy.

Addyson Ann Butler

Parents: Rhett and Lauren Butler

Big Brother: Reese

Lauren was 8 days ahead of me in her pregnancy.

So, life is pretty much about babies at this point :) Fun! Fun!!!

Here is a little update to our work in Maksim's baby room! We stole this idea from the Epting's where you buy wooden letters and spray glue scrapbook paper to the block letters and then I used an box cutting knife (very small one) to cut the extra paper off of the wooden block letters and the final result were these cool designs! I made a little boo boo with some decals in Maks' room (you will see the final product later with the fix made with these block letters below the elephant decals) so we had to improvise and come up with a cool way to make it not look horrible :)

Here are the block letters that spell out "Maksim" (I used a camera on my Evo phone called "Retro Camera" and it gave these polaroid looking shots) and a picture of our changing table with some new baskets added (boring stuff to some, I would assume!)

On another note...

Today in my quiet time I read about "The Evil Personality". The scripture was from Revelation 2:12-13. Basically it just talked about how Satan runs rampant on this planet as John confirmed it in one of his letters: "The whole world is under the control of the evil one" (John 5:19). It says that we don't engage in a philosophy of evil; we fight against evil personalities...so Satan and his demons are very real! I liked the wording I read today where it said: "Forsake all thought of evil simply as a force in this world. Never depersonalize it. Recognize that there is a relentless, malicious intelligence behind all the pain you see....and when all hell breaks loose against you, rely completely on Him." 

I think that I needed to hear that this week. Not that "all hell" has broken loose against me or Grant but we have faced a few challenges but through it all we are confident in our Lord and his ability to take care of us. If you have ever seen any of my old posts, we have several situations where things seemed impossible to see past but the Lord has NEVER, NEVER let us down. It's pretty awesome if you look at things from an eternal perspective. Looking at things and situations from a worldly perspective will always leave you broken down and discouraged. 

'Til next time!!! I am trying to do better with my posts :)