Triple the fun!

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be gory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen"
Ephesians 3:20

The above verse comes to my mind so much these days. God has done immeasurably more than I have asked or could imagine by blessing us with triplets. The other day as I was driving just listening to worship music I began to cry. This was a good cry, tears of joy. I just became so overwhelmed by all God has done for me and for our babies. God gave Erik and I triplets....WOW!

I've been thinking lately, will triplets be triple the fun and triple the worry? The Lord has been teaching me a lot about worry and anxiety. In an earlier post on my blog I talked about how I worry each time before a doctors visit. Well I have to say that has gotten better with God's help. This week I was reading about worry and anxiety in the book, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World". God taught me so much this week and I wanted to share it.

The book notes how we are an anxious people, a nation of worriers. Worry is really a waste of time. It's actually bad for us to worry, and something God does not want for us. "Who of us by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27. Worry and anxiety is mentioned 25 times in the New Testament as something we should avoid. Our worries take away from our relationship with the Lord, it fixes our eyes on our situation rather than on our Savior. Worrying can keep us from leading the lives God intends us to live. Instead of relying on facts we let worry stack up in our minds until the domino effect sets in until it's one fear after another. Instead of looking for the best, worrying assumes the worst. I am so guilty of this happening. I let fear get the best of me and that's when the lies come in my head and it is so hard to stop those thoughts.

Pastor Gary E. Gilley is quoted as saying, "Worry is allowing problems and distress to come between us and the heart of God. It is the view that God has somehow lost control of the situation and we cannot trust Him. A legitimate concern presses us closer to the heart of God and causes us to lean and trust on Him all the more." We have to remember that we can leave our worry behind for God, not because there is nothing to ever be concerned about, but because we have a Savior who can handle them a lot better than we can. God is calling us to a great exchange to trade the "many things" that make us anxious, and he gives us the "one thing" that calms our hearts. Himself, the Prince of Peace. Instead of focusing on our problems, let us train our minds to focus on the promises of God.

Let us remember who we serve, Jehovah Jireh - the God who provides, Jehovah-Rapha - the God who heals, El Shaddai - an almighty God.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. The peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6-7

As there will always be times of concern in our lives, it is comforting to know we can take everything to the Lord.

Love to you all.
Jamie

14 Weeks with thoughts to ponder....

Oh, I'm running to your arms, I'm running to your arms.
The riches of your love will always be enough.
Nothing compares to your embrace.
Light of the world forever reign.
(Lyrics from Forever Reign by Hillsong)

Well my 14th week of pregnancy is here and I am beginning to feel small movements from the babies. I usually feel them at night or in the morning when I am laying very still. It's amazing to feel them this early, but when all 3 move it's big. Often times I will lay in bed longer just to feel them move and talk to them. I will never get this time back with them and I enjoy each moment and praise God for these moments.

I got to visit with my cousin this weekend, she has triplets (all girls). Her triplets are 8 years old now and they are amazing kids. She shared with me memories of her pregnancy and delivery and gave me excellent tips and advice for surviving triplets. There is so much to prepare for and Erik and I are constantly working in the nursery. We want to be as ready as we can be....if that's possible. Ha ha!

Yesterday at church our pastor titled his message, "Kindness in the Church" 1 Corinthians 13:1-4b. I chewed on thoughts from this message all day long and even couldn't sleep because I was still processing. The message caused me to evaluate the kindness I show to others both in and out of the church and to look closer at the relationships in my life. The message also caused me to look back at the kindness Erik and I have been shown in the last 2-3 years as we have suffered tragic loss and now joyous blessing.

Kind= love meaning consistently and unconditionally toward the needs of others to care for them.
3 responses to a need:
1. Stay away - human fear
2. Blame Satan - spiritual immaturity
3. Move toward - godly kindness

When Erik and I suffered the death of our daughter over 2 years ago people responded to our need in many ways. Some people did stay away because it is hard to know what to say and how to help in this unique situation. But many many more people moved toward us with godly kindness. The response to our need was overwhelming kindness and love. Our church family surrounded us those first months and continued to surround us with love and compassion. We never ever felt alone. Not only did we always have God, who will never leave us or forsake us, but we had all of them.

The same remains today as we share the news of our Triplet Blessing! Our church family once again has responded with love and joy. They walked with us in this journey and lifted us up in prayer and now they are sharing in our joy. I can only imagine the amount of prayer that has been lifted up for the last 2 years on our behalf and God has answered in a BIG way! God is so good all the time in the ups and the downs of life. He's here...watch for him!

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart."
1 Peter 1:22

Our pastor ended the message with the following thought. Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. How will we respond to those around us today?

Blessings and Love!
Jamie

13 Weeks

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)

Today was a big day....we got to see our babies (via ultrasound that is)! They look so amazing on that screen. They are growing perfectly on schedule, they are moving like crazy, and hearts are beating beautifully. The ultrasound technician commented that the heartbeats are like a symphony in my uterus. What a beautiful way to describe it. My babies heartbeats are truly music to my ears. That comment was truly from the Lord. This was the first time we had heard the heartbeats and that is something I can listen to all day long. Our doctor, his nurse, and the ultrasound tech are true servants. They have been such a blessing and encouragement to us.

Each time before we see the doctor I tend to get anxious and nervous. It's not a good feeling and something I am working on through prayer and petition to God. The trauma that I experienced with my first pregnancy, combined with lies from the enemy, has stirred up fear inside of me. This is a time when I truly have to hold on to the truth that "Faith is believing without seeing." God continues to remind me that He is in control and He created these babies. He has a plan and I trust Him. My devotional today was about trials and affliction we face in life. The Lord really spoke to me through the following quotes:
"Let us sing God's praises in anticipation of things to come." Charles H. Spurgeon
"Nothing happens that has not been appointed by God with consummate care and foresight."

I will end today with a verse that I have come to love and meditate on regularly. My dear friend gave me this quote one day when she was thinking of my dear babies. What great friends I have!

Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 12:7)

Love to you all! Jamie

Love is in the air!

Happy Valentine's Day! I must brag on my husband. First of all, I think he is the best husband I could have ever been blessed with. I am not worthy of everything he does for me. He amazes me each day. God did good when he created my Erik! My amazing husband surprised me this weekend and took me away for a valentine's day weekend. He's such a romantic. We stayed at a beautiful Bed & Breakfast about 30 miles outside of Liberty. The Western Way Bed & Breakfast sits on 55 acres of beautiful countryside. We had our own cozy cabin. It was truly a retreat from everything. There was no cell phone service and of course no computers. It was so peaceful and quiet....more quiet than I've experienced in a really long time. It was so relaxing that I wasn't ready to come home. It was just the getaway we both needed. We also had a lot of time to talk about all the changes coming our way with our 3 little blessings. Let me say, I've been excited about these babies from day 1, but this weekend as we talked about them I got even more excited. For the first time I thought of all the joy we are going to experience with them. It will be those little moments with each of them that will bring me great pleasure!

We were not able to attend church on Sunday with being at the B&B, so we had our own time in the scripture together. Last week our pastor spoke on 1 Corinthians 13:1-4. One quote that stuck out to me, and seems poignant for Valentine's Day was, "Apart from God I am nothing and apart from love I am nothing." God's love is the greatest gift we are given...and it's free to anyone! I have been asking God to reveal himself to me each day. This weekend I saw God's love in my husband as he put together this weekend for us and showered me with blessing. We ended our Sunday morning with God by reading the following, I hope it helps your day and puts TRUE LOVE into perspective.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut.
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first",
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (The Message)

Have a blessed day! God loves you all.

12 Weeks and growing!

Praise God I am 12 weeks along now....woo hoo! My belly has just popped out in the last two weeks, so Erik thought it was time to start taking the belly photos. It looks small in this photo, but to me it feels huge. But I love it! My 3 miracles need lots of room to grow and my belly is getting ready for it. We go back to the OB soon for another ultrasound and this time we get to hear the heartbeats. I am so excited for that. I love seeing them on the ultrasound too. They shock me every time I see them. Erik will say, "We are having 3 babies...at the same time!" We have to continually remind ourselves because some days it's so surreal and hard to imagine. I am sure though it won't be hard to imagine when they are all kicking me. That will be fun. What a blessing they are going to be to us and so many others.

God is teaching me so much through this pregnancy. I know he is going to use these precious babies in amazing ways, both inside my womb and out in the world. I am currently doing a bible study titled, "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World". We all know the story of Mary and Martha and the book helps you find that "Mary" in you amidst the busy "Martha" lifestyle.
One question that stuck out to me was this: What inanimate object best describes how your life currently feels?
I answered: Currently my life is like the pause button on the DVD player. My life was playing like a DVD, at a regular sometimes fast pace. I was busy with my activites and ministries. Then, I become pregnant....with triplets. Suddenly God has pushed the pause button on my DVD player. Now this may sound odd to many of you. But I have had to give up my activites and even my ministires for this season because my babies need me most right now. While it is a tremendous blessing and I would do anything for my children, it has been a huge adjustment. I have had to learn to be still again and I am now realizing how wonderful this time is going to be. I am looking for the "Mary" inside of me to sit at God's feet for hours each day and learn from Him. God has given me this time for His purpose and I plan to give Him all of me that he wants.

What an amazing God we have. Praise Him today for the blessings in your life!

Thanks for reading my blog, praying for me, thinking of me, and just loving me (and my babies).

Love to you all.
Jamie