Diagnosis......

I've been thinking and thinking about how to have a fun intro to this post, but I think I may have lost my creativity somewhere between the pumpkin pie and Christmas lights!












I have so many little things that I've been meaning to share here!
*New favorite music/videos for the kids that you need to know about for your family
*My DIY tent for the boys (made with MUCH guidance from my crafty friends!)
*Christmas in general!

I'm also so excited about our church's event, The Christmas Story: A Live Nativity Presentation of the Bible this weekend and getting to meet Tricia on Wednesday!

I could have posts scheduled for everyday of the week with all that's going on, but alas, I can't get off the couch!
You read that right! Whenever I have spare time lately, I head for the couch and crash. My bedtime has routinely been around the same time as the kiddos! Making dinner or cleaning the bathroom is exhausting!

At least all this sleepiness, hasn't been accompanied by too much in the nausea department!! Have you guessed my diagnosis yet? :)

That's right!! We're so excited that God has blessed us again with another little one! It was a little bit of a surprise (I had just gotten a cancellation letter from my insurance company), but we know that His timing is always perfect.
Please forgive me if posts are sporadic for a while! I'm hoping to have some quiet time during the Christmas holidays to write.
I'm also hoping to document this pregnancy a little more than I have the other two. It's amazing how even the third time everything still feels exciting and new!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying your Christmas season already! I'd love for you to let me know how YOU'RE doing in the comments or on FB!

I'm going to go take a nap now...........

Grace and a blog re-launch....

Grace. 
It's a word that has been a part of my vocabulary for a very long time. After all, I had a small understanding of God's gift of grace for me when I accepted Him at 5 years old. I used the word grace when explaining salvation to others. I knew I couldn't be a Christian without grace!

It's only been in the past year or so that this word has been transforming my life! The gospel of Christ has been gripping my heart in ways I've never experienced!

How could I have been so deceived to think that I needed a merciful God's favor to gain eternal life, but the rest of my Christian walk was up to me and my hard work?

I served our church alongside my pastor husband. I tried to raise our children to love God and be "good kids". I attempted to forgive those who hurt me. I struggled to resist Satan's daily temptations.
I wanted to be a godly woman, but I was missing something.......

I finally found that something when I realized that all the good works I do are worth NOTHING to God when done in my own strength. My identity as a wife, mom, woman are already sealed through Christ's sacrifice for me. My Father can smile on my life, not because of me, but because of His Perfect Son.

As one of my favorite pastors/authors, Tullian Tchvijian says, "In Christ, I am free to fail!"

Starting to grasp the deepness of God's grace has been so special! I have fallen in love with my Jesus again. I am learning to apply grace in the mundane aspects of each day!

I want Him to be EVERYTHING to me!

My relationship with Him has been revived!

I find that each day leads me to new ways to apply the gospel in my life and I want to document it because my heart so easily forgets and wanders. That's why I decided to revive this old blog of mine with a new meaning!

When I initially started A Steady Rain, it was to document the daily blessings God pours on our lives each day. Coming up with blessings and blog posts had become a little stale after 3+ years and I decided I should come up with a new blog! However, the next two blogging ventures felt just as forced. What was the problem??

I was trying to force a passion for Him! After a year of looking back on what He's done for little me, I have a renewed desire to write about that steady rain. Those blessings look a little different to me now. Just as I can do nothing to "make" the skies open up and water the earth, I can do NOTHING to earn God's favor on me or my family. I'm not entitled to anything! It is His gift on my undeserving life.
True grace.

Will you join me as I continue to search for His daily grace?

 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him....

Colossians 2:6

This post is linked to.....

Why I am NOT going to the Relevant Conference 2011....

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time, you know that absolutely LOVED the Relevant Conference in Harrisburg, PA last year. The speakers were amazingly encouraging and challenging. The hotel was beautiful. The food was delicious. And, most of all, I was thrilled to change so many of online friendships into real life ones.

I've had Relevant '11 on my calendar since the date was announced shortly after last years conference. I've been saving money, seeking sponsors, and following the #Relevant11 Twitter feed faithfully. I've had my husbands blessing (and urging) to attend again! I couldn't wait.

But.........

In early February, I learned of another big event happening in October only a week or two before Relevant, and I suddenly had a scheduling conflict!
Normally, I debate back and forth when these types of conflicts occur, but this decision was an easy one. I would NOT be heading to Relevant this year.

What's the event, you ask?

Yep! That's right! We are happy to announce that our little family will be increasing to a family of four in Mid-October.

I will miss seeing you all there, and I look forward to reading your tweets/blog posts! I'll be cuddling a new little bundle of joy!

*NOTE: If you DO get the opportunity to go, I would highly recommend it! You will be so blessed and encouraged!

Sorry.....

Hey y'all,

Just a quick note...I usually have my posts set up so that you can comment quickly with no word verification. I get your comments sent to my e-mail so I can read over them before they are posted. This helps me not only catch any spam comments, but also makes sure I get to read each and every one of your wonderful comments!!

BUT,

Blogger seems to be having some problems and I'm not able to moderate any of my comments right now. Until it gets fixed, I've added the word verification feature back in. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. I know you have super busy lives! I cherish your comments though, and hope it won't be too much trouble for you!

Hope you have a great Wednesday night!