What's Your God Story?

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

In so many ways, it’s been a very emotional week with the helicopter crash, an earthquake, the coronavirus, an impeachment trial, and so much more. If I watch the news for too long, I can easily become depressed and overwhelmed. Can I let you in on a little secret!?

In Jon’s family, whenever life gets tough and we’re really discouraged, we play a game called, “I remember when...”. The point of the game is to take turns, filling in the blank and finishing the sentence by sharing about a time in your life when you remember God’s goodness and faithfulness. You can share something about your own life or choose to share a story about someone else in our family to help jog their memory.

Honestly, it’s so encouraging to be reminded about God’s love for each of us!! That being said, I want us to take turns and share "remember whens" and stir up thankfulness in one another.

I’ll go first.

I remember when...my Mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. On top of everything else, my family was scheduled to move to Hong Kong in one week. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate already. I didn’t understand how I could leave my Mom, never knowing if I would see her again.

My heart was torn.

As I prayed and poured out my heart to the Lord, He assured me, my Mom wouldn’t be alone, because my brothers and sisters would help her in my absence. So in faith, we left our home in East Texas and moved to Hong Kong.

Ultimately, God was so good and faithful to provide for my Mom!! The Lord took care of her when I couldn’t. As I was on the other side of the world, God comforted me when I was homesick and missing my family. He graciously brought healing to my Mom, who is now in remission and I’m praying God continues to be glorified through my Mom's story. Praise the Lord!!

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" 

- 1 Chronicles 16:34 ESV

Alright now it’s your turn...
What’s your God story? How have you seen God’s goodness and faithfulness manifested in your life?

God's Comfort in Tragedy

I’m a pilot’s wife. Honestly, this week's helicopter crash is one of my worst nightmares and what I fear each time my husband leaves for work. As a result, the news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death has left me more shaken than I expected. In the days following any type of airplane crash, I get nervous and filled with worry about what might happen to my own husband. I realize this is a very unhealthy default mode, but sometimes I can't help myself. As a result, I would like to take some time to remind all of us about the comfort God offers to all people during times of affliction.

Yesterday, I was holding back tears as my husband left for work and secretly scared he may never come home. Silently, I prayed and begged God to protect the love of my life and allow him to safely return to us.  

While Jon’s gone, I try my best to cling to Jesus. This is just a proper Christian Sunday school response, but the only thing that has worked for me while my love is gone. I spend time with Jesus in a variety of ways. Usually, I make time to read or listen to my Bible, recite scripture, and continue to pray for my husband. I must rely on God, because otherwise I drive myself crazy with worry, anxiety, fear, “what ifs” and unfortunately I can even become very angry.

As a busy Mom of five, I've been participating in "The Bible Recap with Tara-Leigh Cobble" plan on the Bible app. Everyday I listen to the particular scripture and then finish by listening to a corresponding podcast, put out by "The Bible Recap". This is one of the first Bible reading plans I've been able to stick to, because I'm listening to it as I was dishes or make lunch. It's made such a difference in the few weeks, I've been listening to my Bible.

Also, one of my favorite Bible verses to recite during hard times is Psalm 34:18. Just for some context, let's start in verse 17.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”
- Psalm 34:17-20 [NIV] 

What an incredible picture of God’s goodness to us, even when our lives are broken and shattered God is with us. Even when it feels like it's all too much and we might die under the weight of it all, we must remember these truths. The Lord will deliver us and not one of our bones will be broken under the weight of our crushing circumstances. I’m so thankful for this reminder!!

Thank you God for never leaving us alone and that we don’t need to have it all together before we can come to You. No matter what’s going on in your life, don’t forget to run to Jesus.

Finally, my heart is just broken for the loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant; John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser; Ara Zobayan; and Payton and Sarah Chester. I will continue to pray for their families and friends as they mourn the loss of their most precious loved ones. Click here to learn more about all the helicopter accident victims. 

For anyone in need of a little more help as you process the loss of a loved one. Click the link to check out Emily P Freeman podcast called, “85: Hold Space When Someone Dies”.

Still in the Fight: Mom's One Year Breast Cancer Update

My Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Estelle

Over a year ago, on August 2nd, 2018 my Mom, Carol, was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, Stage 3c Breast Cancer. This past year, Mom’s been fighting for her life as she has gone through surgery, radiation, and almost two rounds of chemo therapy. After months of treatment, she's weary and tired with still no end in sight.

On top of everything else, my Mom has continued to be my Grandma’s full-time caregiver. With each passing year, my Grandma gets worse and worse as her Alzheimer’s condition advances. In the past few months, it’s become very apparent that my Mom needs to begin to transition my Grandma’s care to someone else. We’re so thankful for God’s provision in this area, because my Mom and her sister were able to find a nursing home for my Grandma. In a little over one week, my Grandma will move into her new home. As you can imagine, my Mom is busy making all the necessary arrangements as Grandma gets ready to transition to her new home.

When Grandma transitions to a nursing home, Mom will lose her main source of income as a caregiver. With her living alone, she will be responsible for paying all of her medical and household expenses. In the coming weeks, Mom is going to need financial help.

If you are able, please donate to Mom’s GoFund Me to help with her extra expenses. Thank you for trying to help relieve some of this current burden. Click here to donate now.

Don’t forget!! Look below to check out the list of other ways you can help my Mom during this time.

Ways You Can Help

 - Donate to my Mom’s GoFund Me she has a lot of expenses without her normal income, it would be a blessing if you could help relieve some of that burden for her right now. 

Click here to donate now.

- Bring my Mom a meal, especially if you’re in the area. You can even bring something that she can easily put in her freezer and heat up when she’s hungry. 

 - Order groceries from Safeway or Walmart and have them delivered to my Mom’s house. 

 - Send my Mom a card to let her know you were thinking of her. 

 - Send my Mom encouragement through text message or give her a call. 

 - Pray for my Mom that God would be a constant source of peace and strength to her during this time. Pray for complete healing from this disease.

Ladies, don’t forget… 

 Do your self breast exams! Get your mammograms! Be proactive! Save the TATAS!

Leaving Hong Kong

Sorry I've been a little quiet recently, it's been a crazy few months. Due to some complications with my husband's job, my family was forced to move from Hong Kong, back to the United States. You heard me right, we've moved back to the United States. Honestly, it seems too soon for us to be coming home. The whole time I was in Hong Kong packing up our stuff, I just kept thinking,

"I'm not ready. I'm not ready to go."

However, less than one year ago, I was thinking the same thing as we prepared to move to Hong Kong,

"I'm just not ready." 

My how the tables have turned. God sure did a miraculous work in our hearts in a very short time.

With reluctant hearts, on Friday, June 21st, we woke up very early in the morning and made our way to the airport. Everything felt so surreal. How could we already be leaving Hong Kong? Nevertheless, we go into our Uber and headed to Hong Kong International Airport. Our friends met us at the airport and helped with our luggage as we checked in for our flight. These men even prayed for us, before leaving. We already miss them so much!!

Our initial flights took us from Hong Kong to Beijing, China to Houston, Texas. We stayed in Houston for a few days with some close friends. Then, we flew from Houston, Texas to Portland, Oregon. Where we spent time with family and friends before my brother's wedding at the end of June.

We're currently living at my other brother's house where will we live for the next several months. At first, it was a very hard transition for all of us. However, the girls finally seemed settled and are doing so much better. Additionally, I've been working on homeschool with the big girls, to make the most of our time here.

What's Next?
My husband's spent the past few months looking for a new job. He's has traveled all over the country for interviews and meetings trying to determine what the best job would be for him at this time. After much prayer and deliberation, he has decided to fly for a regional airline. After my husband completes his training, our entire family will move to Colorado to be closer to our family and friends. We are excited for how God is going to work in our lives throughout this new adventure.


Please Pray

• Praise God for His provision, poured out through our family and friends during this time. 
• Praise for Jon's new job. 
• Pray for our girls during this time of transition.
• Pray for Jon to pass all of his training.
• Pray for Hong Kong during this time of tension and division. Protection for our friends who still live in Hong Kong and for The Bridge Church to be a force for peace and love during this time.

Come Into His Presence

“And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"” 

- Mark‬ ‭2:12‬

At the beginning of 2019, I decided one of my goals should be to read through my Bible in one year. What God-fearing Christian doesn’t make this type of New Years Resolution? I subscribed to a plan on my YouVersion app and started reading. In the first few weeks, I did a great job. However, gradually the excitement of starting something new fizzled out and I stopped reading my Bible.

In addition to reading my Bible, I’m working through a Bible study called, “Breaking Free: The Journey, The Stories” by, Beth Moore. As often as I could, I made time to work on my Bible study. Unfortunately, with each passing day, I completely forgot about my desire to read through the Bible in one year. Oops!!

Has this ever happened to you? 

Even though, I haven't been able to stick to my Bible reading plan, God has used my Breaking Free Bible study to speak truth into my life. I am so thankful. Even when I fail, God is faithful!! Just the other day, I came across a verse in Isaiah, which I found very meaningful. I just have to share it with you.

 “Return to me, for I have redeemed you..” 

 - Isaiah 44:23b 

Return. To. Me.

Short and simple, but filled with such powerful truths!! God has been using this verse as a gentle reminder for me to return to Him and His word. Daily, I need to whatever it takes to get in God’s word.

Like I said before, I had been trying to read through the Bible  in one year. I tried a plan on my phone, but it wasn’t my favorite. I prefer to use pen and paper. Thankfully, I was able to find a free printable on Pinterest called,  “2019 5-Day Bible Reading Program”. I printed it out and put it in my Bible, so that I will remember to read God's word everyday.

That's right, I’m going to try again.

Yes, I’m starting my Bible reading plan in May. I realize it is almost half way through the year. Honestly, I don't think it matters when I start my Bible reading plan as long as I’m spending time with God in His word.

Today, I read Mark 2 and the verse below resonated with me the most!!

“And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"” 

- Mark‬ ‭2:12‬‬‬ 

The paralytic did everything he could to be with Jesus and be in His presence. He know it was the only place where he would find true healing!!

Sin separates us from God.

Genesis 3 describes the fall of Adam and Eve. Along with the introduction of sin into the world. 

“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” 

- Genesis‬ ‭3:8‬‬‬ 

Sin caused Adam and Eve to hide from God’s presence. Seriously, like He didn’t know where they were!? Going into the light of God’s presence means exposing our sins and being honest about the state of our heart.

Don’t let sin keep you from being in God’s presence. I hope we will be like the paralytic man, who did whatever was necessary to be with Jesus. We must be brave enough to walk in the light, because it is only through Jesus where true healing can be found.

Today, make every effort to come into God’s presence.

Homeschool 3rd Quarter Slump

Personally, I have found that the 3rd quarter can be the hardest time of year for a homeschool Mom. At least, in the past, it has been for me. True to form, this year was no different! As we entered the 3rd quarter I could feel my spirit slip into the all too familiar 3rd quarter slump. I hate to say it, but most days I just didn’t want to do school. I just wasn’t excited about doing school anymore. On top of that, I didn’t even want to take time to prep for our upcoming week of school.

Can anyone else relate? 

In previous school years, I would start to feel overwhelmed and discouraged that I had slipped into this 3rd quarter slump. My bad attitude, combined with feelings of guilt and shame, because I am not the perfect homeschool Mom begin to make the problem worse. My negative feelings cause me to fall deeper and deeper into my slump. However, I didn’t want that to happen again this year.

All that being said, I would like to share with you the few things that God used to reignite my passion for homeschooling and pull me out of my 3rd quarter slump. Below, are 5 tips which really helped me this year and I hope they will help you too.

5 Ways to Break Free From Your 3rd Quarter Slump

1. Pray. 

First and foremost, I began to pray for my attitude about homeschool. I asked God to give me a new zeal and passion for homeschool. I'm not going to lie, it took a little bit of time. However, as I was faithful to pray, God helped me to take my eyes off of my feelings and replace them with a renewed excitement for our homeschool. I am so thankful to God for answering my prayers!! 

2. Remember. 

One of the ways, God answered my prayers was to remind me about why I started homeschooling in the first place. He used other people in my life who asked questions about homeschooling, which allowed me to remember that it was God who called me to be a homeschool Mom. I was also reminded that even on the hardest days, I wouldn’t trade this for anything! To read more about "Our Homeschool Testimony" click here. 

3. Ch-ch-changes.

Another great idea, to help get you out of your 3rd quarter slump is to make some changes. Sometimes I can be just like a robot on autopilot, doing the same thing day in and day out. I have found that it helps to make changes on a regular basis, so that homeschool doesn't become monotonous and boring.  There are lots of things you can change like trying a new routine or finding different books for your morning basket. You can also try fun projects each week to keep your homeschool lively and excited. It's safe to say, the kids are probably feeling the slump too and will welcome these new changes.

4. Research new curriculum. 

During my 3rd quarter slump, I decided to focus on researching homeschool curriculum for our next school year. I am a homeschool curriculum junkie! I can’t get enough of it. It wasn't long before my love of curriculums had me excited about homeschooling again. I spent time online reading about different curriculums. Additionally, I watched lots of YouTube videos about a variety of curriculums that I was thinking about using next school year. Currently, we live in Hong Kong, so I cannot attend any kind of homeschool conference. I am so thankful to homeschool Moms for posting videos on YouTube of the curriculums that they use. I really appreciate seeing what the curriculum is really like, because it has helped me make wise choices for our homeschool.

5. Plan for next year. 

Finally, as a result of my curriculum research I began to make plans for our next school year. Our 2019-20 homeschool year is just around the corner! That begin said, I want to make sure that I have prepared as much in advance to ensure that we have a wonderful school year. Looking forward to a new year has really helped give me the extra motivation that I need to finish our current homeschool year. I’m so thankful to God for answering my prayers and bringing me out of my 3rd quarter slump.

I would love to know, what are some ways that you get yourself out of your 3rd quarter slump? Please leave me your ideas in the comments.

Starting a New Chapter

Back in the spring of 2018, I stepped down from being a leader and receptionist at Weight Watchers after working for them for 7 years!! Stepping down was two fold, because I was pregnant with twins and by 30 weeks my midwife put me on modified bed rest. This meant I couldn’t be up on my feet for long periods of time. As a result, I wouldn't be able to effectively complete my duties as a leader and/or receptionist when needed. Additionally, we had plans to move to Hong Kong shortly after the babies were born. With our international move upon the horizon, I was certain that I could no longer work for Weight Watchers. 

Honestly, Weight Watchers has been apart of my life for so long, it was hard to imagine NOT begin there to help people on their own weight loss journeys. Without completely realizing it, when I stepped down from Weight Watchers I started to feel like I couldn’t help people the way I used to when I was apart of Weight Watchers.

My healthy lifestyle knowledge and roots are so deeply embedded in Weight Watchers that it was hard to imagine my life separate from Weight Watchers. On top of that, one of my greatest fears about moving to Hong Kong has been that I would gain all my weight back from emotional eating and stress over such a big life change.

In the weeks and months leading up to our big move, I began to pray and pour my heart before the Lord. I asked Him to help me continue to make healthy choices, even when life was overwhelming and I just wanted to eat everything in sight.

As a result, since we moved to Hong Kong I have been reading a lot of books to expand my knowledge about healthy eating. Each of the books listed below are so good!! I have been reminded that I can't conquer my weight loss struggles without the Lord by my side. I have also learned that I need to limit my sugar intake and other processed foods. I won't share too much about this now. However, if you're interested I can share more about what I'm learning in future blog posts.

Here is a list the books I’ve read so far. If you have other healthy eating book recommendations, please let me know in the comments below.

"Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline" 

by, Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett

"Body Love: Live in Balance, Weigh What You Want, and Free Yourself from Food Drama Forever" by, Kelly LeVeque 

"Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction"
by, Asheritah Ciuciu 

"Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food"
by, Lysa TerKeurst

Finally, today, God used several people in my life to begin to show me that even though I don’t work for Weight Watchers I can still encourage and support others on your own weight loss journeys. This has always been a passion of mine and I can’t wait to see how God continues to use me to help other people reach their weight loss goals.

It’s safe to say, I’m very excited about this new chapter of my healthy eating journey. I can’t wait to share it with all of you!!