My Romance

52 Days and Counting

2012-01-16T09:27:00.001-07:00

Oh how the days are flying by! Somedays I feel it would be so much easier to have a video blog where I could just sit and talk about everything that happens everyday. Maybe one day I'll get that sophisticated! Until then, you'll have to read about it.

Our 2011 ended on a really strong note. We were blessed to have Daddy come home for 10 glorious days! Christmas was the first "holiday celebration" Mike has been able to be home for all year. So we made the most of it! We fed 115 homeless and people in need on Christmas morning, had Christmas at home just the 4 of us, which was marvellous, then we celebrated Heidi Jo's birthday on the 30th with friends, and New Year's Eve with friends, too. Having this longer stretch of time together (compared to 5-6 days) made us realize that we only spent about 60 days together as a family last year. Definitely not enough!

Praise God that is all changing. In April Mike will be attending Redland Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma to complete a 5 week course in Drilling Fluid Technology. The employment rate out of this class is currently 94%. The good news is that Mike would work 2 weeks away then be home for 2 weeks! He would earn more income and be home more. Yay God!

Our mission trip to Thailand is quickly approaching. We will be leaving March 9th, only 52 days away! We have a tentative schedule of our daily outreaches, and the anticipation is growing in my heart. I cannot wait to see what God is going to do! If you have plans to partner with me please consider having any support submitted to myself or First United Methodist Church by mid-February so that we can pay all the deposits we need to. Very great thanks to those who have already sent in their support because I was able to purchase my airline ticket last week!!

For those of you partnering with me financially and in prayer I want to provide you with our tentative itinerary so you can pray for our specific outreach each day:

March 9th
arrive in pm

March 10th
Orientation at The Bridge Children's Center
prayer walking the city

March 11th
Serve @ True Friends Church
host party for disabled children

March 12th
Team outing day / street ministry

March 13th
hospital outreach
treasure hunting pm

March 14th
Parent teaching
Beach time with Bridge Kids

March 15th
free time
worship with Pattaya House of Prayer

March 16th
prep time
royal sleepover with True Friends church (older girls)
teaching about purity, identity, etc

March 17th
royal sleepover (younger girls)

March 18th
help True Friends church
kick off Supernatural VBS

**The VBS is so exciting for the children because they don't have children's church, no crafts, lessons etc for kids. This is anticipated to be the highlight of the trip for the children we will encounter!
Children from the Pattaya Slums Ministry will be joining us as well!

March 19th
VBS

March 20th
VBS

March 21st
VBS ending

March 22nd
processing and goodbye dinner
then 24 hours of travel to get home to Abilene

I will have the opportunity to teach, preach, minister deliverance and just love on so many people. I am so excited and grateful for everyone who has come along side to partner with me! My heart cries thank you!! The Kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Big, Huge Announcement!

2011-11-02T13:12:00.000-06:00

It is nice and refreshing to have a new month starting even though it is the second last month of the year already!! Where has all the time gone?

I have a very exciting announcement to make! If you are really observant you may have noticed a couple new gadgets added to to the sidebar menu on my blog. One is "Partner with Me" and the other is a ticker tracking "Thailand Missions Trip Fundraising!!" That's right, I'm going to Thailand!

I am SO excited about the opportunity that the Lord has presented to me through my school TSSM. A small group of students and instructors will be going to Thailand for 2 weeks in March 2012 to minister to women and children affected by the horrendous sex trafficking that occurs there.

As you read the next paragraph really truly allow your heart to FEEL something. Don't shut down and pretend it doesn't exist. Just take in the scenario...

What would you do if a 10 minute walk from your house put you in the middle of cheap hotels where babies, toddlers, children, teens and adults were available for sexual purposes? What would you do if you had to walk by these places and know there was no way to help them? What would you do if you passed by children sleeping on the streets during the day because they were up all night on the beach selling gum and themselves to tourists? What would you do if you saw an old man pay for taking pornographic photos of children? What would you do if you saw a 10 year old boy following an old man into a rent for an hour hotel room? Would you stop? Would you turn your head? Or would you ask God what He wanted to do about this?

On the mission trip we will be directly partnering with an ministry that is established in the middle of the red light district, in Pattaya, Thailand. The Bridge Children's Center:

*Provides a place full of the light, hope and love in the midst of darkness.

*It is a daytime Early Learning Center for children of ex-bar girls who are studying and working towards a better future for their children.

*It is a nighttime Child Care Center for children whose parents are working in the walking street area and for tourists on the streets to have a safe fun place for their kids.

*It is a place of mentoring, a place for parental help and training and a place of encouragement for parents and children.

*It is a place of safety and refuge.

Over the next week or so you will be receiving a personal letter from me. I would love to explain more about the mission trip and more details on how you can partner with this very important Kingdom work. Together we can all make a difference. Would it be worth it to save one child? Jesus says yes! Stop for the one.

If you are as excited about this opportunity as I am and cannot wait to receive my partnership letter please go ahead and locate the DONATE button in the top left margin. Donate once, or donate often! All major credit cards, cash, checks, and money orders will be accepted.

I look forward to you and I joining our hearts to Jesus' and making a difference!

ESTABLISHED

2011-10-30T14:41:00.000-06:00

It's finally official. The Burnett family has been ESTABLISHED in Abilene, TX! Since Mike and I have been married we have always had part of our possessions divided - in another country, another city or another house. After 4 years we finally have all we own under one roof. More importantly it is in a house in the city that God has called us to. I will admit that it will be very, VERY nice to have a full arsenal of kitchen devices at my disposal, but this last move was FAR more significant than that.

I believe that finally having all parts of our lives in unity that we are unlocking an important spiritual key for our lives. We shall see as things are revealed in the new season!

Now for sorting, selling and re-packing!!

Te amo mucho gusto,
J

Yes, slightly overwhelming

stuff galore!

boxes anyone?

way taller than my little people!

So grateful to have a path to the door!

Falling Behind...

2011-10-22T22:26:00.000-06:00

What a summer!! I believe I heard several times that it was the hottest summer in Texas and replaced the record from 50 years ago. That's HOT! I think that we had 40+ days over 100 F. So grateful that we have dipped consistently back into the double digit numbers, again. Thank you Lord! We've even had a little rain - pair that with cool weather and we have green grass. Just in time for fall. How strange for this northern girl!

The mornings recently have been delightfully cool and crisp and have reminded me of autumn in Alberta. I consider it a small kiss from God. The season changes are something I miss most about Alberta. Although I am happy to experience autumn now without the dreaded 6 months of pending winter & snow!

There have been many, many, many, MANY, changes in our life over this summer that I am excited to catch you up on. I just need to keep repeating "I will sit down and write. I will sit down and write" so that I don't have to do it all at once.

Since my last post was dated in June I will try to summarize chronologically:

June & July:

We really just hung out at home, in the AC because it was way too hot to take little ones outside for very long. By the time we were awake it was already 88-90F. At the end of June we moved to a different house, still in Abilene. We are literally 2 blocks away from Champions Church, which we love! I continued to train with my friend Amanda for a triathlon that we did together in San Angelo, TX on July 10. I had a wonderful time; it felt so good to compete again! I did not have a road bike, so that is not a decision I will repeat ever again, but it was a fun race to ease back into triathlon again.

race prep, 6:20 am

getting body marked, #71

so glad to have a friend to race with!

pre-race meeting

Lake Nasworthy, San Angelo, TX

I attended a Discipleship class all summer, a worship conference and a women's conference, all wonderful and time well invested.

August:

I started volunteering at our church as an administrative assistant, which was really a much answered prayer for me. Being at home all day, every day without an adult outlet (since Mike is not home) was really "getting" to me, so I had been considering if I should return to work. I really didn't feel like that was the right thing, and when the opportunity to volunteer at the church opened up it really made sense to me! I absolutely love it there, it is just the right amount of time for me to be out of the home.

So with that, we had to find someone to care for the children while I was away. We hired a lovely young mom from Oklahoma and the kids really loved her! We all loved having her baby, Grace, around too!

We made the decision to start Harrison in pre-K at Champions Christian Academy, which was really hard on me emotionally. I wasn't sure I was ready to "let go" yet, but he was definitely ready for more than just Mommy could offer. Now two months down the road I can confidently say it was the best decision we could have made for him! He is thriving in his small class of 4 other children. He is loved on, encouraged and stretched in all areas of life. He loves going to school and looks forward to it every morning!

In August I made the commitment to attend school for myself. I really felt God tugging at my heart strings to reach for the higher things of God and to go deeper in my understanding of His love. I was accepted into the TSSM (Transformation School of Supernatural Ministry), which began classes in September. I love it there. I cannot begin to describe the process I am going through, but I am becoming a sold-out lover of Jesus who will pay any price to see Heaven on Earth!

On August 13, Mike and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! It is really, really hard to believe how much we have been through in 4 years. It was hard being apart that day but Mike spoiled me with beautiful flowers and money to pamper myself. He's so amazing! Michael Burnett, I love you more that I did 4 years ago!

September:

Harrison and I started school. I started working at our church. Hillary started as our nanny. Life got very busy very quickly! I sincerely thank the Lord every day for how smoothly we all transitioned into our new roles and environments. I was concerned about how Heidi would feel being left at home without her big brother but she did so well. Having Hillary's daughter here was such a blessing. Days and weeks went by so fast, I can't believe that we are already nearing the end of October!

first day of school

with teacher, Ms. TIffany

literally crashed in mid play after his first day!

We attended an amazing intensive in Dallas called Re_Orient, taught by Kevin & Michelle Weaver. It was held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the NYLO hotel, Los Colinas. This was an amazing experience, done in excellence and really encouraged Mike and I to pursue the Kingdom as disciples together.

Harrison swimming @ NYLO

pool area

cool egg-shaped beds

NYLO

My honey!

Mike returned to work from Dallas, back to Oregon. He is doing really well at work, just tired of being away for his family for such long periods at a time. We miss him greatly and can't wait for God to open the door to something better for all of us! We know He will do it because He is faithful and loves us with an everlasting love. He really wants the VERY best for the Burnett Family!

That was pretty much our summer in a nutshell. I look forward to writing more as the season changes yet again. There is so much to share, so many praise reports of what God is doing in us, through us, and in Abilene.

Until next time...

Love & Blessings,
J

Joggedy Jog, Bloggedy Blog

2011-06-23T15:29:00.000-06:00

You read that right!! I'm jogging again. Actually I like to picture myself as a runner. I know I'm not quite there yet, but it's what I like to picture. I have started training for another triathlon race - I'm so very, very excited about this. My first race in Texas and the USA, second race ever. It is September 11 in Grande Prairie, TX (part of the DFW metroplex). I even have a friend wanting to train and race too - even more exciting!!

Brace yourself because I have bigger news than that. Last week we had some friends over for dinner and as we were visiting and talking afterwards, our conversation drifted to running. I casually said that I'd like to run a half marathon but I was aiming for the end of next year. My sweet friend said that she had recently reviewed a half marathon training plan and was going to go for it this year, in November! I'm so proud of her.

It made me think though. After they left I was asking myself "why am I waiting until next year?" Carpe diem, sieze the day! So I texted her to say if she'd like the company then I'd train and run a the half with her in November. So crazy! We will be doing the Marathoning for Miracles race here in Abilene in support of Hendricks Hospital.

This is a huge goal for me. Running intimidates me, probably because most who run are super lean and fit and seem to do it effortlessly. That's not me. But I'm still a runner and I still have goals. Basically the half marathon is one step on the way to my ultimate goal which is to complete an Ironman by the time I am 35. Go Momma!

Haven't had much time for blogging since Mike has been away in Washington. To be more accurate he is living and working in Oregon. He flew into Washington, which is literally across the Columbia river. So saying either place is fairly safe. He is doing well at work, enjoying most days, and we are both so very grateful for the provision God has for us in this season. Mike has been promoted at work and now supervises a 5-6 man crew. I'm so proud of you honey!

My days are filled to the max with caring for our 2 lovely children. As challenging and temperamental as they can be it is mostly fun and always rewarding. It is exhausting though, I'm not going to sugar coat it! It's tough being a "single" parent. Thankfully I do not carry all the burden that a single parent does. I am still blessed to stay home with them, instead of having to work to provide. I definitely have much respect and compassion for all the single parents out there who still manage to make their kids their top priority.

We are mostly settled into our new house. I am totally loving the neighborhood and being 3 minutes to our church. I am sure I will like it even more once I have a jogging stroller with which to run around the neighborhood with. We are hoping that the finances will be there in July for us to finally move all of our belongings to Texas from Alberta. What a glorious day it will be when all of us and all of our stuff will be unpacked in the same household. My heart aches for it!

Burnett Swim Club

Chillin'

after a hard day at swimming

self portrait - Heidi didn't really get the idea!

Letter J

2011-06-11T13:54:00.000-06:00

I just played this silly game on facebook:

Letter J...
Like: jewellery
Dislike: junk
Someone I Like: Jesus
Something bad: jealousy
Like and you get a letter

then it sparked a random thought. I've been working on the "I dislike junk" statement - A LOT lately, especially since moving again.

I think that everyone has "that" place. The counter that never stays clean and clear, or my personal pet peeve - the drawer of random odds and ends, the infamous JUNK drawer! I'm not exactly sure when the need for clean came into my life because I know I wasn't always the tidiest child/adolescent (sorry Mom & Dad.) Probably when I became a home owner for the first time, if I had to guess. I really can't stand to see "junk" laying around. It actually may be a very valuable item but if it is out of place and looks like clutter, it has to go! If you have ever seen the tv show Hoarders that is one of my worst nightmares!

My husband will attest to my motto: "Everything has it's place".

I know especially as a mom and the keeper of the home it can be hard and even over-whelming to stay on top of the constant clutter. My solution? Another motto: One thing at a time. This applies to everyone in our home. Use one thing at a time. When you're done, put it away. No coloring until the cars are put up. Finish the laundry before starting another task (unless efficiently multi-tasking, the key being efficiently otherwise it is better to stick to one thing at a time.)

I specifically like how one thing at a time applies to helping clean up the clutter! That huge counter covered with stuff looks over-whelming and it would be so easy to just put it off. Simply start by picking up one item and finding it's home. I find it really makes a difference to deal with the mess in pieces instead of as a whole. Before you know it you have your space back!

That brings me to the end of my random thought. Just say no to junk, ok? Today's inspiration was brought to you today by the letter J!

Sink or Swim

2011-06-07T21:38:00.000-06:00

Oh. My.

Harrison loves his swim lessons! I thought he'd like them but I wasn't expecting he'd really LOVE them. His teacher Ms. Stacey is awesome. She is great with the kids, relates to them on their level and is patient yet firm; all qualities of an excellent teacher in my opinion!

There are 6 kids in Harrison's class, ages 3-5. He looks like one of the tallest/oldest but he barely qualified age wise to take the lessons this year. Everyone wears a floaty belt for the first 15 minutes of the lesson then they get the option to swim without their belts.

Well, of course Harrison chose "no belt" and jumped into the arms of his teacher from the ledge. Then while another child was having their turn (when he was supposed to be hanging on to the edge of the pool) he decided to try again, without the teacher. Under he went. I panicked initially until I saw that both Ms. Stacey and the lifeguard were both springing to action. I'm actually glad that he did it on the first day so that from now on he might be a little more careful!

Here's to 3 more weeks of great progress & fun!

Getting his belt on

patiently waiting his turn

what a cute class!

not quite getting the idea of "big" kicks

pulling himself out of the pool

chasing after the ball

just before he went under (no belt)

Moving Day: Take7

2011-06-06T07:31:00.000-06:00

What a crazy week this was for our little family! God showed up in a few major ways - love it when He does that!

On Thursday Mike and I were literally sitting around, each on a computer job searching that afternoon. We were really expecting Mike to be home for awhile since he just returned from 2 months in Colorado. His phone rang and he had the strangest conversation that went something like this:
(I'll paraphrase)

Caller: "Hello Mike? Sorry we got cut off."

Mike: "Uh.... that's ok" he said very confused since he wasn't on the phone with anyone

Caller: "This is Mike Burnett right? I was just talking with you and we got disconnected."

Mike: "Well this is Mike but we weren't talking."

Caller turns out to be Mike's boss: "Well what's your phone number? (Mike replies) Yes, that's the number I wrote down as we were talking earlier. Either way, I guess it's your lucky day. Are you ready to head out to work? I need you to leave for Pasco, Washington Sunday morning."

How funny is that!?! He was talking to a totally different person but wrote down Mike's exact phone number and called Mike when he lost connection with the other person. That's God's favor!! Mike is not excited about leaving home again, especially so soon. He was only home for 10 days, and is projected to be gone 3+ months. He will only be 9 hours away from my parents!! Hopefully once our van is repaired we will go visit him and do some camping with Grandma & Grandpa.

So this Saturday we had to RUSH our move. Awesome friends from church pitched in, helped us move, and were so thoughtful and brought us lunch and dinner. We got everything transferred in a 1/2 day! God is so good to us.

Dropping Mike off at the airport was traumatic as usual. I bawled, Harrison screamed with hot tears and Heidi joined right in with us. He arrived safely last night, picked up his work truck and settled into his hotel. Thank goodness for internet and Skype, right?

Today is Monday and we are getting ready to head off to swim lessons! Harrison is my little PIKE. So excited for him. You bet I'm going to be the Mom on the sidelines taking 1001 photos!

Happy Monday, y'all!!

Surviving Birthday Mania

2011-05-28T14:22:00.000-06:00

May is a crazy month for our family. We start out with Cinco de Mayo, also known as Harrison's birthday. This year since Daddy was in Colorado for work and couldn't make it home we just had a very small party at our home. It was hot, so we had food, cake and ice cream and sprinklers and the little wading pool for the kids. Harrison had been practicing singing Happy Birthday to himself for about 5 days prior to his birthday and didn't stop for about a week after, so it was a LONG birthday for him! We opened gifts on the morning of his birthday from Mommy, Daddy & Heidi and from Grandma & Grandpa in Canada. He loved his cowboy hat because it's just like Grandpa's and his Buzz Lightyear from Laura.

Later that day several sweet friends came by and dropped gifts off for Harrison! He loves his 2 new Bug Rangers dvds and his Lightning McQueen water wings and swim goggles. At his party we were blessed to have lots of family come from out of town, especially Harrison's cousins from Tyler, TX and Mike's Memaw. It was very special that she made the hot trip to celebrate the day with us.

Earlier that week Harrison, Heidi and I made some red velvet birthday cake for Mike, baked it in some mason jars, and sent it to him in Colorado. What a fun way to celebrate even though we were apart! We made enough to share with his co-workers even though I'm not sure it ever got shared! Mother's Day and Mike's birthday were on the same day this year and then my birthday was a four days later. Fun times! Add in there Mike's dad & brother, Mike's parents anniversary and my parents anniversary it's almost as much as having Christmas and New Year's with Heidi's birthday in between!

We survived and it was wonderful. We look forward to being all together next year and maybe having birthday week away somewhere :)

who knew you could bake cakes in a jar!?

roses from my love

Blessings in the Park

2011-05-17T12:10:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I settled the matter - I would get to the park and run in the morning. We belong to the YMCA here in Abilene. It is such an awesome facility for families. The membership is so reasonable too. I know many people who pay more for a single membership then we do for a family rate. Every day I can drop the kids off for "play group" for up to 2 hours as part of our membership. I can workout inside, take a group class or run outside on the paths. Other benefits are sports teams for kids. Harrison is going to take swim lessons in June for 4 weeks and in the fall he will be registered for flag football! I cannot wait for this! I am so excited to see 3 year-olds chasing each other around, too fun!

So this morning I stuck to my plan and after breakfast we headed to the Y for play group. The kids literally run in they're so excited, which makes it much easier on me to go get some mommy time in. I re-started a couch-to-5K program today, which is awesome. I select the songs from my ipod and it adds it to the 5K program and a voice prompt coach will tell me when to walk and when to run. Kinda cool, huh? It's also very easy. Just follow the instructions.

Sort of like with Jesus. Just tune in, listen to the voice prompts and follow the instructions! Except I find Jesus WAY more fun than exercise!

I passed an older gentleman with his beautiful silver Schnauzer on the path and in passing said "She is really well behaved", and I didn't hear his response but then what I did hear him say was "What Lola wants, Lola gets". He smiled and we both continued on our ways. Immediately the Lord said to me "What you desire deep within your heart, you will have". I began declaring a job at home in Abilene for my husband, for him to be better paid than what he is now, and for him to be involved at church, and for Mike to be happy.

I continued on and soon I noticed a man walking about 1/4 of a mile ahead of me . He was walking briskly but obviously having a difficult time with it. I was listening to "People Get Ready" by Misty Edwards. If you think Jesus music can't get your heart rate going, think again! Woooooooo!

While I was watching this man struggle a holy compassion swept over me and I started declaring that God would heal him, muscle would heal, ligaments would regenerate, and that his leg would even grow out and all pain would leave! By the time I caught up to him we were approaching a bench and I stopped him and asked him about his leg. His name is Alex and he used to be a runner. He was in an accident a long time ago and injured his leg, and that he also has arthritis in his leg. I asked him if his life would be better and would he be happy if he could run pain free again? He said "Oh yes!" Then I asked him if he was ok with me putting my hands on his injured leg and praying for it. He sat on the bench and stretched out his leg, I prayed just as Jesus had prompted me just moments before. I felt led to declare that if he'd ever been told that one leg is shorter than the other that his other leg would grow out and be even with the other. He just sat in stunned silence and when I was done he had tears of gratitude in his eyes. Alex then told me that he felt heat from my hand on his leg while I was praying. I told him God wanted to bless him today and then I kept on with my run. About 3/4 of a mile down the path I stopped to stretch and he passed by me and stopped to say that a lot of the pain had left and he really felt better! A second time he marvelled that he had felt "energy" go from my hand to his leg. I smiled and said "God wanted to meet with you today" and he continued on, grinning ear to ear. Isn't God great!??

Not only did I exercise my body this morning but my faith. God is so good and I am so blessed to be part of how he wants to change the world, one heart at a time.

Radically New

2011-05-04T10:44:00.000-06:00

If you know me at all, you will know that I have very little of a life outside of my church, church friends, and my service in the church. I am not boasting about this at all, it is merely a fact about myself. I have chosen this path because it is my sole (and soul!) desire to see revival fires burn throughout America and even all of North America; to radically change the way we "do" life, family, and church.

I've been listening to a lot of teachings lately. As many as I can get my hands on really. I am hungry for more of God. To learn His ways, how to recognize Him, hear Him, to walk with Him and talk with Him. To help me I've also been reading lots of books, too. You'd be surprised how God can radically change your life when you cut out all the junk- tv shows, radio, modern entertainment.

I read something very recently from a book by Ruth Ward Heflin published in 1999 called River Glory. This passage put into words exactly how I've been feeling for awhile:

"God is doing new things, and I like that. I have had many wonderful experiences in Him, but unless I am touched in a new way in every service, unless God reveals something to me that I have not known before, unless I have a fresh insight, unless I feel the quickening of His Spirit in new ways, I am not satisfied. I am determined to keep reaching into the eternal realm of the Spirit of God, I insist on stepping into new liberty, I refuse to take a single step backward, and I continue to claim new territory in God.

God is doing things differently than we could have anticipated. He is sending revival in His own way and is calling for a people who will accept revival on His terms."

I am learning how to see and experience revival on Gods terms. It's not necessarily going to look like what I want, but He knows what is best! He knows what we truly need.

I encourage you to experience something new in Christ today. If you don't pray, maybe start there. Talk to God. He wants a relationship with you. Did you know he calls you friend?

Do you worship God at home? Maybe put some music on and praise Him. Let God take you into a deep place of worship with Him.

Do something new. Do something radically new. Ask Him to take you there. Do not be satisfied with the status quo, because just look around you. It's obviously not working. It's not working for you, your family, your city, or the nation. My prayer for you today is that you to experience more of what God has for you today.

Bless you!

C is for Cookies!

2011-04-15T13:57:00.001-06:00

I have such a sweet friend, her name is Laura. She is so sweet & kind and loves the Lord. We minister together on Sunday nights at Champions Church. Her husband also works in the wind energy industry, so we have lots in common. This last Tuesday I was unable to attend my regular Tuesday afternoon/evening ministry and prayer times, so Laura invited us over, but specifically invited Harrison over to bake cookies! Can you guess how excited he was?!

We arrived around 10:45 am and had a great time talking while the kids watched a video and explored Laura's home. Her house is beautiful! They live on an acre plot in a very small development on Steamboat Mountain, just out of Abilene. The area is about as perfect as it gets around here. They are blessed!

Soon Harrison was ready to make some cookies, so I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story:

Harrison was thrilled that they were using butter! He took

a big bite out of the first stick!

So proud to be the big helper

Quality control

Enjoying lunch and his dessert!

We stayed all day and had a wonderful time. Harrison and Heidi both napped, although not as good a normal, but not bad considering it was the first time in someone elses home in a long time. I always have fun with Laura and she is such a gracious host. She's a wonderful Grandma to her 3 grandsons, and misses them terribly, so it is good for Heidi and Harrison to visit with her. They already have 3 more recipes lined up for the next few visits!

In other news, there are really bad wild fires raging fairly close to home. Homes have burned to the ground, and over half a million acres has burned up. In San Angelo, where we once lived, the fires are really close to town and people are being evacuated. A small town outside of Abilene called Rotan was evacuated yesterday due to another grass fire. The grass is tall, the ground is dry, the humidity is very low, and the winds are crazy, non of which helps. The temperatures are forecasted to soar to 100F on Monday & 98F on Tuesday. Praying for rain, safety and relief for all involved.

Solitary Confinement

2011-04-10T11:03:00.002-06:00

Ugh. Yesterday morning I was snuggling with Harrison, like we usually do first thing in the morning. He is generally wide awake before I've had the chance to crack my eyelids, so he comes into my room and snuggles for a bit. I love it. I love the intimacy of holding my baby boy and I also love waking up slowly. And peacefully, I might add.

Rewind to Friday morning- he had woke up with a few raised bumps around his mouth and I thought "Oh no, I've passed my fever blister to him!!" Heidi Jo was also developing a diaper rash that was beginning to look a little like a yeast infection she had before, but I didn't tie the two together.

Back to Saturday morning. Once I rolled out of bed and washed my face, finally gaining some alertness I was rudely awakened to the fact that not only bumps but blisters had formed all over Harrisons body. Then came a text from a dear friend saying that she had recognized the bumps on Friday and cautioned me that Hand, Foot & Mouth disease was going around. Oh dear! I cannot tell you how fast we got dressed, skipped breakfast and headed straight to the walk-in clinic!

Yes, the doctor confirmed it was in fact HFM, but also noted that the kids were showing signs of secondary infection that if not stopped could lead to staph or encephalitis infections. So she prescribed an antibiotic and an anti-fungal for Heidi's diaper rash. $80 later (for the visit, and medicine) we were home and resting, recovering and healing.

Today is Sunday. We are stuck home alone, trying to make the best of it. I'm so grateful God created me as a social creature. I love my family, I love my friends. I was born to be in community with others. It's tough being alone, isolated. I will be happy and grateful when this is behind h

Thankfully Heidi's rash is already looking better and the blisters on Harrison's body are already drying up. They are still hurting and itching and I feel terrible for him. They are on the soles and tops of his feet, knees, thighs, palm of his hands, his face and even his ears. Today the challenge is to keep him from scratching and making them bleed. Wish me luck!

Thank you Jesus for healing my children so quickly! Here's to freedom and fellowship again soon!

Praise the LORD, my soul,
   and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:2-5

Slowing Down

2011-04-08T11:32:00.001-06:00

I'm so grateful that the weather has been really wonderful now that spring has officially arrived! I've been able to spend some much needed time outside with Harrison and Heidi nearly every day, getting our vitamin D. We are blessed too to have a special play date twice a week at our house and twice at a friends house, and it has done wonders to help the kids transition with Daddy being gone and giving Mommy a rest. God is so good, He knows just what we need and when we need it!

I cannot believe that Harrison is going to turn 3 next month! Wow! He is such a great little man - he really is. He has become very protective of his little sister, which I love, and he is just stretching himself in leaps and bounds. He is trying so hard to learn his alphabet and can count to 20 most days. He loves to sing songs and create. He is still all boy though and loves to crash and destroy too! I just love everything about the boy of God he is becoming!

Ms. Heidi Jo is still not walking. She can walk several steps at a time by herself but just refuses to. I know it will happen all in her own time but she is 24 pounds now and getting a little hard to carry around!! She is funny in her very own way, and definitely steals the show with her little scrunched up nose smiles. She is so happy and content - I truly count myself blessed!

Mike is doing well in Colorado. He is working 12 hour shifts at night, so we generally get to see him online or talk once a day in the late afternoon before he goes to work. It is hard, dirty work repairing the steam generators, but I think he is enjoying putting his hands to work. I know the Lord will bless the fruit of his labor!

I'm doing great too! My life has become a little more busy then I'd like it to be, so I'm trying to find that balance again. I am loving ministering freedom and healing to whomever the Lord brings across my path, and I am really, really enjoying the study Made to Crave with some friends. Not too much else happening in our family life, just really savoring our slow pace of life. It really is wonderful when you can slow down enough to enjoy the little joys in life like family.

A big hello to Grammy, Grampa, Uncle Blair and Aunty Dan in Canada. We miss you all and love you very much! Harrison and Heidi both send big hugs and sloppy kisses!!

Love,

The Burnett Bunch

My handsome hubby & I

Heidi safely at work!

Car ride!

Joy

2011-04-02T12:38:00.000-06:00

How are you doing these days? Are you happy? Is your happy based on circumstances? Mood swings? Is it based on whether your children are obeying that day or not? Would you say it's temporary or permanent? Did you know that you can replace the momentary happiness with permanent joy and peace? "Really? How?" you ask.

To keep it really simple, the root of it is a choice. But trust me, I know you may be thinking "she's really over simplifying this." When supper's about to burn on the stove, your little children are hungry and crying- even tugging at your leg, the phone is ringing and you can't think straight- it may be hard to believe that there can be joy instead of chaos.

Well, I was tested in my own joy this morning. Mike left yesterday to work the next two months in Colorado. The potential "stress" of functioning like a single mom could have been enough to put me in a foul mood, but I didn't let it. I knew I could walk in peace knowing it would be great. Being so richly blessed our book/bible study last night helped me to also keep my eyes focused on the right things. Our conversation last night absolutely prepared me for what happened this morning. (There is never a coincidence with the Lord!)

Last night we were discussing a verse in 1 Peter 2:11 that says "Dear friends, I urge you to abstain from fleshly lusts (or sinful desires), which wage war against your soul." Of course last night's discussion was in the context of eating and over-indulging etc. Today I was thinking about this verse applied little differently.

Our morning started off very well. The children slept until 8 am, which for me was wonderful since I was up late making sure Mike arrived at his destination safely. I decided to take the kids out for breakfast and to drop off the recycling while we were out too. After all that was done, I was noticing how dirty our van was from the rain last week, so we headed to the car wash. While in line for the car wash our van quit driving. It was running and in drive but not going any where! I chose not to panic (especially with 2 little ones in the van with me). I prayed and asked Jesus to make sure I could get them home safely. It wouldn't go even after shifting it back into park and then drive again. I turned it off, started it again and it drove... for a few blocks. I lost power again as we were approaching a major intersection by the freeway. I calmly turned it off again, while deciding to permanently leave my flashers going, and restarted it and made it another 4-5 blocks. I had to restart it 3 times just to get home, but we safely made it home.

I could be overwhelmed right now seeing that we don't really have to money to even repair the van right now, but I have made the choice to stay calm, relaxed and even joyful about the situation. You know why? Because God is BIGGER. The enemy of our soul has an assignment on this earth: to steal, kill, and destroy. He sees the impact that our family is having in the Kingdom and wants to steal our joy and blessings but it is not going to work.

Within 30 minutes of literally rolling/coasting into the driveway I had a plan on how to check the van myself, several recommendations of a mechanic to take it to, and two people offering a temporary replacement vehicle for us to borrow while ours gets taken care of. Isn't God amazing? What would have happened had I just cried or got angry? One thing for sure: my kids would have followed my example. Also, I would have been focused more on my problem instead of God's solution. I know because I have been there before and made the wrong choice. I let war rage in my soul before. It stinks. It really stinks! This time I wasn't going to give into my fleshly desire to just have a melt down.

Today I chose peace. Today I chose joy. Today I chose God. Because everything starts and end with Him. Today I am grateful for my Father in Heaven who always has good things in store for me, who overflows my heart with joy, regardless of what is happening around me.

Crave God

2011-03-31T13:22:00.000-06:00

Wow, so last post I shared a few thoughts about a new book I "devoured" called "Made to Crave" and it turns out many ladies I know and love have had similar feelings about food that I do. So.... tomorrow (Friday, April 1) we are starting a small group study!! I ordered the DVD study set and study guide book and about 10 lovely ladies and I are going to walk out our victory over food together! So exciting! I look forward to sharing our encouraging encounters with you.

The first week's title is: From Deprivation to Empowerment

In other news, Mike is headed to Colorado until the end of May. Praise God! He will be doing maintenance and repair of steam turbine units outside of Denver. We know that this is not his "career" position that we are believing God for, but it is our provision for right now. We are believing that in the meantime another position will open up for him to be home more permanently. God is so good and faithful!

Harrison and Heidi are doing great! We are being blessed with lots of opportunities to have friends over while other Moms work, or so they can simply have some down time. There is an airforce base here in Abilene and quite a few families from our church are part of the airforce, so I find I have much in common with them because we understand what it's like for our husbands to be away for long periods of time. I try my very best to spot those needs and open our home.

Harrison & Adam

Joseph, Harrison, Adam, Heidi & Megan

having fun at the water table

Heidi at Stroller Moms

Harrison and his new Lightening McQueen pool

Made to Crave More

2011-03-21T12:14:00.001-06:00

There have been some changes that I've been considering making for some time now regarding the way our family consumes food. Mostly I feel we eat too many calories, from the wrong kind of foods, way too frequently. My very best friend recently spent 3 weeks at the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida learning about the live raw food lifestyle, learning how to prepare raw meals and detoxing her body from chemotherapy treatment. She had a wonderful time and all the benefits of eating raw Jill was boasting about really got me thinking about the food I prepare and consume.

What really seems natural to me about the process is simply eating whole foods that God created without modifying them and adding our "special" touch to them. Raw foods are, simply enough, foods that have not been cooked. They're the fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds, and herbs we've all come to know and love in their whole, natural state.

Somewhere after four years of marriage and birthing two children 19 months apart I find myself 85 lbs overweight. If that number startles you it's okay. It does that and more to me. It is overwhelming, depressing and frustrating. It's not the fact that I am a wife or a mother that has made me gain so many pounds. There are circumstances that can happen when you're married and have kids that if you are not careful to guard yourself against them, can cause a woman to gain weight, that's all I'm saying.

A few months ago I made the decision to do something about the excess weight and eating situation I have gotten myself into and it is working well. Eating raw is just the next natural step for me. Over the next 40 days I will be learning all I can about living raw so that as I complete my next phase of Hcg vlcd I can smoothly transition into a raw lifestyle.

So not coincidentally on Saturday while I was at Books-A-Million, while I was looking for a book to educate me about the raw lifestyle I ended up purchasing another book called Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. I started the 216 page book that afternoon and finished it a few short hours later. The subtitle of the book is "Satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food". As I literally devoured chapter after chapter, tears filled my eyes as Lysa confessed many struggles and thoughts I've had about food, about being overweight, about my disappointment in myself.

More importantly the book finally gave me the missing piece to my puzzle. Finding my new "want to". Let's be really, really honest with each other. Most of us know the "how to", or have the resources to learn the "how to". It's the "want to" that makes the difference between paying for a monthly gym membership and actually using it. My new go-to verse for strength has become 1 Corinthians 6:12 "Everything is permissible for me" - but not everything is beneficial... I will not be mastered by anything.

What I learned was really how much God's word has to say about food, taking care of yourself, and the bare basics of it all - disciple and self control. I've had a huge change in my heart about how I think and act around food. I've come to realize that my over dependence and over indulgence in food has really all along been the sin of gluttony. Eating in excess is a sin. "Do not join with those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags (Proverbs 23:20-21). Lysa explains why we were meant to crave more than food: "If we fail to understand how to fill our souls with spiritual nourishment, we will be triggered to numb our longings with temporary physical pleasures. When those pleasures are food, the resulting behaviour is what we often hear referred to as emotional eating. But this issue is bigger than emotions; it's really about spiritual deprivation."

Please take 5 minutes to read Lysa's devotional Call To Action and see if it tugs at your heart strings. If there are any of you out there who can identify with the cries of my heart and what Lysa has to say I would really, really LOVE to host a home group to study her book Made to Crave.

I want to learn to replace my dependence on food with total dependance on God the Father. I'm just a girl in love with Jesus, learning to walk with Him to the very best of my ability. Thank you for reading and sharing in my journey! I am excited to continue this new adventure and to walk it out and hopefully help encourage someone else along the way.

Trucks, sprinklers and mud cakes!

2011-03-14T14:55:00.000-06:00

Wow! I feel like every blog post I make starts out with an apology for how long I've been away! I love writing and really, REALLY intend to find more time in my day for it... I can't even cut out TV shows, since we don't watch TV. Maybe I just need to fine tune my time management skills a little bit more!

Last Saturday (March 5) Mike drove to DFW and picked up Paula, Josh and Cole from the airport. It was a last minute decision for them to escape to Abilene and I'm so happy that they did! The weather here has been co-operating fabulously for the boys to get some much needed fun in the sun. Our backyard is finally getting some use!

It's been so great catching up with Paula, and to see the boys really getting to know each other. Harrison and Cole are both 2 (only a couple months apart) and they've been butting heads quite a bit with their 2-year-old personalities. Fun times!

Our guests are here until Wednesday when I'll drive them back to Dallas so they can visit another friend from Alberta, before flying home. I'm excited too because I'm going to take the opportunity to stop in at Sam Moon and Sam Mi to browse the hand bags, jewellery, and house wares. Goody, goody!

Check out the kiddos basking in the sun!

Romance On the Town

2011-02-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh... last night romance was in the air! Mike and I got all dressed up and headed out for a night, which honestly almost never happens. Not the night out part, but certainly the all dressed up-night out part. I found a fabulous dress for $14.99 at ROSS last minute. It wasn't there last time I looked, so they must have just came in. Can you believe that a dress can be $14.99, regular price? I love that store!

The Valentine's banquet was delightful. It was awesome to see everyone dressed so nicely, and to enjoy a night out together, specifically dedicated to celebrating marriage. The dinner was delish, although I did not eat most of it. I "unstuffed" my chicken breast, and that was about all I could have. It was still divine. We dined and then danced the night away. I will say that Mike is pretty much terrified of dancing, so we didn't do much other than a couple slow dances which is just fine by me. It was so refreshing to spend a night out with dear friends and my love. I can't wait to do it again!

Rod & Beth, friends at our table

Nathan & Jesiree, friends at our table

Mike & I

Thomas & Amity

Amity & I

Michael & Kim, friends from Connect Group

Jesiree & I

new friends, Sarita and Elvis

great friends of our, Charlie & Amy

Mike & I

We even came away with $20 to one of Mike's

favorite restaurants!

Beyond Blessed

2011-02-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

How are you? We're doing great, except it's been too cold in Texas for about 2 weeks now! We are just hanging out at the house, doing the family thing while Mike waits to hear where he'll be off to work next.

So, I have a great God story {a.k.a. testimony}to share with you... We were sitting at home yesterday, hiding from the cold, when I got a phone call from the organizer of our church Valentine's Banquet. Previously Mike and I had decided not to go for many reasons, but mainly because we are trying to be very strict with our budget. Add to the list that I am on a VLCD (very low calorie diet) and cannot eat what is being prepared, AND we don't have any formal clothes here. Everything we own is still in storage in Canada. **sigh**

So the fabulous organizer calls me and says that 2 tickets have been donated, and she really felt like they were for Mike and I... would we consider going? We talked it over and the clothing issue was really frustrating both of us. We both know that you don't have to dress formal, but we are the kind of people that if we are given the chance to dress up, we love it! So we were both pretty excited about the blessings of the tickets but didn't know what we would wear, or who we could find last minute to watch over the kiddos (keeping the budget in mind, of course.)

Well let me tell you what! God provided everything! We are going to the banquet! We have a free sitter and people have lent us clothing! Crazy!! So grateful that Mike and I have learned to lay our pride aside and accept help and generosity from people when they offer. It's a wonderful blessing to both us as the receivers, as well as the givers. Boy are we grateful!

I am so very excited about getting dressed up pretty, going somewhere elegant (Fairway Oaks Country Club), just my love and me. And I can't wait to gush all about it!!

Smooches,
J

my newest layout, photo compliments of

Jill Calitz

Scrap Addiction

2011-02-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have probably spent about 4-5 hours today (off and on) downloading, organizing and creating with digital scrapbook stuff! I really love it but find it very difficult to carve out time to sit down and create a layout per day. Shoot - even a layout a week, sometimes! Then there are the super-human, bionic moms out there who have 5 kids, an awesome blog, who post several beautiful layout daily, and they still have time to be a mom, cook delicious meals, have a tidy organized home, etc, etc. How???

If Mike wasn't home I wouldn't have been able to get this cute layout completed today, but thankfully my honey lets me indulge in my addiction, er, I mean hobbie!

I created this layout today while following a tutorial online, so it's not part of a current album that I'm working on or anything. Just a practice piece.

So? What do you think? Pretty neat how you can't tell that it's all digital and not made with paper! I can't wait until the day I actually complete my first album. Truth be told I am still working on getting an album of Mike and I finished before I even start the kiddos... I am WAY behind but the good news is that I'm slowly getting organized on my new Mac and I'm getting the hang of my new version of Photo Shop Elements. Fun, fun! Thank for letting me share another one of my passions with you.

God Bless,

Snowed In

2011-02-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I would have wrote sooner, but we've been snowed in all week!! In Texas!! This is a crazy experience for me. Monday afternoon was a beautiful 75 degrees! On Monday evening it started to rain, then pour. We had a pretty amazing thunder storm for a few hours, then the temperature dropped drastically and it began to snow. By Tuesday morning we had about 6 inches of snow cover! Since the temperatures have been so bad (averaging around 18F), the snow has stayed all week. Schools have been cancelled, many stores closed and not many people were able to go to work. Our whole city practically shut down! I can't help but giggle a bit because what is so abnormal for Abilene is just another (fairly mild, I may add) day in Alberta.

Mike's sister, Randa, was scheduled to substitute teach this week at a school near us and came to stay so that she wouldn't have to drive as far in the bad weather. It was a fun week for us because school ended up being cancelled every day, so we hung out with Randa all week! We all had fun playing and spending time with her, especially Harrison and Heidi.

The pipes in our kitchen have been frozen since Tuesday night, probably since they are on an outside wall of the house. I'm kind of getting the idea of what it was like to "go fetch the water" in the old days. We've had to get water from the bathroom at the other end of the house for any kitchen related needs. We lost internet from Tuesday until late Thursday afternoon. There have also been scheduled or rolling power outages so that the extra power usage wouldn't crash the grid. Fun times!

No, we did not go out and make snowmen with our kids. I opened the back patio door and dipped Harrison upside down into the snow and that was enough for him. Besides - who has snow suits in Texas? Ours are still packed away in our storage room in Cochrane, Alberta!

We've watched movies, played with Play-doh, and started re-watching LOST. You can never go wrong with LOST! We're all getting cabin fever though and need to get out soon. Hopefully the forecast stays above freezing for Saturday. Then all the headache, I mean snow, will melt away.

Here's to sunnier days!! Soon!

HAHA!

Daddy being silly with Play-doh

Harrison posing! Yes, his hair looks like a mohawk!

huge icicles

frontyard snow

backyard snow with animal tracks leading under the shed... yikes!

more backyard snow

French Fries and Fish Sticks

2011-01-27T17:39:00.001-07:00

What were your dreams as a child? I don't necessarily remember all of mine, but some are recorded in a special keepsake book my mom helped me with all throughout grade school. I'm so glad she did because I wouldn't have remembered all of them! I don't have it with me at the moment, but I do remember looking through it in recent years - reminiscing about former dreams and aspirations. Each school year there was a spot to record what I wanted to be when I "grew up". For many years I wrote "teacher", then it changed to "doctor", then to "lawyer"; this was all before 7th grade!

I never did achieve any of those goals. I did, however, receive a degree in Environmental Science. Sometimes it saddens me that I can't use my degree in Abilene, as there just isn't industry to support it. Overall I understand that God knows what's best. Sometimes I miss having a career though. Putting in effort and receiving a "reward", also known to most people as a pay-check. I liked annual reviews that allowed me to reflect on my past responsibilities, hearing feedback from my boss, to learn from challenges or mistakes and mostly to get ready to take the next step up the corporate ladder.

None of what I learned directly relates to being a homemaker. Sigh. I know and have known many moms who say "parenting is it's own reward" while smiling all a long, but can I be honest and say sometimes it doesn't feel like it?

In this season of life I am finding my main struggle or challenge is to be present. To live for and love the season I'm in, without wishing it away for someday in the future. I look around at friends with older children and see the freedom they have with their time, while most of my days start at 2, 3, or 4 am with my little gentleman poking me in the face saying "it's time to wake up momma." I still have small children who are very dependent on me and it can be taxing at times. Another challenge I'm walking through is to search out the rewards. They aren't always obvious, and may not come regularly, but they're there. Just as I was typing out these thoughts my two-year-old ran up and gave me a squeeze and said "I love you berry so much mom" and took off again.

My tank has been filled up a little more. So I keep pressing forward, trying to remain present, grateful and to keep my eyes open for those little rewards that make it all worth it. You can't trust your feelings, you know, but you can trust the fruit of your labor. Thanks for hearing me out on the woes of motherhood... it's time to run - again.

French fries, fish sticks, funny faces and funky smells are calling me! Until next time...

J

Where Has All the Time Gone?

2011-01-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I wasn't feeling so great. My stomach has been upside down since about 5:30 am and I can't really tell if it's the cheese pizza I ate last night or that silly stomach bug trying to take me down again. I pray it was the pizza, since I'm fairly lactose intolerant it would make sense. And since sickness isn't welcome at our home, Im sure it was the pizza. Either way, today was a good day to hang out at the house!

I finally tackled a task today that I have been procrastinating on since July. Seriously. I'm not really a procrastinator. Go ahead, ask my husband. I like to get things done, especially if I get to check them off my list! HA! I know. It's sad. But I'm ok with that! Today I finally transferred all my files that used to be on my PC and have been sitting on my external hard drive since July, onto our Mac. Ugh. What a job.

To the best of my knowledge (which isn't much, technology-wise) there isn't software that can do that for you, so it was a very tedious job. Years of data, pictures, records etc. Making sure they were all not only transferred but also somewhat organized, so I can find them again! It literally took all day. I'm still not done with the organizing bit, but at least they are on the Mac now. Somewhere. Thank the Lord!

This afternoon I had a really marvelous time watching my life flash before my eyes - in pictures. All 20,000+ of them. It was really great! We've done some crazy things since getting married. I really had a moment laughing out loud thinking of how the last 3 years will look 30 years from now. HA! Here are a few treasures I dug up today. Hope you enjoy!

newborn

6 months

1 yr

18 months

Flood

2011-01-23T17:03:00.004-07:00

I'm not sure how many of you follow international news. I'll admit I'm pretty out of the loop because everything that makes the headlines is bad news, for the most part. I don't receive a local newspaper, I don't have TV (gasp!!), but I do occasionally read the headlines of various papers online. When I get the chance I like to catch up with the BBC.

Recently there have been reports of the flood disaster in Teresopolis, Brazil. If you've seen any pictures of their housing situation, it's not really a mystery why whole homes are swept away when heavy rain comes. The "homes" are built on the side of steep hills - because it's the land that's affordable, or even free because it really shouldn't be used. They are constructed out of scraps and the cheapest building materials available. All because the biggest challenge with Brazil is that 10% of the population earns more than 50% of the wealth. The poorest 10% share about 1% of the income. That leaves a devastating gap between the well off and the poor of their nation. {Please be in prayer for the leadership of their country to finds ways to lessen this gap.}

The headlines have also reported that over 800 people have died, directly due to the recent floods. The morgues are full so they are having to bury bodies without identifying them first. Early on in the flooding they were already low on plasma supplies. But in all this devastation, and during a week of mourning for the city unbelievable news has rose up in the headlines, due to a different kind of flood; a flooding of the Holy Spirit.

A small group of Christians in the medical field were already in Brazil before the floods started and quickly realized their trip would have a whole different purpose. God is so good, and His timing is literally perfect. The local news papers are reporting about a group of American Christians who started a small local riot when by the power of the Holy Spirit they raised 16 flood victims from the dead!! Don't take my word for it, please read the news links for yourself! Absolutely incredible!! 10 bodies that were dead in the morgue for over 3 days, as well as 5 more that were literally stacked outside the morgue were raised from the dead! This is the Good News of the gospel and the power of Jesus Christ. And it's real.

I don't know if you've ever been to church, or currently go to church, or maybe feel like you'd burst into flames if you got too near one (you know I'm kidding, right?). Regardless of where your faith is today, THIS is the Jesus that loves you. Forget what your idea of religion says about Him. He is alive today and wants a relationship with you so badly He is will raise you from the dead to have it!

I think we'd all eagerly read the news if more headlines were like this!!

Ditching the American Dream

2011-01-20T15:35:00.001-07:00

Every once in awhile you come across a book that is meant to inspire you to be a better version of you, and depending on the topic and the author, such a book can do a pretty good job at encouraging change. Hmmmm. I have read such a book lately. Add to the equation that said book is powerfully written to glorify Christ and you have a deadly weapon of mass destruction (or construction) on your hands!

That is how I would describe RADICAL {subtitled: Taking back your faith from the American Dream} by David Platt. This book not only encouraged me to change but has ruined my life... I can confidently say that I will never be the same. You think I'm being dramatic? Let's just say it's not called RADICAL for no reason! Here are a few great thoughts from the book:

"Instead of imagining all the things we can accomplish, we ask God to do what only he can accomplish. ...Instead of dependence on ourselves, we express radical desperation for the power of his Spirit, and we trust that Jesus stands ready to give us everything we ask for so that he might make much of our Father in the world."

"The mega-strategy of Jesus: make disciples. ...This raises the bar in our own Christianity. In order to teach someone else how to pray, we need to know how to pray. In order to help someone else learn how to study the Bible, we need to be active in studying the Bible. ...When we take responsibility for helping others grow in Christ, it automatically takes our own relationship with Christ to a new level."

"He (God) doesn't give options for people to consider; he gives commands for people to obey."

"Give. Give generously, abundantly, and sacrificially. ...Give because Christ is in you. Give because your heart has been captured by a Savior who has produced in you "overflowing joy," welling up in a "rich generosity."

"Everything in all creation responds in obedience to the Creator... until we get to you and me. We have the audacity to look God in the face and say "No."

"I don't want to be blind to these things in my own life. And I don't want to leave Christ behind. I don't want to pursue stuff- even stuff in the name of Christianity, of stuff in the name of the church- and in the process miss Christ and the pleasures he alone gives in a life free from bondage to the possessions of this world."

The author confidently and boldly makes much of Christ and clearly defines our eternal, global purpose and unravels the deception our entire Western culture has bought into through the American Dream. I wish I would have read this years ago. If it piques your interest in the least - run out and buy it today. You won't regret it! I can't say enough great things about RADICAL. Which leads me to finish my thought I left you hanging with last week...

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I want to obediently follow the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..." Mostly simply, go. Initially it was my heart to just drop everything and take off to any poor nation and preach the gospel, immediately. I then regained my sanity (partially, at least!) and understood that I will go when God's timing is perfect. I believe the time will be relatively soon, and I also believe that I will go to the nation of Brazil. So far this is what He has confirmed in my heart. Please carry this information in your heart to see if you may desire to assist me with fundraising for such a trip. I would love to see you partner with myself and the Lord on this endeavor!

In the meantime, I still plan to obey, and go. I have been invited to join an amazing group of women whose sole purpose is to pray, hear from God, and then go out into our community to do whatever He says to do, on a weekly basis. Exciting, right?!?

Hope you decide to jump in with both feet and read RADICAL. I pray it will wreck your life in an even greater way than it has mine!

Love,
J

Upcoming Announcement

2011-01-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Great news! We've been fasting all non-essential media for 12 days now and I will admit I feel disconnected from the world, but the best part is that I feel far more connected to the heart of my Heavenly Father. The 30 day fast has ended, not because I could not do it, but because He has released me so I can do something else. Something big. Exciting. Radical. Bet you can't wait to hear the news, right?!

Soon!
J

30 Day Media Fast

2011-01-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Hey friends! Our family is taking the next 30 days to fast from all "non-essential" media. Most internet, no movies, no tv, etc. You get the idea. The purpose is to draw closer to God by eliminating these distractions. Please feel free to call or email if you need to reach us. See you in February!!

Exercise More - Eat More

2011-01-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the big day... back at it with the triathlon training after not doing much since August. Sigh. Well, the morning was off to a rough start since a little someone decided to curl up beside me around 2:30 am. I finally scooped Harrison up and carried his snoring little body back to his own bed around 4:45. Something told me I was not going to make my 7 am wake up call to be at the gym by 8. I was right. I slept in until Harrison brought me my second wake up call at 8:15. "Time to woke up, Mom". Who can resist that, and his big brown eyes to boot!

We got up and I had an apple for breakfast that didn't taste very good. It was a Jonah Gold. Don't buy them unless you like Red Delicious apples. Yuck. I never bought them before so I didn't know what I was getting, but I'll never buy them again. False advertising! red delicious in Fuji clothing!! I like my apples cold, crisp and slightly sour/tart tasting. Oh well.

Harrison finished eating and off we went to the Y so I could workout and he could go to play group. He loves going to school, church, and any other group where there's going to be other kids. Daddy and Heidi were staying home to hang out, and this way Ms. Heidi wouldn't miss her nap.

I started my workout with a 45 minute strength training session. I like to work my complete body, not just upper or just lower. It was challenging but not too tough. I didn't work my arms too hard because I knew I still needed strength to swim! It sure felt good to be training again though! After the weights I got changed for the pool. I was bombarded in the locker room by about 20 elderly women getting ready for their aquasize class. I sure hope I'm at least that active when I'm older! One woman asked me where she's seen me before. I told her the truth. I must have a generic face because I hear that nearly every where I go, doesn't matter if I've never been there before. I introduced myself and told her now she knows me from the Y. How funny!

In the pool I started a 10 minute warm up of easy effort freestyle. It felt good to be back in the water although my new cap, goggles and nose plug all felt... well, new. They were tighter than normal and I felt slightly claustrophobic. I had also never been in this pool before, not that it should make much difference, but I just felt a little off. I started my main session which was supposed to be 30 minutes of non-stop swimming, but after about 200 yards I felt very faint and dizzy and had to take a break. I realized that I had not eaten enough for breakfast and that this feeling wasn't just going to go away. I swam at an easy pace, taking breaks as needed, until I had completed 30 minutes total, instead of my planned 45. I will plan better next time and realize that I need (1) more time to eat and (2) better options of what to have.

Lesson(s) learned! Tomorrow is my first bike/run session of 2011. Yay!! Harrison finished the morning with a trip to the bank, a haircut for Harrison (woohoo for $7.95 family cuts!) and a quick stop at Office Depot.

Now for a little down time at home - maybe. Or house cleaning. Hard choice to make! I like my rest but I also enjoy a clean home. Hmmmmm. Such a cliff hanger, I know!! I'll keep you posted.

J

A 2011 Facelift

2011-01-01T19:21:00.001-07:00

Don't leave!! You have the right site! I've just decided to do a bit of sprucing up around the ol' place. What do you think? I really like the new look. Fresh. Clean. More me. I also wanted to reflect more of myself on the blog. Initially when I started blogging it was more of a "journal" of my day to day life, mostly focused on our children. Don't get me wrong - I will still have plenty to write about our kiddos, but I want to be able to include other topics without feeling I am getting off topic... does that make sense to anyone other than me?

I also wanted to change the web address to (itsmyromance.blogspot.com) but I don't yet know how to do it without losing my followers, or all my posts, widgets, etc. I have created it, so it's out there but it may be awhile before the address changes. So keep coming back here until further notice.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Mike and I had a lovely, quiet evening all alone and it was wonderful. We smooched at midnight, finished our movie, and went to bed. Ahhhhhhh. Bliss!

We spent most of Jan 1 in our jammies, cleaned the house up a little {or messed it up a little depending on who you are} and just hung out. We are not sure at this point when Mike will head back to work or where he's off to next, so we are enjoying every minute with him while we have him home.

I only have one day left until my triathlon training kicks into high gear. Since August it has been in no gear so I am sure this will be a shock to my system! Last year was my first triathlon "season" if you could call it that. It consisted of 2 months of dedicated workouts, followed by 2 months of slacking (aka doing nothing), followed by a very pathetic and sad effort in my first race. I learned TONS from that experience though, the number 1 thing being that no one is going to get me from A to B to C except me. When you are out in the middle of the lake, only you can get you back to the transition. Same goes with my training. Last year I did it all alone. It sucked. I didn't know what I was doing. So I gave up. And I paid for it come race day. At least I didn't quit there, thank you Jesus!

This year things are going to be very, very different for me. I will have a virtual coach through BeginnerTriathlete, as well as a virtual training team made up of a few newbies and lots of veterans. I will make the most of their experience and learn as much as possible! I am starting with a 12 week sprint training plan and as my base fitness improves I will continue with a bridge program that will take me into training for the Olympic distance race. I am very excited and it all starts January 3! Soon!

In the meantime I attended a Boot Camp class 3 days ago and I still can't walk properly. You think I'm joking, but I'm not. It was tough. And I'll go back for more. I now know that my ab muscles are somewhere under that baby belly. My legs are bound to recover just in time for another beating, um, I mean workout.

What are some of your goals for 2011? Drop me a note in the comments box, I'd love to cheer you on in your own "race"!

Love,
Jenn

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail

2010-12-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

It's another glorious day here in Abilene, Texas! I've been enjoying some "down time" having Mike home, which also means an extra set of hands to help with the kiddos.

Harrison had a wonderful Christmas, blessed with many, many new toys to play with, and Heidi enjoyed watching, I think. Of course she received gifts too but since she is 12 months old, she really didn't care about much more than hiding under the piles of torn paper! We had a great time sharing webcam Christmas with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Blair and Aunty Danielle in Canada, as well as the big extended family Christmas with Mike's parents and siblings here in Texas. I was spoiled rotten by my husband with a beautiful set of princess cut diamond earring studs. I of course indulged him in his xbox 360 habit, uh I mean hobby!

With the New Year right around the corner I have been pondering new goals for 2011, just like everyone else on the planet. My goals easily fit into a few different categories: spiritual, financial, family & fitness. I'm a firm believer of writing out your goals and keeping them visibly in front of you. You don't know where you're headed unless you have a map! I'll gladly share a few of my top ones in each category:

Spiritual:

1. continue my daily reading plan to read through the entire Bible this year

2. continue stretching myself to experience God in new and exciting ways

3. serve on a missions trip in 2011

Financial:

1. to remain debt free!

2. to continue to give and bless others out of the abundance given to us

Family:

1. to continue to set and encourage healthy boundaries with our children

2. to develop healthy communication patterns with my husband :)

Fitness:

1. To complete 3 sprint distance triathlons, and 2 olympic distance tri's

2. To complete a 1/2 marathon

3. To achieve a healthy body fat %

I was enjoying some quiet time today while the kids were napping. Only a few pages into my favorite triathlon magazines and I was whisked away dreaming of new race locations, of one day completing an Ironman, and of all the awesome equipment out there to help me achieve those dreams! I'll need a job just to pay for my hobby, especially if I want to stay debt free!!!

I hope the ushering in of 2011 inspires you to dream new dreams, to uncover unfulfilled dreams of the past, and to push forward with new anticipation. This is your year! Let's make it a great one together!!

Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours!

2010-12-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!! Today is December 23, or otherwise known as "the day before Christmas Eve"! I am sure most families have some type of holiday celebration well underway by now. My heart is so full of blessings from my Heavenly Father that I'm bursting at the seams!

This Christmas has such a sense of freedom, of prosperity, of love and it has nothing to do with money or gifts, and everything to do with Jesus Christ, my King and Savior. Did you know that He loves each and every one of his children so much that He is passionate about even the tiniest details of their lives? I pray that you will seek to know Him as a friend and companion so that you can experience His extravagant love for you like we have!

The kids and I have been buzzing around today, filled with anticipation and joy! Christmas music playing softly, tree lit, Christmas outfits chosen, ready to celebrate our first holiday event tonight! Canada web cam Christmas!! We are meeting Grandma Holly and Grandpa Mike as well as Uncle Blair and Aunty Danielle online to unwrap gifts and celebrate Christmas together. Harrison has been SO excited since the "large box" arrived from Grandma!! It's been hard to keep things under wrap!!

I get to celebrate as well because my Christmas cards are finally in the mail!! {I'm just glad they made it out before January!}

We also have all our supplies purchased and ready to go for Operation Pancake Adventure on Christmas morning. We have a few locations mapped out but we don't know exactly where the Holy Spirit will lead us, but I do know that it's going to be great! We will glorify the Lord with our testimony and watch His power come as we pray for the people on the streets of Abilene! I get chills just thinking about it!

The best news of all is that Daddy is driving to Sioux Falls, South Dakota as I type to catch a flight home in the morning!! We are overjoyed to be picking him up at the airport tomorrow at 1 pm. I cannot wait to be hugged and squeezed and kissed! The kids are besides themselves trying to be patient for tomorrow, too! What an answer to prayer that he will be home for the holidays!

It is my hearts desire that your holidays be filled with peace, joy and love as you wonder in awe at how the King of kings and Lord of lords was born in a lowly manger so long ago. We are not asked to understand but to simply believe. May your faith, hope and love greatly abound in 2011!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Love,
The Burnett Bunch
Michael, Jennifer, Harrison & Heidi

Do It Again!!!

2010-12-20T14:39:00.003-07:00

I am SO, SO, SO, SO, SO thrilled to share with you the testimony of healing that I was blessed to witness this week!!! For weeks and weeks I having been praying and seeking the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, just like the bible says. I've been asking God to show me what it looks like, what it feels like {etc} for healing, miracles and signs and wonders to be a part of my every day life. Yesterday [Sunday] He answered my prayer!!

Several weeks ago during a powerful time of worship at church the Lord gave me a word of knowledge for the healing of feet. I tested it in my spirit to make sure it was the Lords voice because I was nervous about wrongly sharing something and then I approach our Pastor and shared the word with him. He had me stay on the platform to share the word publicly, and all I said was "The Lord has impressed on me that he wants to heal peoples feet this morning, and I want to pray for you." I didn't know if it meant bones, muscles, disease etc, so I didn't specify any further than "feet". While I was on the platform the crowd parted and there was a woman there with crutches and an cast on her leg!!

When I stepped down to pray for her I conducted a brief "interview" so I could understand what to pray for specifically. She had broken her foot and it was still on the mend and was causing her much pain and inhibiting her daily life. So I started praying and in my mind thought "Lord, you brought the word, so here we go!" After praying for a couple minutes I asked her if she felt any better. Carol said that the pain had mostly gone [praise God!] and so I continued to speak to her foot; that new bone would grow perfectly in place and that any muscle issues would also be healed. I asked her if she could put any pressure on her foot that would have normally caused her pain and she could [praise God, again!] After the ministry time she told me that she had an appointment with her orthopaedic specialist the very next day; I told her I was very excited to see what he said about her healing! She also mentioned that she can only attend church every so often because of her job. I hadn't seen her since the Sunday I was able to pray for her. Fast forward to this week.

So, this Sunday at church during greeting time I saw someone in front of me, with their back towards me that looked vaguely familiar. It took me a moment to realize it was the same woman... without crutches!!! I quickly made my way over to her and once we made eye contact tears rushed to her eyes as I looked at her with expectancy. "Yes!!" was all she could managed to say. She was completely healed, no more broken bones, no more crutches!!! Praise God for His faithfulness!! Wooooooo!! We both danced around to celebrate!!

I've recently learned that the root of the word testimony [ud] in Hebrew means "to do it again". So in Revelation 19:10 it says "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy". I have heard it taught and fully believe that when we share prophetic words and testimonies it is saying that God wants to do this again for someone, in the now moment!!

The purpose of prophetic words are to either foretell a coming event or they release such a change in present circumstances that it becomes a catalyst for immediate change. {Which is simply what I shared a couple of weeks ago} Think of it this way: the spoken or written record/testimony of anything that God has already done carries with it an anointing to either change present circumstances or to declare what is coming. [Bill Johnson]

Amazing!!

What is really astonishing is that the testimony doesn't end with the bone healing! That same morning I was introduced to another lady who had come to church for the first time in many, many years. She told me that when she heard the word given about the healing of feet she immediately knew that was why she was at church that morning! [Yay God!] She has been a hairdresser for over 20 years and her feet always hurt and were very swollen. A friend and I were blessed enough to pray with her and because of the love of Jesus that she felt, she gave her life to the Lord!! WOOOOOOO!!! A couple weeks later she found me to tell me that her feet have hardly hurt since the day we prayed for them! GOD IS SO AWESOME!!

I pray that you are blessed by reading this testimony today and that together we can all celebrate Gods faithfulness and willingness to duplicate miracles! May we each come into an understanding that heaven is meant to touch earth every day! I am so excited for personal breakthrough in the healing ministry and I am ready to see God do it again and again and again!!! All we have to do is step forward in faith and share of His good works. Hallelujah!!

Pretty Ugly

2010-12-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

This week was jam-packed full of fun events for me to attend!! Starting on Sunday evening Champions Church had their annual Women's Christmas Party and Kitchen Gadget Exchange. It was a blast! We competed by singing Christmas carols as a team in a certain "style", such as opera, Elvis, and man style. It was hilarious! My table sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", man style. It was hideously wonderful! The entire event was so beautifully put together and the gift exchange was fun! It was "white elephant" style with 46 women!! There was a whole lot of stealin' going on! What a great way to fellowship with other women! Oh by the way, I ended up trading someone for the gift that I actually bought! It's ok though, I've always wanted a Slap Chop!!

Monday morning I assisted with Harrison's Christmas Party at his school. Try to co-ordinate 15 two year olds, each supposed to make three crafts each! It was fun and I was able to snap a few shots of him shaking his little jingle bells while singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Pretty cute!

Tuesday morning we packed up and headed southwest to San Angelo, where we used to live. I was SO blessed to spend a good portion of the day catching up with my wonderful friend Christie! Christie is an amazing woman, and a mother I admire very much. She was (and still is) the leader of the first MOPS group I ever attended, and really does such a fantastic job. Nothing is half way done, even though she is a busy mom just like the rest of us. It was always such a pleasure and a blessing to attend. I feel even more blessed to call her my friend. We had fun catching up while Harrison played with every single toy he could get his hands on! He may have had just as much fun as I did! Christie even tipped me off on a little boutique where I could find an excellent sweater for the next party on Wednesday night. She hopped in her van with her two kiddos and lead me over there and stayed in between the vans with all the kids while I ran in to bargain hunt. I ended up with a great sweater and a lovely pair of earrings to match. From there we said our goodbyes, although this time was much easier since we have already made tentative plans to hang out in Abilene next week sometime! My sweet babes slept all the way home in the van. It was a wonderful day!

Finally, Wednesday. Ahhhh. I've only been counting down to this day for 2 weeks! Our Connect Group decided to up the festivities of our Christmas party by all dressing in UGLY sweaters! It was so fun! Some were owned, some were bargain hunted and some were home-made; it was awesome!! We ate great food and had fun playing Christmas charades. The only downside (for some, NOT me!) was that the weather was a gorgeous 86 degrees! But everyone was a good sport and wore their sweaters anyway. So blessed to have such awesome brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate with!!

What a great week and it's not even over with! Saturday night I am having my sister (in-law) over for dinner and a visit and I'm super pumped for that!

Here's a few pictures of our ugly sweater party!

All the women

Amity and I

My great girl friends, Amy & Amity

The Men. Here I would like to point out the winners,

the far left (Pastor T) and far right (Jeff). Aren't they awesome!?

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've always loved talking to people about their families traditions for the holidays. I find it so fascinating to hear how everyone else loves to celebrate! I must admit that since we have small children of our own, again I find myself evaluating Christmas and traditions again, with new eyes and perspective.

Mike and I have often gone back and forth about how we, or are we going to portray Santa in our home? Will we buy gifts from him? How many? How far are we willing to go? We have decided that we will not play up Santa and choose to put Jesus in the spotlight. We will not deny our children the delight of believing in Santa, but we will not mask it as something that it is not. We have decided that their stockings will be filled with gifts from Santa, but everything else will be from Mommy, Daddy and each other. The Spirit of the living Christ is what matters each and every day, not just on one day of the year.

In my family, we always met as a large extended family (20+) at my Grandma's house and ate great food, and played together. It was always noisy, rowdy, and the most fun I can remember! We would stay up late and each cousin was able to open one gift on Christmas Eve. I think this is a tradition that is dear to my heart and that we plan to carry forward with our children.

This year we have chosen to establish a new tradition for our little family. Mike and I will be getting up early and cooking pancakes and brewing a large urn of coffee to later deliver to the less fortunate in Abilene. God has gently and lovingly reminded me that at this time last year we would have been homeless, too; weeks away from expecting our daughter but without a job, a home and food if not for God's provision and generosity in our life. Each and every day we rely on His provision and this Christmas we are going to celebrate by seizing the opportunity to provide something small for someone else in need. We feel like by giving from our hearts first thing Christmas morning we will be more grateful to receive.

Thank you Jesus for all you have done for us. Please continue to work through us as we reach out to bless others and change our city. We give you all the praise and glory!!

Hot or Cold?

2010-12-07T10:27:00.002-07:00

Just a few minutes ago, while standing at the stove making something for the kids to eat later on today I received a revelation from the Father. As the dish was slowly warming to a boil it was time to add extra ingredients, one at a time. I felt He shared these thoughts with me.

"Jenn, would you consider yourself hot or cold?"

"I would like to think HOT Papa" I answered.

"Watch how adding one small thing to your pot can make it warm, instead of boiling hot!"

Sure enough, just as the dish was about to boil and I added something new, it cooled off enough to stop it from erupting into a full boil.

"Be mindful and watch what you are adding to your life. Make sure these things are increasing the fire, not causing you to cool off and die."

Wow. Sure enough I knew instantly which "things" in my life I need less or none of. But I am also willing to let the Holy Spirit continue the process and search out anything else that may cause me to cool off.

He reminded me of the following scriptures. The Word of God has some pretty heavy things to say about being hot or cold:

Matthew 24:12 [NIV]
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold

Revelation 3:15 [NIV]
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

Revelation 3:16 [NIV]
So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

I believe that this is meant to be an encouragement to me and to you today. An encouragement, you say!?! Yes! It is my understanding that the danger of being lukewarm, or cold is that it strips us of our inheritance that Jesus died on the cross for. When we aren't on fire for Him, and we can't see beyond the situations our own lives and daily routine how can we share His wild, crazy, passionate love with others? He is burning hot for us! That is how much He loves us!

What have you added to your life that has caused a drop in temperature? What can you add or take away to get that fire burning strong?

Mother's Day Out

2010-12-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Both Harrison and Heidi are attending a Mother's Day Out program here in Abilene and the absolutely LOVE it! I take them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:30 - 12:15. They eat lunch there and then when I pick them up we head straight home for nap time. It allows me the much needed time for appointments, errands and Me time, and they love the social interactions. It's fun because it is held at a different church than where we attend, so it's a new circle of friends and life.

I would love to scan some of their art projects into the computer to share them, but that will have to wait until I actually have a scanner here! Ha! The projects are precious to say the least though. I've started a Rubbermaid treasure box for them already :) Such a proud Momma!

What's really cute is that they both were enrolled soon enough to get school pictures taken this year! They turned out great! A few lucky recipients should be watching your mailboxes for our Christmas cards and the school pictures!

We are having such a wonderful time just being connected in Abilene. No more loneliness (as far as being isolated goes) and lots to do. They even have a really fun indoor place called Jump Around which is just a few huge bounce houses on foam pads for the kiddos to run and jump around in. It's fun and cheap ($2 drop-in).

We have school MWF, church on Sunday/Wednesday, and other activities in between. In January Harrison can start soccer at the YMCA (where I go). I am SO excited for him to run around and have fun with the other kids!

Heidi is still learning how to walk. And even at that, she really isn't that interested in learning! She will pull up on furniture (what little we have) but cannot stand without it yet. I know it will happen in due time. No rush! I cannot believe that she turns 1 in less than a month! I finally accepted the reality of it and bought some invitations. We'll be waiting until the first week of January when Daddy gets home to have her a party in Abilene. Maybe we will do one with family in Bangs on her actual birth day :)

Life is great! We miss Daddy daily, but we also release him to do his work. We are so grateful to have a great job when so many don't. Especially since we didn't for so long. It is a season of personal sacrifice but the kids see him every day on the web cam and they love it. We are definitely looking forward to seeing him in January though!!

Healing and Miracles

2010-11-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

As the kids and I made our journey to Abilene I was in worship and prayer asking the Father "would you please reveal to me my role here {in Abilene}". His response was "You already know because I have written it on your heart". Instantly I understood the purpose I would fulfill here. To live a life that demonstrates and testifies that I believe the FULL word of God; everything He said was purposeful, and He meant every single word of it. For example: in Matthew Chapter 6, verse 9 Jesus says "Pray like this... Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven".{emphasis added}

Ok, so especially since Jesus himself said it, I am going to believe that the Kingdom of God is here on Earth. Period. AND that we will see Gods will done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Sounds simple, right? It is!

What is in Heaven? Past the gold, jewels, angels, rejoicing etc... Maybe it's easier to ask what's NOT in Heaven? Is there pain? sadness? divorce? violence? sickness? disease? NO!!!

So, then I am going to live my life by the word and promises of God. As Jesus commands in Matthew 10:8, I will go and announce to the people {the lost} that the Kingdom of Heaven has come. I will heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. For God has given this power and authority to me freely, so freely I will give it away!

So what was written on my heart?

1. to see believers grasp the power and authority that the death of Jesus has already paid for. {so much more than the initial salvation from sins!}

2. to heal the sick. not pray for them, not comfort them. To give them back their inheritance!

3. to build up the church through prophetic words {hearing from God in the moment for the edification of all who see and hear}

How did I arrive at this point? Well, to be honest, I was stuck in a rut and simply believed that there had to be something better. As I write this, I am sort of giggling because the Father has made such divine appointments for me since I arrived that is makes me smile!! He knew where I'd be, the conversations I'd have with people etc. It's really awesome.

Before our house was ready to move into I was staying with a dear friend. We were getting into a late night discussion about our faith, and what we'd like to see God do in Abilene. She says "I have this movie we should watch". My life has not been the same since then!! She shared with me the Finger of God documentary that has captured some amazing footage of miracles and healings across the globe. It was exactly what I needed to catapult my faith to the next level!! If you feel like there is something more in life, I strongly recommend you watch the DVD with an open heart and mind. It made me realize that I had put God in such a small box, but that night the box was burned up and consumed by a MUCH bigger God!! Praise the Lord!

Bill Johnson is pretty famous for saying something like "Signs and wonders are supposed to be a normal part of a believers life. They should be a daily, natural occurrence. We need to be concerned when they are not." {sorry, this is very paraphrased!}

I agree, and that is what I am in Abilene, Texas fighting for! The enemy has made us so numb to his lies and way of life that we start to question the miracles that happened in biblical times instead of questioning why they aren't happening now!!

Grow your faith and spend some time reading and watching testimonies from places with incredible breakthrough in these areas! Here are a few links that I like to visit to see what God is doing so that I can believe He will do that here too!

Bethel Church, Redding California (written testimony) and (video testimony)
The Healing Herald
and local in Abilene from Beltway Baptist Church

Returning to Abilene

2010-11-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

I don't even know where to start! We've been in Abilene since October 23 and the time is flying by! It's been really hard because we haven't had internet until recently and I've really been trying to catch up on the major points between leaving and arriving. Time to move forward!

I like to start with the God things in our life. Anyone who has moved a couple times knows how expensive moving can be. Lots of little costs adding up. In our case it is lots of big costs adding up quickly! Instead of just accepting this as "normal" we decided to pray over it and ask God to move on our behalf.

We needed to set up 2 new cell phone plans, electric, gas, water/sewer, and internet services we were worried that deposits were really going to add up, especially since our foreclosure last year. Mike prayed in Nebraska and I prayed here in Abilene and God answered. Most of our deposits were waived!! This is a HUGE praise report for us since we are in the process of rebuilding our credit. God is so good, He cares deeply about every detail of our lives, even the small ones!

I can't remember if I've written this previously but I feel I need to share it again. Some of you reading will know this already, but when we were looking for a house in Abilene to rent, I looked online first and found a few that seemed suitable. Thankfully I have really great friends here that were willing to go and check them out for me. Kristen and Carter selflessly viewed 3 houses for us that never did work out. I just didn't have God's peace about any houses that she'd gone to. At the same time I felt I couldn't keep asking her to go here and there! I was beginning to feel discouraged. The same day that Kristen viewed the third house for us, another friend wrote me immediately after finding out we were moving back and put me in touch with her mother-in-law, who happened to have a house possibly for rent.

The big thing is that we were about to put ourselves in a place of compromise based on pressure to find a house, instead of asking God to provide a house for us. Hmmmm. In the end, I spoke with my friends mother-in-law and we were both blessed in the process. She never intended to become a landlord, but God has created these opportunities for her. We really needed a suitable house, in the right location and it's exactly what we found. The only catch was that I wasn't able to see any pictures of the house, just what could be explained to me. Yet I had this surreal peace about it, that it was meant for us.

Fast forward to our arrival... remember that I am moving to a new house sight unseen... We arrived at the address and were immediately encouraged. The location is literally 5 minutes from our church, which was important to us. It is located on a fairly busy road but has a nice front garage that will keep the kids from running out on the street, another blessing.

I was blown away as soon as I stepped into the entry way!! Vonnie and Katy had both been so modest in their descriptions of the house to me. It is absolutely beautiful! Spacious, clean, open, and logical. The layout of the house is wonderful. It is even painted in colors that I enjoy! What a gift from God! My faith has really been stretched and has grown immensely through this amazing experience!

And the icing on the cake: When Vonnie gave me a tour and we were about to leave the last thing she said to me that day was "I know this is my house but I really want you to be able to make it your home". God spoke to me in that moment. All the decisions that lead to this point have all paid off. It was the confirmation that I needed. Thank you Father!

{more adventures from Abilene to follow...}

Nothing Short of Miraculous!

2010-11-02T07:43:00.000-06:00

So the logistics of our trip were absolutely amazing! After visiting with Jill a couple days before we were about start our big trip, we had dinner the night before going with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Blair and Aunty Daniel. We said our good-byes that night because we were leaving early in the morning. It's always so hard to say good-bye when you don't know exactly when the next time you will see each other again. It was especially hard knowing that Harrison didn't know exactly what it meant to say good-bye this time.

We started the day with another beautiful sunrise! I love how God encourages me with the beautiful things that make me smile! We drove to the Canada/USA border and crossed over without any issues, and continued onto Great Falls, Montana - first 350 km of our trip under way. We stopped at Target to stretch our legs, purchase a GPS unit and have some lunch. I pre-booked our hotels for this trip, so we had to push towards our destination every day. We were aiming for Billings, Montana for the first night.

Back in the van, and off we went! I am so grateful that we had a DVD player to entertain Harrison. Grandma and Aunty Jill bought him some new movies for the road trip so he was excited! He loved all his Bob the Builder dvds so much!

We arrived in Billings around 4:30pm, found our hotel and settled in. Harrison was so funny! As we arrived at the hotel room, he ran in and practically started himself a bath. This became our new nightly routine for every hotel we stayed at. We jumped on the beds, had our dinner, then settled in for our sleep for the night so we could get an early start the next day. Day 1, 700 km, not a single cry or fuss, praise God!

Our sleep was awesome! Both kiddos were awake at 6 am so I packed up and took them downstairs for some breakfast. Heidi had her baby food and Harrison wasn't quite ready to eat so we grabbed a milk and a muffin for the road. Back in the van, we made our way through the rest of Montana, and all of Wyoming into Colorado. We stopped in Casper, Wyoming to get gas, pick up some Subway sandwiches, and then we found a park to have a picnic at. The kids had a wonderful time eating lunch on the grass. Harrison ate and ran, then ate some more. He played and played on the equipment and after about an hour break it was time to go. This was about the only time the entire trip that Harrison fussed, only because he didn't want to stop playing! First stop, 444 km under way.

Back on the highway, we had fun singing "Silly Songs with Larry" on the Veggie Tales dvd. I love this because it makes Harrison laugh!! Then Heidi started laughing at Harrison and I was laughing with them and I could feel the joy of the Lord resting sweetly on us. Another little yet significant encouragement from God.

We arrived at our destination, Loveland, Colorado around 4:30 pm and went straight to the outlet stores so I could pick up some clothes for the kids. There were some fairly good bargains, but I knew the kids were tired and that we needed to get into our hotel and have dinner soon, so I didn't look super hard to the best deals. Just when I thought we were in, out and off to the hotel my debit card was declined at the Carter's store. I instantly knew it was because I had been using it all over the country side! I called the bank and answered the questions and unlocked the card. At least they were looking out for me! The end of day 2, 819 km. Whew!

Another hotel, another dinner, more jumping on the bed and another bath. Both kiddos crashed by 7 pm and were up again at 6 am. No fussing, no crying; only happy, well rested babies. Thank you Jesus! What an amazing blessing! I packed up again and took the kids for hotel breakfast. Staying at hotels with breakfast made our trip SO much easier!

On Friday morning we headed out from Loveland towards Amarillo, Texas around 6 am because the kids were wide awake at 5am (thanks time change!). Yikes. TONS of construction. I did not anticipate these delays. Thankfully Harrison was engrossed with the big trucks and tractors working on the road, and Heidi slept through most of it. After an hour of construction delays we were jaunting across south-eastern Colorado and Oklahoma.

I didn't really anticipate my reaction as we neared the state line and crossed over into Texas. This big flood of relief, thankfulness and joy washed over me and I began to cry happy tears. Way up in the panhandle there isn't much to see or look at, except oil wells. Sort of a desert wasteland. I saw my first gnarled mesquite tree and cried some more. Isn't it funny the things we have associations with?

We pulled into our hotel in Amarillo around 3:30 pm with plenty of time to relax, play, eat and rest before our final day of traveling. Another bath and story time and we all crashed early after our amazing dinner from Pacific Rim. Yum! I was as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve knowing what was in store for the next day! The end of day 3, 769 km.

On our fourth and final day of travel we had an early breakfast with about 200 seniors, no exaggerating. We were the only family awake as they had their breakfast and reboarded the big tour bus. I think that would be a fun way to get around and meet people when I'm a bit older! That, and a cruise! It seemed like every single person stopped at the table to talk to Harrison and gaze into Heidi's sparkling blues. It was a fun way to start our morning!

Day 4, off to Abilene! We were up at 5 am again, so we got an early start on the drive, which was going to allow me time to stop at the big Target in Lubbock. Hooray! It was a good place for us to stretch our legs. I grabbed 2 drinks at Starbucks. Maybe a sign that I'm ready to be done the big adventure? Yes!

We pressed on and arrived in Abilene around 12:30. It seemed like such a short day with only 460 km driven! We met Vonnie Crumpton at our new house, where she toured us around. Believe it or not, it was our first time seeing the house!! When my friend Katy put me in touch with her mother-in-law about the house a complete peace washed over me and I knew we would be happy there, sight unseen!

Our home is absolutely wonderful! It is very large and spacious, more room than we really need. It actually has two 2 car garages and a great fenced yard for Harrison to play in. We love it! God is so good!! The kids absolutely love it, which is what matters most to me.

That is the abbreviated version of our journey, all 2,748 km of it, but all to say that there was not a single meltdown, by the kids or me! No trouble, no worries, just joy! Over all I would describe our trip as long, but fun and enjoyable! I've had 4 hour flights with Harrison that I wouldn't say that about! What a God gift!

If feels so good to be home. I have been struggling to put words to it really. I just know that this is where the Burnett Bunch belongs.

Exodus to the Promised Land

2010-10-29T20:13:00.000-06:00

Well you may think I'm just trying to be smart, witty or cute or maybe you may think I'm religious by choosing the title of this post but I promise you that it is none of the above. It is really how Mike and I feel about our journey this last year, and specifically how we feel about our move back to Abilene. We have literally felt like the modern day equivalents to the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. I'm certainly grateful that it didn't take us that long to realize God has bigger things in store for us though!! We can identify with them in so many ways. The entire time they were out there God was trying to do something great for them, but they kept getting in the way! Unbelief, disobedience, you name it, we've likely done it in sometime in the last year. But you know what? I'm so grateful for the wilderness! I really am. I am so grateful what He has shown me about mercy, about compassion & forgiveness. I am so thankful for God teaching me about stewardship, leadership and daily provision. To not "hoard" his provision for another day, but to come to Him daily for fresh provision! And mostly what He has taught me about LOVE.

The part of the analogy that people seem to be getting hung up on is that we are equating Abilene with The Promised Land. Why Abilene? I keep hearing. Abilene is dry. It's dirty. Whenever it rains it floods. There's crime and poverty unlike anything I've ever been exposed to in Canada. There is a spirit of religion and racism that is so heavy on the city it feels like you could cut it with a knife. With characteristics like that it is hard to play Abilene off as a "desirable" city. I can actually think of many cities in Texas that are more beautiful than Abilene. But what we've come to discover is that has nothing to do with why we're here.

Obviously Abilene is a city in need of God. It's not that there's not churches here, because there are LOTS of churches here. But there are more lost people/souls here than there are churches and that's why we're here. God has blessed Mike with an amazing job and the finances to be a blessing to many. He has also given us both a heart for Gods people in Abilene. We want to see the lost saved. We need to see the spirits of poverty and religion broken in this place. Our main focus is to be true BELIEVERS, not just Christians, and to see Jesus lifted high in this city!

My heart is so full of peace being here, I have struggled to find the words to describe it to people. I can't imagine how the Israelites felt after God had parted the Red Sea for them to cross on dry land and as they first stepped into the land promised to them! I have perceived in my spirit some of the things that the Lord will be doing in Abilene soon. It's as if the heavens are about to be ripped open and the glory of God is going to pour out over the city, consuming the bad and refining the good, igniting personal, corporate, and city wide revival. Abilene will become a well known city for the revival that is about to rage across the land! I am so excited to be here and to be ready to be used mightily by God!

Created for this,
Jenn

Arrival!

2010-10-29T10:56:00.000-06:00

There is so much to tell about our journey down here, but since we just had our internet hooked up today I'm going to wait until I can post tonight in detail about it. I just wanted y'all to know that we have arrived in Abilene safe and sound. We have been received with a TON of love and we are loving being back with Gods people at our church!

Sorry this is short. I will post more tonight! There is SO much to share!

Created for this!
Jenn

Cleaning House

2010-10-17T10:25:00.002-06:00

With all the packing I've been doing you could say that I've been cleaning house. It's certainly starting to look bare and empty in our rooms. As I mentioned before, I think this is a good thing.

With the house cleaning, God has been doing some spiritual "house" cleaning along with me. I mentioned awhile back in a post that there had been some friendships lost and how much it had hurt me. The whole situation, the way it came about, the way it ended... hurt. God has healed those wounds and more for me. It's not that those relationships will ever be replaced, or forgotten. It is just that I have found healing in forgiveness. I have let all the harsh, hateful words spoken to me and over me in malice fall away. I do not receive them because I do not believe that they ever were true. Most importantly I forgive the person who said them. {I know you still read my blog, so I hope that this message reaches you, so you can find healing too.}

Sometimes it's hard to hold your tongue, I'll be the first to admit that. The bible warns in so many scriptures the power your words hold over yourself and over others. When God created the Earth he spoke it into existence. Doesn't that give you a glimpse into how powerful our words are created to be?

Recently our decision to move has upset a lot of people because they are taking it personally... like we are choosing to move away from them, specifically. That isn't it at all. We are making the best decision we know how to make, based on all the information we have right now. It is important to understand that Mike and I have thought everything through. It is time for us to get back on our own feet, and to move forward with our lives. Our focus and passion is to serve the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. And we feel the calling to do that in Abilene, TX. I again offer forgiveness to those who have misunderstood our intentions and reacted harshly. It is very important to me that you know this.

I believe that every so often God lets us empty our hearts, or helps us shake out the skeletons in the closets, not so that we can feel guilt about our mistakes, but so that we can be filled up again with good, wholesome things instead of carrying around ugly, hurtful garbage and lies. If you've been carrying any heavy burdens around with you lately, today I encourage you to tell God you forgive someone. You don't necessarily have to jump in and tell that person directly, although you may want to, but forgive them in your heart and see how "clean" it makes you feel. I also encourage you to take a deep breath the next time the urge to lash out against someone sneaks up on you. It may take some practice, but think of all the wounds you will save. That in itself should make you smile and feel very good. Never give up because with God's strength all things are possible!

Walking in the Light,
Momma J

All Packed Up

2010-10-17T10:04:00.000-06:00

Same story, different ending. The BurnettBunch is all packed up... again. This time however, the move has a very different feel to it. There is no dread. No worry. No anxiety. No confusion. No emergency. Surrounding this move is only certainty, peace, closure, hope, joy, freedom... destiny.

I think that the biggest point people have overlooked in reacting to our move is this: Mike and I would not have moved to Texas hadn't our situation been dire. Some of you may be thinking that I am over reacting, or over exaggerating but I promise you I'm not. When you are out of money, cannot secure a job, and can't qualify for social assistance {and you're 8 months pregnant} where do you turn? Do you move in with the only family who can help you? Or do you remain prideful and put your family out on the streets? I pray those are questions you never really have to answer.

God is so amazing. Just the week before Mike left for work our life account {everything to our name, nothing left to sell etc.} dwindled to less than $500. Talk about scary. Already the Lord has built us up 10 fold, and I know he will do it again, and again! The thing is I was more worried and had more anxiety when we still had $10,000 in the bank and no job then when we had only $500. My eyes and heart have been realigned with Gods purpose for our family and my perspective has been changed in a major way. God is doing a good work in our family and I am excited to see the fruit start popping up!

This week I haven't posted much because I've been busy packing up our bins, deciding what we will need to get by for 3 weeks before Mike can arrive with our big truck load of household goods. Air mattresses, check. Baby supplies, check. I'm sure you get the point.

We have been so blessed by a family in our church in Abilene with a wonderful house to call HOME. I am praying now for our drive there with Harrison (2) and Heidi (10 mo) it should be an adventure! I have coloring books {with markers that only mark the book}, DVDs, and lots of snacks to pass the time. Our first night we'll be stopping in Billings, Montana. Then we'll drive all the way through Wyoming and strategically stop in Loveland, Colorado so that I can go outlet shopping for the kiddos, mostly. Maybe one item for Mommy? Our third day will take us into Amarillo, Texas and the fourth day we should arrive in Abilene by mid-day with enough time to go to a Fall Festival with Kristen & Carter Vian, our long lost friends!

I also have a HUGE praise report to share. My dear friend Jill has now been receiving chemotherapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma for several months. She was just a little over the half way mark (6 months) and even the thought of going to the hospital again was making her physically sick! I empathized with her because I don't know what she's feeling or what she's going through, but I did/do know that God is bigger than any challenge out there! I pulled together some encouraging scriptures for her to speak over herself and emailed them to her and also encouraged her to look up a few passages about anxiety and worry on her own. Sure enough, she did and focused all her thoughts on reading them, instead of focusing on the pain and side effects of treatments. I never hear from her the day of treatment because she's usually sleeping or ill. This week she called me to praise how well she was feeling!! We talked for over an hour! She described how she was so peaceful she even slept through treatment, which has never happened!! PRAISE THE LORD!! I know that physically the treatments get harder the further along you get, but I know my God is stronger than all of that! I believe He is going to be the one to carry her through until her last treatment, 3 days before Christmas. What an amazing testimony of His faithfulness!

For those of you wondering, Mike is doing great. We talk to him on the webcam every night after dinner, before the kids go to bed. Heidi squeals with delight every time she see him and wants to kiss the monitor! Harrison is really sweet too; the other night he was pretending to talk to Daddy on the cell phone. "How was your day Daddy? I REALLY miss you!" Sometimes I cannot believe the sentences that come out of his little 2 year old mouth. He loves talking to Daddy every night, even though it's mostly short. Sitting still on a chair and talking just isn't too much of a priority when you're 2!

Mike will be flying back to Calgary on November 7, loading our stuff from the storage room, grabbing our stuff from Jill's, driving to my parents to get the last bit of stuff and then heading south on the same route that we'll be taking just a few short weeks before. I know the kids will be so excited to see him. I know I can't wait to see him either. Six weeks at a time is a long stretch, but a blessing compared to my military friends who have to wait 6 months to a whole year to see their loved ones. We love you Daddy!

xoxoxoxo,
Momma J

An Attitude of Gratitude

2010-10-10T20:35:00.002-06:00

For 43 days I have been challenging myself by reading my daily scripture through youversion. Judge me if you must, but this is probably the second longest consecutive time in my life where I've made a commitment to read scripture every morning. I had a conviction about reading my bible recently and I asked myself why would I tithe 10% to the Lord but not give him the first fruits of my time every day? Why wouldn't I want His word written in my heart? So I've been faithfully following a reading plan and it continues to be wonderful! I am gaining new understanding from scriptures I have read a dozen times before and I am finding it easier to draw on His strength and steadfastness throughout the day. Our days have been more peaceful and fulfilling. God is doing great things in our household!

Along with reading my bible I have also been keeping a daily gratitude journal. My journal is in point form and I've been listing 5 items {things, people, praise items etc} that I am grateful for on a daily basis. What an amazing experience it has been for me! There are so many things God has shown me through this discipline. I have learned that:

I have so much more to be grateful for than I ever thought, even in a season when I physically have the least;
the more I take my eyes off myself and the circumstances surrounding me at the moment, the better my attitude is;
I AM BLESSED!
my life is SO much more than my circumstances
God is working in my life despite all the "junk"
God is good and he is FAITHFUL to do what He says!
I don't "need" as much stuff as I thought

I encourage you to start and keep your own gratitude journal. It is such an awesome way to see that God does hear and answer my prayers, and to literally see with my own eyes that I am so blessed. I would love to hear about your experiences with your own gratitude journal!

I'm grateful for my readers tonight. I know many of you come, look, read and don't comment, but I know that you're there. I pray something I've shared has blessed your heart as you've blessed mine.

Walking in the Light,

Momma J

Steps Towards Home

2010-10-09T12:38:00.001-06:00

It's been really, really difficult not to "spill the beans" so to speak until all our family has been notified, but the news is out there now! Mike and I have found ourselves at yet another crossroads in life. Trying to discern whether our move to Canada was to be a permanent one, or was it a temporary solution to an emergency situation. Notice I didn't say "decide"... This is because for the first time in our married life we are letting the Spirit lead the way with regards to another move. This may be hard to grasp without spiritual eyes and ears, but we feel the calling for us to put down roots for our family in a specific place. (drum roll please!!)

Within the next couple of months (before Christmas) The Burnett Bunch will be moving back to Abilene, Texas! While we will definitely miss The Farm, Grandpa & Grandma, Uncle Blair and Auntie Danielle, and Auntie Jill we know that great things are waiting for us there. Hopefully our plan will be executed in real life as effectively as it is in my mind, but I am hoping that every summer we can have an extended visit in Alberta (3-4 weeks) and every winter Grandma & Grandpa can come and visit Texas for as long as they like. This way we are guaranteed to see each other twice a year and not feel too separated.

Our hearts yearn to be part of what God is doing in and through Champions Church, and the Mansion, as well as in the hearts of our church family there! We are so excited to put down ROOTS and build a HOME and LEGACY for our family. So look for more updates about our journey soon! We are praying for a great rental property right now, that will be in close proximity to the church, in a safe neighborhood, affordable, and clean and somewhat updated. We can't wait to see y'all soon!

A Virtuous Woman

2010-10-05T10:50:00.001-06:00

This is the third {and final} post of my thoughts/revelations about HOME. If you haven't read Part 1, or Part 2, please go ahead and do so, or this post may not make entire sense on its own.

I want to start by sharing the values I used to attach to the idea of HOME. To me home meant:
- owning a house
- never moving
- having nice stuff {for me, and for others to enjoy}
- perfection {everything the way I wanted it... NOW}
- welcoming
- accomodating
- a fun place for people to be

God has made some HUGE adjustments in my heart on how I see HOME now:
- to be clean and organized
- comfortable and welcoming
- useful to God and his purposes {giving people a place to stay if necessary, hosting bible study, raising my children, etc.}
- pleasing to the eye but not perfect
- PEACEFUL SANCTUARY
- a place where LOVE abides and freedom reigns

Notice I no longer list owning a house as a value. I do not need a lecture on the financial aspects of owning a house because I understand "own" vs. "rent". AND I am NOT saying that owning is bad. But consider whether you own the house, or does the house own you?

Before the idea of owning a house was an idol in my life. Let me explain. I recently heard a teaching from Pastor Richard saying that "anything in your life that takes up more of your energy, time, focus, and money than you give to God is an idol." Woah. There may be some for whom this idol may be a hobby or sport. For me it was the idea of owning a house. It consumed me. God has since then taught me that I don't need to own a house to have a HOME. Are you hearing me?

For me, the biggest revelation is right here. I used to consider myself a "stay-at-home-mom" {SAHM}, because that's what I did. I was a mom that stayed at home to raise her children. So that was the title I bore. The Lord has been teaching me and showing me that he has called me to be SO much more and the label of SAHM was limiting me. He has shown me in the scriptures 2 specific passages Proverbs 31 and Titus 2, that speaks to the heart of the woman God created; The Virtuous Woman.

He has stirred a DEEP passion in me to become a HOMEMAKER, and to be excellent at it! I want to be a woman that the following can be said:

- her husband trusts her and she greatly enriches his life
- she gets up early to feed her family and plan their day
- she invests wisely {my time, efforts, talents and money!}
- she is energetic and strong - a hard worker
- she helps the poor and needy. I love this because one translation says that "she extends her FULL hand to the needy"
- she makes the HOME "ready" for the seasons {not house}
- she laughs without fear of the future {I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS VIRTUE}
- she gives instructions with kindness
- she is economical
- she is not lazy, idle, discontent. she does not gossip or have self pity.
- she fears the Lord!

In the Hebrew, a virtuous woman meant "one of power in either mind, body or both". In contrast to todays "modern woman", being strong does NOT mean speaking your mind and refusing help, or being equal to a man. A virtuous woman is capable, intelligent and serves in her HOME, with a servants heart. Serving at HOME is not a menial task but one of honor and dignity.

I have meditated and have committed to the Lord that this will be my focus for the remainder of 2010, and beyond, if He so leads me. I want to practice being a Virtuous Woman so that I will become a woman who blesses God, her husband, her children and her friends and neighbors. And through practice I will develop excellence in all these virtues. In doing so I fully believe that God will re-establish my HOME, and the blessings will fulfill me beyond my comprehension!

Family photo courtesy of Jill Callitz

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
Proverbs 14:1

And Ode to Harrison-isms

2010-10-05T09:49:00.000-06:00

I plan to write my third part to my thoughts on HOME today, but I need to write a quick post capturing some of the funny things that Harrison has been saying lately. I love that the Lord has blessed our son with such a sense of humour!! That definitely comes from his Daddy. I think the only part of me he has is his big brown eyes!

If you see me on facebook, then you likely saw my status update on a few of these but they are definitely worth repeating and recording for future reference:

One day we were sitting at the table finishing breakfast and Harrison was sticking his fingers in his ears. Out of no where he says "Look Mom. Ear poops!" Oh my!

Another time at dinner his face was smeared with butter grease from his noodles and I said "Oh Harrison, you silly butter-face". The next morning he grabbed the closed butter container off the counter and put it on his face and said "Oh Harrison butter-face!" Such a little joker!

I was rolling out my yoga mat to begin my morning yoga DVD and he asked "Mommy doing yogurts?" HEHEHE, that one still gets me!

The sign that your toddler is watching too much TV.... when I was getting his DVD player ready in the van for a trip to town, he shouted "Coming right up!" Yikes! Obviously needing less Disney channel and those crazy monkeys!

*SIGH* Out of the mouths of babes :) I pray he always keeps his joy and sense of humour!

Old Home New Home

2010-10-02T10:46:00.001-06:00

This is a continuation of my last post regarding HOME. It may take me a few more posts to get all my thoughts out in a way that makes sense, but I'm trying!

As I meditated on the word HOME the Lord also brought to mind the Israelites of the Old Testament. God brought them out of Egypt and promised to establish them in a new HOME-land. Throughout time they disobeyed God and his Law but the Lord always gave their home back to them. In fact, he expanded their territory! That is exciting! Through the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob we have the same promise as part of our inheritance.

I do not believe that the Lord set out to make times difficult for Mike and I, because those thoughts do not line up with his Truth. He wants to prosper us, not harm us! Mike and I obviously made some decisions along the way that brought us out from the covering of the covenant and I do believe that God can use our disobedience to teach us, using all things for his good.

I truly believe that God has allowed us be broken down and HOMEless, so that our pride could give way to humility, so that we will now have compassion and empathy for those who are struggling like we have struggled. The struggle also allows for perspective to be adjusted. For my heart to be softened and then to be molded by my Creator for his glory and purpose.

It makes me excited to know that our God is the God of Restoration. He will replace all that the enemy has stolen from us, and more!

John 10:10 says "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

And Leviticus 6:4-5 says "4 then it shall be, because he has sinned and is guilty, that he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, 5 or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs..."

God is our Restorer today not just of our wealth and prosperity, but also of our health, our emotions, souls and will, our freedom, and of the joy of our salvation!

All of this to say that I am already experiencing the joy of His restoration over our lives, specifically in regards to the HOME which we have lost.

In my mind, I always associated having a HOME with never moving. I was blessed to grow up in the same house my entire life and the comfort of having those permanent roots helped shape who I am today. I desired to give the same experience to our children. I wanted it so much that I didn't wait for God's blessing and pursued it in my own timing. This time around we are going to wait for the Lord! [Psalm 27:14 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.] I'm finding that the more I wait and the longer I listen for Him, the more He speaks to me, and the more details he gives me about the future He has planned for us.

I am looking forward to my joy and my HOME being restored to me and my family!

Walking with Him,

Momma J

To be continued...

Stirrings

2010-10-01T20:59:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had sort of a nagging thought that just wouldn't go away? Like the ones that keep you awake into the wee hours of the night when you know you should be sound asleep? My general interpretation of that situation is that if a thought just won't "go away" it's likely the Holy Spirit trying to communicate something to you. And if you're anything like me, sometimes it takes a little while until I get the message!

Ever since I was a young woman, just out college I was always passionate about having a "nice" home, whether it was rented or owned, just something nice that I could be proud of. A place filled with "things" that made me and others feel comfortable. Somewhere I could invite friends and family over for an afternoon or evening of fun. Since about that time I've also been drawn more and more to home decorating through shows, books, and magazines.

Since I was a fairly new Christian at that point in my life, I did not really know much about spiritual gifts. I did not know that God gives them to every believer, and I did not know that one of my strongest giftings is in hospitality. Of course today that all makes perfect sense! Just as strong is my gift for administration, and if you know me at all, that should make perfect sense, too! My husbands strongest gift is giving, just FYI. [If you'd like to find out what your spiritual gifts are, click here to take a simple test that will help you.]

Since my encounter with the Lord last Sunday when I was driving home from Great Falls until now the Holy Spirit has been stirring inside me. Almost constantly. Not nagging, just gently and tenderly rearranging what I've known has been inside all along. Sort of like sorting out the puzzle pieces. There has been one word resounding with me for days now...

HOME. Initially I pondered/meditated on this for a few days before I said anything to anyone because I actually found it quite funny since we are essentially HOME-less, or without a home. Yes, we have a roof over our head with our family that has been so generous to us, but we are still without a place to call our own. Finally last night I was able to have some 1-on-1 conversation with Mike (with the babes) and to share what has been going on inside my hear the last few days.

While I was meditating the song by Carrie Underwood, Temporary HOME came to my mind, too. I really love this song and what it stands for. I hope you will give it a listen or maybe even take a few extra minutes to watch the video.

The chorus goes:
"This is my temporary Home
It's not where I belong
Windows and rooms that I'm passin' through
This was just a stop,on the way To where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this was
My temporary home."

The song really stirs something in my Spirit, because it is a great perspective on our time here on Earth. This is just our Temporary Home. My Permanent Home is still waiting for me, Praise God!

I'm just now realizing that this may be a very long post, so I think I will try to break it up into a few separate posts to keep the reading light and easy. This is probably a good place to stop for tonight. I promise I will do my best to make all these thoughts make sense, in due time!

Draw near to Jesus,
Momma J

Late Night Post

2010-09-30T21:37:00.001-06:00

Okay, so it's only 9:23pm local time, but it feels like midnight to me! Since Mike has been gone to work I've really had my own work cut out for me. There was such a different dynamic with having 2 kids and 2 parents at home. Now it's just Mommy... day shift, night shift, just Mommy. It's only the end of day 4 (of 42) and I'm already exhausted!

So why am I on the computer then?! Good question! I just wanted to write a quick post to brag on my little man, Harrison. Today we (mainly I) decided that we are long past due putting him in a "big boy" bed to sleep. He turned 2 back in May, he's potty trained, but he was still sleeping in a crib. WAS!! YEAH!!! Today I rearranged the bedroom that the kiddos share and asked Harrison if Heidi could have his old crib if he could have a new BIG BOY BED? I am so proud of him for saying YES! I think he was more ready for it than any one else!

I put the twin mattress on the floor so there wouldn't be far to fall, just in case. He jumped around on it this afternoon, we snuggled on it, and then we read stories together on it. I made sure that Heidi stayed off (at least for the first day) just to keep it extra special for him. I put him down for his afternoon nap on his new bed and while he slept I prayed it would be a great experience for him. He didn't budge!! He was obviously comfortable and he had a great sleep and stayed dry too, which means he wasn't stressed out. Praise God!!

When Grandma and Grandpa came home from work he was really proud to tell them about his new BIG BOY BED and he gave them each a personal tour. Too cute!

Tonight bedtime was a cinch, too. Harrison has a night snack (grapes and goldfish tonight), then we read his bible and say our prayers, then I tuck him into bed quietly because Heidi has already been asleep for an hour by then. It went off without a hitch, and he was just as excited to go to bed tonight as this afternoon. I am just SO proud of him and his willingness to learn new things and to be obedient!!!

Wow. In my mind I had worked up this day to be so much more than it has turned out to be. Thank goodness it didn't turn out like I thought it might. I am so grateful that this was a "non-stress" change in what has already been a crazy year of change for the BurnettBunch.

Something tells me we're not done yet!

Lots of love,

Momma J

Well if this doesn't make you giggle, then I

think you may need to look into getting your

funny bone replaced.

Goodnight y'all!

The Big Farewell

2010-09-27T10:16:00.002-06:00

Poor, poor Heidi. She cannot breathe through her nose because she is so snotty from a cold. She goes to sleep and wakes up with her nose crusted right over. Ewwww. I feel so terrible, especially for little babies who suffer and can't put words to their discomfort, etc. Thankfully this is the first time she's ever been sick and she's nearly 9 months old. Praise God! On Friday I thought her mucous was turning green and I saw her rub her ears a bit, and since we were leaving for Great Falls Saturday morning I figured I'd better take her to the doctor Friday afternoon. We drove all the way into town only to find out that they are open Monday-Thursday only. I didn't know another walk-in clinic to take her to so we didn't get her in. Boo. Thankfully she seems to be getting better, not worse.

The good news about Friday was that I was able to get my hair cut (really just re-shaped) and I had bangs cut in! I love them! I wish I would have done it a few hair cuts before. I couldn't afford a color this time around, so I'll have to home color one more time. Hopefully I can avoid any mishaps!

Saturday morning we were up early (6 am) and out the door at 6:45 am. Mike said goodbye to Grandpa the night before and Grandma this morning. We snuck out the door while the babies were still sound asleep. Not even two steps out the door and we were greeted with the most stunning sunrise I have seen in a very long time. This morning was significant in so many ways. It was the beginning of a new season (literally, autumn) but also the beginning of a new season in our marriage. Starting this day Mike was going to be far away for work and I would be at home with the babies, alone. That's about the only negative thing about our new situation. We will have an income for the first time in 1.5 years! Mike will be doing a job that he loves and finds very satisfying. I will be able to focus on group activities with the kids more. Become more involved in MOPS, etc. We can tithe/give again because we actually will have an income to work with! There are so many great blessings that are flowing out of this new job and God seemed to capture it all within a magnificent sunrise in order to remind us that all good things come from Him! I only had my iPhone to try to capture it with and the photo doesn't do it justice, but it is a great reminder to us regardless.

Too bad my iPhone just doesn't do justice to Gods artwork!

Mike and I had great conversation all the way to Great Falls, MT, about a 3 hour drive from The Farm. It is so reassuring to re-connect as husband and wife without all the distractions while heading into such a big period of adjustment. We were really blessed to have Saturday to ourselves. I dropped Mike off at the airport at 7 am Sunday morning, and kissed him goodbye for the next 6 weeks. It was hard, I'm not going to lie. But I was also filled with such joy and gratefulness that the sorrow didn't last. Praise God!

All the way home I listened to Champions Church podcasts and I was totally ministered to by the Holy Spirit... in my minivan!! I had a really amazing time with the Lord and arrived home ready to take on the new challenges of the new season. We are so blessed!

The Desires of Your Heart

2010-09-22T08:46:00.000-06:00

I didn't write this, but I did read it this morning while I was searching the subject. I personally don't think that it can be stated any more simply than that... God writes the desires on your heart! Thank you to Joseph Prince for the encouraging thoughts.

Hebrews 8:10
10“… I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts…”
Many of us have been taught that we cannot trust our hearts. We quote verses like “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” (Jeremiah 17:9), not knowing that Jeremiah was referring to the man who had NOT received Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

I have had people come to me and say, “Pastor Prince, I don’t know what I should do with my life.”
“What is on your heart?” I asked one of them.
“I would love to work among children.”
“Then work among children!”
“But I am waiting on the Lord to tell me to do that.”
“Well, He has given you the desire, so go and work among children!”
“But the desire comes from my heart. How do I know if it is of God?”

My friend, once you are saved, you have a brand new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), and you can trust the promptings of your heart because God dwells in you and He leads you from within. And don’t worry because His promptings will never contradict His Word. It will lead you to good success.

Often, you find that when you follow your inner promptings, it is actually God who has put those desires in your mind and written them on your heart. I remember years ago when I approached one of our church leaders and told him, “I really think that you are called to be a full-time pastor.” It turned out to be a confirmation of what he already knew on the inside. You see, God was already leading him from within. Today, he is one of our full-time pastors.
If you enjoy something and desire to do it, then go for it! Go with the flow. God Himself says that He will guide us from within. Let’s not doubt Him. And don’t worry about the outcome. Your part is just to follow the flow. God’s part is to work in you both the willingness and the performance of it! (Philippians 2:13)

Beloved, because God has given you a new heart, He will write His desires on it. And as you fulfill these desires, you will bring forth fruit, and not wither and die. Whatever you do will prosper!

Thought of The Day
You can trust the promptings of your heart because God dwells in you, and He leads you from within.

Taken at the farm in August

Top 10 Reasons I Love Nebraska!

2010-09-21T08:42:00.000-06:00

You're right... I've never been to Nebraska. But that doesn't mean there isn't lots to love about it. Here are the top 10 things I love about Nebraska:

10. The largest porch swing in the world is located in Hebron, Nebraska and it can sit 25 adults. No wonder they have a laid back outlook on life.

9. The 911 system of emergency communications, now used nationwide, was developed and first used in Lincoln, Nebraska. I think we're all glad for this one!

8. Nebraska is both the nation's largest producer and user of center pivot irrigation. Living in land-locked Alberta, a farming community, I can appreciate this.

7. Nebraska is the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich. Thank you Nebraska!

6. The Lied Jungle located in Omaha is the world's largest indoor rain forest. As a tree hugger I definitely appreciate this.

5. And this. J. Sterling Morton founded Arbor Day in Nebraska City in 1872.

4. This too... The world's largest hand-planted forest is Halsey National Forrest near Thedford, Nebraska.

3. Not this so much... Spam (canned meat) is produced in Fremont. My husband has a different opinion on Spam then I do, so I included this for you honey!

2. Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927 in Hastings. He changed his soft drink syrup, Fruit Smack, into a powder to make it easier to ship. Doesn't the name "Fruit Smack" say it all???

And the top reason I love Nebraska is:

1. It is the state where my husband will be employed for the next 63 days (give or take a few). Mike leaves for Nebraska this Sunday, and we likely won't get to see him until Christmas, depending on how his project goes. Then it will be off to another state, and another project. I am sure I'll have plenty of time to compile my next top 10 list!

Enlightenment for Today

2010-09-16T11:50:00.000-06:00

I recently was in a discussion with my dear friend about the application of the Bible in today's world. It is very easy at first glance, especially as you delve into the Old Testament to think that "there's NO WAY that this applies to me. I am not going to build a big stone altar and sacrifice anything, no matter what!" Don't get me wrong, I am 100% with you on that one... I will not be sacrificing any animals either! But as I encouraged my friend I also encourage you. Look past the rituals and the Law of the Old Testament to the principles and values which lie within.

I am currently reading through the Bible using an app on my iPhone, which I love. I can read in different translations, as well as follow different reading plans. The reading plan I am currently following is called the "Essential 100" and it covers 50 Old Testament verses and 50 New Testament verses. Why a reading plan? For myself I find that it is so easy for me to get distracted when it comes to quiet time and reading Scripture. Without a plan I'll just flip through and read randomly. This isn't always a bad thing because ALL of God's truths are applicable, but this way I stay focused and continue reading until I check off today's verses. I am somewhat slightly addicted to checklists too, which this particular app has, so that may have something to do with it as well :)

So, today's scripture verses were talking about when Moses, with Aaron's help, was trying to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites (Hebrews) so they could leave Egypt and enter the Promise Land God had prepared for them. At first I was tempted to speed read these passages because this is part of the Word that I have heard many time before. But something about The Word is that it is so timeless. Yes these events happened over 2000 years ago, but as I was telling my friend, there is so much they have to say to you that applies to TODAY. Let me share what I learned this morning...

The passages can basically be summed up like this: [starting in Exodus 6] God tells Moses that he is to go to Pharaoh and tell him that God says to let all the Israelites leave Egypt including all the women, children and livestock. Forever. At first Moses says he cannot do it because his speech is impeded (maybe he stuttered). God says don't worry about it! Your brother Aaron will help you. My first insight is that despite our imperfections and flaws God can still work through us so that in our weakness we rely on Him and his glory can shine through us for others to see.

God knows Pharaohs heart will be hard and he will not listen to Moses. So God shows many signs and wonders and brings many plagues upon Egypt. At first Pharaoh doesn't even acknowledge the signs and ignores Moses and God. Slowly the plagues get worse and worse. Do you ever notice that in your own life? When God is trying to catch our attention and we just don't see or hear Him? Do things get worse or better? Sometimes I think that I can be just like Pharaoh.

Thankfully God slowly wears Pharaoh down. Eventually in Exodus 8 Pharaoh says "OK, you can go to the wilderness to sacrifice to your God, but not very far". Even though this is not what God had commanded of Pharaoh, it was still a step in the right direction. But, each time God stops the plague and Pharaoh changes him mind and does not free the Hebrews. Again, I have been just like Pharaoh. I pray God will change my circumstance or move in my favor, and when he does, what do I do? Continue on the same path as before?

Then in Exodus 10 Pharaoh tell Moses that the men may leave the land for good, but not the women and children, and not the livestock. By this time, the trend was obvious. Pharaoh was appeasing Moses just enough to make the plagues stop, but still not doing what the Lord had commanded. Sadly I do this in my own life too. I am a "good enough" Christian so that people know I believe in God, but I am not living the full, supernatural life that God has intended for me, so that signs and wonders are seen in my life and the lives of those around me.

The strongest lesson that I have drawn from these scriptures is that when the Word of God tells me that I am promised something, a blessing, or an inheritance from the Lord that I should persist until I see it manifest in my life.

Gods word is full of the blessings we are to seize, but so many Christians, myself included, don't know about the full inheritance that should be ours because we do not read The Word!! We are missing out on so much! Like Moses, we should persist until ALL that God has promised comes through. We are not to settle. Taking just the men, or men and women out of Egypt wasn't good enough. So why should mediocre or compromise be good enough for me? I have let it be that way in the past. In the end, Moses leads the Israelites out, men, women, children and all their livestock, and they also collect all the silver and gold from the Egyptians before they leave!! I praise God for the revelation today, and may I no longer settle for just good enough!

My prayer today is that you will dive into Gods Word and his Truth for yourself. May He give you eyes to see what you have been promised and what you have been missing out on for so long. May His spirit rise up in you, fill you will BOLDNESS to seize your inheritance today and every day. May you live out the rest of your days in the fullness and Glory of our Heavenly Father.

If this is the first time you have heard that there is more to life than the ordinary, I would love for you to contact me. I also highly encourage you to listen to the teachings of Pastor Richard Humphries online. Pastor Richard is a very anointed teacher and definitely lives a supernatural life! He is from the church we attended in Abilene, Texas. The people of this church, especially Pastors Richard and Peggy, have changed my life forever! I know their insights in the The Word of God will change your life too! You can listen to teachings from Champions Church both online and on their podcasts on iTunes.

Be blessed today!!

xoxoxo,
Momma J

I am a TRIATHLETE!!

2010-09-15T20:54:00.000-06:00

Today let's rewind to an important event in my personal life that happened back in August. I never took the time to write about it then, so I'm making time now... it's never too late!

For several *years* I have been awe-inspired by the men and women of all ages, races, and backgrounds who have committed to the many hours of training and sacrifices made to endure the grueling distances covered in the Ironman triathlon. Given 17 hours to complete the 2.4 mile (3.86 km) swim, 112 mile (180.2 km) bike, and full marathon 26.2 mile (42.2 km) run, many of the professional triathletes finish the race in 8 1/2 hours! Totally amazing!

So... I certainly didn't compete in an Ironman. Not even close. It may have felt that way to me, but the distances I covered were a 750 m open-water swim, 16 km bike, and a 5 km run.

I started training back in April and had a really great routine going and a great support group. I was learning a lot, and it was much easier getting to a workout when you knew that someone else was there waiting on your support, too. Unfortunately the support/training group slowly crumbled apart and I was left to train on my own. I am glad this happened, because when you are racing it really comes down to the determination you have within yourself to push through the "uncomfortable". No one else can do it for you. Sadly I didn't stay as committed to my training through June and July as I had started out in April and May. Come race day I had only trained 4 times in the last two months!! Not promising.

A week before the race I had decided that I wasn't going to go. My logic/justification here was that I didn't want to compete if I couldn't give it my very best effort. Being a textbook "Type A" personality I don't like to give anything a half effort. I prayed about it and realized that I would really regret not participating, even if I didn't feel like I was competing. I knew this wouldn't be my best effort. Once I was done the race I knew it wasn't really even a race effort; I had really struggled to finish. I was tired above anything else. I am proud of myself for persevering though! It has given me new drive to train better for more races next summer. I am thinking of scheduling 4 races for 2011 and two of which will be at the next distance, Intermediate, or Olympic. This race consists of a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run. I will definitely be challenged by this but I am also committed and excited!

The highlights of this race included:
- completing my first race ever, and becoming a official TRIATHLETE!
- having the learning curve of my first race out of the way. I learned SO much! Things I was happy with and things I will do differently.
- the AMAZING support from other athletes and volunteers cheering for me along the way! So many people passed me (boohoo) but as they went by they said "Great job 202!" (my race number). It was so encouraging!
- My husband and kids woke up at 5:30 am to come to my race that didn't start until 10:00 am. That is an awesome feat for a 7 month old and a 2 year old! They found strategic places to stand along the race route to cheer me on as I went past. What an awesome feeling!
-My very best friend showed up with all her professional camera gear and support signs in hand to cheer me on to the finish. We hugged and cried together after the race, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way! Thank you Jill!! I was so proud to be "Momma J" that day!
- A random supporter along the race route recognized me by race number and shouted "Way to go Momma J!" How awesome is that!
- getting a time (2:04:49) that I KNOW I can improve on next year!

Just before the swim start... can you spot me?

There I am!

Women's sprint swim start

Passing the first buoy

Rounding the far buoy

Finished the swim, entering transition1, removing my wetsuit while running

Exiting T1, running with my bike to the road

My best lil' supporter!

Completing my first lap on the bike, one more to go

Bearing the light rain to cheer for me on the bike route!

Exiting T2, start of my 5 km run. I'm having a good time, I'm even smiling!

Crossing the finish line!

A sense of accomplishment!

My proud family :)

Congratulatory kiss!

I had a wonderful time and I am so grateful for the path that lead me to becoming a triathlete for life! Thank you for sharing the journey with me.

Swim, Bike, Run,

Momma J

Thoughts for Today

2010-09-09T15:59:00.000-06:00

I regularly follow a blog written by Pioneer Woman, from Oklahoma. She is pretty close to being my hero. A mother of 4, lives on a working cattle ranch, home schools her children, has a very big-time blog, amazing photography skills, and an awesome cook to boot! This gals got it all, and a kickin' personality to go with it. If you have never heard of her (Gasp!) please do yourself the pleasure of checking out her blog.

All of that to say that she had some tips for blogging that I rather enjoyed yesterday. The most relevant to me was her tip to blog often. My intentions are there, but the fruit or results are not. Her point was that even if it is a paragraph, instead of a novel, just write. I intend to do more of that, more often. I will write.

The Day has finally come. Mike has a few (30) tests to submit online and then he will be off to the mighty USA for work on Monday (September 9). This day has been a LONG time coming, yet I still feel unprepared. How do you say goodbye to your Love for 6 weeks at a time? How will I explain this to Harrison? I know the burden lies with me to help him understand that Daddy HAS to go away for work. I am praying desperately that any seeds of bitterness and resentment will be crushed immediately. I will be looking to the military spouses out there to learn how they adapt when their spouse is gone long-term. I am amazed at their strength. It takes so much to make it through these times. I am so proud of the men and women who make it work!

My main strategy is to stay busy and get involved. Currently there are a few obstacles in my way, that I am going to have to work around, but I am hoping to uncover (or create!) some really great ways to pass the time. I have been looking forward to MOPS since March only to find out they had early registration and I missed it, and now they are full (insert HUGE pout here!) I have emailed the organizer with some suggestions to maybe run a second program, so we'll see how that goes. MOPS is really a life line to mothers, to me. It came at such a critical point in my life and made me realize that I am NOT alone. I am not the only mother out there who thinks a certain way, or feels inadequate. I really pray that there will be a way to work things out in that department.

In the meantime, Harrison, Heidi and I will all go to Stay & Play in a near-by town. There is also story and activity time at the library, so I think we should be able to stay busy. For now our daily excitement comes from walking up the hill to check on Grandpa's 3 new kitties and watching way more TV than I like. Oh the joy!

We recently had a family photo shoot done by my best friend, Jill Callitz. She is one amazing gal, and is an incredibly talented photographer. She also has the patience of a Saint! I have already picked the photo for our Christmas card this year, hooray! She loves challenging herself to take photos of nearly everything, human and not, and is always more than willing to travel to meet all your photography needs. I'd love to pass along her contact info if you are interested, but in the meantime here is the link to her personal blog. I will post some photos of my triathlon and the kids once I have the proofs, and permission of course!

This is the end of my thoughts of today... I really can't move past the fact that my husband is leaving in 3-4 days. Please pray for us, our marriage and our family during the next week or so as we all adjust.

Much Love,
Momma J

Coming Full Circle

2010-08-28T22:01:00.000-06:00

I must apologize for not blogging for so long. It's not that things haven't been happening, I just have been feeling like they weren't the "news worthy" types of things, the things that we've been waiting for a very long time for. I will catch up on the other things soon, I promise!

Have you ever had an epiphany moment where you can look back on the past and laugh, even though there's nothing really all that funny about the challenge or situation you are reflecting on. Maybe it was even painful. No one has to convince me that God has a great sense of humour. The path that Mike and I have been on since meeting (4 years ago!!) has come full circle. If we only would have...

I could fill in that blank so many ways. If we only would have prayed about where God wanted us to be instead of making an impulse decision (that I would move to Texas, instead of he to Canada) is the specific "if only" I will be referring to in this evenings post.

I will be the first to admit that, after meeting a Southern gentleman who had swept me off my feet, I was the first to agree that I should be the one to move. Spend 26 years of your life freezing every winter and hiding away because it is too cold to do anything else (a.k.a hibernating), and tell me you wouldn't be thinking that +20C all winter sounds really good! What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that Mike's work at the time included a 100% travel and living on the road. I wasn't ready to jump into a travel trailer to join him, so we tried to change the situation. It worked for awhile. Then everything started to implode. I was spiritually immature at the time and didn't realize that (a) God has equipped Mike with the gift of giving. If you know him, he is a generous man, (b) the work Mike was doing was providing his with the type of income that allowed him to be very generous. Again, being immature we didn't realize that for what it was and we tried to change it. We simply weren't living the life that God has designed for us.

Fast forward to current day. We have been without income for 1.5 years. I don't know many people who could make it 1.5 months without their world imploding upon them. God has sustained us for 1.5 years. It's so amazing! Why us, when so many crash and burn? I don't know exactly yet, but I'm excited to find out! Our marriage has been stretched in ways you can't imagine. Our children haven't known the same "home" for more than 5 months at a time. It has been stressful. Thankfully the Lord has seen fit to give us another chance.

Almost to the day, 3 years after Mike and I were married and two beautiful children later, opportunity has come knocking on the door again. The exact same opportunity that He provided before. The chance to pick up exactly where Mike left off with a previous employer before has presented itself. These things don't just "happen". So many nights we have held each other close and cried our repentance out to the Lord. He has heard us, granted His grace and forgiveness upon us and we have received the second chance that we have longed for. Praise you Father! You are so faithful!

Mike will be re-joining GE Wind Energy, constructing wind turbines all over the continental US, starting in Idaho next week. I know that our excitement over this job may confuse some of you, but for us the pros definitely outweigh the cons! For starters, Mike loves this job. It makes him very happy and that makes me ecstatic. I am sorry for trying to change this about him in the first place. Forgive me baby?

This position will allow Mike to provide for his family, which he has desperately wanted to do since day 1. I know that being laid off can be somewhat emasculating to a man because that is how God designed men. To provide. To hunt. To kill. To protect. And when they try every way to do that and still "fail" by the worlds standards, it hurts. I am so proud of Mike for hanging in there and never giving up!!

Not only will the job provide for our needs, but it will provide in Abundance. This will allow us to freely give of our time and resources to those who need it in the Kingdom. We are so excited about this! The Lord has brought a few worthy causes to mind, but I will wait to blog about those specifically at a later date!

I can hear you asking as you read this..."But doesn't that mean you will be living apart?" Sadly the answer is yes. This will not be easy, on our marriage or our family, but we are willing to sacrifice in the short term for the long term gain. We have lost ground to make up for and we are ready to take it by storm!

Where will we live? Hmmmm, that is a good question. I am trusting my Father in Heaven to provide that for us. In his perfect timing I will have an answer to that question. I am praying somewhere close to my parents and brother, but time will tell. How long will we live this way? Same answer as the last question... I am trusting God with that. My only concern right now is getting my man off to work safe and sound.

I want to make one thing absolutely crystal clear. I do not regret one minute of what we have been through in the last 3 years. It has been hard, we have struggled, and we have endured more than most couples will have to in 25 years of marriage. But we have been blessed with abundant love. Love from perfect strangers, our friends, our family and our Lord and Savior. There are people we never would have met had we not taken the long, winding road. Lord I am so grateful for the journey.

Thank you for granting us this new beginning. Thank you for bringing us full circle.

Creeping, Crawling...

2010-08-05T17:43:00.000-06:00

If this post doesn't make the most sense it's because the rest of my family is behind me in the living room laughing and squealing while they joke and wrestle. It's great but I'm finding it just a bit distracting!!

Lots of new things happening in the Burnett household lately, but that's not really all that new! Things are always changing for us. Change is good! They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. ~Confucius

Biggest changes are happening for Miss Heidi Jo. She is now very mobile, crawling all over the place! It's awesome to see her beam with the accomplishment of getting herself from point A to B. I have no doubt this phase will be short as she tries to keep up with her big brother! We have also started feeding baby food, baby cereal and small bits of "real" food like Cheerios, Animal Crackers etc. She has two front teeth and is adorable as ever. We try to do the Baby Can Read set with her when our schedule allows but I'll be the first to admit that it's not as often as I'd like. We are struggling to stick to our routine with two parents at home, but we do manage to follow it for the most part. I am realizing that we need to ramp up our parenting skills to keep up to Harrison's development. I am reading "Boundaries with Kids" and I am finding it very useful and practical. It is biblically based and I'd highly recommend it to anyone with kids over a year old.

Harrison is struggling a bit with the increase in attention we are giving Jojo for her progress. He loves her to pieces but ugly jealousy has been rearing it's head from time to time. It's hard to give them the attention they both need at the exact same time, but we try! Hopefully we can use this time to teach respect and understanding for others. How do you moms with 4 and 5 kids do it?!? All I know is that we do the best every day with the tools that we have.

Here's a few candids for your daily laugh:

bubbles anyone?

Miss Independent

All Grins

I can't tell if Heidi is scared for her life here or on the verge of a laugh

Paparazzi!!

She's Country...

2010-07-27T15:16:00.000-06:00

"from her cowboy boots to her down home roots. She's country, from the song she plays to the prayer she prays. That's the way she was born and raised, she ain't afraid to stay country... brother she's country!"

So I'm pretty sure the girls in Jason Aldean's video for that song didn't have dragonflies painted on their faces, but what the heck, I'm sure they aren't moms either! The weekend of Saturday, July 17th was a busy one for me personally. A little event called The Calgary Stampede was taking place locally. If you have never gone you should definitely make a trip of it!! It's not called the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth for nothing! Chuck wagon races, rodeo, fireworks, mini donuts, and the midway and vendors, it's all very exciting. I was blessed to go this year because Grandma won some free concert tickets and invited me to go with her! I was very excited (to say the least) to see Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean both perform!

Before I could enjoy the afternoon at the fair and concert I had some work duties to attend to first. I was up bright and early at 4:00 am so that I could leave for south Calgary by 5:00 am to serve coffee at a Stampede Pankcake Breakfast for one of the Coffee Traders wholesale clients. I arrived in Calgary at 5:25 in time to start brewing 600 cups of coffee at a time!! The event was held at Community Natural Foods, and I must say it was one of the best pancake breakfasts I've ever been too. The crowd was a little overly organic even for me, but I still had a great time! We served over 1200 people breakfast ranging from the homeless, to seniors and lots of families. Even the cutlery was compostable! By the time my duties were done it was 12:30 and I was on my way home to meet Grandma in Cochrane so we could carpool back into Calgary for the Stampede festivities. As you can see above, I didn't leave before I could get my face painted though.

Grandma and I headed into Calgary to ride the C-train down to the Stampede grounds because parking is expensive and it is also a bit of a nightmare. Taking the train is so much easier. The only glitch is that I get very motion sick, even in the car, so I had to make sure not to gawk around too much. I love people watching and the train and Stampede are both excellent venues to see a lot of interesting people. Our train ride was uneventful [thankfully] and we proceeded onto the fairground so we could look around before the concert, as well as grab a bite to eat. We headed to the Indian Village where the winners of the Pow Wow competition were being crowned. We toured some tipis too. Unfortunately we couldn't take photos inside the tipi, but I took a few outside to share with you.

This is the winner of the male 70+ category, I missed his name though.

Here's Grandma outside a tipi from the Siksika Nation.

After being outside for a couple hours we decided to try to catch the Superdogs show, since they are inside. We made a beeline for the pavilion so that we could be early enough to get seats. We did just that and were enjoying the coolness of the building as the place started to fill up for the 5:00 pm show. We talked back and forth and commented on how the pavilion floor looked a little wet, and joked about having to clean up after the dogs with a Zamboni. The lights started to dim and we realized that we were in the ice skating show instead!! We were treated to an hour long ice show with Cirque du Soleil type acrobatics [above the ice] with athletes Elvis Stojko, and Olympic Gold Medal skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and others. It was a wonderful surprise and it was hard to be disappointed that we missed out on the Superdogs!

Next we were off to the concert! It's been so long since I've been to a concert, I was really, REALLY, excited to see both these artists. They are both similar in style, although Miranda Lambert has an old country twang with a twist of new to more of her songs and Jason Aldean is very new country with down home values. It was a great time! I sang my little heart out with all the songs I knew, so much that I nearly lost my voice. That's a good time! I also love it when the artists sound just a good [or better] live as they do on the radio!

Grandma and I enjoying the concert

My pictures didn't really turn out because we were pretty far away, but here's a few shots & a video of the "live" experience! I had a great time and can't wait to see who is coming to town next year for Stampede!

Miranda Lambert on the big screen with her pink guitar

Jason Aldean!

Jason Aldean performing Big Green Tractor

"...And I can take you for a ride on my big green tractor. We can go slow or make it go faster. Down through the woods and out to the pasture, 'Long as I'm with you it really don't matter.

Climb up in my lap and drive if you want to. Girl, you know you got me to hold on to. We can go to town, but baby if you'd rather, I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor..."

Happy Canada Day and 4th of July!!

2010-07-21T16:08:00.000-06:00

Yes, I haven't blogged for that long! Since Canada Day (July 1) fell on a Thursday this week I was blessed by my boss to find out that I would be able to have Friday off as well and make it into and EXTRA long weekend. Time to plan a family trip!

We decided what better way to spend the national holiday than by going to the majestic Rocky Mountains and to Banff National Park for Canada Day. Admission to the park was free which would have normally cost us about $26 for our family and that was great! Traffic was a bit of a nightmare, but that was to be expected with free admission.

On our way into Banff we drove around the Lake Minnewanka loop which is where I'll be doing my triathlon in September. Mike was able to catch his first glimpse of a live big horn sheep and elk up close (see photo below). Harrison and I were brave enough to dip our toes into the mountain lake... CHILLY!! We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Banff town site, being entertained by musicians and street entertainers, etc. They had tons for kids to do, bounce houses and face painting, but we skipped those activities because the lines were about an hour long (too long for a 2 year old!) We stopped to snap a pic with the Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) in their dress uniform, too.

Harrison & Mommy with the Mounties

Two elk with gorgeous velvet antlers

Friday we packed up our bags and our tent trailer and headed to Jill's ranch to camp out for a few days. Let's just say we had a fantastic time with Jill but Mike and I may need to rethink camping with the kiddos for a few years to come! Harrison loved the idea of camping and being outside running around like a wild man, but when it came time to sleep he was very adamant that we were "all done" and he wanted to "go home, bed". He did NOT want to sleep in the trailer! The first night he was awake until 11 pm, even after I laid down with him for an hour. Saturday night Jill (who is going through cancer treatment) had a party to shave her head, in prep for chemo. Again, we all had a wonderful time but I came down with a stomach bug and did not want to wait for my fever to break, so we headed home early. Needless to say we all slept better in our own beds that night! Sunday we spent relaxing and catching up on stuff around the house. It was a fun weekend all around, so glad we gave camping a try!

Harrison and Heidi

Heidi Jo

Heidi with my old Strawberry Shortcake

This picture really makes me laugh!! I love how they are both

leaning over and their eyes are identical! Too cute!