The Desires of Your Heart

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!

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

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!!

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

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

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...

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!!