8 weeks

Pregnancy update...

Sorry I've been absent this past week. 

I've had a hard time with morning sickness. Some days, it lasts longer than just in the morning. I've been struggling lately to get everything done. If I'm not sick, I'm tired. Fatigue as made its presence known as well. 

I feel very blessed to have help. Derek has been picking up my slack. He comes home after work and does my chores or cooks dinner. This has happened a few times this past week. I've also had help from my sister, my in-laws, my friends and my church family. God is so good to me!!

I'm praying that my trend of 5+ months of being sick while pregnant stops here.

I am working on future blog posts just in case I do have another week like this past one. I want to have blogs already written and available to post. I'm also talking with friends about guest posting. 

Thank you for your prayers,

Kristina 

Pregnancy post

6 weeks ~

I have been feeling extra tired this pregnancy. I tend to get nausea and fatigue very early on, this pregnancy seems to be continuing in that same pattern.

Between barn chores, house chores, and raising the littles, it's no wonder why I'm exhausted. 

So why do I have restless nights? 

It always seems that around 3-4 am, I wake up, unable to fall back asleep. I pray then lay there as thoughts of a new baby fill my mind. I think about the stuff we still have, the stuff we'll need to acquire again....the clocks ticks. I know the children will wake up soon, so I really should be resting. I look over at Derek, who's sleeping peacefully, with envious eyes. 

I don't know why sleep is at bay lately but I hope it returns soon. I need to get all the rest I can before the nights with a newborn arrive. 

"Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me." (Psalms 116:7)

Sweet dreams,

Kristina 

Did you know...

My job as a Christian is to love God with all of my heart, to love my neighbor as myself, and to let others know that Jesus was born, He lived a perfect life, He died for our sins, He rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and He IS coming again!!!

I'm not good at doing this...it's uncomfortable for me to talk to unbelievers about God. They get nervous and then usually shut down on me or give me a death stare. I'm not a fan and never have been a fan of rejection. So instead of talking to them...I don't. This is not good!!!!!

No more!!! 

I am so proud to be a follower of Jesus and I need to be confident in my faith and my love for Him. I need to stand firm on His truth and tell everyone about the love of Christ!! 

He is coming soon!! You either go to Heaven to be with our Father or you go to hell.

 

You either know Jesus or you don't. 

"Well, I'm a good person" or "I pray when times are tough" doesn't get you into Heaven. You MUST know Jesus personally as your Lord and Savior. 

"Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then." (Luke 13:24, 25, 30 NLT)

If you know Jesus, you will want to do good because Jesus is good. But doing good alone will not grant you access into heaven!!

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)

God loves you!! He wants a personal relationship with you. Jesus has not come back yet because He wants His message to be heard!! But don't mistake, He IS coming back!!

 "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Matthew 24:4,5 : "And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ", and will deceive many." (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

"I've sinned" or "God doesn't love me" are statements many unbelievers say. But guess what....GOD FORGIVES!!! You must accept what He promises in scripture! He desires we all receive the rewards of salvation. Murderers, thieves, liars, addicts, all sinners: Jesus wants us all to ask for forgiveness and to have a personal relationship with Him.

When Jesus died on the cross, he took with Him every sin that we have or ever will commit. In His crucifixion, He defeated sin and the death that sin brings. He did that for us so that sins may be forgiven. He is infinite in His mercy and forgiveness!!

Jesus forgave Peter after Peter denied Him three times.
"Meanwhile, Peter was below in the courtyard. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and then said, "You were one of those with Jesus, the Nazarene." Peter denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. The servant girl saw him standing there and began telling the others, "That man is definitely one of them!" Peter denied it again. A little later some other bystanders began saying to Peter, "You must be one of them because you are from Galilee." Peter said, "I swear by God, I don't know this man you're talking about." And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and cried." (Mark 14:66-72)      

Jesus forgave Paul (then Saul), who killed Christians before becoming one himself.
"They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died." (Acts 7:58-60)   

Jesus forgave those who crucified Him while on the cross.
"And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:33-34)

Jesus can forgive you too.

 

Give your life to Jesus and pray this prayer:

"Father, I know that I have sinned. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my sinful life. Please forgive me. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day on. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

I pray that you start reading your Bible daily, if you don't already. Buy a Bible if you don't have one. Find a Bible-based church and start attending or at least find a Bible-based online sermon and start listening. ( I like ghibc.com and marshill.com personally)

Your sister in Christ,
Kristina





 
 

Modest Girl/Unmodest World

This week has been so nice here in the Pacific Northwest!!

With warmer temperature and longer days...shorts, tank tops, and sandals become a popular outfit with most women. Unfortunately, their shorts are too short and their tank tops are getter smaller and smaller. 

Don't Stress!! 

I'm here to tell you that there are options for summer that are also modest. 

Bermuda shorts - these are a good option for warm days. They are shorts but with a modest length. 

Thick strap tanked tops - these are a little more appropriate. I feel at least they cover your bra straps (being able to see bra straps is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine, it's tacky). I still would suggest wearing a cami underneath your tank just to add some cleavage-concealing lace to the top. Making sure you're not going to "pop out" of your top of important. 

Summer dresses - GREAT alternative to short skirts. Most summer dresses come in a lighter weight, but concealing material that is perfect for warmer days. They are long and modest but still allow mobility.

There are a lot of great options out there. Don't be afraid to mix and match patterns/colors.

I think, again, the important thing to remember is to honor God with your attire. I know that being 'the modest one" is sometimes hard. I get a lot of comments from friends and family about how I dress. Remember, you're not alone. You might be the only one that you know personally that wants to honor God with your clothing, but there are many of us out there. We need to support and encourage each other.

 "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

What are some modest, summer outfit ideas?

Share your ideas in the comments for other readers!!

May the peace of Jesus be with you dear friends!!

(I'll have Derek take a picture of my outfit when he gets home)

xo,
Kristina


 

Being submissive ~

*I originally posted this on Home-Based Bible but

I thought it was time to post it on my personal blog as well*

Q - when the Bible says for wives to be submissive to their husbands, does this mean we must do everything they say?

(The answers provided are our opinions and nothing more.)

Kristina L's Opinion - First, let us look at one of the verses being discussed..

"For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24 NLT)

The verse clearly says that the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is head of the church.

Submitting means honoring God through my duties as a wife. I was created to be a helpmeet to my husband, meaning I need to help meet his needs. I try to make my husband's life easier. When I let my husband lead our family, things seem to fall into place. We communicate better. I stopped nagging and let him make decisions which helped our relationship tremendously. He was in the role that God intended for him to be in.

I became more of an equal, he learned to trust my opinions knowing that I wasn't just saying them to argue. If he decides for something and I'm against it, I give him my opinion, but ultimately, it's his decision. I don't always get my way.

Jesus loves His church, so much that He died for us. He would never cause pain or bring harm to us. I submit to my husband knowing that he has my best interests in mind. He makes decision that better our family. If he leads us in a wrong direction, it is for God to judge him, not me.

I struggle with this at times. It's not always easy for me. I must work on this everyday.

We must remember that by submitting to our husbands, we are really choosing to honor God!!

"Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives." (I Peter 3:1,2)

Being submissive means putting your husband's needs above your own. Not nagging him but lifting him up with adoring words!!

I encourage you to say a few encouraging things to your husband each day!! Be a blessing in his life. Make his home a place where he WANTS to be.

God bless,
Kristina


Beth J's Opinion - As long as whatever he is asking doesn’t require you to disobey God’s commands, then yes.
OK….now that your hair on the back of your neck is standing up, there’s more to this.

The biblical definition of submission is “a willing and positive response; a conscious and friendly yielding of his or her own will.”

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ~ Ephesians 5:22-23 (NIV)

This is not saying that your husband is your Lord, but is referring to the correlation between the relationship of Christ and the Church VS Husband and Wife.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ~ Ephesians 5:25-28 (NIV)

You see, God doesn’t expect you to jump every time your husband says so. It is not a sort of power to be lorded over you. A man is meant to cherish his wife. He is to love & protect her as he is devoted to her good.

When a woman makes the decision to follow her husband as God commands it can transform their marriage. We are no longer limiting or getting in the way of God’s plan. There is now room for GOD to lead him.

I’ve been married to my husband for more than 11 years now. We’ve had our share of disagreements big and small. Whether we are talking parenting or financial stuff, he values what I have to say. I believe that God gives my husband divine wisdom in the situations we face. There have been so many situations in our life together where I had no clue what to say or do. He had just the perfect words or maybe an option that I could not see. I don’t always agree with him, but I choose to follow anyway, and the outcome will always be the same, God is leading him and I am honored to follow such a man of God.

Being a submissive wife is not always an easy thing. I am far from perfect. It is something I have to consciously choose daily. It requires me at times to step back, re-adjust my focus, check my motives and usually includes some sort of attitude adjustment.

The thing is that ultimately I trust GOD! If we are striving to keep things according to his plan for us, we will live with his blessing upon our lives.

Prayer: Lord, I pray that you would touch the lives of all that read this today. I pray that you would show them your way and reveal to them what your plan is for their life and marriage. I pray that they are encouraged and have hope, knowing they can have a marriage according to your plan and full of your blessing. Please guide us all as we strive to be the kind of wives you intended us to be. ~ Amen

An announcement...

My husband and I are pleased to announce that we are having another baby. We just found out and are so excited to share the news of God's blessing with you.

I don't mind sharing with you so soon after just finding out. I used to be superstitious. I didn't want too many people to know until I had reached my 2nd trimester. But God has taught me that His will be done!! He has a plan for this baby already just as He has plans for our other 4, and when or whether I post it online won't change what God has in store for us. 

With that being said, we are super excited. We decided to let God have control in our family planning a while ago (Click here to read that post) 

Our biggest gap between children is 4 1/2 years apart, our closest gap is 14 1/2 months apart. We are due sometime around Emily's 2nd birthday (give or take a few weeks). 

With that being said, I am going to still do Modest Girl/Unmodest World posts on Mondays (skipping today as I've been exhausted this week). I'll continue posting modest, regular outfits until I can no longer fit into my regular clothes. When that hapoens (which seems to be earlier and earlier with each baby), I'll start posting modest, maternity outfits. 

I'm also going to be posting weekly pregnancy updates starting in the next few weeks. It will be like my online journal on how I'm feeling as well as posting belly pictures :) 

Our family thanks you for your love and support!! We appreciate you prayers and kind words of encouragement ❤ 

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." 

(Psalms 127:3-5 NLT)

Your sister in Christ,

Kristina