Home Décor

What does your home décor say about you?  Who are you representing? 

As I sat in my favorite chair this morning, spending time in the presence of my Lord and Savior; I noticed four words that sit in front of our television.  They are Faith, Love, Believe and Dream.

After focusing on them for a while, I see that it is only through faith in our Lord and Savior, we are able to love others, and believe in our God given dream to be all He has called us to be.   

My challenge today, for myself and all who are willing, “Taste and See that The Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him:”  Psalm 34:8

Above my television are the words, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs  3:5 

I may not always understand His ways, but I have learned, that when I wait on Him and follow peace, things always go a lot better.  My prayer?  Heavenly father that I might learn to fully trust in you and know that your way is always better;

“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”!! Philippians 1:6

by: Sandra Gutierrez

PLANTED



Bobbie & Dalles Perrin



Even though I am a child born and raised in the Texas Panhandle, I absolutely LOVE trees.  I love going places that have trees, and I am extremely jealous of those of you who have plenty of trees in your yard.  My family and I have roughly 50 trees in our yard; unfortunately, for the most part they are all shorter than I am, and sadly we have lost about 5 large trees due to the drought.  Even though my husband and I built our dream home a few years ago, I often dream of buying a place close to some water, maybe by the lake, or with a pond right out front, so that my love for trees could be easily fostered.

Any of you who know much about gardening know that spring is one of the best times to plant trees. The weather is optimal for getting those baby roots established before the heat of the summer takes hold. Other than tree planting, I have often found that spring brings along many things to keep one busy. Nice Weather, spring cleaning, spring projects, weddings, graduations, wrapping up the end of the school year, mother’s day, you name it, Spring consistently turns out to be a very busy time of the year for our family.

This spring I found myself feeling a bit overwhelmed. I’m sure that this year’s list of spring commitments was no longer than last years, but this time I found myself wondering where to draw the line. I often found myself talking to God asking him what it was that he wanted me to mark off my list. In fact, a time came where I simply said to him, “something has to give”.  In that moment, I remembered just a few short months ago that I was asking him to show me more ways to be a ministry to others and here I was asking him to take back the very thing I had asked for.

Well, one of the things I do love about spring is being outdoors. I never feel closer to God than when I can feel the breeze on my face and the birds singing.  As I proceed with this daily conversation of “Okay God, I’m feeling too busy”, “feeling over committed”,  I’m outside watering my freshly planted trees, I start to hear him whisper to my spirit…..You’re not too busy……You’re not grounded….You’re just not planted….

PLANTED!!!!! Holy Toledo is he ever right. In all my busyness and hurriedness, trying to get my one million things on my to do list done, I was forgetting to plant myself next to the King, and nourish my roots with his ever divine presence.  Forgetting that in all my “busyness”, my roots are just as likely to dry out and suffer from the drought, as the many trees did last year from the lack of rain. As much as the trees need water, my soul needs the King before I can ever even dream about fulfilling his will for my life.  So ask yourself today….Where am I planted????

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord: Whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends its roots out by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit.” ~Jeremiah 17:7-8

Bobbie Perrin

Void Filled



Misty Connelly



I spent most of my childhood trying to get the attention of a man who barely knew I existed, my daddy. When I got to middle school it didn’t take me long to figure out how to get attention from boys. See, my dad left a hole in my heart and I felt a strong desire to have that void filled by anyone who would give me some attention. I would continue on this destructive pattern well into my adult life. It led me down a path filled with drugs and alcohol. I tried to find comfort in anything I could turn to.

I’ll never forget the day that all changed. It wasn’t just an alter call to me, it was me on my face crying out to Jesus. My life would never be the same. When God delivered and healed me it was immediate. I didn’t have to wait and I didn’t have to do anything to get His love. He gave it freely. I just had to seek Him.

As long as you feed and nurture that relationship it will be there. My journey has been full of ups and downs and my walk with the Lord hasn’t always been easy. Life still happens and it will never be perfect, but I know who to call on when I struggle.

A Marriage Made in Heaven

Luis and Sandra Gutierrez

It is a privilege to be a part of the Pre-Marital Classes offered at CareNet Pregnancy Centers.  Our desire is to educate & equip each couple to communicate and strengthen their commitment to God and then to each other.  We hope to open eyes to see the bigger picture as they experience the joy of marriage when God is in control.  Marriage is meant to be much more than the wedding day.  "I Do" means just that; a promise to honor, cherish and support one another.  God’s word tells us in Genesis chapter 2, "The two shall become one"; it is the becoming part that takes a lifetime of love and commitment.

Luis, my husband, and I will complete 35 years of marriage this year.  As I think back to the beginning of our relationship, we had many long talks about what we expected in a marriage.  We both had our parents as well as older siblings already married, so we compared notes and decided what we would tolerate and what we absolutely would not.  We talked about how many children we wanted, when we should start our little family; we discussed our beliefs and how we would teach our children about God.  Praise God we both believed there is only one God and one way to get to Him.  After 9 months of fussin and discussin, we married.

We had it all planned, the wedding was on, then the honeymoon and from there we would live happily ever after.  Honestly, I don't think I ever really thought about how hard it would be at times.  Combining the two personalities, knowing when it was ok to compromise and when I had to stand my ground and pray he would see things my way.  My mom mentioned other things like working, cooking, cleaning, raising kids, letting go of my ideas and going along with his.  Wow, not as easy as it sounded!!  Of course, things change after the "I Do", once you get past the feelings and emotions.  For example, on our 1^st Anniversary; he was literally waiting on me hand and foot.  I was 8 and a half months pregnant, had the worst cold ever and could not even get out of bed.  Yes, instead of 3 years, it was more like 3 months. Ooooops! Not exactly how we planned to spend our first year anniversary, but we got through it.

As the years went by, the problems got bigger and our faith in God had to get stronger.  I began to ask God what happened to that marriage made in heaven, one of peace and contentment.  I used to call my Dad and ask him what I was supposed to do about my husband; he was set in his ways and was not willing to change for me.  My Dad would always suggest I stand in front of the mirror and look at me first, to see what I could change about me.  Around this time, a very dear friend gave me a book entitled "Lord Change Me".  A book that could definitely give a girl a complex, but instead, it opened my eyes to see that God had a plan and a purpose for me if I was willing to let Him change me.  Through much prayer, bible study, commitment, and much determination, I began to see change in myself as well as those around me.  Reminds me of the saying; "If Mamma Ain't happy, Ain't nobody happy", I knew I had to allow God to transform me into His image. (Romans 12:2)  As Luis and I draw closer to God through prayer and commitment, we continue to draw closer to one another.  Living through the hard times while enjoying the good and looking forward to what God has in store.  Today we are both committed to sharing the gospel while striving to be godly examples to our children.  Both our adult children along with their spouses are involved in their church, teaching and training our 6 grandsons in the way they should go.   

One of many truths I have held on to is found in Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding."  I had to be willing, and allow God to make me willing in the areas I wasn’t willing.  He is soooo Faithful!!  Another favorite is Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that He which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

Always remember to pray for one another. Prayer for your spouse leads to forgiveness; prayer leads you to love; and prayer for your spouse leads to the abundant life. You cannot pray for your spouse and stay mad at them. You cannot pray for your spouse and not want to hang out with him/her, for prayer facilitates intimacy. Prayer changes your heart and theirs.

Partnering with God



Amanda with Lydia

 You might say God needing us is not a theologically sound statement, and I would probably agree with you.  When I say that God needs people, I'm not talking about needing in the sense that you think of us needing each other for some sort of fulfillment.  God is definitely all-sufficient, needing no one or nothing to fulfill Him.  But if you think about Him needing us in a different sense of the word, I think you might agree with me on this one.  God needs people in order to carry out His purposes and plans on this earth.  Does He have to do that? Absolutely not! He sets the worlds in place, tells the sun when to rise and fall, and still has the capability to deeply care about every single detail of our lives.  But what is amazing to me is that He chooses to work through people.  As imperfect and messed up as we are, He chooses to ask us to partner with Him in order to carry out His purposes and plans on this earth.  Think about how God chose to use Mary & Joseph in order to bring His Son into the earth. Think about the fact that Jesus could have come to earth without anybody else's help and had His ministry and been effective completely by Himself.  He could have healed people, drove out demons, taught  God's Word without any mortal's help.  Instead of doing all of that on His own, He chose to come to earth through Mary. When it was time to start His ministry, He chose 12 men to partner with Him to carry out His Father's will.  I know that Mary, Joseph, & the disciples were not perfect, but what they all had in common was a willingness to say yes to God when He asked them if they would   partner with Him.  You also have to consider the fact that the  choice to follow Jesus and say, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord;let it be done to  me according to what you have said”, just as Mary did, was not an easy choice.  Mary endured tough circumstances and rejection from everyone close to her.  Even Joseph was going to quietly divorce her until the angel came & spoke to him.  The disciples were ridiculed and also rejected for their choice to follow Christ, many of their lives ending tragically.  But if you asked them if their choice to say yes to God was worth it, I would bet you my life that they would not hesitate one second before responding in the affirmative.

      I think that even today it is amazing that a perfect God comes to us as imperfect people and calls us to partner with Him to carry out something He would like to accomplish. I have recently had a situation in my life that has so clearly demonstrated to me that truth that God needs people.  I have chosen to be a surrogate mother and carry a child for an amazing couple that I know God loves so much.  It started with a desire in my heart to give someone what I have so graciously have been given 3 times, and that is the chance to hold a child in my arms and raise them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord for as long as God allows me to have them. I thank the Lord that I have not had to endure in my life that burden of empty arms, but I have seen in the lives of some very close friends how hard that burden can be to carry.  My desire has been to do whatever I can to help them carry that heartbreak and disappointment. So when the opportunity was put before me to be a surrogate, my heart immediately wanted to do it because it was a chance to DO something for somebody that has carried that burden of empty arms for 7 years. This was an opportunity to “not love in theory or speech but in deed and in truth” (1John 3:18) God showed me that this decision was all about this couple feeling loved by Him, to prove to them that He had not forgotten about their dreams nor had He abandoned them. The fact that He could use me to show His love to somebody in such in impactful way amazes me.  1 John 3 also says that “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His own life for us; and we ought to lay our lives down for our brothers and sisters in Him. But if anyone has this world's goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his  brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion to him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?”  When I read these scriptures I thought, could it be any clearer? Because God loved me enough to lay His life down for me, I should be willing to lay down my own life (or body in this case) for others. God has been so good to me in so many ways, and He has given me the gift of easy pregnancies.  God was calling me to open up my heart of compassion and use this gift He has blessed me with in order to show His love to a fellow believer in need. 

     This decision has changed me on the inside in ways I couldn't even begin to explain. (I guess it has changed me on the outside, too)  I will forever be grateful to the Lord that he chose me for this assignment and that He gave me the strength to say yes.  Many times in my life I have let fear, insecurity, and faithlessness keep me from going in a direction I know God was wanting me to go. When I think about that, my heart grieves for what I have possibly missed out on in my walk with God.  At this point in my life, I don't want to miss out on anything God has for me.  I have often thought about what Mary would have missed out on if her response would have been any different than what it was.  I guess you could say she would have missed out on some harsh treatment by her friends and family, but she  also would have missed out on carrying the Son of God, bringing Him into this world and witnessing the wonder of His birth, and raising Him under her authority until He was released into His ministry.  Scripture says that she “treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” I have always loved that scripture. It makes me think that she knew she was involved in something so great that if she didn't stop and treasure up all those things and ponder them in her heart, she might miss something.  I don't think she wanted to miss one second of the life God had called her to, and I don't blame her. 

     My desire is to follow her example.  God has sweetly pointed out to me through different people in times of prayer that Mary was a kind of surrogate.  She got pregnant with a child that she knew was not her own, a child that she would have to release back to God one day.  Thinking about her has brought me a lot of comfort and reassurance, especially when questioning whether this was God's will.  I am not comparing myself to her in any way, but I have asked the Lord to help me respond to Him in the way she did.  I want to say yes even when it doesn't make sense.  I want to stop and ponder what God is doing because He has me involved in something so great, I don't want to miss one second of it.  I draw strength from her when I think about how she did what God wanted her to do, even when her family rejected her. Some times the path God calls us to follow can be hard and feel lonely at times, but the joy and peace He gives along the way far outweighs any of the tough circumstances we might endure. The joy I have felt along this journey He has me on has been unspeakable.  I want to proclaim His goodness and faithfulness because He makes the journey so worthwhile.  I love the fact that God needs us, and that He chooses to work in our lives.  I am forever amazed by Him and the way He uses people, even imperfect people with “issues” like me.  

Amanda Dawson
Abstinence Speaker for CareNet Pregnancy Centers

For Love of a Baby



Leslie w/ daughter Mackenzie Belle & Husband Mark



This is a story of God’s love and mercy … a story of how one congregation and one small community came to the aid of a family in need.

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me…”

The date was August 23, 1991.  I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was pregnant with my 3^rd child, and I was bleeding.

My husband Mark and I found ourselves in the office of my obstetrician, Dr. John Alaniz, who concluded after numerous tests that I had a condition called placental abruption (PA).  The Doctor explained that PA was an uncommon yet serious complication of pregnancy.  He went on to tell us that my placenta had begun to peel away from the uterine wall (probably because of the trauma from the kidney stone I had just passed).  He told us that the placenta had separated about 50% and because the placenta nourishes the growing baby, it was vital that the placenta stay attached for the remainder of the pregnancy. 

 Dr. Alaniz added that the heavier the baby, the more dangerous the situation.  If the placenta were to separate completely, I would begin to hemorrhage and it would be fatal for us both.  I was put on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy, and told I could only get out of bed to use the restroom.

I remember Dr. Alaniz asking if we were going to be okay.  I don’t remember how we answered, but I do remember feeling hopeless.  I remember crying with Mark.  The Doctor told us that the ultimate goal was to keep the baby inside the womb for at least 36 weeks—I was only 12 weeks along.  Mark and I cried some more, went home and I went to bed.

 We were terrified.  How were we going to care for our two young daughters and do what needed to be done to save our baby?  I knew that God would deliver us; I just couldn’t imagine HOW.     

In the midst of this fear and uncertainty, our journey began.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant”

At that time, Mark and I, along with our two girls Lindsay (age 8) and Melanie (age 3), lived in Houston and had been members of the same church, Bammel Road, for the past 9 years. The congregation was informed of our situation within a day’s time, and our friends and family began calling to tell us that we had been put on prayer lists/chains all over Texas.  Mark converted our bedroom into an efficiency apartment. Friends brought over a small fridge, a TV and extra shelving (since I couldn’t go downstairs to the kitchen for food).  Another friend gave us a couple of egg crates for my mattress.  Each morning during the work week, one of our close friends came by to dress Melanie, take her for the day, and bring her back when Mark got off work. If Mark was traveling, one of them would be over each morning to get Lindsay on the bus. A collection was taken up at church so that a housekeeper could come once a week to clean and a sign-up sheet went out so our meals could be covered until after the baby came. 

Another friend called to say that she wanted to be in charge of getting all of our Christmas gifts; when it came time to shop, she just needed our list.  Mothers from Lindsay’s 3^rd grade class called periodically to see if they could help. One of our minister’s wives took me to my medical appointments each week.  Our next-door neighbors came over and filled in whenever it was needed.  Other friends came over with lunch, dropped by for visits, bought groceries, brought Thanksgiving dinner, sang carols at Christmas, brought Valentine’s dinner, and did my nails. Still others mowed our lawn each week, came over and picked up any dishes that needed to be returned, brought pizza and sundaes on Friday nights, and sent cards, letters, and gift cards. For over 6 months, our small community and our congregation surrounded us, took care of us, served us, loved us and met our EVERY need.

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

On March 3, 1992, our daughter Mackenzie Belle Speck was born. She weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces, and was a beautiful, dark haired, healthy baby girl.  Mackenzie turns 20 this March, and as I reflect back on that time, I am left with only one feeling: gratitude. Without the unconditional love and support from our community and congregation, my daughter and I might not be here today. Our story is indeed a testament to the sustaining and transformative power of God’s love, expressing itself through a community of individuals who all sacrificed for the love of a baby.

Perspective

Chonda Brent

Have you ever seen one of those ladies who look fantastic from the front?  She is completely put together.  You even are thinking, “Wow! I love her hair!”  THEN, she turns around and the back of her hair is a rat’s nest!  That look is the perfect analogy for what God has been teaching me for months now – PERSPECTIVE.  If that girl would have picked up a hand mirror for 5 seconds and checked her hair from ANOTHER ANGLE, she would have realized what a mess it was back there!  We too, have got to learn to see things from every angle. Do you look at situations only from the angle that it affects you, or do you consider what others may be thinking or going through?

 

Philippians 2:3 says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.

As Christians, we should think of how a situation affects others before we consider how it affects us.  We quickly form an opinion and rarely consider changing it or pondering it. As women, we are inundated with information about others.  Sometimes it is good, and sometimes it’s not.  How often do you take that unbecoming information as the gospel truth (because it came from a trusted source)?  One of the most popular sayings at our house is “there are two sides to EVERY story”.  There are likely more than two.  Every situation looks different depending on where you are standing when it happens.  If you hear something, don’t swallow it up like a tasty morsel.  Think the best of one another.  Consider others better than yourselves.

That lady mentioned in the first paragraph may have three sides that look great, but sometimes it is hard not to focus on the one rat’s nest in the back instead of the other 3 sides that are put together nicely.  We all have the same opportunity.  What will we choose to focus on; the 25% that is messed up or the 75% that is great?  Our brains don’t meditate on whatever they want.  Our brains meditate on what we choose to focus on.

I recently got a phone call that sent me over the edge in a fit of anger.  I wasn’t rude on the phone but boy was I ever mad when I got off.  Holy Spirit immediately challenged me, “Are you going to play that conversation over and over in your head (focus on the 25% that is messed up) OR will you CHOOSE to think of all the good things that person has done for you (the 75% that is great).”  I’ll tell you, nothing in me wanted to think happy thoughts, but I made myself anyway.  I was alone in my car and I started saying out loud all the wonderful blessings that person has given me over a period of years.  I chose to look at the three beautiful sides rather than the one ugly side.  It took some time, but the anger began to subside and I was able to just love them instead of letting them “have it” the next time I saw them.

One other example of how God has challenged me about my perspective is my thoughts about my husband.  I’m sure none of you do this, but occasionally I get frustrated with my husband about the messes he leaves around the house, or what he hasn’t done, or what he said that rubbed me the wrong way.  A couple of months ago, it seemed to all hit a once. I was just not happy with him at all. God sent an old friend my way, who vented for two hours about her husband. When I heard what she had to say about her husband not coming home until after midnight every night and drinking a lot (this is just the tip of the iceberg), I felt ridiculous for my complaints. I had definitely chosen to focus on the petty things that bother me instead of all the amazing things I love about my husband: he’s a great provider and a very hard worker, he loves me unconditionally, he is an amazing father, he is the most empathetic person I know, he makes me a better person and on and on. That day, my whole perspective changed.  I repented to God and changed my attitude.

Circumstances in your life do not have to change for your whole attitude to change.  You can live in the exact same circumstances and be a content, happy person.  I want to be like Paul in Philippians 4:12.  I want to learn to be content in every situation. So pick up that mirror and look at your life situations from another angle!