Dearest Daughter,

I have a lesson that the Lord is teaching me right now that is heavy on my heart. I pray that the Lord would open your heart to hear Him through it, and that you will be a faithful servant to Him…..

Have you ever thought you were doing something for the Lord, only for Him to open your eyes that maybe you’ve been doing it all wrong? That’s where I am at the moment.

Your father and I recently watched 2012, a movie about the world as we know it coming to an end. It’s not an entirely clean, Christian movie by far - found it’s been a long time since we’ve watched a movie from Hollwood, and so I was caught off guard by this. (Don’t allow yourself to be numbed to sin - keep your heart and eyes stayed on the Lord, what is pure, good, honest.)

But as a Christian, it really hit home. Probably without realizing it, the cast of this movie gives a good idea of what I believe the world will face, and probably soon. God’s wrath unleashed on a sinful people - and we ALL are sinners.

It was more related to the flood vs. the end of time - but since we are close to the return of Christ, it was an eye opener to the judgement that God will be bringing soon to the world.

I came out from watching this with a new vision, and one that we as a couple have talked about - and will pray for wisdom on how to share with you and your brothers - our children.

Basically, in this movie, the world begins to fall apart on an unsuspecting public. Fires, earthquakes, tsuamnis, etc… People are in fear, they are praying, they are looking for answers and escape. Sound like anything in the Bible?

For me, it was humbling. The day in / day out way that I live my life was questioned. God has been doing that a lot to me lately! (I’m not complaining, as I pray it only brings me closer to Him each time).

Say the world did have this happen and we only had 1 or 2 days to ‘make things right’. Say you saw all of these people dying without warning right before your eyes. Say that you knew the secret way to safety - YOU had the map that would allow you to survive if you could make it in time.

Well, in a way, all of the above are true. The world could very likely have 1 or 2 days left, until the return of Jesus. The only difference is that we won’t have a warning - He will appear quickly and rapture away His church.

About the people dying before our eyes - they are right now! Each and every day there are people that die. Some from health issues, some from accidents, some from attacks. They are dying and many are lost; many are fearful - not knowing what will be happening next.

Okay, so what if YOU knew the way to safety… Guess what? As a Christian, you DO! God has given us a map, the ONLY way to escape death and hell. There are ways that people think ‘might’ get them through, but there’s only one place that offers life. That way is through God and His Son, Jesus Christ. And the best news is - you don’t have to race to get to the finish in time - you can be there as quickly as you can pray.

Back to my heart, I’m really having to pray and seek wisdom. As I saw the crowds of people at the end of the movie about to die, crying out to be saved on the ’ship’ - the Lord stirred something in my heart.

There was one man on the movie that wanted to open the ship at the last minute in order to save as many as possible. Am I living my life with that goal? Am I allowing the Lord to use me to share THE Way with as many as I possibly can before it’s ‘too late’?

We have the answer, we have the map, and we will be saved. When we stand before the Lord and account for our lives and actions, will He find us faithful servants to Him? Will we be able to see others there that God allowed us to share Him with?

As a parent, I look at this movie in another light. The children in the movie had to face life in a very real way. They started out without a care in the world, except their texting/ television/ etc…

By the end, they realized what was really important - and had a greater maturity about them.

How am I raising you and your brothers - my children? I know some might think that I don’t offer you enough of what is considered ‘childhood’, but I’m looking at a bigger picture.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to boast and make us a perfect little family with perect little children! Sorry, we’re not and you’re not. :) You play, you fight and sometimes have bad attitudes, you play make believe, and have toys - you even watch a little television.

But I do take every opportunity I can to talk to you about the Lord, to share needs/ burdens with you so we can pray together about them.

I try to relate problems that arise in our home to how God would have us handle them. I want God to be a day in/ day out in our home- not just mentioned at church.

I want you to know that He is here with us always, and that you can call on Him whenever you need Him. I want you to know that when we are tempted to be fearful, that God is right here to help us. I also want it to be a blessing for you to serve Him - to minister to others.

How do I do this faithfully? How can I live my life in a way that shines so others see Him? This is my heart, and I pray that by sharing many others will also turn and seek the Lord. WE are who God has placed here to share His salvation with the world. Will you join me?

Loving you always,

Mommy

Dearest Daughter,

And so begins my journal to you….

It’s late, everyone is asleep - except me. I am a night owl, this is my time of relaxation, when all is quiet and peaceful in the house. Today has been a hard day, even with the highest intentions of being productive with a great attitude.

All I completely accomplished was raising the blinds in my room and putting away the ironing board! From there, the computer messed up and took way too much time with phone techs. The piano tuner came, which took another 3 hours from our day…. The house is still a mess - due to 3 little ones destructing quicker than I can ‘construct’ and a teething baby that wants to be held a LOT! But so is the life of a mother.

The reality is, it’s not the things that get seen that are the most important - it’s what I invest in your lives. This is the hardest thing the Lord has ever given me to do. I can’t always see any progress, I just have to walk in faith - trusting Him as my guide.

The one lesson that kept coming to mind today as a wish for your future is that I prepare you to set your mind to serving the Lord at an early age and begin that work while you are still young and available. Prepare yourself in whatever role God leads you to - whether wife, mother, or servant of the King. Minister to others, offering yourself to those in need as you learn life skills.

You see, once you become married (if that’s the Lord’s plan for you), you will no longer be as free to serve the Lord in more public ways, as you will then be tied to your husband. I never understood how much truth there was to the verses in the New Testament regarding this until after I was married.

Then after marriage, should it be God’s will that you have children, you will have even more responsibility in your home. Don’t get me wrong, I see each one of you children as a special blessing that I am so grateful to the Lord for giving me. What I am saying is that there are times when I feel I accomplish little to nothing, but this is really only a worldly/ fleshly feeling.

I know that I am raising up children to have a love and devotion to their Saviour, and pray that God fills in where I fall short in your lives.

There will be days like today, when I broke down in tears because I felt so overwhelmed - so over my head in responsibility. I pray that the Lord grant me wisdom to handle the issues that arise between you 4 little ones, and the love and grace to respond properly.

I pray for a calm spirit - one that causes you to see Him when you see me. I want to be lost - but really found in Him. Dearest daughter, I pray that He also develops in you a quiet, meek spirit. That you seek His face and HIs will in every single thing you think, speak, and do. Always asking yourself ”would Jesus do this?” and “would the Lord be pleased in what I’m doing?”.

These questions have always been deeply engrained in my mind, and are a wonderful guide the Holy Spirit can use in your life.

Dearest Daughter, I pray your memories of me will be full of love - just as my love for you overflows! For you see, my daughter, you are the only daughter I have right now - and this makes you all the more special to me. I cherish each moment the Lord has given me with you!

Love,

Mommy

My heart has struggled with what do to with Heaven In Our Homes. What was a place for me to write out what God has taught me/ is teaching me became something to keep up. I felt tied down to a posting routine; I saw that I began writing not only for myself. I am far from qualified to ‘teach’ others how to be a Godly wife and/ or mother (though it is my desire to be one!). So now things are changing just a tad bit - and this is it.

This blog is now a place where I am simply writing my own journal entries to my daughter. This is where I’ll share what I believe with her, why I believe it, and why God is essential in bringing any sense of heaven into a home.

I want something for her to look back and see where God has brought me from. I’m far from perfect - as a wife or as a mother - but I’m living my life as I believe God is calling me to. I’m teaching my children to view everything in light of what God would say or do, or if He would be pleased with us or not.

I’m not debating or judging anyone/ anything - I’m not here to point fingers, cause there would still be 4 pointing back at myself.

Anyone is welcome to visit this blog at anytime, and I pray that maybe the Lord would use my trials and lessons to bring others closer to Him. From here on out - it’s “Dear Daughter”!

Candace

Just an FYI - I have no idea what’s going on with my websites, but am aware that the blog posts are scrambled. When things slow down for our family I’ll look into what’s wrong. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek God’s direction as to where He’s leading our family to live, as we seem to keep hitting brick walls everytime we turn around.

I just wanted to take a minute to share with you all that I will be taking a break from posting here on a more permanent basis. While the Lord did open doors for me to share here on HIOH for a while, He’s closing them right now.

We are loving every minute of our newest addition, now 3 months old! We are also finally about to move, but not to the land that was once our dream. Circumstances changed our dreams, and the Lord opened other doors for us that we are excited to go through soon!

His provision over us through this all has been wonderful! In fear at times, I’ve fought what seemed to be unbearable issues for our family. God has graciously used those to direct us in our new path, showing me that I need to quit trusting in my own plans.

He’s used some hard lessons to show me my dependance on money vs. Him. He’s used wrong actions to teach me to focus on Him vs. others. It’s been a rough 4 months or so, and I still struggle with things - but I’m seeing daily how much more I need Him than I could’ve ever imagined.

Scripture says that Satan is a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) - this was in a devotion my dad forwarded me today. This was followed with Psalms 23 - ‘though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me’.

Our family has been under attack the past few months, and seeing this devotion today encouraged me. It only makes sense that the enemy would want to attack us, because we are trying our best to raise up a Godly seed and live our lives for God!

We haven’t understood why certain things happened to us, and have cried out to the Lord about these matters. So, this next part from Psalms is encouraging - He never leaves us, He’s right there with us through it all!

I’ve had to let go of my hold on things, seeing that God is the only true Judge. I’ve had to let go of my hold on money, and surrender it once again to God. Where we’ve lost money, see it as God’s money and allow Him to restore it once again as we are faithful stewards of it.

In closing, I have to let go of some of ‘my’ things, such as blogs. I love to write, to journal what the Lord is teaching me - especially so one day my daughter will be able to look back and learn from my mistakes. 

And while I’ve loved writing here, I now truly believe God is calling me to spend more time focusing on the needs of my children and husband. I have less time now to write, and while I do love it, it keeps me up way… too late at night. You might find an occassional post here and there, but these will be rare, at least for the next year.

I will continue posting on www.Sonbeams.com though, and invite you to join me there!

Candace

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A lot has been happening in the past week, and this hymn “Only Trust Him” as well as the 23rd Psalm have been on my heart and mind constantly! While we’ve been on a roller coaster that’s giving us the ride of our lives, we know that God is directing our paths.

Our house is still set to close next week, or the next - and we are once again back to nowhere to go. The Lord has been putting a burden on our hearts for some reason, telling us “no” to everything we try to work out. We do have land, but it seems like God is pulling us elsewhere - we just don’t know where!

I had mentioned on Facebook that we found a trailer, a triple wide at that, and were under contract on it. Well, once again, the Lord just didn’t give us peace about it. We don’t know why, but we weren’t able to rest. The wonderful couple that owned the trailer released us from the contract, and I can say we were truly blessed to have met this Christian couple - for more than one reason.

Although we left there empty handed, we had peace about letting it go. Have you ever tried to do something against the Lord’s promptings? You just don’t rest and have peace - this is where we’ve been - so though we’re not being ‘wise’ in the world’s eyes by having no roof over our family’s head in less than a month, there’s a strange peace.

So, we had to once again resume our search, and have since found another trailer - but we have to order it. Now, we only have 3 weeks to get out of our home, but God doesn’t seem to be giving us a green light to order this trailer. Okay Lord, WHAT are we supposed to do? WHERE are we supposed to go?

And all I hear is to wait and trust Him. Strangely enough, God is granting me more peace when I sit back and wait vs. trying to find something or work out something. No, we have no clue where we’ll be living in 3 weeks - but GOD does!

Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him more…. HE will save you!

I can’t wait for Him to unfold this story more and be able to testify of His provisions for our family - I’m really so excited!!!

Jehovah Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me - My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory!

And a final song God has had me singing today -

Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above with wisdom, power, and love, our God is an awesome God!

I’ve been having to quote a lot of Scripture and sing a lot of songs lately, to keep my mind on the Lord - though I have His peace, I’ll admit I still feel the storm! But it’s great to have a Shepherd that’s taking care of us!

Just an FYI - I received word at my OB appt. that the baby is ‘any day’ now! She told me that she doesn’t even seeing me make it til next week!! (MY EDD is next Friday)

All updates can be followed on http://www.NineMonthsorLess.com/blog, Twitter (MrsCandace), or Facebook (Mrs. Candace).

We’d appreciate all prayers for a safe delivery and very healthy baby - Thank you!

A very special thank you to Trish for offering up this yummy candle! Be sure to check out her site - your nose will thank you.

26 oz. Candle of Winner’s Choice (Value - $18.98 + shipping)

Offered by: Trish from Gold Canyon

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2009-03-31 21:15:00 UTC

Congratulations to Sunny! Enjoy your candle!

Giveaway: Votives, Candle Holder, Cinnasticks  (Value - $15-$20)

Offered by: Celebrating Home

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2009-03-29 23:40:05 UTC

Congratulations Danielle - You’ll be contacted shortly!

Remember there are still active contests running - check them out here, as well as www.Sonbeams.com and www.NineMonthsOrLess.com blogs.

Hello, and welcome to Day 8 - the final day of our Giveaway Week at Heaven In Our Homes! Each day, March 20-27th, we have been featuring a new contest - each one running for 7 days. Don’t forget to check out our giveaways at www.Sonbeams.com AND www.NineMonthsorLess.com blogs!

Today’s Great Giveaway: Mother’s Memories Lapbook e-Book (Value $11)

Offered by: Paula from A Journey Through Learning

Just like you, we too, are mothers. We have chosen the journey to teach, lead and guide our children in everything that they do.Certainly, we want to be an intimate part of our children’s lives but we have to ask ourselves-do our children really know us? What were our childhood dreams, who were our best friends, how much did we weigh at birth, and how did we meet their dad?

It is our prayer that this lap book will allow you to give a little bit of yourself to your child. It is to be completed and given to your child to have as a keepsake. How much fun it would be to work on your lapbooks together if your child is in the process of doing a lapbook too!

Topics include: A Letter to my Child, Your Family Tree, Your Mom and Dad (child’s grandparents), Growing Up (birth, school, college), Your Childhood Pets, Your Best Friends, Your Favorite Childhood Memories, Your Siblings, Your Favorite Books, Songs, Movies, Your Family Recipes, How You Met your Child’s Father, Your Wedding Day, When You Were First Married (first house, first car, etc.) Origin of your Maiden Name, Your Hopes and Dreams for Your Child.

Our “No Hassle” lapbook instructions are color-coded to make it easy to assemble! *Please note: Does not come with a study guide.

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Alright, How this contest works! Each contest is open for one week (from starting date of that contest). You can receive entries based on the following:

*1 entry for leaving a comment about something you love on the sponsor’s website. They are kind enough to donate - let’s be kind and check out their sites!

*1 entry for adding the HIOH button to your blog or website (See code below, leave link back in comment)

*1 entry for blogging about this contest on your blog (Leave link back in comment)

*1 entry for joining me on Facebook (Mrs. Candace)  and plugging us on your page (Leave separate comment)

*1 entry for joining HIOH mailing list (You’ll receive special notices and discounts)

You MUST leave a separate comment for each entry. Comments will be totaled, and Random.org will choose the winning comment number! This contest ends April 3nd at 11:59 PM (CST). Be sure to enter our other giveaways this week, here and on our other sites (see above)!

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Let the fun begin! Thanks for visiting!

Mrs. Candace