Confidence in Him & in You

I had shared this not too long ago but wanted to echo it here on the inter web. I hope you enjoy!


Mark 6:30-44 (my paraphrase)

Here we see Jesus with His disciples getting away for some R&R. The Bible says that they didn't even have the time to eat with all the ministry going on. What happens when they come ashore? More people! Now, Jesus being who He is, was moved with compassion and continued to minister and teach everyone. It began to get late and the disciples went to Jesus to have Him send the people away for food. Jesus told the disciples to feed them. The disciples were confused and couldn't. It was impossible. They gathered 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed a crowd which numbered 5,000 men alone. Everyone ate and was satisfied. 12 baskets of leftovers were collected.

Okay, just to be honest here I would completely side with the disciples. They were supposed to be on vacation, they were hungry, and there was no escape! lol I don't know about you, but when I'm tired and hungry I can get cranky. So I can understand why the disciples were ready to send the people away. It seemed logical: We're tired & hungry & so are the people. We are in the middle of nowhere and have no food. Send them to go get themselves something to eat. Jesus, though, had something else in mind.

As I was thinking about all of this I realized 2 things:

1. be confident in Him. Where the disciples saw a break in ministry time Jesus saw an opportunity of another magnitude. You see, the disciples were sending the people away to meet their own need. Know that Jesus was serious when He said He would never leave you or forsake you. Jesus is showing that in our time of need He will be there to meet it! There is nothing that is impossible for Him and you are never left to fend for yourself. Trust Him. Rely on Him. Have faith in Him.

2. be confident in you. In thinking on the size of the crowd in comparison to the amount of food on hand, ummm....is anyone else not getting the math to add up? Even the disciples had said it would take hundreds of denarii to purchase enough food for the crowd. I wonder what it would have been like being the person who the bread or the fish. As the disciples were coming through gathering what they could, would I have given up the little I had? How insignificant would 1 fish or 1 loaf seem in comparison to the masses? Maybe I would have thought that it wouldn't have made a difference. Maybe I would have felt like I needed to keep it for myself just in case there wasn't going to be enough food--after all, I need to look after me.

Just the same, you are equipped with gifts and talents and resources that can be used to further the Kingdom of God. You are able to be a blessing. You are called to be the difference. You are capable of being part of the WOW factor Jesus is known for. One thing that can stop us is our mind. If we begin to think that who we are or what we have to offer is inadequate we will never step out and allow God to use us. One fish by itself or a couple loaves sitting along may seem foolish but in the hands of God is was more than enough! You may think your gift is silly & you may feel foolish, but good thing the Lord uses the foolish things....

As always, with love,
Abigail

Seasons Greetings

OMG! OMG! OMG!

It has been over a month since my last post and I have been far from good at keeping up with this. Although I would love to say it was because I was touring Italy or laying on a beach in Mexico, alas, it was simply because these last couple months have been far more insane than I could explain. Easter was the official day that things turned somewhat back to normal. My schedule has been rather dull in comparison to the days leading up Easter. I am not necessarily complaining. I am most definitely looking forward to what lies ahead!

Let's see, what to share with you lovely readers...
1. My husband and I hosted Easter lunch in our home. We tore apart our family room and setup service for 13. I then hid eggs around the house for the kiddos (it was not the most pleasant weather outside). I had made some cupcakes also & we celebrated my nieces 5th birthday. It was a FULL Easter and my heart, spirit, and stomach were all full.

2. Our church had an Easter play this year for our services and it was fabulous! I has a small speaking part & helped teach dances. Everyone worked so hard and it was well worth it! Hundreds in attendance and dozens of salvations. love.

3. My husband injured himself at a youth event days after my last blog and has been hobbling around for weeks. Praying he gets the MD to release him from light duty living on Tuesday.

4. I'm hosting a bridal shower tea in a couple weeks! I am super excited. I have never planned one before and I am loving every minute of it. *Pictures to come

5. I helped design some new decor for our church foyer.

6. Couponing. All the cool wives and moms are doing it.


I'm looking forward to keeping in touch more!

 (no, we didn't get him a carseat lol it was in the car from the eve before)

Just like his daddy and uncles!

Until then...

As always, with love,
Abigail

(Sorry the pictures aren't rotated correctly!)

Family Matters

Can I just go ahead and say that this has been a very great week! We've had two new additions to the family and I would love to introduce you.

It started with a call at 4am Friday morning. After a long awaited 9-month period, my sister-in-law went into labor! After waking up, sending the husby off to work, putting gas in the car, stopping at the bank, getting a Starbucks (she wasn't in active labor until 6.5 hrs after the intial phone call) picking up flowers & a balloon, grabbing some food for the family, I finally made it to the hospital! I got to spend some time in the room before it was pushing time.

Just moments (quite literally) later miss Hannah McKenna Bidana was born. She is marvelously stunning. Take a peek for yourself!

 Hannah & One of her big bros

 Big Bro Bryson giving baby sister kisses (along with Aunty Mariah and Nana Lisa)

 Pretty In Pink

 Momma & Hannah

 Sleeping Beauty

 Big Sister Madison & Baby Hannah

Too Precious!

Next up in that glorious afternoon was the expansion of my own family. Nick & I have been discussing adding a puppy to our home for some time now. It wasn't until some things fell in place yesterday that it finally happened. I must say, little Rossi has our heart. We love him to pieces! He is a blue heeler and only 7 weeks old. I don't have too many pictures yet, but here's a couple.

Meet Rossi

 On the ride home he fell asleep on daddy's arm

 He posed for a quick snapshot

 Fast asleep

Curled up on daddio

He falls asleep in some of the most awkward positions lol

Things I've learned:

My husband is a big lug when it comes to this pup. I can only imagine the day we have a baby--Lord help him if it's a girl!

Rossi has sharp teeth.

Puppies are like kiddos.

Oh the joys of potty training!

Family is your greatest asset.

Now to close this good-news blog I leave you with some great news I heard: Another baby is coming to the fam! The broinlaw & sisinlaw are pregnant! It seems as though adding family members is the current trend! ;)

Until next time...

As always, with love,

Abigail

P.s.
I get to cross off PUPPY from my All Things Lovely list! I'm definitely excited :)

Smirks & Quirks: That's a Rap!

Ok, so it's been a little over a week since I've posted. I have some more things I will be posting THIS week, so be looking out for 'em!

Today I wanted to post my Smirks & Quirks for the week. This week is featuring a website that allows you to become an instant rap guru. I had a sleep over with my younger sister and she was fiddling around with it and I had to share. Although it is a time-waster, I think it's fun. Besides, how often do you get to be a rhyme-spittin-machine in your spare time?

It's super simple! Just start typing in the area provided and when you're ready for a rhyming word hold down the alt key to view a list of words. Go ahead, you know you want to check your skills out...



Some inspiration for your day:
The lyrical debut of my sister (haha)

Yo yo yo.
This is cool, bruehl.
I party all day and sleep erry night, but I dont wanna overexcite, yall.
Pants are for the weak but they aint nongreek-e.
My bed squeaks and wreaks but that dont stop me from getting my sleepz.