Normally, I would not post an article like this until the end of the year; however, God has been so good to us that I have to share it!
Many of you know, that God is taking our family on a "different" kind of journey right now. My husband quit his full-time ministry job of 10 years and we have been without that income since the beginning of the year. Don is helping to start a new motion picture company (After Eden Pictures) and we are not receiving an income from it yet. God wants us to be patient and trust Him to provide in His time and in His way.
I have to say, that we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are exactly in the middle of God's will. Is being in the middle of God's will always easy? NO! But, I can tell you that being in the middle of God's will is marked with God's peace and blessing. Now, His blessing is not always the kind of blessing we think is best for us, but His blessings are always best for us!
I have been writing our blessings for the year. Normally, I would have a couple of pages with about 100 blessings for the whole year. But, this year, I am already on page 15 and about 150 blessings and only 1/4th of the year has gone by already! Suffice it to say, that even though we are going through a trying time financially, God has provided for us miraculously and abundantly! We are so grateful for His provision. And, that's what He's reminding us of right now, among other things, that we are not dependent upon "man" for our provision...ALL provision comes from God! :o)
God has been so faithful to provide odd-jobs for Don to do, family and friends who have given gifts (both tangible and intangible) to us from their hearts. Our family has been very blessed through this journey God is taking us on right now. We have all had to make sacrifices in many different ways, but we've all learned that all of this is SO worth it! It's helped us grow closer as a family. We have also grown closer to the Lord. There is no dearer possession to Don and I than our children. Likewise, we are God's most treasured possessions...
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Big Book of Memories
I've never considered myself a writer. However, when my oldest son Michael, was 6 and my second son Nathan was 2, I realized that I was forgetting the things they did when they were younger. So, I started writing down funny things they did and things I wanted to remember about them. Well, after 10 children, you can imagine how big that book is now! It's all in a 5 inch binder (and growing everyday)!
Ever so often, the children will go get the book and ask me to read them a story about them or their brothers and sisters! We laugh and reminisce...it's such a blessing!
Ever so often, the children will go get the book and ask me to read them a story about them or their brothers and sisters! We laugh and reminisce...it's such a blessing!
Yes, you CAN exercise! :o) The 4 E's (Exercise can be Easy, Economical and Enjoyable)
I was visiting with a couple of dear friends last week and they told me that they don't like to exercise and that it is hard for them to find the time to exercise. I hear this all the time! Believe me, as a mother of 10 children (9 at home) and one on the way, due Aug. 9, 2010...I know how hard it is to find the time to exercise. I also know that we make the time to do the things that are important to us. How important do you make exercising regularly? Is it something you do almost everyday, or just the days you have the energy, or just once in awhile when it's convenvient? Think about it...
My conversation with my friends inspired this blog, because I want to share how easy, economical and enjoyable exercising can be (the 4 E's)! :o) The main thing to remember, is that exercising doesn't have to last a long time. When I'm not pregnant, just 10 minutes a day on the mini-trampoline (rebounder) works wonders and makes for a great workout!
Let me share what I do each day, now that I'm pregnant. I have 3 fitness DVD's that I often rotate between. The one I use everyday (except Sunday...my "free" day) is one of Leslie Sansone's 5- mile walking DVD's, http://www.walkathome.com/store/product174.html. She has such a variety of amazing workouts, I know you will find at least one, that you would enjoy! Plus, she has a great personality and that helps a lot when you're watching the same DVD each day. She has some workouts that are set to praise music, as well.
Since I am pregnant, I also enjoy Leisa Hart's pregnancy workout http://www.leisahart.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PRN+015. I have been doing this one for the last 4 pregnancies and I love it! When I combine it with the 5-mile workout from Leslie Sansone, I don't do the whole workout, just the "Yoga Fat Burn" section. It's great for giving you energy and stretching you all over and preparing your body for labor and delivery.
The third one I like to do during pregnancy (and when I'm not pregnant) is Teresa Tapp's "Step It To the Max" DVD https://store.t-tapp.com/products/Step-it-to-the-Max-DVD.html. Don't let the "Max" part scare you, but if it does, there's an easier one called Step Away the Inches. You can buy them more cheaply in a set.
Now, that I've mentioned my favorite workouts, I have to tell you that you can make all of these as easy or as hard as you like! With Leslie Sansone's DVD, you can choose to do 1,2,3,4 or all 5 miles a day. On days when I have more energy, I will add ankle and/or hand weights to help workout my muscles even more!
The other thing I do, is listen to my Curves Freedom Fitness CD's while I do the workouts. I don't mind watching the DVD's everyday, with the sound off, but I do not like listening to the narration and same music on the videos everyday. So, I put the Curves praise music on my cell phone and the beat is perfect for doing all my workouts. Plus, these 3 are all set to Christian Lyrics (Praise music) and I love that! https://store.afa.net/p-10000017-curves-freedom-fitness-cd-vol-6.aspx Sometimes I will play them out loud when I exercise and if the children are awake, I will hear some of them singing the praise songs. Most days, I listen to the music with my ear buds. These CD's also help put me in a "worshipful" mood while I'm exercising and I especially like that!
With a small amount of investment (less than $50) or more, you can have a great workout each day, that you can customize yourself...be creative! And, depending on how you are feeling that particular day, do more or less. For most of us, we have days when we have more energy than others, but especially when we're pregnant, we have to make sure and monitor our energy levels and workouts accordingly.
You will never regret making exercise a part of your daily routine! And, remember the 4 E's! Exercise can (and should be) be Easy, Economical and Enjoyable!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Update on our family and request for support
Dear Family and Friends:
At the suggestion of four friends we are writing to ask you to consider supporting our family.
Most of you are aware that I resigned my position at Lamb & Lion Ministries around August first of last year, not knowing exactly what I would be doing. Although to many people, this has been deemed a "reckless and irresponsible" decision, Lori and I believed and still believe that it was God's timing for us to move on, trusting that God would provide opportunities for me to utilize my gifts and passions more fully. Within days of my resignation, I wrote my talent agents, Jaco & Philipa Booyen's of Advantage Model and Talent a letter and told them that I needed to replace my income. Their response was to tell me about the vision for After Eden Pictures, a calling that Jaco had received in mid-July. Simply stated, the vision was to be "light to the cesspool of the entertainment industry," and produce uplifting programming of all kinds. The calling is distinctive in that it demands very high production values that can compete with Hollywood and must be able to reach the unchurched. We are particularly interested in reaching young people who spend an average of five hours a day attending to various forms of media and are more than 400 times more influenced by the media than they are their parents, teachers, and church contacts.
Most of you know that we downsized about three years ago in order to focus on paying off debt and living more simply. We also felt called to spend more time together as a family and started a house church called His Olive Branch. God allowed us to reduce our debt from $204,000 to $82,000 including our mortgage. We home school the children and Nathan has been participating in an honors Christian worldview program for English, history, and social studies.
When I resigned from Lamb & Lion Ministries, after ten years of service, I was given a gracious severance of full pay until the end of last year. We have been able to pay all of our bills, maintain our vehicles, and missionary giving on time and we haven't missed any meals. The Lord has provided part-time flexible jobs for Lori, Nathan, Noah, and me and we have received numerous unsolicited gifts during this time. I have not sought permanent full-time employment because I feel compelled by the Lord to stay available for my work with After Eden Pictures, because that is where I believe God intends for me to serve. I also want to stay available for acting opportunities. My first feature film role is in a Christian film called Framed that God-willing, will be funded (3 million) the end of this year. I have not felt that it would be fair to potential employers to take a full-time position knowing that my heart's desire is to be engaged in the work of After Eden full-time within a few months.
What is the status of After Eden Pictures? We have two feature films and two TV shows in the works. The most promising developments are with one of the films, a true story of a godly small town hero; this film has investors who have verbally expressed a willingness to supply around $2 million for production, we have a commitment from another wealthy individual to supply $2-3 million for publicity and advertising. The second film also comes with some funding but is not as well developed at this point. We have shot promo and pilot footage for two TV shows: INsight and Hey Nice! Several networks are willing to carry the shows and have been very pleased with the concept, talent, and HD quality. Now, we are faced with the question of how to pay for the initial production expenses. God has not presented that solution yet. Since our first feature film has the most financial backing at this point, it may be that God will allow it to generate what is needed to fund our other projects but that would be a significant delay. We have also developed a social media network called INsightscene.com. You can visit www.INsightscene.com and view clips of INsight. You will notice that the site and the INsight TV show are not overtly Christian. We have designed it this way because the purpose of the show and the site are to reach unchurched young people and build relationships with them. All of the hosts and field reporters for INsight are solid, on fire, bold evangelicals. The majority of the guests will also be strong, well-known believers who have excelled in sports & entertainment.
Just so you know, the type of films that I desire to act in, produce, and direct...I would encourage you to watch The Butterfly Circus http://www.thedoorpost.com/
Please pray about helping us during this transition period, in whatever way the Lord leads. We would be especially grateful if someone could sponsor Nathan in continuing his participation in the Christian World View course in the Fall and if someone could assist with paying our share with Samaritan Ministries (a Christian alternative to typical health insurance). Please feel free to share this email with others.
Perhaps I have created more questions than answers, so please ask for clarification if needed. And feel free to call me anytime at 214-578-2644.
I'm going to sign off at this point and turn it over to Lori who has a few things to share with you.
Thank you for making it to this point in our email! :o) We felt it was important to put as many details as possible, so you can understand where God is taking us and how God is working in our lives. It's crucial that you know, that when Don said, "I believe it's time for me to leave Lamb and Lion," God spoke to me in my spirit and confirmed that fact. If Don had said that a few weeks earlier, my response would not have been so positive, because that would not have been God's timing.
We know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are smack-dab, in the middle of God's will. He has confirmed that on a daily basis this whole time, but especially since our income with Lamb and Lion was over, the end of the year. Each year, I write down blessings that the Lord has graciously given to us (or done for us) and we read them together, as a family on New Year's Day. Normally, I would have about 70-100 things written for the entire year, with 2-3 pages total. I started writing on January 18th, and in two months, I am already at #76 of blessings and am on page 10! How cool is that?!?!? God is a good Father and provider. He has been so gracious to remind us each day, with gentle encouragement, how we are staying in his will...and I might add, there's no better place to be! Living a life of faith is not always comfortable, but when you read the Bible, it's not filled with pages of people who lived lives of ease and comfort...instead they are faithful followers of faith, who often lived lives filled with hard work, sacrifice and suffering for the Lord. However, like us, no matter what the circumstances, they had the peace of Christ in their hearts.
As Don said, numerous people have told us that they would be excited about making this kind of investment in the lives of all people, young and old alike...and, that they know of others who would feel good about making this kind of investment. That's why we feel affirmed in sending this to you...most of all, we appreciate your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Don and Lori and family
At the suggestion of four friends we are writing to ask you to consider supporting our family.
Most of you are aware that I resigned my position at Lamb & Lion Ministries around August first of last year, not knowing exactly what I would be doing. Although to many people, this has been deemed a "reckless and irresponsible" decision, Lori and I believed and still believe that it was God's timing for us to move on, trusting that God would provide opportunities for me to utilize my gifts and passions more fully. Within days of my resignation, I wrote my talent agents, Jaco & Philipa Booyen's of Advantage Model and Talent a letter and told them that I needed to replace my income. Their response was to tell me about the vision for After Eden Pictures, a calling that Jaco had received in mid-July. Simply stated, the vision was to be "light to the cesspool of the entertainment industry," and produce uplifting programming of all kinds. The calling is distinctive in that it demands very high production values that can compete with Hollywood and must be able to reach the unchurched. We are particularly interested in reaching young people who spend an average of five hours a day attending to various forms of media and are more than 400 times more influenced by the media than they are their parents, teachers, and church contacts.
Most of you know that we downsized about three years ago in order to focus on paying off debt and living more simply. We also felt called to spend more time together as a family and started a house church called His Olive Branch. God allowed us to reduce our debt from $204,000 to $82,000 including our mortgage. We home school the children and Nathan has been participating in an honors Christian worldview program for English, history, and social studies.
When I resigned from Lamb & Lion Ministries, after ten years of service, I was given a gracious severance of full pay until the end of last year. We have been able to pay all of our bills, maintain our vehicles, and missionary giving on time and we haven't missed any meals. The Lord has provided part-time flexible jobs for Lori, Nathan, Noah, and me and we have received numerous unsolicited gifts during this time. I have not sought permanent full-time employment because I feel compelled by the Lord to stay available for my work with After Eden Pictures, because that is where I believe God intends for me to serve. I also want to stay available for acting opportunities. My first feature film role is in a Christian film called Framed that God-willing, will be funded (3 million) the end of this year. I have not felt that it would be fair to potential employers to take a full-time position knowing that my heart's desire is to be engaged in the work of After Eden full-time within a few months.
What is the status of After Eden Pictures? We have two feature films and two TV shows in the works. The most promising developments are with one of the films, a true story of a godly small town hero; this film has investors who have verbally expressed a willingness to supply around $2 million for production, we have a commitment from another wealthy individual to supply $2-3 million for publicity and advertising. The second film also comes with some funding but is not as well developed at this point. We have shot promo and pilot footage for two TV shows: INsight and Hey Nice! Several networks are willing to carry the shows and have been very pleased with the concept, talent, and HD quality. Now, we are faced with the question of how to pay for the initial production expenses. God has not presented that solution yet. Since our first feature film has the most financial backing at this point, it may be that God will allow it to generate what is needed to fund our other projects but that would be a significant delay. We have also developed a social media network called INsightscene.com. You can visit www.INsightscene.com and view clips of INsight. You will notice that the site and the INsight TV show are not overtly Christian. We have designed it this way because the purpose of the show and the site are to reach unchurched young people and build relationships with them. All of the hosts and field reporters for INsight are solid, on fire, bold evangelicals. The majority of the guests will also be strong, well-known believers who have excelled in sports & entertainment.
Just so you know, the type of films that I desire to act in, produce, and direct...I would encourage you to watch The Butterfly Circus http://www.thedoorpost.com/
Please pray about helping us during this transition period, in whatever way the Lord leads. We would be especially grateful if someone could sponsor Nathan in continuing his participation in the Christian World View course in the Fall and if someone could assist with paying our share with Samaritan Ministries (a Christian alternative to typical health insurance). Please feel free to share this email with others.
Perhaps I have created more questions than answers, so please ask for clarification if needed. And feel free to call me anytime at 214-578-2644.
I'm going to sign off at this point and turn it over to Lori who has a few things to share with you.
Thank you for making it to this point in our email! :o) We felt it was important to put as many details as possible, so you can understand where God is taking us and how God is working in our lives. It's crucial that you know, that when Don said, "I believe it's time for me to leave Lamb and Lion," God spoke to me in my spirit and confirmed that fact. If Don had said that a few weeks earlier, my response would not have been so positive, because that would not have been God's timing.
We know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are smack-dab, in the middle of God's will. He has confirmed that on a daily basis this whole time, but especially since our income with Lamb and Lion was over, the end of the year. Each year, I write down blessings that the Lord has graciously given to us (or done for us) and we read them together, as a family on New Year's Day. Normally, I would have about 70-100 things written for the entire year, with 2-3 pages total. I started writing on January 18th, and in two months, I am already at #76 of blessings and am on page 10! How cool is that?!?!? God is a good Father and provider. He has been so gracious to remind us each day, with gentle encouragement, how we are staying in his will...and I might add, there's no better place to be! Living a life of faith is not always comfortable, but when you read the Bible, it's not filled with pages of people who lived lives of ease and comfort...instead they are faithful followers of faith, who often lived lives filled with hard work, sacrifice and suffering for the Lord. However, like us, no matter what the circumstances, they had the peace of Christ in their hearts.
As Don said, numerous people have told us that they would be excited about making this kind of investment in the lives of all people, young and old alike...and, that they know of others who would feel good about making this kind of investment. That's why we feel affirmed in sending this to you...most of all, we appreciate your prayers.
Yours in Christ,
Don and Lori and family
Saturday, February 20, 2010
My favorite salad
I was going to post this on Valentines Day for a present for everyone (if a salad recipe is considered a present, LOL!) but I didn't get it done. So, here is my favorite way to prepare a salad...have fun with it...experiment and use things you like in your salad too! :o)
Throw a large handful of baby spinach on a plate...(then go wild!) :o)...then, I put some chopped Bell Pepper (and sometimes banana peppers), chopped Roma Tomatoes. You can add any kind of sprouts...my favorite are Sunflower Sprouts, but around here they're hard to come by and aren't in our budget right now. Most times, I will omit the sprouts and add chopped Walnuts (or the more budget friendly, Sunflower Seeds) and some Craisins (dried Cranberries). Then, I add some Feta or shredded Parmesan Cheese...yum! :o)
For the dressing, I mix about 1/2 cup of Rasberry Balsamic Vinegar, 2 T. Olive Oil (or Grapeseed Oil), and for sweetness I'll add 1-2 T. of Agave Nectar. This dressing will last for 2-4 personal salads or 1-2 family salads. Enjoy! :o)
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Fog on the Bridge
Lori and I are celebrating our 18th Wedding Anniversary today! We went to breakfast for Valentine's Day yesterday and were met with a very thick fog. As we struck out across the mile long bridge near our home we could only see about 20 yards ahead of us and it looked as though we were driving into the clouds. Life feels like that to us right now, we can only see far enough ahead to proceed slowly and trust that the bridge of God's love extends beyond what we can see. God is always God, and always good. I am so blessed by my amazing wife Lori!
Monday, February 8, 2010
How My Day Gets Started!
I thought I would write more specifically, about how I start my day with supplements (besides spending time with the Lord, my #1 priority in the morning)...Upon waking, the first thing I do is drink a lot of water. If I exercise first, I'll drink 24-48 oz. of water while I exercise. If I don't exercise first, I'll drink 24-48 oz. of water before I do anything else. Nancy Desjardins, of http://www.healthlady.com/ talks about the importance of hydrating your body properly when you first get up in the morning. This hasn't been easy for me...growing up, I didn't drink water first thing in the morning...I just didn't like it! Now, that I've been drinking water first thing, my body craves it, and that's a good thing!
The other thing I do most mornings is to take a supplement of "Vitamineral Green" from http://www.healthforce.com/ I can find it in our local health food store. I used to take spirulina by itself, but I've found that "Vitamineral Green," has more vitamins and minerals. Basically, I take this supplement to get the "good stuff" in my body and it also helps to get the "bad stuff" out. "Vitamineral Green" is recommended to take with water, but I don't like it with just water, so I mix about 1 T. in a juice glass of superfood green juice, like "Bolthouse Farms," "Naked Juice" or "Odwalla." My favorite is "Naked Juice," but I usually get "Bolthouse Farms" because it is cheaper. Nancy also recommends that we get enough fiber in our diets, so I also mix in 1-2 T. of ground flax seed (I buy flax seeds in the bulk section of Sprouts Farmers Market and grind it myself in my coffee grinder...it's not used to grind coffee anymore, lol!). Flax seed does not just contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, it also contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids (the "good" fats), as well as Lignans, which have both antioxidants and plant estrogen. Remember, if you take a supplement of Flax seed, you must drink a lot of water, to make up for all the fiber...
Since I am pregnant, I also take "Supermom" vitamins, which also contain spirulina. I like to purchase them here: http://supermomshealthandwellness.com/catalog.php?item=57&ret=catalog.php . Spirulina also gives you energy and is very good for you! :o)
These supplements took awhile to get used to, because my body wasn't used to such "good food." Now, I am used to it and I don't like to go a day without w/out these supplements to my daily eating routine. It's also comforting, because if I have a day when I don't eat as I should, at least I got some of the "good stuff" in first thing in the morning, LOL! :o)
Tell me what you think about these supplements, if you've tried them or if you try them in the future or if there are supplements you take in which you derive great benefit!
Blessings,
Lori
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