Be the Blessing...

What does that mean? We have been discussing this on a daily basis as a family. What can we do today to be a blessing? It started out at bedtime one night when we were all getting ready to pray. I started asking the boys what they felt it meant to be a blessing to someone. We also talked about what it would be to be a blessing to each other. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31 This is like the golden rule after all right? Brothers will be brothers of course, but we were talking about lifting each other up. Saying positive things and looking for the good in what each other does rather than looking for what they might do wrong. At the same time we know that we can be a blessing to others wherever we may go. Follow God's example...Ephesians 5:1 What can we do for others to be a blessing? One answer was give money if they needed help. Yes, we can give money but it doesn't always have to be about money to be a blessing. We can help someone...another answer. Yes, we can help someone for sure. Maybe there is something that needs to be done and someone needs help. "See a need, fill a need"... from Robots. This is kind of a little motto in our house. This can be anything! Even if you see something laying around and you know it needs to be picked up...you see a need...you fill a need! We are told in Matthew 5:16...In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Let our light shine! Let God's radiance be seen wherever we are! No, we aren't perfect...and we never will be this side of heaven. However, we know that we can work miracles in people and around us every day just by being kind and somehow being a blessing wherever we are. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28.  What happens when you put others above yourself? What a difference we can make if we only look past ourselves to see what someone else might need. Whether it is an encouraging word, a praise, help where needed, maybe it is monetary...a blessing can be as small as a smile and a simple thank you. Maybe it is a hug to someone who needs it! BE THE BLESSING!!! Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves. Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Philippians 2:3-4. As I tell my boys, this world is hard enough. Kids (and adults) are put down and drug down on a daily basis. Be the one to share a smile and a pat on the back. Be the one to support and say "good job". I hope we all remember the next time we are in a restaurant...or in a store...in a parking lot...on the ball field or in the stands...no one is perfect.  Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has a bad day...they don't need to be reminded from you. Be the blessing and share an encouraging word.  You never know what that person is going through or what they are dealing with. The Lord Bless you and keep you. Numbers 6:24

Speak It...

It has been a long time and I was recently asked why I hadn't been writing in my blog...I didn't really have an answer for it other than well life's is just busy with four boys. I miss writing and I think about it often with anticipation of STARTING...but not sitting down to actually START.

God has placed upon my heart lately about being obedient. Being obedient to HIM! There have been some things I have been struggling with and honestly God has been spelling the answers out in front of me LITERALLY! I am not listening. I am not trusting. I am not being faithful that he will accomplish and do what I know only He CAN do. So afraid of making a mistake and so afraid of not making the right decision and because of this I am missing the blessing. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will NOT be afraid...Psalm 56:4 Why am I not faithful to believe God can do ALL that he says he will do. Why do I second guess what God is saying for me to do. Why am I letting Satan win the battle of the mind in telling me I am wrong. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:30  FAITH...have faith that God will save me and protect me. TRUST...that he is always with me and will never leave me.

For so long in our lives I believe we have just been content or maybe the word is complacent...these two words have been bouncing around in my mind for months. What is it to be content? What is it to be complacent? We have looked at life as "well this is the way it is...this is what you do...this is the norm...this is the way things are...this is what my parents did their whole life". However, over the last year or so we have realized that what we were living was a lie and was not the truth so we chose to SPEAK IT! SPEAK LIFE...SPEAK HOPE... SPEAK with PURPOSE....... We have found that the little world we were living in was just that...a little world and that there is this great big world out there that we thought for certain we couldn't enjoy...we just couldn't.  We saw from others what life could be like and for a moment you feel...well that could never be me.  Why not? Why not me? Why not us? Why not? So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid..." Hebrews 13:6 I will never know until I try and step out in Faith and let God have complete control of the decisions and of the situation. So if I give God control...am I going to listen when he spells out the answers in front of me? Am I going to listen to what he is calling me to do? For us it is a time of change. There are some things that need to change and God is laying the path in front of us. WE MUST FOLLOW! WE MUST BE FAITHFUL!

I know that the Lord puts certain people in our lives to help us...to be better people and to GROW! Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain; to the place where you dwell Psalm 43:3 . I truly feel we are at the foot of this great mountain....we are taking our first steps as we climb...each step may not be solid and each step may not be stable but we know God has placed the mountain in front of us for a reason. WE MUST CLIMB! Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead...1 Samuel 17:49. The battle is never too big when Go has control. We are on a journey...it may be only the beginning of our journey but God has placed it before us and we will watch as He unfolds each step for us. If you think of us...pray for these steps...pray that I will be faithful and listen as God commands me to move forward and to know the right steps to take as I do.

So much...So little

So much to do...so little time!  I believe this may be my new motto.  How I miss my blog but can never seem to find time to sit down and enjoy sharing my heart with all of you.  It has just been a crazy June...but a good June!  It has been busy with preparing for vacation bible school, the actual week of bible school, David gone to 4-H Camp for a week, David and two of the boys gone to Centri-Kid camp...June is now GONE!  The days seem to have all run together this month with hardly any time to breath!  Summer is flying by and it feels we have hardly had time to stop and smell the roses.  It has been a great month though.  I love bible school and look forward to it every year.  Every year I think I should step down and let someone else take over and every year I am blessed beyone measure at the end of the week.  I just pray others are blessed as much as I am. 

June has been a month of dealing with illnesses within the family.  Family members who are suffering with cancer and also being the care giver to the sick.  It seems like every time you turn around...that word always comes up.  Someone has cancer...someone died of cancer...I hate that word! Honestly, it scares me!  I guess what scares me is the process it takes on the person. It's aweful...plain and simple!  With this being said it has made me really take a look at the things I choose to complain about!  The last few weeks I have caught myself dwelling on certain issues instead of giving them to God like I should in the first place.  I have caught myself saying I have to do this and I have to do that.  When in reality, it doesn't even matter!  What matters is holding those dear ones close to you and making sure they know how loved they are! Making sure that I don't tell them "no" or "in a minute" or "wait" unless I absolutely have to!  When a church friends son got sick a couple of weeks ago, I thought how quickly life can change.  One second things are fine...the next they are not!  We never know when that second is that things can change.  We don't know when the last harsh word we said will be the last thing they remember! 

I pray to be the better mom...the better wife...the better daughter...the better sister...but most of all the better child of God.  I can worry about the inevitable. I can worry about the things that I can't change. I can worry about everything. But, in the end it won't change anything.  You see, God already knows the end just as he knew the beginning.  I refuse to spend my life worrying about what is to be.  I know that God has put his people on this planet for a purpose and that is to win souls to Christ.  I had the priviledge of seeing a child after they had accepted Christ as their Saviour at Bible School.  Let me just tell you that my heart was overjoyed to see the face of that precious child.  When I saw the Centri-Kid video and saw those kids worshipping with raised hands because they love God...I couldn't help but cry! I am so proud of my boys and so very thankful that we were able to send them to Centri-Kid this year! I watched Jeff Slaughter on stage and thought to myself...THIS IS WORSHIP.  This is what every Sunday morning...Sunday evening...and Wednesday night worship service should look like.  Not that we have to be jumping around all the time.  But praising God with raised hands and not caring who sees it or what someone thinks.  Not worried about being solemn and still and afraid to make a peep.  I am not bashing church by any means...I guess I am just thirsty for some worship amongst believers.  Ready for some worship other than in my car on the way to work and back.  God is good! We just need to let other people know how good he really is!!

Blessed beyond measure!

5 years ago...2 years ago...

It will be five years tomorrow that we lost David's dad to cancer.  In one instance it seems like yesterday and then again it seems like so long ago!  This was definately one of the hardest trials of our lives and our children's lives.  To watch a family member wither away in pain and suffering is a very hard thing to go through.  Our prayer for my precious father-in-law was for the Lord to heal him in what ever way the Lord saw fit...his will be done!  That he did!! He got the ultimate healing of no more pain, no more sorrow, no more suffering, no more needles, no more medicine, just no more.... That may sound harsh and it is not meant to be.  David's dad was a farmer....a cowboy!  He spent his days on horeseback tending cows, fences, feeding, doing hay...you name it he was doing it from daylight until dark.  When he got sick he couldn't do those things.  He was never going to be able to do those things again and he was miserable.  No one wants to see a family member go through this.  With Christ in our lives and knowing that he was a Christian we had no worries about tomorrow.  For when tomorrow came, we knew where he was.  We knew he was healed.  We knew that he was whole and complete again.  Without Christ it does leave those worries about tomorrow.  We do have family members that are unsaved and unwilling to accept Christ and all of his infinite grace and it is a very sad situation.  I cannot imagine my life without being able to talk to my Father....my Heavenly Father!  The one who created me and by his grace I am here today!  By his grace I may not understand why things happen or why people die of cancer or why some are taken at such a young age to such a horrible disease.  But, what I do know is that Christ has a plan.  A plan that I do not see.  A plan that I do not understand.  But, it is God's plan and therefore I will rejoice!  I miss David's dad and I know that my kids do also. Some days I am sad that he never got to see our Noah this side of Heaven...and what a time they would have had!  We have so many memories and I am so thankful that I was part of his life for 10 years before he passed away.  I praise God that he raised a son like David who has grown up to be such a wonderful man of God, a spectacular father, and an inspiration to me everyday.  I got the best gift I could ever get from Larry...that was David!!  Thank God we found each other...thank God we stuck through the rough times and built our foundation and family on Christ.  Thank God we have a wonderful church family whom we can depend on!  I am reading a book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp "A Dare to live fully right where you are".  It has been amazing about not understanding why but knowing that God's why is all the answer we need! He has a plan and we have to trust it! 

Two years ago we were blessed with Elliott Elizabeth!  This my niece!  We were blessed to be able to turn May 11th from a day of losing a love to a day of gaining a love.  She is a precious baby girl and I can see she and Noah are going to be great friends!  So thankful for May 11th in so many ways!  Heaven gained a wonderful Godly man and we gaine a beautiful baby girl to our family!

Happy Birthday Elliott!

Of course, May 12th is David's birthday and I am blessed to call him my husband and my best friend!  God certainly has a plan for us and it may not always be smooth and the road may get bumpy...but we will enjoy the ride and be thankful for the time we have here on this earth...however long it may be!

Ellie and Noah....doing their moves (Ellie 3 months, Noah =brand new)

Precious Girl!
Bless her with one brother and 4 boy cousins!

Beautiful Days...

Yes, it has been way way too long since I have had a post.  With warm weather and sunshine my heart is pulled outdoors.  I am very much the outdoor person...which is bad for the inside of my house!  I love spring when it is time to plant flowers and do all those projects that need to get done.  So much has been going on in our house with a few camping trips, work, and all the other stuff we have just been wide open!  Our is just busy and full of life all the time!  I wouldn't change it for a thing.  I feel very blessed that God has entrusted me with these four precious boys...which when thinking about it can be a little overwhelming too...but we will take it one day at a time!  We are finding it hard to believe that the school year is almost over and that we will have one in 6th grade next year...a little scary for momma!  Finding it hard to believe that the last 11 years have flown by like they have!  But, so looking forward to what God has in store for each of my little blessings.

After school the boys are often found on the trampoline with Mason doing some amazing flips...and double flips, swinging, Jack riding the motorcycle, chasing each other around the yard, or just being lazy hanging out in the screened-in porch.

Mason doing his flips!

Who's that cute little fella swinging in the big boy swing?

Boys shooting in an archery tournament!

Dylan being silly!

Easter Morning!

Losing a front tooth!

Enjoying sunsets at the lake!

What a beautiful life we have!  Loving every minute of it. 

I have started a new book thanks to a friends suggestion, call "Radical" by David Platt.  I am just digging in to it but can tell it is really going to make me think.  How excited and in depth do we get with our Lord?  How committed am I the the Lord?  Giving him a few minutes of my time each day is not what he deserves.  How much do I share my faith with others....not nearly enough!  Reading about how he was going to other countries where they thirst for knowledge in knowing their Bible. I want that hunger and thirst!  Also, if there were no pews, air conditioning, all the comforts we are used to when we go sit in service on Sunday's and Wednesdays...would I still attend to know and learn more?  Christ gave it all for me...what do I give for him?  I can answer that...NOT NEAR ENOUGH.  It will never be enough!  I hope and pray that I can share my faith more and dig in deeper and harder to everything that I pursue and in some way incorporate Christ into it.  He should be my all in everything I do.  I should ask myself before doing anything if I can glorify God in some way each and every day in everything I pursue.

Have a blessed day my friends...I will try not to stay gone so long this time! 



AdvoCare...

Something that I am very excited to share with you is a new adventure David and I are taking.  A little over a month ago a friend of mine from high school got in touch with me!  I had heard of AdvoCare and had been following her family and another friend from high school as they were doing remarkable things through this company.  If you remember part of my New Years post was about getting into shape.  For the past year I had been "stuck" at the same weight.  I would exercise and I just could not break through that barrier.  My friend Casey from high school told me about the 24 Day Challenge and I decided it was something I wanted to try!  Not only did I try it but I am now an Independent Distributor for AdvoCare.  AdvoCare is a health and nutrition company that has been in business for 19 years!  They are not your fly by night company or the newest fad around.  They are a solid...might I add...debt free company!  A company whose #1 guideline is to Honor God through Faith, family and friends!  Amazing!!! After reading this and much prayer David and I knew that this was a journey we wanted to take!  Not only are we taking it we are jumping in feet first and we are so very excited about the results we have seen in the past month.  I have lost about 14 pounds with David having lost about the same!  I have broken through that barrier and I am in better shape and HEALTHIER than I have been in several years due to AdvoCare products.  These are not diet pills, they are not the newest found weight loss remedy...they are supplements...THAT WORK!  Putting nutrition into our bodies that we try to get from food but because of our choices don't always get. I know you have seen my posts about weight loss and it is not all about weight loss...it is about being healthy! I also know you probably get tired of them!  I can't help it!  I am so excited to share what this company and their products are doing for myself, my family as well as others around me!  For a while I had been praying for the Lord to point me in the direction he wanted me to go!  I felt as if there was something I needed and wanted to be doing that I was missing!  Guys, I believe the Lord has answered my prayer!  I love helping people, I love the excitement when I get a text early in the morning or late at night from a friend who says "you know I feel better than I have in years" or "I just got in pants I haven't been able to fit in for a long time"!  I love this!  My dad has been able to lose over 20 lbs in the last month using AdvoCare products.  He needs knee replacement surgery...but you know what, with being able to lose some weight we may be able to prolong that surgery for a while.  So very thankful for this company and excited about what our future holds with them! 

Full speed ahead...

Boy am I a slacker!  It has been way too long since my last post!  It has been crazy busy in the Bussell household.  A good busy but ready to slow down just a little bit and enjoy my sweet boys!  A lot has been going on!  Your normal school everyday...with no snow days in sight...bummer for all of us!  The boys all started karate right before Christmas with Mason and Jack adding tumbling into the mix!  They are loving it but keeps us moving and busy two nights a week.  We had a fun little run with the boys last weekend.  There was an adventure race in Nashville.  So, we loaded up and ran!  All of us...with the exception of Noah of course!  Grandma was nice enough to come watch him while we all ran!  I got to run with Mason which was so much fun and David and Jack ran together.  Dylan ran with a girl from their track club who was in his age group so everyone had a partner!  The weather had been perfect the week before and, of course, it turned off so cold the day we ran!  Oh well, had fun anyway!




Mason and me running!





David and Jack running!

Mason and I putting at one of the stations along with Jack and David!

Dylan and Dani Running!

We had a great time!  Enjoyed doing something fun with our boys!  Which brings me to another subject!  We get one chance on this earth.  One chance with our loved ones, one chance to do the things that matter, one chance to serve our Lord in the way he is meant to be served.  None of us know when that moment or second will be that we will no longer be here.  I am so guilty of not taking time...time for the kids, time to really do what matters, more time devoted to God!  Instead I worry about the house and whether it is clean, worry about work and what I haven't gotten done there.  If I died today what do I want my kids to remember?  I don't want them to remember mom was always fussing about messes, cleaning, etc...I want them to remember time spent with them!  I cannot wait for camping season!  Only a few weeks away and we will be hitting the lake building campfires, riding bikes, hiking, fishing...all of the things we hold dear and cannot wait to spend time with our boys doing.  Take time for what really matters...because we don't know how short our time is!