Funny Dreams...Is it pregnancy?

For whatever reason, I'm thinking it's pregnancy, I have these vivid dreams lately. While some of them have been nightmares, waking me with a rush of adrenaline, most of them are pretty funny.

Last week I dreamed I went surfing. It seemed so natural for me to be in the ocean catching waves with my surf board ;)

A few weeks ago I dreamed that I went back to the classroom. I walked in on the night of OPEN HOUSE (The day before school started), looked down, and I was wearing my big flannel pajamas. My hair wasn't combed, and I was wearing no make-up. Then as if that wasn't bad enough I realized that I hadn't worked in my new classroom at all during the summer. I didn't even know where the classroom was! I didn't even know what grade I was hired to teach! I became so angry with myself because I let all this time slip away and had done nothing to prepare. I had to walk into the administrator's office and ask her where my classroom was. Of course, she stared at me in amazement and at that point I woke up.

Last night I dreamed that Joshua was born and we were at home. Nathan and I were in the kitchen and he started screaming because he needed a clean diaper. I realized that I had no diapers in the house, no blankets or clothes to wrap him in, and our house had no order to it at all.

I'm no dream specialist, but perhaps I'm feeling unprepared? lol...except for the one where I went surfing...what was that all about ;)

Happenings in Our Home: An Invitation to Pray with Us

I'm 22 weeks pregnant with Joshua. He's kicking frequently now which is so much fun for this first time mommy. Praise the Lord and thanks to our family and friends, Nathan and I have made great progress in preparing to bring him home. The nursery furniture is purchased but not in his room yet. We have a rocking chair, travel system, pack-n-play, swing, high chair, several boxes of clothes, carrier (I can't remember what it's really called...it's the baby carrier that straps around you), baby blanket and pillow, bath towels, and a few toys. He is already much loved! I think my wonderful mom is going to come stay with us in May one weekend and teach me how to sew as well as sew some curtains and maybe even bedding for Joshua. (Thanks MOM!!!...or Gammy) I'm sure I'll include pictures later of the nursery when I get his things more organized. The due date is June 27th.

We're also making progress in saving for adoption. We are praying to begin the process of a China adoption next April (we invite you to pray along with us towards that end). Here are some of the methods of saving and raising we've implemented so far:

• We took savings from what was going to be for my tuition for the PhD at New Orleans BTS and put it towards the adoption.
• I've babysat, substitute taught, and ironed (and will be glad to continue for anyone in the Senoia, PTC, Fayetteville, Pike and Meriwether county area...for a donation towards adoption)
• I'm an assistant teacher on Wednesdays for New Hope South's Weekday Preschool.
• We had a very successful yard sale February 12th
• I'm selling books and movies on Amazon.
• Nathan has arranged a horse trade that resulted in being able to put some money towards adoption.
• God has enabled us to save each month through various means (rebates, low power bills, low grocery bills, etc).

Here are some of the fundraisers we have coming up (if you feel led, please pray for these coming up:

• I'm going to deliver a good number of spring items to a local clothing consignment store next Wednesday.
• We have another yard sale in Tallassee on March 3rd. --To all our Tallassee friends and family, the yard sale is advertized on and in Tallassee TV, Tallassee Times, and the Tribune for details if you're interested :) We'll also be posting signs.
• I'm continuing to sale books and movies on Amazon (Thank you everyone who have and are donating books and movies for us to sell.)
• Nathan is selling two horses on April 28th (Gus, the horse he has as a result of a trade, and Freckles). We've decided to keep Dudley. Dudley is the sweetest horse I've ever seen. I'm intimidated by most horses but I'm not intimidated by him at all. So, we're keeping him for our children to ride. As Nathan will tell you, he's for sale but for a higher price ;) He's less than three years old so he can live well into Joshua's twenties...not that we want to pressure our kids to ride in any way, but if they want to...Dudley's the horse they need. I'm getting off track. 
• POSSIBLE FUNDRAISER: We may have a location to set up a table in the Spring and Fall Cotton Picking Festival in Gay. I'm thinking of selling barn wood crafts and prints of the Olive Tree Painting.
• Tallassee Trade Day Booth: my mom and aunt have taught me to make these beautiful sugar cookies, so I'll be selling cookies, barn wood crafts, prints of the Olive Tree Painting and possibly raffling off an Auburn Football Basket and an Alabama Football Basket.

But the big fund raiser that I'm interested in starting by late spring (hopefully by April) is an art sale. I have a painting of an Olive Tree with a story as to how it represents those adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. I meet with a business in Fayetteville about the cost of printing. I think the prints of the painting will be offered in three different sizes all of which are very affordable. I'll be writing in detail about this one later.

So far we are 1/4 of the way toward the estimated goal total. If you have some fundraising ideas that you would like to share, I'd love to hear! I've been reading a few blogs with good ideas but I'm always looking for more.

Praise to the Lord

I'm overwhelmed by God's provisions! This is His song in me today...one of my favorite old hymns.

Praise To The Lord The Almighty

Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of creations;
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation:
All ye who hear,
Now to His temple draw near,
Joining in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shieldeth thee gently from harm, or when fainting sustaineth:
Hast thou not seen
How thy heart's wishes have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy shall daily attend thee:
Ponder anew
What the Almighty can do,
If to the end He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again:
Gladly for ay we adore Him.

Cold, Windy, and Sleeting: The Perfect Day for a Yard Sale

This post shares a testimony of God's faithfulness and a bit of my heart. It may seem to bounce around...but I hope it kind of makes sense. Here goes...

We owe several people many many "thank you"s for helping us put together our first yard sale to go towards our saving for adoption (we wish to begin the process next spring). The Smiths graciously opened their yard for us to sell...thank you! Our family donated items to go in the sale...thank you! Randy and Denise carried a truck and trailor full of furniture (which was a six hour or more trip)...thank you! My parents, siblings, and aunts donated much of the merchandise...thank you!

I'm not sure if I shared this in previous blogs, but I'm studying the book of Jeremiah right now, and God is faithfully teaching me about Himself. David Platt explains in his survey of the Old Testament (Google Secret Church Materials) that in the historical books we learn about what took place in Israel (and Judah)'s history. The prophets tell us about God's thoughts regarding what took place in Israel's history. Several themes are found throughout Jeremiah. 1. REPENTANCE: God wants more than shallow compliance to His rules...He wants our heart. He wants us to want to turn from our sinful ways and align ourselves with His thoughts. 2. HEART: God cares about the condition of our heart. The heart is mentioned at least 20 times between chapters 1-29. There's another theme I'll get to later.

God wants our heart to beat for Him. What struck me most recently is a passage in chapter 32 and like it always happens when I'm in the Word...Scripture and life meshed for me...I'm reading Jeremiah and preparing for a yard sale...last Friday morning. The dilemna for the yard sale was that I was dependant on others to make it happen and because so many people were involved in making it happen that we had to secure a date and stick with come snow or high water ;) . We can't use our house because we live down an obscure dirt road...no traffic...Google maps won't get you to my house. So we prayed. Some amazing friends of ours offered their home in the perfect location and we had a multi family sale. Thank You God...and Smiths. I'm really floored by Denise and Randy's willingness to DRIVE all the way to our house with so much stuff...to donate the stuff to begin with. And the same for my side of the family who are hosting another yard sale in March. Amazed by their kindness and encouragement.

Friday was overcast, wet, and cold. Saturday's forecast wasn't looking much better. I started my studies and here's some of my prayer journal:

PREFACE..I'm learning to ask God for my needs as my Abba. The concept is really hard for me because I truly believe in reverencing Him...BUT/AND/BUT we are told several times that He welcomes us to come to Him with every thought and anxiety...a post for another day and time.

JOURNAL:
Father, as I look outside I know it's supposed to rain today. We have a big yard sale tomorrow. I pray for safety on the rode today for Randy and Denise's travel. If I could ask of You one thing -Abba- it will be that You fill me with Your Spirit and come what may--Your joy. Will You enable this yard sale to be a success: in attitude, heart, and physically (weather, customers). Thank You for Nathan...my precious husband. Thank You for Joshua...my precious son. I pray Lord over this weekend. Abba--Daddy--I cry out to You on behalf of this yard sale and the raising money for the adoption--the journey seems so long--so far off into the future.

Another theme in Jeremiah is plucking and planting (which coincides well with the Heart Cry workshop I've been going through at church...an orphan ministry...another post for another day) God's discipline over me as His child is painful and difficult but it is ultimately for my good. As an adopted child of God, He is teaching me through all circumstances (delightful, easy, difficult, painful circumstances) that He is at work sanctifying me. But Friday as I read...My Heavenly Father basically gave me a little gift and for that I'll always have this passage highlighted in my Bible (keep in mind that I've been studying the context...and simply don't have the space or time to cover that important aspect...God just told Jeremiah to do something that doesn't make sense given his present cirumstances):

Jeremiah 32:16 (Jeremiah's speaking)
"I prayed to the LORD, saying 'Ah Lord God! Behold You have made the heavens and the by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You"...(and the rest of the passage is good too)

Jeremiah 32:26-27 (The beginning of God's response to Jeremiah)
"The the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah saying, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?"

Then God tells Jeremiah how He will unfold history and how He will bring Israel (His chosen people back to the land...His discipline will not last forever)

Jeremiah 32:40-41  (God's words)
"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and all My soul..."

I mean when I read these words last Friday morning...I cried. First of all, the fresh awareness that when my Heavenly Father--Abba--tells me to love Him with all my heart and soul and strength, I don't obey Him simply because He says to, I obey Him because He loved and restored me first...with all His heart and soul. He planted me into His family through the cross of Christ...praise His name I am included in that everlasting covenant.

I still saw that the weather forecast predicted a cancelled yard sale, I still asked God to prosper the yard sale, but I had a fresh awareness that if the yard sale was a flop it was because the God who loves me with all His heart and soul thought it to be in our best interest. He doesn't need a yard sale to raise money for an adoption.

 JOURNAL AFTER READING JER.32
No Lord nothing. Nothing is too difficult for You, and You love me. You have made me a mommy. You have put adoption on my heart. You are not casting Your face away because of the cold icey weather. You will work in spite of it. Thank You Lord. Help me to love the way You do. You don't feel lukewarm and apathetic toward Your children--but You tend to us with all Your heart and soul. Just thank You.

Well I'm not saying that everytime I ask of God, He says yes and right away (or yes at all)...He doesn't...because I don't always ask for what's best. But I will say that inspite of the cold weather (and it did sleet for about five minutes at which point I stood stunned after all that the people around me had done to help I thought that was it), inspite of the weather...God did send customers and the yard sale was a success. We raised a little over $700!

I would be one ungrateful child of God if I didn't give Him a big thank You!
I'm overwhelmed by His love today.

Joshua Randal Thompson

We're having a boy! A picture's worth a thousand words.

Praise the Lord Jesus Christ;

"For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him." Colossians 1:16

JOSHUA RANDAL THOMPSON