A Year in Review and What's Next

This is going to be one of those New Year's Resolution posts.  If you're reading, I am assuming you want to. I hope!

This past year was intense and took a lot of faith building.  As a family, we've really worked on the idea of Life Balance as Fabian has had about two jobs for most of the year.

I think this picture is hilarious.

Life balance isn’t about a 50/50 split. It’s about being 100% present.
Life balance isn’t about doing everything for an equal amount of time. It’s about doing the right things at the right time. - Christy Wright

It's about quality not quantity.

2015
Malachi entered our family this year.
Benaiah turned 2.
We had our 4th wedding anniversary.
We moved into a new home in a wonderful neighborhood.
Fabian had the opportunity to be an Interim Youth Pastor to an amazing church in Channelview.
He got promoted at his job and got to be located 15 minutes from home.
I set a personal goal to lose 10 pounds, and lost 12 pounds.
We are 4 days away from paying off our car loan. :)
We paid off 13,976.36 in debt in 2015.

We've had so many good changes this year! My scripture for the year was "Many are the plan's in a [woman's] heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails." As I'm about to write my goals for next year, I'm keeping that scripture in mind.

2016
This year is going to be an exciting whirlwind, I'm sure.  We have lots of changes coming in the next months!

1. I'd like to be intentionally grateful more.  I am a firm believer that we choose to be happy.   By being grateful, it's easier to be happy, joyful, and most of all content.

2. The obvious goal. I'd like to lose 15 pounds.  I don't pretend to be naive to the fact that I'm a curvy girl.  :) I've been that way since Junior High.  I strive for healthy, not small or skinny. I enjoy losing weight slowly. I've taken on Trim Healthy Mama. My mom told me about them and I really really like it! I, in fact, made a chocolate cake this week for my sweet tooth from a recipe in their book. It was delicious. Believe it or not, it was sugar free. I hope to share more about it in the coming months.

Corpus Christi (My home.)

3.  I'd like to read one book a month. I've made my list and will be posting about which books I'll be reading soon. Reading is vitally important.  If you tell me you don't like to read, I'd say you haven't found the right book yet! Reading gets my brain working and thinking.  I've read books this past year that made me a better Jesus follower, wife, and mother.

4. This is a huge goal for us this year as a family. We'd like to pay off $20,000 in debt. That's not all our debt, but it's a large chunk of what's remaining!  Our money is not ours.  Our money is God's.  We want to be good stewards of His money.  That means continuing on this journey. If not 2016, we'll be debt-free in 2017!

5. Blog more this year! Yes, including about finances and budgeting! Finances are such a HUGE part of our lives.  It affects everything we do. I don't feel that money is talked about enough. If it means sharing our past money mistakes in order to detour others from making the same mistakes then I'm going to keep sharing.

 I write this blog to encourage, uplift, and inspire.  I'm hoping you will find it so!

Happy New Year!

Love,
Leah

P.S. This is the evolution of their brotherly relationship.

A Longing Fulfilled

A few months ago, our pastor Steven Owens, did a sermon around the following scripture verse.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

When Fabian and I were dating with the intention of getting married, we both communicated our desire to do ministry at a church. We thought that's where we were headed at the age of 20.

God had other plans.
{Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it's the Lord's purpose that prevails. Pro. 19:21}

For the last 4 years of our marriage, many many things did not go our way.

Here are 4 examples:
1. We worked jobs we did not care for.
2. Fabian was jobless for 4 months.  (He's a hard and diligent worker and worked odd jobs here and there.)
3. We had a baby before I graduated college.
4. We tried to move away from Houston.

When our plans fail, it enables us to consider other options,  And it often changes the trajectory of our lives. 
I can't help but know that through all these obstacles the Lord was paving a way.

One of the most important lessons we've learned these past four years is that ministry is not done at a church.  Ministry is done in the workplace, at schools, and most significantly the home.

The church is for equipping us everyday people so we as the {C}hurch can show unconditional love to those our pastors can't reach.

"Doing ministry" is not about working for a church.  "Doing ministry" is loving your family. It's bringing a friend a meal.  It's supplying funds to ministries trying to help with the refugee crisis.  We get so caught up thinking pastors and people that work for a church do ministry, but it is us.  It's you.

When you show grace to your son, that's ministry.
When you watch a friend's son, that's ministry. 
When you take care of your neighbor's dog, that's ministry. 
When you encourage a friend, that's ministry.
When you buy your co-worker lunch, that's ministry.

Two years ago, we decided to start paying off our debts. Although we were unsure of where God was leading us. We knew one steadfast truth that our Lord does not want us to be slaves to the lender.  My husband got a great job at a Fortune 500 company and I was able to stay home with our boys.
Fabian's hope for working at a church was deferred while our Father taught us valuable lessons.

Valuable lessons about marriage, raising a family, money, and real life in the workplace. The workplace where the temptation is high and grace is hard to find.

But God is still there.

While you're waiting for that longing to be fulfilled, He's still there.  Friend, our Daddy is trying to teach you something.  You may not know what it is now, but He's a good Father. He knows.  Every moment and every set back has purpose. There's a reason for your struggle.  There's a reason you are in the season you are in now.  Hang on.  Keep going.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

This year,  doors started opening for Fabian and I.  We walked through them.  

Here we are.  

We recently had a meeting with our pastor to discuss Fabian's/our future at Willowbrook Church.  Fabian is now the creative director and NextGen Leader at our home church.

God brought us to Willowbrook church for purpose 4 years ago. We are just now seeing a small piece of His grand plan. 

I truly believe He has one for you too. 

Friend, would you pray for us?  Fabian will be still be working his full time job and will be working part time at our church.  Although this is just for a season, we could use the extra thoughts as we figure out how to balance life during this time.  I do have to mention. Fabian is great at turning off the T.V. and putting his devices on the bookshelf in order to show uninterrupted devotion to me and the boys.  Pray that we will continue to rely on the Holy Spirit for His guidance and grace.  Pray for the coming transitions to be smooth. 

We still can't quite wrap our minds around the perfection that is God's timing. 

Thanks for being apart of our journey.

Love,
Leah