CROSSfitter

I'm pretty convinced the Lord has hacked into Proverbs 31 Ministries and has been sending me personalized devotions!

For the past few months, all of the devotions have directly spoken to me & something I'm currently struggling with.
You know... here lately it's the struggle to sell this house!
Today's devotion was on "making our journey easier"
Scripture was Revelation 3:7b that only God can open a door & no one can close it. And, when he closes a door no one can open it.

From the devo:

I longed for God to stamp "yes" stickers on all my prayer requests and open every door of opportunity that I thought would be the perfect fit for me. But that didn’t happen.

YES YES YES! That would be me Folks!

Instead, I faced many challenges and obstacles. It seemed as if I’d take one step forward and three steps backward … like I was encountering more roadblocks than open doors. My self-made highway toward all those dreams started to look more like a dirt road littered with potholes of discouragement and puddles of frustration. So, I prayed harder, sought God more and asked why He wasn’t taking all of my great ideas into consideration. I wanted to be optimistic and full of faith, but the more I pondered and asked questions, the more I second-guessed my calling. Self-doubt filled my mind:

If God has gifted and called me to this, shouldn’t it be easier?If I’m trying to do God’s will, why does it seem like He’s denying all my prayer requests? Surely, He knows this is important to me!Look at this great opportunity. It’s exactly what I’ve been asking for! Why do I keep getting overlooked?

YES! This is sooooo me!

But let me interrupt my pity party and say that this is where I get to exercise that faith muscle! The one that is on the tad bit weak side! He is wanting me to DO work! Everyone knows I have a love/hate relationship with Crossfit. Love it because I hate it & hate it because I love it... (well as much as one can love an exercise routine)! It's hard and you have to set your mind to each WOD before you begin or else you will not finish! And during the WOD you have to persevere to come out victorious! After the WOD which tests you like nothing else physically, you look back, amazed at the accomplishment! I have been out of Crossfit for about 3 months due to the move, etc and without that regular regimen of hard, core strengthening work I have become a little... well... let's say SQUISHY! Maybe that's what my faith is looking like too. SQUISHY! If I would exercise that faith muscle MORE & strengthen it, it would ultimately be STRONGER!

Then this thought came to me: A closed door is not God’s objection toward me; it’s His sovereign protection over me.Suddenly that changed everything. I looked at the closed doors in my life from a new perspective.
God loves me too much and knows me too well to give me everything I ask for. His protection for me will always override my earthy wants and desires. Even when I have the best intentions in mind, His plan is always better.

YES! So instead of sulking and whining about the nos & not-right-nows, I need to embrace them as the Lord's protection over me & our family. He knows much more what we need than I do. And, I am CHOOSING to exercise that faith muscle to be a different kind of CROSSfitter!

Thank you Jesus!

~Til next time~
Kelly

Discipline or DISCIPLING

Last evening our realtor informed us that the people we had counter offered ended up making an offer on another house. Disheartening to hear.
However, I can feel my faith strengthing. Yes, there's still a little anxiousness, but a little more at peace with things.
This morning, my devotion was about surrendering all control again. About not pouting about my unmet expectations and unfulfilled prayers. Not losing sight of who God is in the midst of all of it and not being consumed by hurt that follows all the series of "nos and not-right-nows". The Scripture was "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6
Then my verse of the day from my Bible App was Hebrews 12:11 "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

I looked up all the definitions of discipline.
: control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior
: a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders
: behavior that is judged by how well it follows a set of rules or orders

I do not believe the Lord is punishing us...but I do believe there is a form of training...day in/ day out of what he wants to see more of from me. Quite possibly if I can learn to surrender things to Him quicker and fully trust Him to fulfill His promises to me then my harvest will come and I will experience more peace as a result.

We will leave for vacation Saturday. As of right now, I am surrendering the house sale to Him. I am NOT going to think about it on our vacation. I am going to enjoy time with my family and all the blessings the Lord has blessed me with and not let the real estate woes rob me of those joys the Lord has provided.

The Lord will sell this house!

~Til next time~
Kelly

"Buyer Terminated"

I saw those words in the subject line of an email. Fear shot right through me and I couldn't even bear to open the email for a few minutes. I didn't want to know.... ignorance is bliss. We definitely weren't prepared to read those words yesterday. We were enjoying peace and resting in faith that everything was moving along smoothly. The family had been to our home 4 times and in their words they loved the house and yard, wrote a contract for full asking price that night! Then, without any further explanation all of a sudden they terminate just short of the due diligence period ending. I can only assume their financing fell through. Nothing else makes sense to me. I am praying they will find a home that will work for their family.


Whatever the reasoning, now it feels like we're back at ground zero. Coming down off that mountain high down to the dark valley. We did have another offer to come in & we're currently working on that one to see if we can find a middle ground. So there is a light in this dark valley. Praying God will illuminate it big time & carry us right back up to the mountain top!


It's just so hard to understand how the Lord works & WHY He works the way He does. It's a very human thing to want to know it all. But, if we knew it all there'd be no room for faith. Hebrews 11:1 again says, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see". And I am claiming Romans 8:28 "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"


In my daily devotion today, from Proverbs 31 Ministries the lady writing was speaking about a fear she had and about being afraid. In the midst of a meltdown the Lord whispered a reminder to her "Yet You are holy..." She went on to say more about that short three-letter-word YET!

Yet tells us the story hasn’t fully been told.

Yet tells us a page is about to be turned.

Yet tells us God has a different perspective

On the surface Allan & I feel as though we are crumbling, but Our God has us in His hands and will hold us together & sustain us. Now, I am choosing to continue praising Him because I know there's a YET for us about to turn to a YES! Dare I say it be a better yes??


 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises." Psalm 22:1-3 (NIV)

God isn’t just the God of the calm and peaceful. He isn’t just God in the happy and safe. He’s God in the chaos. He’s God in the courtroom, the emergency room, the waiting room and the viewing room. AND HE'S GOD IN THE MIDDLE OF A TERMINATED CONTRACT 5 DAYS BEFORE OUR SCHEDULED DISNEY VACATION!

He is always holy. Even now.

Trouble may abound but God is holy still. His sovereignty takes the pressure off of us to control our sometimes scary circumstances and hold tightly to the things we think will bring us comfort. Because God shows up, we can live our lives unafraid.

Then my 2nd devotion from Daily Hope from Rick Warren the key verse was Romans 1: 12 "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you" Again, I know our children are watching & learning.  As we talked about the crushing news on our new back porch in the midst of a major thunderstorm...rain pounding & wind wooshing like crazy... the Lord is in control & is worthy of ALL our praise! The fact that we won't make it to Disney this summer unless a radical miracle happens before Friday, we STILL have so much to be thankful for. Just because things don't go our way, the way we think it should go, we STILL praise the Lord for His faithfulness to us. We are STILL going to Florida, activities are just changing. We STILL have an amazing new home on gorgeous land that HE provided for us! We STILL have an ongoing chat with a potential buyer. And we STILL have Jesus if all else fails. Praise the Lord for all of our STILLS we notice and the STILLS we fail to notice!


Til next time... praying for the "Yet" to turn to a "Yes" & praising the Lord because of His faithfulness!




 

Forever a Student

My boys' days at Dacula Elementary are coming to an end.
It's a very bittersweet time for me. Exciting times lay ahead, but that doesn't make the goodbye to Dacula and easy access to friends any easier. I may have already shed a tear or two. Dacula Elementary has been an amazing school and we have loved each & every teacher we've ever had there. Each of them have gone above and beyond to teach my boys and to give them all a very firm educational foundation. I am forever thankful to all of them. My boys are excellent students and excel in so many areas that I often wonder how they can be my children. They clearly get all their awesome student-ness from their Daddy! I wasn't always the best student. I gave about 80-85% of myself and received about that much in return on most things I did. So, I wasn't terrible, but there was always room for improvement if I just applied myself a bit more.

I am still a student. You see being a Christ follower is like being a student forever because we area always learning as we journey through this life. Every verse is living and active yesterday, today & tomorrow. Each day I am taught new lessons using the same verses. This home selling business has definitely been a test of my faithfulness to hold steadfast to the Truths that I know. Just like I did as a student, I have been giving about 80-85% effort of the selling of the house to the Lord. The other 15-20% was me trying my best to get this house under contract because the control freak in me thought if I just put the couch this way or make the beds just so or make it as "southern living" as I could I would sell the house. I'm pretty sure the Lord requires me to fully surrender it all, still I only surrendered a little bit to Him. Time & time again, we had buyers coming to look and yet no offers. As of today, our house has been listed for 57 days. We think our house is awesome & if it were on 25 acres we wouldn't leave. We have prayed so hard for a buyer that will love the house & enjoy it as much as we have. My prayers have turned into straight up whining and begging. I know God hears my prayers, but I won't lie when I say I was starting to doubt he was actually listening to them. I have cried in the dark to Him lots. Sometimes, I got glimmers that He was working and sometimes all I got was silence. We questioned our pricing many times. We adjusted it a couple of times and finally ended up at a price we truly felt was a fair price. We're not looking to get rich, but we do want a fair deal. I (we) finally gave it all to the Lord, 100%... not the 80-85%. My best efforts were getting me nowhere. Don't get me wrong, I still clean up as best as I can, but if there's a dish in the sink or my pillows on the couch aren't straightened, I am not beating myself up over it. I quit stressing out over the idea of perfection because it finally hit me that it wasn't ME that was going to sell our house. God would sell our house, IN HIS TIME.... not mine. Why is this so hard for me?? Because, I am a major control freak in certain areas of my life. Some areas it's a good thing, other areas not so much! But, I finally let go of the "I will sell this house today" motto I was saying every day and replaced it with "God will sell this house today".

So, I finally surrendered the whole sale to Him. Then, this past Sunday the weight of carrying to mortgages was starting to crush us. (Psalms 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit) You've heard the saying ' when it rains, it pours' and that's what was happening. Satan loves to rain all over our parades! First, the a/c at the new house froze up, then the dishwasher quit working, then the water pump in our pond quit working (hello do you know how many mosquitos can breed in uncirculated water!??) and then we have some kind of varmints living in our attic that seems very overwhelming to get it cleaned up & fixed. We have an upcoming vacation that will require more cha-ching.... all these things shouting at us and begging for money from our crying, dried-up, severely depleted wallet. Poor Allan & myself were at our breaking point, tears streaming and praying for God to rescue us!

This brings me to last nights events.
I had a quiet morning yesterday. We typically don't have showings of the house on Mondays so I didn't bother to make beds or load dishwasher. Just a good ol' laid back day after the emotionally draining Sunday we had. Then, last night we had a 5:45 ballgame. It ended up getting rained out. But, it lasted just long enough for me to talk to a precious friend who encouraged me the Lord is working in our favor and to keep the faith and reminded me that she is praying for our family! During the game we received an offer waaaayyyy below asking price and requesting a substantial amount of money from us for closing. It was an offer but one that we didn't even really know how to entertain because it was so low. Not wanting to jump on the first offer, we decided to pause, catch a breath then see what the Lord prompted us to do. During the wait, I ran with Nate to Kohls because he needed a new outfit for his 5th grade promotion ceremony. Here's where it gets awesome! On the way to Kohls, the sun started to peak through the terrible rain/thunderstorm we were having. And not only did I see a rainbow, I saw a double rainbow! I reminder to me that God is faithful to keep His promises. Double promises?? I was so excited. I pulled over and took a pic to send to Allan to keep him encouraged. Then on the radio the song from 7eventh Time Down "Just Say Jesus" was on. I was singing the line

Whisper it now, or shout it out, However it comes out, He hears your cry Out of nowhere He will come, you got to believe it He will rescue you Just call out to the Way, The Truth, The Light

At that moment, my phone dinged to let me know I had received a text. (our showing requests come via texts). That feeling surrounded me that the Lord was working BUT I was soooo afraid to look at my phone. Again, my faith was wavering. I was still full of doubt. So, I waited til I got to Kohls to look at the text. There it was! A showing... from 8:30-8:45 PM. We've never had a showing that late. Allan was home so he was scurrying to get the mess from my "day off " straightened up in the 15 min frame he had. Miraculously Alex & Seth helped tremendously to get the clothes put away and beds made.

While I was in Kohls, Allan calls me to say that the buyer's car broke down. Their car battery died and they needed jumper cables. Of course, the cables were in my car. So, we finished up our purchases and headed home to help. We got a chance to talk to the potential buyers and he assured us he loved our house and they were writing a contract last night.

This morning, my 2 devotions had the verse Hebrews 11:1 'Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see'. Coincidence? I think not. We have an amazing Creator who knows what we need & when we need it! Then, we got word from our realtor that a contract was in fact being written for FULL asking price. Amazing. God is soooooo faithful to us ; Despite us. Because of His great love for us and no other reason. Even at this point if something doesn't go in our favor it is a great illustration & lesson for me to QUIT doubting Him and just FULLY TRUST Him to work in His time! I'm even more thankful for these tests because our children are a witness to our faith and are watching our faith in action. Big lessons for their spiritual growth as well.

Now... just waiting to hear more. Hoping to keep everyone updated!
Walking by faith, Not by sight!

Chicks n Cemeteries

Well, today we ventured out to see what surrounded us. We went to the local ReStore by Habitat for Humanity. Decent little place that I may frequent. Then we went to Tractor Supply Co. They had cute little chicks and ducklings. They boys wanted em sooo bad. But, there's no way to have em yet  until we are here FT. I hope it's soon! ☺ Then we rode around somw back roads and found Hebron Presbyterian Church. It had neat graves that I've never seen before. May have to read up on it seeing as how it's on the National Historical Registry. Weather has been gorgeous today.
Til next time ~ Kelly

Spring BREAKin in the New House

For spring break we've been staying in the new house. Painting, cleaning and stripping wallpaper. You know "fun" stuff. We're without TV and video games besides the NOOK and these pictures are what I'm seeing more and loving...playing outside together. My heart is full. This is what we made the move for....to strengthen sibling bonds. I know they can and will fight like cats n dogs but I also want them to know they always have each others backs no matter what.  Spring break will be over soon and we'll have to return to Dacula to finish out school (unless house sells). I'm not ready to go back. I love the peace and serenity our new homestead has.
Til next time ~ Kelly

New Home Owners

So, yesterday, we finally closed on our new home. Lots of hoops to jump through and it was not smooth at all. We can tell you without a doubt who NOT to go to for a home mortgage. Ridiculous and very unprofessional. None the less, we closed the deal. The family we bought from were so nice. I hope they enjoy their new home in Hiawassee. We could not wait to get our hands on the house!! I think we made it from Duluth to Commerce in record breaking time. Went on out and cleaned up a little. We went back this afternoon for more cleaning. It's beginning to feel and smell more like our home. Can't wait to actually start moving furniture etc. But, first, we will paint and do a little more cleaning first.
Til next time...
~Kelly

T minus 1 Day

So, tomorrow we close on the new house. Already emotions are high. Thinking of what and who we are leaving in order to get to where we want (need) to be is so hard. Thinking of the boys leaving the only school they've known (besides preschool) is hard. Dacula Elementary has been amazing and we've loved every teacher there. It feels like home when I walk in the school. I know God will not fail us when it comes to transitioning to our new school homes. Sad too that my MG will be our only child to not complete Hebron Weekday Preschool. Every teacher and staff has put up with me for years...you know the parent who swings in on 2 wheels for carpool. And they love me and my kids anyway. 

But in more positive news...We've gotten our first piece of livestock! A goood ol DUNKY! HAHAH Will have to name her soon! 😀 Stay tuned!

New Beginnings

Well, it is official. We are listing our house for sale and moving to the country. We are ready for new adventures as a family. Since we will be embarking on new adventures in starting a little farm, I thought it would be a great time to dust off the ol blog and get her up & running again. This way, we can share our experiences with those we love the most. The Blog has been around since 2007, I believe, but she's been severely neglected. Anyhow, stay tuned for a peek inside our life at the Rainey Refuge on the River!
~ Kelly

Sweet Girl is One

I can't believe that a whole entire year has flown by! Our sweet girl turned one yesterday. We had an amazing day celebrating this sweet one's birthday, surrounded by those we love most. She is such a joy and brings much happiness to our family. Our hearts are full. Amazed at God's goodness in my life! Enjoy a few pics of our princess!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Rainey: Duathletes

A few months after Marli was born, like any mother who has just given birth, I was ready to lose some unwanted weight. However, the motivation to do so was severly lacking. You would think the way I looked in the mirror would be enough motivation, but apparently not. Allan had (has) been doing mountain bike races through Dirty Spokes Productions for a while, so I was lollygagging on their site one day & noticed they had a duathlon coming up. Oooh.. fancy word, DUATHLON!!! Hmmm... I thought, wonder if I could do that?? So, I told Allan sign us up! The only thing that was going to motivate me to get my butt in gear was KNOWING my name was on the roster. My plan to train leading up to the first race went like this: download couch to 5K app, do it once, and then.... NOTHING. LOL! I literally went into my first race blind and ignorant. Heck, I didn't even feel the need to stretch! haha! Clearly, I had no idea how tough a trail run would be.

Here's our schedule of races:
March: Fort Yargo: 3.8 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2.1 mile run
April: Mt. Tabor: 3.1 mile run, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run
May: Tribble Mill: 2.8 mile run, 8 mile bike, 2.8 mile run

Of course, Allan sailed right through his biking portion. He is used to bustin' his tail in races. I, on the other hand, not so much. I did survive the first race and no one had to drag me across the finish line. That was a huge accomplishment in itself. I ended up beating a goal I had set for myself on the first leg. Was I first?? Heck no...but I had my iPod charged with uplifting & encouraging music that helped push me that extra mile to get the job done!
So, since I had not trained for the first race and I actually survived it, I got a little cocky going into the 2nd race. I thought... Hmph, I did the first race 3.8 miles.... surely 3.1 won't hurt. Ummm.... well, apparently newbie trail runner here didn't account for the fact that the TERRAIN would be different! Mt. Tabor had way more inclines and declines, roots & rocks. That kicked my tail. I even ended up with battle wounds. On the 2nd leg of the race at Mt. Tabor, I tripped on a root & slid off the trail a little bit down the mountain. Skinned my arm and hands. Man, did it burn. It has been a really long time, probably since I was a kid, that I took a tumble that caused me to bleed. Ironically, the night before we had watched the Passion of the Christ and I told myself to get back up and keep going. Those little boo boos were nothing in comparison to what Christ did for me on the cross. Get back up & keep going. So, I did.
Tribble Mill was the final race in the series. It had climbs, too, but it wasn't too bad. I think the hardest race in the series for me was Mount Tabor. I never finished first. If anything I was probably last at every race, but I finished. I would tell myself on the course that I wasn't last... the person at home on their couch was last! In just 3 races, I was able to improve my time and I am VERY happy about that!
On the first leg of each race I was able to improve my average of a 15:14 minute mile down to a 12:21 minute mile. And, on the 2nd leg of the race, I went from averaging a 18:57 minute mile down to a 13:08 minute mile! That's HUGE improvement for me and I'm excited!

So, has the race bug bitten me?? I don't know. When I'm on the trail, I hate every minute of it. It's hard, hot, and I'm slow... BUT from day one I've said I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength! Phil 4:13 and He did give me strength!

Maybe I am a glutton for punishment, the night after our last race I was back online looking for another trail run!

Here's a couple photos from the races.

Freezing before the first race... it was 42 degrees

After I finished the first race at Yargo

Coming into the finish line at Tribble Mill... not pretty.

My Man... ridin' his bike like a BOSS!

Baby Girl & Hypothyroidism

When MG was 2 weeks old, we got a call from our pediatrician’s office letting us know that MG had a part of her newborn screening test (PKU) to come back from the state with abnormal results. They wanted us to do a repeat blood test to confirm what the original test was showing. So, on Friday, October 27^th, we went in for them to take her blood for retesting. Reading on the internet can really scare the pants off of ya. Everything I was reading was saying that there was a chance, that due to the high TSH level, she could have mental or physical retardation. Fear shot through me like an arrow. I know the Lord gave her the verse Jeremiah 29:11 for a reason. I sat in her nursery, rocking her & praying that verse over her. What a great reminder that even when I think I’m in control, the Lord reminds me that He is the one who is in control. He loves her more than I do and His plans for her are to prosper & not harm her, to give her hope & a future. I was so thankful for the peace He gave me through praying those words over her little body. The results came back on Monday, Oct 31^st. Her TSH level was still high. It was 20, but it was down from the hospital score of 79. Surely, that is okay right?! Wrong. We were referred to a pediatric endocrinologist where we received some reassuring news. She has a super nice doctor. He basically told me that she would have to go undiagnosed for 3 mos. before any kind of mental or physical retardation set in. We caught hers very early. That made me feel LOTS better because in all my research, I couldn't find a definite time frame that we were working with. I mean, did it set in at 2 weeks, 6 mos., a year? what?? So, getting that answer was great relief. They started her on 50 mcg of Synthroid. He said it was very important that we get her TSH level down as quickly as possible. TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone and it is released when the pituitary gland detects low levels of T4 hormone. Once we get the Synthroid (T4) in her.. the TSH will go down because the pituitary gland will detect proper levels of the hormones. Basically he equated it to being vitamin deficient... if you were deficient, you'd take a vitamin... with her she's hormone deficient so she'll be on hormone. He did say close to her 2nd BD we'll reevaluate her. If we've not had to increase her dosage in the months leading up to her 2nd BD, then we may be able to take her off to see how she does on her own. If she does great, then she can come off. If not, she'll be on it indefinitely. Right now, it's essential that she be on it to keep her brain growing and developing properly.


She’s going to be fine, just fine! I know it…for the LORD has told me so! J

Our Baby Girl

{click the pics to view them larger}

Introducing Our Sweet Princess

37 Weeks + 1 Day

Sooo... this is all new to me!
Waiting... for sweet baby girl to make her appearance. With all the boys, I had already delivered by now. I was ready on Monday... that was 36 weeks 3 days... then I was ready on Wednesday... that was 36 weeks 5 days and here I sit at 37 weeks 1 day with baby girl still rolling away in my tummy! I feel like I'm waiting for the Fed Ex man to deliver a super duper special surprise package and he's not showing up on time! I know I should be patient and let her stay in for a while longer, but I'm so anxious to meet her and get into a routine with four kiddos, not to mention I'm extremely uncomfortable physically at this time. Rolling over in bed is a HUGE and painful ordeal!
On Monday 9/26, she was about 5 pounds 13 ounces. She's a itty bitty baby squirt. But, Seth was estimated to be 8 pounds and was born 2 days later at 9 pounds. So, I'm hoping she's actually closer to 7 pounds.
So.... I'll be waiting til sweet baby girl decides she's ready to meet her family!!