introducing michele

Hi! My name is Michele... and I am humbled to be blogging beside such wonderful people! I love Jesus, learning new things especially spiritually, fumbling around at marriage, parenting, Aunting (is that a word?), after-schooling (I work at an elem school in the after school program), traveling & growing things....to name a few! My dashing husband is David and by God's provident hand, we met & were married 16 years ago. He is a machinist and loves fishing for flounder, music, walks in the woods, cooking, and looking after me! We are the grateful parents of 2 lovely young ladies! Emily is 15 and Rachel is 13. They are wonderful, beautiful, delightful, smart, deeply caring people! I'll have to tell you more as we go!!

My Mom & Dad, Step Mom, Sister, Brother, and sister in law have been hugely influential in my journey as well as many others! I'd love to share some of those stories sometime! I am so thankful that my family is full of prayer partners and encouragers!

But it wasn't always that way...None of my family walked in the faith that we have now through Christ! I was brought up Catholic with nuns & priests comprising the majority of my teachers. I remember my mom taking me to church as a child and to the chapel times during school... I didn't actually have faith in God or in Jesus...I just went to church because Mom took me. I think I wanted to believe He was real but so many difficult things happened that I came to doubt He did care at all...When I made my first visit to church after about 15 years of absence I was terrified! But I went because my life was a mess and despite all my own efforts, I could not straighten myself out!

God knew He would be the answer to my problems...

He graciously brought me to my knees...

I was guilty of putting my own desires and wants and fun and work and relationships above the God who gifted me to be able to even participate in those things.

It was a struggle every week to go to go to church. But He kept drawing me back...

It was difficult to hear the things said that I needed to hear. But He knew it would be best for me...

It was difficult to be loved by people who I barely knew. But He gave them to me as a gift...

It was just plain difficult all the way around....and it still is in a good way...

"Man . . . is few of days and full of trouble." Job 14:1

But God has continued to show us that His Son, His Word, His plan for redeeming His people, His church is precious and us being a part of it is precious. And the joy that comes from receiving such great gifts from The Greatest Giver is inconceivable!

And I still struggle with Him

But He steadfastly draws me to Himself

To the heavenly things

To Himself

To His Word

To His people

To His mercy & kindness

To His faithfulness & devotion

To His abiding love and affection

To His discipline which corrects me

Not to the things of this earth that remain a short while and fade from dust to dust

But to Him & things eternal & everlasting...like His love & justice

This is a quote by a man of God now deceased:

"We should love, but we should love with the love that expects death, and that reckons upon separations."

This is the love of God.... that He cares enough not just to to want to spare us from death & separation from Him but to make a way that we can live full of joy...that God gave....He gave Himself...completely...when He reckoned to give His Son, Jesus...

as a payment for our sin... not begrudgingly as we give...but planned from the beginning of time for His joy and ours...so that we may bask in Him and the life He claims in us forever! And that we may share this love with others!

I'm excited to take this blogging journey with you!