When life gets us down, God picks us up!

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2012 is here, and I am less than enthusiastic. I have struggled to find joy in this new year. It does not help that our circumstances have not changed. That weighs heavily on both Ryan and I day in and day out. We keep thinking something is going to come, something is just around the corner in the form of "relief". The questions that dominate our conversations with each other, with God, "When is the door going to open? How long must we wait? What more is there to learn?" Emotions run high, we are battling waves of doubt, frustration, fear, anxiety, hanging on by what feels like our finger tips. As tired as you may be hearing me say it, believe me--we are tired of going through it! How God must think of us as we wrestle with all of this? Along with all of that, I struggle with how inadequate I am to be exactly what God wants me to be. I wonder if He is disappointed with me when I behave this way? I would expect Him to be, but the truth is He is not and He loves me exactly the way I am! How twisted is that?! I can recount so many times in my life I have fallen short, not met someone's expectations and been called out because of it, or just fallen flat on my face because of my inability to release my pride...and God still loves me. God has not abandoned me and will not forsake me. God will take care of me especially in the moments when I can't stand on my own two feet. Regardless of how I feel and what I am experiencing day in and day out, my God has a word for me and He will comfort and strengthen me. I am certain I will have more questions than answers as I continue to live out this life, in the best of times and the absolute worst of times. I think our faith is strengthened all the more for the road ahead when we do not stop asking Him our questions, when we make time daily to talk with Him and dig deeply in His Word, and especially when we can lean on one another and truly be the body of Christ. Please continue to pray for Ryan and I:

1. Full time worship ministry position for Ryan. He is online daily and communicating frequently with a number of friends and pastors to assist him as he continues to search for what God has next. We know God has something extraordinary in mind for Ryan, and we know we need to continue to pray and wait on His perfect timing.

2. Health--Ryan and I are both fighting a respiratory cold/sinus thing and as you can imagine it doesn't help with the paycheck. Ryan has also been struggling with carpal tunnel in his hands and arms due to how physically demanding the work is. Not helpful to a guy who plays guitar! The company he works for only allows 4 days until he has been there 6 months. That means if he misses work for any reason or is tardy even 30 seconds, he will lose points and ultimately could be let go. As you can imagine, this job is proving to be more stressful than beneficial to him.

Despite how difficult these days can be, we find our way back to hope in Him. We love you dearly and we are so thankful for your prayers, your encouragement and your support.

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