My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

God is… {Giveaway}

Yeah, we don’t do Santa. And, we have a 3-gift tradition; our children know that wise men story quite well now.

But, we still go grocery shopping and make runs to Target and lots of other stores. Here we are, days before Thanksgiving, and the stores halls are way over decked already. Everywhere we go, we are inundated with things we “can’t live without.”

I called my mom last week and was telling her about the Santa post that got interesting. She told me, “I never wanted you girls to feel like you couldn’t have fun, that you were missing out on something because we were Christians.” I didn’t. And, I don’t believe our kids do. We may not do Santa, but we do fun. While I love all the jolly and the red and green, I long to be filled with something more.

I don’t want to forget who God is and how He’s the One behind all this. 

He’s the reason for the season. It’s so cliche. It’s so bumper stickerish.

But, He is the reason for this season and every season. And, I don’t want to let even good distractions cause me to forget. I want to see Him and celebrate Him in those experiences–in sitting around our turkey dinner this week, in fun Black Friday shopping with my daughter, in cutting down our tree, and staying up too late wrapping gifts.

When I remember who He is, I can point my children to who He is. 

Any tools that help me do that, I’m all for. My favorite one? Seeds. I’m not embarrassed to tell you that all the verses I’ve memorized myself are because of Seeds. And, yeah, I struggle to speak the verses rather than sing them. And, when I hear little voices with messed up “r”s and “k”s that sound like “t”s singing God’s word….now that’s joy to my world, ya’ll.

I think Seeds knew we’d all need a reminder of who God is at about this time. Their new album? The Character of God.

God is Creator. God is holy. God is love. God is Spirit and Truth. God is wise. God is faithful. God is everlasting. God is jealous. God is unchanging. 
God is Light. 

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7

Wanna remember that and help your family remember that? Here you go, folks.

You can download God is Light, courtesy of Seeds Family Worship’s blog tour by clicking on the “like” button in this cute little graphic below here. Then, take some time to visit the other bloggers in the blog tour–visit them all and you can download the entire new album. Add those sings right into your Christmas play lists so that if the blinking lights and tinsel start to distract you, you can get a few reminders set to music sprinkled in there.


Powered by Like to Download


(Download expires at the end of November as with the other bloggers’ downloads) 

Here are some other stops in the tour:
Matthew West
Oh Amanda
Sami Cone
Home With the Boys
The Better Mom
Ministry to Children
Challies
Homeschool Creations

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We’re bouncing the world around {giveaway winner}


53 waiting mamas commented about the wait on this post.

While some of these mamas are waiting to bring home their first child, others are waiting to bring home another to join a brood (like this mama waiting for her 11th). Adoptions of children from China, Korea, the Ukraine, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Honduras, and our home country–these mamas are bouncing the world around. Regardless of how many children are already home and from what country their new children are coming to them from, all the mamas are in the same season of waiting. After all the ink is dried on the paperwork and your tongue heals from licking envelopes, you reach a point when there is nothing left to do but wait. I remember wishing that I would just have something to do while we waited so that I could feel like I was helping things along somehow, so I could feel like there was progress. But, all I could do was do what God had called me to that day and wait.

I read every single one of those 53 comments as they came in and then read them again just now.

Some made me smile.

I am pregnant with a Chinese 8 year old! My back is killing me!
–Mary

Honestly, what gave me encouragement recently…when I went to the grocery store the other day & I saw some chicken marinated asian style. I was trying the swallow the lump in my throat as I ordered a few.

The Lord will be with you every step of the way. When I am through throwing my little tantrum, He is there with a spiritual Kleenex.
–Pamela

Some made me sigh.

The waiting has been hard and each month encounters new feelings. Lately though, God has really been teaching me about grace. To be graceful as we wait for our little one(s) to come home and to grace to others who have approached us with some tough questions and criticism on why we’re adopting.
–Meredith

This is my first adoption. . . . my wait is going to be over 6 years.
–Fiona

I.Am.Not.In.Control. The first step is admittance, right?
–Amanda

Some made me bang my fist on the table with an “Amen.”

One thing we have learned through this waiting process is that we are capable of whatever God has given us. At the beginning of the process, it was so stressful and time consuming to get the paperwork done while still living life. Yet at every step, God has carried us through and made it totally evident that He will provide exactly what we need, when we need it.
-Jen

We are not waiting on Him or for Him but IN HIM!!
–Gretchen

I have spent 7 years waiting, on and off, to build our family. I’ve learned that I am small, but God is GREAT! And as we present our requests to Him, he fills our hearts and minds with a peace that passes understanding. Good thing.
-Abby

And, one won.

We are enduring the wait to bring our son home from China. I have learned to trust the Lord in a deeper, more sacrificial way as we wander through those 40 years in the wilderness! He is SO faithful!
–Carla

Carla – email me with your mailing address so I can get that new Crocodile Creek ball to you so you can go ahead and start bouncing it. That’s gotta be therapeutic, right?

Go back here and read the comments yourself, click on the the names of the ladies who commented, visit each others’ blogs and encourage each other as you all press on in the season of waiting.

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For all the expectant mamas out there {Giveaway}

Hello, expectant mamas.

Your pregnancy isn’t obvious to the grocery store clerk as you check out or the person passing you in the park as you walk your dog. But, your mailman may be clued in by now.

It’s not a 40-week wait. It’s a lot longer. May seem like 40 years in the wilderness.

2 years into our wait, I wrote about some ways God had shown us blessing in the wait. Sorta fun to look back on my words now a little over 3 years later when I’m in a whole other place. Waiting isn’t all bad.

I want you to know that.

For those who were hoping for a referral call late last night, I want you to know that. For those whose wait just got a whole lot harder because you know now the child you have been waiting for, I want you to know that. For those waiting for travel approval or your court date, I want you to know that.

I wish I could throw a shower for every one of you to celebrate the child who is worth all the waiting.

That would be one grand undertaking.

So, in lieu of that, we’re going to have a little giveaway for just one of you chosen at random next week, a giveaway for one of my favorite gifts from my sweet friend Melissa’s shower on Saturday.

How cute would it be to use a red sharpie and put a little red heart where you live and a little red heart where your child is from? 
Mamas, you’ve done enough paperwork already, so I’ll try not to make this too hard on you. Just leave a comment sharing one thing you’ve learned in the waiting or one blessing in the waiting or one piece of encouragement you’ve gotten in the waiting. Make it simple or share a bit more of yourself. Up to you. Maybe your words will be just what another mama needs.
Only expectant adoptive mamas can enter–if you are in the process in one way or another from any program, that works for me. Keep commenting through next Tuesday, September 4th. I’ll choose a winner randomly from the eligible comments on Wednesday, September 5th. 

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Broccoli, Celery…winner

When animated veggies spoke truth to me, I asked you all to share what a significant message you had heard recently to enter to win your own copy of the new Veggie Tales DVD The Penniless Princess.

Did you all read the comments? 
Here’s a sampling of some of my faves–

From Learning Patience in AZ:

My 2 year old daughter has taken to saying what I’ve said to her since she came home –and said it to her older brother this am, “I love you, Jacob, no matter what–no matter what, Jacob, ok?” Truly melted my heart…

JJ spoke truth to me in her comment:

Don’t conform the Cross to your way of life, conform your way of life to the Cross. . . . The cross doesn’t bend. We do. It shouldn’t be a “whatever works for you” mentality. It’s whatever the bible says. The whole bible, not just the parts that are most convenient for our life.

After hearing a sermon on missional living, Tracy shared some simple truth in her comment that I feel like should be wallpapered in my kitchen:

All it takes to live a missional life is these five things:
Pray
Love
Tell
Serve
Give

My kindred spirit Jenna shared something I feel like I’m going to learn well this coming year as things may be a-changing a bit around here:

we need to be more comfortable being uncomfortable

Carrie, a mama and woman I so admire (and wish I lived close to me–can you move here, Carrie?), shared something I so need to remember myself:

I was reminded to slow down and be thankful by my 19 mmonth old daughter when she insisted on holding hands before our meal to pray. Something I was passing over so I could get to the next thing.

I used old faithful random.org to choose a winner–and that winner is Terri Casebier, who just came home with Seth just 3 weeks ago.

I think I need to offer a giveaway every week just to hear some truth from you all. Can you keep speaking truth to me, friends?

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