Slow Down

Work, work, work, work, work.

Class, class, class, class, class.

Clean the house, make meals,

wash the clothes, love my husband,

attend youth group & tell kids about Jesus,

organize Seminary Wives events,

do my homework,

grow a baby,

……

Stress much?

Slow Down

Those two words were on my wish list for Christmas. Sadly, no one could give me “slow down” as a gift...

What does God think about all our rushing around trying to meet deadlines, instead of meeting with Him one on one?

We wait in lines to department stores to get the best deals, but where’s the line to see Jesus?

This Christmas season, and the month leading up to it has been so crazy that I’ve barely taken the time to recognize and marvel at the celebration of our Savior’s birth. Over the last weekend, I finally had the time to sit and just take a deep breath of relaxation.

I marveled at the gift of the Savior that made a way for me to spend eternity with my Father in heaven. I marveled at the gift of family, so many don’t even know what the love of family even means. I marveled at the gift of my husband, a man of faith, servant leadership, and integrity. I marveled at the amazing miracle of life that grows steadily inside of me. I marveled at how peaceful it was to just sit and observe.

I leave you with this quote that I keep finding myself referring back to this season as I try to slow down in a world of hustle and bustle, meet your deadlines.

“Make time for the quiet moments as 

 God whispers and the world is loud.”

Merry Christmas

Baby Olson!

Here's some photos from our recent photo shoot with my sister, who by the way is only 19!

Had to use gender neutral shoes since we don't know what Baby Olson will be.

I love this one with both of our rings in it!

True love! <3

The Glory of the Cross

Sometimes I sit and ponder the mystery of “The Glory of the Cross.”

What a terrible and awful picture! A man, stripped almost naked, beaten until you could see his ribs, commanded to carry a cross as he bled from open wounds that covered his ENTIRE body, and then at the very end nailed to that same cross he carried to hang and die for all to see.

People laughed at him, spit at him, mocked him and told him that if he was King of the Jews that he ought to save himself!

He didn't though. He hung there until He died, every last drop of blood being poured out.

I shudder each time I think of the recent movie, “The Passion of the Christ” and I see the horrors of how people were executed in Roman times. I think of all the people mocking, spitting, and hurling insults at Jesus the Son of the Living God and I am quick to think, "How could you do or say such a thing about my LORD?!?"

But then I realize....

It wasn't just those Roman soldiers who nailed my Savior to that cross.

My sin nailed my Lord to that cross.

My apathy for all that He has done for me....nailed my Lord to that cross.

Every. Single. Sin.

He went and bled and died on that cross for me, a wretched sinner who deserved nothing but eternity in hell, far from the God who I so flippantly sin against.

There is glory in that old rugged cross.

Because my Savior didn't stay dead....

He Rose Again, defeating sin, death, and the devil!

I did not deserve such sacrifice made on my behalf. In my filthy rags of sin, I had no reason to even hope that such good news would be for me.

The Glory of the Cross...

Out of something ugly and worn, came something truly beautiful....Salvation.

Because of the cross, because of the resurrection, I have a reason to hope! This is why you will find a smile on my face at the same time tears stream down my face as I speak of and marvel at how much God loves me.  This is why I have a reason to live, a reason to love, a reason to smile.

Love At First Sight

You’ve heard the saying, It was love at first sight. I just saw her/him and knew they were the one.  Well I have fallen in love... the head-over-heels, will do anything for, kind of love….with our baby!

Earlier this week, we went in for our first ultrasound at 22 weeks. We've loved this child of God since the day we found out I was pregnant, but there’s something simply amazing about being able to actually “see” your baby in the womb! We've only been using ultrasounds since the 1970's, but now we have ultrasounds in 2D, 3D and even 4D.

Here's our little bundle of joy!

Look at that wide open mouth! Getting all prepped to sing the praises of Jesus!

 Our little one also has quite the legs, the ulstrasound lady had quite the time catching the legs still as he/she was running in there! I'm hoping for a long-distance runner. 

We are head-over-heels in love and we are so excited for this little one to come into the world when the time is right!

my thoughts...His thoughts

If you would have asked me even 3 years ago what my dream and goal in life was, this would have been my answer. I plan to go into pre-vet at Kansas State, marry a farmer, live on a farm out in the middle of nowhere, and have lots of kids, land, and cattle. All my life, all I wanted to do was to stay on the farm. I hated the city with all the hustle and bustle and lack of peace. Everyone was too busy for anything, even family, and no one ever stopped to appreciate the beauty around them. Give me my wide open skies, the smell of freshly baled hay, hands weathered by hard physical labor, late nights riding in the combine, and homegrown cooking. It was just what I wanted and it involved all of the things that I grew up with and loved with all my heart, so I thought that was what God wanted me to do too…. After all, He doesn’t give us desires without reason….

Fast forward 3 years to present day.

As you can probably deduce from my previous posts, I did not marry a farmer, we don’t even live close to a farm, and we definitely do not own any cattle. So what happened? Why did God place such a powerful desire in my heart and then crush it right before my very eyes? Why would he match me up with a pastor-in-training, guaranteeing many moves and little hope of ever living on a farm? Why would we be making our home in the Twin Cities of all places? What kind of lesson was God trying to teach me?

Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."

The desires in my heart were not foolish desires, nor were they dreams and desires that God placed there with the intention of crushing them later. Rather they were desires that God placed there but I added my own theory to. I love to do labor with my very own hands. I love to walk amongst a field of corn and stand in awe of how God causes a 12 foot stalk of corn to grow from a teeny tiny seed. I love to see the Lord provide in the direst situations of drought and harsh weather. I love the sense of family and community in the farming sphere. Those desires all add to up to the life of a farmer, right? How could it be seen any other way?

Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."

And then I realized it. Not on my own, but rather through the words of a very wise woman. She had asked what my testimony was and as i relayed the desires of my youth (marry a farmer, lots of land, etc.) and the realities of today (pastor's wife, no farm, etc.) and my acceptance of God's will for my life, she said, "well, you just married a different kind of farmer."

A different kind of farmer?

Then it hit me....

As a farmer, you live amongst your work, endure the struggles of labor, and withstand harsh weather. At the same time, you watch God miraculously grow the crops that you labored over --> cultivating, watering, and showing tender care to each one. You see Him provide in the direst of situations of draught and unforgiving weather.

As a pastor (my husband), you live amongst your work, endure hard labor, and withstand harsh 'weather.' At the same time, you watch God miraculously grow the 'field' that you labored over --> cultivating, watering, and showing tender care to each member of that field. You see Him provide in the direst of situations of draught (spiritual or monetary) and unforgiving weather (trials).

Luke 10:2 "And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"

I did get to marry a farmer! The farmer of my dreams to be exact! I do get to live on a farm! Lord willing, we will be able to have many children. I do get to stand in a field in awe of the miracles where God has caused His children to grow and flourish under His rule and reign. My labor is a labor of love in God's spiritual field.

Isaiah 55:8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."

Praise God for His plan for our lives, even when it doesn't always make sense to us or when we see it differently.

Half-Way

This week marks the half-way point of my pregnancy. 20 weeks done, 20 weeks to go.

As I have sat and looked back over my pregnancy so far, I can’t help but be truly amazed. To think that God created a woman’s body to grow another human being inside of her is something that evolution could never create or explain. To think that He made our bodies just so, so that they could stretch, nourish, and provide protection for His precious gift of a child.

I remember the time of testing, thinking, but not knowing for sure if God had provided the miracle of conception to us. I remember telling our family and friends the news because we just couldn’t keep quiet about it! Even when I think back to those 9 awful weeks of having morning….all-day sickness, and I remember how horrible it was in the moment, I know that I would do it all again in a heartbeat! …and I’m not even done with baby #1 yet!

I have laughed very naively as I have read the weird quirks that can come with each pregnancy…and then realize, ‘o my, they weren’t kidding’ when it actually comes true for myself!  #Disclaimer# No I haven’t eaten pickles on ice cream (yet) or woken up at 2 a.m. to clean our whole house and set up the baby room (yet). #Truth# I do love pickles a lot and I have gotten way too emotional over things that have absolutely NO significance.

I will never forget the first time we heard the heartbeat, or the first time I felt our little baby kick (three times in a row!). A smile creeps onto my face each time I think about how Nathan started teaching the baby how to count, add, and subtract….all at a mere 5 weeks! These are treasured moments, and I want to treasure every single one.

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go.

~Only 20 more weeks until I will be holding our baby in my arms.

~Only 20 weeks left of the time that God knits this little miracle together inside my womb.

~Only 20 weeks until I have to start thinking about periods again…..

~Only 20 weeks until we transition from ‘the married club’ to ‘the parents club.’ …..does that make us ‘old’ now? ;)

~20 more weeks until the end of my pregnancy….but also only 20 weeks until our child’s life begins outside the womb!

~Only 20 weeks to when being daddy and mommy takes on a whole new meaning for us.

~God’s perfect little miracle.

Why: 'A Labor of Love'?

I saw this statement recently on Pinterest during one of my not-so-productive breaks and it hit me hard. It was a picture of a mother-to-be holding a little card that said “Labor of Love” in front of her pregnant belly. I was immediately brought to tears because this photo struck me on multiple levels. For one, it was as if a million words had been encapsulated in three tiny little words. Two, I am currently pregnant. Three, that statement doesn't just apply to carrying a baby for 9 months. That got me thinking about what those 3 simple words meant for me. It is also the inspiration for the name of my blog.

May those three words truly be the prayer for my life.

As a wife, it’s a labor of love to make meals, wash the laundry, submit to and support my husband. As a mother-to-be, it’s a labor of love to eat healthy, to protect my precious 'mtoto' (nickname), to get the rest and exercise I need. As a student and working woman, it’s a labor of love to work diligently even when I don’t feel like it one bit.

It isn't always easy. So how can it be a labor of love? What is my motivation?

My laboring is in vain if the source of my motivation is wrong. 

If it weren't for the One whose labor of love surpasses all. That One is God. John 3:16 says that “God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” He sacrificed his ONLY son so that we might live forever with him in eternity one day. Today, He is still laboring in love. We, His beloved children wander about on this planet we call Earth, trying to find true love, true hope, true satisfaction in life and yet we keep looking to the wrong things. We look to food, friends, spouses, work, sports, money, etc. for that fulfillment only to be left feeling empty. Our Father looks down, graciously watching over us, laboring in love to show us day by day how much He loves us and cares for us and wants us to find true satisfaction in him. He is the bread of life, He is the living water that never runs dry, He is the Good Shepherd that guides us by still waters, He is my God who loves me in my disgusting filthy rags of sin and self-righteousness.

His model and His labor of love is the example I want to follow. His love for me creates in me a response of worship, honor, and service for Him.

Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."

As a wife, mother-to-be, working woman, student, and a daughter of the one true King, Jesus Christ, my prayer is that through everything I do, may it be done out of love. Done knowing that there is One even greater who loved me with an unconditional and everlasting love.

This is my life.

For the last 8 months, I have been feeling the tug to start a blog; though with hesitation do I actually begin.

I am a small town girl at heart, born and raised in the heart of America on the Nebraska/Kansas state line. I grew up where the skies are blue, the grass is green (most of the time), God is Lord over all, and grandma always has cookies ready for anyone who walks in her back door. O, and the closest Walmart, well, it's 45 minutes away. We hardly ever locked our cars or our houses and you waived to anyone and everyone you met on the road.

I’m now a city girl, but only by my address. I live in the great Twin Cities with my husband who is currently in his last year of school work for Seminary. I've lived here for a while now, but my heart still longs for the wide open countryside.

My passions include my relationship with my Father in heaven, the gift of marriage, being a godly wife and soon-to-be mother, and having meaningful friendships with those around me. My current week fillers include full-time employee at a law firm, full-time student, youth small group leader, wife, and friend.

So this is my life, my Labor of Love.

Emily