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Ready for a new plunge toward simplicity???

I have exported all my posts and imported them into my other blog. For those of you who have previously subcribed to "Embracing Each Moment," you will continue to get all of your emails/google reader updates when I post. For the rest who have never visited or subscribed to my other blog...Take a moment to get aquainted to "Embracing Each Moment." This blog was originally created to update our family and friends with the happenings of the Largaespada Family. I wanted to keep my blogs seperate with a focused agenda of each. Well, that was making me crazy! So, on to A More Simple Life with ONE blog!!! Now, you will get a combined deal of my thoughts and family pictures and updates!!!

So, I will no longer be posting to this blog. Please re-direct yourselves to "Embracing Each Moment." And don't forget to subscribe :)

Blessings,

Jaime

Unstable Times

(written by a friend of mine, Pastor Tom Welch)

Who is Your God?

Question: How do we maintain our personal stability in unstable times?
Answer: Turbulent times call for a transcendent God.

We live in uncertain times. Some say the myth of security has masked the fact that we always live in uncertain times! We see major change in the political realm, fluctuation in the financial world, insecurity in foreign fields. Change leads to stress, stress leads to fear, and fear erodes faith. We turn inward, gathering what we have around us and clinging for security to our own resources. The only solution is to lift our eyes and remind ourselves of just who our God is. Consider the vision of God that David, a great king of Israel, had:
10 “Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.”

What do we see here?
· God is Lord of all.
· God is owner of all.
· Everything thing we have comes from God and belongs to God.
· We are merely managers of all He give us.
· Our proper response is thanks and praise!

We trust not the government, the markets, or any other source for security. We trust a sovereign God! And we live lives of humble faith, doing the most with what He provides. And He will provide. Confidence in such a great God frees us from miserly fear to live lives of gracious generosity!
The only question remains is, “What are you doing with God’s stuff?”

The well wisher of your soul’s happiness,

Pastor Tom

Turning Cartwheels of Joy!

(Since Sunday morning, when this scripture passage was read as part of a personal testimony, I've been wanting to share it with others. What a great reminder. Let's turn cartwheels together!)

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (New International Version)

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (The Message)

17-19 Though the cherry trees don't blossom
and the strawberries don't ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
and the cattle barns empty,
I'm singing joyful praise to God.
I'm turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God's Rule to prevail,
I take heart and gain strength.I run like a deer.
I feel like I'm king of the mountain!

Blessings,

Jaime

More time with the Lord

Don't you wish you had more time with the Lord? I sure do! Sometimes I wish that I was called to full time ministry so that I could be more in the Word. At least I would be forced to do so. And so often I I hear of others who have an enormous amount of time to read, meditate, and pray. Now, I am also aware that many of those situations are people without children or their kids are grown up and out of the house. And I'm not saying that I want my kids to grow up and move out. I am saying that I would love to figure out how to have what "they" have and do it well with kids!

But, I have to remember that a big part of my ministry is my family.

So for now, I need to focus on using my time wisely. I so often moan and complain while folding laudry or wash dishes, instead of taking my thoughts to the Lord. I could be praying. And when the day is done and I have had a rough, busy day with the kids, I choose to plop (or collapse) on the couch and watch T.V. to relax. Instead, I could lay in bed and listen to soft worship music to heal my tiredness. And mornings? Lately, it has also been very tempting to sleep every last second until the kids wake up (or better yet, stay in bed while they get a good cartoon or two in their system). It should be easier now with the brighter mornings and birds chirping outisde, to get up praise the Lord for a beautiful new day. I know I need to get my heart ready for the day before I see my kids anyway :)

Lord, bring me back to you in every moment and thought of my day! Always!

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." - Ephesians 6:18

Blessings,

Jaime

Setting a New Pace

Yes, I am a small town girl...or better yet, "smaller town than Orlando" kinda girl. Because I live in a bigger city, there are LOTS of things to do. Because I go to a church with lots of other moms my age with kids, there are plenty of opportunities to hang out with friends, be invited to an event, and/or attend birthday parties. My sister just recently asked me (when I told her I auditioned for "Wheel of Fortune") about my life in the "fast lane" here in Orlando. She said, "how do you get to do all this stuff?" Well, my only answer is...I live in a big city with lots of opportunity. And remember how a friend just recently challenged me about my simple life? Yeah, it's not too simple is it? It really has been hard to keep it simple.

I do believe that "simple" is different for each person. To some, "simple" might mean only 1 theme park a week. Or to some it could be cutting back to only volunteering 30 hours a week at a local food bank. And to others it could be living life on a farm and growing their own vegetables (which I think would be AWESOME). But, for me, I am ready to change my pace quite a bit. I'm ready to try a little harder. I'm okay being different. I'm okay with living life at a slower pace. And I may be turning down an offer to take my kids to a play or a movie every now and then. I don't have to live up to the "fast life" mentality that this city has to offer. Yes, I would love that home in the country with my privacy fence. But, since I'm not living that dream yet (and may never), I'm going to make it a lot more simpler than it is now.

You may be tired of hearing me grumble and complain over this "simple life" than I can't seem to obtain. But, hey, it's a process and I never thought it would be instant! And I don't want to give up. I believe that the Lord has called our family to take a break from the busyness and rest in Him. I'm not sure exactly what it's going to look like. But, I don't want our life to be so caught up in this hectic pace that we don't have time to give God the time that He deserves. I want to allow God’s presence to slow us down so that we can worship Him and discover the purpose He has for our family.

“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Blessings,

Jaime

Blah mood...ever have those?

I want to be real. I can't just post all that I've learned and what I am doing well. So, here's what I've been praying over for AWHILE...my discontentment. Here's what I'm struggling with lately: I am a small town girl (it's actually more like medium town girl) living in a big city. Why am I discontent so much? Well, I want my small town life back. I've dealt with the fact that my home town may not be God's plan for our family (although, I still hope it might be one day). I've learned so much through the last several years as we have moved to one place to the next. I know that God's picture is a beautiful mystery waiting to be painted before me. And I want to please my Father and live according to His plans. But often times I choose to want things my way. I begin feeling this blah, yukky feeling when I begin longing for something else. That feeling doesn't come often because I pray that the Lord will give me joy in all circumstances. And He is so faithful to do His part. It's my part that struggles sometimes. I've even started negotiations with the Lord about working out some way that my family could have a bigger home with some land and a privacy fence in the backyard. It doesn't have to be in Georgia. It can be still be in Central Florida. I want my kids to be able to play outside...safely. And I would love to have friends and family over for dinner and have elbow room. Wow, I tell you, it's just been one of those weeks. I do trust that the Lord has the better plan. I just forget to live like I really believe it. The only way to fix it is to truly have His desires as my desires. Jesus pull me out of this emotional sinkhole and raise me to my feet to fix my eyes on you.

Psalms 37:4-5 "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass".

Psalms 27:8 When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Mark 14:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

Jesus, please make your Word Alive in my heart today! Let me accept it, live it, breathe it, and not forget it.

Blessings,

Jaime

How to...

Looking for a good "how to" guide lately. It seems like I'm always looking for advice for parenting, being a good wife, teacher, homemaker, woman of God, etc. The Lord has been speaking to me this week about those questions of how to do life...

Colossians 3:17, 23-24
17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him...23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

And another favorite verse of mine that I've referenced before but just seems to pop in my mind quite often:

Phillipians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Lord, I praise you and thank you for your constant provision and guidance in my life! When I get to the "how to's," I pray that your Word would be written on my heart with your truths to the questions of life. I don't want to waste my time searching for answers when I could be using that time in prayer and praise to you!

Blessings,

Jaime