Pro Life T Shirt Day at the Knoblauchs

Beth Buse, our campus pastor's wife, and I have organized a pro life march for mommies and babies that will be this coming tuesday on the campus of the U of M. We are very excited about this and pray that it will be an encouragement, conviction and prayerful testimony to all those students and faculty to cherish life and to help bring an end to the atrocity of abortion in this nation!
On friday, we had a really fun t shirt painting party at our house for the kids where they decorated their pro life tshirts with their handprints and puffy paint. They will wear the shirts they made at the march.
Here are some pictures!

Fun Pictures

We have had some fun adventures lately!
My close friend, Bethany got to spend the day with us this tuesday which was really special, since she is usually very busy with Chiropractic school.
then on Thursday we went out on my other friend, Shannon's boat, which was also very fun

Restoration

"When the Lord brought back
his exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!

We were filled with laughter
and we sang for joy
And the other nations said,
"What amazing things the Lord
has done for them."
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!

Restore our fortunes, Lord
as streams renew the desert.

Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.

They weep as they go to plant
their seed,
but they sing as they return
with the harvest.

Psalm 126:1-6

Beaver Creek Valley Camping Trip with the Bardals

Our family just got back from camping with our friends Mike and Priya Bardal at Beaver Creek Valley this past weekend. The Bardals have most of the cute pictures, which I will post later in the week after I get them, but here are a few from my iPhone for now! We had a blast fishing by the river, having campfires and playing settlers, as well as hiking up a hill and down a long winding trail by the river. Can't wait to do it again next year!

Little Travelers

The kids and I just got home today, Tuesday from Shell Lake once again! Our whole family went up for the weekend, and then James came home sunday night for work on Monday, but the kids and I stayed up at my parents cabin for a couple more days. Shiloh Maia began to crawl for the first time this week, which was really special, and there is a picture of her first crawl below. Isaac and Bub had their first ice cream cones, and we saw a beautiful sunset over the lake!

Goodbye TV!

We decided to get rid of our TV this week, we actually sold it on craigslist! It was so funny, because it was such a spiritual battle to get rid of that thing. When James and I first got married, we did not want a TV in our house. That was just something we had in our hearts to do, and later on a TV was given to us, and then when we finished our basement, we bought another one for the basement. James works really hard, and it is nice to relax at night and watch TV, BUT, it had become such a distraction to our time, so we decided to sell it and be done with it for good. I went back and forth in my mind, oh, we should keep it for such and such a reason, then I wanted to sell it and I just went back and forth on it like that. But I have to say that when it was finally out of our bedroom, what a relief! The atmosphere in our bedroom is just so peaceful and to be honest, the whole atmosphere in the house is more peaceful. Amen!
and here's a sweet sweet picture of my darling little baby girl(:

We Stand Before Him

Your words were found and I ate them, and
Your words became for me a
joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.

I did not sit in the cirle
of the merrymakers,
Nor did I exult.
Because Your hand was heavy upon me,
I sat alone.

For You filled me with indignation.
Why has my pain been perpetual
and my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive stream
With water that is unreliable?

Therefore, thus says the Lord,
"If you return,
then I will restore you,
Before Me you will stand;
and if you extract the precious from the worthless
You will become my spokesman
They for their part may turn to you,
But as for you,
you must not turn to them.

Then I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze
and though they fight against you
they will not prevail over you
for I am with you to save you
and deliver you", declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 15:16-20

I was reading this passage yesterday and the Lord was showing me some amazing things!
Jeremiah says that because of the Lord's hand upon him, he did not take part in the lawless partying and revelry around him. He knew that he was to stand before God alone and account for what was in his heart. And not only that, his heart was filled with indignation that those around him were not following God with their hearts. God spoke to Jeremiah and told him that if he would return to the Lord and extract the precious from the worthless, he would be God's spokesman to the people. God is interested in holiness. Holiness is not religion, it is not the keeping of the law. It is the condition of purity in your heart towards God and those around you.

"Come, let us return to the Lord.
For He has torn us,
but He will heal us;
He has wounded us,
but He will bind up our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
He will raise us up on the third day,
That we may live before Him.
So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord."
Hosea 6:1-3a

Why does the Lord "wound us" and "tear us"? He does it to free us of the selfishness and wickedness that we cling to. He has to tear theres things away from us if we will not let them go. He does it to make us like Him, so that we may know Him better and be free of the ways of the world that only bring death! God is not cruel, but He is just. And He cares for our sanctification, not our comfort.He wants to bring us into true freedom and joy in our spirits that we may glorify Him, and sometimes that process is painful. So if you feel wounded, return to Him! He will heal you, He will free you. Though we don't understand His ways, and we don't understand why He lets us struggle, we can trust his love. I let my children struggle so that they learn how to accomplish what is before them, I let them struggle to make them stronger, even though I could do it for them. I let them struggle to bring them to maturity, because of my love for them, and that is also why I train them!

"Let us press on, for we will reap in due season, if we faint not."
"It is not by might nor power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord."

On a side note! Here are some cute pictures of our little flock(:

Our Little Baby Girl!

The sweetest face in all the land......! I love my little girl so much

Summer Days...

Real Fellowship/Communion

Pastor Bruce has been preaching on the subject of communion or fellowship in the church, and it has really been moving my heart. Actually, the week prior to his message on communion, I had been reading the book of First John and the passage of the prayer that Jesus prayed for his believers before he gave His life on the cross. It was so funny, because, Bruce used both of those passages in his message, and I just knew that the Holy Spirit had been speaking the same thing to my heart and probably the rest of the church's heart as well. There are two things about communion.

-You can't have communion with God without also loving his children/His body.
and
-You can't have real fellowship with the church without "returning to your First Love" (Jesus) which enables you to love the church unselfishly.
-Also, you must be transparent and willing to humble your self, or there will be nothing real happening between the members of the body of Christ.

When I was reading these passages on fellowship, God spoke one other very specific scripture to my heart, and that is, in Revelations where Jesus is speaking to the seven churches and to one of them he says, "You must return to your First Love (Jesus)". That church had loved Jesus passionately at first, but their hearts had become filled with other things.
There is not room for Jesus and other things to have first place in our hearts! There is only one first place, one throne of your heart.
What does it mean to "return to your First Love"?
What does it mean to love Christ and to be transparent?

We have no idea what needs others in the body of Christ may have, the struggles they may be going through, or the help they may need from us as their brothers and sisters in Christ. First John says, "If you claim to love God, but you hate your brother, you are deceiving yourself," he is talking about what real love is. We cannot love God, but be in opposition to his body, we must support His body and help it grow!

Gosh, I just have such a heart to see the Church of God stand as one.
Jesus said that the world will know that God sent Him if we as believers truly love one another. The world is not able to truly love each other, because love comes from God, and they that have not God, have not real love for each other. I am talking about selfless love. The love that lays itself down. THAT is how the world will know that Jesus truly was the Son of God, by His love flowing through us to each other! That is a powerful statement.

The Church is so broken, so divided, so full of pride. It does not always choose to love as Jesus did. We are divided over theology, cultural issues, abortion, gay marriage, politics, and many other things.
Things that the heart of God is not divided on.
It says in the bible that we have One God, One Father, One Faith.
How can we then we divided? Is there not one will of the Holy Spirit to unite us so that the world can see the true power of Christ?
God can and will do this!
When I fellowship with the Holy Spirit, He speaks to me about these issues.
I am not talking about rules, or about legalism. I am talking about God's heart. If you know God's heart, you know where he stands on these issues. Such things should not render the church impotent and lifeless, unable to stand as one against the demonic forces in this present age.
God is raising such a passion in me to see the church united.

There is a song by Jason Upton called,"They Will Know We ARe Christians By Our Love" on his Remember Cd. Listen to that song.

Another scripture that God spoke to me about this is, "unless two be agreed, how can they walk together?"
We must be agreed as the people of God, and we must walk together!
United we stand, divided we fall.

Come on, people of God! Lets love one another with the love of God. Then the world will know that Jesus is who He says He is.