In our digging for identity, we’ve discovered some priceless treasure! 1.) We were created for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:11) 2.) God didn’t make a mistake when He made you. 3.) God has reclaimed you through Jesus- His creation- and is in the business of transforming you into His likeness 4.) He’s going to give you […]
encouragement, God's love, grace, identity, perspective, treasure, treasure hunter, undeserved
[box] “God’s viewpoint is sometimes different from ours – so different that we could not even guess at it unless He had given us a Book which tells us such things….In the Bible I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us.” ― Corrie […]
Christian family, downs syndrome, God of Grace, identity, joyful journey, special needs parenting
Some people struggle with pride and thinking too highly of themselves, (God has a way of taking care of that 🙂 ) e but others hear a different kind of voice…………. s “Loser” “Geek” “Emu” “Goth” “Weirdo” “Dummy” “Idiot” “Stupid” “Trash” “Reject” “Retard” “Disappointment” s (Some people should should have Ralphie’s mom around with […]
Christian family, eternity, God of Grace, identity, joyful journey, labels, special needs parenting, transformationUse some dynamite to blast away the lies on “Mount Identity”-let’s destroy all the negative labels the world, people, and even our own minds try to ingrain into our being and we see clearly the only opinion and truth that truly matters is who God says we are! When the dust settles, the first nugget you can […]
God's love, identity, inspiration, perspective, promises, transformation, treasure, treasure hunter
“Mom, me and my honey, we gonna move and get our own house. You wanna live with us?” “Bethany, you don’t have a honey yet and you live with us, sweetie.” “Yes I do. My new zip be 6604 and we gonna get 5 cats, 5 dogs, 5 baby pigs, 5 goats, 5 chickens, 5 baby […]
adult, Bethany, child of God, children, family, life, perspective, treasure hunter
Join our family on a Treasure Quest! Are you ever surprised sometimes by how much you’re still “seeking” to know God, understand His will for our lives, “asking” for directions, and “knocking” on His door to get some answers? I sure am! One of the most basic quests in life is trying to figure out […]
Bethany, fallen world, identity, living between the trees, perspective, treasure, treasure hunterB U M M E R! I had such “lofty” expectations for our vacation! Like most of the American world, we try to live within a pretty tight budget. We save a certain amount each month for Christmas and Birthdays (a necessity in a family as large as ours 🙂 ) and we set aside vacation […]
encouragement, eternity, family, Jesus, joy, life, living between the trees, overcoming, perspective, transformation[box type=”info”] I’ve got a SURPRISING TREASURE for you today! I’m in Galveston, Texas with my family on vacation and I’ve asked my sister-friend, Edy, to be our guest blogger! If you’ve followed Surprising Treasures very long, you might have noticed Edy comments on every post! (boy, do I love that 🙂 ) She is […]
Edy, encouragement, fallen world, Jesus, life, mystery, prayer, promises, treasure, treasure hunterDon’t let life happen to you- YOU happen to life!
Bethany, bucket list, celebrate, Cohen, enjoy, Finley, home schooling, life, perspective, summer, transformationOne of my favorite books of all time is by Hannah Hurnard’ entititled “Hinds Feet on High Places.” (this is truly a must read 🙂 )It’s an allegory I can relate to every time I read it. The story is a triumphant tale of a “crippled” girl called Much Afraid, who desires to follow the […]
Christian family, God of Grace, joyful journey, special needs parenting, transformation
Between hormones and happenings, I’ve been such a cry baby the last few days! 🙂 Thursday was the last day of school and Friday was the “Big Stage” Dance recital. Both of these events celebrated 10 months of learning AND the ENDING of yet another year of childhood. Why is it that when I was little, […]
Amy, Bethany, big stage, Dazzlers, Finley, growing up, inspiration, roses, tears, treasureI totally underestimate what Bethany can hear and understand. Yesterday, I was sharing with Jeff that although its exciting to watch the kids were growing up and having their own lives, jobs, careers, and families, it’s difficult to plan time for our “big family” to come together. I started reminiscing about the “good old days” […]
Bethany, encouragement, God's love, inspiration, love, perspective, treasure
~ ~ Some kids count down with excitement for Birthdays and Christmas- Bethany excitedly counts down and celebrates everything! ~ ~ ~Bethany’s “short” list of things to celebrate~ Finley & Cohen time Amy and Spencer days Birthdays Sibling Dates Sonic dates, Subway dates Movie Night Family nights Church Days, FOG (Followers of God Bible Club) nights […]
Amy, Bethany, dance, Dazzlers, downs syndrome, Finley, inspiration, special needs, treasure
[box] Perspective is a funny thing. When I’m zoomed in on life, everything is overwhelmingly magnified. Only when He redials my focus, can I see what He sees.[/box] Life has a way grabbing my spiritual binoculars and dialing me into hyper-focus! The last few months our family has walked through some life situations that have been hyper-magnifing my perspective, absorbing my focus, […]
children, perspective, prayer“Mothers are the fragrance of Heaven’s love.” As a child, I understood Mother’s Day be a straight-forward celebration. You had one mother and two grandmothers. Three cards to make and three special gifts to give. I remember a paper clip necklace I made for my Mom, and being the “MOM” that she was, she wore it […]
choices, inspiration, mom, perspective, thankfulness