Happy Thanksgiving!

Adam and I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving! We'd like to let everyone in on a little secret we've been keeping and today just seems like a wonderful day to do it.

So, our lips are no longer sealed... we're having a baby!!!

I've blogged a few times about the pregnancy but I've been saving them as drafts, so go back and read those posts!

Love to all!

I've Been Tagged!

My cousin, Sue, tagged me in her blog.

The instructions were to go to "My Pictures" and choose the fourth folder and then the fourth picture in that folder and then post that picture. Here's mine:

Last March Adam was in a car accident (we took pictures for insurance purposes). A teenage driver pulled out in front of him, giving him no time to stop. He had a few bumps and bruises and he had to go to the Chiropractor for many months, but he is completely healed now, praise the Lord! :)

As for our car... it wasn't even a year old at the time! We knew that the condition of the car didn't matter and we were thankful for Adam's safety...but deep down we really were still mad about the car. Thankfully, it was completely repaired and it still looks brand new. :)

Well, it's my turn to tag someone. Beth, you're it! :)

Still Germy!

Just a quick update:

Adam and I are both still sick! Please pray that we will be healed of this yucky cold soon... it's effecting both of our breathing, sleep, and ability to be as focused as we need to be on work during the day.

Thanks for your prayers! :)

Veteran's Day

I never really cared much about Veteran's Day when I was younger, but when I became an adult I realized just how important this day is, not just for the veteran's who put their lives on the line for their country, but for us non-veteran's, too. We need to remember to honor and thank those who served in our armed forces.

In thinking about Veteran's Day today, I decided to look up the history of this day and this is what I found (taken from the US Department of Veterans Affairs website):

"World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

When a bill went into effect that changed Armistice Day to Veteran's Day, there was much debate about when the day would be celebrated. Some wanted all holidays with patriotic significance to be observed on a Monday so that people would have a three day weekend, but other wanted this day to be celebrated on the 11th no matter which day of the week the 11th happened to fall on. Well, I guess we all know which side won that debate. :)

So, let me encourage you to go out of your way to thank a Veteran today. I will personally be calling my dad, Victor Iwanoff, to thank him for his service to our country in the Vietnam War. I remember my dad telling me stories when I was a young girl about the way the young men of this country were treated upon their return from Vietnam. It seems our country as a whole was too ignorant to know that they could support the troops, but not the war. My dad told me that after a year (or longer) of being in the Vietnam jungle, soldiers would return back to the US with out a thank you, but instead they were literally spat upon and protested against. When I got older this broke my heart for my dad--a man who wasn't even born an American but immigrated to the USA from Germany as a boy and still loved his country enough to enlist when his country needed him. He didn't wait to be drafted and he didn't run away like so many cowardly men did.

Several years ago I sent my dad a card for Veteran's Day letting him know that he is and always will be my hero. I thanked him for what he did and I told him how much his service meant to me. When he called me to let me know that he received the card, he told me that no one had ever thanked him before for that. I cried.

Dad, I don't know if you'll ever read this message, but thank you. Thank you for fighting for our country, even when it wasn't the popular thing to do. Thank you for being a model of courage before I was even a thought in your mind. But most of all, dad, thank you for being you. I love you!

So again, I encourage you to thank, really THANK, a Veteran today. I know you'll be glad you did!

Have a great day!

7 weeks, 4 days

That's how pregnant I am today. According to What to Expect When You're Expecting, the baby is the size of a blueberry this week, and in another 2 days or so Baby Lane will be the size of a large raspberry. They baby is starting to look, well, more baby-like this week instead of looking like a little alien.

I am getting pretty antsy...I can't wait to tell EVERYONE that we are expecting! My first appointment with my OB/GYN is on Friday. Adam is going to come along with me since we get to see the first picture of our little June Bug. I am already thinking about scanning in the ultrasound picture and putting it at the top of my blog page, but I guess I will have to wait until Thanksgiving to do that, too.

My parents and my brother and his family are coming down for Thanksgiving, as I've mentioned before, and it is not until then that we will tell my brothers (we'll have to call Christopher) and the rest of the family. We plan on making our Happy Thanksgiving phone calls to our aunts and uncles and then we'll clue them in as to what we are most thankful for this year. :)

I am still feeling pretty good and I am blessed that I have not had any morning sickness (yet)! My major pregnancy symptom is still extreme fatigue and all the other minor things that I blogged about before.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Adam and I went down to Mooresville last weekend to tell his parents and sister that a new baby is on the way. We went out to dinner with them first and when we got back to their house we showed them some of our pictures from the Alaskan cruise we went on in August. The last picture in the album was a picture of the positive pregnancy test. They all seemed pretty excited, and my sister-in-law wanted to take credit for it being her idea (ah, the mind of a 16 year old). It wasn't the high pitched crying, laughing, and screaming reaction that we got from my parents, but we were both just happy that they seemed happy, and that's a good thing. :)

House of Germs

My house has become a house of germs over the last week. This past Monday Adam came down with some cold symptoms and I knew we were in trouble. Adam doesn't just get a little, get over it quickly kind of cold. His colds come on strong and stay for way too long.

This time he has been ultra careful to not get near me. I didn't ask him to, but he decided to spend the past week sleeping in the guest room instead of in our bedroom because he didn't want me to get sick.

Well, his efforts were in vain. :( I got sick anyway and I've been miserable the past couple of days. I've had the worst post nasal drip I've ever had--my throat has been so sore. But, thankfully, it seems that I am already starting to get over it. I'm just praying that my cold symptoms won't last as long as Adam's (who's still suffering by the way).

I plan on spending a good part of the day disinfecting my germy house.

Have a good weekend!

God, Government, and the Gospel

My pastor, Will Tuboren of Calvary Baptist Church, preached on this subject today in light of the upcoming election on Tuesday. I take notes every week, but I felt the need to share the message in this way this week because I think it challenges us all (including me!) to rethink our attitude and to get rid of any fear that we may have about Tuesday's perceived outcome.

Will gave us four specific challenges that I will share with you, the heart of the message comes from Romans 13:1-7. I encourage you to read it along with all of the other references posted.

Challenge #1:

Remember to keep things in perspective!
-Our hope is in Jesus Christ
-Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20-21)

Challenge #2:

Remember that God is Sovereign above all things!
-All governing authorities, both good and bad, are ordained by God. (Romans 13:1)
-Examples:
I Kings 12- wicked king
John 19- Just before the crucifixion Pilot tells Jesus that he (Pilot) has the power to crucify Him. Jesus tells Pilot that the only reason Pilot has this authority is because God allowed him to have it.
Romans 9:16-18- Pharaoh is in place because God ordained it to be that the Jews could leave and go into the Promised Land

Challenge #3:

Remember that we must submit to governing authorities, unless our submission leads to sin (what God has called us to do as followers of Jesus Christ).
-Romans 13:2-5: Paul says that to fail to submit to governing authorities is failure to submit to God and it will result in punishment from both the government and God.

Example: Our government says we have to pay taxes (no matter how high!) and we must do so in accordance with the law and with God's Word. (Romans 13:6-7 and Mark 12)

However, there is cause for civil disobedience! Examples of this from the scriptures:

-Daniel 6: Daniel couldn't submit to a law that said he couldn't pray. The consequence? Daniel was thrown in to the lion's den, but the Lord delivered him.

-Daniel 3: Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego wouldn't worship and idol. They were thrown into a fiery furnace and the Lord delivered them.

-Acts 4: Peter & John were punished for telling people about Jesus. They were released and told they were not allowed to witness anymore but they did it anyway because they knew that they were ambassadors for Jesus Christ and for heaven.

Considering Civil Disobedience?

-Consider the grievousness of the action that is sanctioned by the law
-Consider the extent of the unjust law's effect.
-Consider how the civil disobedience gives a witness of the gospel.

THE WAY WE SUBMIT TO GOVERNING AUTHORITIES SPEAKS OF THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY! (wow! those words really spoke to me!)

Challenge #4: God's values must become our values!

-We must consider what each candidate says about the value of LIFE, MARRIAGE & FAMILY, and the POOR and OPPRESSED.


Prayer:

What do we need to pray for? Join Will, my church, the community of Winston-Salem, and the nation in prayer for:

-God's will to be done
-God to be glorified in all things
-and for the glorious Gospel to go forward


Final Thoughts...

"Some of us are going to be jubilant over the outcome of the election, others bitterly disappointed. But remember, regardless of who wins, the City of God endures."
--Chuck Colson, from the article, "A Sacred Duty: Why Christians Must Vote"