Lessons Learned

So I haven't written in awhile...thought about it a couple times, and alas chose not to.

I'm learning a lot lately, I think learning might come in waves in this season of my life. One moment I'm enjoying all the lessons I just learned and I turn the corner and have a whole new wave of things to learn, grasp, and adapt to. It's tiring, exciting, emotional...needless to say it takes a lot of my time and energy.

Nathan and I have been watching Joyce Meyer online every morning now for two weeks. It's been SO amazing, just teaching us and showing us things...like I said before I never was a huge fan of hers, but God is really just using her at this time in my life to speak to me and Nathan it's really awesome. I can't talk about it enough.

So today is Pentecost Sunday. I think I had heard the phrase before briefly at church growing up, but at our new church they really went into what it meant, it's SO cool learning new things. Our pastor has a passion for Hebrew translation and Greek he's always doing a lot of studying and teaching us new ways to look at scripture I can't tell you how exciting it really is.

One thing that I've been really grabbing hold of lately is making sure that I pray before I speak or make decisions, instead of speaking or making a decision then asking God if it was the correct thing to do. I've always known this was the right way to do it but God has really been impressing it upon me and showing me situations where I can should have done this and pointing out in advance where I can. =] Gotta love the process, and in that process I've learned that I'm no longer applying for the team lead position. Some other doors might be opening for me though so I'm pumped to see what God DOES have in store for me in the new future!

Also for those who may have been following me about what's going on with us and Nate's family, I wanted to just say that I hope no one has thought ill of them because of me. My main purpose of writing anything about that situation was just to outlet some frustration on what I could do better. I thought maybe someone who had been through this could give me advice maybe or someone who might be going through as I am could be encouraged that they aren't alone. Either way, I hurt some feelings and so I wanted to make sure it was clear to those who don't know me which is honestly most of you, that it wasn't my intention to speak badly of anyone.

And in closing on to today...we hung out with the family a little and went to see Night at the Museum 2 I'll post pics tomorrow but it was really funny and just nice to be all together. Church was rockin' this morning. And now off to a night of Settlers and a Movie with my favorite person in the world. Oh and that fella rocks this week b/c he sang to me. Yes my favorite song that he sings, is When a Man Loves a Woman. Because he sings very dramatic and out of key and it's probably one of the cutest things you could ever see. He amazes me and makes me smile and I couldn't be more blessed.

My Husband Rocks and Memorial Weekend

My husband rocks this week because LAST week before we it rained for 7 days straight...I was missing the rain. I posted it as my status on facebook that I hoped it was raining when I got out of work. Which it totally wasn't...but when Nathan picked me up from work he was dressed all nice...and made me wait at the door while he ducked inside real quick when he opened the door there were candles EVERYWHERE, classical music playing in the background, our dvd fireplace was going, AND he has a cd of the rain and he had that playing as well. It sounds like it might have been noisy but it totally wasn't. It was so great, he had taken time and made an effort to love me. It was GREAT!
We have been trying to eat healthier so he had made a salad, and some stuffed chicken breasts, a little wine it was awesome, and funny b/c we looked at each other after we were done eating and were like I'm still hungry. So we ordered pizza and watched a movie snuggled on the couch. It was an amazing well thought out night just to bless me. Something I hadn't realized I needed, but he knew and fullfilled that need. What an AMAZING husband I have. I'm so blessed.

Hope you guys all have an awesome holiday weekend! We are working working working all weekend...awesome praise report, I'm not usually available to work on Mondays but one of the gals that I work with really needed someone to cover her shift and my manager asked me if I would take it. Well since Nathan had already told it should be busy and he was going to be working a double I was like sure! Well today I found out I'm going to get holiday pay for working it! So what may have started out as kind of a bummer I was working is totally turning out to be a BIG blessing, and I truly believe it is because God sees that I'm trying! He's so faithful and I'm so grateful!
Guess that's it for now! Talk to you later!

Finding the Way

This last week in the Bernock house...things have been FABULOUS! A couple of highlights though...as to not get too detailed and write a book:

Nate started back at Disney last Saturday...he's liking that it's just a shift here or there, not full time and he can just get a little extra money and have fun. AND a few of the CP's [college program] people he worked with before are coming back for the summer so he's pumped.

As for me I just applied for a promotion with Urban and will find out when my interview is sometime in the next week. My department manager though REALLY loves me so I'm praying for just more favor so that I will get this position. It will allow me to help out more because it will be full time!

As for everything else...well I'll fill you in later, when I'm certain I can word it correctly. God is doing a work in us though that's for sure. He is good and faithful, and I'm just amazed with Him and His love for me. =] Hope you all are experiencing that blessing of knowing Him and His goodness!

Love and blessings to you.

My Husband Rocks

I guess I should have waited for yesterdays post to put it as a My Husband Rocks post, I've been a little scatterbrained lately with everything going on. lol But there are so many things that rock about my husband I don't mind postnig about how amazing he is twice in a row.

He rocks this week b/c of his discipline. He has exercised every day this week...and today even without me there helping to push him! [which he asked me to do] He has a pretty steep goal and is trying to lose it before our reunion. I'm proud of him, for just being peaceful this week, for being confident, for making a plan and following through on it, for letting me watch what I wanted to watch this week movie wise. He just amazes me, and as our Anniversary peers at us from around the corner I'm realizing how much we have changed since we first got married, in such amazing ways too! Understanding one another better, communicating better, loving each other better, it's just so amazing to have Nathan in my life. He is a man that is a blessing to those around him, not just me. I'm proud to be married to such a funny, smart, gentle, God seeking, strong husband...He rocks! =]

Here are a couple pictures of us yesterday... =]

Out walking.

Off to work and choir practice.

Blessings to you.

So Happy Together

So lately Nathan and I have had a lot of time to spend together, we've been eating healthy exercising together and both feel SO GREAT! Here are a couple pics of us this week. =]

On our way to work yesterday. [Tuesday]


After a dip in the pool today. [wednesday]



On Our way to work...Saturday I believe. =]

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed end of your week!

Touched, Moved, and Beyond Blessed

Happy Mothers Day!
I pray that all you mothers out there reading this are having or had an amazing day celebrating you! You deserve it! What a precious blessing you are, far beyond what words could express.
For those of you out there like me, waiting patiently to become a mother...and that just hasn't happened for you yet, I pray peace joy and comfort for you especially today and wanted to just give you a shout out so you knew you were in fact not alone. God is good and our time is coming! Blessings to you all.

These are a few songs that have really been touching my heart recently and so I decided to share. The Lord truly is continuing His work in me and I'm so grateful.

You can click on the link to see music videos that people have put together, I also posted the words, you might just open the video up so you can hear the song and then follow along with the words, whatever you'd like, I just hope it blesses you, where you are at today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HgAVenbUU
Bring the Rain - Mercyme
I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

This song is amazing for so many reasons, but one of which I learned recently. It has been drilled into my head that God is a good God, He only does whats best for me and so on...not undermine that teaching at all b/c it's great teaching especially for those who think God is just waiting to zap them. However what we've been learning recently at church is that sometimes things happen in our life that seem like an attack of the enemy, when really it's just how God's working out the bigger picture...losing a job isn't always a bad thing, I mean it's not pleasant but our pastor said, what if God is trying to get your attention, He wants you to hear His voice again...just because you've been going to church for years doesn't mean you have to stop working at pursuing Christ, He will take care of your needs for sure, and He won't come into your life without permission He's a gentleman like that, but if you are asking for His will and begging that He move in your life...don't think He's abandoned you if something that seems bad in your eyes happens. We have to start realizing that we are mostly spiritual people and we need to start seeing the world through spiritual eyes...so that's why this song amazes me, if all I need is a little rain in my life to truly praise You God, then bring the rain...b/c my desire is to serve you, and you know what I need in my life to make that happen.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU
By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

'Cause I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you
Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life(Chorus 2x)
Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go(Chorus 2x)

This song Nathan came home and told me about...it just really puts things in perspective, in short God is trying to take care of me and I need to stop trying to solve things in my way...stop trying to be accepted by others, although I tend to drum to my own beat deep inside me I look for acceptance from others I need to only find in Christ...I need to stop striving and stop fighting the hands that are trying to hold me through the storm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTNjM3UnX3I
I Will Run - Freddie Rodriguez & Michael Gungor

Yeah Hallelujah
If your ready to run after God today
Only Glory...
Only your grace x2 Only you can, set me free,
Only your love, has capture my heart,
I hear you calling come, come, come.... S
o I will run, forever I will run unto you oh God
now you have my heart so I will, I will run,
forever I will run, run to you oh God
where else can I go, Forever I will run

Only your love, has captured my heart
I hear you calling come, come, come....
So I will run forever I will run,
unto you oh God now you have my heart,
so I will, I will run, forever I will run, run to you oh God
where else can I go Forever I will run
come, come, come, x4
I hear you calling come, come, come, I
hear you calling x3
So I will run forever I will run, unto you oh God
now you have my heart, so I will, I will run,
forever I will run, run to you oh God
where else can I go Forever I will run
come, come, come, I hear you calling x3

the first two I've been hearing on the radio a lot, this last one we sang in church last week and I've been listening to it over and over again at home...and it turns out it was co-written by my old worship leader...too cool.

I hope you were truly blessed, and that you have a marvelous week!

Hodge Podge Update

Nathan is taking a nap, after applying for a million jobs today. I'm so proud of him.

We rearranged the living room.

I'm headed to hang out with my folks for a little while then off to choir practice.

One of our friends is having an extreme issue with his knee and is on disability, if you could be praying for his healing and for his wife who is having a hard time b/c the doctors don't know what's exactly wrong. Thanks.

I've been listening to music like crazy, it's helping.

I applied for a couple jobs as well, full time work here I come, Lord willing. Concerned a tad about sharing a car while we both work full time...but it will work somehow, God is faithful.

Family issues, well...I think I might just talk about that later. There is a ton of emotion and I'm trying not to be distracted from what I need to be focused on, God and my husband. Family has to come third, and right now the first two need my attention.

So awesome, I went for an interview a couple weeks ago and met this awesome chick in the waiting room. Neither one of us ended up getting the job, BUT I saw her at church on Sunday, she hugged me like 5 times and gave me her number...it was really cool. She seems like a sweetie and that is just another friend I've made at church. The other one is Liz and we met her and her hubby at the Passover Seder, we had been missing each other at church but saw each other on Sunday! She is coming to choir tonight b/c it's a special mother's day choir all ladies and she was so excited to be coming and to meet up again. Apparently her & her husband [Ray] love football and so we have people to get together with and watch the games this season! Nate is thrilled!

Trying to keep our chins up, you know how I said we were so close to being debt free and everytime we get to that place something sets us back...yeah it happened again. So like I said determined to make it happen before we move, at the end of July. We are not doing anything special for our anniversary...so we can celebrate in Michigan a couple weeks later. ::fingers crossed and praying::

So this is my little everywhere update. Just wanted to stop in and say hey.

Talk to you later.

Clarity, Time, Inspiration and a Lion

So I'm reading this amazing book Making Marriage Work, I started reading it at the beginning of the year and have just been gradually making my way through it. It's been helping identify some amazing things that I can do to help myself change. So many times I feel we are presented with issues where a fault is made clear and we are left standing there going...now what? How do I be that woman I've always strived to be, that woman I know God wants me to be. I feel like I pick one thing up in life to work on and then inevitably something is forgotten, but in any case this book has been amazing not only in my marriage but in relationships in general. I find that Joyce and I have a lot in common personality wise, spunky, outspoken, passionate...just to name a few. All I think can be great qualities at times but self control is needed many times as well.

Anyway through all the growing, yesterday I hit chapter 11 and it was about confrontation. Wow talk about perfect God timing there. It was awesome how she just pointed out the simpliest things that I already knew and yet they seemed revolutionary, that's God. =] I learned another thing I can do to help be understood correctly, and that is prefacing things. You see I know that I mess up just as much as the next person [maybe even more] I know I have flaws and faults, I can be snappy and easy offended at times, I'm not always as gentle as I would like, sometimes I'm selfish I really could go on. When confronting someone I need to make it more evident then I felt I had in the past that I don't think myself superior. I don't think myself better than anyone that I confront with an issue, I honestly feel like I'm trying to help them, whether to understand my emotions or someone else's...I don't know the point is, I need to point out at the beginning how I too have flaws and do not always act correctly.

Second and probably even more important than the first is I tend to be more like a lion than a lamb. I tend to see a problem, I try and figure it out, evaluate if I have done wrong and then I confront it. Well, I need to make sure I'm waiting for the go ahead from the Holy Spirit. Because even if what I have to say is truth if the Holy Spirit hasn't prepared the heart of the person I'm confronting it can end up a big mess, like the one I'm in now. Timing. It all boils down to timing, as soon as I got off the phone I knew it had not been the right timing, I shouldn't have gone there, it was my bad, I had the opportunity to kick myself repeatedly and I remembered one of my favorite Superchick songs that I have really been quoting a lot, if I get up I might fall back down again, so let's get up come on...the harder I fall the higher I've climbed...it cheered me up, b/c I recogonize my flaw and find rest that I would try and do better next time. But the way Joyce put it in her book just really worded it properly for me, gave me the little missing piece that I needed to actually be able to correct my fault and change in the future, how exciting it is to figure out how to change! I think the most important thing about this is that I don't need to stop being a lion completely b/c Jesus didn't. He was a lion and a lamb, he went from turning over tables in a church to not uttering a single word in his defense. He was in tune with God, He had proper timing. It seems contradictory but it's not. There is a right time and a wrong time. I'm sick of being in the wrong "time zone" I want to sychronize my watch with God's and learn to be more patient and demonstrate more self control. So there are a couple things you can pray for me about. =] And I will appreciate it!

Lots has been going on like I've said mostly, church stuff, lots of church stuff going on this month, and with Nathan only working one job now we will be able to go and do more stuff together! Praise God! and He is able to come to church with me every Sunday now! It's so amazing! We are focusing on the good, determined to overcome. I forgot to post the sermon that I promised but I'm kind of glad I waited b/c it turned out to be a series of 3 sermons...it really was amazing. If you have the time to give it, and would like to open your heart up for an amazing God given word I would encourage you to listen go ahead and click on this link:

http://web.mac.com/withoutwallscentral/Without_Walls_Central/Central_Podcast/Central_Podcast.html

the three are currently the last three titled [in order]

Living in the Bright Side Part 1 of Let the Rooster Crow

Make Some Noise Anyhow Part 2 of Let the Rooster Crow

Convinced in the Dark Part 3 of Let the Rooster Crow

Be prepared Pastor Scott gets super excited and passionate, he speaks truth and is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. We have been SO blessed by his messages there hasn't been one week where I haven't wanted to buy the cd and send it to people AND keep one for myself to listen to again later! It's annointed and spirit filled, and may not be for you, everyone has different seasons so don't feel obligated or bad if you don't like it after you listen. He's talking to us about what we need to be talked to about and it's good for us that's all I know! =]

Anyway, maybe some progress made in my singing career so excited about opportunity there as well. Found out our lease is an extra month so we will be here till the end of July. Which is okay, gives us a little extra time to come up with money for a deposit, and we have been going on walks every day around our ponds, in the complex. All the pretty birds and ducks and turtles come out it's a lot of fun and I'm getting that quality time I need from my hubby, so I'm feeling super loved. Yesterday we even barbequed! Here's a picture for you. =]

Thanks for being there, for reading, for praying, for understanding.

Love to you.

My Husband RocksThrough Tough Weeks

My Husband Rocks this week...because he just does. He has handled everything thrown at us in the last week remarkably well. He truly is someone I admire love and respect beyond anything I ever imagined. He truly amazes me and gives me strength. Something that came to my attention is his automatic signature to his emails, it just makes him that much more respectable to me it says:
Honesty is simply following the facts
and truthfully speaking from your heart.
May honesty guide you today and forever.
God bless you.

I love it. I love him. End of story.

We went to see Wolverine last night at midnight, IT WAS EPIC! I loved it, Hugh Jackman is so hunky. ;] It was fun, Justin, Nate and Me. It helped a ton!

Things with family are continually getting worse...which like I said before it just sucks. I was informed by my husband though that I am to keep blogging about what I want, I'm not being disrespectful and it is an outlet that none of my friends and only a couple of Nate's family members know about, it creates a nice escape, however I'm not sure how well it will work...I don't want to be stirring things up, even if I don't think I'm wrong in this, I honestly want to be part of the solution. Thanks for your encouraging words though and help with me trying to figure out how to handle things properly, although I haven't completely figured it out, it was helpful to know I'm not the only one out there having issues with inlaws.

So anyway, on to other things. Choir is going well, lots of planning for our reunion trip that we are really determined to go on, we decided to combine a couple of things together, our alone camping trip I was talking about, we are planning on doing after the reunion up in the UP, we plan on visiting friends we haven't seen in ions, hopefully trips to the Coca Cola factory, Cedar Point and Graceland. Also the Woodward Dream Cruise...I've never been and desperately want to be a part of something Nathan did before I met him, I think it's so much fun experiencing those things together.

I guess that's all for now, I'm feeling tired after going to that movie and then working first thing this morning. I'm gonna go cuddle up with a cat, eat something and watch a movie. Thanks for the prayers, we can feel them and appreciate it sooo much!

Blessings to you,