Bible Time with Kodah

My heart broke with overflowing joy this evening when I walked in the living room to find Ian "reading" his Bible to Kodah. I just can't explain what that does to a mother!!!

Fireproof

I am not a big movie person. However, I love the movie Fireproof! Something said in that movie is this, "But I'm a good person" the son said. His dad said, "according to your standards. But God doesn't use your standards, He uses His. Which is Jesus Christ" or something like that anyway. Which means we all need a Savior!! No one is GOOD ENOUGH to save themselves! Thank you God for sending Jesus to save such a wretch as me. Praise you Lord!

"Go Down, Death" by Wintley Phipps

What Life Is All About!

We go to church with this beautiful couple, Vernon & Betty Banks. They are so kind and loving. Nia just loves them and they love her as well along with the rest of our family. On her birthday they asked if they could take her out to eat at her favorite place. She picked Cici's Pizza and she loved it. They are two precious people that we will surely miss when we leave.

"Noddy Cain"

Last night during Bible story time with the kids, we read the story of Cain & Abel. At the end of the story it says that Cain was sent away to the land of Nod. And Nia replies, "because he was Noddy (naughty)". So clever!

Easter Story at School & God is Bigger than the Boogey-man

I know, 3 posts in one day, that's more than I did last month total.

As we are stuffing eggs last night for Nia's Easter hunt today at school, we were talking about the importance of them understanding the true meaning. So I said that I didn't know why eggs were involved. Nia said that her teachers had told them that it was about new life. She also said that her teachers told them about Jesus dying on the cross and rising again on the 3rd day. Then Nia said that both of her teachers are Christians.

I WAS AMAZED.

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Oh, one more thing, the other day Nia had a song stuck in her head at school. Her teacher asked her what she was singing and then asked Nia to sing it for everyone. She did!!!!!!!! It was "God is bigger than the boogey-man, He's bigger than godzilla or the monsters on TV, Oh, God is Bigger than the boogey-man and He's watching out for you and me. Now when I'm lying in my bed and the furniture starts creeping, I'll just laugh and say 'Hey cut that out' and get back to my sleeping, cause I know that God's the biggest and He's watching all the while so when I get scared I'll think of Him and close my eyes and smile..... God is Bigger than the boogey-man ..........." Thanks Veggietales!

Sweetness of Ian

I know there's a point in a growing boys life that he will want to quit all the kisses and hugs from mom. That will be a sad day for me, that's why I am posting this, to remember and remind him of this stage in his life.

Ian, who is 4 years old, loves me so much. He tells me numerous times a day that he loves me. He hugs me ALL day long. He draws and colors me pictures a lot. Of course he loves his dad and sister as well, but he treats me different. He and dad wrestle all the time, Nia & Ian play and fight and everything else that siblings do, but with me, he is tender and gentle and well mannered, always says thank you and please, smiling and gracious and generous - loving on me every chance he gets.

4 out of 5 times, when I ask him in the morning what he dreamed about, It's always me. Whether me leaving him somewhere which he describes as a scary dream or I am always with him which he describes as a good dream. This morning it was a good dream! Then as I was laying on his bed asking him about his dream and sleep, he got up and went around to where I was laying on the bed and starting massaging my back and shoulders. What a sweetie! Oh, the love and joy that bursts out in me over a tiny gester or love from my sweet boy.

I have really enjoyed spending my mornings with him these past few years while Nia is in school. Come August, he will be joining Nia in school and I will be home with a new little one.

It is amazing that compared to my love for my kiddos, God's love for them is so much greater! Oh, thank you Lord for Your Amazing Love.

Nia's Dream

I post things for different reasons. Some for family far away to keep up with what we are doing, some for entertainment, and some for me. I view this blog as an online scrapbook. Somethings just need to be written down so I won't forget them in time. That is the reason for this particular post.

After nap time on a Sunday afternoon, Ian told me that he had a dream about Jesus. Then Nia said she had this dream. "John the Baptist was baptizing me. Then Jesus came and told me to 'leave everything and follow me.'"

Happy Anniversary

It was this day 9 years ago that Romeo Tagle & Amy Swaringen became Mr. & Mrs. Tagle. I will be the first one to congratulate us. I know, not the traditional thing to do, but considering what we have been through, it is a miracle. Marriage is hard - submission, selflessness, servanthood, spending time together, raising kids and many more hardships along the way. We have moved 6 times, lived in 3 different states, been employed by 8 different employers, had 2 kids (with 1 on the way), and survived too many to count disagreement (okay agruments).

Gratefulness is one of his WONDERFUL gifts especially when it comes to food. For instance, I hate going to the grocery store, soooo I put it off as long as possible. Tuesday night for supper it was waffles & eggs, Wednesday night it was grilled cheese and brocolli. He NEVER complains about the food I cook. I have to tell him it is okay to let me know if the food is good or not so I will know whether to cook it again.

During our Bible Study today, He Speaks to Me by Priscilla Shirer, she commented that if you are submissive to the earthly authority God has placed in your life - that being my husband, then it's a good indication of whether you will be submissive to Him. I know that God has placed Romeo in my life for many reasons but one major one is to teach me to honor, respect, & submit to the authorities in my life.

We have had many beautiful times together and many heartaches, but we are here, 9 years later still married, and as determined as ever to please God in our marriage. No credit on our own part that we are still married, not at all! It was God's spirit that humbled us enough to acknowledge the destruction we had placed in our marriage. It was God that provided counseling when we so desperately needed it. It was God & still is!!

I serve a Real God WHO IS ABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise You Lord!

I love you, Romeo Tagle, Jr.

Blessings From God

Psalm 127:3-5,

Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when
they contend with their enemies in the gate.

This verse means a great deal to me. It "flew off the page" more than a year ago when Romeo and I had been praying about whether to have more kids. We went through many reasons why not to have more and to all of these reasons God gave a reason as to why it was foolish. I will just share a few.

Us - Tooooo Much Money, how will we afford more kids? ---- God - All money belongs to me trust me, depend on me, call on me, I will take care of you. Matthew 6:26 says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Us - I will go crazy, I can't handle more! ---- God - Of course you can't handle it! You will mess it all up if you do it in your own strength, do it in mine. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

And of course God can do anything! Even give a couple, who has taken the needed surgical steps to prevent pregnancy, a child. So why not let God give me one if He HAS too through a miracle? And God said, Why not allow me to decided how many kids you need. Trust me! If I want you to have another one them I will give you one. If not then I will prevent you from having one. Either way God said, it's not up to you!

So for over a year we have been on pins and needles wondering what God's will was in our life regarding children. Knowing that it is was up to Him and that whatever His will was was what we wanted. All that to say this:

God is so graciously rewarding us with another child due to arrive July 2009.

Across the World Communications

DAD SENT ME AN EMAIL FROM ETHIOPIA:

Just a note to let you know that we made the trip fine.
None of us from Spur have any luggage exect for our carry on, but
other than that we are great.

High speed internet here is about 1/4 speed of our dialup speed. It
took 10 minutes to load our web page.

Our people don't know how good they have it, in many ways.

The kids at orphanages are great.

Dad

The Heaven's Declare His Glory

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him.
Psalm 8:3-4

Dreams

Nia woke up early this morning and came to my side of the bed crying at 5:15 a.m. because she had a scary dream several times in the night about a monster that killed kids who were loud and it got one of her friends named Cheyenne. She brought her blankets in my room and slept on the floor but she wanted me to pray for her before she went back to sleep. This morning after waking her up this is what she told me:

"I dreamed that I was with Jesus in heaven and we were playing games. Chutes & Ladders, dominoes, & Guess Who and Jesus won Guess Who."

Ian was hearing the conversation in the next room and said, "Me too". So I asked him what his dream was and he said the exact same thing except it wasn't with Jesus, it was with little bears.

Women's Retreat

I went with FBC Spur this weekend to San Antonio for a Beth Moore conference. It was absolutely amazing! Beth Moore has been a Bible teacher for over 10 years. She writes books and has DVD Bible studies. She spoke from Psalms 16 and provided eye-opening Biblical truth. We had a group of 19 total. The fellowship was great - lots of laughter. Romeo was willing to stay home with the kids in El Reno for 4 days to allow me to go. He did a great job.

The Good Samaritan

Each day, I pray with Nia before she goes into school. This morning I specifically prayed for others to see Jesus through Nia. I picked Nia up from school today and she said she made a new friend. She doesn't know her name yet but she asked her if she knew that Jesus died on the cross for her and then she taught her a game. Nia named the game "The Good Samaritan". Don't ask me how to play - I don't know. I am guessing she told her the story and they acted it out. In VBS this year we had a lesson over this and acted it out, so maybe she got it from that. Who ever said that children can't be a witness for Jesus???

God answers prayers!!

Romeo spent last week in Little Rock, Arkansas working. Me and the kids were trying to get the house picked up and clean before he got home Friday. Ian was doing what he wanted instead of obeying and Nia was not listening very well. I was frustrated and in a hurry and that doesn't usually produce a very patient mom. God convicted me a few years ago about my discipline approach. I would discipline out of anger and frustration instead of instruction and love. I still deal with that on a daily basis but God has brought me a long way. A few years ago, when I knew my ways had to change, I sat down with Nia (Ian was still little) and talked to her about my problem and how she could help. I told her that I needed her to pray for me when she saw that I was angry, frustrated or impatient. So she would, whether it be at the dinner table asking God to give momma patience or on the living room floor on her face. I am not sure the last time she did this but it had been a while, until Friday. I was yelling and had been for a while. I made my way into the living room where I was attempting to remove oobleck slime from my couch and pillows. At that moment, I sat down, looked at the slime and remembered that I am a mom and this is part of it. So... I called the kids into the living room and apologized to them for yelling. Immediately Nia spoke up and said, "I knew you were going to say that because I just prayed for you." I was amazed! I asked her when she prayed and she said she had just finished when I called them into the living room. GOD IS SO GOOD! Oh Lord, I pray that she always remembers that you heard her prayer that day! Thank you Jesus for giving me Nia. What would I do without her??
Psalm 116:1-2
I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

Ethiopia

Mom is headed back to AFRICA!!!!!! 3 years ago she went with a group from Illinois to Zimbabwe. This year she is going to Ethiopia with Buckner's. So far there are 5 from FBC Spur going and will be involved with an orphanage and VBS. Mom has been through a lot in the last 2 years. She will need many prayers long before she leaves and also while there. I am not sure the dates but I will keep you posted. This picture is of the first time mom was in Africa and it is partly the reason I ended up going. I saw this picture and was drawn to the little boy on the far left. Something about him got to me. Last year I went to Africa so needly to say, I am a little jealous. I wish God was calling me too, but, at the present time, nothing. Romans 12:1-2 were the verses mom used in her testimony of how God called her. --- Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.