Prayer

Please say a prayer for my sweet friend Tanya. She has our 4 children at her house today so I am able to go out of town. Pray for peace in her home, kind and gentle spirits for the children, and strength to handle any given situation until daddies get off of work! Thank you so much for your prayers and THANK YOU TANYA for allowing me to have this time! You are an AMAZING woman and friend.

Highly Reccomended Reading!

My good friend Catherine and I talked about reading a book together that we could discuss during our many phone conversations (she lives in Virginia.) Given that I only have about 7 other books/studies I am currently involved in, I thought it sounded like a GREAT idea! I do have to say, I am SO GLAD we decided on this one! I truly believe this book is for every woman out there who is thriving to make Christ the center of their home. Some of it is hard to read, as the authors point out changes that most of us might not want to make of ourselves. However, the rewards are well worth it. The Word of God is applied beautifully all throughout the book and it encourages you to truly be passionate, through God, about what you do in your home and with your family. WHAT A GREAT BOOK!

When I Say...

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin." I'm whispering "I was once lost and now forgiven."

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I don's speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting that I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I'm worth it.

When I say..."I"m a Christian"

I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say..."I'm a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou. I'm just a simple sinner, who received God's grace somehow!

Maya Angelou

Hear Me O Lord

In her Battlefield of the Mind devotional, Joyce Meyer says, "They ways of the Holy Spirit are gentle; most if the time He speaks to us in a still small voice. It is therefore vital that we learn to keep ourselves in a condition conducive to hearing."

This devotional really spoke to me this morning. I don't know about you, but my world is FULL of noise. Mickey Mouse, Dora, children screaming, singing, laughing, Duffy barking, phone ringing, dryer buzzing, and on and on. Am I in a condition condusive to hearing a still small voice?

I can not count how many times I have asked the Lord to answer me LOUDLY and CLEARLY. "Scream it at me Lord, hit me over the head with your answer," I have requested over and over. One more instance the Lord says to me, "Let's work on YOU, Brooke."

Praise God that He is willing to refine my ways over and over and over. He WANTS me to hear Him, but in His way and in His time. A still, small voice will be heard when I decide to turn off or get away from the noises of my everyday world. When I come before Him, condusive to hearing his Spirit is when he will do great works in me. The love and beauty in the Holy Spirit's voice is what I want to be conditioned to hear.

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-12

Noah's Story

Noah James Galbincea is our third, beautiful blessing from the Lord. The news that we would be having a new baby in the house was such a big surprise as we had just brought our precious daughter Emma into the world only 5 months earlier! Stephen and I were extremely excited at the thought of three little Galbinceas in our home. We were just amazed at what the Lord was doing in our lives and felt truly blessed.

Noah arrived in our lives on December 26, 2006. He joined big brother Aidan and big sister Emma to create our family of 5. He was our adorable Christmas gift, who fit perfectly into a tiny stocking that the nurses sent home! Soon, we settled at home, and began to find the harmony of raising a 2 year old, 1 year old and newborn. We treasured watching Aidan and Emma interact with their baby brother. There is no doubt that we were all head over heels in love with Noah!

39 days after Noah graced our presence, God began a journey in us that put our faith to the greatest test. In the early morning hours, as Noah slept on his Daddy’s chest, he passed from the arms of his earthly father into the arms of his Heavenly Father. In that moment, our lives were forever changed. For the first time, Stephen and I understood firsthand how precious life is. I never knew the night before would be the last kiss, the last bath, the last everything. However, our Father did. He was there to draw near, capture ever tear and flood us with unexplainable peace and strength.

Our precious Lord and Savior receives all the praise, honor and glory for sustaining us through the pain and trials of this past year. His hands and feet have been ever present in our friends and family and we are very thankful that so many individuals responded to the Lord’s call to help. Noah is missed terribly in our home, but we know that God has promised us an eternity with him. Our hope continues to be in the day that we are able to receive Noah from the arms of Christ.

Noah’s passing has put a strong desire in our heart to help others who may be walking a similar path and to help prevent infant mortality by contributing to research and education. SIDS not only claimed the life of our son, but continues to be the cause of death for approximately 2,500 infants in the United States and thousands more throughout the world. We are excited about supporting the March of Dimes by walking in the March for Babies this April 27th. We appreciate each sponsor who is able to help us raise money for this amazing organization! Please take a moment to check out our Team Manna webpage and thank you for your support .

Spaces and Books and Blogs...OH MY!

Myspace, facebook, blogger and more. What's a girl to choose? Well, here I am in the cyber world, AGAIN! Myspace was my pervious journaling home, but cancelled several months ago for various reasons. I realized after Noah passed away that expressing myself through writing was very helpful. Here we are a year later, and I still have the urge to share whats on my mind. So, I will give this another go round and spill onto the screen the musings of this mommy.