Be Merry and Bright!

Wow, I am on a real role here! Have so missed blogging but life has taken on some BIG changes for the Becking crew! First, let me say to the three readers still following us....MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Second, GOD IS HUGE!
I know I have said that many times before, but at a whole new level I have seen God work in our family's lives over the past 4-6 months. I don't think I ever try to give the impression that my life is perfect! ha ha Anyone who knows me at all knows that! Like any family, husband and wife, partnership, team- there are always issues that without being dealt with-can take you out...Like completely out. I am guilty...of not dealing with my junk. Anyone know where I am coming from here?
Well, God has had another plan in mind for me....So over the past 4-6 months, we have been slowly, surely, fearfully facing tough stuff in life...
Sometimes simple choices I have made as a mom, a wife, a friend...Has been to NOT face me stuff.
God's plan- like I said, was different for me...He had a plan to force me into a new place. God brought some new people into our lives as a family...I think honestly, people I had been praying for without knowing it for years.
It has been awesome, scary, miserable, REAL, and pretty much every other emotion available at times!
But, here we are in a new place, yet again watching God carry us through!
So much has happened since I last blogged....like God has done some crazy awesome things-not without some pain.

Bianca turned FOUR! She is truly just unbelievable. She blows my mind with some of the stuff she says.
She prays at dinner and not too long ago...totally out of the blue, and at a pivotal moment for me...She started her little prayer and said this...."God, thank you for THIS LIFE."
Ughhh. hit me like a ton of bricks. This LIFE...This one...The life we get to live RIGHT NOW...AS IS....without all of the changes we are moving toward...Even in the middle of the funk.





Wow, she teaches me stuff every day.

Then there is Solie....The little rocker. That kid has a glow about her that rocks my world. She is happy happy joy joy...Unless you cross her...So, just don't...It's not worth it! A determined blissful little girl with a huge heart for love- That is Sol in a nutshell. I cannot believe how quickly time has passed since she has been home.




I have started to work again! I know-Can you believe it? We have had an awesome mentor come into our lives and over time we decided to start a company together. It is very exciting and just so right in general. I will post more about it at some point. So, I am working a few days a week while the little crew goes to their little kid school. I have missed using my business mind, and slowly but surely I am getting back in the swing of things! What an awesome thing that is happening.

Eric and I have committed to really work on making a better life for our family. This includes dealing with our "baggage" in life. And while it has been a tough road....and we continue on it- I am thankful God brought us to this place. The NEXT 14 years of marriage will be even better. We are learning to better communicate and to just be better for ourselves and each other. It is freeing! I am not going into any more details here because this is our story and we want to keep it that way. But we are happy to have each other and thankful God has given us THIS LIFE.

I have been a part of a new and kinda life changing small group...We just completed the book Radical by David Platt....And wow, have I been knocked out by it. I am ready to get back to travel this year, and waiting to see where God takes me.

Awesome, Awesome stuff happening through our church. Last weekend over 2000 volunteers helped pack over 500,000 meals for Feed My Starving Children....AND NO THAT IS NOT A TYPO---500,0000 meals for people in desperate need.
If you live in our small town and do not have a church that blows your mind...YOU NEED LaCROIX! Please come and be a part of what God is doing there. I have never had such a deep love for a church in my life and so thankful God put us there!

On the missions thing...I have not totally understood it, but God had plans for me to be grounded for the last couple of years. I have so so missed being able to go to Africa and really soak in my passion. Lately, I feel a bit of a release from that. And I am open and ready to see where God leads me. Also, on the same note, I have other passions in life that I have realized or should I say re-ignited and am LOVING it!

I have good people in my life....Like really good people. Man, I do. Unlikely friends from all walks of life...It feels right. How great it is to have peeps you can totally count on and love. You know who you are...BIG BIG LOVE to you guys.

Pretty humbled over the past months as I realize God is really ALWAYS here for me and He shows up in many many different forms and faces.
I am going to post a few more things on the book Radical also...If you have not read it and you are ready to step out there...way out there-GO FOR IT!

Happy-deeply happy to see so many people in our lives choosing adoption. Friends are bringing home their kids, getting referrals, making the decision to move forward on their dreams! Wow, you have no idea what is in store-happy for you.

Okay, and of course what you are all waiting for...Pics of the girls!!!! (Thank you Cheri for shooting our fam for the holidays. Love you_)






HALLOWEEN! Bianca the winning costume extraordinaire! LEMONADE STAND!!! All her idea! Solie the little Rocker!

Summer Fun with Little Peeps we Love

At long last! Momma found the camera cord! So here a just a few pics of our summer!
FAMILY TIME AT THE POOL!!! LOVE IT!

Okay, you really have no idea how long it took to get this quality photo! The girls hanging with some of their favorite dudes at Aunt Candy and Uncle Mark's house. We had a ball with them.

You might wonder if Bianca is wearing makeup here...Why yes, yes, she is...Thanks to Auntie Candy...Bianca went downstairs to hang with her while I was getting ready, then the next thing I knew there was this tiny grown up at my feet claiming to be my kid! Just hurt me to see her like this...sob, sob! Lookin way too grown up!


Bianca's first BIG EVENT! Mae Mae invited Bianca to go see Dora at the Show-Me Center. This was their big day! What a hoot! They were pumped!



I hope everyone who reads my blog had an awesome summer with the people you love. Life is short, so always GO BIG! Take in the sunshine, roll your window down and soak in the pure bliss of summer!

Future Olympian, Bianca Becking!

Here is a little of what we have been up to this summer....Okay, A LOT of what we have been doing! Bianca has become a total rockstar swimmer. She is three and can dominate the swimming pool without floaties!!!! Love it. Awesome goal achieved! We still use the little life savers on occasion but so great to see her swim all on her own! This kid is driven. When I asked her a few weeks ago if she wanted to jump off the diving board without her floaties, she said, NO. I said, "okay, no biggie. We will try it some other time." In two more seconds, she responds-" Actually (one of her fave words) I am going to choose...and I can change my mind. I want to do it!" And that was the beginning of a whole new world for her. Once she did it once, she had to do it over and over and over again...Can you imagine? And of course daddy was there with his near worshipped iphone to capture it.

Wise and Honest Friends...

A quick Big Love shout out to Simply Stated for the new shots of the girlies! I know I have been bad about posting photos, but more to come very soon!

I have been amazed by the emails I have received by some of you who read my last post. So, Yes, I am a freak for putting my thoughts out there so naked and unedited!And thank you to those of you who have embraced my inner freak show!
I am actually in a good place. A place I need to live in a higher percentage of my life. UNCOMFORTABLE!!!
I want to post something a wise and deeply loved friend of mine sent me that she wrote during a time of major GOD sized life change for her and her family. It moved me, to the core. So, thank you Jeanne. You are loved. And I know your words will speak to others who read this.
I know so many of you emailed or commented about being in a similar place right now, so let this give you hope and a new focus, and BE READY....Because CHANGE IS GONNA COME!

LEAVING COMFORT FOR COURAGE

Courage will always require an element of leaving. Leaving is just plain
hard. When My 3 year old knows I’m about to leave he will often squeeze as
hard as he can around my neck to lovingly manipulate me into staying one
more minute.

I know how he feels – because leaving comfort for courage makes me want to
wrap my arms around every ounce of safety in my life – hoping if I hold on
tight enough that I won’t have to taste the pain of the leaving what I know
is inevitable.

Leaving comfort and safety looks and sounds alluring and attractive - but
the attraction fades quickly – in fact I have never felt so vulnerable,
small, and needy…. words that are not known for their alluring appeal.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to question your decision.
It will cause you to look around for the safety bars, seatbelt, and any kind
of security button.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to try to make something happen… scheme, make phone calls, send
out hail mary e-mails– anything to distract from sitting in the fear.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt your abilities – you will look at everything that you
have failed at in the past… failed relationships, failed financial
decisions, failed leadership calls, - and you will wonder will you repeat
those patterns and are they indicators to go out and look for comfort again.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to doubt the author of the calling on your life. Thinking that God
is too busy to take care of your little fear

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to be jealous of your neighbors who seem to be perfectly content
with their lives – you will wonder if you are some sort of crazy person that
has a unhealthy propensity to live on the edge.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to look for the easy way out.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to pray like never before… wonder if you know any scripture to
cast out the inner demon of doubt.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
cause you to white knuckle yourself around anything that feels secure and
semi safe – even though you know earthly security and safety is a mirage and
the place where Jesus is, is most where you want to be.

Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause you to feel weak in the knees – a good indicator that you should stop
standing up and get ON your knees..

Moving from comfort to courage will…
Cause others to question you… especially those that have found security to
be a bedrock to build their lives on. You will be misunderstood, questioned,
and perhaps even seen as foolish.

So today God I feel every one of these fears. I am terrified… straight up
terrified. I am calling out to you to be a voice of truth and freedom. Tell
me to settle down, to trust you and to release every one of these fears into
your arms of faith. I know it is impossible to invite others into a life of
obedience if I am unable to live it myself – so today I am re-upping my
commitment to obey and be faithful.

Thanks again Jeanne-

"Scared," by Tom Davis

Check this out! The award winning author of the book Scared is scheduled to come to Cape Girardeau to speak early October. Go out and get this book if you have not already. It WILL rock your world. An if you are a local..or not, don;t miss this event where Tom Davis will speak live in Cape Girardeau! I will post more details of date and location coming soon...But in the meantime----read the book!!!!!!

Precious...

Okay, so I am a totally crappy blogger lately....I know no one really cares when and if I post and I am sure our followers have diminished over the past months. I guess I have been in a bit of life limbo....Not mid-life crisis just yet, at least I think I am totally not old enough for that! I have not been in a funk, but in just what I feel is straight up limbo.
You know what it is like to have dreams...real dreams for your life? Well, I seem to have accomplished mine up to a point and then I kind of got apathetic. And apathy is not the best word for it....Maybe just lost a little. I have dreams...big ones. Ridiculous ones...And I guess I had kind of let my mind go to the place, you know, where you start to believe like most of the people you tell your dreams to...that they are in fact, RIDICULOUS. So the funk has gone on for a few months, and now I am making my come back.
I guess honestly, I am still sorting out what it is like to be a mom of 2 awesome girls, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a lover of God, an entreprenuer, a dreamer, and do-er for Africa and everything else big in my heart.
I have had very wise people remind me that it is all a journey, and life takes some unique turns we do not expect, and I am in the middle of all of that right now.
So, interestingly enough, after reading one of my friend's blog review of the movie Faith Like Potatoes, I rented it over the weekend, and while at the video place I also picked up the movie Precious. Let me say, that we are just NOT movie watchers anymore. We were just saying how we had not rented a movie in so long they did not even recognize us at the store anymore.
So, we watch Faith Like Potatoes on our family night with Eric's mom. I will be straight with you and say the first 20 minutes were slow, and YES, I am a critic! But the movie moved on to teach us some good stuff about faith in God and stepping out in a big way when God so moves you. It made me think....really think. I have not been doing too much of that lately...Hmmm, maybe part of the the reason for my limbo? Yes, I think so! Free therapy right here...who knew?
Okay, so we move on to last night. I did not go to the movies to see Precious even though I wanted to...Could not find a friend who was willing to "go there" with me. Too depressing everyone said....And at some level I felt some of the same stuff. After watching it last night though, I see it is really no different than all of the people (occasionally including myself) who do not want to hear about what is happening in the world. You know, the really ugly stuff. The stuff that makes your heart sink, and at times, even makes you wonder if you can EVER REALLY make a difference.
Precious was one of the most moving and intense films I have seen for a long time. It brought a whole new perspective to my own life and also young girls living likely just around the block from us.
I cried....a LOT. I prayed last night...A LOT. I got on my knees and asked God for guidance in my life and forgiveness for my selfishness and overall RIDICULOUSNESS...there is that word again.

I get bummed because I feel like some of my dreams are not taking wings...While there is a young girl who hopes to live through the night without being attacked...
I think about my lack of motivation of going to the gym at times, while a young girl hopes she can find some sort of food to feed her infant...
I think about my "stuff", she thinks about surviving day to day....
My Diet Coke addiction, her hope for access to clean water....and the list goes on and gets so much more uncomfortable.

I say all of this...likely to mostly myself, to say...This life we are given-so many of us- is already priceless. With and without attaining all of our goals and dreams.
And it makes me realize even more on so many levels, that we MUST STAND FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE, and be willing to work harder than we can conceive to reach our crazy goals. LITERALLY ANYTHING IS INDEED POSSIBLE.

Today I commit to go for my dreams...all of them...And to make a bigger difference in the lives of people in need. Hold me to it!