Out of the Pit of Hell

How many of you can relate to the title of this post?! Oh, my! Some days when I think about where I've been in this life and where I am today, I am kind of shocked. I, like a lot of you grew up in a church-going home, but not much of what people were trying to teach me was learned. As I went through the years as a teenager, my strong-will caught up with me and I became somewhat self-destructive. I sought out to do whatever it was that I desired in the moment and had myself fooled that none of what I did or said would have much of an effect on me, but it was all slowly destroying me as I spent a period of about 23 years living for absolutely no one but myself.

Let me backtrack for a moment. When I was 12, I went to a 3 day revival that we had at our church and all the cool kids were there, so of course, I was there (HA!). I remember the messages actually making sense and remember that I "felt God knocking on the door of my heart" and I went forward and was baptized later that week with several others. After that, I just thought I was a Christian and that was it. I mean, sure, I knew you were supposed to begin making better decisions, like ones that please the Lord, but what the heck, once saved, always saved, right? Wow. Maybe I had fire insurance, but I'm not even sure of that.

At age 23, I was newly married and living in the Dallas area. I was working full time, was a full time student, and had a sweet little 4 year old. Before we got married, my husband and I had decided that we would attend church as a family because we believed it was important. So, we were once again church-goers. One day after I dropped the munchkin off and was driving to school listening to a little Sheryl Crow, I had a life-altering event that occurred. I was driving along as it was raining lightly and my car began sliding as if I were on ice (keep in mind it was April, not cold, and there was definitely not ice). I could not get control of my car and was whipping back and forth and sliding in to oncoming traffic on a bridge over Lake Lewisville. As this was going on, practically every single event that had occurred in my life where I had made seriously poor choices, the Lord revealed to me and basically said, "I was there, and it was I who protected you from the harm that could have occurred" and he gave me visions of what could have occurred in a lot of different situations. Finally, I got control of my car and ended up in front of a convenience store where I was able to pull into the parking lot and pull myself back together. I made a phone call to my husband, cried from all of the excitement, and pulled it together enough to get back on the road and commute to class. As I was driving, the Lord spoke to me (this had NEVER happened to me before...I didn't even know what I believed about God speaking to people!) and this is what he said to me, "You call yourself a Christian. When are you going to start following me?" He was very gentle, but also very straightforward. At that moment I cried out, "NOW! I will start NOW!"

So, I'd like to ask all of you who call yourselves Christians: When are you going to start following Christ? When is your life going to start reflecting and re-presenting who Christ is and the characteristics of a Christian that our bibles talk about?

From that moment forward, my life was radically changed. The music, the movies, my words, my thoughts, my whole life was different. I was viewing life through a different lens-the lens of God. Now that I've been a Christ-follower for about a decade, my past life seems nearly unbelievable, but I am careful not to forget from where I have come. I was a girl who was sick. I had an illness that seemed to wax and wane. Some days the illness was just worse than others. And some days, I had myself fooled that I was well, that it was just my current circumstances that were affecting me. The truth is, all of my choices and all of the things I had allowed in my life had made me sick. I had a cloud of darkness hovering over me. If others couldn't see the cloud, I was stuffing it down in my heart. It was there. I was living in such darkness that I seriously thought I was alone. I was the only one who was like that and that no one could ever understand and certainly no one could really help me. But, Jesus changed my life.

This Jesus, I talk about made me well. He took all of my sickness and started healing it. In some areas of my life the process was quick and in other areas it was a slower process and even now He continues to work on me and bring healing to my life. Jesus is my Hope. And he is the only hope for ALL of us. He tells us in John 14 that he is preparing a room for each of us in his Father, God's, house. When asked by one of his disciples how one could get to God's house, Jesus replied "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well."-John 14:6-7. The awesome thing about going to Jesus and surrendering your thoughts, actions, words, etc. to Him is that we will be made a new creation. Totally. And completely. NEW! The old self will be gone as we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-19). He is our Hope and our Healer. He will take those wounds, those mistakes, those poor choices and heal them. He will bring joy and peace that doesn't make sense in light of your circumstances. He will bring you out of the pit of hell that you once called life and He will make you new! Isn't that so exciting?! If you are interested in surrendering (to allow someone to control you) to Jesus or just want more information, please contact me. As I reflect on who I once was I do not ever want to go back to my old way of life and you won't either! If you would like to share about how Jesus has transformed your life, please magnify God and leave a comment below.

With love in Christ,
Brooke

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DON'T LOOK FOR OUR CARD THIS YEAR!! MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012

Dear Friends & Family,

I cannot believe that it is already this time of year again! I have tried to sit back and think, in depth, about all that has happened this year and it is all just a blur. We find ourselves busier and busier by the day, but are blessed beyond our imagination and would not have it any other way.

This year started off with a bang and Joel was blessed with a new job in February that he graciously welcomed. He has had the opportunity to grow and lead and teach; doing the very things that God created him for. He went on his annual Elk hunting trip again this year and made SURE he took sunscreen this year!

Kailee, 13, has had a fun-filled year and is getting too old too fast (we’ve got our baseball bats ready and have been practicing our swing)!  Seventh grade came to an end in June and eighth grade is proving to be the best year thus far. This year was filled with trips to Mission Arlington, camp in Leakey, TX, Seattle, San Antonio, as well as fun with friends, church, school and cheer. Kailee has enjoyed cheer immensely and is not looking forward to it ending. She is growing in her faith and is growing into a beautiful, responsible young lady.

Elli, 4, brings us laughter daily. Elli is at such a fun age and is enjoying life. She loves the park, learning, helping mom, and anything that has bling or that is girly. This year we transitioned from waking up in the middle of the night to play dress up, to sleeping through the night (THANK GOODNESS!!). Elli amazes us every day with her desire to learn. She is constantly trying to figure out what letter words start with and the sounds they make. She is getting better each day at identifying her letters and can identify numbers 1-12 and write them, and she counts to 50 pretty much on her own. She is really great at identifying patterns and likes to make up silly words.  She is a “re-memory verse” queen and she LOVES her bible and the stories that are in it and is learning to pray “real prayers” on her own. Elli LOVES her sisters and the rest of her family to pieces.

Preslee, 20 months, is a little ham. If there is any chance that we will have a gymnast in the family, she’s the one. Preslee has been walking since her 10^th month (February) and transitioned right into climbing. Preslee is a loveable, snuggly, precious little girl. She is learning her ABC’s, Jesus Loves Me, and lots of new words. This little girl gives more hugs and kisses than any other little girl that we know and we are enjoying it while it lasts.

I don’t even know where to begin about what I have been doing this year! I have been so busy and so blessed. I was called to come home and be a stay-at-home momma before the years end last year and have enjoyed every moment of it (almost). In July, I decided it was time to take a leave from my photography business and took a part time, work-from-home position with a local ministry called Restoration Farm. It has been an awesome experience to be able to pour into the lives of single moms and being blessed, myself, by them. 

I wish I could give you all of the details of our blessings and the way that God has moved through our family, but instead of a letter, you would have a book. All we can say is that God has been good in 2012, and will always be, and we cannot wait to see what He has in store for us in 2013.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love,

The Hollands

James 1:17 Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.

A Blast From the Past

"It really does matter in heaven what you do on earth."-Shana Schutte Author/Speaker

This quote came to mind today when I was at the park with my two youngest, and I ran into a friendly face from my past. I ran into my old neighbor from the apartment that I lived in when I was a single mom (10+ years ago). Had it been anyone else, I'm not sure that I'd have remembered them. You see, the reason that I remember Vanessa and her husband is because they were Christians. I knew this not because they told me so, but because of the life that they lived. Without them having a single clue, the way that they lived their lives ministered to me and today I had the wonderful opportunity to tell them this. I'm confident that this sweet couple will have plentiful rewards waiting for them in heaven because of what they did while they were on this earth. They are sweet, sweet blessings to those whom they come into contact with.Think about this as you go about your day and think about whether or not your life is ministering to those around you. And remember that what you do on earth really does matter in heaven. Are you living a life that reveals your Christianity merely by your actions and words? Or would people question your claims to being a Christian? I know that I need to have this thought in my mind as I live out my life!

"I don't LIKE zucchini!"

Oh what a day it has been. As I sit here writing, my poor little Elli is lying asleep on the laundry room floor. She actually cried herself to sleep there. You see, we've been having a food fight. Not the Jr. High cafeteria kind (well kinda, she did throw her zucchini in the floor), but the kind that you have with 3 year olds. Elli does not like to eat many vegetables (which is SO weird because the kid used to eat EVERYTHING!). Since she would prefer to live on chicken nuggets with honey mustard, potatoes of any kind, pancakes and "treats", we have food fights on a fairly regular basis. As a mom, I want my children to eat healthy. I know that healthy eating habits are established at an early age and it's my responsibility to encourage them. So with that said, my sweet little Elli decided last night that she would not eat her zucchini. She told me over and over how she was not going to eat it-not ever. This morning when I asked if she was ready for breakfast and she said yes, I pulled out the zucchini. She cried and yelled and wallered on the floor. She did NOT eat her zucchini. Then lunch time rolled around and she said she would eat her zucchini so she could have a hamburger. Well, we got the burger and the zucchini is now laying on the floor of the kitchen, as Elli lies in the laundry room after another session of crying, screaming, and wallering. When I first saw that she had fallen asleep (cried herself to sleep), a flood of tears came to my eyes. I just thought about how sad it was that we were having this struggle, this fight over 3 teensy halves of a zucchini slice. Then God spoke to me and told me that this is what it's like when we fight with him. We kick and cry and struggle to have our own way, all to avoid something that "we don't like", and we miss out on the good stuff. He often finds us laying on the floor crying because we refuse to do what we know we need to do, but are too stubborn to do it. And if I think that I'm sad over my sweet, precious little girl lying there on the floor hungry, because of a power struggle, just imagine how sad we make Him when we choose not to obey. He brought an image to me of a woman who is dependent on drugs and how she chooses daily to do what she wants and is missing out on what is good. I don't want to miss out on what's good, all because "I don't like zucchini". What about you?

Drought Dilemma

Lake E.V. Spence (One of Midland's water sources)

If you're a Texan, you are more than likely completely aware of the drought dilemma that we are faced with here in West Texas....0r maybe you're not. I really wasn't as aware, as one would have thought, of the seriousness about the drought until recently. With the seriousness of the drought, the CRMWD (Colorado River Municipal Water District) has limited water supply to it's customers. With the new limits, some cities have put in place some pretty radical drought contingency plans to discourage water waste and encourage conservation. The city of Midland is one of those cities that implemented, what I consider, a radical plan. Here's the basic breakdown of the plan:

-You may water your lawn 1 day a week (assigned by area) for 2 hours between the hours of 6pm and midnight.

-Any amount over 9,999 gallons used in one month will result in a price increase.

-10,000 to 25,000 will be increased from $3.91 per thousand to $19.55 per thousand gallons

-Usage over 25,000 gallons per month will be increased from $4.50 per thousand to $22.55

per thousand gallons used.

I initially thought that we were good-there was no way that we used over 10,000 gallons of water per month-then I looked at our usage history. Holy cow! We used 10,000 on a low month, but most months we went over. Nevermind the fact that our usage history indicates that our bills are about to skyrocket, but 10,000 gallons? Wow. That's all that I have to say about that. Who'd have thunk it? Let's just say that when I discovered this, suddenly important piece of knowledge (what a terrible citizen of this world I must be, that knowing our actual water usage just wasn't important to me.....shame, shame), the wheels started turning. How could I conserve water? How could I recycle or reuse water? I had heard some discussions on this matter in the past. Most of which, okay pretty much all of which, was in one ear and out the other.....until now! I remembered my days at Texas Women's University, when one of my professors brought up the topic of water conservation. He said some things criticizing how we people who live in a desert want lawns-lawns like New Englanders have (don't we all LOVE lush, green lawns flaunting amazing landscaping with calla lillies and hydrangeas?). Or that getting car washes was wasteful (he seriously NEVER washed his white, I mean brown, Taurus for like 12 years). And he mentioned something about "Gray water" (this idea actually piqued my interest). Then I remembered someone at a Chevron lunch and learn mentioning water kits (I'll admit, I'm pretty sure I threw my freebie in the garbage! Yikes! Now I need it!) and something about rain barrels. It's funny how I dismissed all of those wonderful metnionings back when times seemed good and I was under the illusion that we had plenty of water, but oh how they started flooding my mind when I realized the issue that all of these "tree huggers" were so passionate about was really real! So, with that said, here are the few new ideas that I have come up with to help me and my family conserve and recycle water (these are in addition to the practices that we already have in place like, never let the water run when brushing teeth, etc.):

1. SLASH shower time. Seriously. I thought it would be IMPOSSIBLE to shower in less than 15 minutes and typically used at least 20 minutes, but have managed to whittle it down to 7 or 8 minutes. That includes washing ALL 2000 body parts, shampooing twice (I'm slightly obsessive about my hair), and shaving all necessary areas. I've given my oldest daughter a 5 minute shower timer and she's allowed 10 minutes max.

2. Turn the water down a bit. If you have a shower like ours, with dual controls (one handle for hot and one for cold), turn them down a bit to decrease the amount of water that is coming out. I opt for this over changing out the shower head because I want to control it. I want the pressure if I want/need it, but will totally sacrifice when I need to too. This applies to your sinks as well.

3. Capture gray water. This is any water from your bath, sink, washing machine dishwasher, etc. Basically any water that is not contaminated and can be recycled for other uses. Since we don't have actual "gray water plumbing", I devised my own way to capture at least some of the water. I have placed a 5 gallon bucket (purchased at Lowe's) in the shower (don't do this if you're a klutz...hmmm....maybe I should NOT be doing this...haha). If for nothing else, this bucket can collect the water that we all waste when we're allowing the water to heat up (if you have recirculating hot water, this isn't an issue for you, but you're wasting gas or electricity). I also have chosen to not "enjoy" my shower by standing there doing nothing but let the water hit me while I think or wake up or whatever. I get in there and take care of business. If you're conditioning you're hair, fine, just make sure you're scrubbing your body and shaving while you're letting it set. The past two days I have captured a full 5 gallons during my shower time. So, if you're my neighbor or are just passing through my neighborhood and see me out watering from a 5 gallon bucket, it is RECYCLED WATER people! I'm not filling it up with my hose or in my kitchen sink so I can "cheat" and have a green lawn this summer. In fact, Joel says we're not even going to use the sprinkler system this summer-we'll hand water just to keep the trees and shrubs alive.

4. I'm totally monitoring my kids water usage. If they have the faucet turned on full blast to wash their hands or scrub out their dish, I'm on it! "TURN THAT WATER DOWN! WE HAVE TO SAVE THE WATER!" Also, I have to children who take baths. They get to use the same bath water and we certainly don't "fill up the tub". They did it in the olden days, we can do it now. Besides that, they're little people and don't know the difference. *smile* This water is scooped out to recycle.

5. Use less water for everything I do in the kitchen: mopping, cleaning counter tops (I use the Lysol concentrate, so I'm required to mix it with water), washing dishes. Make sure the dishwasher is full before running it. Put a bowl in the sink to collect the water that you use for washing your hands. Don't dump water that wasn't drank at dinner, go water your plants! Recycle any kitchen sink water that you can (dishwater).

6. Only wash clothes when you have a full load (even though I already have an HE washer with a load sensor).

7. RAIN? I have dreamed about having enough rain to justify a rain harvesting system. Here in Midland we have the opportunity to collect rain like 5 times a year. So, with that said, if we do invest in a rain harvesting system, it will be very simple and small and will basically just make me feel good about my new desire to be "green".

8. If it's yellow let it mellow? We should have NEVER watched "Meet the Fockers"! My husband is trying to convince me of this one....guess I could always recycle my shower water in the toilet.....

So far, that's all that I have come up with. I would LOVE to hear what you're doing to conserve or what ideas you have that you think might work.

I will admit, I'm kind of thankful for this water shortage because it has turned me on to being more thoughtful and eco-conscious and has spurred recycling in other areas as well. I want to reduce and recycle more, in addition to the reusing that I already do. Having a heightened awareness has fueled that fire in me to do a better job and I hope it has you too.

Upon leaving, remember this: as Christians we are called to be good stewards of all that God has provided. He not only created and provided this lovely earth that we call home, but he commanded us to rule over and care for it (Genesis 2:15), so let's take a step toward obedience and start being good stewards of the amazing resources that our Creator has provided for us and the generations to come.

Preslee is 11 Months Old

Preslee Jill is really on the MOVE now!

What a playful little thing!

Preslee turned 11 months old this week. I cannot believe she's growing so quickly! She not only turned 11 months this week, but she also started walking on her own. She is now "free". She can pretty much go wherever she wants, whenever she wants and she's loving it! I'm sad that it's already time to start planning her 1st birthday party, but it is! I'll post pictures from the party when it gets here!