Faith Building Trust

This year has been quite the change for the Juker household. We were presented with a job opportunity which allowed us to move from Houston to Colorado Springs. This was a huge answer to prayer since we wanted to be closer to family with a new baby. A lot had to fall into place including selling the Houston home at a premium price in a buyers market, so that we could afford to purchase a home in pricey Colorado. This required a lot of trust that God was going to provide and direct every detail. If you have ever sold your home, the process is very stressful... keeping your house clean with children and pets for showings, discerning if an offer on the table is the best one and then crossing your fingers it will all go through day of closing so you can purchase the next home. Yes it was all so stressful which I regret to say my faith didn't prevail as I had hoped. We didn't get a substantial offer until the day before we were going to move to Colorado! I include these details because even though I wasn't as faithful as I could have been, God was! My husband turned over every house in the Springs looking for a home that I would LOVE. He did it! Found a house in our budget in the mountains, with a dream kitchen, walk in closet with chandelier, wood floors and open floor plan with grand window with a view of the city tucked away on a private lot. A true miracle...Yep we found THE house, but God had different plans. My sweetie interviewed and got a major promotion which required a relocation to Denver. I was so torn with excitement about the promotion and broken hearted about my dream house. Yes, the house is only a thing, but for a stay at home mom that loves to entertain it is a big thing.
So here is my point. When faced with change, disappoint and questions of why, choose to trust God's MASTER plan. God loves to show off His love for us. Let Him, by handing over the outcome. I don't know what we will be able to find in the even more expensive Denver area, but I know it will be just right for us. Just like when God rescued the Isrealites from slavery He hardened Pharaoh's heart so that He could show off His love and glory to them. He went the long way to show His miracles which had the great purpose of growing their faith.

Does it seem like God is taking you the long way to get to where you are going? It is with great care and purpose that He leads you there. Be encouraged precious one that you are loved and He is working all the details for your good. Let go of the control and trust Him. It is much easier that way and you may witness the miracle of you trusting God and LOVING it.

Each day I have to hand over this house thing to Him. Trusting that our apartment days are soon coming to an end and my faith will be HUGE at the end of it.

Precious Hairs on Your Head

The Lord pays even greater attention to you than the sparrows, down to the last detail - even numbering the hairs on your head. - Luke 12:6-7

With Valentine's Day around the corner I am reminded of not only the love that my family has for me, but also how much our Heavenly Father loves me. Be reminded how much you are loved and every detail even done to a single hair on your head is precious to God. You are lavishly loved by the creator of the universe!

Our puppy Riley sleeps so soundly and has millions of sweet little hairs on her head (and body) and it reminded me of Luke 12:6-7 and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Wishing you a very special Valentine's Day!

An Artist's Masterpiece

Hello Friends,

It has been awhile since my last post. I have taken a break from photography, but would like to continue to share my heart with you. Today I read in my devotional the following scripture that encouraged me. May you be encouraged too.

He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

Just think we are essentially a master piece, a great work of art. We are shaped and molded with each life experience and word of God, continually changing into something beautiful. When we surrender the canvas of our life to God the painter, he can create an amazing master piece that will reflect Himself. Have you ever watched an artist in the middle of his creation? You might wonder why he made certain strokes or used certain colors which don't seem to make sense at the time. It is not until the work is complete can we fully reflect and appreciate his creation. So dear friend your canvas is coming along beautifully... allow the master painter to do his great work in you. Others will admire your working canvas and be encouraged about their own.

May we allow Him to create and reflect himself in us.

Discipleship NOW Giveaways

My church youth group is about to have their annual Discipleship NOW conference. It is a weekend event where the youth spend the weekend with a speaker talking about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I have the honor of being a speaker for the weekend. My group will consist of 6-8 precious young ladies in middle school or high school. I am very excited to have this opportunity to listen, love and laugh. Besides the curriculum that was given on community and purity I asked God what he wanted me to share with these young ladies. The immediate response to my prayer was tell them how much I love them. Make them understand how precious and beautiful they are. Being a women I can reflect on times when I have not valued myself enough and reflected on who and whose I was. God loves his children so much and this is communicate in many ways but most evident in sending Jesus to die for us. Jesus stepped up to the plate so that we could have the freedom to have an open relationship with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. What an honor we have to reflect God's love to others. This is only done to its fullest potential when we realize our value. As woman we put a large value on our phisical beauty, but forget the beauty that lies within.

Above are some of the little goodies I am going to include in a gift bag which I hope encourages them.

1. Journal with Pencil
   Tag message is Pslams 3:3 "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; write them on the tablet of your heart." Writing in a journal can help clear your head and over time can really help you reflect on what God has done in you and for you. I also like to write my prayers to him. Its kinda like a conversation book between me and God.
   
2. 3 Musketeers
   This represents the sweetness of the Trinity. God-Jesus-The Holy Spirit. When we realize that we have our "3 Musketeers" fighting for on behalf, it makes us approach our battles differently. We all want a hero and we have one, we just need to call on Him. God is so much bigger than any disease, dissappointment or battle we may be facing. Take a leap of faith and believe God and His word. His power is real and ready to fight for you. Engage it!
   
3. Ring Pop
   This was such a fun one, since girls love jewelery. We are royal heirs to God's kingdom through Jesus, which makes us princes and princesses. It is a good reminder to for us to walk tall and know who we are. Be proud that you are part of God's royal family and learn the legacy and share it with others. You are very precious to the king.

I will also be including some sample cosmetics (thanks to a donation from the Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce) and one of my favorite books, Captivating by John and Staci Eldredge.

Thank you all for praying for the annointing of the Holy Spirit at this event. I know that God is doing amazing things in the hearts of our youth. They are the future and I am honored to invest in their future.

Reggie's Dawgs

I was recently asked to design a t-shirt logo for an amazing cause. A group of friends were starting a campaign to help support their friend fighting a brain tumor. Each of them will be driving Reggie from Dallas to Houston for his treatments and giving him encouragement before and after. What an amazing set of friends! After seeing the logo they decided the would use the logo to create a Facebook page where Reggie could update everyone as well as a link for people to donate gas money and pass out buttons to show even more support.

Reggie always said, "If you want a friend in this town, you need to get a dawg." Best wishes Reggie's dawgs team.

Two little angels

These little guys are full of so much adventure. Even though life has thrown them some set backs they still run jump and play hard. I could barely keep up with them on my recent visit. Thank you to all friend and family who continue to keep them in your prayers. My heart is full of joy when I see them smile. I miss them already and I can't wait to have a little one of my own someday.

Juker Paleo Burger

When I was trying to come up with a yummy football Sunday meal I was thinking boy would a hambuger be delicious. The ringer was I am in week 3 of my paleo challenge with 7 weeks left, so definately no bread. The burger was topped with a little organic mustard, turkey bacon, sauteed mushrooms and purple onions, and avocado with salsa. This was just as good as any restaurant burger I have ever had. Another idea would be to add some grilled pinnapple instead of the salsa.

Financial Peace victories!

Well friends, as you know Jake and I are avid Dave Ramsey - Financial Peace followers and this year we hit stage 4 (invest 15% of income for retirement) of the program! This is the point when all our debt(except the house payment) is paid off and we have our 6 month expenses saved for emergencies. Very exciting things are happening in the Juker house because our budget obedience. Ever since we purchased our home we had our "project wish list" that we badly wanted done and I am so greatful that many of those projects are coming to pass.

First of all our home is about 13yrs old which means there are brass fixtures all over! We REALLY dislike the look and want a more up to date look.

Current Projects
1. Cabinet Hardware - To save money have spray painted the brass knobs and handles in the kitchen to a silver nickel finish to match the appliance handles and painted the bathroom ones in brushed bronze. I was surprised at how great they looked for just a $5 can of paint. If I would have purchased them new they would have cost $110 to replace, so I saved $105!!!

2. Light Fixtures - We have hated the chandeliar in our home since the first day we moved it. It is the cheapest one the builder could have installed and the one in the kitchen is worst, something out of a pizza hut restaurant! I am exagerrating of coarse, but never the less I am so glad to get rid of it. So we are replacing the flush mounts, a pendant light and chandeliar.... there are 3 of the old flush mount lights that I spray painted the bases with brushed bronze. They look great and they will go in the laundry and closets. Recycle and reuse when possible right! There is a good chance I will try to spray paint the ceiling fan bases in brushed bronze and replace the blades. So many people are selling their old brass stuff on ebay and craigslist they are not worth more than $10-$20 dollars!

3. Counter Tops - Oh yeah this is the dream of every cook to have a nice counter top. We chose pretreated Granite in an earth tone type color. It is really neat that now you can treat the Granite and not have any of the bacteria problems that used to be attributed with Granite. The under mount sink that came with installation is awesome. It is an offset sink with just one hole for the moen facet. All of the plumbing vents for the disposal and dishwasher is underneath, so it is less for me to wipe around and keep clean. Gotta love that.

4. Back splash - Next is the beautiful back splash, which I am really excited about. There are so many options to pick from, but I decided to go with a simple pattern with the tumbled travertine tile and a fleur de lis accent tile every foot. We are going to attempt to do this ourselves to save a little cash. I am hoping to take a Home Depot class to get the gist of it. We have watched numerous utube videos, so its time to get hands on. See a photo below of the rendering I created in InDesign.

After this will be painting the interior of the house and window treatments, but not sure when that will happen. All of these projects could not have been possible with out the budget saving plan we kept to and God blessing our finances. Thanks to all my friends who have been listening to my creative ideas and giving great suggestions to save money. This is something I have been dreaming of doing for the last 5 years and it is finally starting to come together. A big thank you to my sweet heart for all the hard work he puts in each day to make this possible.

Paws in Prayer

This is such a cute video, which really makes me think about how I can incorporate prayer in all facets of my life and to all family members.... even those fuzzy ones.

Big Hearts for a Big Purpose

My best friend Brittney and her family will embarking on an amazing journey to serve the Lord in India. I wanted to share their story and their mission with you and hope that it touches your heart. It amazes me how far a few dollars can go in India(check out this video). Brittney and Ryan are the hands and feet of Jesus and you can be too!

Ryan and Brittney are passionate about helping those that are in need and have always had a heart to make a difference. Ryan’s first trip to India in July 2009 with BFO changed him forever and he knew had to be involved with this ministry. Brittney has experience working with young adults within several non profit organizations and Ryan has worked as a school teacher. As BFO staff we will be embarking on a life changing journey to India in October. We will be leaving the comforts of our home here in America to be missionaries in India and around the world. Business For Orphans establishes small businesses for orphanages to help them become self-sustained. (Click here for the Business for Orphans Video)

Ryan and Brittney I love you guys and I am so proud of you!!!