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Faith

Living in moments…

10 May 2016 by Naomi 1 Comment

Although we are only 10 days in to this month, for us so far it is definitely a May of moments. Some great, some not so good, and some down right heart achingly awful.

At times I think it can be easy to focus only on the ‘less than’ moments in life, it is what we naturally tend to dwell on. It takes at times, or so I find, dedicated effort to dwell on the happier moments. But I believe that choosing gratitude and joy as often as we can is important.

So while I don’t want to portray a life that is all sunshine and rainbows all the time, as it is certainly not, I am choosing this moment to use this space as a way to focus on our recent happy moments. I am choosing now to thank God for just how blessed we really are and in those harder moments, which will always come, I am just putting one foot in front of the other and deciding to trust in Him.

Emma & Daddy

Watching the Jack In The Green procession.

Jack in the green family shot

Green nosed family selfie!

bluebell walk

Sunny walk in the bluebells.

first car wash

Emma & daddy washing the car together.

baby goalkeeper

Baby goalkeeper!

first summer ice cream

First ice cream cone of the summer!

planting a fairy garden

Helping Emma to plant a fairy garden.

Looking forward to focusing on more happy moments in May and I hope you all have plenty too!

Naomi-16

Posted in: Faith, Lovely Little Family Tagged: faith, family, happy things, May, ordinary moments

My Testimony

1 February 2016 by Naomi 2 Comments

Ephesians 4:5

Yesterday morning I was finally baptised by full immersion in front my whole church, full of friends and family. It was a wonderful experience like no other I’ve ever had. Before my baptism, very nervously, I gave my testimony and I want to share it here too. I know my testimony will likely change and grow over time but I always want to remember the first one I ever gave and I pray it might encourage someone out there who reads it. (I have edited it slightly for the internet for privacy’s sake.)

I have always referred to myself as a Christian.

I grew up in a very small community and for probably the first 10 years of my life I attended a Baptist chapel with my grandparents, parents and brother. I went to Sunday school classes, heard the bible read regularly and knew all about who Jesus was. I had a child’s understanding and a child’s belief.

I don’t really remember why but over time we stopped attending. Although God was still present in my life through my family, particularly my Nan & Grandad’s faith. But the next few years passed without me giving much thought to it.

It wasn’t until my mid teens that I started going to church again. Like most teenagers I had a boyfriend and his father was a local priest. I started attending weekly with his family and thinking about my own beliefs again. I decided when I was 16 that I wanted to be baptised and confirmed and started to take steps towards that. However life seemed to get in the way, over the next few years people close to me died, important and influential relationships in my life broke down, I moved away to university and once again away from the church.

I see now that this was God acting for my good. I am so glad I wasn’t baptised then as it would have been for the wrong reasons, or at least reasons I still hadn’t fully understood.

Around this time I met Vince and we eventually started a relationship and were married and thinking about children. It was only after Emma was born I started thinking about going back to church; I wanted a church upbringing for her as I had. But this time it was different and I see now it was God leading me back, I wanted to read my bible; I had real questions that I wanted answers too. We were by now living in East Sussex and I started to look around and enquire into different churches and denominations trying to find what felt right and true.

One of the churches we visited was [our local church] and 12 months later we came back and I knew we would be staying. We had such a warm welcome and were made to feel totally at home even with our noisy 1yr old in tow. Eventually I asked our vicar about baptism, having Emma in mind not myself, and he suggested instead that Vince and I took part in a course called Christianity Explored.

The course was good and each week I felt like I was just having confirmed what I already knew and believed, but it was as the course ended that I finally realised simply stating a belief in Jesus wasn’t enough, I had to start living for Christ. I realised that Jesus so lovingly died for me, for my sins, and this should not only be influencing my life but directing it and not the other way round as it had been for 24 years.

In the 2 years since then my life has changed in many little ways. Some changes have been more challenging than others, through the holy spirit my conscience is much more heightened and this usually shows at home where films or tv programmes that we used to watch I no longer feel comfortable watching, or even music that we listen too. But it has changed so much for the better too. I have a wonderful church family here that I am so thankful for, I have been able to join a home group who have helped me to learn and grow in the Lord, I am able to pray more confidently and understand its importance in a way I couldn’t before, and I can finally say with confidence that I am a Christian and Jesus is my saviour and king.

Naomi-16

 

 

Posted in: Faith Tagged: baptism, Christianity, faith, happy things, January

Focus for 2015

2 January 2015 by Naomi 3 Comments

Like most people at this time of year, I have been reflecting on the last 12 months and looking to the coming year, giving mind to what I might resolve to do/set as goals/have as my word for the year/etc…

Each passing new year I feel less and less inclined to create a list of specific resolutions, largely because I find they are too easily broken which sounds too final. Once something is ‘broken’ I think I am less likely to try again with it, I would rather have a sense of falling off the horse but being able to get back up and on again. Does that make sense? I just think, at least personally, having the right mind-set when first starting something is important… Or perhaps I have just rambled out some baby-brained nonsense!

None the less I do have some hopes and intentions for 2015 and as I was reading in my quiet time today I read through the following verse which seems to say it all. So I may not have a word or a list of resolutions for the year but I do have a scripture! (..and in all honesty I do believe that is better.)

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12

This perfectly covers the things I intend to remember to live by and areas I wish to improve upon in this coming year of miracles and challenges for our lovely little family.

As we have now taken down the christmas decorations I was in need of a new print for above our fire place. It has been bare wall for two days now and was driving me a little nutty but I was struggling for decoration inspiration to fit between christmas and my usual February mantlepiece. Often in the past I have designed my own prints for this purpose but today a quick flick around Pinterest for my chosen verse and I came upon the perfect free printable.

romans12_12

Muted tones that are not festive brights, but still warm in colour, not the wintry blues and whites I was trying to avoid yet seeing everywhere. It is available as a free download from I Should Be Mopping The Floor.com 🙂

When I have better light and a completed mantle I will show you the print in it’s frame. Love it.

Do you have any goals/words/themes/scriptures to focus on in 2015? I’d love for you to share them!

Naomi x2

Posted in: Faith, Lovely Little Family, Lovely Little Home Tagged: 2015, Bible, faith, focus, goals, January, new year, printables, resolutions, Romans, scripture, winter
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