Peace that Surpasses Understanding

Go ahead "be at peace" that is easy to do right? In our culture finding peace is not an easy thing.  It seems that anxiety and stress are at an all time high. I learned a thing or two about anxiety and peace in college.  My cousin Ericca and I grew up together as best friends. Neither of us had a sister so we clung to one another as sisters.  She nearly scared me to death when were 19. She was driving one night as we left my mother's apartment complex. She pulled to the exit and stopped in front of the busy street in front of us waiting to turn left. For a few moments she did not move and I remember looking at her and saying "hellllo Ericca are you going to go?" Just then she looked at me with a vacant, blank scare, a look I will never forget. Then she began to seize. She had a Grand Mal seizure behind the wheel. The car began to roll across the busy street. By the grace of God not a single car drove by during this whole episode. I was terrified I did not know what to do. Since the car was traveling the wrong way on the road by itself I threw the gear shift into park. The car made an awful sound and I thought for sure I ruined her engine. It turns out that was the best decision that I made because seconds later she hit the gas pedal with all of her body strength and the engine roared. I called 911 and the operator tried to help me take care of my cousin. We happen to be on the street in front of the hospital. I could not seem to understand why the paramedics took so long.  In those few moments I thought my cousin was dying. Thankfully, she regained consciousness before the paramedics arrived.  They took her to the hospital. I was so scarred by the event that the ER staff thought I was the injured person and tried to admit me. :) My sweet Ericca was completely fine after this and did not drive again for 6 months. I on the other hand was greatly effected.

I was terrified that either Ericca would have another seizure or that other drivers on the road would suddenly have a seizure. I developed an intense anxiety to driving. While driving I would picture horrific multiple car crashes taking place in front of me. The anxiety became debilitating, especially because my future husband lived three hours away and I had to drive to see him.  I tried going to a therapist but the anxiety pulled me away.  At this point in my life I did not know God, and never thought to ask Him for help.

Then a friend invited me to her bible church and I went. During the sermon the pastor spoke about how God has no place for worry in our lives. This was such a foreign concept to me. What do you mean God wants to take away my worry? I felt as though the entire sermon was directed to me and my situation. I began to pray in times of worry and stress and it helped. Then a few months later I walked into a different church and saw a bulletin board that read "Worry about nothing. Instead, tell Him everything. Pray!" I was blown away by this statement. I never thought about giving all of my worries to God. I now know that this was a translation of the scripture Philippians 4:6-7

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

This scripture changed my life. It taught me to give it all to God, literally He wants us to tell Him EVERYTHING!  After deepening my faith and reading the scripture from Philippians I noticed something. Not only does it tell us to pray in times of worry or trouble it says that we will receive Peace. This is not worldly peace. Like "Peace and Love" peace or gangsta wrapper "Peace". This is the Peace of Christ. The peace that "surpasses all understanding". It is peace that we as humans can not fathom, because it is of God. St. Augustine said "If you can understand it, then it must not be of God".  Most Americans have not experience this internal Peace that flows from the Holy Spirit. When a person grows in relationship with Christ they receive the Fruits of the Spirit through the Holy Spirit these are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Wouldn't we love to have someone describe us using these adjectives? They are not as hard to obtain as you might think, but it is not something that we can do on our own. Only through giving your heart to Christ and letting go of what we hold onto as women will we receive these beautiful fruits of the spirit. Here is the great part, YOU don't have to do anything. All you have to do is TRUST in God. My three year old told me today in the car "Mommy did you know you can trust God?". Yes in my heart I do but sometimes my head takes over and I forget to trust in Him. 

Did you know that there are 365 verses in the bible that mention worry? One for each day of the year. God has no place for worry in our lives. Instead, He yearns for our trust. He wants us to lean on Him in good times and struggles. After all, these struggles are what strengthen our relationship with Him. So open up your heart and let "the peace that surpasses all understanding guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus".

Thank Goodness for Theology of the Body

One of the biggest challenges for me as a mom is trying to protect my kids from a sex crazed culture.  It terrifies to me to think of my girls becoming teenagers. Aaah I don't want to think about that right now. I love teenagers. Teen ministry is my absolute favorite, but I am not ready to be the mom of two teenage girls. We live in a culture that basically says anything goes. It is okay to have sex anytime with anyone, to live together before marriage and a whole slew of other behaviors that break apart our relationships with God and set us up for rocky marriages.  I often hear people talk about the marriage crisis in America and how can we fix it? My answer is we have to start teaching the next generation BEFORE they make these mistakes. It is too late to talk to a couple about the dangers of living together once they are living together. This is why I love teen ministry so much.


I honestly believe the cause for the breakdown of so many marriages is pre-marital or extra-marital sex.  We have lost the true meaning of a Christian relationship. In fact most of us have never heard God's vision for marriage explained.  I was not exposed to this until long after I was married.  Can you imagine starting your marriage with this in mind? How different would our lives be? The Catholic church has an AMAZING program called Theology of the Body. It was originally written by Pope John Paul the II in a series of encyclicals and then translated by Christopher West.  TOB explains the true plan for marriage that God intended. It teaches women and men to treat each other with love and respect and to treat sex as a gift for marriage. It empowers young girls to look for the man that God has intended for them, not simply someone who will give them attention. It also shows them that they are wonderfully and beautifully made regardless of what our culture tells them. It is truly empowering to both sexes and creates stronger marriages.  There are also TOB programs for teenagers and I recently heard about a program for middle schoolers starting in 5th grade. Yes this sounds incredibly young, but let's face it our kids are exposed to sex whether we like it or not. At least this way they are hearing the truth about God's plan for our sexuality from the get go, instead of trying to unlearn what society has instilled in them. The program is called "Purely You: Growing God's Way". It also includes a parent Q & A section that gives pointers on how to explain these concepts to your kids when they start asking questions.

I pray that I can teach my daughters to understand who they are as Christian women and how to uphold their values.  I highly recommend taking a TOB course or reading Christopher West's book. The courses are offered several times a year in our area and if you don't live in Austin I am sure you can find one near you.

See it Pray it!

Praying out loud  always seems to be hard for kiddos. Heck praying out loud for adults is hard too! In our house it usually ends up that I do a lot of the praying, which is good because I am modeling for them how to pray. My goal though is not to only model but also for them to take ownership in their own little prayer lives. I want them to know that prayer is the answer to all of life's problems. It is also the cause of all of life's joys.  I want them to know that they can talk to God about anything at anytime. So where do we begin? Right now my three year old has started praying her own little independent prayers. It is usually some variation of "Thank you God, I love you God Amen!" It is her own and it is original which I love but now I think she is ready to put some real substance into her prayer. When it is time to sit down and pray together I think they forget what they wanted to pray about. I heard an interview with a member from the band Philips, Craig and Dean and he was talking about how he uses pictures to keep him focused in prayer. It got me thinking about children and how they are extremely concrete thinkers! From that was born the See it Pray it board!

To make the board the girls and I sat down together and discussed the reasons why we pray

• To thank God for our blessings
•  To tell Him how much we love Him
• To pray for others in need
• And most importantly to ask God to help us transform our hearts for Him. This last one I believe is so important because it reminds us that we don't have to take on the troubles of the world on our own. If we have a problem take it to the "Divine Physician". He wants to help us overcome life's struggles. 

Then we came up with several things that we should pray for together each night. We are tremendously blessed right now with a new born baby. I also have 5 amazing friends who also have newborn babies. Livi wanted to draw a picture of each baby and write all 5 of their adorable little names on the board. Instead she just drew one picture and I wrote the word "Babies". :) We also included pictures of each member of our little family to remember to be thankful for each other.

Then we added names of people that need prayers right now. I have two sweet friends who are currently in Hospice care. One is a little girl and the other an amazing Mom. We put both of their names on the board. I don't intend to explain to my girls in detail why we are praying for them, but I will explain their love for God and how they really need God right now.We are also expecting a new baby cousin and are so thrilled so they want to pray for their Aunt Lindsey or Zee Zee as they call her.

After that we talked about the things in our lives that we need God's help with.  Since the baby was born the behavior in our house has been more challenging. I think this is just a new baby phase and it will end soon. Hopefully! :) My four year old said that we need to work on "showing each other love more". So she made a heart and wrote the word "Love" inside.  We also decided that we need to work on being better "Listeners" so we wrote that in stickers as well. Praying for these challenges each night will do several things for our family. First, it will allow us to give our problems over to God and let Him heal us. Next, it will open up the lines of communication each night for us to discuss why we are struggling in a positive and loving manner. The best time to teach kids about behavior is not in the heat of the moment. Rather it is in a time where they feel connected and loved. I feel a whole slew of "teachable moments" coming on!

The best part about the See it Pray it board is that I used a magnet board so we can change it anytime as needs arise. I am also going to encourage them each night to think of new people or problems to pray for. Don't forget though... We can pray anytime throughout the day. Teach kids to stop right then in the moment and pray for a struggle. Teach them to pray for a loved one who asks for prayers right there with them. Also teach them to notice when God answers their prayers. Point out how the situation has changed as a result of their prayer and remind them that it is because of God's love. Have fun encouraging your children to know and love God!

Stand up for what you believe in!

For the first time today I was able to "Stand and Pray" for 40 Days for Life. This is a program that started with the Catholic Church in College Station, Texas and has now spread across the world. It is peaceful prayer support outside of abortion clinics.  As a result of this program countless lives have been changed, whether it is mothers who do not have to live with the grief of having lost a child, abortion clinic workers who have turned away or the beautiful lives of the little babies saved.  One person in particular who was saved by the fervent prayers of 40 Day for Lifers was Abby Johnson. She was the Director and "Employee of the Year" of Planned Parenthood. She honestly believed that she was helping women by providing them a safe place to receive abortions. Then one day God changed her heart forever. It became extremely clear to her how brutal abortion really is. She was lost and did not know where to turn and walked right into the arms of the sidewalk counselors outside of her clinic. She is now one of the most prominent pro-life speakers. She travels the country speaking out against Planned Parenthood and their money driven tactics. Abby has written a book with her entire conversion story called "Unplanned". She is currently writing her second book that details what goes on behind the closed doors of Planned Parenthood. Check out her website here. She also goes to my church, which I think is pretty cool! I feel like I have a new famous friend. :)

I was quite honestly very scared to go today. I was not sure what would happen. I was not even sure if it would be safe to stand outside the clinic. My mother-in-law went with me. She was so calm and it really seems that God was calling her to this ministry. She was a natural! It made me feel much more at ease to see her so calm and willing to help. I watched and prayed as eight women walked in with their boyfriends and did not return. It broke my heart. I also witnessed the Christian Love that flowed from the trained sidewalk counselor to each and every woman. She would speak to them with such dignity and respect. I cannot say that this was a fun ministry or that I loved it, but I can say it feels good to have helped and I will definitely go back and help again! Please consider volunteering for 40 Days in your area. If you want more information click here. If you are not able to come out and pray remember that you can pray anytime anywhere!

Spending some time with Jesus!

A couple of years ago when I first was renewed in my faith I wanted to be as close to God as possible. At the time I was not Catholic but attending the Catholic church.  I knew that having a personal relationship with Jesus was so important to growing in my faith, but those Catholic people kept talking about the Sacraments. They talked all of the time about the Eucharist or communion and how integral it is to our faith. I kept thinking you are missing it people!! The most important thing is having a personal relationship with Christ. Then I realized something....  I was on fire in my faith for about a year, then I became the leader of a CRHP group, which is an incredibly spiritual women's retreat.  After becoming the director of this group my faith took off and grew like I could have never imagined.  I always attributed it to being part of this group. But I noticed something, the exact time, almost to the day, that I became the director I also became Catholic and took the Eucharist for the first time! Even though I did not truly understand that this was the body and blood of my Lord He was converting my life through it.  What better way to create a lasting and meaningful relationship with Christ then to be present with Him in the Eucharist! It all made so much sense. The Catholics weren't missing the point! They knew all along that Jesus is the answer to everything and that is why they give Him such reverence in the Eucharist!!

 The following year I started working with the teens and I was introduced to Adoration for the first time with beautiful praise and worship music. Adoration is when Jesus is fully present body, blood, soul and divinity through the Eucharist. I fell in love with spending time with Jesus in Adoration.  I remember one of my first experiences I knew Adoration was coming and I got so excited to see Jesus. I was kneeling on a hard gym floor and singing. As I sang my hands began to raise palms up just about at my waist level. Then I felt someone holding my hands and I knew it was Jesus there spending time with me. After that I was hooked!! I can say that Adoration is one of my absolute favorite things to do! At each retreat I can't wait for that moment. To me it feels like that moment when you go to the airport to pick up a dear friend or family member. You wait at the baggage claim and watch every person who walks in thinking "Are they here yet?" Then the person you love walks in and you run to great them. That is how I feel kneeling when the priest walks in with the monstrance. I just can't wait to see my sweet friend. Then I usually begin balling uncontrollably! :) The teens always laugh at me. It looks like I have some serious issue going on. Nope, I just love Him so much that it brings me to tears EVERY time!Sometimes I even feel a bit of jealousy of the priest. He gets to hold my Lord and carry Him in for everyone to share.

I could write for hours about amazing Adoration experiences. I have seen hearts converted, teens fall to their knees in tears, others go unconscious, and I have felt how amazing He is during every experience of Adoration. Most recently I took a group of teens to DCYC which is a huge Catholic youth conference in Waco. I would venture to say that it is one of the most spiritual places on Earth. The Holy Spirit is so ALIVE during this weekend.  Adoration on Saturday night is always the pinnacle of the weekend. The teens kneel and pray with so much love during this time.  We had a friend of a teen come with us who was not Catholic. We did not explain to her what was happening. She had such a moving experience that it scared her. She asked if she could go back to the hotel for the night and we agreed. The next morning she told me last night was amazing. She said I didn't know what was going on. I was praying then suddenly I felt myself drawn out of my body towards that Gold Thing (The Gold Thing was our Lord in the beautiful Monstrance, but she didn't know that). She said she saw herself on a shore and Jesus was drawing her near to Him.Then she asked me are they going to bring that Gold Thing out again today? I had to giggle if only she knew Who was in that Gold Thing. :)  I explained to her that she was in the presence of Christ last night and explained what Adoration is. After that she went home and told her parents that she wanted to become Catholic. I was amazed how God could work in her life when she didn't even understand what was happening at the time. Adoration is absolutely amazing! There are countless documented and undocumented miracles that have occurred in the presence of Christ during Adoration. If you are having any troubles or need prayer go to Him in Adoration and you will feel such a connection to Him.

Also talk to your kids about the Eucharist and explain to them what is happening each week at Mass. I tell my kids "Here comes the best part" (I got that from my sweet friend April). We go to a church that still uses the bells during Mass, which I love. The bells are meant to signify that Christ is present now in the Eucharist. In my church after the bells ring it is not uncommon to hear my three year old YELL "Mommy Jesus is here!!!" While I love her enthusiasm I would rather it weren't so loud!

Take your kids to see Jesus in the Eucharist as well. All churches have a Tabernacle that you can visit anytime. Sometimes when we go to church during the week I will take my kids through the back of the church to see Jesus. They kneel and talk to him for a few minutes. Then we light a candle. They just love it!! It is such a great teachable moment. I get a chance to explain to them why we genuflect and kneel, because we love Him so much! We need to show Him that we have reverence and love for Him. I pray that my kids have a similar experience of love and connection with our Lord. If you are looking for a better connection with Him go spend some time with Jesus in the Eucharist! You won't regret it!

Come on People Freak Out!

Last year I had the privilege of hearing Chris Stefanik speak at God Stock a youth event in Austin. He was fabulous, the perfect mix of hilarity and spirituality.  The topic of his talk was "Un-freaked-outed-ness" I hope you can read that long made up word. He talked about the vast technology in our world and how we get so used to it that it doesn't freak us out anymore. Take your microwave for instance, there are little invisible micro waves bouncing around in there and COOKING your food in a matter of seconds. This is crazy "Back to The Future" type technology. Instead of standing there oohing and ahhing every time our microwave makes us something yummy. We stand their watching the clock and moaning because it won't cook fast enough. Really? 30 seconds isn't fast enough. This is un-freaked-outed-ness. We experience un-freaked-outed-ness with all sorts of technology in our lives.

 I was incredibly blessed last week. I gave birth to the first little Copeland grandson! In my family this is a huge deal. My husband and father in law have been waiting for a little guy to take hunting, fishing and teach to work with his hands. Now this was my third child so you would think that this would all be pretty natural to me. It was easier to care for the little guy and we understood the way the hospital worked, but there was NO unfreaked-outed-ness! I can't seem to put into words that feeling during labor when I first heard the cry of the sweet little child that I had been carrying around for 9 months. Or the look on my husband's face when he saw his first born son and all of his dreams as a parent came true. Then the doctor throws that messy little baby on my stomach and the tears just start pouring. Suddenly I am holding a little  messy miracle. Then he turns to look at me because he hears my voice. I am constantly amazed by child birth and how God has  beautifully orchistrated every aspect of a newborn baby. I was full of freaked-outed-ness!!

Then we changed his little diaper and oh my boys are hard to change!!! Along came a lot more freaked-outed-ness!!! There truly is something different about little boys and I am madly in love with this little guy already. I never want to lose my freaked-outed-ness!

In our faith and relationships we often experience unfreaked-outed-ness. We go through the motions at church or in prayer. We forget the amazing miracles that are taking place all around us especially during Mass. Yes, a microwave and iPhone are pretty amazing, but how much more amazing is Christ truly present with us in Mass? When I get caught up in trying to keep the kiddos quiet during Mass and forget to show Awe and Reverence I pray for freaked-outed-ness. God please show me the miracles of your love and true presence.

We also experience this is in our family relationships. We forget how truly amazing our children and husbands are. Our children are little sponges learning and changing each day.  If our husbands weren't so amazing then we never would have married them right? God has given us such beautiful families I pray that we can all be amazed by the little moments with them each day. So.... Let's get freaked out people!!!!

Eli's Name

So I wanted to tell you my name story for the little guy. It is a pretty cool story and I think he will love hearing it one day. Three years ago when I was pregnant with Livi  I was driving in my car and I heard this loud God voice say "You will have a son and his name will be Eli" then it repeated again. I was like whoa I never heard a loud God voice before. :) I was determined that we were having a boy named Eli, except that at the time I really didn't want a boy I would have much rather had a girl.  But I was certain because God had told me that it would be a boy. I didn't even think I needed to have an ultrasound to find out. I remember standing at Ella's 1st birthday talking to my friend Melissa and she said "what if it means that you will have a boy SOMEDAY and his name will be Eli?" I hadn't thought about that possibility yet but I thought maybe Melissa was right. Sure enough two days later I found out that I was having a girl.  

The following Sunday I went to church and I was a bit confused about my faith and listening to God. The bible reading at church was a story I had never heard before about Samuel the prophet and Eli. Eli was a high priest, I had no idea Eli was in the bible. I just thought there was Elijah.  So anyways Eli is sleeping and Samuel wakes up and says "Lord did you call me?" Eli says "no go back to sleep I didn't call you" and it happens again and again finally "Eli says next time you hear your name say yes God I am listening because He is calling you". I took this to mean "thank you for being willing to follow me and for listening but I am not calling you yet". So I figured we may have a boy some day.

Fast forward to now being pregnant I had kind of pushed the Eli story out of my head and was picking different boy names. First we picked Luke and Chad's good friend Todd is having a baby named Luke. Then we picked Gabriel, which I LOVED, but found out shortly after that Chad's boss and Confirmation Sponsor is having a baby named Gabriel.  That Sunday I came home and suddenly out of the blue Livi, my two year old,  starts acting out the story of Samuel, Eli and God. It was random! She told me "I'll be Samuel, you be Eli and you be God". I didn't even know she knew that story. I had this overwhelming feeling that God was telling me that he didn't want me to pick Luke or Gabriel but that my child would be Eli. The same night I also got a message from a friend saying that she thought of me today at mass because of the scripture reading. So I went online and looked up what she read and sure enough it was the Eli and Samuel story. I was like whooaa again! I just loved how God used the same child that I thought would be Eli to share with me His plan.

I know it might sound crazy to think that God picked my son's name, but I have a very discerning heart and it feels so good to know that I am following Him and letting Him make choices for me. Anyways I just thought it was pretty cool and thought you guys might want to hear the whole story. 

So his name will be Eli James Copeland. James is after my grandfather who died when I was a baby and Chad's dad's brother who died as a child of heart failure.