The Broughton Home

I swear.. this is my final post today. Lately, I've been struggling with putting myself out there. Designing, photography, and even this blog. I have this thing, in my head.. that people don't care what I think is shareable.. or what I have to say. People may not actually care.. but how can I know that, unless I put it out there. How can I ask God to work through me, if I'm not willing to give Him the chance. Yesterday, I acted on faith, and the prompting of God. Something I'm trying to do more, despite my own discomfort. While I was in my car, having a ridiculous internal freak out.. a song played on my Pandora app.. before I called my mother. After calling my mom, and mentally acknowledging the song.. the interaction I was dreading went really well. It might turn out to be a good income for me while I also get to stay home and raise my son. I won't know right away, but it felt good to try, and let God do what he needed/wanted to do THROUGH me. On my way ...

Okay... post 3 in the same day.. I have a lot to unload. Including... CHRISTMAS LETTERS... cause I suck. I'm horrible about cards.. I can even get them done, and never send them... why? I don't actually know. I have stamps from last Christmas, still in my wallet. Not on cards... what is WRONG with me? Either way... I have written letters out, and just never sent them out. What a shame. I'm going to put them both here, from the last two Christmases. Sorry, not sorry. Enjoy! The Broughton Family    Christmas 2016! As most of you know, 2016 saw the Broughton’s move to Minnesota. Allow me to bore you with some of the details. :) In 2015 , we started telling friends and family that we were planning to move. There weren’t many believers, but the plan moved along. In January , Jon and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary by taking a trip to Minneapolis to check out the state in the winter. I was already determined to live here, so I would not be budged from that ...

I know! 2 posts in one day?! What is HAPPENING?! I couldn't make THIS post part of the LAST post. While they are connected, they're different stories. After Miya was born.. I decided I wanted one more. Jon did NOT.. since we were already 3 kids deep into the feminine life.. he was already feeling outnumbered, and not a fan of the idea of being SO surrounded. So we prevented.  In the time from then till now, God answered prayers. All kinds of prayers... some so small, I can't even remember the prayers, and others that were big at the time. Some public, some personal. All that time, I prayed for a change of heart for Jon, and a baby for me. I thought those two should go together. I wasn't going to get pregnant without Jon's consent, since that's what counseling fights are made of. Fast forward 10ish years.. We moved to a new state, lived at a lake, moved from the lake into a home that is closer to work for Jon, and LOADS closer to the church and friends. L...

I see it's been 4ish years since I last posted anything. I'm never sure if anyone wants to hear/read what I have to say/write... but Kera seemed interested when she found out I have a blog.. so really, what have I to lose? Nothing. I might have something to gain though, so I'll carry on. Anyways, there have been many changes in our lives since my last post.. this will be a catch up. In 2015, we took a trip that took lots of planning, and saving. A real family trip. Jon had told me, on many occasions, about spending a week at the lake in Minnesota once a year. It always sounded like fun... and like nothing I could relate to. He wanted the girls to experience it, at least once; and they seemed like the right age to make it happen. So he set that goal, and we met it. We were able to get a cabin at the same lake, in the same week as his parents. We made plans to see other touristy things along the way. JUST to make it a REAL family trip. We spent 15 days on vacation. Drove 5...

Okay, it wasn't really an experiment per se.... but it sounded way cooler than "I was thinking about this so I asked other people's opinions and gleaned info from them." See? Either way, I've been slightly plagued by this "am I good friend, or not" thought process for a little while now. I've always seen myself as a bad friend, since I hardly EVER set up times to meet with other women, or try to do the little things that friends supposedly do. I don't spend any real amount of time on the phone talking out my problems, or listening to someone talk about theirs. I barely talk to my sister on the phone, so it's not like anyone should take this personally. When it comes to venting.. I usually vent at Jon (poor man) or if I need to vent about him (yeah right), I'll finally call my sister or my mom. I also see my inability to invite people to my house as a bad friend trait... but I also feel like I'm saving EVERYONE the embarrassment of...

Christmas is the only time God has been dependent on humans. Becoming a human baby, possibly the most helpless of his creations. He does not NEED our worship, though he requires it. He does not NEED us to prove his existence, though he chooses to work through people often. Worship, while for God, is also for us... We, as fickle humans, need the time to reflect and remember God's awesome power and love... not to mention all his promises. In all he did, it was all about us. He could have been born to a king and ruled forever, but he chose to come as a humble, lowly baby; born to suffer like us, hurt like us, and ultimately die like us... for us. God... in all his infinite knowledge and power, knowing we could do NOTHING to get back to him.. stepped out of the freedom of Eternity, and into the painful confines of time and decay. That's how we know God loves us, and that's how we truly can celebrate Christmas and Easter. From birth to death, it was ALL for us. Merry Christmas...

Christians have been fighting a frustrating battle of tolerance and acceptance. Watching every "deadly sin" become acceptable while being ostracized for our stance. It became apparent to me that we have forgotten one very important thing. Possibly the MOST important thing. We will NEVER gain acceptance OR tolerance from this world. This world belongs to sin, and sin loves the dark. Darkness abhors the light, and when you have Jesus in your heart and life, the darkness will run from you; spitting vile all the way. In order to gain acceptance, you will be required to make compromises; they'll never satisfy; and then the world will throw them in your face, claiming you aren't true to your God, and you lack integrity. The fact is, the world CAN'T accept us. It's against the world's nature.. and to expect the same love and forgiveness from the world is ludicrous. Our TRUE acceptance doesn't come from other imperfect beings.. it comes from the one true God, ...