Truths For My Children | Part 2

I want my children to know they can trust God to not only lead them but to make a way where He is calling them to go. The enemy will always try to stop us from following God by telling us we are not good enough or qualified. As children of God we can trust that if God is calling us to something He will qualify us for that great work. We will not always have all the answers, sometimes all we have is the faith to step into our calling.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and lead you in the way you should go, I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Original Blog Post http://audreysupperstory.blogspot.com... Part 1 Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5aSq...

Purposeful Motherhood

I have been learning what the Bible says about being a woman, wife and mother and I think it is beautiful and empowering. I love Proverbs 31, The Wife Of Noble Character, I read it all the time. Right now this portion below is speaking to me.

Verse 13:22 NIV

13 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

Knowing that there is purpose in all I do brings joy and passion to my everyday work. I know I was designed to care for my family as only I could.

The cleaning has purpose.

The cooking has purpose.

The watching kids do tricks and jumps has purpose.

The folding and putting away of laundry has purpose.

The encouraging words,

Application of bandaids,

Endless hugs,

Approving or not approving of television shows,

Sleepless nights,

Picking up of the same toys everyday,

Singing of songs,

Just being there, waiting, watching and ready for what work is needed next, has purpose.

In the mundane routine or chaos of wife life and motherhood, I can lose sight of the big picture or maybe I don't even know what the big picture is yet. But slowly I am understanding that the small pieces that are my responsibility everyday, are my great purpose. 

We have a great purpose in all we do as women, the helpers of this earth.


Genesis 2:18
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

And we are the answer!

Who is pumped?!
I love you!
Audrey

Obedience To God Through Faith | A Lesson I Learned Last Week | HAL

I have been learning about faith and last week God revealed to me how my strong faith can help me improve my obedience to the will of God. I hope you will check it out and also join the conversation.

By Faith

I have been learning about faith during my Bible Study recently (First 5) and I have also been doing some faith walking in my life. I have always been a faith filled person but sometimes my actions and words did not match my thoughts. By the grace, strength and wisdom of God, I am growing each day and I am learning how to speak from the position of a victor even when circumstances seem hopeless.

Hebrews 11 1:3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. 
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Reading the Bible has helped me to learn more about who God is. He is always good, just and never breaks a promise. God has spoken promises into my life, some I have seen come to pass, some I am currently witnessing develop and others, well lets just say from my earthy perspective, I am not sure how they could come to pass. I am choosing God's perspective though. I can not see what He can see, I do not know what He knows, but I do have faith that He is working it all out for my well being.

In my small experience speaking light into dark situations, good things have come. At the time it is challenging though, I have looked around at a personal circumstance and thought, "what the heck, how can this be fixed". Faith is produced through focusing on Jesus, joy is produced through focusing on Jesus and right and just action is produced through focusing on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

When we choose to trust Gods perspective, we are free to then be the people God designed us to be, equipped with the skills we need to navigate all of life's challenges. My Saviour came to give me life, covered me with His grace so that I could stand on His promises and then serve as His hands and feet. I will walk more boldly each day by faith! I will speak more boldly each day by faith. I am victorious over what has already been accomplished by Jesus on the cross.

Accepting Jesus as my saviour and learning to walk with God each day is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. If you have a prayer request or would just like to chat about God, please send me an email heatherlapier@gmail.com You can also follow me on Instagram  and join more conversations on faith.

Mom Guilt | John 10:10

I have been feeling the mom guilt lately and like I am falling short in some areas of my life. I have been praying through it and the other night God provided me with John 10:10. Check out this quick faith story. I would love to know what Bible verses help to encourage you, when you are feeling less than. 

Thank you for watching,

xoxo

Audrey 

Running My Business God's Way | Its Not About Striving, Its About Relying

I love the story of David and Goliath. Whenever I feel inadequate in a situation I think of this story and remember that it is not my own strength that conquers the giants that stand before me, it is the strength of God in me. I only have tiny stones but with God behind me, before me, within me, I will conquer great feats.

Also, God's timing is perfect. I have had this video edited for about a week now but haven't had an opportunity to upload it so its perfect that I am able to share it on Easter weekend. This is why Jesus died for us on the cross, so that all of God's strengths are now available to each of us simply by accepting Jesus as our saviour. 

God doesn't want me to work like crazy and spread myself thin to do His good work, He just wants me to come to Him with what I have, He just wants my heart. 

In this video I share a little bit more detail on this topic and how God has been working in me not to strive but to simply rely on Him, I hope you will check it out and share your thoughts in the comments on social media.

My Favourite Bible Study App First 5

Psalm 147:8-11 New International Version (NIV)

8 He covers the sky with clouds;
    he supplies the earth with rain
    and makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle
    and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Faith In Action

God has been working on strengthening my faith through the regular moments of everyday life. In this video I am sharing a story about how I learned to expand my faith to faith in action. The closer I get to God, the more I learn and it is amazing. God is so good.

I hope you will hang with me for a few minutes and check out the video below. I would also love for your to share your favourite faith Bible verse.

Thank you for watching
Heather

The Great Commission For 2018

I am not much of a New Years resolution person but I am always working on improving myself, setting goals and praying for God’s direction and strength as I move into new chapters of life.

I was feeling a little overwhelmed with one particular goal as I stepped out of bed on last Friday morning. 

My Bible study pointed me to Mark 16 15:19 

"He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. '"

I am saved and so all of Jesus’s strength is with me in everything I do! I have faith that with Jesus I will accomplish amazing things and I will start my New Year with a hopeful heart for the work of God in my life. There is work and planning required on my part and I am excited to get at it and to see what God will do through me next. 

The enemy strives to overwhelm us and fill us with hopelessness because he is aware that all things are overcome through God. We need to believe with our hearts and minds and work with our hands and feet in a faith filled way that God is overcoming. God has already overcome and when we are saved His power is with us and within us. That just gets me right fired up, who is with me? And, who is pumped to see what God has in store for us in 2018! 

Happy New Year 

I love you! 

God loves you!

Audrey 

James 1:17

This was my memory Bible verse from two weeks ago. I love reading and reciting these Bible verses daily, they strengthen me. I have always heard people say "let the word penetrate your soul" reading the same verse everyday for a week really does that, it penetrates me on a deep level and lifts me up each morning. 

EVERY, I need the reminder regularly that all this good and all the successes in my life are from above. It is not by my own strength or ability that I have obtained or accomplished anything, it is all a blessing from God. It is my hearts desire to know God, submit to Him and live a life lead by Him. Thank you Lord for taking this hot mess woman and turning me into someone who is able to do some good work for you. 

Walking and learning by faith everyday....

xoxo

Audrey 

Chatting About Sin | HAL | Christian Vlogger

I have had so many questions about sin lately. Hang out with me as I dig into some scripture to find some answers and share my thoughts. Please comment below with your thoughts and favourite scripture regarding this topic. And, thank you for checking out this video.

Wildfire Women Sarnia Meet Up Recap

It has taken me a week to absorb everything I learned from the first Wildfire Women Ontario meet up and I am excited to share a few things.

The week of the event I started to feel nervous, I do have experience speaking in front of people but I have never hosted an event with the focus being on God. At first I started to second guess myself, "what kind of qualifications do I have to be hosting an event like this, I am not a ministry leader", but then I remembered that the enemy will attack us as we get closer to our true calling in life.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober minded, be watchful your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

I armed myself with the word of God and prayer and did my best to move through the week prayerfully. The first lesson I learned, God calls me to places of fear and discomfort because He is trying to draw me closer to Him. When I am unsure of my footing, I cling to God as my strength, its not a comfortable place to be, but it does always bring me closer to my Heavenly Father.

God didn't leave me hanging, I had the support and prayers of the panelists and my friend Brittney who sent me the most beautiful encouraging prayers to power me up.

Once the conversation started with all of the wonderful panelists, all of my nerves disappeared and we all chatted like girlfriends, Gods presence was felt by everyone.

Listening to the panelists answer my questions I received a few overarching messages. These conversations and meet ups are important because there is so much power in numbers. Hearing others speak truths that I also know strengthened my faith and courage to be more bold in my walk with the Lord. We all have these amazing stories about the good work God has done in our life and those stories can be life changing for others so sharing them is imperative to doing the work of God. I need to pray more and seek His direction more diligently in everything I do being unafraid that my decisions don't match those of the world. And, thirdly, the more I talk about God the more comfortable I become sharing His good news with the world, and that is really what it is all about, I want to be the hands and feet right where I am.

God is awesome and His greatness is available to us all.

Thank you to everyone who helped with the night, it was a success because of everyone taking part open heartedly.

As for the next event, I am still praying on that matter and I would ask that you pray for myself, Brittney and Wildfire Women too, that God guide us in the direction we should go.

If you were at the event or watched the live stream I would love to hear some of your take aways, please comment below.

xoxo
Audrey

Wildfire Women Sarnia Meet Up

I am hosting an event on Thursday Oct 26 at Lilith Boutique in Sarnia 6pm-8pm, "God's Impact On The Entrepreneur" and I would love for you to come. I will be asking four female entrepreneurs questions about their entrepreneurial and faith journey, and I know their stories are going to be inspirational and encouraging.

Wildfire Women is a tribe of women who's hearts are to empower and inspire each other to chase our wildest dreams! You can learn more about Wildfire Women on their website. So what is my connection to this Kelowna based group, well, I am friends with the founder Brittney  and we met on Twitter.

A few years ago, I had been praying for God to introduce me to some new Christian friends, and then I found Brittney through a hashtag I had followed on Twitter. Brittney is absolutely a dream chaser and she inspires me every time I connect with her, to step out of my comfort zone and dream a little bigger.

My hope for our first Ontario Wildfire Women event is that, through honest sharing and storytelling people will experience God in a way that shows we do not need to be perfect to walk through life with Him. And, a life lived for Christ is one that is filled with adventure, dream chasing and huge leaps of faith. Through Christ we learn who we were created to be, and when we discover our calling in life, mountains will begin to move.

I am so grateful to the panel of women who said yes, and took a leap of faith to be a part of this initial event. I hope you will take a moment to get to know them a little by reading their bios below and I look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

Itinerary
6pm-6:15 mingle and complimentary refreshments
6:20 welcome and opening prayer from myself
6:25-6:50 testimonials from panelists
7-7:45 panel discussion on questions
7:45-8 audience questions and sharing
8 thank you and closing prayer

RSVP on the Facebook Event page here. 

Leanne Fera 

Born and raised in Peterborough, Leanne Fera has now been in Sarnia for 14 years and considers herself a "local".  She is a wife, mother of three girls, friend and owner of Sweet Annie's Urban Painting & Decor, a residential painting business that also offers creative DIY workshops.

Rebecca Reading 

I'm a wife & mom of 4. I have the privilege of working with and co owning Shoes @ 144 Front with my sister everyday. Our family is close knit and I'm so thankful for each of them. After living in the GTA for 10 years, it was nice to come home. My favourite thing to do is cook for the people I love 

I also love reading books, especially any that challenge & encourage my faith in Jesus.

Patti-Jo Park 

I am a co- owner of the downtown Sarnia Activewewar store- One Tooth. I was raised in Petrolia on a farm and then headed to Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver for university and life experience!  I aspire to be called a Jesus follower, wife, daughter, sister, friend and leader.  Trying to live a healthy whole life physically, spiritually and mentally are important to me and follow through all aspects of my life.

Kira Jade Nixon 
Is a professional singer, international performer and owner of Kira's Enchanted Princess Parties. She is also a wife to her life long sweetheart and mommy to their sweet one and a half year old little boy. Having a career in the entertainment business can be both exhilarating and absolutely heartbreaking. There have been both triumphs and failures and without the knowledge of God's unfailing love and plan for her life it would be impossible. Kira is learning more and more everyday to trust in His plan for her life and looks forward to what the future holds.

My Prayers Are Not Big Enough

I was praying the other day about a situation in my life that needs healing and repair and God stopped me and said to my heart "your not praying big enough prayers, I am a God that resurrects and dives into the deepest, darkest pits to help my children." 

I realized in that moment that my prayers were being prayed with only my thought capacity for healing, God can do what I can't even imagine. I need to pray bigger prayers and make more room for God to do His amazing work, the work only He can orchestrate, and work He can do through not just me but everyone. Oh my goodness, God is so awesome. 

Praying really big prayers also strengthens my faith. Faith that God can do the impossible. Faith that God can accomplish what does not seem rational in my human mind. Because I live in the world and am influenced by the world, my faith can become shaken but prayer strengthens me for a new day. When I really need to strengthen my faith and desire God to set fire to a situation, I pray out loud. I have just started doing this in the last few months but I love it because it helps me to feel closer to Gods power. I also like that my children can hear me speak Gods power in our home and car. I literally pace the basement while praying out loud. 

I have included some verses that help me to remember the truths I am speaking about in this post. I don't know these things because I have some special relationship with God, I know them because they are truths for all of us detailed in The Bible. 

I hope you have a week filled with faith and crazy big prayers.

Xoxo

Audrey 

Currently Singing | Joshua Micah - Who Says?

Do you ever wake up singing a song and it sticks in your head for a few days. Maybe it's just a catchy tune but I always think it's a message from God. A little note He tucked inside your mind, kinda like that little note your mom may have tucked inside your lunch box as a kid.

The last few days I have been singing the song linked below, the line that's been running through my mind is "who says you have to have it all figured out". Oh my goodness, I am always trying to figure things out and make plans so far in advance. Gods in control, His plan is the best and often it's different than what I had planned.

I'm currently rocking out to this song (dance party) throwing my hands up to God and enjoying all the gifts He has in store for me today.

Joshua Micah - Who Says?

xoxo

Audrey

Keep Your Eyes Up

I went for a big paddle board alone while we were on vacation in Muskoka (thanks Coco aka my mother in law). If you read my post from a few weeks ago about my fear of the water  then you know this was a pretty big feat for myself.

As I paddled further away from our cabin's boathouse, I started to have small moments of panic when I looked down into the dark water. Lake Jospeh is actually pretty dark water, much darker than Lake Huron. I battled this by simply not looking down and letting my mind wander into silly thoughts. I kept my focus up on the beauty that surrounded me.

This made me think of a Bible verse I had heard before, I couldn't quite remember it but I knew I had heard some lessons about keeping my focus on God even in moments of fear and doubt.

Psalm 16:8 (NIV)
I keep my eye always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

So I kept my eyes up and focused on the trees, the rocks, the sailors on the lake and talked to God. I was working pretty hard as I started my paddle into the wind and loved how refreshing the water felt when my feet and legs got splashed as I moved along. I learned a few lessons while I was on the water and loved just being in nature alone. I was grateful for the paddle.

When I am scared or worried its easy to get sucked into a spiral of negative thinking but that only leaves me exhausted and even more distraught. And, I have missed everything that moment in life had to offer.

If I had allowed myself to look down and be afraid, I would have turned around and went back to shore. I would have missed the moment, the beauty and the lessons I learned while chatting with my Heavenly Father on the water. I will not be defined by my fear, I will keep going because I know if I keep my focus on God, he will take care of me.

xoxo
Audrey

Tough Dirt

I planted some lettuce and herbs in our backyard garden a few weeks ago with the kids. Tyler normally borrows a rototiller, adds more dirt to the garden and gets it ready for me to add plants. His spare time is limited right now because of the bathroom renovation and I just wanted to do it by myself. So I went old school and chopped the dirt with a hoe.

I was very confident going into mixing the dirt but after about five chops I realized why Tyler doubted my ability to do the manual labour, it was really hard earth. I persisted, the garden was completed and Luke and I had the best time working on it (keep your fingers crossed for us that our plants actually grow). 

As I chopped at the dirt though, I thought (I know why people like gardening, it's so good for your soul and mind). I always feel very connected to God when I am in nature and my time in the garden was some good chat time with God.

I could not believe how hard the dirt got over the winter and how when worked it still produces fruits and vegetables. It made me think of how God works on my hard parts, the parts I don't want to let loose but he keeps working on them and adding to them through His word and eventually I loosen and let Him into that area of my life. When I give those hard parts over to God, He does beautiful things with them.

I am grateful that God always tends to me even after I have hardened areas of my life, He continues to care for me and use all of me for His goodness.

xoxo
Audrey

Truths I Want My Children To Know

1. You are truly unique and you were created for a purpose that only you can fulfill.

Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to nations. 

I was distracted for many years by things that go on around me and wanted to be different but was not sure how to take the road less travelled. I looked around for things and people to mimic, which left me feeling even more lost. I now know to be truly unique, I must only look to God.

2. God is our creator and knowing Him will help you to know yourself and understand your purpose.

Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and lead you in the way you should go; I will council you with my loving eye on you.

I have found great comfort in talking to God about my concerns and important decisions. I bring so much to Him through prayer. I hear the responsive and guiding voice of God through The Bible, preachers and through the stories of other Christians. Sometimes a response does not come but spending time with God is always helpful.

God may ask you to do something someday that by the worlds standards of decision making, may not make sense, example: a leap of faith in a career where you don't necessarily have the specific training to do the job. If God is calling you to do something, he will care for you and guide you through the process. I love to think of Noah (Noah's ark) when God is asking me to do something a little crazy. Can you imagine how crazy Noah must have felt when he first turned to his wife and said "honey, we have to build a huge boat and load one of each species on it because God is going to flood the earth and its our job to save Gods creations". What!? I am sure Noah lived through some tough times as he constructed the ark but I bet he was glad he listened to God and not the people around him (maybe making fun of him) when the rain began to fall.

3. It is God's plan that you be successful, happy and blessed. Do not be limited by the worlds definition of success, this does not mean you will be abundantly wealthy, it might but blessings come in many forms.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. 

I like to remember the verse above when I am going through a challenging time. I have gained most of my greatest pieces of wisdom through challenging times. These pieces of wisdom have equipped me to gracefully move through situations in the future that I could not have foreseen but because Gods plan is perfect, He prepared me for a battle I was unaware I would face.

4. There will be challenging times in your life and no matter how long, you are NEVER alone.

Isiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.

Talk to God about everything, ask Him for what you need. He will answer your prayers in the best way for you. When I work on being grateful, I can see the many ways that God answers my prayers daily. And, in a time of waiting on a prayer to be answered, it has helped me to remember God's past faithfulness and the many ways he has answered my prayers previously. This helps me to hold onto faith that God is working even when I can not see it.

5. What you do matters! At different phases of your life it may seem that the everyday things like working hard in school, being on time for sports practice and keeping your room clean are insignificant but God cares about everything you do and these small things can often bless those around you in a big way. Do not ever underestimate your impact on your world, by living your life simply to honour God.

Job 8:7
Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous your future will be. 

When I began to put my whole life in Gods hands amazing things started to happen. Only God can take our simple efforts and turn them into extraordinary miracles. I have seen God work through my everyday life to speak into the lives of others which makes all the simple mundane tasks worthwhile. Remember, God needs each and everyone one of us!

6. You do not need to do anything to earn Gods love. He loves you just as much today as He did yesterday and nothing you can do, can change that. Do not allow your missed steps to keep you from growing closer to God.

Hebrews 13:8
Yesterday, he loved you, today he loves you tomorrow he will love you, nothing will change. 

For many years I allowed my mistakes to keep me from getting closer to God. I felt like if I sinned and made a mistake that I needed to stay away from God. This is a lie the devil tells us to keep us from growing closer to our Heavenly Father, do not believe it. Always turn to God.

There are no two people in this world exactly alike. It is amazing and beautiful and only a work God could complete. Get to know your Heavenly Father and you will learn who you are, what you were created for and live a purposeful life.

xoxo
Audrey

Monday Motivation | April 2017

I am so excited that it is April! I literally woke up on Saturday morning (April 1, 2017) feeling rejuvenated and excited about the month ahead. If you guys hang with me on any of my socials, you know I have big emotions and I feel things deep. I am trying my best to shed fear and insecurity as I move into this new season and just learn to really be comfortable with everything I am, and not worry about what others think. The two songs below have been speaking to my heart and replaying in my head lately just making me excited about life. God's got me, with Him I can do all things and I just need to keep going! I hope you will enjoy these songs too.

Happy Monday, happy spring and happy dream chasing friends!

Good For The Soul | God Is Great

Lapier Christmas 2016

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas with your favourite people in warm homes around tables filled with good food. As I get older Christmas continues to be more meaningful as I grow in my faith and grow our family. This year will especially be a year to remember as we had Elizabeth christened. I wish every Christmas was on Sunday. Having a baby so close to Christmas really makes it easy to picture how Christ came to our world. It also reminds us that Christ is still present in our world through each child that is born.

This Christmas some of my loved ones were going through challenging times and this year it was more apparent to me than ever before how difficult the holiday season can be for some people. I hope to be more mindful of these situations going into the holidays next year and proactively try to provide some extra love into the lives of those in need.

I may currently be riding a Christmas high but I would like to begin working on some homemade Christmas gifts beginning in January, for next Christmas. I love giving gifts but I really struggle buying gifts sometimes as I sometimes wish the items had more meaning. So I have started to pin ideas and hope to get to work on my items soon. If I move ahead with this successfully I will definitely be sharing my journey as a "Christmas elf" on my socials.

All in all we had a blessed Christmas and I hope you did too. Please share any of your highlights or takeaways from your holidays in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Merry Christmas
Love the Lapiers
PS at the very bottom of this post is a little video from Christmas eve and day.