MEN.

Ok so I saw this video today and just had to post it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_uY2ynp3wM&feature=player_embedded

Good GRIEF. lol 
So funny!!! And SO true. 


I don't know about you, but what the heck happened to men being men?!? 
I do not think wearing girl jeans and girly scarves and spending more time on your hair then me is cool... or manly!  


And the deep v-necks?? Really?? (gross.)


I love TOMS shoes though! :) haha 


Anyways, I found this interesting because recently I have heard a lot of different opinions on the fact that some people believe men have seemed to start being more feminine in the past few years.




What is YOUR opinion?? I would love to hear it. :) 






As for me I am super excited about the fact that I'm marrying an amazing man that knows how to be a leader and how to not dress like a girl in just 10 DAYS!!!!!!!!!! :D 

Dog poop.

So I was listening to some random videos on youtube with different pastors answering questions about the Bible and such. One person wrote in to this pastor and asked about movies. He said he wanted to live his life according to 1 Corinthians 10:31. That verse says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (One of my favorite verses!)
Anyways, this guy said he wanted to live his life according to that verse, but wanted to know as Christians how far we are supposed to take that. He said he really enjoys watching movies and wanted to know if it was wrong for him to watch movies that are mostly good but have a few sex scenes or some curse words in them. He didn't think it was that big of a deal, because if you took that verse as far as you could you would live in a closet, and is that really what God wants for us? (Ridiculous interpretation of that verse if you ask me!) 
A few years back I stopped watching movies and tv very much because you just can't get away from all the little things that are put in them that are not pleasing to God. The point of this all is that the pastor gave this amazing analogy that I absolutely loved and that explained the way that I believe about movies and tv SO much better then I ever could! He asked the question, if I was to give you a plate of food with a little bit of dog poop in it would you still eat it?
Ahh I love it. lol How often do we just let stuff go in movies, on tv, in books, in music and everything in our lives because it's just a "small part" of it? 
God doesn't call us to live in a closet like that guy was saying. He calls us to live in this world, but not be a part of it.
I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Heaven and remember what we are living for as believers. We are living for eternity, not for this life. Take 1 Corinthians 10:31 very literally, and do EVERYTHING for the glory of God! 

Don't eat the poop. :) 

Lamentations.

Lamentations 3:19-33
Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I will hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the Lord will not be cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.

This past weekend I was visiting my fiance and at his church on Sunday we studied that passage. I've always loved these verses, especially the part that says the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases. I mainly just loved that part because it's so beautiful. I was able to see a new angle on the passage then how I had looked at it before though, and loved it. It was so much more then just the fact that the verses sound nice. This passage talks about how we should be silent before our God. We should wait for Him quietly.
So often we make mistakes and we try to come up with excuses or just do good things to make up for our wrongs.
Instead, we need to come before God humbly and admit that we are wrong, confess our sins and shut up. (The pastor really did say to shut up... I'm not makin' this stuff up myself! haha)
God has an abundance of steadfast love and He will have compassion on us!
On my way home Monday night I spent a big chunk of the drive with my radio off and my phone put away. I just talked with God and prayed for the people I love... and the people I don't especially care for. I asked for strength to conquer my struggles. It was just me and God, and it was wonderful to just focus completely on Him. He is so compassionate and has this huge abundance of love that He doesn't hold back from us. 

I could never ask for anything more.
I love my heavenly Father so much.

ministry.

God is so good. He has been giving me opportunities to minister to people more and more lately. I have had a lot of opportunities to counsel younger women on decisions they are making or help them through rough times. I love that I am so incapable of having the right words to say, but God never fails me. He always gives me the words and it is just as much a blessing to me as it is to the person I am able to talk to about the Lord. 


Last night I was able to have a Bible study for some girls around high school age. I was so excited to have 11 girls come! I may not be the most eloquent speaker, but I just pray that God still uses what I shared with them out of His Word. I am loving the experience I am getting working with high school students. I'm not sure where I'm going to end up doing ministry full time or who it will be with, but I sure hope I keep getting to know this age group because they are loads of fun! 


This quote pretty much sums up what we talked about last night...

"As disciples of Jesus, being in relationship with Him must be our focus. When we allow others perceptions of us (or even our perceptions of their perceptions!) to control how we live, we are enslaved. We become entrenched in the ways of this world and do not live as citizens of heaven, which is another kind of kingdom altogether. Though there is a sense in which this kingdom of God is still future, there is also a sense in which it is here now. As citizens of this kingdom we are called to live in a way that reflects the reality of the kingdom of God. When we become overly concerned about our appearance, our spiritual reputation, our coolness, and our acceptance, we are living as citizens of this world rather than as ambassadors." -Francis Chan (Forgotten God)


God is teaching me so much and I'm so excited for a life full of doing ministry for the Kingdom! 

The sparrow at Starbucks.

 This was sent to me on an email. It is a great story. God is so good and this is an awesome reminder that He will use us when we are willing. Nothing is an accident. God is always in control and setting up divine appointments for us.
Don't forget to take advantage of them. :)

The SPARROW at STARBUCKS The song that silenced the cappuccino machine
It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square . Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth.

For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along.

After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked. "No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?"

To my delight, she accepted my invitation.. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?"

"Well.. ... do you know any hymns?"

Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one."

"Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted.. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing.

Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?

The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.

I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me.

When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!" But the ovation continued..

I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said..

"Why is that?"

"Well . .." she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song."

"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual.. "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week."

I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?"

She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it.
  God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that God could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting God and singing the songs, everything's gonna be okay.

The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, just remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer...
AND Lazarus was dead!

No more excuses now!! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger.

God bless you by passing this on to someone else, if you'd like.

everything.?

"Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business; those who have spread nasty rumors about us; those who would kill us if they could; those who disagree with us politically, practically, and fundamentally. His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total surrender. He calls us to give up all that we have, to give even to the point of offering up our lives as a living sacrifice. His call means realizing that His power is made perfect in our weakness, that when we are weak we are also strong." 
-Francis Chan (Forgotten God)

I love this book.
It is so very convicting every time I pick it up again. Am I truly living for Christ 100%? Am I willing to be like Abraham was and leave my home without even knowing when God is taking me? Am I willing to be like the poor widow who gave all that she had to the temple? 

Funny thing is... I prayed before I started reading the book "Forgotten God" today and I was asking God to give me the strength to give up everything and live all out for Him no matter what. Then I read the quote I started this post with. I have a feeling something is coming up and God is preparing my heart to let it all go for Him. 
I don't want to live for myself.
I want to live for my God. 
All out,100% radical faith in Him.

wife.

So I'm getting married.
September 24th. 108 days. :) 

Isn't he handsome?!!


We have a wonderful pastor who is doing pre-marital counseling with us and we have been loving it so far. It's so cool to go sit in a room with someone who has a massive amount of knowledge of the Bible and listen to advice and study the Bible with him. 


Anyways... I had an assignment for counseling to talk to a lady in a successful Godly marriage and ask some questions and then write about what the "ideal wife" would be. My wonderful friend Laura took time to go out to coffee with me last night and I had such a good time! We talked for over 3 hours. 
Laura just happens to be one of my favorite people in the world. 
She is older then me, but she doesn't ever talk to me like I'm younger then her. She hangs out and talks to me just as a friend. It was such a blessing to be with her last night and not only get to ask her questions about being a Godly wife, but also just to see that in action. She is such a humble person who knows that she isn't perfect. She doesn't ever try to put on a face and act like she's something that she isn't. She is always working towards improving herself. Her husband and her are going to Spain next week for three weeks to see if God wants them there for full time missionary work. She has three kids and is taking them on a 13 hour flight. That alone blows my mind! I love that they are willing to drop everything and go to Spain to follow God's leading. 
I want to be the kind of wife that is willing to go anywhere and do anything to follow God with my husband. 


I find that the Bible says what I want to a lot better then I do.


This is what I'm striving for:


Proverbs 31:10-31


"An excellent wife who can find?
   She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
   and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
   all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,
   and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant;
   she brings her food from afar.
She rises while it is yet night
   and provides food for her household
   and portions for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it;
   with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She dresses herself with strength
   and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
   Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
   and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor
   and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of snow for her household,
   for all her household are clothed in scarlet.^[f]
She makes bed coverings for herself;
   her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the gates
   when he sits among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
   she delivers sashes to the merchant.
 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
   and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
   and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
   and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
   her husband also, and he praises her:
"Many women have done excellently,
   but you surpass them all."
 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
   but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
   and let her works praise her in the gates."

blog.?

I have realized recently how much I love reading blogs.
I have been considering writing one, but haven't been sure how to go about it.
There are so many things people blog about and I didn't know if I should choose a certain subject to focus on or what...

I'm a Christ follower, a musician, a photographer, I'm getting married soon, I'm busy busy busy with all kinds of things like Bible school, working at a chocolate store, doing photo shoots, teaching music lessons, and planning a wedding. 
Those are all things people have written blogs about and I am pretty sure I can't choose one. :)


So here's my blog... Not sure how this is going to go, but I hope to be a blessing and an encouragement to all who read. 


Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." (ESV)