Something Inspirational

My Creator Didn't Make No Mistakes On Me

2012-01-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

Psalm 139:14 says:
"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well."

"It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God."—Nelson Mandela

I LOVE this quote by Nelson Mandela. I read it in a devotional book my friend gave to me a month back. It's called Fresh-Brewed Life by Nicole Johnson.

In this day and age it's hard to remember the positive things about ourselves. It seems to me that all we focus on are our setbacks, failures and dilemmas. Nothing we do is ever good enough, because we convince ourselves that there is someone out there doing it better, and maybe there is! However, maybe you're living out a different area of life better than them. Is it so hard to believe that we're actually good people? That we are beautiful inside and out?

I think it's about time we take back our confidence that was stolen. We don't need to play the comparison game. God made us just the way we are for a reason. We can't be anyone else, but better yet, no one else can be us. Life isn't perfect, nor will it ever be. (I've learned that a time or two.) However—at the end of the day—it isn't the money in the bank, the lack of wrinkles on our face or the car parked in the drive that makes us happy. It's loving others, but first loving ourselves. Have a little pride in who He made you to be, because no one can play the part better than YOU!

"When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me,
Every freckle on my face is where it’s suppose to be,
And I know my creator didn’t make no mistakes on me,

My feet, my thighs, my lips, my eyes, I’m loving what I see"

—India.Arie

A song to sing into your hairbrush while struttin' in front of the mirror: 'Video'—India.Arie

Finish What You Started In Me

2012-01-20T08:04:00.000-08:00

Psalm 138:7-8 says:
"When I walk into the thick of trouble,
keep me alive in the angry turmoil.
With one hand
strike my foes,
With your other hand
save me.
Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now."(The Message)

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles."
—Willa Cather

I like The Message version of Psalm 138:7-8. Here is the NKJV:
"7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

8 The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

These verses remind me that although there may be trouble now, God is still here and he holds our future. Things may seem bleak. We may believe that the light at the end of the tunnel is really an oncoming train, but God is with us. He knows what lies ahead. He knows what we've been through, because He's helped us through it. There have been so many times in my life that I've said, "I don't think I'd ever make it through if 'such and such' happened." Then, BAM! it happens. Yet I'm still here, a little frazzled, but here nonetheless.

I'm not sure why God works the way He does, sweeping down at the last minute, somehow causing things to turn out OK. It seems He's never early, but He's always on time. I hate that, but I guess that's where that whole "leap of faith" phrase comes in. If we got everything we wanted when we wanted it that does leave much room for God to work. We wouldn't need Him, and therefore wouldn't need faith.

Life's tough sometimes. As a new business owner I've learned that real quick. Making decisions, taking charge and figuring out what works in an industry that's all new to me isn't easy. When the numbers don't add up, and you don't know where to begin to fix things, it can get pretty stressful. They say January is always the toughest month, because everyone's cutting back after blowing there bank accounts on Christmas gifts. If we can survive this and the next six months we're on our way. Just when I was in the midst of stressing, I opened up my e-mail and saw my verse for the day, Philippians 4:19:

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Amen to that!^

I like the quote I posted today by Willa Cather, because who has greater love for us than God? Surely then, a miracle is soon on it's way.

"I'm working late again slaving to make the rent
I'm slanging coffee with dreams heavy as cement
They're coming one by one the face of falling love
I write a song with a prayer as I slide the cups...

Can you hear when we call?
There were we fall
Standing our backs against the wall
At the top of our lungs how far we've come
Were pain and love bleed into one
All that we need it's so bittersweet
The pain that opens our eyes to see
Baby when all you see is darkness
Coming down now
We all need forgiveness
Coming round now "—Mat Kearney

A song to sing to while driving down the highway: 'Down'—Mat Kearney

Don't Be Rude, Leave Your Hat Outside

2012-01-03T20:56:00.000-08:00

Psalm 30:11 says:
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,"

“The truest expression of a people is in its dances and its music.”
—Agnes De Mille

Continuing on w/ the theme of laughter and dancing... My New Year started off just right. I spent a quiet evening w/ one of my close girl friends having a lazy girls night together in our sweats—after I enjoyed a fancy dinner out where I had my moment of getting all dolled up for dinner, of course.

On New Years Day we slept in late, ate breakfast, enjoyed coffee along w/ good conversation for over an hour or so (oh how I've missed relaxing w/ coffee) and then proceeded to dance—Wii dance to be specific—for two hours. *Phew* What a workout! I'm actually still a lil' sore. (Though that probably has to do w/ the fact that I hadn't been to the gym in over 100 days... Thanks for the reminder, World Gym!) Honestly, as low-key as that sounded, it was just what I needed. I don't think it's a coincidence that yesterday's verse (Ecc. 3:4) has been on my mind lately and that's exactly how I started my New Year, w/ laughter and dancing.

There are so many things that can go wrong in one day, but there are also many moments that can go right as well. My pastor told a story to our journey group last week about a man who would leave his hat on a tree branch in his yard every night before he walked in the front door. When asked why, the man stated that his hat represents all the stress and frustration he has to deal w/ every day at work. The hat stays outside, because he doesn't want any of that negativity to enter his home. That is the place where he wants to enjoy spending time w/ his family. The next morning he'll put on his hat again and deal w/ the stress then, but once he's home, he's home. I thought that was a great analogy.

The Bible reminds us "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matt. 6:34)We choose what we take into our home each night. As for me, I want it to be laughter and dancing. I'd much rather spend my time w/ my family, than stressing and arguing over what to do next. We can only do the best we can, and the rest is up to God.

I prefer to soak in the little moments, like stealing a hug from my 4yr old nephew (who was clearly dressed by his father today)...

...or watching two hours of The Big Bang Theory reruns w/ my dad—who complained the entire time how this is a waste and that he could be watching his Westerns right now, yet continued to sit there swearing that this is "the last one." He's more like Sheldon (^above, in the blue) than he'd like to admit. I think accepting the fact that he actually enjoyed a television show geared toward young adults was just too much for him to handle. Therefore, he validated his integrity—and intelligence—by commenting on how "dumb" the show was and throwing in a few eye rolls here and there. Yet something tells me, if I pressed the issue of watching it into hour three he wouldn't have held much resistance. Ah well, I'll stop while I'm ahead. Getting him on the PSYCH train was good enough. I won't threaten his reputation anymore.

You see it's those simple moments that make life worth while. After all, we work to live, we don't live to work. So leave your hats outside, because...

...it's time to dance: 'Gonna Make You Sweat'—C+C Music Factory

Laughter & Dancing

2012-01-01T15:32:00.000-08:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4 says:
"1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven...

4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance"

"A good laugh is sunshine in a house."
—William Makepeace Thackeray

Call me crazy, but I don't usually make a 'New Year's Resolution.' However, this year I did. I am going to revamp my blog and my life. I want to get back to being me: funny, goofy, care-free, loud... Somewhere along the way I feel like I lost myself. This past year has been a complete roller coaster of events and emotions. First, I quit my design job to open a coffee lounge full-time w/ my sister. Then, four days before the shop opened its doors, I had to release one of my best friends into the arms of God. Needless to say, I was under a lot of stress.

I was beginning a new——and scary——adventure, that wasn't guaranteeing me success, while enduring the pain of losing a dear friend. Slowly, more and more clouds began to roll over me. Life lost a bit of its spark, and laughter and jokes were few and far between. I stopped writing in my blog so much. It went from once or twice a week to every other week, to once a month, and then, to not at all. I stopped focusing on my answered prayers and instead turned my attention to the unanswered ones. I forgot how to live.

The old me was the girl who would come up w/ stupid ideas and follow through w/ them (ie: choreographing a dance to MC Hammer's 'You Can't Touch This' w/ my cousin and buying Hammer pants just for that occasion alone—see photo above). I used to crack jokes any chance I got, or bust a move to the music in the grocery store just to make whoever I was w/ laugh. I was loud and animated. My goal was to light up every room I walked into.

I want that back. I need that back.

I hate it when I hear stories about how people feel closest to God during tragedy, because that's when they turn to Him and need Him most. I don't want that for my life. I want to live it the way God intended in the Garden of Eden. I want peace, laughter and joy to fill me all my days. I want to feel His presence all the time.

I don't think it's a coincidence that God paired the words "weep" and "laugh", and "mourn" and "dance" in verse four above. For one, laughter and dancing are two of my favorite things. And two, I feel like its God's way of telling me that I've wept and mourned long enough. Now it's time for laughter and dancing.

God's chosen this path for me for reasons I cannot explain. Until I can ask Him about it face-to-face, this will be my prayer:

"God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."

Now "I just can sit, gotta get jiggy wit it..."

Time to dance: 'Gettin' Jiggy with It'—Will Smith

When You Go Before Me

2011-11-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

Psalm 28:7 says:
"The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him."

"Yahweh, Yahweh,

Great is your glory when you go before me

Oh, we sing,

Holy, Holy,

Your ways are lovely,

So high above me,

Yahweh"

—Needtobreathe 

Wow, I haven't written in over a month. I hate that. When I first started this blog, about 2.5 years ago, I wrote at least every other day. Now I've dwindled down to once or twice a month. Ugh! That's sad. I've been feeling dry lately, like I'm just going through the motions. Wake up, go to coffee shop, run errands, come home, go to bed. Wake up, go to coffee shop... and so it goes, again. I haven't felt inspired in a looong time, at least not spiritually inspired...

I'm realizing that sometimes I need to make that extra effort. I've let myself get lazy in my walk w/ God, and I don't like that. I used to wake up early—when I had my design job—before work and read my Bible or devotional. I was earnestly seeking the word of God. No matter what I was reading, I would search for a word/phrase/quote/scripture verse that really spoke to me at that point in time. Then, I would find a song ("Christian" or not) that best conveyed what that particular bit of inspiration meant to be and I would blog about how I was seeing God work in my life. (<

Because Needtobreathe is THE best band that's ever played on this planet, I listen to them often. Just the other day I "completed" my albums on iTunes and bought the rest of their songs. From their album, The Heat is the song Signature of Divine. It's one of my new fav's. In it they're just praising God for who He is and what He's done. It made me realize that I've lost that. I've lost my praise for God. I've become whiny and demanding. Instead of thinking about how He's protected me and guided my steps, I've allowed myself to wallow in the fear of the unknown and the big "What if..." of life. It's a very debilitating state, but I'm not one for weakness. Good thing every morning's a fresh start...

"Take me, and pull me through.

Cause I can't move without you.

I won't leave you alone, you say.

It will be okay."

—Needtobreathe  

Music to inspire you: 'Signature of Divine' (Yaweh)—Needtobreathe

(I'm jealous that this girl got an intimate concert by them in her house.)

Who Am I to You?

2011-10-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

"Tell me, lest I forget,      
Who I am to You, 
That I belong to You"

—Jason Gray

In the hustle and bustle of daily life it's easy to forget our purpose. We get so focused on our 'To Do' list(s) that we lose sight of the greater things in life. It's so easy to get discouraged and down, wondering to ourselves, "Is this really my life?" When bills pile up and our errand list runs a mile long it's hard to remember that we aren't what we do everyday from 9-5. We are more than that. We have a purpose. We have families and loved ones. Life isn't what we do, it's who we are.

Recently, my sister and I opened a business, which keeps us busy. (Whoda thunk?) It's not always easy to make time for family and friends. I've become that obnoxious person who has to "pencil" people into my life. It's moments when I find myself able to catch a break and have a nice chat w/ a customer or sit and hold my new baby nephew that I remember, this is what life is about: relationships w/ those I love. Bills, orders and deliveries come and go, but what matters is the impact I make on someone else's life. I try to make every day count, but when I've forgotten what I'm here for, I remind myself of the verses I've placed below. And if at the end of the day all I have are my loved ones around me, that's enough for me.

I am WONDERFUL and MARVELOUS.

Psalm 139:14 says:
"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well."

I can do ANYTHING.

Philippians 4:13 says:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I am PRAISEWORTHY.

Proverbs 31:30 says:
"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."

My dreams are POSSIBLE.    

Luke 18:27 says:
"But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”"

He will give me PEACE, a FUTURE and HOPE.

Jeremiah 29:11 says:
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

I am a FRIEND of God.

John 15:15 says:
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

I am SIGNIFICANT.

John 15:16 says:
"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."

Music to inspire you: 'Remind Me Who I Am'—Jason Gray
(Such a beautiful video and song, gets me choked up every time. =')

Meant for More Than This

2011-10-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 15:15 says:
"A miserable heart means a miserable life;
a cheerful heart fills the day with song." (The Message Version)

Being that I'm my own boss now, I get to do what I want, haha. Part of that includes playing whatever music I like on our radio. Usually I tune it to The Message—Sirius XM's Christian station (not to be confused w/ the translation of the Bible I used today). One song I've fallen in love w/, that plays at least once a day, is Kari Jobe's We Are. In it she sings about how we as Christians are the "light of the world." We are a reflection of God. Being a Christian means being Christ-like. I think sometimes I forget that, because I often find myself focusing more on the negatives in life rather than the positives. That is the opposite of what Christ would do, I know that, but it's a hard habit to crack.

Because I know how I am, I am re-reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind. (I've also started attending a Bible study at my church called Keep Climbing: Why God Doesn't Give You Everything You Want, haha. The frankness of the study's title cracked me up so I had to give it a shot.) I found today's verse while reading chapter 5 of Joyce's book. It's just too perfect for me right now. I had to take a moment out of my beauty sleep to write about it.

Lately, I've really been trying to turn my thinking around and become the optimist I've always longed to be. As they say, "Doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results is the definition of insanity..." Breaking a bad habit is never easy, especially a 23 year old one, but I'm determined to try, and try again.

The opening verses of Kari's song really touch my heart:
"Every secret, every shame
Every fear, every pain
Live inside the dark
But that's not who we are
We are children of the day

So wake up sleeper, lift your head
We were meant for more than this
Fight the shadows, conquer death
Make the most of the time we have left"
—Kari Jobe

As I've learned recently, "our time is but a breath," and I don't want to live my life looking back w/ regret for not soaking up the joys of my here-and-now. Pain and heartache comes and goes, just like joy and laughter. It's up to us to decide how we let it shape our lives. Do we dwell on the sadness? Or instead, do we thank God for the good still left in this world and know that He is in control?

Anne Frank once said, "I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains..." Wow, really puts things into perspective, doesn't it?

Music to inspire you: 'We Are'—Kari Jobe

Don’t Take the Sadness to the Grave

2011-10-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:12 says:
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (NIV)

"So tell me you’re strong, tell me you see
I need to hear it, will you promise me to
Keep your eyes open, my love"
—Needtobreathe

Walking through the valley of life is never easy. It's hard and it sucks. Sorry if that second word offends anyone, but it's the best one to describe the heartaches of life—especially those which cannot be explained or understood w/ reasoning. It's those unexplainable lows that are the hardest to get past. As humans, we find that things are easier to get through/past when we can somehow find an explanation for them. When something seems to have no rhyme or reason that's when life gets really hard. You question. You doubt. You get angry. You get sad. You question. You doubt. You get angry. You get sad. You question. You doubt... and so it goes.

So how do you explain the unexplainable? What do you do when life makes no sense? The answers are: You don't, and you press on. I was talking to my sister the other day about things and she told me of a discussion she had w/ an old roommate in college. The roommate said something along the lines of, "Sommer, you and I will never be famous because we haven't lived hard lives." It's kind of an odd statement, but it's true in a way. A lot of the people you hear about who are doing great and wonderful things for the world didn't always have the peachiest of upbringings. Instead of letting the situations from their past break them, they allowed it to make them. As my pastor always says, "Things are going to either make you bitter or better." It's up to us to decide.

The road to better isn't an easy one. It's long and hard. Every day it takes a little bit of extra effort to put one foot in front of the other, and wear a smile for all to see. As I told my friend the other night, "Sometimes you gotta fake it 'til you make it." Proverbs 23:7 is another reminder. It says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he." That's an area I need to work on. I have trouble w/ my thoughts sometimes. I let them get the best of me and can easily go from being content to sad in an instant. The devil knows this and he uses it to his advantage quite often.

Thankfully, however, I'm pretty stubborn. No matter how many times my emotions get the best of me, I press on. I will not accept becoming a weak or bitter person. As Tim McGraw once sang, "I guess that's just the cowboy in me..."

Verses from one of the many amazing songs on the greatest band ever's newest album:

"Don’t let the night become the day
Don’t take the darkness to the grave
I know pain is just a place
The will has been broken
Don’t let the fear become the hate
Don’t take the sadness to the grave
I know the fight is on the way
When the sides have been chosen

Cause if you never leave home, never let go
You’ll never make it to the great unknown ..."
—Needtobreathe

Music to inspire those like me: 'Keep Your Eyes Open'—Needtobreathe

God Sees so Much More

2011-09-04T09:56:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 40:31 says:
"But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint."

There are many verses in the Bible that talk about having strength and how God sees so much more than we can. Sometimes when we're going through trials it's incredibly difficult to see the bigger picture and how any good could possibly come out of a horrible circumstance. One of my favorite verses that relates to these types of situations is Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." (My favorite number is three, so I find it pretty neat that the reference is 33:3.) This verse is a prime example of how even when we're in the midst of hard times there is still so much more we cannot see.

Sometimes I feel like an old soul trapped in a 23-year-old's body. My life hasn't been tragic, I know, but there have been some things I've walked through that I never thought I could ever survive. The things I told myself I'd "never survive" obviously changed w/ age and maturity (ie: a breakup). Oh how dramatic and sad. The world is ending. I'll never love again. Not true. As I said, God sees more than we do.

When my granddad's Alzheimer's started getting the best of him I was so sure God would heal him and make him better. He'd done it before so I never doubted He'd do it again. However, as I stood at his bedside and watched as his chest rose and fell for the final time, I realized I was wrong. God sees so much more. My granddad was tired of suffering. He was a hardworking outdoorsman. Being confined to his house wasn't living to him. It was merely surviving. Praying that he would stay alive for my own selfish peace of mind wasn't what was best for him, Heaven was.

Taking a leap of faith and quitting a job that I spent four years in college studying for to pursue a dream God placed in my sister and I's hearts wasn't easy. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to become that Christian who truly said, "OK God, this is crazy, but I'm doing it anyway." I still don't feel like I'm that person, but I'm doing it anyway. The road wasn't—and still isn't— easy, but we walk it out each day waiting to see this master plan from Him. However, once again, God sees the bigger picture. The week after I gave my notice an announcement was made that the dept. I designed for was being sold to another company. Word is spreading that this may be the end of my former workplace. God sees so much more.

Everyday I get little verbal reminders from those who walk in our shop of how much they appreciate the mission of Sixty-Six Beans to bring about a positive and uplifting environment to those in our community. Amongst all the stress and sore feet it makes getting up before the sun a little bit easier each day.

God continues reminding me, much to my dismay, of how I'm so much stronger than I think. For now I'm left to walk out one of life's most challenging of circumstances—losing Jeremy, a great friend whom I cared for, long before it was his time. While my grandfather's death was a challenge, his age, and that fact that him leaving us was a long process, helped better prepare our hearts for what was to come. When you lose someone so young, whom you'd planned on seeing that day, that changes everything. The fact that I'll see Jeremy one day in Heaven is not as comforting to me as it was w/ my grandfather. I, and everyone else who loved him, shouldn't have to wait that long. We shouldn't have to live the rest of our lives w/out him here. There are so many moments we all should've shared with him.

After the ribbon cutting at the coffee shop, which I know he would've been there for, I walked back into our office, turned to my mom and said, "Darn that Jeremy." That seems to be a common phrase for me lately—because sarcasm is a way of life in my family, we use it to brush off any sort of pain. Jeremy and I's favorite show PSYCH returns this Oct and I know when that first episode airs I'll mutter those same three words again. It's not easy losing a loved one. It's not something you're meant to "get over." It's something you're meant to live with.

I've seen the bigger picture of those first three circumstances and now I'm just waiting out the last. As today's verse says, "Those who WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength..."

"'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?...

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?"
—Laura Story

Music to inspire you: 'Blessings'—Laura Story

Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

2011-08-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:13 says:
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"One last reason to exist
Is the thought that you'd get over this"
—Needtobreathe

Today begins Day Two of getting back to reality. It's hard to believe it's already been nine days since my friend Jeremy's passing. I haven't quite yet figured out how to correctly navigate through my emotions. One second I decide that I'm going to conquer the world and then the next I want to hide from it.

When I went to OH for his services last week I wrote down two Bible verses and stuck them in my wallet next to his picture:
I know that it was God who kept me strong those two days, because there is no other way I would've been able to stand it if it weren't for Him. Seeing his family and hearing their kind words really helped, too. Coming home from it all was the worst part. Facing the task of moving on and getting things done was—and still is—overwhelming.

When I heard the news about Jeremy, the lyrics to Needtobreathe's 'These Hard Times' immediately popped into my mind. Because I believe their music is so God-inspired, and that song really touched me, I played their albums on my iPod on the way to and from OH. As I let all of their songs play 'You Are Here' came on and the line I wrote above hit me—hard. "One last reason to exist, is the thought that you'd get over this." It's hard to imagine getting over the tragedy of losing someone you're close to, and I don't believe we ever truly do. As my pastor says, the pain eventually goes away, but the scars are still there. The hurt I feel sometimes is so deep that I don't know how I can possibly get past it, but that line from N2B urges me to move forward.

Last Friday, the day after Jeremy's passing, I had to go into work to clear out my desk and say goodbye to my co-workers, because I was beginning my new journey as a full-time business owner. As I was taking down my stuff, I reached for a canvas I had hanging on the wall inside my cubicle. It read, "Good Things Will Happen Today." I felt liking pitching it in the trash, but I knew that I couldn't. That anger was just part of my grieving. Therefore, I stuck it in my cardboard box and continued on. It's hard finding the "good" in situations such as this one, and as much as I don't want to, I know that I must.

While we cleaned up at the coffeehouse yesterday—and began training today—I tried my best to keep it all together. After all, I was surrounded by excited employees and I know that my morale sets the tone for the business. It wasn't easy, but I did what I could. I thought back to April, before this all "officially" began, and remembered how Jeremy had a little part in our journey. It was a Thursday night and Sommer and I needed to get papers to the bank to finalize things for our loan. We also needed "witnesses" to sign w/ us, and wouldn't you know, ole Jeremy was more than happy to put his John Hancock on that little line.

We even got him out twice to help w/ some demolition and to touch up some painting—go figure he was late . . . both times. ;) But still, it makes me smile knowing he was a small part in helping us get to where we are now.

When I think of all that's going, and how I wish he were alive today to see it all come to fruition, I have to believe that—like God—he's still here. He's just looking down from above.

Jeremy had a lot of dreams for his life, and I know that he wouldn't want me to give up on mine simply because I miss him. My sister and I have come too far to stop now, and I know I can't give up no matter how much it hurts.

While Jeremy's time w/ us wasn't nearly as long as it should've been, I don't want his life to be remembered in vain. I'm not sure how I'll do this yet, but I'm going to ensure that it is not.

"The Time is right I know it,
You are here..."
—Needtobreathe

Music to inspire ME and those like me: 'You Are Here'—Needtobreathe
needtobreathe - Music - More Music Videos

"I Miss Your Sass ;)"

2011-07-30T00:57:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:7 says:
"...and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

This will probably be one of the longest most heartbreaking blog entries I will ever write. Yesterday afternoon I received the most heartbreaking news I've ever heard. One of my best, actually the best guy friend I've had in a long time passed away. I was counting on seeing him that night. I was looking forward to seeing him that night. I was happy that I looked cute yesterday because I was seeing him that night.

This pic doesn't do him justice.

Thursday was supposed to be a joyous occasion. It was supposed to be a surprise baby shower for my sister w/ our YA group at church. I told everyone to bring baby pictures of themselves as part of a game. I sent a reminder text to everyone that morning, and then an extra one to him saying, "J. Dimps [Jeremy] you're limited to less than five"—because I know he likes to get all conceited like me sometimes and talk about how cute he was as a kid. (See image below.) He never responded. I just thought he was being smart and that I'd get on him later that night for ignoring me. Little did I know he was already gone.

An actual pix message he sent to me w/ the caption "Handsome lil guy :-)"
^^^Notice the resemblance to Jonathan Taylor Thomas...

That afternoon I was supposed to get things ready for the shower, but my mom told me that she'd handle it all and that I should just go to the coffee shop so my sister wouldn't get suspicious. My mom was stressed earlier in the day and when I told her my gift was at home she said she'd take care of it. I thought to myself, "She's being too OK w/ me not helping her," but brushed it off. When I got to the shop my friend Jess was there too, which seemed a bit off to me, but, once again, I brushed it off. Then, they told me. I crumbled. All I could say was, "Oh my gosh. No. It can't be true." It kept hitting me over and over again—like they were telling me for the first time.

Jeremy was someone very special to me. I cared for him very deeply. There were a few months when we were headed towards more than friendship, but something was holding me back. Part of it was petty reasoning. The other part was me wanting to wait until we were both on the same page in certain areas of our lives. I tried to explain my hesitation as best I could and we remained good friends. I wanted to make sure he knew I still cared despite my decision.

He was one of the sweetest guys I've met in a long time, and one of the biggest geeks (or was it nerd?—he explained to me the difference once, but now I can't remember). Then there were those huge dimples and blue eyes. He had this look he would give and I would just think, "Ah those dimples!"

It hurts me more than I can express that he isn't here right now. The things I've heard he's told to others just breaks my heart. How he said he wanted to be more compassionate, because he knew I wanted to see that in him, and that he knew w/ me and Jesus he could make it happen. How when asked about our friendship he replied with "I know what we are... She knows what we are." I pray that he knew me well enough to realize how much he meant to me—despite my sarcastic responses to his sweet compliments.

Jeremy, "creepin'" in the background. ("Ahhh!")

Right now at this moment I feel completely numb. Earlier I was a basket case. Before that I was angry at the world. It sucks how at this point in time the Earth is still spinning. When I see other people out and about enjoying their life I want to yell at them and be like, "Why are you smiling? Don't you know that Jeremy is gone?!" It's not just people who knew him, it's just people in general. I hate how life goes on after tragedy. Why can't there be a pause button? Why can't I be given time and space to heal before having to wake up and move on w/ my life?

My sister and I are supposed to be excited about this awesome coffee shop we want to open for the young people in our community, and I hate to admit it, but right now I simply don't care. Jeremy was supposed to be here, hanging out w/ me while I worked, coming in and helping me out. He was supposed to be a part of my life for a long time. He was always supposed to be here. I was supposed to see him again. He was supposed to pay some guy to steal my purse so he could go and "apprehend" him to seem more "manly." He was supposed to be so much more...

Jeremy, you were something else. I cherish the short amount of time we shared together and I am so honored to have called you my friend. You'll always be my J. Dimps and I'll always be your Sasstastic (even though if I want to get all technical like you that's actually a made up adjective, not a noun, but whatever. I'll keep it all the same).

"Give me all the love and peace

To end these wars
Give me something sacred
Something worth fighting for

It's clear enough to me
The ugliness I see
Is evidence of who I need

Give me an answer
Give me a way out
Give me the faith
To believe in these hard times"

—Needtobreathe

How I feel: 'These Hard Times'—Needtobreathe

God Sees the Whole Parade

2011-07-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 33:3 says:
"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

So the last time I posted a blog entry I was telling everyone about how I quit my job doing what I love to fully commit myself to the dream God placed in my (and my sister's) heart. While I was confident that I was making the right decision, that didn't stop doubt from creeping into my mind. It started immediately after telling my boss I was going to quit...

At first he was completely shocked and didn't take the news quit as I was hoping he would. I walked out of his office feeling like I let yet another person down. When I got to my desk I started to choke up a little and began to write my mom an e-mail telling her I made my decision, and told my boss and he didn't seem too happy about it. (My parents didn't know I was telling my boss that day. I wanted this decision to be mine and God's—leaving no room for other's opinions to sway my thinking.) I thought I was doing the right thing. I was even giving him three weeks notice, an entire week more than is "required." I had prayed God would give me a peace about everything so I would know I made the right choice, so why did I feel so bad?

Just as I was about to hit "send" on that e-mail to my mom, my boss called me back into his office. I thought to myself, "Wow now what's he going to say?" As soon as I sat down he started off with, "What I meant to say was...." to which he continued by saying how he thinks I'm an excellent designer, that I can really read what the client wants and can create great designs. He told me that before he had just been shocked by my decision. *Phew* Then he asked more about the coffee shop and we chatted for a bit. After that all was well and he seemed more chipper about the whole thing. The next day I brought in pound cake samples and then my entire department was chipper about the whole thing. =P

While that was a nice change, it wasn't what caused me to write today's entry. You see, God sees the whole parade—as my brother-in-law always likes to say. We only see what's here and now. God knows what's up ahead, around the corner and over the hill. All this past week my office had been abuzz with rumors that some "big announcement" was going to be made mid-week. There were speculations, but nothing was fact. Tuesday came and went and so did Wednesday, almost. Just as I was getting ready to leave for the day I got an e-mail—that was sent to all employees—from our CEO. It stated that a certain department—which I did about 50% of my designing for—was being sold to a new company. Wow. O_O None of us saw that coming, considering this specific umbrella of products only just recently came together under one product line.

It's crazy how God has his way of working things out. While I don't think I would have lost my job, being that I design for other parts of our company, talk is already spreading that this may be the beginning of the end. A lot of people have come up to me saying that although it's sad I'm leaving, it's probably happening at the best time—considering the uncertainty of things.

My heart goes out to those who are immediately affected by this change, and I hope they move on to bigger and better places. However, I am thankful for God's timing. As crazy as His timing may be right now—considering other circumstances in my sister and I's lives —"God has a way of working it out."

"You look around
It's staring back at you
Another wave of doubt
Will it pull you under
You wonder

What if I'm overtaken
What if I never make it
What if no one's there?
Will you hear my prayer?

When you take that first step
Into the unknown
You know that He won't let you go"

—Britt Nicole

Music to inspire you: 'Walk on the Water'—Britt Nicole

So Give It All

2011-07-13T04:57:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 1:27-28 says:
"27But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are."

After finishing Francis Chan's Crazy Love a month or so back, I've really had the desire to do something "crazy" for Jesus. In this book, Chan gives examples of a bunch of different people who felt led to do something for God, and they did. No matter how "impossible" it seemed, they trusted Him. One example was about a couple who wanted to open an orphanage FREE of charge. They never asked for any help or support during the start up process. Whenever they had a need they presented it to God and He provided for them. Chan writes that the purpose of their orphanage became twofold: the first was to help the orphans; the second to show people what it really looked like to trust God for everything.

As I've said many times before, I've been a Christian practically my whole life, but I could never think of a time when I truly laid it all on the line for Jesus. That made me sad. In the past I always had some sort of Plan B or "worldy" support system to fall back on if my first plan failed. Now, all that is going to change.

Most of you know now that my sister and I will soon be opening a Christian coffee lounge in our small town. For a while I had been debating in my mind whether or not to quit my full-time job which I love (graphic design) to pursue this dream God placed on my sister and I's hearts. Deep down I had always planned to quit when the opportunity presented itself, but then when it did I started to get scared. I had a lot of people in my life stressing "security" and "hard economic times," so I started stressing about whether quitting was really the right thing to do.

A few excerpts from Chan's book came to mind as I was thinking and rethinking my decision:

"When people gladly sacrifice their time or comfort or home, it is obvious that they trust in the promises of God."

"A person who is obsessed with Jesus will do things that don't always make sense in terms of success or wealth on this earth."

"... we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to His promises."

^Wow. Talk about a smack across the back of your head.

When I started praying about which path to take, I heard this still small voice urging me to give it all to God. (1 Kings 19:12) Now I'm not going to lie, I'm not the most "trusting" Christian. When I hear that "still small voice" I don't jump to it's calling like I should. I more of a give-me-an-anxious-feeling-combined-with-a-Texas-sized-neon-billboard-sign kind of gal. However, somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that this time I wouldn't get all that. God wanted me to trust in His soft whisper. He wanted me to make that first big step on my own, and not look around waiting for someone else to make a move so I could follow—because that's what I usually do.

However, this time I stepped out and trusted God. While our coffee lounge is in-between the stages of "foolish" and "wise", "weak" and "mighty", "[is] not" and "[is]," I am trusting Him to cause Sixty-Six Beans "bring to nothing the things that are."

"There's a voice that cries out in the silence,
searching for a heart that will love him,
longing for a child that will give him their all,
give it all, he wants it all...

And he says, love me, love me with your whole heart
he wants it all today
serve me, serve me with your life now
he wants it all today
bow down, let go of your idols
he wants it all today (x3)
He wants it all"
—Forever Jones

Music to inspire you: 'He Wants It All'—Forever Jones

Sweet Summer Time

2011-07-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 11:9 says:
"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
Walk in the ways of your heart,
And in the sight of your eyes . . ."

One of the things I love most about Summer time is riding down the road with my windows down and music blaring. I remember a few Summers ago I was driving w/ Tim McGraw's Greatest Hits album blasting. I was singing along at the top of my lungs and just as the light turned green I glanced out my passenger side window to see the man in the car next to me chuckling at my free concert to him. It made me laugh, too. I love moments like that, when my cheesy and loud self can make even a stranger smile. It's those little things that make life sweet.

Now that it's Summer again I've been hearing more peppy music play on the radio. One new song that's fun to turn on full blast is Jamie Grace's 'Hold Me' featuring Toby Mac. (I <3 Toby Mac.) It's really cute and fun (and so is the video!). I'll post it below for your enjoyment. =)

"Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down
That’s when Your smile comes around

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me"
—Jamie Grace

Music to blare w/ your windows down: 'Hold Me'—Jamie Grace

Hey God, Remember that Time When... PART II

2011-06-29T04:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to post my list of 'God You Said...' scriptures to share those which are most relevant to my life right now. I'll speak them back to God to remind Him of the promises He's made to me. Just as Joel Osteen said about his daughter reminding him of his promise to take her to Disney Land, if I have to speak these 400x believe me, I will!

God You Said…

To “… [call] those things which do not exist as though they did”—Romans 4:17

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”—Luke 18:27

“… God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise …”
—1 Corinthians 1:27

“… God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things
which are mighty”—1 Corinthians 1:27

That “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”—Philippians 4:13

You cause “… the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are”

—1 Corinthians 1:28

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things,
which you do not know.”—Jeremiah 33:3

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”—Isaiah 55:11

“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace ...”—Isaiah 55:12

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”—Jeremiah 29:11

“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable
to him.”—Genesis 2:18

Hey God, Remember that Time When...

2011-06-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

Isaiah 55:11 says:
"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."

My sister recorded Joel Osteen's sermon from yesterday and played it for me last night. He had a really good message about reminding God of the promises He made to us concerning our lives. Too often we remind Him of the things in this life that are bothering us: a troubled child, singleness, a broken heart, etc. Instead Joel tells us we need not complain and instead remind God that He said He'd take care of us: God, You said, "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6); God, You said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (Genesis 2:18); God, You said, " The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18)

Wow! What a powerful concept. I had done this once before, a while back, when dealing with a difficult circumstance, but it was only a one-time deal. I should've kept up w/ it, and now I think I will. After all, how often do we see a significant change in our lives by only adjusting our actions once? No real change just happens overnight. If we eat an apple instead of fries at one meal we won't lose 10 lbs. just like that. No, it needs to be a continuous habit. Then, over time, we will see a great change take place. The same goes for our thinking. We won't see a positive turn in our thoughts if we only ponder something uplifting once in a while. It needs to be a daily occurrence.

I'll leave you with an excerpt from Joel's sermon yesterday. I hope you take the time to check it out for yourself. It's really good.
"When was the last time you reminded God of His promises? Last week? Last year? It’s easy to put God in remembrance of your problems, but a more effective, powerful way to pray is to put God in remembrance of His promises. God says in Isaiah 43:26, “Put me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case.” Isaiah 62:6 says, “…take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord.” One of the most powerful ways to pray is to find a promise in the Scripture and remind God of what He said about you. “God, You said I’m blessed and cannot be cursed. God, You said with long life You would satisfy me. God, You said Your favor is not for a season but for a lifetime.” When you can say “God, You said,” all of heaven comes to attention. Why? God is faithful to His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says that God’s Word will accomplish and achieve the purpose for which it is sent. It may not happen overnight, but if you will stay in faith and keep reminding God of what He promised you, God will fulfill His promises in your life. You will see His hand of victory!"
(To hear the whole sermon click here. It's #504 'Remind God What He Said')

Now I'll leave you w/ the lyrics to a really cute song: =)
"Hello Mercy,
I have been searching for you lately
I've been wounded and from what I hear
You have remedy

They told me You would be for me
So now I need to know
Is this a love that can save me
Or say You will then don*'*t
Will You stay with me when nobody is around
If this is real, then tell now

Can you hold me together
Can your love reach down this far
Can you hold me together
Cause without You holding my heart
I'm falling apart"
—Royal Tailor

Music to inspire you: 'Hold Me Together'—Royal Tailor

Open Up Our Eyes to See

2011-06-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

Psalm 111:2 says:
"Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them." (NIV)

“…‘the good old days.’ The only good days are ahead.”―—Alice Childress

How often do we stop to think of the great things God has placed in our lives? I know for me personally more often than not I find myself stressing over what isn't going right rather than what is going right. Just yesterday I was at working listening to Air 1 radio online when they stated their verse for the day (Philippians 4:6) followed by Kutless' song Amazed. Both are all about praising God for the greatness of His works. It really put me in check. At that moment I realized Hey, God is doing great things in my life. I need to stop worrying for a moment and focus on that instead.

This reminded me of a few days prior when I was in our local library. As I was standing talking to my mom I said, "They have an audiobook section. I should go see if one of my titles is in stock." (JSYK, I am a graphic designer for an audiobook company. About 40% of the design work I do is cover art for the titles they record. Now you can better understand my excitement over books on tape. ;) Sure enough I walked over to that section of the library and there it was, Glass House by Charles Stross.

Normally I wouldn't have cared so much about a book cover, but you see I designed this book cover. It was like my baby. For a whole minute I felt famous. If you look on the back at the copyright section it reads "Cover design by Ashlee . . . ; ©2011 by Recorded Books, LLC." (I forgot to take a pic of that.)

After FINALLY seeing one of my covers out in public I felt pretty cool—I'm not gonna lie. It's not too often that people get to have their hard work displayed like that. At that moment I thought, "I've got a pretty neat job. If God hadn't allowed my dad to see that "Graphic Designer Wanted" ad a year and a half ago who knows if I'd be doing something as cool as this right now."

I didn't write that to brag about myself, but to use as an illustration of how often we forget about the interesting things we're doing in our own lives. Too often we're so busy looking at what everyone else has going on that we forget how much we have going on. It's the ole "keepin' up with the Jones'"mentality—or should I say "Kardashians"? ;P

A lot of the times we compare ourselves to others, when we shouldn't. God designed us each for a different purpose. Sure this person may be a better singer/dancer/actor, etc. than us, but that's their talent, not our's. We'll never discover what we've got right under our nose if we're too busy looking at someone else's.

The next time you feel yourself getting bummed out about life, take a look at your social calendar and remind yourself of all the great things you've got coming up, or glance around your house at all the pictures of those who love and care about you. You've got more going for you than you think. Sometimes you've just got to stop and look.

"Open up, my eyes to see

All of you, your mysteries
I hold my breath, you hold my hand
As heaven melts the heart of man

How amazed I am

Your glory fills the sky,
a great and holy light
Shining like a million stars,
I'm amazed by who you are"

—Kutless

Music to inspire you: 'Amazed'—Kutless

Project 31. Day 31. (Last Day, Yaye!)

2011-06-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

Day 31. Write about your dreams and goals as a beautiful woman!

Psalm 37:3-5 says:
"3 Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass."

Ack! It's taken me 5 months to finish Project 31. Ah well. It is what it is. Better late than never, right? Well in case some of you haven't heard, I am actually on the verge of living one of my dreams as I type this. For the past five years my sister and I have longed to open a Christian coffee lounge in our area. We want it to be a community-centered lounge filled with loving baristas and awesome organic coffee. In addition, we plan on hosting open mic nights for the musically talented and displaying artwork from various artists in our area. We want to ensure that young people in the community have a positive and uplifting place where they can go to hang out with their friends. And guess what? It's happening!

Ahhhhh! It's amazingly terrifying. I have never truly known what it's been like to trust God completely w/ anything more in my life, until now. It's been quite the venture thus far, and we're continually pursuing this dream God's placed in our hearts. We've received a lot of encouragement from those in our community and at our church. This keeps us uplifted more than anyone will every know. Being a doubter myself, it helps knowing that we've got people out there praying for us who are eager to come through our doors and taste our daily brew. =) If you are one of those people, we appreciate your words of love and kindness more than you'll ever know.

If you'd like to learn more, click the image below. It will link you to our blog. I just recently posted a video for our Kickstarter project. It gives you the opportunity to be a foundation supporter of Sixty-Six Beans and we'll thank you in return w/ some pretty sweet gifts. Check it out!

Click here!

"If there's one thing that I'm sure of
If there's one thing that I know
You could be one in a sea of faces
Or you could be one more chance for hope

When I think of what could be
If we let our hearts believe
That it takes just one
Just one could turn this all around

...What if, what if, what if I'm the one?"
—Brandon Heath

Music that's inspired me to follow my dream: 'The One'—Brandon Heath
(NOTE: Skip to 40 sec's in to avoid the intro talk.)

In the Midst of the Storm

2011-06-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

John 14:27 says:
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

As I stated before, I'm reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind. What an excellent book! I'm telling you I relate to her 100%. I literally just finished chapter 12, and it was just what I needed to read. This chapter is all about having a worried and anxious mind. In one of her first illustrations she talks about birds:

"They literally don't know where their next meal is coming from; yet, I have personally never seen a bird sitting on a tree branch having a nervous breakdown due to worry."

That statement made me laugh a little. It's so true though! If you really think about it, more often than not, wild animals don't know where they're going to sleep nor what they're going to eat. However, they get along just fine. They do what they can w/ what they've got and seem pretty happy about it. Why can't we do the same?

Then she goes on to confirm, once again, how powerful our words are in our lives. As Luke 6:45 says:

"...For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." Our words are strong they either "confirm our faith . . . or lack of faith." *Phew* That's a little hard to swallow. More times than we'd like to admit, I believe we often bring negativity into our lives—w/out even realizing it. Whenever we use phrases like "...yea a long time from now" or "it'll be forever until that happens..."—when referring to good things coming our way—we're doubting the power of God. Who knows, maybe we've put off a lot of blessings God's wanted to do for us simply because we aren't expecting Him to come through on what seems to be just another ordinary day. It's as if we think life should be like the movies, where the excitement slowly builds up to this amazing climax. But life isn't like the movies at all, haven't we realized how fake Hollywood is by now? As 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, God uses the "foolish to put to shame the wise..." Just as I believe He can turn even the most mundane of days into one of the most life changing ones.

Getting back to today's scripture, I never realized the significance of the word "not" in that verse. As Joyce states in her book, sometimes our image of what God's peace looks like in our lives can be distorted. God says He brings peace not as the world does. She explains this by sharing a story of how two people envisioned God's peace in two different ways. The first painted a still lake in the middle of quiet mountains, and the other painted a raging waterfall w/ a bird resting in a tree beside it. Joyce said that the second artist was right in their illustration. When God refers to His rest it "...is one that operates in the midst of the storm——not in its absence. Jesus did not come to remove all opposition from our lives, but rather to give us a different approach to the storms of life."

Just because today may seem like "one of those days" doesn't mean it has to stay that way. We can choose to fret over the things we can't control, or we can choose to refocus our thinking on what we can control. Our attitude and mind. What helps me when I get in a rut is to open a positive book, like Joyce's, and read what scripture has to say to refute my negative thinking. After all, Jesus used the Word to strengthen His faith against the devil. (Matthew 4:1-11) Why shouldn't we?

"When I am over my head yeah,
I am waiting for a miracle,
I am fighting the wind and the waves,
Then the weight of this storm

drives me straight to your arms,
You hold me I know that I am safe

In the eye of the hurricane..."

—Me in Motion

Book to inspire you:
Click Here

Music to inspire you: 'Eye Of The Hurricane'—Me in Motion

Let the Axis Twirl...

2011-06-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 3:12 says:
"I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live."

I partially started this blog entry on Wednesday, because Wednesday I was having a fantastic day. I woke up that morning and decided to treat myself to a mocha, and I did! Mmm mm mm... it was tasty! One of my co-workers was laughing at me, because I was being all goofy and chipper. I don't know if it was the caffeine, the fact that I treated myself to something chocolaty or because I finally realized how much God's truly blessed me, but Wednesday was a great day. Nothing extraordinary happened, I was just thankful to be alive. Imagine that! I hadn't been in that good of a mood in a looong time. The funny thing was, I figured that the next day—–or days after——would not be as great. Now I'm not psychic or anything, but that's just how it goes. As soon as we start getting excited about God and the things He's doing in our lives, the devil (or our own thoughts) come back around and convince us that that day was just a fluke. It was the caffeine talking and nothing else.

I think we gyp ourselves out of having many fantastic days, because we figure less than exciting days are coming, and so that's what happens. (Remember, our thoughts are powerful——as I've said before.) Plans are made and broken. Excitement turns to disappointment, but that's life for ya. It's not perfect, nor will it ever be. However, we choose to let these things bring/keep us down. Which reminds me of Martina McBride's Happy Girl. I thought of it on Tuesday, the night before my really great day, how ironic.

It's funny, because I feel like as humans we feel like we have a right to be mad, and stay mad. Which in a way is true. Even God says in Ecclesiates 3 that there is "a time for hate." However, if we continue reading, He says in verse 12 "... that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live." Therefore, sure be mad for a minute, but then let it go. Stewing in anger over someone/something that's done you wrong in no way harms that person/thing——unless you get all extreme and hit 'em or something——it only harms you by keeping you in a foul mood.

I get stubborn about that sometimes, because when things upset me I'm pretty transparent about my feelings. If you've done me wrong, believe me, you'll know. If looks could kill I'd probably be facing a lifelong sentence right now, ha. Now before I give anyone the wrong impression of me, let me explain. I am in NO WAY the type of person who flies off the handle and goes on some crazy yelling spree. Usually, I just scowl and huff and puff for a while until I calm myself down. However, that's no good either. But hey, we're all humans and we have to let out our steam one way or another. It's when we stay on the burner for too long that causes problems. As Martina sings, "the world won't change just 'cause [we] complain..." So then, I guess the question is, why do we?

Happiness isn't a feeling, it's a choice:

"No one is in control of your happiness but you..."——Barbara de Angelis

"Oh watch me go
I'm a happy girl
And I've come to know
That the world won't change
Just 'cause I complain
Let the axis twirl
I'm a happy girl"
—Martina McBride

Music to inspire you: 'Happy Girl'—Martina McBride

Think This Not That!

2011-06-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Matthew 12:33 says:
A Tree Known by Its Fruit
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."

“I don’t eat junk food and I don’t think junk thoughts.”

―—Peace Pilgrim

I just started reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind this week, and so far so good. I really enjoy hearing her speak at conferences. She is pretty funny——and very frank. There is no misunderstanding her point, let me tell you!

Being that I'm the type of person who dwells in my thoughts a little longer than I probably should, I wanted to get her perspective on the issue and see how she relates this topic to what scripture says——in her own Joyce Meyer style, of course. ;)

In her first few chapters, she brought up a lot of good points:

"Our past may explain why we're suffering, but we must not use it as an excuse to stay in bondage."

^Oh how I've let myself stay in bondage a time or two. It's so easy to get caught up in the "What If's" of life that sometimes you don't even realize you're doing it until you've had five different conversations run through your head w/ people you'll probably never talk to again! What a waste of time and emotion. Talk about getting yourself worked up for nothing.

"Satan knows well that if he can control our thoughts, he can control our actions."

Amen to that! As they say, "The ancestor to every action is a thought." You can't do something w/out thinking about it first. And if we're thinking about something that usually puts us in a foul mood that means it's time we start refocusing our attention. For me personally, if I ever feel myself slipping into a funk I think about an exciting upcoming event I've got planned. Having something to look forward to not only perks up my mood but it also reminds me that I've got things going on in my life, and people to make memories with.

As Joyce continues to say:

"Thoughts bear fruit. Think good thoughts, and the fruit in your life will be good. Think bad thoughts, and the fruit in your life will be bad."

If you're like me and you doubt yourself, remember Philippians 4:13:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Sometimes I get into the thinking that I'm not good enough, that I've just been lucky thus far and eventually my luck's going to run out and I'll be exposed for what I really am. Nothing. But that's not true. God gave me a purpose and talents, just like He gave all of us. It's up to us to use them and fight back when the devil tries to convince us otherwise.

"You cannot have a positive life [when you're dwelling in] a negative mind."

Like today's quote from the "Peace Pilgrim" says junk's no good——even if it is food. =( There are some things in life that are just plain bad, and allowing them in moderation is only holding us back from the goal——whether it's a happy spirit, or an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini. ;) 8)

"When I left home to be who I am

Some people said "No Way"
But I laid it all down, gave everything
In my head rang the words that my father said

You're never far
I will be where you are
and when you come to me
I will open my arms

Welcome Home, you
I know you by name
How do you do?
I shine because of you today"

——Brian Littrell

Music to inspire you: 'Welcome Home You'——Brian Littrell

Uhhh I Dunno O_o?

2011-05-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 14:33 says:
"For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."

James 1:5 says:
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."

Have you ever felt like the King or Queen of overanalyzing and jumping to conclusions? I have. Horrible, isn't it? I don't mean to be this way. I think it's just a bad thinking habit I've let stick around for waaay too long. Just when I think I've gotten past it, it comes back to bite me. All of this leads to confusion, and that is not a happy place to be.

Let me be honest, I'm not one of the most confident decision-makers in the world. Allow me to introduce myself. Hi, I'm Ashlee and I'm a Decidophobic, or at least I think I am. I haven't decided. (All say at once: Hiii Ashleeeee) OK, just kidding. That's an exaggeration, but is there anyone else out there who feels the need to get everyone else's opinion before making a final decision for yourself——even if you think you kinda-sorta not-really know what you should do? Been there! This only gets worse because then we confuse ourselves into thinking we have no idea what we want. Ridiculous, right? Are we're scared to take a risk? Scared of the unknown? Or scared of making a commitment to one decision? Ah!

There you have it men. Some of us women really don't know what we want! Or at least we think we don't... Mind-numbing, isn't it?

In discovering this quality has yet to leave me, I headed back to scripture to see what God has to say about the whole thing. First, in Corinthians it says He doesn't want us to be confused. Secondly, when we are confused, James tells us to present our problems to God and He will give us wisdom. I knew the first. As for the second, I was doing that while simultaneously asking everyone else why they think I can't make a decision. However, I know I should be asking God first and not worrying about everyone else, because it's His opinion that matters most. It's just hard, because w/ people our answers are more immediate and obvious——because they're right there, in our face, talking. With God, that requires a little more patience and a good listening ear, which I guess is something I need to learn to get better at...

*Sigh* There you have it, one of my many flaws. It's something I'm doing my best to get over, but I'm not quite there yet.

Usually I don't start discussions w/ my blogs, but I'm always eager to change things up a bit, plus I'm really curious.

Does anyone else out there have this same problem?
If so, how in the world have you gotten over it?! Enlighten me, please! =D

"Is your compass wrong

Misplaced trust for far too long
Off track and you can't get back
Did you loose your calm
You're not sure where but you know it's gone
It's a sad sad song playing in your soul

If you're a ship and you're lost in the ocean
I'll be the wind in your sails give you motion
I will guide you home"

——Remedy Drive

Music to inspire you: 'Guide You Home'——Remedy Drive

Go Big or Go Home

2011-05-19T04:26:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 3:5-7 says:

"5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes..."

I just got done reading one the best books I've read in a looooong time. It's called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I've mentioned it before. It's one of those books that really makes you reevaluate how you've been living your life up until now.

In his book, Chan talks about how most of us "Christians" aren't living the lives God's called us to. He writes on how we've forgotten to have faith like a child. And how we let the world dictate what we say or do instead of God:

"...you must listen to and obey God, especially in a society where it's easy and expected to do what is most comfortable."

Ain't that^ the truth. Throughout my reading I questioned myself a lot. And through this I realized that I haven't been living much of a faith filled lifestyle. Sure I believe and have faith in God to take care of me in the long run, but how often have I really had to "lay it all on the line" so to speak?

"...we live and plan like we don't believe God even exists. We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn't come through. But true faith means holding nothing back. It means putting every hope in God's fidelity to his promises."

Wooooow. Looks like I've got a lot of changing ahead of me. Almost every big life change that's come about in my life has had a back-up plan. Aside from a few relational issues, I don't think I've really given the big stuff completely over to God. Usually I try to come up w/ other ways to get the job done, when instead I should be saying "Welp, God, now is your chance to shine, because without you I've got nothing."

Jesus tells us to trust in Him with all of our heart, not just a part of it. If we're truly living by faith we're trusting in the things unseen, not frantically trying to figure out what we'll do when this certain circumstance fails us.

As John 14:15 says:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments."

I don't know about you, but I think it's time I start practicing what I preach and "Go big or go home."

"There are too many problems to think that you can fix me,
My name is called the world and I'm dying of unbelief see,
I'm the kind of person whos strong and wants to react,
So feel me when I fight for the cause of bringing hope back...

Unbelief get out my hair

You can't win cuz I'm not dead"

——Paper Tongues

Music to inspire you: 'Trinity'—Paper Tongues

(I just discovered these guys a few weeks ago and they're a new fav of mine for sure!)

It's Not Me, or You, It's Him

2011-05-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

2 Chronicles 20:1, 14-15, 21 says:

"1 It happened after this that the people of Moab with the people of Ammon, and others with them besides the Ammonites, came to battle against Jehoshaphat.

14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:

“Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever.”

I was driving to work on Friday when Casting Crown's Who Am I? started playing on the radio. I've always loved the chorus to this song, but for some reason it really spoke to me that morning. It's lyrics are quite humbling when you stop to think about them:

"Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are . . ."

I am reading this awesome book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It's the kind of book that challenges you to be a better Christian. Through reading this book I've realized that I haven't lived a life that has caused me to have true faith. Meaning, I've never really been in—nor placed myself in—a situation that made me truly rely on God 100% to come through, until now. (To learn more about that, click here.) The chorus of Who Am I? reminds me of that kind of faith. How many times do we let God lead us to a place where we succeed not because of the person we are or what we've done, but because of what He's done and who He is? What are we doing for Him, right now, that requires 100% faith? Up until this past week I had no answer for that. I was comfortable living my Christian life and simply spreading the love of Jesus. Now, however, my life is about to get a little less comfortable as I allow God to work in ways only He can. Trusting Him 100% isn't easy, but it's always worth it.

Instead of fearing failure, we need to be like Jehoshaphat and all his men and praise God before the victory. How awesome were they! What faith they had in God! I know God will take care of me, but praising Him for coming through before I see the victory is hard. It's easy to feel confident in God once the battle's won, but that isn't faith. Faith is knowing He'll come through before we reach the battlefield. It's something I need to remind myself of daily—especially w/ this new venture getting closer and closer every day.

"Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter."—Tim Kizziar (quoted from Crazy Love)

Music to inspire you: 'Who Am I?'—Casting Crowns

Project 31. Day 30.

2011-04-30T11:38:00.000-07:00

Day 30. Who is your role model as a woman?

Philippians 2:4 says:
"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Proverbs 21:13 says:
"Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard."

OK. I know, I know. I've been taking my sweet time finishing the Project 31 blogging challenge, but in my defense Mandy—Project 31 creator—hasn't finished her 31 days either. So there! ;P No one said the 31 days had to be all in a row, so I decided to go w/ the flow. If I felt inspired by the next question on the list, I would blog. If not, then I would wait until later, which apparently is today. =)

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."

——Mother Teresa

Out of all the women in history, I absolutely admire Mother Teresa. She is one of the most loving and self-sacrificing people I have ever read about. What an honor it must have been to know her! If I ever end up being half the woman she was I would be so lucky. Mother Teresa is one of the greatest examples of someone truly living a life dedicated to God and serving his people.

"I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God."

——Mother Teresa

That^ quote above reminds me of a story I heard about her. Supposedly she was washing the feet of a leper when a wealthy businessman—who came to visit her—stepped into the room. He was immediately repulsed by the leper's condition and said that he couldn't wash that man's feet for X amount of dollars. Mother Teresa simply replied, "Neither could I." Wow! What a humble spirit.

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

——Mother Teresa

I've only had the opportunity to go on one missions trip. That was to Costa Rica in 2005. It was part of my senior class trip. I went to a Christian school for grades 10-12. Missions trips replaced the traditional Senior Class Trip other 12th graders went on. Now, not all of that trip was missions work. We still got to have some "fun": white water rafting, shopping, swimming, etc., but the mission part is what I remember most. We helped out a church in an area populated by Guatemalan—I believe—refugees. A few days that week we put on a VBS (Vacation Bible School) for the kids. We played games w/ them, did skits w/ puppets and talked w/ them. I was surprised that I remembered my Spanish. It was cool to practice it, and one day I'd love to be fluent.

It was an awesome experience and just reminded me of how much I love God's people. One day I'd love to take another—if not many—more trips to help those less fortunate than I. Even though I may be small and will most definitely not be able to walk in the shoes of Mother Teresa, every little bit counts. As she once said herself:

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

——Mother Teresa

Music to inspire you: 'The One'—Brandon Heath

Skip to 40 sec's in if you want to get straight to the song. =)

(He's got such an amazing and raw talent. That's why he's one of my favs!)

Blog This!

2011-04-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

Psalm 90:14 says:
‎"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

I was reading in my REAL SIMPLE magazine about getting good sleep and how we can adjust our routines to have happier and less groggier days. One thing it said to do was have a picture of something that brings you joy or do something that lifts your spirits each morning. This tends to set your mood for the entire day. Thankfully, I've been getting better about waking up a little bit earlier to read my devotional and an inspiring book. I just finished Max Lucado's Fearless a week or so ago and just began Francis Chan's Crazy Love. It's quite an eye-opening and challenging book. Read a few pages for yourself. =)

Getting up a half hour early to read really helps lift my spirits. I've noticed that while doing that—and listening to Christian music while I work—my days aren't so drab and I've actually been more productive. I am going to try and allow more time in the mornings to read an possibly blog. That way I'm not quite so rushed.

It's actually quite funny that I even have a blog. To tell you the truth, I thought blogging was rather nerdy and only for people who didn't have anything better to do. My apologies, I was wrong! What's so funny is that I hate writing—with a passion. Now I know that a blog isn't quite the same as an English Lit class, but if you knew me you'd understand. If someone were to tell me a few years back that I'd start my own inspiring blog I would've been like Psshhhhht, whatever. Now, however, I absolutely love it and would be so sad if I ever had to stop. I pray that God continues to inspire me through His word and the songs of others whose hearts follow steadfastly after Him.

Reading other's blogs has really inspired me, too. I'd like to take the time to check them out more often. Here are a few I started following recently. Click on the icons to see what their all about. These are all written by awesome ladies! (Sorry guys, I'll keep searching. =)

THE SHINE PROJECT by Ashley
Challenge yourself by participating in 'I Shine Fridays' and get inspired when you read about all the exciting places The Shine Project has taken her.

LIFE BLESSONS by Carmen
A journey of sharing with the world what God is doing with——and in——her life.

LITTLE MISS MOMMA by Ashley
(YES another one, great name I have to say ;)
Fun ideas for Holidays, daily life as a wife and mom, fashion and beauty tips and more.

^Those are just a few of the great blogs I try my best to keep up with. To find more just glance at my sidebar and check 'em out! =) As today's verse says, when we start our day off right we are more likely to spend it singing w/ joy.

Music to inspire you: 'Give Me Jesus'—Jeremy Camp

He's Alive! He's Alive!

2011-04-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Matthew 28:5-7 says:
He Is Risen
"5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead . . .”"

To read the awesome story behind these t-shirts, click the image above. Then click 'The J.I.M.H. Story.'

Matt Maher has a "new" song on Christian radio called 'Christ is Risen.' I use the word new in quotes, because apparently this song is from at least 2009 (according to my video for today's entry), but they're just now playing it on the radio. I absolutely LOVE it! Every time I hear it start to play on the radio I blast it and sing at the top of my lungs. It's one of those songs I get lost in and wish it played forever. It just reminds me how much God loves us that He would send His only son to die for us. Who would do that?! I most certainly know that I wouldn't be able to send my only son to die the most shameful and horrible death for a bunch of people who mock him and want him to die. How awful, but that's what He did, because he loves us.

It makes me sad to think sometimes about all the people who curse God and get so angry at the name of Jesus, but then again, God saw that coming yet sent His son anyway. What a loving God! The Bible says, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you . . . For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?" (Matthew 5:44-47) God calls us to be more like Him and less like the world. God sent His son to die for a group of people that hated Him—and for future groups of people who will never meet Him yet hate Him anyway. Anyone would've told God that that's ridiculous. That we don't deserve a Savior—which we don't. But thankfully, God is so far above us that He chose to save us anyway.

Whenever I get discouraged at the way this world treats my belief and my Savior I remember this piece of scripture:
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me." (John 15:18-21)

The Bible clearly says that the name of Jesus will cause controversy, which it does. This is old news. God is not surprised by how His creation has turned out. "From the beginning" He knew what kinds of chaos and calamity this world of imperfect beings would create, yet He loved us enough to make us anyway. It's the choice of living in this world or being of this world that's up to us.

"Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love

And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave"
—Matt Maher

Music to inspire you: 'Christ is Risen'—Matt Maher
(The acoustics are better than the footage. I wish he had an "Official Video.")

In Spite of it All Hallelujah

2011-04-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Psalm 34:19 says:
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all."

Talking the Christian talk, walking the Christian walk, and sharing our personal testimonies are the greatest ways to win others to Christ.

There is a fairly new song called 'Hallelujah' sung by a woman named Heather Williams. When I first heard this song I didn't think too much about it—to be honest. It's a nice song, but I just thought it was another Christian artist singing their latest hit single. At the time, I didn't realize how personal and powerful its lyrics were—correction, are—to the artist. After I heard Heather's testimony, 'Hallelujah' had a whole new meaning to me.

You see, Heather wrote this song not long after the death of her son. The son she and her husband had tried for seven years to conceive. This song was her way of communicating w/ God. It was also her way of letting others around her know that if she can survive this horrible circumstance, and still trust her life in Christ, then they could too.

Her story hits close to home, because a good friend of my sister's went through a similar circumstance, only she and her husband weren't able to experience any time w/ their first born son. He went to be w/ Jesus before he was born. However, their passion and love for Christ throughout their entire experience really spoke to me and many others in their lives. Despite their heart-wrenching pain, they still praised God. In fact, Judah's memorial service was just that, a time of praise and worship. Their family didn't wear black that day, they wore white. No one was morning Judah's passing. Instead we were celebrating the great impact his little life had on all of us. To read their story, click here.

A mini poster my sister made for the Schroeder family. (All text was written by Melissa on her blog.)

What an amazing testimony! It touched my heart so much, and still does to this day. My sister, brother-in-law and I went to visit Obe and Melissa in the hospital the night before Judah's delivery. We were given purple bands so others would know our reason for our visit. Like my sister, I still have my band and we both keep them on our keychains. We do it to honor little Judah and the inspiring lives of his parents. What an example of true faith and dedication they exhibit! =)

Today I am happy to say that God has recently blessed Melissa and Obe w/ a second son. His name is Micah Jobe. He is now 15-weeks old, happy, healthy, beautiful and doing fantastic. We are all so excited for Melissa and Obe, and big sisters Mia and Ezra.

You see most of the time it's not how we handle ourselves on a daily basis as Christians that touches others lives. It's how we stand strong during the hard times and press on knowing our Father will deliver us. Those are the moments that speak the truth about our faith. It's easy to stand on solid ground when everything is right in the world, but when it's crumbling all around us, are we able to hang on?

Testimony to inspire you: Heather Williams

Music to inspire you: 'Hallelujah'—Heather Williams

To Bring a Smile to You

2011-04-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Matthew 7:12 says:
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

“Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you.”——Elsie de Wolfe

Everyone's heard of the Golden Rule: Treat others they way you want to be treated, but how often do we actually follow that rule? Is it only when we're in a good mood? When we're feeling lucky? On top of the world? Confident? How many times during the day do we pass up the opportunity to exhibit grace instead of anger, annoyance or even avoidance?

Being that I used to work as a receptionist, I know what it's like to deal w/ customers that are in all kinds of different moods. That's one of the reasons why I am so patient w/ others. I know what it's like to be yelled at for something that was completely NOT my fault. I've had to assure angry clients that I would do my best to fix their "problems." Yes, someone even made me cry once. However, it wasn't all bad. Most of the time people were pleasant. As for the ones who weren't, they taught me an important lesson—to never act like them. =)

When I think about God and what He sees in me, I want him to be proud of the way I handle myself w/ others. I don't want Him to look down on me in disappointment, because I've snapped at someone or avoided someone who really needed a kind gesture. Christianity is all about love and most importantly loving others. When I get to Heaven one day I hope to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21, 23) How awesome would that be to make God proud? To actually make the One who is, by definition, perfection and love proud of me?

"May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to you

Let my lifesong sing to You"
—Casting Crowns

Music to inspire you: 'Lifesong'—Casting Crowns

Project 31. Day 29: A Day in the Life . . . of Me!

2011-04-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Day 29. Write about "a day in the life of me." (Pics are great!)

I meant to type all this up yesterday, but got busy and didn't. So here it is folks, a day in the life of me.

Monday, April 4, 2011

6:15AM

Alarm #1 sounds. I immediately hit SNOOZE.

6:30AM

Alarm #2 sounds. I immediately hit SNOOZE, again.

6:45AM

Realize I better get up if I'm going to make it to work on time.

Cue theme song to my life:

Pull the hood up on my sweatshirt——cause it's FREEZING, plop down in my chair, open up my devotional and my Bible and read today's entry.

7ish AM

Move on to Max Lucado's book and read a chapter or so. (Such a good read!)

7:33AM

Stop reading and move on to my closet. Debate over what I'm going to wear. Then I realize this may take a while, so I decide to think it over in the shower.

7:35AM

Do my thing getting ready.

8:15AM

Head downstairs to make my breakfast, English Muffin Egg Pizza. Yummy. =P

8:30-ish AM
Head off to work.

8:44 AM

Clock-in. Head up to my cubicle. Discover that an awesome co-worker named Jennah left me a basket full of homemade chocolate chunk cookies and a sweet lil' note. Bomb! (I wish this happened every Monday.)

8:50 AM

Check my e-mail and inboxes to see what's new or needs to be completed.

Jess, this one's for you.

9-something AM

Get to work on whatever design I didn't complete the weekday prior.

Some time that afternoon . . .

Take a random pic of Davebucks® since I forgot to for one of my previous blog entries. Then get back to doing what I do.

Remember that I've got a basket full of yummy cookies. Share w/ my neighbors, then nom on one myself.

4:55PM

It's quittin' time! Head off to World's to get my gym on.

6:05PM

Arrive home and get ready for shower #2. Glance in mirror, wonder exactly when that piece of food got stuck in my teeth, question why no one told me, assume no one saw, and hop in the tub.

6:15PM

Get out of the shower, test some Avon products, talk biz w/ my sister and then do a bunch of really boring stuff until . . .

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

6:15AM

Alarm #1 sounds. I immediately hit SNOOZE.

Well folks, that's a glimpse into the life of me——Ashlee Sasscer, graphic designer. Thrilling, I know! Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly stand the daily excitement that is my life.

I’m Still a Dreamer, a Believer

2011-04-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Deuteronomy 31:8 says:
"And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to listen to music while I work. I believe that music can be pretty powerful. A tune w/ a beat makes us want to dance. Love songs remind us of a special someone. And for me personally, positive and uplifting Christian music puts me in a better mood. I have a notepad at work that I constantly fill up w/ new songs that inspire me. Because I base a lot of my blog entries off of songs I've heard or scripture/quotes I've read, I am constantly listening to new music or reading books in search for 'Something Inspirational.' ;)

In our lives it's so easy to get discouraged and put ourselves in silly ruts that aren't necessary. Then again, there are times when extremely hard times do come and our pain and/or disappointment is no exaggeration. What do we do then? How can we possibly find comfort in times such as these? When I was thinking about this I was reminded of a song by Mikeschair called 'Can't Take Away.' (I would've used it as today's 'Music to Inspire You,' but I've used it twice already. I felt like I should mix things up a bit.) The chorus says this:

"You can take away
Everything that I've been holding
You can take away the sun
You can take away the very air that I've been breathing
But you can't take away my God"

Oh how true these lyrics are. This world can take away practically everything: our job, income, security, safety, loved ones, relationships, health, sanity, and the list goes on. However, there is one thing it cannot touch, and that is our God.

Looking back on my life and the moments when I felt like I couldn't stand another moment of heartache, I remember opening my Bible and reading. At times when I was so distraught and devastated that I couldn't even pray, I would open my Bible and just read. The simple act of speaking aloud the words God wrote for me—for us—thousands of years ago brought me peace. Whether what I was reading applied to my situation or not, it didn't matter. I just remember how His words calmed my spirit in times of complete and utter despair. It's an experience that I can't really explain. All I know is it got me through.

Whether it's reading His word, listening to Christian music, or simply sitting in silence listening for God, do whatever it is that brings you peace. We're all different and find comforts in different things. Just know that at the end of even the worst of days God is still here. Do not fear nor be dismayed, because He will never leave.

"I don’t have every answer in life
But I’m trusting You one day at a time
Cuz You can make a weak heart stay alive
Forever
And this is where heaven and earth collide
I lift my hands, I give my life
This is how my weary heart stays alive

Oh, I’m still a dreamer
Still a believer
And You are the answer
The Redeemer
Cuz You can make anything new
Yeah, You can make anything new"
—Sanctus Real

Music to inspire you: 'The Redeemer'—Sanctus Real

Project 31. Day 28.

2011-04-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

Day 28. Write about your insecurities as a woman.

I feel like I answered this question a few times now. See Days 13, 23 and 24.

Project 31. Day 27.

2011-04-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Project 31. Day 27. Write a blog to encourage someone and build their confidence!

Wow. It's been a while since I wrote a Project 31 entry, my bad. At first I wasn't sure who—or whom—to write about so I kept putting it off until I decided, but, as you've probably already guessed, I've decided. Today, I'm going to write to my parents. A lot of times I forget to let them know how much I appreciate them so I'm going to do that now. Mom. Dad. If you've ever doubted how good of a job you've done as parents, I hope you read this and know that it was a darn good one.

Proverbs 22:6 says:
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it."

I want to thank you for instilling good values in me from day one. I am so grateful to have been born into a God-fearing family. There have been numerous times in my life when I just wanted to give up, but I kept coming back to my faith and the purpose God has placed on my life. If it weren't for that who knows where I'd be right now.

While growing up I didn't like it so much, I respect the boundaries you placed on my life. Now that I'm older I see their importance and am thankful for them. They kept me out of a lot of unnecessary negative circumstances.

Mom w/ glasses. Dad w/ cliché 70's blonde sideburns. If you ask me, it looks like someone needed a few lessons in boundaries.
"Oh, right hand blue, left hand red? . . . Why hello, Rebecca." ;P

Thank you for bragging about me, especially you, Dad. While a lot of the time it's really embarrassing, it lets me know that you're proud of me and the work I've done.

Christmas 2010. Best. Christmas. Ever. =)

Mom, thanks for always having my back and understanding what it's like to be the baby of the family, and for all the pictures. As much as we complain about taking them, we're all thankful that we have them to look back on.

Dad, thanks for treating me like a baby by catering to me when I'm sick. (Maybe I should catch something more often. ;P)

I hope you never doubt your role as parents. You've done a great job and I am thankful to have you both, still together, and in my life. I love you. I've been blessed.

A Love Song Born of a Grateful Choir

2011-03-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

James 4:7 says:
"Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."

Isaiah 54:17 says:
"No weapon formed against you shall prosper . . ."

There are times in our life when sudden sadness catches us off guard. We could be in the middle of—or just finishing—a really great day when all of a sudden we feel sad. Why is this? Well if you're a woman it could be more than one thing, but I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the times when you truly feel like your life and relationship w/ God is right on track and then BAM! out of nowhere sadness, anxiety or depression strikes. First of all, this isn't uncommon. I think a lot of this has to do w/ the devil being afraid that we're getting a little too close to God for his comfort. You see, he's fine w/ us going out and doing our own thing and not really putting too much effort into our Christian walk. However, as soon as we start messing up his plans and start impacting other's lives for Christ that's when he really gets ticked off.

I was reminded of this when thinking of a song called 'He Reigns' by one of my favorite bands, Newsboys—pre Tate (he's their new lead singer) but, as I've said before, no offense. This song is all about praising God, which is one of the big ways to defeat the devil when he's doing his best to bring you down. I've noticed this week that listening to praise and worship music, and just Christian music in general, throughout my day has caused my spirit to stay uplifted, and made my week much better.

I've decided to make this short and sweet and just post a few of the Newsboys inspiring lyrics below. I hope you pause and take a moment to listen to this song. Their message about praising God is far better than anything I could write anyway. Enjoy. =)

"It's all God's children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns . . .

And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they've just heard
'Cause all the powers of darkness
Can't drown out a single word"
—Newsboys

Music to inspire you: 'He Reigns'—Newsboys

Coincidence? I Think Not.

2011-03-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Matthew 28:20 says:
"". . . I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen."

What the world considers coincidence, I consider a God wink. There are just too many "coincidences" in this life to be simply that. I was reminded that God is always with me—and protecting me—when I ran a red light the other day. Now I know what you're thinking, 'Typical bad woman driver. Nothing new here.' In my defense, I have never been in an accident and have only been pulled over once for speeding. That's pretty good if I do say so myself. Anyway, back to my story. So I was driving down the road and somehow my mind was so preoccupied that I completely ran through a red light. I don't know how long it had been red, lets just say I never noticed it turn yellow. All I know is while I was approaching the intersection I realized, "Oh crap! That's not green!" but by then it was too late. I went through. Thankfully, by God's grace, none of the cars from the directions had moved. So no one was even close to being hit. That was one of the few times I remember God keeping me from getting hurt, or worse, hurting someone else.

Another, much smaller, God wink came during my Young Adult's Bible study meeting the other night. Earlier this week I had picked up a book off our shelf called Fearless by Max Lucado. My sister had gotten it for my dad a year or so ago, and it looked interesting to me. I had forgotten about it until the other night when I started reading it. Then, to my surprise, our YA's study this week was based off of that book, and another guy in our group just so happened to start reading it this week, too. Coincidence? Maybe, but I don't think so. The timing was just too perfect.

I think oftentimes we take for granted the little moments when God is speaking to us. Sometimes it's as if we feel that a certain situation isn't significant enough to deserve God's attention, so it must not be Him speaking to us. We'll we're wrong. Every moment is worthy of God's attention. As today's verse says, God is w/ us always—not most of the time, some of the time, or when He's got nothing better to do, "always, even to the end of the age." That's pretty awesome. We really need to take more time out of our day to praise God for all the things He's done in our lives.

I was driving to work the other day and Chris Tomlin's 'Indescribable' came on. I've heard it many times before, but for some reason it really touched me that morning. It was like I was hearing and understanding the lyrics for the first time, as if it finally hit me how great our God is. This moment also reminded me of George Strait's 'I Saw God Today.' Therefore, I decided to use both songs in today's entry. Enjoy, and don't forget to look for God today. =D

"Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God"

—Chris Tomlin

"Saw a flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk,
Pushing up through the concrete,Like it was planted right there for me to see . . .

His fingerprints are everywhere,
I just look down and stop and stare,
Open my eyes and then I swear,

I saw God today"

—George Strait

Book to inspire you: 'Fearless'—Max Lucado

Music to inspire you: 'Indescribable'—Chris Tomlin
(Note: Skip about 1 min 20 secs into this song to avoid the small talk.)

'I Saw God Today'—George Strait

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

2011-03-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 13:7 says:
"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." (NLT)

Can I be brutally honest? Keeping the faith in a seemingly faithless society is difficult. According to Wikipedia, 78.5% of the U.S. population consider themselves Christians—followed by 16.1% who state their religious belief as "None." You'd think that if three out of every four people was a Christian this world would be a happier and more uplifting place. Unfortunately, I think this percentage is inaccurate. (Either that, or we've got a lot of fakers on our hands.)

Coming from someone who spends a chunk of their time in a lil' world that's not so Jesus friendly, staying positive and hopeful isn't always easy. It's kind of tiring actually, and it wears on the spirit. You know how people generally don't want to hang around other people whose first name should be Eeyore, because they only bring them down? The same goes for hanging around people who think the man whom you call Saviour is a joke. Kind of depressing, isn't it? Now, before anyone jumps to conclusions and starts feeling sorry for me, don't. It's not like I'm being persecuted or anything. For the most part things are good. I guess it's the whole being a minority thing that gets me. Sometimes this makes me wonder why I am where I am, but then I remember that's probably the exact reason why I am where I am.

God calls us to be lights in this world, and examples to others by the way we live. Instead of allowing my environment to impact me, I pray I am impacting my environment. Although, in the past I've felt burnt out and just wanted to give up, God tells us that love never gives up. He's placed me where I am for a reason, and until I move on to follow my dreams, I'm going to keep the faith, stay hopeful and endure all circumstances.

I'll leave you w/ a quote from one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite movies:

Dory: When life gets you down you wanna know what you've gotta do?

Marlin: I don 't wanna know what you've gotta do.

Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming . . . =)

"I need to just admit
my faith is paper thin
I'm feeling so burned out
On religion

I say an empty prayer
I sing a tired song
I need to just admit that the passion's gone

And I want to get it back

You told me
Look for You and I will find
So I'm here
Like I'm searching for the first time
Revive me, Jesus
Make this cold heart start to move
Help me rediscover You"

—Starfield

Music to inspire you: 'Rediscover You'—Starfield

Insane in the Membrane

2011-03-17T04:41:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:9-18 says:

Behave Like a Christian
"9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men."

Living as a Christian in today's society isn't easy—especially in America. We live in a world where everything revolves around us. If it feels good, we're gonna do it. If we want it, we're gonna get it. If we have to wait, we'll just go somewhere else. To the world, Christians sometimes look a little crazy. What, w/ all this self-sacrificing, and "rules" to follow. Who wants that kind of lifestyle?

I have to admit, it gets frustrating when I hear about the way others view/talk/write about Christianity. From what I hear we either fall into one of two categories: 1) We're all hypocrites who preach at them on Sundays, but are found out on Friday and Saturday nights doing what we just told them is wrong, or 2) We are extremely creepy and scared people pleasures who are super sheltered, have an unrealistic joyfulness (that must be fake), and believe in crazy things. Wow. Seems like we're either all hypocrites or insane. That's messed up.

I find it sad how wrong the world's opinion of Jesus and Christianity is. While I know there are genuinely hypocritical and insane Christians out there, there are also genuinely hypocritical and insane non-Christians out there. Does that mean we all stop being human, because we just can't take the way other people act? Of course not, that's ridiculous! It really bums me out how Jesus and God get the short end up the stick . . . all the time. They're only guilty by association, and that's not fair. So many people take their bad experience w/ one believer or church and assume everyone else out there is like that, too. In comparison to semi-recent events, after 9-11, we were told as citizens of the U.S. to not view Muslims in our country as evil just because of the acts of a few. Why is it then that so many people lump Christians and Christianity into this ugly—and crazy—category, just because of the acts of a few? Is that really fair?

For the record, I'd like to write that as a believer we are taught to love one another—like today's verses say. And these so called "rules" everyone complains about aren't to keep us in a box so that we live sheltered and naive lives for all the years we're on Earth. If we really stop to think about what God's word commands we stay away from (ie: drugs, excessive drinking, sex outside of marriage, lust, lies, revenge, bitterness, hate, etc.), do we really think being involved in those things is good? No bad is brought upon us by refraining from these things, so how is it wrong or crazy to follow God's commands? If anything, these "rules" make our lives more peaceful, because we have none of the baggage or drama that participating in these activities brings. Like parents set out house rules for their children—to keep them safe and out of trouble—God lays out ground rules for living. They're not to control or trap us, they're to protect us and keep us from harm. Is that what we want?

" They say it sounds insane, we say that we've been changed

By the power of crazy love
This world, it looks at us like we're ridiculous
Maybe it's all because of crazy love"
—Hawk Nelson

Music to inspire you: 'Crazy Love'—Hawk Nelson

(This video's kinda goofy, but, then again, I think that's the point.)

God's More than Just a Candle

2011-03-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

Psalm 46:1-3 says:
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song for Alamoth.

"1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah"

Acts 17:24, 28 says:
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth . . . 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being . . ."

"Know that when you seek anything of your own, you will never find God, because you do not seek God purely. You are seeking something along with God, and you are acting just as if you were to make a candle out of God in order to look for something with it. Once one finds the things one is looking for, one throws the candle away."——Meister Eckhart

Although I tried to avoid it, in the past there have been times when I let my relationship w/ God fall to the wayside. I didn't abandon Him or turn away, I simply let what I was going after take His place in my heart. You'd think I'd see this coming, but I didn't. Like that Casting Crown song goes, "It's a slow fade." While I never stopped blogging or reading my Bible, I allowed too many of my thoughts to wander and pine for something else that wasn't God. It wasn't until these things were removed from my life that I realized, Ohhh that wasn't a smart move.

Funny how we don't realize how far we've allowed ourselves to drift from God until we face a situation that can only be fixed by God. Then, all those times when we allowed ourselves to focus on something else besides God come flooding back to memory. All those times when we said, 'This can wait. I'll do it tomorrow. Or I can do this and still dedicate enough time to God,' replay in our minds. Then we begin to realize where we went wrong, where we compromised just a little too much. It's not that our lives should consist of reading our Bible, praying and worshipping God on 24/7/365 loop. Not at all. Nor should we live the other extreme, where we only call on God when disaster strikes and nothing short of a miracle can get us through.

God made us to desire relationships/friendships, hobbies, interests, etc. However, when these things begin to take priority over God, that's when we get into trouble. When our days and moods can be ruined if this one thing or person does us dirty, our priorities are slightly out of order.

It's hard to stay dedicated sometimes. There are plenty of times when something goes wrong and completely ruins my day; I'm not perfect. Finding a balance between time w/ God and time w/ everything else can be challenging. That's why it's good to have a friend keep you accountable—better yet a group of friends. When you know you've got someone who's physically here reminding you, it makes things a bit easier.

The world can be a sucky place sometimes, but it's nice to know that at the end of the day there's always Someone there who's got your back.

"You are life more beautiful
You are love more powerful
You are the light that always shines
You are the one
You are the song I wanna sing
You are here
You are everything
You are the light that always shines
You are the one

And I will never move on from you"
—Jason Castro

"You are my supply
My breath of life
Still more awesome than I know
You are my reward
Worth living for
Still more awesome than I know"
—Barlow Girl

Music to inspire you: 'You Are the One'—Jason Castro
(I had forgotten he was on American Idol. Go Jason!)

And another, just because:
'Enough'—Barlow Girl

What Has My Love Become?

2011-03-09T18:53:00.000-08:00

Matthew 4:18-22 says:
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

"18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him."

Talk about a tough example to follow. When I think of these verses I often wonder about the opportunities I've missed because of hesitation. There are many moments I wish I could live over again. One in particular sticks out to me now.

I was interning in DC and would often pass a few homeless people on my way to grab lunch down the street. There was one man I was especially drawn to, for some reason. My first encounter w/ him happened when I was on my way to Starbucks. I had passed him and was about to cross the street when I heard that little voice say, "Turn back." Then, I got that anxious I'm-about-to-give-a-big-speech kind of feeling in my stomach. I thought to myself, Oh great. I knew that was God. I always get all awkward when it's God. Why He can't just give me a cool, calm and collected feeling, I don't know. I think He enjoys watching me sweat it out. I've digressed. Anyway, so I turn around and approach him, asking if he'd like something from Starbucks. He said just some ice water, so I go off and do just that. I wrote 'Jesus Loves You' on his cup's sleeve, handed it to him and walked off. This happened another time a few weeks later. It wasn't until the day I bought him lunch that I felt regret.

I was headed to Subway and decided I should buy him food that day—since I saw he already had a couple jugs of water. He wanted a meatball sub, simple enough. I went off, ordered and came back. As I was approaching, I felt like I should sit down and eat lunch w/ him. I thought it'd be nice to at least know his name and hear a little bit of his story. Then I thought to myself, That's ridiculous! It'll probably be awkward. What young girl sits with a homeless man and eats lunch? You're in dress clothes anyway and the ground is dirty. Oh, how stupid these excuses were. I wasn't afraid of him, so who cares if I sat w/ him? Plus it was just a little dirt. That could've easily been brushed off. But, unfortunately, this time I ignored my anxious big-speech feeling, and I simply handed him his sandwich and walked off. A lady stopped me to say how nice that was, but I still felt guilty for walking away so soon.

It's been a year and a half, and I still regret not sitting with him that day. I'd like to go back to C St. and see if he's still there, but the chances of that are slim. Most likely he's moved on or—better yet—has gotten back on his feet.

Sometimes we're only given a few seconds to make a decision. We don't always get the luxury of "thinking things over." Today's verses in Matthew make me think about how I would've reacted to Jesus' calling if I had been one of the disciples. Would I have really left all that I had and immediately followed Him? It's sad, but, knowing me, I probably would've analyzed the situation and asked a few questions first. I wonder how much our faith has weakened over time. If the apostles were here today would they be disappointed in our lack of action? I can't help but think that they would.

I try my best to live each day as God intends, but sometimes my human doubts get in the way. (OK, a lot of times my human doubts get in the way.) That's when I have to remind myself that every day is a new beginning, and another chance to do things right.

"If I saw You on the street
And You said come and follow me
But I had to give up everything
All I once held dear and all of my dreams
Would I love You enough to let go
Or would my love run dry
When You asked for my life

When did love become unmoving?
When did love become unconsuming?"

—Sidewalk Prophets

Music to inspire you: 'You Can Have Me'—Sidewalk Prophets

Congrats Mamas!

2011-03-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

Psalm 127:3-5 says:
"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate."

“What a difference it makes to come home to a child!”——Margaret Fuller

^^^That is the first picture of my newest niece or nephew. Yup, that's right. I'm going to be an Auntie again come August 19th. Woo hoo! My family and I found out on Christmas. Merry Christmas to us indeed. =) We are all super excited, especially my nephew. He's been praying for Jesus to bring him a "teeny tiny baby sister" for a long time now. I hope he gets his wish, because it'd be neat to see what a Clark baby girl would look like.

2011 must be the season of love, because it seems like everyone and their mother is either getting married or having a baby this year. Then again, maybe that means that 2010 was the season of love . . . Either way it's pure craziness. Off of the top of my head, I can think of eight couples who are having a baby and five couples who are getting married this year. Love is in the air!

I got inspired to post this little blog after I read that fellow blogger Mandy—creator of Project 31—is now in labor. Her husband posted the latest entry letting everyone know that their daughter Lily has finally decided to make her big debut. That is so exciting!

I am so happy for all the moms-to-be. What a wonderful and exciting journey you are on. While I am in no rush to start that journey myself, I am excited to be a part of your lives during this time. What an awesome gift you are about to receive! How precious that day will be when you finally see your newborn's face. Know that even now God knows all about your little one. He has made great plans for him/her and cannot wait until they arrive. While sometimes raising this little one will be hard, the good times will far outweigh the difficult ones.

Congratulations mamas (and papas)! (No pun intended. ;P) May God bless you and your little ones.

Music to inspire your little ones: 'My Wish'—Rascal Flatts

Project 31. Day 26.

2011-03-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Day 26. What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday when you are gone?

Proverbs 13:22 says:
"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children . . ."

Job 8:21 says:
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughing,
And your lips with rejoicing."

This pic doesn't really represent what I say below. It's just funny and has an old lady, so I guess it kinda works. ;P

I pray that I will leave my grandchildren with two things: 1) A great inheritance, and I'm not talking money, although that's nice too. I want to leave them with a great example of what loving God and living a life of service to Him really means 2) An abundance of laughter. I want to be the "fun" grandma—the one they can be silly and ridiculous with, and who embarrasses them w/ stories of the things I did at their age. I pray they never leave my house w/out a smile on their face. As the saying goes, "In the end, you want to be with the one who makes you laugh."

I pray that we "take time for simple pleasures" and that I teach them that life isn't all about "keeping up with the Jones'." I want to spoil them rotten, fill them w/ sugar, buy 'em a puppy and then send them home. I want to bake them cookies. I pray their grandfather and I show them that you can still keep things spicy, even if your hair is turning gray. Matter of fact, I hope we completely gross them out every chance we get.

I want them to say that I helped teach them how to live, how to truly live. I pray that they never run out of embarrassing stories to tell about me. I want to be a role model in their eyes. I want them to feel loved, encouraged and taken care of by me. I want them to say that I was the loudest, silliest and craziest old woman they knew, but that they wouldn't have had it any other way.

The Wilderness Way

2011-03-05T14:59:00.000-08:00

Exodus 13:17 says:
The Wilderness Way
"Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”"

"What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God."—Eleanor Powell

Detours, don't we hate them? There you are in your car headed somewhere nice and then you see the sign: Detour Ahead. Arg! What should've been a quick drive just doubled in time in a matter of seconds. Life's famous for that, isn't it? Then again, maybe that's not life after all, maybe it's God . . .

I thought of today's quote by Eleanor Powell—which I read in The Daily God Book—when I heard Francesca Battistelli's new song 'This is the Stuff.' It's a super cute song that talks about how life's daily blunders, mishaps and frustrations are the things God uses to shape our lives. Some of these are little, average or significant hardships, but God uses each one. (Like Springer's new show Baggage, we've got them all—small, medium and large.) Nothing goes w/out purpose, because if everything doesn't have purpose than nothing has purpose (I feel like I've written that before).

For example, the Israelites journey had a little detour because God was thinking ahead and knew that the people would want to turn back once they saw the war. What would've been a semi-quick trip was going to take a little longer (and even longer after that due to their lack of faith, but that's another issue). Most of the time we don't see the bigger picture. We only see what's on our plate at that moment, and a lot of the time we base our decisions off of that. I read a friend's blog the other day, and the question she posed really stuck with me: What would you pray if you had all of the information that God has?

Woooow. I probably wouldn't have prayed half the stuff I did; I can tell you that right now. He knows what's going on down the road. We don't. He's using these moments and these "hard times" to shape us. Are we going to use this time to sit here complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves, or are we going to buck-up and keep moving? Is it going to make us or break us?

Getting back to Eleanor's quote, are we going to turn our backs on God because we feel we've been dealt an unfair hand, or are we going to press onward realizing that He's seen this movie before? He knows how it's going to all turn out, and we need to stop trying to rewrite His ending. He's using this crummy stuff to make us better people. What we become as a result of this process is our gift back to Him.

"This is the stuff that drives me crazy,
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately,
In the middle of my little mess,
I forget how big I'm blessed,
This is the stuff that gets under my skin,
But I gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing,
It might not be what I would choose,
But this is the stuff You use"

—Francesca Battistelli

Music to inspire you: 'This is the Stuff'—Francesca Battistelli