wise wednesday

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choosing joy

with mister's arrival only three months away, my list of things to do and prepare for is getting longer.  its easy to get overwhelmed and loose focus on all the blessings and goodness in my life right now.  i will admit that i tend to be a very anxious person and usually decide that i have a plan that will fix everything.  i forget that God's plan is much better than mine.  i am so glad that i live in community with other Christ followers that remind me to breathe and have faith.


last week, i mentioned what best.day.ever. means to me and how i want to try and make every day my favorite.  i thought i would share with you some bible verses that, at this moment in my life, help me be content and joyful about where i am right now ... even if i am feeling overwhelmed and a little scared.  these verses inspire me to live daily for God and trust that he has a plan for me.   

nehemiah 6:9 - for they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, "their hands will drop for the work, and it will not be done."  but now, o God, strengthen my hands. 

matthew 6:33 - but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

psalm 37: 3-5 - trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.  delight yourself in the Lord, and will give you the desires of your heart.  commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.  

isaiah 41:10 - so do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

i hope that if any of you are feeling overwhelmed today, that these words stir something inside you.  i pray you are able to choose joy and contentment over fear and doubt.  how, you might ask.  how can one just choose to be something they are not?  i do not have all the answers, but here are a few suggestions that have helped me change my heart:

• do something for someone else today instead of focusing on how your needs/wants will be met.
• make a list of needs/wants that have been met in the past year. 
• make a list of people in your life that are most encouraging to you ... call or text one of those people to thank them. 
• make a list of people that you want to encourage ... call or text one of them and do just that. 
• pray :)

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i love the way You hold me

Jamie Grace - Hold Me featuring tobyMac

happy monday!!!

KONY 2012

watch this and go here

how he loves

loving this song!!!!

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way...

He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.via

give anyway

i have debated on writing this post for a couple of weeks now.  i dont want it to seem judgemental or mean but this is something i feel very strongly about.  i dont think i am being a good and honest blogger if i didnt share with you what is on my heart.  just remember, this is not meant to offend you, it is meant to inspire you.  it is a call to stop saying "i should" and to take action and responsibility. 

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even though its no longer the "season of giving,"

GIVE ANYWAY! 

here we are starting the 2nd month of the year.  the holiday high is gone ... not much to look forward to.  during november and december, it is so easy to be reminded of how blessed we truly are.  we think about love and loss, of hope and grace ... tis the season, right?  what i want to remind you is that the homeless, poor, lost, widowed, needy and hungry are still all these things!  two months later, they still need your help.


yes, you may have been the answer to someone's prayers two months ago.  you may have actually saved their home or even their life.  just think about how much good you could do, if you applied this mentality to all 12 months of the year.  most of us collected coats or served in a soup kitchen in december for the 1st or 2nd time that year.  there were people paying off layaway for christmas toys and filling up food pantries all over the world.  we feel so humbled and blessed to be able to help others in need.   serving others can really make you feel good about yourself, but that is not what serving others is about.  here it is february 2012, and we can make a difference if we keep that holiday momentum going.

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - ephesians 2:10 (niv)

what it means to give sacrificially - you actually have to give something up, sacrifice your time, money and/or energy to serve someone else while wanting nothing in return.  here are a few examples of taking our service to the next level:

• if you buy yourself an $8 lunch out of a $10 bill and give the $2 you have left to a homeless guy, good for you.  BUT if you take that $10 bill and buy him lunch AND give him the extra $2, then you are doing great.  if that means you have to eat that can of soup thats been in your desk drawer for 2 months, so be it.  (ps - dont lecture the person on how they must spend the $2.  once you give it away, it is no longer your business)
• better yet, buy two $5 meals and eat with him :)
• dont go visit with someone when you can squeeze it in and its more convenient for you ... how about sacrifice your thursday night of tv or your date night to take over a pie and actually sit with them to have a piece. 
• give away something that you actually love and use often.  we have all given away an old jacket that is out of style or no longer fits and the blankets that dont match our decor or that has a coffee stain ... but what about your favorite most warmest coat you have?  that is a sacrifice! 
• serve in your local soup kitchen once a month or so, until you actually know someones name. they may even start to remember you and consider you a friend.  continue working on the friendship by taking them for coffee and getting to know them better
• serve someone anonymously.  do not tell even one person what you have done to help someone in need.  that feeling deep in your gut to spew it to the world and try to inspire others does not always come from a good place.  sometimes it just needs to be between you and God. 
• give to someone that has absolutley nothing to give back.

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let face it, one month a year just doesnt cut it!  one day in a soup kitchen every 365 days, will not change anything but how YOU feel that day or week.  we need to change how and why we serve!  most of all, we need to be an example to the people around us ... show them what it means to serve others.  when we say "we dont have time" or "i have nothing to give" then we are lying to ourselves so we can sleep at night.  look around, what has God blessed you with and how can you use it to serve someone?   

this is not just a challenge for you, i am also challenging myself to make changes.  i have a long way to go and a lot to learn.  my immediate goals are to serve more intentionally and sacrificially.  i am also challenging myself to not only serve locally but globally {and if you serve only globally, try to find out ways to serve more locally}. 

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"Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me
Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your kingdoms cause"
- hillsong united

He only is my rock:



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weekly gratitude

devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.

~ colossians 4:2 ~

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so thankful for all the blessing God has given me

... knowing i deserve none of it. 

so blessed by the people God has surrounded me with

... they are supportive, uplifting, challenging and loving.

so humbled by God's love!

always remembering ...

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.                                                                       

                                                          ~ jeremiah 29:11

                     

day twenty five

scarf: target

vest: charlotte rouse

shirt: american eagle

jeans: kohls (lc)

shoes: american eagle

sydney at the daybook posted a bun tutorial here.  im not sure that my hair is long enough yet to make a good bun but i wanted something a little different today, so i tried it out.  

_____________________________________________

i had the best day hanging out at the raleigh rescue mission for help portrait.  its amazing to see everyone come together and use their gifts to give hope to people in need.  we had a lot of beautiful people come through and had a great group to work with.

sitting in the dark with a friend

a great example of what it means to love like Christ from hugh hollowell with love wins ministry.

He is with you

my sister shared this video with me a not too long ago. i always seem to find it again right when i need it.  

in His hands

to be a better me

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.

i have never been thru a 12 step program to help with an addiction, but man, the serenity prayer speaks volumes to me.  it is my prayer every day to accept change, people and life. i seek to be a better person ... a better wife and friend, etc.  but i remind myself constantly that the only thing i can change is me.  this helps me to be able to love people for exactly who they are right now, not the person i can love if ___.  it helps me to love more like Christ.

recently, i have decided to take control of me ... or rather take control of being able to give God control (not sure if that makes sense to you, but it does to me).  i will have a plan.  this will not be the kind of plan that i have deadlines and freak out if things dont go accordingly.  this will be a plan that i open to God in prayer and searching thru His word.  this plan will be flexible to change at a moments notice if He is in control.  its refreshing just thinking about it.  

i will seek God daily and hide his word in my heart.  because of this, life will make sense ... it will move forward and i will be a better me!  

"i know not what the future holds, but i know who holds the future"

photo by christine hall

to love like Christ

i was recently reminded what it is to love like Christ. to many christians, this is not a new concept ... He loves the whole world, right? but now stop and think, we are commanded to love our neighbor ... and not just the ones that live beside us. Jesus loves people that cannot love him back, people that have nothing ... no hope, no car, no job and no home. Jesus loves people that curse his name, people that are evil and what we would consider undeserving. is it humanly possible to love these people? the answer is "yes" or else we would not have been commanded to do so.

this past weekend, i participated in a young adult mission retreat in downtown raleigh. we met up with hugh hollowell to learn about love wins ministry. his goal is to build relationships with the poor, homeless and needy. he does not preach or pass out mass amounts of clothing and food. instead of working in a soup kitchen, he eats meals there with his friends. thats right, these people are his friends and family. he loves them and shows it every day just like we would with our friends and family. he listens when they are excited or upset, shares meals, goes for walks or just sits on a curb with them and hangs out. every day he shows them God's love. eventually, some of his friends find a home or come to know God but his main focus is to love them even if they stay the same. hugh's genuine love and compassion was such an encouragement to me. i may not have the dough to buy homes for the homeless or have the time to walk around downtown all day, every day making friends. but i know where to start, because i do have enough time to stop, acknowledge and for God sake smile at someone who most people treat as invisible.

i can't wait to serve again with hugh and the love wins crew. i look forward to seeing some new friends i met last saturday morning passing out biscuits.

... because i have been forgiven.

forgiveness is tricky. have you been in a situation where you thought you had forgiven someone? you think "i finally have a hold on this." but what happens when this "forgiven" person or situation comes up in conversation? even if you refrain from sharing hateful thoughts out loud, do these thoughts consume your heart and mind?

i have struggled with forgiveness in the past, and i am sure i will in the future. the difference is the perspective i have now. its really hard to assume that someone is unworthy of my compassion when i am so unworthy myself.

romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

colossians 3:12-13 says "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patients. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

i forgive because i have been forgiven.