We Encourage - My Hubby

As I sat down today, trying to decide what to write for We Encourage Tuesday, I was suddenly reminded of the blog post my husband wrote yesterday.

(Isn't he so cute?!?)

His post was similar to my post from yesterday in content, but much more detailed and truly inspiring.

It was such an encouragement for me to read his thoughts and see his heart shine through the words he typed.

I hope they will encourage you as well.

Check out his blog post here.

Stepping Out

We spent the day Saturday at a missions conference.

Only this missions conference was very different than any I'd ever gone to or heard of before.

We met in the morning for worship and a short message...and then were sent out to minister to homeless people in the city.

We were all assigned different areas to serve in, as there were over 500 of us that attended the conference.

I was on a team where we delivered meals to people who don't leave their apartments very often. Our "job" was to deliver the meals, and ask people if they needed prayer, and to pray for them.

It was an amazing day. We were able to pray over many different people...some even on the streets as we were walking from building to building.

We also listened to people's stories and shared Jesus with them.

It was amazing to be a part of...and amazing to hear the stories of what others did throughout the day.

We ate dinner in a local food court that night...and what culture shock that was! To see all these people walking around with their bags from a long day of shopping...

Source

It just made me realize how comfortable I am all of the time.

And watching various homeless people walking around the food court...looking for the leftover food people didn't finish eating...it just broke my heart.

In the morning, we sang a part of the song Hosanna. The part that says:

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 for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Jesus definitely broke my heart for the people we came across.

My prayer is that I will continue to love those around me...even those I come across in the grocery store or in Starbucks...and share Jesus with them.

Favorite Color

It's time for another Inspiration Workshop with Gussy!

This week's prompt was your favorite color.


Purple has always been my favorite color. I love it so much...

From lilac and lavendar, all the way to the very deep and rich purples...it's just beautiful.

I thought I'd share a couple of wedding pics so you could see how I incorporated this very amazing color into my wedding.

(Purple and yellow were my wedding colors. I loved the contrast from the deep purple to the bright yellow - and while that is not my natural color, as I dyed over brown to get it back to blonde, it is pretty close to it)

(My beautiful friends wore these David's Bridal dresses in the shade of Victorian Lilac. I loved it)


I've also always wanted to dye all of my hair dark brown and put purple streaks in it. I think that would be divine...

What is your favorite color?

Beautiful Encouragement

I had a really rough day today and received some amazing encouragement from some dear friends.

Here is some of what they shared with me:

"Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway"
(quote by Mary C. Crowley shared with me by B.H.)

"When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart"
(quote by John Bunyan also shared by B.H.)

He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10, shared with me by S.S.)

(Another beautiful pic from our honeymoon)

No matter where you find yourself this evening/morning/afternoon, know that God is there to listen to your worries. Know that when you experience moments of feeling weak, that is when God is strong.

And, if that is the case, bring on the weak moments!

(Linking up with Jami)

Initial Reactions

My church, for the last three years, has had a women's worship night...with women leading worship and women speakers. The first two were amazing...so part of me wanted to go to this year's (which happened to be last night).

But there was another part of me that didn't want to go at all...

I saw a picture of the women's band that was coming to play...and I really had my doubts that it was going to be all that amazing.

Yet, I needed a night out with the ladies, so I decided I was going to go...whether it was lame or not.

My dear friend decided it would be fun to get a group of women to go out to dinner beforehand, which sounded like a blast to me. She put an open invite out on Facebook to all the women in our church. We ended up with a very diverse group of ladies in very different places in life. But, it was such a blessing...knowing that we are all a part of the body of Christ...and that we all have each other.


When we arrived at the church for the worship night, I was pleasantly surprised. The women's band was a.maz.ing. They shared parts of their testimonies, and had many of us sharing empathetic tears. It was a huge blessing to be there...and I know God orchestrated it to be just the way it was for me...and for all of the other women there.


When I got home last night, I started thinking about how often I allow my initial reactions to shape my overall view of things. It's like that whole conditioning concept: the way someone reacts to something the first time they experience it tends to condition the way they'll react the next time...which will probably be very similar to the first.

Even though my experiences with the other two worship nights had been positive...my initial reaction to this one was negative.

I hate that, in many situations, I tend to think of the negative before the positive. I see all the things that could go wrong...instead of focusing on what could go right.



And, many times, I will try to get myself out of situations that seem too negative to me...instead of seeing that God could have a purpose for me being in them.


I hate that, as Americans, we are so consumed with being comfortable and safe. Where does it say in the Bible that we are supposed to be comfortable and safe all the time? We are called to go into the world and preach the Gospel to all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 28:19-20). It doesn't have a disclaimer that says, "But only when it's safe to do so...and only in situations that you are most comfortable". We are not called to live comfortable lives that don't involve risk...we are called to share God's love with everyone.


I realize that my story of the worship night last night is not a story of risking my personal safety to share the Gospel with someone...but I think it just reminded me how often we choose not to do things...because they are out of our comfort zone or don't seem to be "fun".

I really want to live my life not worrying about being safe or comfortable. I really do want to live the way God has called all of us to live. And, even though I know I am not perfect...and I tend to get hung up on stupid things...I really do want my life to reflect Christ.



That is what is on my heart today.

(All photos were taken on our honeymoon 3 1/2 years ago)

(Linking up with Casey)

Inspiration Workship: Front Porch

It's time for Gussy's Inspiration Workshop!

This week's prompt was the Front Porch.

I do like our front porch...I think it's darling...but we live near a vegetable processing plant...and it always smells nasty outside during the summer. So, it's not really a place we tend to hang out.

So, if we lived somewhere else, I would like a porch like this...

(Pinned by Morgan via oldfield1732)

I love all the greenery and home-y it looks.


Or, maybe a porch like this...

(Pinned by Natalie via sheseespretty)

Isn't this just gorgeous? I love how clean it looks...with that sweet pop of baby blue.


Or, maybe this porch...

(Pinned by Teri via marthastewart)

This one looks so cozy. It makes me want to curl up with a book and lightweight blanket...and waste the day away.

What kind of front porch would you love to have (it can be yours, of course)?

(All pictures came from Pinterest)

Food is Not my Friend

I love fast food.

Like, a lot.

I pretty much like any food that is not good for me to eat in excess.

Yet lately, I've just been so sick of it.

Nothing fried even sounds good to me.

(Yellow squash and zucchini)

Maybe it's because I've been feeling convicted to get healthy again.

(Add a little extra virgin olive oil so they don't stick to the pan)

For those that don't know, I used to be a ballerina (WAY back in the day. We're talking 10 years ago). It was my passion for the majority of my life. I lived and breathed it.

(Add a little salt...and a little pepper)

Right around the time I turned sixteen, I decided to just take jazz dance lessons and stop the ballet. I took jazz for another three years before I quit dancing altogether.

(Stir frequently so they don't burn)

And, when I quit dancing, I quit exercising on a regular basis...and I have never been able to get back into that routine (for those that know how old I am, you'll know it's been quite a few years that I haven't been working out).

(Once they're getting close to being done, add a little butter or margarine)

Needless to say, I've tried, on and off, to get into something...but nothing ever sticks...because I love eating horrible food and I love watching TV in the evenings with my husband.

(Let the butter melt completely)

So, I finally decided it was time to change all that.

(Voila! Don't they look yummy?)

I exercised twice this week...for the first time in about a month and a half...and it felt good! I got the sweat going, I got my heart racing, and I was out of breath. It was such a good feeling.

(Red potatoes, washed and ready to be cut up)

The hubby and I also made dinner together on Tuesday night (for those that don't know me very well, I am not a huge fan of cooking). It was so much fun! Josh was outside BBQing up some chicken breasts while I was inside cooking up some yummy yellow squash and zucchini, and red potatoes with rosemary and basil (and now the pictures finally make sense, huh?). We topped off our meal with a glass of milk. It was fabulous! We both enjoyed it so much and felt healthy while we were eating it. We decided that we are going to try our best to eat like that as often as we can. While we both love our pasta and other things that aren't the best for us, we both are sick of not feeling good about ourselves.

(I cut each potato in four sections)

So, my goal is to exercise at least 3 times a week, and to cook at least 5 healthy meals in a week. I'm also being careful not to just eat whatever I feel like. When I've had the urge to eat something sweet, I've instead grabbed some baby carrots. One thing I have not decided to give up is soda. There may come a day in the near future that I change my mind...but for now...that is my splurge (and trust me, I don't drink soda all the time. On an average week, I probably only have four or five total).

(Put a little extra virgin olive oil in the pan, as well as some rosemary and basil)

I set some other goals, too...but those can be saved for another blog post.

(I kept them covered most of the time and just shook the pan a few times to make sure they weren't burning. It only took about 15 mins for them to cook)

If anyone has any advice on ways to eat healthy or tips on good exercise programs (that preferably do not require a gym membership or tons of money), I would be very grateful!

(The finished product! I don't have any pics of the chicken...because I was inside taking care of everything else while my husband was BBQing outside. He just used a little bit of teriyaki sauce on the chicken breasts)

Revelation

So, when I initially sat down to write this blog, I thought I'd write about how we got scammed yesterday.

But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there's no point dwelling on it.

It's over, it's done...and hopefully the one who did the scamming was blessed.


Instead, I'm going to focus on the good stuff we talked about with our college group tonight.

We're doing a short series on the basic doctrines of our faith. Last week, we studied the Trinity. Tonight, we talked about Revelation (and no, I don't mean the last book in the Bible with all the crazy stuff).

We talked about how God reveals things to us in His Word.

Some are general revelations - things that most people know about, like that we all have a conscience, for instance (see Romans 2:14-15). Others are special - things like supernatural occurrences, such as Jesus being the image of the invisible God (see Colossians 1:15-17 and Hebrews 1:1-3).

We also talked about this verse:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
(2 Timothy 3:16, NIV)

It's important, as believers, for us to believe that. How can we accept something as truth if we don't believe what it says?


I love the fact that, no matter how often I read the same verse or the same passage, I get something different out of it. That is God revealing His living Word to me! He wants to speak to me, where I'm at, with something I need to hear. And, the times I'm not having things revealed to me, are usually the times that I'm not spending time in the Word.

(Linking up with Casey)

Greater Than Gold

I am so excited about the start of Jami's new linky party, We Encourage.

At first, I thought I'd just link up the post I wrote on Sunday night...but after reading the following section last night, I decided to write a new blog.

These verses spoke volumes to me last night:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
(1 Peter 1:3-9, NIV)

I love this.

Our faith, is of greater worth than gold.

We go through trials so that our faith may be shown to be genuine...which causes us to praise Jesus.

And, why do we have inexpressible and glorious joy? Because we are receiving salvation.

What a wonderful God we serve!

Childlike Faith

We read through the first two sections of Matthew 18 in church tonight...

The sections about when the disciples tried to keep the little children from coming to Jesus...and the shepherd that leaves the 99 sheep to go after the one that is lost.

We also compared it to the same story in Luke 15.

I was blown away at this reminder of how much my Savior truly loves each and every one of His children.

He is willing...at any moment...to leave 99 of us behind, that are following wholeheartedly after Him, to pursue the one of us that has gone down our own path.


Does that make you stand in awe of your God?

Does that make you long to worship Him?


As we looked at the section about the little children, we talked about how we used to be when we were children.


The things we used to get so excited about.

The things that we were awestruck with.


Things like:

Eating ice cream for the first time.

Seeing someone we looked up to (i.e. pilot, police officer, super hero, singer).


Why don't we automatically have that same awe and excitement about Jesus and the amazing things He's done for us?

It's time we return to a state of childlike faith...

It's time we take the opportunity to stand in awe of our God...and be excited for all He's done and is going to do.



(Make sure you pause the music at the bottom to listen to this great song)

Tests

Life is chock full of tests.

Some are written, some are oral.

Some are graded, some grant credit.

Some bring smiles to people's faces, other's bring tears of sorrow.

Some we go through on a daily basis, others are once in a lifetime...or come and go.

Regardless of the kind of test, we all deal with 'em.


In light of dealing with some various kinds of tests myself, I hope my response will be a positive one. I hope the light of Jesus will shine through me...even on days when it might be really hard to do so. I hope God will get a lot of glory.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
(James 1:2-6, NIV)

Amen.

(Linking up with Casey)

Headband Challenge

Being a lover of my just.lovely.things headbands, I happily accepted Little Miss Momma's challenge to wear a headband every day for a week! It was a lot of fun and much easier than I thought. I even tried to do my hair different every day, to find other ways to wear my headbands. Here are the pics of my week!

At a pro ball game with our college group! (Hair in a ponytail)

Before college group! (Hippie style!)

My night out by myself...I went to see Harry Potter again! (Messy ponytail not pulled all the way through)

Getting ready for my sister's dance recital (Straight hair)

On my way to church! (Scrunched up curly hair pulled back at the sides)

Getting ready for a date night with the hubby! (Ponytail)

Getting ready to head out to my women's Bible study! (Half up, half down)

I pulled off the challenge...seven days in a row!

My thoughts on the challenge?

I definitely need to buy more headbands! I only have four, which I love...but I would definitely like a few more!

Loved this challenge!!

(Sorry the Instagram pics are so grainy...they looked much nicer on my phone!)

Change

A lot of changes are occurring right now.

Mostly because a new school year is starting soon...and that always brings change.

My hubby's work schedule is changing back to normal (he was working four 10 hour days in the summer and had Friday's off, which was so nice). We have some students in the college group moving to go to school, or moving up into the next group.

I also spent the weekend by myself because Josh was down south for his best friend's wedding. I would have gone with him, but it would have cost us so much extra money to do so. With me not going, he was able to stay with his guy friends and save money. So, we sacrificed going together.

It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be...mostly because my initial plans were changed and I was at home by myself most of the weekend.

But, we survived, he's back home, and life is back to normal...

Sort of...

I don't really like change. It's probably one of my least favorite things. I like trying new foods, going to new places, and meeting new people, for sure. But, in all of those things, I can return to my normal life. I don't like the kind of change that shakes things up or causes me to lose parts of my life that I've loved for so long.

And yet, I always seem to adapt and adjust...just like we all do when things change. It's just hard at first to get over that initial hump.


It is now a new week, full of new possibilities...and I am hoping to embrace them.

Deo Volente (God willing)

(Linking up with Casey)