Registering Adventure

Registering was such an adventure!

We started at Target on an early Sunday morning just after Thanksgiving with the mindset that certain things had to be picked from there, other items from another store, and completely separate items from a third place. We went into to Target thinking, "no kitchen stuff here, we'll register for that stuff at Bed Bath and Beyond." It made things frustrating at times, constantly asking the question, "Should we register for the spatulas here or somewhere else?" We would get stuck.

However, once satisfied with our Target registry, we headed to Macy's and talked with a very helpful lady who gave us a lot of tips regarding how to register. It was freeing to realize that we could double register for things! People want options when picking from a registry. Once that clicked, the registering process became fun! We spent a whole Sunday at Macy's and Bed Bath and Beyond. Cale became a real pro at shooting the registry code, and we learned a lot about each other's taste for what we wanted in our home.

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all and even become anxious, too.
I remember thinking, "What if I don't get the Kitchen Aid Mixer, or all of my china sets?"
Wow.

Now, I'm not saying registering is evil; I think it is a good way to help others help you start building a home, but I realized how entitled I felt to receive all of these things I wanted. Cale and I talked about this and came to the conclusion that it is a lot of fun picking out things for our marriage, but it needs to be done with a humble heart, knowing we deserve none of these things, and whatever we do receive from friends and family will be such a blessing.

Sorting Through Things

It's like staring at a huge pile of laundry that hasn't been washed in weeks. How do I even begin sorting through everything? What should I choose to work on first? What's actually dirty and what's clean but I was too lazy to put back on the hangers after I tried it on and chose not to wear it?

Did I take the analogy too far? haha

How could I possibly write about all the amazing and wonderful changes that have been going on in my life? It is terribly unfortunate that my blog life has suffered due to this crazy new season; documenting the experiences of falling in love, being sanctified by God's gift of engagement, and planning a wedding are all things I desire to do.

That leaves me back to the question, where do I begin? Well for starters, here is story of Cale and me along with more details about out wedding. The website is not complete, but it will be soon!

The date is set: March 12, 2011

The location is secure: Our ceremony will be held at Westminster Presbyterian in Bryan with the reception at the Giddings Stone Mansion in Brenham

The dress is purchased and being altered as we speak: Agh!

The guest list (oh my!) is complete... now on to collecting addresses!

And now we've moved on to details details details: I'm anxiously awaiting the holidays so I can forget about school and focus my attention on planning our wedding.

Hopefully, I'll keep you posted blog world and not let everything pile up like this again!

A Living Prayer

Alison Krauss and Union Station
Possibly my favorite song on their album, Lonely Runs Both Ways

The Sartin's Day at the Beach

August 8, 2010

What a lovely day in Galveston with such wonderful people.

Rereading Prayer Journals is Good for Two Things

I began, by God's grace, to consistently keep a prayer journal in the Spring of 2009. Since then I've filled three of them with prayers, sermon notes, Bible study notes, anecdotes on life etc.. Recently I decided to read through them, and have discovered that doing so is good for two things:

1.Reminders of God's faithfulness as He either answers prayers, chooses to close doors, or reveals to you areas in which you've grown

and/or

2. A good laugh

For example:

"Somewhere in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,
I
lost
myself.
Abba Father I pray that I would lose myself in Your Word..." (12.29.2010)

It was a heartfelt prayer, and I think it's important to be filling my mind with things that point me to the cross and the Gospel message daily. But looking back on this prayer, I have to chuckle. Honestly I'd rather cringe and hide my face in embarrassment after such an opening to a prayer. But I think it's good to not take yourself so seriously. There is freedom in being able to laugh at yourself... and I don't think a few months of growing up will change the fact that I'll have plenty more silly conversations with the Lord.

Sunflower

"I encourage you to be like a dolphin in the sea of our egalitarian, gender-leveling culture. Don't be like a jellyfish. The ocean of secularism that we swim in (including much of the church) drifts toward minimizing serious differences between manhood and womanhood. The culture swings back and forth as to whether women are mainly sex objects or senior vice presidents. But rarely does it ponder the biblical vision that men are called to humbly lead and protect and provide, and women are called to come in alongside with their unique gifts and strengths and help the men carry through the vision. I pray that you will be stirred...to pursue mature manhood and womanhood. More is at stake than we know. God has made marriage the showcase of his covenant love where the husband models Christ, and the wife models the church (Ephesians 5:21-33). And God calls single people to bless this vision and to cultivate an expression of leadership and support appropriate to their different relationships."

-John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence

Kid Pics

I always enjoy Friday Funnies from the Apel family's blog; the frankness and honesty of children is so refreshing and always good for a laugh. As a college student I spend quite a bit of time with families; living with one, serving in a church full of young families, and babysitting for one specifically every day. I've spent the last two years helping out the Gessner family and have grown quite fond of their kids. Yesterday Gunnar made me laugh so hard when he woke up, sleep still in his eyes and grumbled,

"Wanna hear my dream? I was Garfield and Otie got turned into a alien and I had a gun... (pause)... and I shot him... (insert some strange mumblings)... he had red eyes."

Gosh I love these kids. More fun pics to come I'm sure!

"...Hope helps us dream. Hope helps us think up ways to do good. Hope helps us pursue our ventures with virtue and integrity. It's hopelessness that makes people think they have to lie and steal and seize illicit pleasures for the moment. But hope, based on the confidence that a sovereing God is for us, gives us a thrilling impulse that I call strategic righteousness."

John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence

NEXT thought of the day.

"Grace is not a thing, there is only Jesus himself that was crucified that he might give us more of himself."
-Sinclair Ferguson

Prodigal

They sang this song at the NEXT Conference.
Gone are vague lyrics about God being good; this worship song is a beautiful portrait of our hearts toward God, and how He pursues and loves us.
Amazing.

NEXT, Here We Come

A few months ago after having breakfast with some friends I had a heart-sinking revelation: I've spent most of my life trying to honor the Lord and please Him based on how I viewed Him only to realize I didn't really know much about Him. I'd grown up in church just assuming what I was taught from people was true.

But what if it wasn't?

Literally a few days later I received a flier from a friend saying,

"We all base our lives on what we believe God is like, but is what we believe actually true?"

Wow. I was intrigued as I opened the flier and read more about the NEXT Conference. (Was the play on words intended? I have no idea... haha) It's a conference that will allow young believers like me to explore essential doctrines of the Christian faith, consider who God really is, what He accomplished through Jesus, and how the Bible should guide us in our lives.

So tomorrow we leave for NEXT. I can't wait to post about what God teaches me and how He speaks to my soul on the trip. My hope is that He would stir my affections for Him in a violent way, so I might seek Him in His Word in a passionate way. I'm looking forward to just enjoying the fellowship of other believers (those I'm going with and those I meet along the way) and growing from our conversations like I did while at Passion 2010. I'm excited for the ROAD TRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP! Did I mention it was in Baltimore, Maryland?

According to Google Maps, the trip is going to take 1 full day. Hahahahaha I'm laughing at our insanity... I mean, look at this map! That's a lot of driving, I've never gone this far north on the globe before. We're only young for a short time, so why not drive it, right?

We all went grocery shopping today for the drive and were like little kids in a candy shop when we saw the "make your own trail mix" aisle at HEB. (I'm getting an early start on documenting!) Oh how I'm looking forward to this trip!

Jeremy, Cale, Rachel, and Eric

It's been one of those days...

...where you just have to sing the gospel to yourself.

Feels like I've been singing this song to myself all morning.

Especially the part that says:

We are pressed but not crushed

Perplexed but don't despair

We are persecuted but never abandoned

We are no longer slaves

We are daughters and sons

And when we are week we are very strong.

And neither death

nor life

nor present

nor future

nor depth

nor height

can keep us from the love of Christ

And the Word I need is the Word that was

Who put on flesh to dwell with us

In the beginning...

And the Word was,

And the Word is,

And the Word will be.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Foxtrot Fun

I don't usually watch Prime Time television.
But I was hanging out with my friend Anna and we started watching Dancing with the Stars.
Everyone raved about Nicole and Derek's paso doble, but this one was my favorite. Like one of the judges said, it was "one and half minutes of pure dancing joy!" Hope it makes you happy today :)

Sister

Jillian Reed.

Isn't she lovely?

From Unveiled to the Jean Pool

I used to hate my middle name.
Jean.
I was jealous of all my friends that had the middle name Elizabeth.
I also used to hate Toby Mac.
And onions.
And wearing glasses.

Clearly things change and usually we acquire tastes for things we used to find disgusting.
I now love my middle name.
I share it with my precious grandmother.

I also used to call ice cream, hice cream
Back packs, pack packs
Vanilla, banilla
and cantaloupe, hand lotion. (no joke.)


So what is the point of this post?
I'm changing the title of this blog and calling it (more accurately) what it actually is.

The Jean Pool. (Gotta love puns)

Unveiled was me trying to overspiritualize my blog; you know, slap a bible verse theme on it and call it a day. It would be one thing if I always talked about the Gospel on here, but I don't. Sometimes I talk about my faith, but it is so much more than that.
This blog is really a collection, a pool if you will, of thoughts, pictures, videos, etc... that are either created by me or others who inspire me.

So here's to change and calling things what they are.

Pretty.

Water Talks

Saw this on Brooke Fraser's blog.

Wow!

I wonder though how much clean water was used to get this message across though... haha

Way to be a critic, Jessie.

Solidarités International: Water talks from La Boite Concept on Vimeo.

Bit by Bit and a Little Something Extra

I do enjoy reading blogs, but I try not to spend too much time on the internet. Even good surfing can be a distraction to the responsibilities and commitments we already have. That being said, I particularly love keeping up with the girltalk blog by the Mahaney women of Sovereign Grace Ministries. They posted a quote today that I found very helpful regarding how to deal with the various struggles and trials we face and I thought I'd pass it along to those of you who read this little blog.

Connect one bit of Scripture to one bit of life. In other words, always ask two questions of yourself and others: What is your current struggle? What about God in Christ connects to this?...Bring one bit of the Bible into one bit of life…You can’t deal with it all at once. Scripture never does…But a timely text brings truth down to a consumable size…change walks out in the details…This is how God made it to be. This is how He works.”

-David Powlison, "Think Globally, Act Locally," Journal of Biblical Counseling, Volume 22, Number 1, (Fall 2003): 2-10.

And something extra I'd like to add; I saw this video yesterday promoting a book called Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I thought it was so creative and it really changed the way I view studying God's Word. Hope it does the same for you!

DugDownDeep_Carnahan.mov from Covenant Life Church on Vimeo.

Fireflies and Songs

Sara Groves is a recent favorite of mine. Apparently she's been around a while, but I discovered her through Pandora Radio last semester. If you've never listened to her music, I'd first recommend her Add to the Beauty Album, her Live from Messiah College EP. Both communicate really beautiful pictures of the Gospel in every song. My favorites are "When it was Over, You are the Sun, and Just Showed up for My Own Life" from Add to the Beauty. All four songs from the EP are phenomenal and have probably become the most played songs on my iPod while walking on campus.

(On a side note, if I were the star of my own movie, Compelled would be the closing song. You know, the part of the movie where the heroine has already faced some sort of trial, but has hope and confidence in her future? The scene right before the credits. Listen to this song, close your eyes, and just picture a film sequence of me walking to the beat, hands in pockets wearing a scarf on campus. First the camera would be shooting me from a profile angle of my shoulders up, looking down pensively. Then when the song picks up, the wind would gently blow against my hair, the camera would switch to a complete full view of me and I'd look up at the sky with small smile, like it's all going to be okay... then the movie would say "The End" in pretty cursive writing. haha)

Anyway, I purchased Sara's newest album, Fireflies and Songs last week or so. I love it. It's different than the other two albums I have though, instead of trying to specifically communicate truth and doctrine, she sings about matters of the heart, her home, and life.
When her songs play, it's like I'm back at home in my old bed with my mom sitting with me as I fall asleep, gently brushing the hair out of my face. It's wonderful and I thought I'd share.

April Flowers

Spring in Texas seems to weave in and out between cold snaps and heat waves for quite awhile, and you wake up one morning unsure of when it started and when it ended. Either way, I'm thankful for the breath of life this season brings as we step outside and are greeted by such lovely flora.

The Story of Stuff and Stewardship

Our enormously productive economy... demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption... we need things consumed, burned up, replaced, and discarded at an ever-accelerating rate.

-Victor Lebow, Post WWII Economist and Retail Analyst

Wow. I read this quote in a video we watched in my Teaching in Modern Society class.

I learned about fair trade over the holiday season and have been growing in lot of aspects regarding stewardship and blessing others with the things the Lord has given me, but this video left me with my mouth wide open in my desk. If you have twenty minutes to spare, watch this.

Our level of consumption as Americans is basically destroying our environment, and the health of people all over the world. At first after watching the film I wanted to cry, there are so many things wrong with the linear system of consumption and it seems like a snowball effect that one girl is defenseless and powerless against.

But before you watch it, please consider the following: I'm no "Go Green" advocate, but it seems we can all make some changes in the way we live. I believe the purpose of God blessing us now is so that we can use it to bless others, not to buy more "stuff" ourselves. The Bible says in James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." There is so much to be done it's overwhelming, but my prayer has been that we could each make small choices in doing our part to be good stewards of this planet and the people in it.

And rather focusing on all of the things we must stop or decrease, for example buying less junk, drinking from glasses instead of water bottles, throwing away less etc... how about looking at a few things we can do? (Though these things are good steps)

I watched this video and was very much encouraged:

By purchasing products that are made by organizations who are labeled as fair trade, like Trade as One, we can have a huge positive impact on employing the poor, providing them with livable wages, fostering environmental sustainability, while discouraging slavery and child labor. Wow that's a lot. For Christmas, I bought my sister these sandals, called Ssekos which allows these women to raise money for college. I realize all of these things still involve consumption, but after years and years of being trained to consume, we're not going to be able to change completely overnight; so why not be purposeful and intentional in the things we do buy?

People tell me I'm an "over-analyzer," that I over-think things way too much. "Oh to be young and passionate" sighed my mom when I shared all of this with her. I'm so thankful for her desire to not be a slave to consumption when we were growing up. She was passionate too, and those decisions she made due to her convictions have shaped who I am. When all of my friends were shopping at the mall for recreation, she encouraged playtime and honestly I never appreciated that until now. Some of my favorite childhood memories involve our family throwing a frisbee all evening long in the cul-de-sac. In the hustle and bustle of high school college life, I'd almost forgotten about these values she encouraged in us.

So that was a little off topic... anyway...

It's time to wake up and and be a better consumer, a better steward of the money, time, relationships, and planet the Lord has so graciously given me. Hope your eyes have been opened as well.

A Modest Heart During Swim Season

Summer is fast approaching and these few words just give me the heebie-jeebies:

Swim Suit Shopping

Most people might think that as a competitive swimmer for years, I wouldn't have a problem with this. But here's the deal, apart from the fact that those cheap Target two pieces make me feel naked when compared to the heavy-duty polyester suits I wore because they lasted forever, modesty is a semi-new concept I'm trying to sort through.
I've learned a lot about it in the Her Hands class I'm taking, and well, my eyes have been opened. I've heard a couple of sermons about modesty also and was shocked to realize how hard it for guys not to think bad things when we girls dress inappropriately. It is a battle for them if they desire to honor the Lord. So, I want to help my brothers out.

It's hard though. It's summer and I want to wear short shorts and breezy shirts. But I don't think one should go about this modesty issue by following a set of rules and measuring stick.
We've got to ask ourselves while in the dressing room, or in our closets, "Why do I want to wear this? To gain his attention? To feel sexy? To show off some part of my body?"

In our Bible study, we read this 1 Timothy 2:9-10

"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."

Maybe we're ignorant of the fact that what we wear affects guys in ways we can't imagine. Maybe we've never realized God not only values modesty, but also a heart that desires to serve others. There is so much more to modesty than just not wearing short shorts, skimpy bikinis, or low cut v-necks. It's a heart issue we've got to work through.

Until then, what's a girl to during swim suit season if she wants to be modest at the pool, but not look like her grandma? Because let's face it, the above picture is about as modest as Ariel got while in the water... which makes me sad because I loved The Little Mermaid. Heather (who leads the study) showed us the website called Lime Ricki. There are quite a few suits to choose from, and they are really cute and modest.

Heather is actually giving away a free suit this week, so if your interested check out her blog post. My favorites are Chloe, Charly, and Lucy. (Not shown below.) Check out the site for all their styles!

Better Days

I should preface this sentence by admitting it is quite corny and I'm 100% okay with that. I truly believe the Lord pursued me through KSBJ radio. Really.

It was an odd first taste of independence; turning sixteen and receiving my driver's license. Unlike most girls my age, I spent over two hours each day in this new car... sitting in traffic on my way to swim practice each morning and evening. The romanticism of it all died away after a week and driving became a chore to be quite honest.

Then something amazing happened. I discovered KSBJ and the car rides changed. Instead of hearing the dj's do segments that tore relationships apart (Anyone from the Houston area ever listen to Roula and Ryan's Roses? Someone would call in saying she suspected her partner was cheating on her. Then Roula would would try and trick the partner into sending free roses to whoever he wanted to see if he would send them to anyone other than the person calling. It was sickening yet addicting,) the dj's talked about how God could heal relationships and make them stronger for His glory. The songs brought me hope and offered something I was craving but hadn't been able to put my finger on. As I began to recognize and memorize the songs' lyrics, I'd realize in church that many of these words were directly pulled from the Bible! It was so exciting to realize that I was singing praises inspired by God himself; His Word took on new meaning for me and since then I've experienced a transformation that can only be attributed to God and His guiding will over my life.

Last night I went with friends to the Robbie Seay Band concert in Bryan and one of songs reminded me of God's work in my life during that specific period. On a particularly rough day I was driving home from practice, really stressed out and exhausted. On the verge of tears I heard these sweet words playing softly through the radio for the first time,

First of all, thanks for listening to our song,
we hope this finds you driving in your car,
or where ever you are breath out and breath again
know that life is hard, but its worth it in the end.
Listen to me now for the love, oh love,
it's waiting for you now, just to say
here come better days here come better days,
better days, and a better place I know...

Their song did find me in my car on that rather ordinary day, but something extraordinary has happened since then in that I have found that kind love he sings about that's better than anything even the best day has to offer. That song found me again, four years later, somewhere else breathing in and breathing out last night, in need of a reminder of where I was and where God has me now. I'm still a girl in need of grace, but so very thankful that I have a God who pours it lavishly on those He loves.

God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:9-11

Not In My Head.

Over Valentines Day weekend, I managed to get sick with a virus.... that never seemed to go away. After a few days the fever was gone, the general sick feeling had left my body, but I was still so very tired all the time. Since then, I'd get out of bed every morning and look forward to when I could get back in it. And this strange perpetual tiredness has affected my school work, Project 365, my desire to be in the Word and pray, attend my weekly activities that usually bring me so much joy and so much more.

I've been sleeping 8 hours every night.

I've been eating healthier than I have in a long time.

My schedule has been somewhat stressful, but nothing out of the ordinary.

My boss told me it was probably all in my head.

And I was beginning to think I was depressed.

Then I remembered Heather's blog post and decided to call the doctor.

Tuesday I got my blood taken and today I found out I have mono.

Gross.

I told my boss as soon as I found out to validate my recent change in work performance.

Bad idea.

He laughed and laughed and asked what boys I'd been kissing... ha.

Oh well, it may be a while before I really start to feel better, but at least I know it wasn't all in my head.

Grayson's Tree

My cousin is having a baby this week.
His name is Grayson David Lund and I'm super excited for him to be here so I can be an "Aunt Jessie" because it sounds better the "1st-Cousin-Once-Removed-Jessie."
Because I'm a pretty poor college student, and itching to be creative, my baby gift wasn't something Morgan could unwrap, nor something Grayson could wear, but something to make his nursery super special. It allowed me to spend a lot of quality time with Morgan too, which was so good considering her life is going to be crazy for the next few weeks... probably months... and heck... probably years! Enjoy.

Two Friday Nights of Painting and Hanging out with the Lunds

Get here soon and enjoy your tree Grayson!
(Most of the photo credits go to Morgan's husband, Dave)

My Best Friend's Engagement

It's crazy how fast things change.
Less than a year ago I sat talking about fall 2009 living arrangements with a young woman who loved Jesus so much and had this peace and contentment in life that I'd never seen in person before. Where my life seemed like a constant struggle with God, Bailey was submissive and obedient to Christ's purpose in her life, and it intrigued me.
God was moving in her life and it was something I longed for in mine.

This summer Bailey told me about Jeff. (First she brought up the strange guy, Mark... but most of the conversation was about Jeff.) So many wonderful things. The letters. The first dates. His intentionality. His love for the Lord. His handy-man qualities. She was excited and really liked him it was obvious, but she wasn't swept away by some fleeting romantic whim and I respected the fact that she was complete with or without Jeff.

Over the fall and winter months, I've grown so much closer to God because of the work He is doing in and through Bailey. Her devotion to spending time with His Word and studying the Scriptures has encouraged me and held me accountable to do the same. God has pursued me through this friendship, and is now more than ever pursuing me with His Word.

Like I said before, Jeff doesn't complete Bailey, nor vice-versa, yet they complement each other beautifully and bring even more glory to God through their relationship with each day they are together. It has been amazing see God teach and mold the two of them (though I really only see things from Bailey's point of view) into two people who love Him, His Word, and His children.

I remember when she first told me about Jeff. I remember when she showed me the letters he wrote her at Sky Ranch. I remember when he was excited to meet me just because I was Bailey's friend. I remember that first morning he cooked us both pancakes, and later secretly planning a Skype and macaroni date for them. It was sweet to hear Bailey finally say she loved him, and getting the fateful phone call from Jeff saying that he wanted my best friend to be his wife, and that he wanted my help in planning the proposal. It really has happened so fast, but it's been an amazing journey.

In short, she said yes and they'll be married before the sun sets on the last day of this year.

Jeff - the proposal was beautiful. The ring is perfect. Your pursuit of Bailey was amazing. You've raised the standard for what a relationship should look like in my life, and I praise God for that.

For the details, check out Bailey's account of Jeff's proposal on our Project 365 post.

I love you Bailey, and I can't wait to help plan this wedding and continue walking beside you through all these changes!

Unworthy

I met Kristin at New Life Baptist back in August.

She invited me to Passion 2010 and since then we've become great friends.

In so many ways God has blessed me and taught me and encouraged me by her friendship.

Today it was in the form of a song.

She said the Lord was the author, and was simply the messenger.

Click the link, and please listen. The music is beautiful, and the lyrics are Truth; enjoy.

Unworthy by Kristin Schroder

03-09-10 O Come, Awakening

Chances are, if you get in the car with me for at least a month after March 9, 2010, you will hear this CD playing through the speakers.

I learned at Passion 2010 that worship gives us freedom to be truly joyful in the salvation of Jesus Christ. These songs will be my daily anthems and provide more reminders of the Gospel as I drive to work, school, or the coffee shop. God is good. Believe it. Sing it. Live it!

As I looked through the track list, I wanted to stand up, dance and re-sing the truths I heard and sang nearly a month ago. Oh haste the day when the mailman comes with this delivery!

Track listing:
1. Awakening – Chris Tomlin
2. Say, Say – Kristian Stanfill
3. Our God – Chris Tomlin
4. How He Loves – The David Crowder*Band
5. Healing is in Your Hands – Christy Nockels
6. King of Heaven (Isaiah 61) – Charlie Hall
7. You Alone Can Rescue – Matt Redman
8. Where the Spirit of the Lord Is – Chris Tomlin/Christy Nockels
9. Rise and Sing – FEE
10. Like a Lion – The David Crowder*Band
11. Chosen Generation – Chris Tomlin
12. With Everything – Hillsong United

Psalm 131

My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

Be Sure to Wear a Flower in Your Hair

Sydney and I made flower hair accessories recently.
We we were hanging out over the break and I had an itch to go to Hobby Lobby.
After wandering for a bit, I remembered my friend Jenny and her hair creations and we marched straight to the silk flower section.
With the aid of our trusty hot glue gun, we made tons of flower/bobby pin and head band creations. (Most of which we split and gave to girls at Disciple Now as a little party favor of sorts.) This was fun and super easy, you should try it! And even better, get your brother and sister's boyfriend to model them with you afterward.

Jacskon, Jill, Tyler, Me, and Sydney
We rocked our flowers didn't we?

What I Learned at Passion 2010

We were sitting in LIFE Group on Wednesday, discussing what happened in our lives over the break and areas in our lives where we needed prayer; I was listening intently and jotting down the prayer requests as they came, knowing later I'd be emailing them out to the group for the week.
When it was my turn to share, the advice my dad gives me on a monthly basis, "think before you speak," slipped my brain. I said with a flip of my hair, "I GOT BANGS!" No one really got my Legally Blonde reference, but they still laughed. Sadly though, I hadn't taken the time to think about anything specific, nor meaningful to say after that. What followed was a two minute monologue with little organization or coherent thoughts. I'd learned so much over the break, especially at Passion, but I realized it does little good if I can't share it with others in a somewhat organized fashion.
In short, I was a bit embarrassed and decided the next morning to write down what God taught me over the break.

• The most important thing I learned is that Gospel isn't something we only need to hear once when we're saved; we need to speak the Gospel to ourselves daily and share it with nonbelievers and our brothers and sisters in Christ frequently.

• I learned to find peace in the fact that God doesn't necessarily call us to a ministry or a job, but He calls us to Himself

• I learned that we should tremble at the Word of God and proclaim that we are not just flesh and bones but we are of divine nature, chosen by God

• I learned that often we must make right or left decisions without blatant directions, but rather carefully, yet boldly choose and pray that God will bless that decision and trust that He'll use it for His good purpose

• I learned that God is good, but He is just and He is righteous because He kept his promises that we would receive mercy and that sin would be crushed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

• That when we praise God, our joy is complete and He is most glorified

• I learned that I need not be chained to the lies of this world, that instead I can proclaim, We know where the Spirit of the Lord is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty! ... after singing this every night at Passion it was cool to see it came from 2 Corinthians 3:17

• I learned about many injustices of the world and felt my heart softened towards the needs of others and desire to serve them through prayer and giving

• And lastly (for the sake of the blog) I learned that people need to be prayed for and want to be prayed over: on the way to Passion we stopped at a gas station and started visiting with the woman behind the cash register. She told us about her granddaughter, Asha who was sick with a rare disease, and asked that if we believed in God to pray for them. Wonderful Kristin asked if we could pray right then and there, and we did. It was slightly awkward, yet amazing to be vulnerable with that woman in the middle rural Alabama. At Disciple Now last Sunday, I saw a woman crying at the alter after the service was over. Encouraged by the latter experience, I (the girl afraid of praying aloud in most group settings with people I don't know) had the boldness to ask this woman named Melissa if I could pray for her right then and there and, we did. We prayed and we cried and we stood holding hands filled with the Spirit. We are broken, and we need each other, this I've come to truly understand in recent weeks.

There is still so much to learn. Each day has enough challenges and things to process on it's own. But I'll quiet my soul and rest in the promises of God's Word.

My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.

-Psalm 131

God's Mystery in Haiti

All week I've been getting ready for Disciple Now in my hometown.
But the past two days I've been distracted.
And unlike the D-Now of 2 years ago, it's not by a boy and a broken heart, but an earthquake and a broken nation.
I'm talking about the earthquake in Haiti.
After going to Passion 2010, my heart towards the lost, the poor, the invisible, the powerless of the world has been softened. I was stirred almost to tears by the photos in the Houston Chronicle but felt almost frozen. What do I do? How do I respond to this? The people of New Life Church are so encouraging and have provided access to ways in which we can help Haiti and how to see God in this disaster as well.

Pat Robertson says Haitians made a pact with the devil and they're being punished.
An angry commentator in reaction to these claims said that God has nothing to do with it.
I'm just trying to make heads or tails of it all.
Then Jenn Bacak sent our church this link to John Piper's website called Desiring God in regards to the 2004 Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka; it relates so well to the earthquake Haiti.

It was an interview by a woman who asked a lot of tough questions I think we all want answered in such a time as this.

Things like if God is omniscient and omnipresent and good, why did He let the Tsunami hit all those people?

If God works for the good of those who love Him, will we ever understand His purposes behind the tsunami?

Could God have stopped the wave if He wanted to, and if so, why didn't He?

I wish I could answer them as beautifully and comprehensively as Mr. Piper did.
But I can't.
So if you want to get some real, Biblical perspective on the subject of God's role in disasters, set aside some time (like when you're getting dressed and doing your hair/make-up in the morning like I did haha) to listen to this audio clip.

Desiring God Audio Clip

Mr. Piper quoted these verses more than once and felt them as something tangible to hold onto in these circumstances:

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:32-39

So in response to this I hope you realize that while we are wanting anwers to they "why and how" questions, we need to be active.
Active in prayer and in giving.
A sweet, sweet girl who is involved in Compassion International sent me this link to how we can help by donations.

Compassions Relief Website

May this tragedy pull you closer to God. May you see His power in the ability to literally move mountains. May you weep with those weeping in Haiti and help in any way you can, we asked the kids going to Dnow to bring a few dollars for the Haiti Relief Fund as a way to Live and Love the way Christ calls us to.
Isn't all of this for His glory anyway?

“"A prayerless soul is a Christ-less soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watch­word, the comfort, the strength, the honor of a Christian. If you are a child of God, you will seek your Father’s face and live in your Father’s love. Pray that this year you may be holy, humble, zeal­ous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter more often into the banqueting house of His love. Pray that you may be an example and a blessing to others, and that you may live more to the glory of your Master. The motto for this year must be: ‘Devote yourselves to prayer”

-Charles Spurgeon

268 Generation

God blew me away with Passion 2010.
The night before Kristin, Chelsi, Amanda and I made the journey to Atlanta, Georgia we went and saw the movie Avatar.
As we were watching the opening credits with excitement, Kristin leaned over and whispered a very profound comment as stated by John Piper. We get so excited about these kind of epic movies because we long to be a part of something big like them.
As I stood in this arena, overlooking 20,000 students all singing praises to our amazing God, it hit me:
We are apart of something big! We are part of God's Kingdom, chosen by him to serve an eternal purpose!
Passion 2010 was so big. And I was so excited to apart of this huge wave, this magnificent movement of college students coming together to proclaim,

"Yes Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for you, for your name and your renown are the desire of our souls." -Isaiah 26:8

I'm overwhelmed and extremely excited to be a part of something bigger. Something so big, our words limit its grandeur.
Our God is so good. We are not just flesh and bones! We are of a divine nature, a generation chosen by God to proclaim His greatness and live in His freedom!

We know where the Spirit of the Lord is.
Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty!

More to come as I sort through all that has been revealed.Photos taken by Passion 2010 crew.
Check out the blog for more photos and info about the 268 generation!