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.