Speaking of the Heart...

Tell her something true when all she's known are lies.

Tell her God loves her.

Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses.

All these things are true.

We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless.

We don't get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers.

We won't solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way.

We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we're called home.

-Taken from To Write Love On Her Arms Bio-

Begin in mercy a new work of love within me....

I read this prayer last night... and well.. it was the prayer of my heart.... and possibly yours... it was too sweet not to share.

O God, I have tasted your goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
O God, the true God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.
Say to my soul, "Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away."
Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from the misty lowland where I have wandered so long.
In Jesus' name... Amen.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERICA!!!!

My dear sweet friend Erica Hall is another year older today!

Here are a few reasons why I love her:

(in random order)

She knows me and still love me (vice versa)

She is still a kid @ heart (think DisneyWorld)

She has been skydiving

She is independent

She calls it likes she see's it

Her favorite hobby is TV. (hillarious & very true)

She likes wings like I do.

I can always count on her to tell me the truth, even if I don't want to hear it.

We have done some of the dumbest things together... seriously we should have been abducted on numerous occasions.

She makes me laugh... A LOT!

She laughs at me, even when I am not funny... but its still a fake laugh so I know.. haha.

Hottie Tottie

She likes to pet people. (it is very comforting, yet weird to some... I rather love it)

She has good taste in music.

She drinks Diet Caffinated Soft Drinks almost as much as I do.

She is extremely dependable & loyal.

She likes the water as much as I do... we would totally have played Little Mermaid if we were friends as kids.

She loves her family and let me play with her neice and nephew.

We both really love reality TV... like sometimes I swear we think it is real & the people on the show are our friends in real life... its seriously ridiculous.

**Please note photo above: We went to Bar Charlotte (gross, we know) after college (we weren't kiddos) to go meet the cast of Laguna Beach... yeah thats right, we were down before The Hills or The City....

Happy Birthday Erica. You are extremely loved!!!! Cheers!

Have it your way....BUT don't get CRAZAY....

If you are in need of a giggle or two:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkdcYlOn5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsWrY77o77o

My first mini (literally) Photo Shoot

A few Saturday's ago, one of my dearest friends let me join her to watch her sweet neice and nephew, Ella & Andrew. The twins were such a fun time. Its so precious to see how they already know who their Aunt Erica is and love her so much. I love the pictures where I got them just grinning at their favorite Aunt. hehe.

So I thought I would share some of my first pics. Although I have no clue what I am doing, I think they turned out pretty darn good. Enjoy the cuteness.

Not Lacking Anything

Yesterday, I found myself on my face reading from James and the entire book is really amazing... and short, for those of you who are ADD like myself... ha.

But it was a moment of goodness. Like the Lord was telling me to persevere, find my joy, and ASK for Him when I need to. He knows I am useless without Him, I do too.... but sometimes God can just smack you in the face with His Word, in a way that makes you so grateful.


Some Scripture Taken from the Book of James:

2-6: 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.

12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will recieve the crown of life that God, has promised to those who love Him.

Give me one Glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow hard after You.

I woke up this morning late... walked out the door and there at my feet was the sweetest little card that said Ms. Lauren Tate...

I thought an angel must have left this for me!
I opened the sweet little package to see that not only did I have a starbucks gift card (pumpkin spice lattes can make me smile no matter what) but a sweet little note from an amazing woman in my life and encouraging scriptures to get me through today.

So I thought I would share some of that goodness:

No test of temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He will never let you be pushed past your limit; He will always be there to help you through it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait patiently. -Romans 8: 24-25

I ask Him to strengthen you by His Spirit, not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you will be able to take in with Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth. Test its lengths. Plumb the depths. Rise to the heights. Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

So yes, I did get a gift from a little angel this morning. Right on my doorstep. I do not deserve such love. But man, I could over flow with gratefulness...

Goodness Lord, you have humbled me with the way you are speaking through the people in my life, and I am so crazy grateful. Its beyond comprehension, how good You are to me.

Sometimes when you are walking aimlessly through a fog, through the cloudiness, is a light that guides us.