so it's been a while. longer than a while, actually. it's been 5 months.
it's funny what a different place i'm in today, on december 24, than i was on july 12. very different place indeed.
there are seven days left in 2011. just seven. at the onset of a new year, it seems like eternity before christmas and the approach of yet another new year. but once christmas hits, i always - without fail - look back and wonder how in the world it's come again so soon.
i have much to be thankful for. but mostly i am thankful for the sweet little jesus boy who was born in a manger, grew up to be a carpenter, who went to the cross and took the nails for me so that when i look back over 2011, i don't have to look back with regret. his wounds heal the hurt of my mistakes and my regrets and my disappointments. i'm thankful that i don't have to look forward with fear. his resurrection secured my hope and my joy not matter what this new year holds.
happy, happy christmas, friends. delight in the lord this holiday season.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
summertime and the livin's easy
scorching temperatures and 100% humidity aside, i love summer. i always have. summer in the south - especially summer in a small, southern town - is magic. here's why:
lightening bugs
thunderstorms
being caught in the rain unexpectedly
a cold beer sitting on the deck at edisto
sunset at 9 pm
the way the sunshine looks through the rain during an aftenoon storm
star gazing
staying up late
humid nights spent outside
sundresses
tan lines and sunburn
coming in from being on the water all day - sunburned, exhausted, hungry, and freezing
being on the water
sitting in a chair right in the surf with a cold diet coke, my ipod, and a good book
the smell of salty air
the beach breeze
standing in the surf as the tide comes up and buries my feet
baseball games at night
fireworks
sun on my face = less make up
beach hair - salty water and humid air = extra curly
afternoon naps
reading good books
hot leather seats in my car
shade from weeping willows
sunshine through tree-lined streets - it looks like a stained-glass window
live music at la fiesta
edisto week
golf carts
boys in fishin shirts
windows down, sunroof open, and the AC on full blast singing crazy loud to old john mellancamp
grilling out
geraniums and ferns on front porches
aviators
my birthday
downtown greenville
coral nail polish
seersucker
country music, country music, and more country music - particularly coming from big trucks
the cutlass
counting the seconds between thunder and lightening
mason jars
the fourth of july
sweet tea so sweet it's more like syrup
the smell of a grill
tomato sandwiches on white bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper
the smell of freshly cut grass
lightening bugs
thunderstorms
being caught in the rain unexpectedly
a cold beer sitting on the deck at edisto
sunset at 9 pm
the way the sunshine looks through the rain during an aftenoon storm
star gazing
staying up late
humid nights spent outside
sundresses
tan lines and sunburn
coming in from being on the water all day - sunburned, exhausted, hungry, and freezing
being on the water
sitting in a chair right in the surf with a cold diet coke, my ipod, and a good book
the smell of salty air
the beach breeze
standing in the surf as the tide comes up and buries my feet
baseball games at night
fireworks
sun on my face = less make up
beach hair - salty water and humid air = extra curly
afternoon naps
reading good books
hot leather seats in my car
shade from weeping willows
sunshine through tree-lined streets - it looks like a stained-glass window
live music at la fiesta
edisto week
golf carts
boys in fishin shirts
windows down, sunroof open, and the AC on full blast singing crazy loud to old john mellancamp
grilling out
geraniums and ferns on front porches
aviators
my birthday
downtown greenville
coral nail polish
seersucker
country music, country music, and more country music - particularly coming from big trucks
the cutlass
counting the seconds between thunder and lightening
mason jars
the fourth of july
sweet tea so sweet it's more like syrup
the smell of a grill
tomato sandwiches on white bread that sticks to the roof of your mouth with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper
the smell of freshly cut grass
Monday, July 11, 2011
soul mates
there's a "sex and the city" quote that i have always loved:
"maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates, and men are just these great things to have fun with."
i have so many great girl friends. lately, the lord has been using them in my life for different purposes, and he's been revealing those purposes to me.
elizabeth - she gets it. whatever "it" is, she understands, because we're at similar places in life. i'm never scared or embarassed to tell her something, because i know that when i share it, she'll say, "OMG! ME TOO!" i really don't know what i'd do without her to cry with, laugh with, go on dates with, go to weddings with, and basically do everything with (because everyone else has a boyfriend). she is truly my sister (her dad, afterall, calls me d3). when i need to be myself and laugh and cry and just be real, liz is my girl.
sara - my soul sister. nobody in the world knows my heart like this girl. nobody. she understands me and can finish my thoughts. she can explain me to me better than i can. the lord has been so gracious and good to give me sara giffin as a best friend, sister in christ, and accountability partner. she meets me with such encouragement, grace, humility, and gentle correction. i am unbelievably thankful for her. when i need to talk about deep stuff - love and life and jesus - or when i need to drink a glass of wine and be silly - when i need somebody to sing with - or when i need somebody to just help me clear my head - sara is who i call (or skype).
valerie - she understands my crazy. valerie is the friend that will spend the night with me when i'm scared, clean out my refrigerator, feed my dogs and water my plants, listen to me cry, let me have temper tantrum, and stand up for me no matter what. i'm thankful for her loyalty. i'm thankful that when i'm screaming and talking in circles and making no sense, that she gets me and somehow manages to make me feel a little less nuts. i need valerie when i need to sort out my life without judgement, questions, or lectures.
jaime - jaime is my even-tempered, honest friend. she and i have a great friendship that consists of red wine, chocolate ice cream, and good conversation. we're polar opposites in a lot of ways, but i admire jaime's unmovable faith, quiet strength, and the way she asserts herself. she's not afraid of anything, and i wish i was more like her in a lot of ways.
jennifer - gray's girlfriend. i've come to see her as my sister. this sweet girl knows how to encourage like nobody else i know. i'm not sure how at 25 (and 6 feet tall) it's possible for me to look up to a 21 year old who's 5'4", but i do. she is never without a kind word, and she points me to christ every single time i talk to her. she is also hilarious. and we are also pretty ridiculous when we're together - you know, dressing up in patriotic, lady liberty costumes, taking lots of pictures, ganging up on gray, and making friendship bracelets. i'm so thankful for her selfless heart and sweet spirit.
shelby - good grief, i love this girl. who woulda thought that after college we would be roommates? and much less grow to be such close friends! shelby is my no-nonsense friend. she holds me accountable and doesn't care if it makes me mad. i love it. i don't love having to confess things to her sometimes, but i love that she is honest and does not spare words for the sake of my pride. in fact, the day she told me, "you need to get in the word, because i've seen what happens when you don't," i kind of wanted to hit her. but then i realized how much she must love me to call me out like that. shelby is also my go-to spaghetti eater. we had so many bonding moments over a plate of steaming hot noodles. i'm grateful for her friendship.
the lord knows my heart so well. it's so amazing how he has put women in my life for different purposes, with diffrent personalties, to teach me differet things. i am so, so thankful for the godly girls who love me and build me up and hold me accountable and let me be crazy.
"maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates, and men are just these great things to have fun with."
i have so many great girl friends. lately, the lord has been using them in my life for different purposes, and he's been revealing those purposes to me.
elizabeth - she gets it. whatever "it" is, she understands, because we're at similar places in life. i'm never scared or embarassed to tell her something, because i know that when i share it, she'll say, "OMG! ME TOO!" i really don't know what i'd do without her to cry with, laugh with, go on dates with, go to weddings with, and basically do everything with (because everyone else has a boyfriend). she is truly my sister (her dad, afterall, calls me d3). when i need to be myself and laugh and cry and just be real, liz is my girl.
sara - my soul sister. nobody in the world knows my heart like this girl. nobody. she understands me and can finish my thoughts. she can explain me to me better than i can. the lord has been so gracious and good to give me sara giffin as a best friend, sister in christ, and accountability partner. she meets me with such encouragement, grace, humility, and gentle correction. i am unbelievably thankful for her. when i need to talk about deep stuff - love and life and jesus - or when i need to drink a glass of wine and be silly - when i need somebody to sing with - or when i need somebody to just help me clear my head - sara is who i call (or skype).
valerie - she understands my crazy. valerie is the friend that will spend the night with me when i'm scared, clean out my refrigerator, feed my dogs and water my plants, listen to me cry, let me have temper tantrum, and stand up for me no matter what. i'm thankful for her loyalty. i'm thankful that when i'm screaming and talking in circles and making no sense, that she gets me and somehow manages to make me feel a little less nuts. i need valerie when i need to sort out my life without judgement, questions, or lectures.
jaime - jaime is my even-tempered, honest friend. she and i have a great friendship that consists of red wine, chocolate ice cream, and good conversation. we're polar opposites in a lot of ways, but i admire jaime's unmovable faith, quiet strength, and the way she asserts herself. she's not afraid of anything, and i wish i was more like her in a lot of ways.
jennifer - gray's girlfriend. i've come to see her as my sister. this sweet girl knows how to encourage like nobody else i know. i'm not sure how at 25 (and 6 feet tall) it's possible for me to look up to a 21 year old who's 5'4", but i do. she is never without a kind word, and she points me to christ every single time i talk to her. she is also hilarious. and we are also pretty ridiculous when we're together - you know, dressing up in patriotic, lady liberty costumes, taking lots of pictures, ganging up on gray, and making friendship bracelets. i'm so thankful for her selfless heart and sweet spirit.
shelby - good grief, i love this girl. who woulda thought that after college we would be roommates? and much less grow to be such close friends! shelby is my no-nonsense friend. she holds me accountable and doesn't care if it makes me mad. i love it. i don't love having to confess things to her sometimes, but i love that she is honest and does not spare words for the sake of my pride. in fact, the day she told me, "you need to get in the word, because i've seen what happens when you don't," i kind of wanted to hit her. but then i realized how much she must love me to call me out like that. shelby is also my go-to spaghetti eater. we had so many bonding moments over a plate of steaming hot noodles. i'm grateful for her friendship.
the lord knows my heart so well. it's so amazing how he has put women in my life for different purposes, with diffrent personalties, to teach me differet things. i am so, so thankful for the godly girls who love me and build me up and hold me accountable and let me be crazy.
you ain't ever gonna change
lyrics from three songs i can't stop listening to today.
you and tequila make me crazy
you run like poison through my blood
one more night could kill me baby
one more is one too any
and one is never enough
-kenny chesney
she said "you're a ramblin man
you ain't ever gonna change
you gotta gypsy soul to blame
and you were born for leavin"
-zac brown band
now that drifter's world
it goes round and round
and i doubt that it's ever gonna stop
but of all the dreams
i've lost or found
and all that i ain't got
i need somebody i can cling to
somebody i can sing to
she said, "hey, ramblin boy
why don't you settle down
boston ain't your kinda town
there ain't no gold
and there ain't nobody like me
i'm the number one fan of a man
in tennessee"
-dave loggins
sigh.
you and tequila make me crazy
you run like poison through my blood
one more night could kill me baby
one more is one too any
and one is never enough
-kenny chesney
she said "you're a ramblin man
you ain't ever gonna change
you gotta gypsy soul to blame
and you were born for leavin"
-zac brown band
now that drifter's world
it goes round and round
and i doubt that it's ever gonna stop
but of all the dreams
i've lost or found
and all that i ain't got
i need somebody i can cling to
somebody i can sing to
she said, "hey, ramblin boy
why don't you settle down
boston ain't your kinda town
there ain't no gold
and there ain't nobody like me
i'm the number one fan of a man
in tennessee"
-dave loggins
sigh.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
why
i was reading in colossians earlier tonight, when i read these verses from chapter three (verses 22-24):
"[do everything] with sincerity of heart and reverence for the lord. whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the lord as a reward. it is the lord jesus you are serving."
this passage reminds me of a few truths:
1. it's a command for me to do everything i do - from taking out the trash to cleaning up after my kids eat lunch to leading my small group - with passion and intentionality and joy and "with all my heart."
2. my motives need to be filtered through the cross. i should ask myself, "why am i doing/saying this?" before i act and speak. there are two possible answers: to build up myself or to build up another and further the kingdom. i need to ask christ to make my heart sincere. i don't want to parade around with false sincerity. i want a pure and clean heart.
3. no matter what i'm doing, my purpose is to point others to christ. i am serving christ always and in everything. people are not my masters. people cannot pass judgement. people cannot offer me a reward. christ is my master. christ is my judge. and christ is my reward.
how's your heart looking? do you, like me, need to repent of some impure motives and an unclean, self-seeking heart? thank goodness the lord is good and faithful to forgive us and give us a new heart over and over again!
"[do everything] with sincerity of heart and reverence for the lord. whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the lord as a reward. it is the lord jesus you are serving."
this passage reminds me of a few truths:
1. it's a command for me to do everything i do - from taking out the trash to cleaning up after my kids eat lunch to leading my small group - with passion and intentionality and joy and "with all my heart."
2. my motives need to be filtered through the cross. i should ask myself, "why am i doing/saying this?" before i act and speak. there are two possible answers: to build up myself or to build up another and further the kingdom. i need to ask christ to make my heart sincere. i don't want to parade around with false sincerity. i want a pure and clean heart.
3. no matter what i'm doing, my purpose is to point others to christ. i am serving christ always and in everything. people are not my masters. people cannot pass judgement. people cannot offer me a reward. christ is my master. christ is my judge. and christ is my reward.
how's your heart looking? do you, like me, need to repent of some impure motives and an unclean, self-seeking heart? thank goodness the lord is good and faithful to forgive us and give us a new heart over and over again!
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