Procrastinating

So I am supposed to be working on my assignments right now but I was listening to this song instead.  They sang this song this past weekend at our leader committee overnight and this song is BEAUTIFUL!!  I feel like I seriously melt into the music when I am listening to it and it is such a sweet prayer!  I had a day of solitude yesterday (a great blessing in my job) and I just laid on the floor listening to this song, it was great.  But this is my prayer, I want so much more of God, that there is a fire down deep in my soul that bursts out!  I love it!  I wanted ya'll to be able to listen to it to!!

The words are

There's no place I'd rather be, 

There's no place I'd rather be,

Than here in your arms,

Here in your arms.

Set a fire down in my soul

That I can't contain that I can't control

Cause I want more of you God

I want more of you God!

Play and fall in love with this song!

Day of Love

So again, I am a little late on this post.
BUT better late than never!

I received a letter this past week from one of my leaders in high school.  How fun is that?  I am 24 years old and my leader for Young Life in HIGH SCHOOL still keeps in contact with me... that is awesome!  She usually just drops little notes here and there but it is always such a blessing to hear from her.
She sent me a note, with a picture taken a couple of years ago and this letter somebody wrote from God.

I wanted to share it with you.  It is a letter that takes God's words and puts them in a letter.  So every word in this letter is in scripture.

Dear Child,

You may not know Me, but I know everything about you... I know when you sit down and when you rise up.  Even the very hairs on your head are numbered.  For you were made in My image.  In Me you live and move and have your being.  I knew you even before you were conceived.  I chose you when I planned creation.  You were not a mistake.  For all your days are written in My book.  I determined the exact time of your birth and where you live.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  I knit you together in your mothers womb.  I brought you forth on the day you were born.  I have been misrepresented by those who don't know Me.  I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love.  I offer you more than your earthly father ever could.  For I am the perfect Father.  Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand.  For I am your provider and I meet all your needs.  My plan for your future has always been filled with hope.  Because I love you with an everlasting love.  My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore.  And I rejoice over you with singing.  I will never stop doing good to you.  For you are My treasured possession.  I desire to establish you with all My heart and all My soul.  And I want to show you great and marvelous things.  If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me.  Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart.  For it is I who gave you those desires.  I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.  For I am your greatest encourager.  I am the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.  As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to My heart.  One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes.  And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth.  I am your Father and I love you even as I love My son, Jesus.  For in Jesus My love for you is revealed.  He is the exact representation of My being.  And He came to demonstrate that I am for you and not against you.  And to tell you that I am not counting your sins.  Jesus died that you and I could be reconciled.  His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you.  I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love.  If you receive the gift of My son Jesus you receive Me.  And nothing will separate you from My love again.  Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen.

I have always been Father and will always be Father.

I am waiting for you.

Love,
Your Father

I just think it is perfect on the day of Love to think about God and His love for us.  We are only able to show love because He first loved us.  I think it is awesome that we have a day where we are actually showing God's love all day when we love others.  Because He is love.  And I think that it is sad that on this day people are actually showing a love that is not real, because so many do not know the real love, Jesus.  So I pray that on this day (or week or whenever) you can take these words above and that they would be real in your hearts.  Because the only true love is the love that comes from the Father.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA B!!!!

I know I have told you about my mom before, but seriously she is awesome.  Not only is she my best friend BUT I was also born on her birthday.  Which is really fun :).  We have gotten to share birthdays all throughout my life.  I bet that many of the times I stole the spotlight because I love birthdays and I was a child.... slash still am.  But my mom has been one to share and on her own birthday she has so often made it about her daughter.  I know I have written about her before but why not again.

My mom was the person that talked about Jesus Christ to me the night I accepted him into my heart.  I grew up in Christian home but I was a child that was numb to church.  I never really listened, I was a very distracted child in church.  But one night when I was upset with high school drama, I won't go into the details, my mom came in and explained the Grace of Christ to me.  I had conversations with my Young Life leaders around that time as well, and my mom put the icing on the cake.  She told me I did not have to be the stressed out, striving to be perfect, constantly let down of myself teenager that I had become.  She told me that Christ loved me as I was, the imperfect human because that was how He made me.  He is the only perfection in this world and that because of his perfection my imperfection is made beautiful.  I had always been a girl that was trying to do everything perfectly and my stress level proved it.  Jesus wanted my mother to show me and tell me of that freedom.

I love that my mom was the one to share this with me.  And I had other people share this with me at other times of my life, but that night it stuck.  

So, that is a little snipit of the relationship I have with my mother.  God used her to bring me to Him.  And as today is my mother's birthday (and mine) I wanted to share this with you.  
My mom is also kind of the goof in my family.  There would be times when she would run around the house like Elmer Fud.  Or talk in a British accent.  Or run around and fake punch you (seriously she does this a lot).  She loves to laugh, really loves to.  The night before the super-bowl we were watching the best of all super-bowl commercials and EVERY SINGLE ONE she thought was HILARIOUS.  And really most people would give a smile to the commercials, my mom was crying she was laughing so hard.  She is goofy and such a joy to be around.  I wish you could meet her!
Happy Birthday Mom!!!  Love you so much!  


We had a party and here are a few of the pics!!

 HOW sweet, Paw Paw and Gaston

 Gaston is definitley the center of attention, but how the heck could he not be, just look at him ADORABLE and he is the first great grandchild.... soon to be two :)!

 Belle LOVES Gaston

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA B!!!!

Come On Summer I'm Ready

So anybody confused by the GORGEOUS weather we have been having in NC?
I have been but loving it at the same time.  I have heard about the Northwest and other parts of the South having tons of snow and we are wearing short sleeves and shorts here, thats cra cra!

So having said this, I went to the beach this past weekend with two of my friends Ashley and Ashlen.  It was great!  They are both interns with me or excuse me staff associates :) and we all needed a weekend of relaxation and vegging out!  IT WAS GREAT!!  I love these two girls so much and I actually got a suntan while at the beach!  It was just such a great thing to really get to relax in the Lord at just the perfect time.  Everything is kicking into high gear here and it was nice to get some good time with great friends before all of that happens.  And while that happened God gave us a BEAUTIFUL day to stand in awe of His creation.  How awesome?  I know your jealous as you should be :).

 Sweet man on the beach.

 Look at that sun, beautiful!

 Some of my favorite things: Coffee, Jesus, Jesus Calling, and beach, so good!

Happy Birthday Mama C!!!

This past weekend I went down to my Mama C's house for her 80th Birthday!  WOOOO!!!  It was great not only because the food was wonderful and the weather was perfect.  But because we got to spoil my sweet grandmother.  I grew up going to my Mama C and Big Daddy's house for every holiday.  It was always a place filled with fun, chaos, and tons of laughter.  We have a big family on that side and cooking and gearing up for that large of a family is not easy.  It would also not be easy to see the grandkids make a mess of everything, which we did.  Mama C spends so much time preparing meals and trying to make everything perfect for these holidays so that we could enjoy family and rest.  She works for months (literally) preparing the meal and desserts for these!  All the while never wanting anything in return.  Mama C is the definition of a woman with a servants heart and a Proverbs 31 woman.  It was great to get to celebrate her and her 80th birthday, to make her the center of celebration where she so often is the behind the stage person.
Not only does Mama C create a gathering for family but she pushes us and challenges us as a family spiritually.  She has always been one to ask how she can pray for you and you know she is not just asking but praying hard.  When things come up and things are hard Mama C always points us to Jesus.  She makes sure we are covering things in prayer and seeking Jesus for decisions.  She is a prayer warrior and pushes our family to do the same.
I wish you all could meet my sweet Mama C, you would fall in love with her immediately and see what I mean about her just being the cutest grandma ever!!!  Since you can't meet her I put up some pictures.  She was so surprised of the party and seemed to enjoy it.
She is a blessing is so many many ways!
Happy Birthday MAMA C!!!

Pictures from the day...

 Christina and Scott.. oh and ash jumping into the picture.

 The younguns around the cakes.. of course.  

 Her Wedding Dress!  It is beautiful and her mother made it!!!

 The yummy goodies.... SOOOO delicious!!