The Christmas Eve of Christmas Countdown 2 0 0 8!

Merry Christmas Eve friends!

This day was just all around wonderful! Let me share the ingredients of this wonderful day with you:

1/2 tsp   Sleep til Noon

3 tsp      Wrap more Christmas presents!

1 cup      Hang out with Scott and give him his kick-tush Christmas present (a Sufjan Stevens                          VINYL record!)

2/3 cup Beltway Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (simply beautiful)

1 gal       Open Christmas presents with the fam!!

Keep reading if you want the long version, otherwise Merry Christmas Eve! :)

Yay! It was such a wonderful day! I did sleep til noon, but that was because I stayed up til 4 AM the night before editing photos and re-fabulous-ifying my website! Go look! New logo, new pictures...I'm so proud! Anyway, when I did wake up, I hung out around the house with my mom, wrapping presents, drinking coffee, and enjoying the day. Scott got off work early and so he came over and I gave him his awesome Christmas present-- a Sufjan Stevens Vinyl record! It was awesome and he loved it! :) Then we ran around town and met with huge success as we tried to get his costume for his family Christmas (they all dress up at Christmas for a family picture...different? yeah, but definitely funny!). 

Later that night, my parents and I went to Beltway's Christmas Eve candlelight service. It was such a beautiful time, I hardly feel like trying to describe it because I know I just won't do the sweet time justice. Let me just say, the Lord spoke His love over me...and it was such a gift! There are a few song lines that we sang tonight that have just been so powerful to me:

(from Amazing Grace)

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

I really understand those first two lyrics now...I've lived them. As I sang them, the truth of grace was so powerful and undeniable. Grace is a beautiful mystery! 

As we left the service and headed home, my family and I were so content and joyful. It was lovely! A little later, my brother and sister-in-law came over and we opened Christmas presents! Oh how fun! I LOVED the gifts that I got everyone this year, and it was so fun to watch them open their presents! I, as well, received so many cool gifts from them, including a vintage camera, an owl lamp, and a necklace from Anthropologie! :)

To top it off, right now I'm listening to Amy Grant's Home For Christmas album (which I grew up listening/dancing to). Hearing those familiar songs and thinking back on the blessed memories attached to the songs just brings joy to my heart. Check out the songs "Emmanuel God with Us" and "O Come All Ye Faithful." They are a couple of my favorites.

Anyway, I'm also glad to say that I totally love my hair now! :) And I'll be posting pictures of it soon, so don't worry! :)

Merry Christmas Eve! God is with us!

My friend, Jamie.

Before reading: This is a seriously personal account that might only be significant to me, but I still wanted to write it. Sorry if I bore you or if this seems like too much information :)

This summer, I found such joy in being a part of a Beth Moore Bible study with some old and new friends. My friend Jamie, who led it, has been my friend since my Freshman year of college. I totally remember the night at Sonic when she introduced me to Brian Regan and his "Carolyn/Caroline" joke. I laughed so hard :) Anyway, Jamie and I had a rough time when we tried living in the same house our Junior year with 4 other friends (so that's six girls total in one house...yikes!!). After only lasting 6 months in that situation, I moved out, things calmed down, and we kinda went our separate ways. Then our Senior year, Jamie bravely announced she felt the Lord was calling her to leave and finish school at Wheaton and I didn't see her for a year. But she's been back this summer! And it's amazing how the Lord has restored our relationship and she's the biggest blessing to me! I don't know another person who has the ability to make things happen like Jamie does. She's the type of person who is bold and passionate enough to actually jump right into an intimidating problem to help fix it. The most exciting thing is that her boldness and passions are all for the Lord!

Anyway, I've been blessed, and I marvel when I look back and see how the Lord has refined us and brought us to the place where we are now as friends. Pretty cool.

On a funny note, last night our Bible study group got together to watch the weekly Beth Moore DVD, but we couldn't find the remote to the DVD player. Without it, you pretty much can't get the player to work...so after a time of worship and discussion, we gave up on finding the remote and watched the Women's Gymnastics on the Olympics! :) It was funny...I suppose you would've had to been there. :)

How do I write the rest of this? It's hard to communicate this without sounding trite or self-centered.

I'm so encouraged in my spiritual gifts though, after this Bible study. I've always loved to lead worship for small girls Bible studies that I've been a part of. The last time I got to do that was probably about a year ago. But people here recently have just been affirming that fact that I am gifted in that area, and that I should be using that gift to honor the Lord. It's exciting...

It's also unbelievably evident to my own eyes that this is a GIFT from the Lord. The fact that the Lord uses me and that people are encouraged is ONLY because of the Lord. I know this because the Lord has used me, to spur people to His heart, when my own heart has been struggling with sincerity in my faith. I am overjoyed to serve a God who raises up people who are not perfect, people who struggle with things, people who mess up...He specifically uses us to advance His kingdom. What an undeserved honor! It humbles me!

Swift Joy.

Sweet Surprises From the Lord

Hi friends!

The Lord blessed the socks off me tonight! Tonight was "Fields of Faith" a sort of huge youth rally out at the football stadium where bands play and stuff like that. I wasn't planning on going, but on my way home from my parent's house, I decided to just drive by and see if I could hear the music. I'm kinda a dork like that, I know. Anyway, I realized Branch was playing so I stopped the car and got out to just stand at the fence for a minute. Everyone else was on the other side of the football stadium so I was by myself.

Then this dad and two little kids walked up to the fence because I guess the kids were curious as to what was going on (they were riding bikes around). I could hear the dad explaining was going on and reminding the kids about Jesus. I figured the kids were so young that they hadn't accepted Christ yet, and it was like you could see the love and joy this dad had in training up his boys to love the Lord. Plus they just looked like they were having a fun bike ride anyway. It was so encouraging and wonderful. Plus Branch had just started playing a new favorite song of mine...so yay!

I decided to go ahead and walk around to the side of the stadium where all the youth kids were and watch the show for a bit. That was a blessing too. I always have moments with God when I show up to something I wasn't planning on going to, or something I'm not really a part of. I guess that's just because it's like I sneak in the back and surprisingly enjoy it with my God...it's just me and Him for a little while no matter how many people are around. Hope that makes sense.

Also, I got to get Branch's new CD which is incredible! Since their CD release party a few weeks back, I've wanted to get that CD but they don't have it on iTunes...and that's pretty much my only means of music...CDs are so old school :). But I bought it! The one single time I have a check with me!! NEVER EVER EVER do I carry checks or cash...I guess cause I'm a poor college kid who carries the tiniest purse you've ever seen; but I definitely had a random check with me tonight! YAY!

So, good surprise blessings tonight. God is good.

P.S. Today it actually felt like Fall outside!!!!!!

The Redefining of Music

Music has found a place in my life again and I am enthralled!

When I first started college, my friend Amanda and I were ALWAYS playing some gig somewhere (i mean nothing special AT ALL, just local coffee shops or churches-- although one time we played at The Door in Dallas!). Man, I remember how much a freakin' blast it was to haul all the equipment, analyze other band's drummers techniques, chords, etc., sit in the studio for hours, and talk to other musicians about pedals and stuff. Haha. We really weren't hardcore or anything but the atmosphere was so fun! We quit all that stuff our Junior year because life got crazy you know :)

But now, after hanging out in the studio with the Look to the Sky boys and going to two CD release concerts this weekend, I've just realized how much I missed that music stuff. And live local music, man, call me crazy but I don't think I've heard a live local performance the past 6, 7, 8 months (or something like that). I LOVE local talent! Local is way better than the big guys because you probably have some sort of personal connection to the locals.

Also this weekend, I got to play the piano. I mean really PLAY the piano. I bruised my fingers haha. I grew up playing and my favorite thing to do was improv (I still can't really read music well after years of lessons), but I hadn't played a piano in probably half a year. It was so encouraging and worshipful to just sit down and sing to the King all by myself, making my own music to Him. Ahh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.

I've led worship with a guitar for a girl's bible study the past year or so, but for some reason I forgot it was music. Music is so passionate and worshipful! The way the Lord gave us fingers to play with, voices to sing with, minds to write with...such a gift! It is so beautiful and it is such a gift! Music can get mundane in the church because it's what we do every Sunday and, well, every time we get together...but harmonies and beautiful sounds and the emotion music carries...it's not mundane.

In the same way I've seen my view of the world around me shifting through photography, I now see my view of music shifting. It is all for the glory of GOD! All of it's beauties and complexities point to OUR GREAT GOD. And he makes gifted people to point others to Him. How I want to use my gifts to point others to Him!

Man Lord, what's next? What are you going to radically change my perspective on next? Because I'm ready!!

Worship is More than a Song -Ross King

I don't think it's a bad thing at all that worship and music go together; I want to see the term worship applied to other things such as having a conversation with someone, painting a house as a service, reading a book, and tons of other things that can be done to the glory of God. I remember once one of my Dnow girls told me she wanted to be a Christian, but the thought of standing around worshipping God for the rest of eternity in heaven seemed boring. I knew what she was getting at, but kinda turned the question around on her asking if worship is just something that happens when music is playing. She completely got it as soon as I asked that. Then we talked about how awesome it is that almost ANYTHING can be worship, if it is done for God, in praise of God, or to further His name and glory. How awesome is that!? Worship is unlimited. If you are reading this right now, please! break out of the mold that says worship is music. Worship can be alot more than music...and what a gift that is!! The very next thing you do could be worship to God.