Craftastic

Ya'll, I love summer. I seriously have so much time to do all of those cool crafts that I've been wanting to do for the past year. 

Liikeeee.......

refinish a chair! I definitely should have taken a "before" picture, because this little guy was rough. Imagine a Christmas green that was super chipped. This took 5,000 hours to finish, but it is one sexxayy little corner chair!

 I made some coasters! The tiles are only 9 cents at Menards. Talk about the world's cheapest craft if  you already have modpodge and scrapbook paper! Coaster Nazi officially has the goods. 

 Took my littles to the zoo last week! What an adventure! Also, outings with children make you feel like a pack mule. Seriously, we should have rented a wagon for all the gear it takes to take children into the world. 

I lost the cap to my favorite water bottle. If you own a favorite water bottle, you know that this. is. tragic. Luckily, I bought two of them originally, so not all is lost. 

Have a blessed week! The Lord has really been revealing himself to me in such wonderful, small ways lately. I'm so grateful for His grace and endless patience .

Manhappiness

I don't know about you, but I love Kansas. Everyone should experience a KS summer at least once in their lives. It has this wonderful understated beauty. You know, the kind you don't really notice if you're not really looking at the right thing. Some states have in-your-face beauty that you can't miss, but I kind of prefer the silent-yet-fabulous way that Kansas does its thing. 

Before you look at these next pics, please first adjust your mindset. Imagine that wonderful 75 degree breeze blowing, the perfect middle of nowhere smell- like fresh air mixed with sunshine with a hint of grass, and bird chirping mixed with the low buzz of bugs everywhere. 

Summa Lovin

Hiya, beauts! I hope all is well and that summer is kicking in full swing for you!! Here's an update on my life thus far...

I've been reading my little heart out. This gem has been calling out my name for yeearrrs!!

I turned my bff's living room into a studio..it's kind of a funny, long story? No worries, I'll have a bedroom like a normal human soon and very soon!

Eeeekk... speaking of not having a room, I'm livin in  BOXES. Yikes guys, what a struggle. In a strange way, it's teaching me to live with less (If I haven't used it since I boxed it, do I REAALLLYY need it??)

Coffeeeee. Lots of coffee. A. coffee is fantastic. B. I have the best job in the world! I'm one proud nanny for the two best kids in the whole wide world! It's a baller job, but coffee is a must at 8!

Don't worry, Love Fern is really taking to the new home. It's probably something about the air quality.

Can't wait to share more! Terribly sorry about the awful photo quality. I set my camera on auto and edited them for 2.3 seconds. More fun things to happen soon in my life? God is so good, I can't wait!

Simplicity

Recently I've taken a step back to think about what is really important. I feel so very disconnected from people, and from the world, and from my Jesus. And to me, the solution was to take a moment to clear out all of the STUFF from my life. I want to reconnect with the world, and with people. I want to have real conversations, and see nature for myself (and not through someone else's instagram). I don't want to sit back and watch other people kind of live life, I want to actually live it. I want to eat dinner with my friends and have a real conversation, without phones. I want to drink coffee because I like it, without thinking about taking a picture of it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I definitely don't look down on anyone for tweeting and being on facebook or any social media, but I find myself so consumed with pointless information, I forget what really matters. Souls matter, not statuses or tweets or anything trivial. Late night conversations under the stars matter. Reading an amazing book that makes you feel empowered matters. Meeting 80 year old dudes named Ike matters. Watching the sun rise matters. Being at the feet of Jesus MATTERS. I want that for my life.
So, to kick off my summer right, I'm committing to not using Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for the entire summer. I'll still blog (because I love it), but I want to spend a few months reconnecting to the things that matter. I would love for you to join me as I rediscover Jesus and his people (in the real world!).

Gratitude Attitude

This has really been QUITE the summer, friends. Some would say "boring", others would say a "growing experience". I think that others were right. Now, I would like to think that I'm a woman of simple theology, so please look much further for a stuffy, doctrine-filled blog post, because I'm all about just sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning his simple and wonderful truths.
Like so many others, I'm constantly looking toward the future. I'm always thinking about what Jesus is going to do next in my life, or what I need to buy next month, or what is going to happen in 3 years. And when I focus on these things, I'm missing out on pretty much everything that's going on right now. I'm taking for granted everything that I've been blessed with. One of the best things about our time on earth is this- God  is the creator, and all of the earth bends to his will. I need not worry about today, tomorrow, or any other distant future.
When I'm always looking toward the future, it's impossible for me to recognize the blessings of today. I am so very incredibly blessed, I couldn't even begin to realize how the Father has provided for me. For example:

-I have some of the most fantastic friends on the face of the planet. Their faithfulness to the Lord is humbling and their constant encouragement blesses me beyond belief. I can't imagine my life without the amazing and beautiful people that the Lord has placed in my life. Somehow these amazing people want me in their lives, and they constantly pour so much wisdom into me and give grace like Jesus. Holler.
-I am financially cared for in such an incredible way. I have never known starvation and I have never wondered where my next meal will come from. This is probably one of the must humbling realizations, because so many millions of people will go to bed hungry tonight. It's so easy to take clean water and an abundance of food for granted, and I'm doing myself such a disservice by feeling a sense of entitlement to all of these things.
-Education. Oh man, as a total nerd I could go on about my gratefulness for education all day and night. I have the ability to read and write, and I am blessed enough to actually attend a college to receive a degree. How often do we, as college students, take our education for granted? The next time I'm complaining about a test or waiting until the last possible moment to write a mediocre-grade paper, I think a reality check is in order. There are so so many millions of people around the world that would do pretty much anything to be where I am.

How could I so easily forget these truths while worrying about tomorrow? I'm grateful for the cross most of all. Endless praises for His grace.

Peace out, cub scouts.

Relationship Status

Quite recently, the topic of relationships and marriage seem to be on the forefront of a lot of minds in my life. I feel as though I've discussed relationships with SO many people. It may be because so many of my friends are in relationships right now, or because a few have just left relationships, but either way it seems to be a pretty significant topic. And I think it's one of those topics that everyone has an opinion about, and everyone seems to have differing views about relationships and marriage.

Being a part of the MCC community (and a college-aged community as a whole) leaves little room to avoid the topic of marriage and relationships, because so many people enter into relationships at this time. I was fairly recently talking to my roommate about relationship and marriage, and she shared with me some knowledge she gained in her Family Relationships and Gender Roles class at K-State. Her professor was discussing marriage and said that we, as a culture, place so much emphasis on preparing for a wedding, and don't really seem to prepare ourselves for a marriage. She went on to discuss how most every girl seems to have a "Pinterest" board devoted to weddings, even single or already married women. What a revelation is that- that we, as a culture, prepare for a wedding but not a marriage?

I've had a handful of friends recently enter into relationships seeking to glorify God, and I've spoken with so many of them about what that looks like, and how we are able to have a Christ-centered relationship. In turn, we've discussed what the result of that would be in a marriage. And that is a topic that doesn't really have one single answer, but a string of differing advice from people who have struggled with completely different things in relationships. 

It's really been an eye-opener to allow God to uncover some truths to me about relationships. I think that so often we (especially as women) have this laundry list of qualifications for a significant other, and I'll be the first to admit that I have some pretty crazy-high standards. But what it all has to boil down to is God. The only qualification you REALLY should need in another person is Godliness, because if you have that, everything will fall into place. If your only qualification for a person is Godliness, then he will respect you, and have compassion for those who are hurting, and he won't be seeking fulfillment in you alone as his significant other. A man that is content in a daily walk with Christ won't be looking to get everything he needs out of the relationship that will cause satisfaction, because everything he needs in life is being fulfilled by the Lord. And a significant other who is searching after Christ won't try to turn you into God, because he has already established that God is so much more powerful and perfect and loving that you will EVER be. And that really takes a lot of stress off of me to attempt to be something I'm not, and it takes stress off of me to try to hide my brokenness, or to worry about having an unhealthy relationship that has become my idol. 

I feel so very blessed to have spent so much time being single over the past year, because it really gives me a different glimpse of what a good relationship can be. I recently discovered a small series about relationships and marriage by Francis Chan and his wife, and I think they have a lot of really great things to say about relationships. I especially enjoy the emphasis on the temporal nature of relationships, and even on marriage. 

At the end of the day, the most important thing I think I have learned about relationships (and I am probably the furthest thing from an expert, for sure) is that God is doing great things right here and now, and we need to be about his business and not busy with any of the stuff that goes along with life. And that includes all of our relationships. I think that just like anything else, when we allow God to consume our hearts and minds, everything else just seems to fall right into place. There's great satisfaction and great contentment in knowing that I serve the God that created relationships, marriage, and me, and that I am filled with the Holy Spirit. Everything else is just stuff that goes along with life, and nothing is nearly as important as that fact. When I recognize who God is in relation to me, and how much less important everything is than God, I can gain new perspective on life, and that includes relationships.

If you're at all interested in hearing with Francis Chan and his wife have to say about marriage and relationships, take the time to listen to these two sermons, they really are insightful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihRmM0aVADU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gankzqrIipQ&feature=relmfu

Awaken My Heart

I'll be the first to admit that my life is one, big messy struggle. And I screw up being like Jesus daily. I mean, I REALLY epically stink at being a Christian. Praise be to God for forgiveness and for his grace, because I would be nowhere without it.


 And I am so awful at forgetting that everyone else sucks just as badly as me. And I forget that everyone else hurts just as deeply as me. I'm so wrapped up in my stupid, trivial life that I don't leave room to love other people in the midst of their mess. Recently, the Lord has laid a big chunk of the book of Ephesians on my heart:

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. 

 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (4:22-32)

I always love when a "therefore" comes my way, because it means I've got to get my act together in about 1-2 verses. It's kind of like God's way of saying, "get over yourself and do this". Anyway, this verse section is so beautiful for so many reasons, the first of which being "do not let the sun go down while you are still angry". It's like God KNOWS that something happens when you let your crap fester. I think that we slip this verse into the "marriage" category and throw it around as a good piece of advice to give couples when they fight (thank you, Fireproof), but we forget about its importance in daily life. This verse speaks straight to my heart because I am one of the worst procrastinators ever, and I absolutely put of confrontation as long as humanly possible. I'm terrible at conflict, I'm scared of it, and I run away from it like the plague. 

But the best thing about serving our Jesus is that he won't let us stay the same for long. He gives us a beautiful set of "therefore's" to make us better versions of ourselves. I serve a Lord that puts fantastic situations in my life and always reminds me that conflict can make you better, not bitter. One of the most amazing things I learned from working for Celebrate Recovery for so many years is the healing and beauty that can come from confrontation. Facing the hard stuff doesn't always end badly (although it can feel pretty rough along the way), but facing those would-be monsters in your closet can actually prove to be beneficial. 

The second reason these verses are chalk-full of awesomeness is "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths". It's so easy for me to find faults in other people, because it's so much less messy than looking at my own junk. One of the most mind-blowing things about Satan is that he can grasp a hold of our lives in ways that we don't even see coming, and we conform to sin in a way that makes us feel so comfortable, and it's embarrassing. Seriously, how can we justify saying degrading and misleading things about another person? I mean, you only need to read about 5 sentences from anywhere in the New Testament to know that we serve a Jesus that despises anything of that nature. 

Moral of the story- Me:0 Jesus: 5 billion. 

Team Jesus, dude.

PS- Stephen Miller has a fantastic song for a time like this....-

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-jJzeSgFas