too much it seems

lately life has been kind of crazy. it feels like everything happening is so heavy. events and activities are not simply happening but leaving their residue on me. that is the best way i can think to explain it.

i feel drenched in the residue of the events of my life.

this weekend i sat at a wedding of two people i dearly love and it was just one of the best weddings i have ever been to. adam crawford administered and he made sure the focus stayed on the love of Jesus Christ and what a gift marriage is and that its purpose, while it does make us happy, is not to make us happy but to glorify God by being a picture of how Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her and how the church should submit to Christ. it was wonderful and a truly worshipful wedding.

the reception was a blast, a room filled with people i love. some i hadn't seen in years, some i love but live in korea and some i had seen earlier that day but was grateful just the same for time with them.

in the same weekend i attended a funeral of a young man who chose to end his life. i watched his family walk in the church and sit down and the expressions of confusion and glimpses of anger were all too evident on their faces.

i begged the Lord to help me trust Him, to help me cling to the promises He gives and believe them in my heart and know in my head that they are true and that He is good. and He did. i sat there singing praises to my Lord and the weight of His presence seemed to find its residing place on my chest and was heavy there. amazingly enough, it did not feel the slightest bit burdensome in its heaviness, it felt the opposite.

extremely freeing.

like i could walk up to the balcony, jump off and fly home.

all the way home.

i told Him he was the only one that could do that. take this horrible tragedy and make it good, give it purpose and provide comfort. i asked Him to do that for the family. when i finished telling Him that he was the only one that could do that he responded by telling me...

He is the only one that could do that.

and that makes Him good, trustworthy and Jesus.

doing things only He could do.

i don't know how to explain it any better than this. its just been a couple of those weeks back to back where it seems like life is happening an extra amount and right in front of my face.

the fact that it is real, painful and joyful at the same time and happening at this very moment. and mostly it is happening with a purpose and my aim is to make it matter for that purpose.

for the sake of GLORY to the ONE who is WORTHY.

that's unfortunate

just for grins...

some unfortunate tattoo spelling mistakes:

this is the season that is "hott"

your "tomorrow" doesn't look bright

maybe he couldn't afford the apostrophe and the "e."

some unfortunate names for the chosen profession:

how do you heckle this guy with any cleverness because it just seems too easy

it's like free advertising



it's his name and what he does!

unfortunate sign failure:

"wait, i came here for fun?"

hope you enjoyed

i feel sick...

i am just sick over this:

as believers we are called to care for orphans.

It is a beautiful picture of what God has done for us when people who have no reason to care for a child adopt it, bring it into their home and love it unconditionally.

and it is a tragedy when in an attempt to make money a company like Warner Bros. would appeal to the fear in people.

Heather (who i don't know but whose blog i read daily) said it much better than me. please rerad what she wrote. also spread the word, don't go see the movie and pray with me about whether or not we should protest this movie at a selected theater.

it's just gross and it's one of those things that makes me cry out to the Lord and beg Him for a quick return and thank Him for His mercy but also ask for much, much more. because this is what we are without Him.

sad, greedy people.

also when believers adopt, it's quite amazing. just ask Aaron and Charity. if you think there might be any truth to this stupid movie please read their blog and see what adoption is really about.

i have a sister!!!

It was a beautiful wedding and such a wonderful time. It was so nice to see so many friends and family from all over in one place. Truly a sweet time.

i know, i know...

It's been about a year since I've posted. For the three of you that read this, i apologize for the time you have wasted checking my blog just to see the same, lame old post. basically, summer came and my life got crazy. If your starting to feel sorry for me because my life is busy you can quit because its been crazy with fun.


But first things first...

Tomorrow I leave for the wedding of one of my most favorite couples ever!! Luke and Ashley are getting married this Saturday and I am so excited about it.

As far as brothers go...

I have the best ones. My brothers are amazing. Even though they are both younger than me you would never be able to tell by the way they take care of me, look out for me and are just sweet to me.

Luke has become such an great young man and it has been such a treat to be his sister. He is so fun to be around, is not afraid of adventure and simply enjoys life.

And Ashley,

I mean, I didn't know sister-in-laws could be this cool. She is fun, sweet and wonderful and I am so excited and blessed to soon be calling her an official sister. Since I was a little girl I always wanted a sister and to be getting not just a sister but Ashley is such a cherry on top.

So I am thrilled to be headed to Arkansas to watch one of my two favorite brothers and my Ashley get married. Family is coming in from all over and good friends are also making the long trip and it going to be a fun-filled wonderful celebration of a weekend.

So, as of late...

It has been a very interesting season of life. In the same month my car was totaled (everyone is safe and no one was hurt, also I wasn't even in the car) and my parents decided they are moving. This wouldn't be that big of a deal if I wasn't currently living with them. I was planning on moving out anyway but now they have a contract on their house and I have to be out by the end of the month.

No worries.

I have a plan...ish.

Because my insurance people are amazing I already have a new car and am apartment shopping with two girls from school so hopefully soon I will be in a new place.

It seems simple when I blog it but it has felt like more. Maybe I have just been over-dramatic lately. Maybe there is more that I am forgetting about, I know there is more that I just don't have the courage to release to the blog world.

This summer has been a time of what I like to call, "My life up in the air." There is plenty to be

worked out and several areas where I believe the Lord is calling me to take some risk. I really like adventure and gray areas so usually I am down for that sort of thing. However, there are a few specific areas that I am not so keen on jumping out without being able to see the floor beneath me. Thankfully, Jesus continues to remind me that He is worthy of being trusted. He is good and everything He does is good and I can run to Him and find rest for my soul. I am overwhelmed with His promises of peace. It has been a sweet time of Him reminding me, me listening and by His mercy, stepping forward.

In all this going on the Lord is being really present with me. I will be honest, there are times in my life when I look around at other believers and it seems that they don't struggle. Maybe not that they don't struggle but they never seem to be without the Lords presence or confused by the Lord or wondering what on earth they are doing. And basically these are things I think and feel a lot of the time. Lately, it has been different. The Word is speaking to me instead of just being words on a page and the presence of the Lord is piercing my heart and making my love for Him pour out onto the floor and everywhere around me instead of seeming a thousand miles away.

I pretty much love it.

Anyway, sorry I took so long. I will try to do better in the future.