good growing

sometimes the summers with not much planned are good summers of good growing. 

emotions can get us going. comparison can get us in funks. but Jesus can grow us good. He puts us back in the perspective we should still be seeing.

I love these quiet moments when I can find them. they teach little things, little by little. I hope you find your quiet & teachable moments too.

happy tuesday! xo

how was your summer?

- also, I am excited that fall is coming. apples and pumpkin everything, anyone? ;)

good growing

sometimes the summers with not much planned are good summers of good growing. 

emotions can get us going. comparison can get us in funks. but Jesus can grow us good. He puts us back in the perspective we should still be seeing.

I love these quiet moments when I can find them. they teach little things, little by little. I hope you find your quiet & teachable moments too.

happy tuesday! xo

how was your summer?

- also, I am excited that fall is coming. apples and pumpkin everything, anyone? ;)

thick f a i t h

these are just some of my thoughts, straight from my heart, speaking right into my heart. 
inspiration from genesis twenty-two. (and new morning mercies)

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"After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!", and he said, "here I am." (1)
- answering to God's call of "hey" is the beginning to a test of faith. Exactly as it was with Abraham. He didn't say, "what?"and he didn't say "again, really?" He just answered with a willing heart and said, "here I am". He surrendered himself without even knowing all of the details.

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you." (2)
- God tells him WHAT he's going to do, but he doesn't give him ALL of the details, which in a human sense we usually want all of the details. many times we are too lazy to do something, or we're too consumed in something else to even care. but Abraham cared - he cared so much about God and His will for him, that he gave God the time of day, and he answered to the call right then & right there. he willingly went even though he didn't know where he was going.

"Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the land for the burnt offering, my son." "(8)
Abraham had so much faith that he didn't even use words that would worry his son. He used strong words about his heavenly Father that were (and still are) so true: God will provide for Himself.

"He said, "do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, you're only son, from Me." (12)
- Abraham fearlessly surrendered everything he had to God. His only son. In turn, God surrendered His only son, Jesus. His only son. And Jesus also...went fearlessly to the cross.

what echoed for me was...do I go fearlessly to the cross? do I surrender my everything everyday?

"And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." (18)
- in the end, was Abraham's faith worth it? so worth it. blessings upon blessings we're given to Abraham.

even when we don't understand, even when we can't see the reasons - even then, we must have faith. faith so thick that we know God will come through in His timing, and in His way, which is not always our way...and we have to come to a place of understanding that.

let your faith flow to seek what God wants in the outcome. I struggle with this. but once again - we are all in this together.
let us together, put aside hallow faith and hallow prayers. let us call unto God with the most thick faith, believing that His outcome is best. surrender it all. go fearlessly to the cross. go fearlessly to the end of yourself to do what God has for you. in the end it is always so so good. 
we serve such a good good Father. 

xx sorry for the book. 
happy weekend!

thick f a i t h

these are just some of my thoughts, straight from my heart, speaking right into my heart. 
inspiration from genesis twenty-two. (and new morning mercies)

+

+

"After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!", and he said, "here I am." (1)
- answering to God's call of "hey" is the beginning to a test of faith. Exactly as it was with Abraham. He didn't say, "what?"and he didn't say "again, really?" He just answered with a willing heart and said, "here I am". He surrendered himself without even knowing all of the details.

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you." (2)
- God tells him WHAT he's going to do, but he doesn't give him ALL of the details, which in a human sense we usually want all of the details. many times we are too lazy to do something, or we're too consumed in something else to even care. but Abraham cared - he cared so much about God and His will for him, that he gave God the time of day, and he answered to the call right then & right there. he willingly went even though he didn't know where he was going.

"Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the land for the burnt offering, my son." "(8)
Abraham had so much faith that he didn't even use words that would worry his son. He used strong words about his heavenly Father that were (and still are) so true: God will provide for Himself.

"He said, "do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, you're only son, from Me." (12)
- Abraham fearlessly surrendered everything he had to God. His only son. In turn, God surrendered His only son, Jesus. His only son. And Jesus also...went fearlessly to the cross.

what echoed for me was...do I go fearlessly to the cross? do I surrender my everything everyday?

"And in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." (18)
- in the end, was Abraham's faith worth it? so worth it. blessings upon blessings we're given to Abraham.

even when we don't understand, even when we can't see the reasons - even then, we must have faith. faith so thick that we know God will come through in His timing, and in His way, which is not always our way...and we have to come to a place of understanding that.

let your faith flow to seek what God wants in the outcome. I struggle with this. but once again - we are all in this together.
let us together, put aside hallow faith and hallow prayers. let us call unto God with the most thick faith, believing that His outcome is best. surrender it all. go fearlessly to the cross. go fearlessly to the end of yourself to do what God has for you. in the end it is always so so good. 
we serve such a good good Father. 

xx sorry for the book. 
happy weekend!

the grief of sin {on Ezra nine}

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this past week I was able to study and pull apart the book of Ezra. it's a book of the bible I had never really read and didn't think much about. once we got into the chapters of it, it was very applicable. 

"After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. " Ezra 9:1-3

How much do we grieve over sin? of our own and in the lives of others. seeing sin should make us realize the wickedness in it, make us appalled, and more than thankful for the love of Jesus. is my repentance emotional? do I realize what lines i've crossed? so often I see other people bound to sin and look at it as such a light thing. I feel as much of the time we make it a joke. we might say how stupid the person is and how we're glad we are "not like them". I am definitely guilty of this. the bottom line is simply this: sin should make us grieve. we may not have to tear our clothes and shave our heads, or even shed tears. but we can at least bring our minds to the seriousness of it. can I at least pray for the sinfully lost person? can I at least have reverence when I am repenting? Ezra was beside himself in grief of the people's sin. others in this world may not know how lost they are but they may. that doesn't stop the love of Jesus. I want to grieve more over sin. it is a serious thing and I want to be aware of how it warps this world day after day, minute after minute. even more, I want to remember what lines I cross when I commit a sin.

these are thoughts I challenged myself with this week. they really make me think, remind me, and most importantly make the word of God slowly come alive. x

the grief of sin {on Ezra nine}

-

this past week I was able to study and pull apart the book of Ezra. it's a book of the bible I had never really read and didn't think much about. once we got into the chapters of it, it was very applicable. 

"After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. " Ezra 9:1-3

How much do we grieve over sin? of our own and in the lives of others. seeing sin should make us realize the wickedness in it, make us appalled, and more than thankful for the love of Jesus. is my repentance emotional? do I realize what lines i've crossed? so often I see other people bound to sin and look at it as such a light thing. I feel as much of the time we make it a joke. we might say how stupid the person is and how we're glad we are "not like them". I am definitely guilty of this. the bottom line is simply this: sin should make us grieve. we may not have to tear our clothes and shave our heads, or even shed tears. but we can at least bring our minds to the seriousness of it. can I at least pray for the sinfully lost person? can I at least have reverence when I am repenting? Ezra was beside himself in grief of the people's sin. others in this world may not know how lost they are but they may. that doesn't stop the love of Jesus. I want to grieve more over sin. it is a serious thing and I want to be aware of how it warps this world day after day, minute after minute. even more, I want to remember what lines I cross when I commit a sin.

these are thoughts I challenged myself with this week. they really make me think, remind me, and most importantly make the word of God slowly come alive. x

pumpkins (10/9/14)

we picked and painted pumpkins. 

sandals are just about finished for the season.

the sweaters are out. I mean, who doesn't love some good sweater weather?

I hope you all are enjoying this fall season!

pumpkins (10/9/14)

we picked and painted pumpkins. 

sandals are just about finished for the season.

the sweaters are out. I mean, who doesn't love some good sweater weather?

I hope you all are enjoying this fall season!

a messy day of red & pink

We enjoyed our family valentine celebration a day early last month. 

a messy day of red & pink

We enjoyed our family valentine celebration a day early last month. 

Florida roadtrip - spring breakin

 my road trippin essentials.

 

new music is a good help to get you through a roadtrip.

poolside

 because i had to take a picture of this cute, little, italian, pizza guy made out of legos.

 / a day at the beach /

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(this is what happens when the car brakes start acting up and you have an almost dead ipod).

grandpa's breakfast essential...donuts. :)

 THE GOODS

a bitterseet goodbye... 

we stopped in schuyler, va (aka walton's mtn.)

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and that results our 2k13 florida adventure. we had a great time, and I miss the florida sun and air, but it's good to be home.