Wedding Bells are Ringing

Well, I have really enjoyed this season of seeing so many good friends getting married. It has been such a joy and encouragement to see such sweet pictures of how Jesus loves us in every wedding I've gone to or been a part of. This past weekend I got to stand by one of my best friends, Andrea. We have been friends for over 8 years. We played sports together, have gone on vacations together, sat through classes together and have so many other memories from over the years. She always knows how to make me laugh; we've had a lot of fun from elementary school all the way through college (she's an Aggie too). It has been so fun walking through so many different stages of life with her and so exciting to watch her walk down the aisle! She was absolutely beautiful. Her husband, Josh and I were in the same class from 8th grade through graduation- that's New Braunfels for you :) I love them both so much and can't imagine a better fit.

The weekend before, me and Andrea at the lingerie shower

Me with the bride to be at the rehearsal

The bridal party at the rehearsal dinner- you know, just being ourselves

Andrea with all her bridesmaids-me, Abbey, Jessie, Steph and Berlin

Caught the bouquet...along with Jessie

Mr. and Mrs. Josh Martinez

Me with the newlyweds

After Andrea's wedding I headed back to College Station to see my friends, Jen and Chester get married. It was such a fun wedding and I am so excited for the two of them. It's been so fun getting to know them over this past year and I am looking forward to spending more time iwth them as a married couple! She was beautiful!

Me and Aubrey at the wedding- the next one to get married :) Can't wait for her big day!

I can't believe Christmas is Friday! This semester has flown by. I mean seriously, I'm about to head into my last semester of school...ever. A lot has happened in the past few months- this semester has been filled with a lot of highs and a lot of lows. But more than anything I have been learning about the faithfulness of God as a Father- wanting what's best for his kids. Christmas is such a beautiful picture of that- wanting what's best, even to the point of sending His own son to save us.

Thank you, God, for loving and caring for us, for being a good dad, and for giving us joy and hope through salvation.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I love our house at Christmas. My roomies and I may get a little too into it, but decorating for Christmas is definitely one of our favorite things to do together. I thought I'd share a few pictures of what we come home to everyday now :) I love Christmas!

Here's the wreath my mom got for our front door...and yes, that is a Christmas vest- my sweet find before last years Christmas party :)

Hanging the first ornament...please notice anna's hand

I love my roomies

Some of our living room decorations

Now, let's hope for some snow :)

In Your Presence

Father I am waiting

I need to hear from You

To know that You're approving

of what I say and do

Cause nothing really satisfies

like when You speak my name

So tell me that You'll never leave

and everything will be okay

In Your presence, all fear is gone

in Your presence

In Your presence, is where I belong,

in Your presence

-Jason Upton, In Your Presence

Today I had some time to go the park and just sit- something I've been wanting to do for a while. I wish I had had more time, but hopefully some will open up later this week. This morning before class I listened to one of Ben Stuart's talks about James 1 and how we, as believers, are called to choose joy in the midst of trials. Being in a Christian school most of my life I have heard, studied and even taught this scripture several times. But today it really hit home for me as I listened to Ben explain what that looks like. It also made me look at how much joy I missed out on when I was sick. Obviously, those were not fun or happy times, but I could have been a lot more joyful in knowing that what I was going through was refining me and making me better in some way. I could have been a lot more joyful toward the nurses, my parents, friends etc who helped me get better, and there were times when I was able to show them gratitude. But I allowed my circumstances to rob me of satisfaction in Jesus on a lot of those days in the hospital. I started asking myself, what if this sickness never goes away- will you choose joy? That's a pretty tough question for me to think on and to answer. I am praying Jesus would graciously lead me there. I am also praying for continued healing so I may never have to answer that question :).

jkl

I was listening to Upton while I was sitting at the park and I've heard this song, In Your Presence, so many times. But today when he sang "nothing really satisfies like when you speak my name," that's exactly what I wanted my heart to look like. I want to feel completely satisfied when He says my name no matter what He is calling me to. He knows my name- how much more satisfaction could I want or need? I was able to journal about a lot of things today and just sit satisfied, knowing that He calls my name. Knowing this will help those seemingly joyless times feel like they can be joyful.

"I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."- Psalm 9:1&2

"Surreal but Nice"

I have had a crazy past few weeks...well couple months since my last post! I knew I needed to update when my friend, Amanda, told me she needed something to read so I needed to get on it! To quote one of my favorite movies, Notting Hill, these last two months have been "surreal but nice." To keep this long post (I mean, it has been 2 months) interesting, there will be lots of pictures.

At the beginning of September, we shot a promo video for Masterpiece and Intimacy that we were going to show for the first time at the Christy Nockels concert and then send out to all the organizations and churches to advertise for our two events. The video looks amazing and we've had great response! Our video guy was awesome and did such an great job shooting and editing it.

Here it is!:

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We finished that up and then I headed for Atlanta with my friend and mentor, Donna Stuart. A church in Houston asked her and another couple (Matthew and Lizi Bailey) that lead worship there to record some of their songs for a cd for the church. I had some fun moments before I left that weekend of remembering how different I was when I first started college. I found a paper from a class I took freshman year and it basically described what my goals were in life career and throughout school- all have changed. I no longer want to be a buyer, I am not living in New York like I thought I would be, and I have not made a 4.0 :) And I am 100% peaceful with all of that. Thank you Jesus! It's fun to see how He has shown me my desires and where He wants me to walk in them for the time being.

Being in the studio was such a gift for me; I am so thankful Donna asked me to go. It was so amazing to see the whole process from start to finish. I left extremely encouraged in seeing how Christian artists love Jesus and love to worship Him through their gifts and talents. Everyday in the studio started with prayer and if there were frustrations with a song or anything we prayed. It wasn't about business...it was about Jesus and wanting others to draw near to Him through their music. And not going to lie...it gave me a little itch to do that someday. If Jesus opens that door for me one day I would gladly walk through it! I loved Atlanta and cannot wait to go back...which will be in January for Passion 2010!! It was such a fun city and I had such a great time being there. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Donna getting ready to record guitar

I got to sing a little back-up on one of the songs!

The producer, Jason, showing me some different stuff on electric

Sweet Friend

Sitting in the studio listening to the track

After Atlanta it was time to turn 22 and get my Aggie ring!! Both happened, but not quite the way I had hoped. I ended up getting pretty sick on my birthday, and even worse on ring day. Long story short-I ended up having surgery to have my gallbladder taken out! My parents took such great care of me and my sweet mom stayed for a week helping out and cooking and cleaning- such a blessing. Definitely one of the hardest weeks I have had in a long time, but Jesus was so good and allowed me to heal pretty quickly after and I am feeling so much better now. I would love it if you would pray and believe with me that this will do it- no more sickness! Thank you to everyone who wrote cards, brought flowers, prayed and cared for me- it meant so much and truly encouraged me to know I am loved.


Then it was time to get things rolling with Intimacy '09. It was such a sweet night and I really believe Jesus used it to teach girls that He is better- no matter who you are or what you've done. Liza's story was one of the best pictures of redemption I have ever heard. She has a beautiful story and I believe that so many girls were touched and challenged by it. I definitely was. The night ran so smoothly and God worked all the little details out. He is entirely faithful and I am so grateful for the ways He has allowed me to serve the girls in this area. I couldn't ask for a better gift! These are just a few of my favorite pictures, taken by Lacy Dagerath, http://www.morethananimage.com/.

This week 2 very fun things happened, one far outweighing the other. The first was going to see the Season 5 So You Think You Can Dance tour. It was so fun and I had such a great night just spending time with my friends watching some amazing dancers! And after we met all the top 12, haha! But it was so fun. Here are a few pictures for proof :)

America's favorite dancer

Kayla, my favorite from season 5

And the other fun thing, that is obviously more exciting, is Kiva Victorie came! I am so excited for the Lee's having a new family member and looking forward to watching her grow up. It's been so fun getting to pray for her these last nine months and getting to hold her today was so exciting! She is absolutely beautiful!! Here are a few pictures and to see more check out Steph's blog.

Precious Kiva Victorie

Aubs and Kiva

Kiva's Mom :)

Clayton's turn

And in between all of this I have had tons of groups projects, tests, quizzes, running the marketing for Masterpiece, and keeping up with people! But things are finally starting to slow down and I am getting into more of a routine. I feel like so many big things have been crammed into a few weeks, but it's been so good learning and walking in the different things Jesus puts in front of me. I'm excited to see where He takes me next....hopefully it won't take me 2 more months to fill you in on that!

Intimacy 2009!!

Well, in a little over a month, the 3rd annual Intimacy worship night will be happening! I am so excited. I have been working really hard on it the last few days (and over the past several months :) ). I really believe Jesus is going to do some sweet things during our time that night. I was just reading over Psalm 139 a little when I was making up the facebook page. It's the chapter I was reading when I got the idea for this event 3 years ago and it speaks so much to me everytime I read it. He knows when I sit and when I rise...blows my mind that He loves and cares for us that much. My heart's desire is that every girl will come just as they are and leave understanding God's love for them a little more...or a lot more :) I am so grateful for all the support, prayer, encouragement, and help I have received. I am constantly overwhelmed and grateful for the friends Jesus has put in my life that have loved me so well- this is a big part of why I love ministry- I've been ministered to so much.


So these next few days will be pretty busy. Advertising and promoting Intimacy, we're shooting a promo video for Intimacy and Masterpiece tomorrow, and last but definintely not least I'm going to Atlanta for 5 days! I'm heading out Sunday with my friend, Donna, and am so excited to get to see her record a couple songs for an EP. I am so grateful for this opportunity to see how the whole recording process works and really looking forward to just spending time with my friend. I'm thankful she asked me to come along; I have been so blessed through her ministry and music.


I will definitely be blogging about that trip when I get back. Until then, please be praying with me for Intimacy and for Masterpiece (which I'll blog about another day-way too long for now). Pray for girls to come, our speaker-Liza, Donna and the band as we prep for worship and all the other little details to run smoothly and most importantly for girls to see the reality of who Jesus Christ is. Jesus, please let your Spirit move and we give you total freedom

The Sunshine State

We're back from Florida! It was such a great week to just sit and be with my family and not have a schedule or anything planned. It didn't seem like it was going to go so well on the first day when the tropical storm hit right after we pulled into our rental house! And the second day a tornado hit Beaumont, but thankfully didn't go near our house. Finally, Tuesday afternoon we were able to hit the beach. I'm not a huge ocean fan...not going to lie, it just kind of freaks me out a little and last year getting stung by a jellyfish didn't really help that out much. But I conquered my fear and got in the water...and thankfully there were no jellyfish this time! It's so hard not to see how creative of a God we serve when you're on the beach. It's insane the things He came up with! We snorkled, napped on the beach, rented a boat, shopped and ate great food.

I'd have to say the last night we were there was my favorite. We headed down to the bay and there are a bunch of shops and restaraunts kind of like a boardwalk. There was an air show going on when we were walking up and a choir singing on a stage that was set up in the middle of all the shops. They sang a bunch of patriotic songs to begin with and it was such a reminder of the rich heritage we have as Americans. Then they started singing songs about Jesus. It was awesome...so many people were gathered around listening to these people sing about our Savior. And the choir was mixed with all ages and the sweetest little old lady was on the front row of the choir on the right. She was singing her heart out and just rocking out to every song. You could see such a joy on her face. It made me really wonder what her story was. Had she been a believer most of her life? What kind of hardships had she gone through? What joys? I was so encouraged just watching her sing and praise Jesus...I pray I will be that joyful about Jesus the rest of my days and always singing praises to Him!


And just when we thought the night couldn't get better...it did. The MC introduced the next group of performers- the Highsteppers. It was a dancing group, but not just any dancing group. I didn't think I would fully be able to explain in words so I took a picture to capture the full effect. Please enjoy...


They did a fabulous rendition of All That Jazz. It definitely made the night more fun. I was litterally thinking "this is real, this is really happening...that is a bunch of elderly ladies...and one man...dancing to All That Jazz. This night could not get any better!" Oh but it did, we got to eat right on the bay and there was a fireworks show that was insane. They set off so many and it was such a great last night to a fun vacation!

Me and my sis at dinner.


Vacation was great and needed, but I'm ready to be back in College Station! I can't believe school is already starting back up in a week, but I'm kind of ready to get back into a normal schedule. Senior year...here it comes. I'm so excited to see what Jesus is going to do this year and expectant to learn more and grow so much. He's done so much the past few years of college and I am so grateful for all I have already learned. This year I just want more Jesus!

Big Beautiful Beaumont

One of the nice things about my parents living in Beaumont is how close we are to the ocean...which means more fishing for me and my dad. I love to fish. It's definitely been one of my favorite things to do with my dad. A couple weekends ago my roomie, Anna, and I went to surprise my mom and my dad took us fishing on Saturday. It was probably one of the craziest days I'd had in a while. Let's just say there's nothing like 4 women on a boat trying to fish...my poor dad.

Here's a picture of Anna's catch!

Me and Anna on the boat before the "incident"

So the incident I was referring to...our boat's pretty big, but not big enough for 4 women to fish, especially when half of them don't know what they're doing. Background: this is the first time since I was probably 7 or 8 that I've seen my mother fish- she's not exactly the granola type :) My dad always wants her to go fishing with us and she finally did. Well, we were fishing and I accidently threw my line over my sisters. As we're reeling the lines in to make sure they don't get stuck, my mom decides to cast right in the middle of it! So both my sister and I tell her not to do anything, and that we would fix it...of course, she tries to get her rod and reel out of the way when suddenly there's a splash...yeah she dropped the rod and reel right in the water...deep, deep water to which it immediately sinks to the bottom. My mom starts laughing so hard as my sister and I just nod our heads in shock and try not to laugh knowing my dad won't be too happy. This whole time my dad's at the front of the boat not knowing any of this is happening. He turns around to see what she was laughing at and couldn't believe she dropped his best reel in the water...that's right, his $250 rod and reel...gone...forever. It was hilarious-not at the time- but definitely is now. Anna was very entertained that day.

But at the end of the trip he said she could drop as many of his rods and reels in the water if that means she'll go fishing with him. My sweet dad!

One of the other great things about living in Beaumont. Gigantic fire hydrants:

This one's for you, Jen...I bet they don't have any of these in Australia!

As beautiful as Beaumont is, I'm excited to say I'm going to be hanging out in Destin, Florida with my family for a week starting Sunday! So excited to rest, shop, eat and just hang out with my family.

Jesus is Better

So I just realized I never did a follow up about Laity Lodge, the camp my friend, Bernie asked me to lead worship and speak at a couple weeks ago. I was definitely nervous going into it, but I think the Lord really used that night to get a hold of some of His girls. Thankfully, my sweet friend, Blaire, went with me- so I didn't have to drive over 4 hours by myself and I had someone to practice my talk with :) It was definitely the most beautiful camp I have ever been to (sorry TbarM) and the counselors I met were so generous and encouraging. We were set in a covered outdoor pavillion that had a river and huge canyon behind me- it was so beautiful. I love having worship in a setting like that, where you can so easily see God's creation as you're singing to Him.

So it definitely helped calm my nerves to lead worship and directed my focus where it needed to be- Jesus. I was amazed at how comfortable I felt as I started sharing my story and the talk I had prepared. I felt like I was where I needed to be. I talked about how we, especially as women, are created with this deep desire and need for affection, adoration and devotion and so often we try to find that in other things. This is a great God-given need, I believe, but it is one He wants to meet. I shared with them about longing for this and other things and asked them at the beginning to write down on a note card their deepest longing at this point in their life. I wanted them to be thinking about this as I was sharing and at the end I had them write down on a card "Jesus is better." I shared with them that Jesus is so much better than anything they could have written on that card- even the good things. Often times we have to wait for those good things, but Jesus is even better in the waiting. Then we had a time where they could come to these crosses that were set up behind me and lay down that first card that had their longing on it. I wanted them to have a tangible, physical reminder of laying down their longing before the Lord. I told them to hold on to the other card that said Jesus is better as a reminder of this night, and that He is better than anything we could want.

The response and worship at the end was so beautiful and it was so encouraging to see Jesus move. Girls were using the space behind me as an altar and really spending time thinking and praying about it before laying it down. Jesus was so, so good and I am so grateful He gave me that opportunity. And it was so great seeing my friend, Bernie in her element- she's such a great girls' director and I loved watching her do what she loves. Thank you, friends, for praying for me- Jesus answered!

I finally had my first 2 weekends in College Station all summer! It's been so nice not to have anything scheduled and I'm so glad my roomie, Anna's back! I feel like I've finally caught up on summer these past two weeks. And summer's not over yet!

I am Unnecessary

So in this last month and couple weeks I've clocked in...ready for this?...at least 40 hours of driving time!!! Isn't that crazy!?! I've driven to New Braunfels, Beaumont, Dallas, San Antonio and back to College Station a few times. Needless to say I'm a little tired of my car and the road- something that I usually enjoy. But in all that driving I've ended up in places that I have loved- home to see my best friend get married, another friend marry, tons of family for 4th of July (almost caught a shark by the way!), floated the river, walked the Riverwalk, made lots of fun memories, hung out with old friends and made some new ones, and had some really sweet time of journaling, prayer and worship.

I am tired.

But, at the same time, I am refreshed.

I just got back from a worship conference in Dallas with some really fun friends. I felt like it was a pretty full 3 days, even though we kind of skipped out on some of the conference :) Thursday, the second day of the conference, was the best for me. That morning I dropped off the girls that came with us and headed to Barnes & Noble to read and journal for a while. It was so good and I hadn't journaled in a while so it was definitely needed. I was processing a lot that day, but it was so good looking back. I got to reflect a lot this week on what I do as a worshipper and "lead worshipper."

As I thought about it for a while and really thought about worship I wrote this: "I am merely someone who can help people come to worship Jesus- BUT I am not necessary, I am not essential to this. There are no gifts, skills, or words I have that can merit true worship for others. They can assist and help usher, but ultimately worship is about Jesus and a group or individual loving Him through their heart, soul, body and mind-all for the glory of Jesus. Worship is obedience poured out- sometimes and often times creatively through song, art, dance...etc."

So... I am unnecessary, but so grateful He still uses me and allows me to play and sing and worship with other believers.

Thursday night I was totally blessed by Jason Upton and the way he led. He started off by saying something like none of us are professionals at being in the presence of Jesus- we're all beginners. That pretty much knocked me over with conviction!

One of the verses stated and spoken about a lot was Psalm 33:1-5, "Shout for joy in the LORD, o you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; make melody to Him with the harp of 10 strings! Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. For the Word of the LORD is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD."

I love the details in this verse. Sing a new song, play skillfully, with loud shouts. Why do we do all of these things, why do we worship? Because His Word is upright and because He is faithful. Isn't it funny how often we ask God to be faithful? That's like asking water to be wet. It's who He is and always will be-FAITHFUL. It's because of His abundance in His faithfulness that we can constantly be singing a new song.

So I am really glad I went to the conference. It was beautiful to see another group of believers loving Jesus. But I'm definitely glad to be back in College Station for a few days...that's right just a few. I'm headed to Laity Lodge camp in Leakey on Wednesday to lead a girls' worship night there. I would love it if you would pray for me as I prep for that. I'll actually be leading worship and speaking for a little bit. So a new challenge for me, I've never really spoken at anything before. But I'm excited to see how it goes and what Jesus wants to do with that time.

So here's to another few hours on the road :)

My Best Friend's Wedding...

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Henderson!!!

First Dance to the song Abbey's friend, Heather wrote for them

Me and the beautiful Bride

Heading Out

At the Bachelorette Party



Abbey and Her Dad

It was a wedding weekend for sure. It started Thursday night with a lingerie shower. Friday was the bridal luncheon and rehearsal. The luncheon was in the same place that Abbey's mom had hers 30 years ago. And Saturday we did pedicures and a cook-out at Abbey's house with the whole wedding party and some family. It was so good to just sit and spend time with Abbey on Saturday. I was helping her pack in her bedroom and started thinking about how many times we stayed up till like 4 in the morning in that room talking and praying for our future husbands. Jonathan is what we prayed for for Abbey and more. I totally lost it- I mean tears down my face lost it-just thinking about how God has been so faithful to Abbey in bringing her and Jonathan together and how faithful and good He has been in my friendship with Abbey. So I got to pray with her in her room one last time as Abbey Deetjen. Definitely one of my favorite moments from the weekend.

It was such a beautiful wedding and was so Jesus-centered. Abbey was so gorgeous and the ceremony was perfect! I couldn't be more excited for my friends. I have loved this past season of friendship with Abbey so much as she's been engaged and I am really looking forward to seeing her as Mrs. Henderson! And I'm really excited to see Jonathan be a husband. God's voice and direction has been so clear on their relationship and I can't wait to see how their marriage is going to be used to draw others nearer to Jesus.

Zack+Kelly=together forever

Blaire, I'm not sure if this was in response to your last post about feeling like you're living in a modern day Saved by the Bell...

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Hopefully Jimmy can get all the cast in for the reunion- what a glorious day that will be. My inner nine year old will be really excited.

Life Light Up

Oh my goodness...You should probably get on iTunes right now and buy Christy Nockels new album, Life Light Up. It came out today and it's SO good! She is such a gifted worship leader and it doesn't hurt that her vocals are insane on this album. I've only been listening to it for a little bit and so far I've been totally blessed! Her music over the past several years has had a huge impact on my life and the way I lead worship. Here's a video of the title track, Life Light Up just to give you a little taste...

This summer is filled with lots of friends, weddings and fun...and a little class. Last weekend, I got to see my sweet friend Rachel get married! It was so fun being a bridesmaid and to be a part of their wedding. She was so beautiful and I am so excited to see how Jesus is going to use their marriage. Her and Ray (yes, Rachel and Ray...maybe they'll start their own cooking show) are so in love with the Lord and I know they will be such a beautiful example of Christ and the Church. I get so excited about weddings, I love the imagery of it and the picture it paints of the way Jesus loves us and wants us.

And it's less than a month until my best friend, Abbey, gets married!! I can't believe it's almost here. I couldn't be more happy for her and her fiance Jonathan, who has been one a really close friend since we were in 4th grade! They are so fun together and love each other so well. I can't wait! They just got their engagement pictures and they were so cute. Here's one of my favorites...

And last, but definitely not least, I am so excited that the new baby Lee is a girl!!! I'm so happy for Brian and Steph and Jada to have another girl in the familiy. Thank you Jesus, for your goodness and the gifts that you give. Can't wait to meet her!

Happy Mother's Day

So today is Mother's day.

I love my mom.

She was always the mom that planned fun stuff for all of my friends and went all out.

She's the one that reminds me not to be so serious all the time.

She could make any house feel like a home.

She still flirts with my dad and holds his hand...they love each other :)

She is always up for a trip to New York.

She always makes my favorite dinners when I come home, complete with the best chocolate cake ever.

She stays up late and watches our tivo'd Project Runway and American Idol.

She is the only person I really, truly want with me when I'm shopping- for some reason I can't ever find as much stuff that I like without her there.

She is my biggest fan in everything I've ever done- sports (yes, I did sports all through middle and high school :) ), singing, playing guitar, women's ministry, school...

She's mentored and been mentored by several other ladies and that has impacted me in so many ways and has taught me the importance of learning from women who are a little farther down the road.


But one of the things I appreciate the most about my mother is that she is a woman of faith. She believes God for a lot, because He is a lot. She is one of the most faithful prayer warriors I know. I can't explain the blessing it is to know that my mom prays for me every morning, and not just that I'll have a good day, but that I will be a godly woman that loves God, wants and desires wisdom and that I will put Jesus first in all I do. I owe a lot of who I've turned out to be to the way my parents have loved and taught me since I was little. My mom is one of the first people in her family to truly follow Jesus , and she's been faithful, even when it's hard. There have been several times where doubt has come so easily to me in different areas of my life and no matter what it is, within two seconds of a conversation with her she is reminding me to pray and ask God to move.

Thank you, Mom, for teaching me that God is a faithful God. That He is a God who hears and listens to our prayers and knows the desires of our hearts. I Love you more than you know.

school's out for summer...almost

1 Final Down, 4 to go...this feels like freshman year with so many finals. I am not a fan of school right now and definitely counting down the days until Wednesday...then Summer (the fact that I'm taking class during summer is beside the point)!!! I seriously can't believe school is almost out. I am less than a week away from being a senior in college. What?

College has really flown by! It's weird how these past three years have felt really long and really short at the same time. I had lunch with some of my closest friends Thursday and we were talking about how crazy it is that college goes by so fast. We've been friends since our freshman year, thanks to ASC. Jesus blessed me with so many really deep friendships through that organization, and I will always be grateful for my time there. We've all changed a lot in three years.It's been so sweet to see the different areas the Lord has grown us separately and together. I'm grateful my friendships have been consistent with these girls and that there has always been an openness and eagerness to share about what God's been doing in us and to encourage what we see in each other.



Last week I journaled a lot about the different things God has done this past year in my life and the pages seemed endless. It was really good to think and write about all that has happened since last spring. And I'm not done writing it out yet! That amazes me when I look at all He has done in my life and think about all the other believers there are in this world and know that God works in all of their lives. What a BIG God! He's taught me a lot this year and as I look forward to this summer, I am so excited to just keep learning a lot. I really just want to dig into scripture and study things I want to know more about- church, spiritual gifts, worship, prayer, just to name a few. This is going to be a very different summer without camp, but I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Summer is almost here!!!

What's in Your Closet?

I've been working on this insane retailing group project since school started. It consisted of following a local retailer (we chose clothing boutique Closet Door), studying it's strengths and weaknesses and giving them recommendations on how they can better their store and grab more of the market's attention. This may not seem like a whole lot, but it was over two months of research, surveying young moms in the area, studying competitors, writing the project out which was over 100 pages, and finally presenting the material and our recommendations to our class. The project is actually part of the Stanley Marcus Retailing Competition and the whole point of the project is to get real world experience and then out of the twenty groups that presented, 6 groups are chosen to present their material in front of judges, which include executives from Neiman Marcus. Closet Door was a pretty fun retailer to work with. We had lots of opportunity for recommendations and I think our group did a great job presenting.

The top three get prizes from Neimans and our prof said it looks really good on our resumes. So after lots of hours, very little sleep, and missed out time with roommates, I'd like to share...my group made it to the finals!! It's crazy! I suddenly got really tired again when I found out we made it, but I am really excited. So we present on Tuesday and then it's over for real!

Intimate Redemption

Redemption leads to Intimacy.

Jesus. Savior. Lord. Freedom. Life-Giver. REDEEMER.


I am excited to say that Redemption is the “theme” that's been laid on my heart for Intimacy '09. All semester this has been a theme I've seen in my own life and in several other's around me. Jesus is THE Redeemer of life in every way possible. I love that the girls that came last November got to hear about Freedom and how God is the God who forgives and brings freedom from sin and shame in our lives. He is far better than anything. I love that those same girls who experienced freedom for the first time in a long time that night are going to get to hear about how Jesus not only frees us from bondage in our life, but REDEEMS us from it. He not only takes burdens away, but He fills hearts that were once seeped in guilt and pain with a new hope and healing that can only be found in Him. The freedom we find in Jesus leads us to redemption and after we grasp even the slightest truth about redemption, how could we not long for intimacy with the God that pulls us out of darkness and into light? So many of us realize we are freed from sin, but haven't realized God keeps going- He redeems what we've lost and makes us new. I am REDEEMED!


I have been forgiven of sins according to God’s rich grace- not according to what I deserve or have earned- this grace has been lavished upon me- Ephesians 1:7&8


I am REDEEMED


While I was wallowing in sin and shame, I heard Him cry out, “Live!”- Ezekiel 16:6


I am REDEEMED


He covered me, entered into a covenant with me, and calls me His. – Ezekiel 16:8


I am REDEEMED


He has adopted me as His own. – Ephesians 1:5


I am REDEEMED


He has dressed me in the finest linens and adorned me with jewels. – Ezekiel 16: 10-12


I am REDEEMED


His thoughts about me outnumber the grains of sand. – Psalm 139: 17


I am REDEEMED


He has given me a purpose in life. He has anointed me to share hope with the hurting and help bind up the broken hearted. – Isaiah 61:1


I am REDEEMED


He has uses my weakness to perfect His strength- 1 Corinthians 12:9


I am REDEEMED


Please pray with and for me as I start preparing for Intimacy. Over the next several weeks and months, I’ll be praying about the speaker, worship, location, and everything else from the date to the logo and ads. Pray I won’t lose sight as I prepare and organize and plan. Jesus is central- period. If I lose sight of Him then everything I do is meaningless. I love what I've learned the past two years as I've gotten to plan this event and I cannot wait to see what I will learn this year. I long for every girl that walks through those doors to walk out knowing Jesus in the deepest and most intimate places of their souls. I am really grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this and that Jesus has opened doors and led me through them. I have seen how involved God is in the lives of His children over the past couple years of putting this together and it is such a beautiful thing to see Him bring it all together.


My Redeemer loves intimately.

I have totally slacked in my blogging over the past month or so...sorry to the two people that read this...just kidding, there's at least three :) I have been insanely busy with school, people and life in general. There have definitely been some down times, but God's also been gracious in giving a lot of life and relief in my days too. A lot has happened in the past month and I am so grateful that above anything else I can say I've grown to love my Jesus more through every moment, whether that was a quiet moment-sitting and praying and receiving, moments with my roomies or friends, or a crazy-trying to finish a 120 page project while have a billion other things on my mind-moment.




I love the Psalm I typed out in my previous post. I love that David believes that he will see God's goodness in the land of the living. That's totally where I'm at- in the midst of a crazy semester because of my God's sovereignty and the peace that He gives, I can claim that I will see God's goodness. Then David follows that by reminding himself (and us) to wait for the Lord, which requires strength and courage and being intentional in waiting on Him. God's timing is worth the wait. Isn't that so rich? God's timing has been perfect in everything, for all of time- so why wouldn't we find rest in Him?

Like I said, a lot has happened in this last month. I've been learning so much and it's been life-changing and life-giving. School's been really hard and busy, lots of projects and tests. I feel like it's never going to stop. I found out my mentor is pregnant- praise Jesus! I am so excited to see how good God is and I've learned a lot about His faithfulness to answer prayers and have seen His redemption at work in that. I've been growing more and more daily in my heart for college girls to know Jesus in really, really deep ways and have seen God honor and bless that. I miss Anna like crazy (she's home in less than two months!). Trying to figure out what this summer will look like without camp, which is also really hard for me. TbarM has been my last four summers; I will definitely miss it this summer. I've cried a lot more than I ever had this semester- which is actually an answered prayer (weird, I know) to asking God to make my heart more tender and soft. I've learned a lot about things I've put before Jesus. I've learned I'm way more of a people pleaser than I ever thought I was and Jesus definitely pointed that out this semester and I'm grateful to say He's forgiven me of that and changed my perspective. I've had to let go of a lot and embrace Jesus a lot more than I ever have. It's been hard sometimes, but Jesus has been so consistently good to me. I've realized how loved and blessed I am by the friends God has given me. I think friendships are one of the things I am most grateful for. I learn so much more about Jesus through the relationships I've had than a lot of other things. I've seen how faithful God is in answering prayers through a lot of conversations Rachel and I have had about the things we've been praying about and seeing God move. It's been really beautiful and so encouraging to know God hears so many prayers every second and is big enough to handle it all. That's insane and completely blows my mind. Really, how does He do it? I can barely remember what one person told me an hour ago :) I've had a lot of really great roommate time this semester too. It is so fun going home because of the roommates I have. I am so grateful for each of them. And lastly, I've been able to write a lot more music this last month which is really fun for me. It used to be so hard and now I can just sit down and play and words just kind of fly out of my mouth. And I've written some with my roommate, Lindsey, and she is a stud at the piano which makes it so fun having another instrument to play with at home. Needless to say, I've learned so much and am really grateful for college and how God's used so many different situations and circumstances in the past couple years to really stretch me and make me more like Him.

So here's to the rest of college! Jesus, continue to teach me more about you and how to love well and care deeply for others. I want to be totally open to your movement in my life and be ready to change whatever needs to be changed to look more like you. Take me through whatever, as long as the outcome is getting closer to you.

p.s. For some strange reason, I am reminded of You've Got Mail everytime I blog. I feel like Meg Ryan, writing to complete strangers and sending out thoughts into the "void." That plot seems a lot creepier after typing it out than when I'm watching it on-screen...haha, but it is one of my favorites. So, in the words of Meg, "good night, dear void."

Psalm 27
The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation
Of David.

1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
6And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!

8You have said, "Seek my face.”
My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek."
9 Hide not your face from me.Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!

10For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.

11Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.

12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.

13I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!

14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

This is the chair I got to pick out for my room in Beaumont...

I've never been so excited to sit...in Beaumont :)

Say Cheese!!!

So a couple weeks ago my best friend, Abbey took some pictures of me that I can use when I do women's retreats/events and stuff like that. We had so much fun, minus how totally akward I feel taking pictures by myself (Blaire, you are a much better at that than I am). She did an awesome job so I thought I'd share some of the pictures, and because they're kind of fun...

On another note, we (Rachel and I) got to talk to Anna on skype together today...I love the inventor of skype, I mean I really want to give him a big hug or thank you note or something. It's so much better than email. It just felt like the three of us were sitting at our table talking to each other. It was so good to catch up and just see her face and pray for her. We miss you Anna!!

Spring break 2009 baby! Heading to New Braunfels and then big bad Beaumont for most of the week and finishing it off with my church's ladies retreat. It's going to be so fun and really great time getting to know more of the ladies in the church. And I'm leading worship! So I'm really, really excited to get that opportunity. I've really missed leading a lot lately, so I'm grateful the Lord opened a door for me to get to do that.

Happy Spring Break!