remind me

So it has been a while since my last post - life has been incredibly busy lately. I have missed this as it is my favorite/only outlet for all of the thoughts that are often jumbled up inside my head. I hate pulling the busyness card because it will inevitably sound like the worst excuse known to man, but it is the truth.  I have no other reason, no other excuse to offer other than busyness.  It is during these times when I forget things and must be reminded of those ideas that are of vital importance to my life.

1.  I have to remember who God is and just how big He is.  In the busyness, I get caught up in my own petty problems and forget that He is Almighty God.  I like the idea that He wants to be my friend, but I love that He is my fortress, my strong tower, and the place from which I gain strength.  You know that I LOVE Nehemiah, and I often go there when I am discouraged or grumpy from being discouraged.  So I thought I would share Nehemiah 4:14-16 with you again.

"When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people: 'Do not be afraid of them(those people who were trying to discourage them from building the wall); remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.'"

2.  This verse also reminds me of who I am - not some weak, little pipsqueak!  I, we are called to be warriors - to fight.  The war belongs to God, but we are certainly soldiers in the battles.  I have two verses for you on this one.  Galatians 4:6 says that,

"Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'"

And 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us about this Spirit.  

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, and love, and discipline."

I don't know about you, but I just love the idea that God sends His Spirit into our hearts.  Through Christ, we have access to God and His abundance - grace, mercy, comfort, strength, power, the list could go on forever.  There are days, and today is one of those when I have to pray, as Nehemiah did, "O God, strengthen my hands."

3.  Nehemiah 4 also reminds me why - why I get up every day and go to work, why I work with children.  We are fighting those battles for them, for those people God has entrusted to us.  I fight for the 20+ darlings that climb the stairs to Extended Care every day.  I fight for the 100+ boys and girls that darken the doors of the CrossPointe Kids building.  I fight for the ladies that work with me every day, and most importantly I fight for George, Joyce, Candace, Brittany, Jonathan, Madison, Wyatt, Daisy Claire, Papaw, David, Brittany, Aunt Debbie, Ben, Mallorie, the boys, and many other family members.

Maybe you are like me and need someone to say, "Remind me, who do you fight for?"

Fun Friday!

Okay I have another confession!  I know, I know you are tired of hearing my confessions - especially when they contain no juicy gossip for you to pass on in the form of a prayer request!  I hate it for ya!  Anyways... my confession!  If you had asked me ten years ago where I would be in ten years, never would I have said working in a preschool and living with #littlegirl!  I am pretty sure at that point, I was not particularly fond of the small version of people nor was I close to my middle sister!  Neither one of us was very nice back in the day!   But God (yeah we have those moments in our lives, too!) had another plan, and here I am.  I work with three and four year old babies every day, and Candace and I have shared the same living quarters for almost 5 years! The confession is that I am VERY happy with my life!  It's not what I had planned nor what I expected, but I love it.  I love my job, and as much as it pains me to admit it, #littlegirl is my best friend!  I am not saying that all days have been good days or that I have not chased her around the apartment beating her up with the frying pan (yes, Mom I did that last week!), but I am saying that for right now I am pretty pleased with life!

Okay confession time over!  Because I find myself in such a good mood, I thought I would share with you some of the things that have made me smile this week in hopes that maybe you smile!

Daisies remind me of "You've Got Mail" and my Mamaw! 

Come on, isn't he beautiful?  Like manly, ruggedly, beautiful!!

So many great quotes - I promise half of the things I say come from this show!

Okay, so have a beautiful weekend!  Smile!  Laugh!  Go on an adventure!  

new year

Confession - I have not made a new year's resolution, and I have not even made a list of things that I want for this year.  If I am completely honest, I have not been entirely retrospective concerning 2013 because it was a tough year!  There were  times when my heart hurt as though someone had torn it out of my chest with their bare hands.  There were times when I was so exhausted, I found myself doing the minimum and going through the motions of life.  I have longed for heaven and the peace and relief it will bring.  I got so very frustrated with myself and my foolish pride, my wandering heart.  I think I learn every day a little more about the value of His grace and patience.

Do not get me wrong, there have been some wonderful times this year, but struggle seems to be theme we focused on this year.  I began this year striving for balance and quickly realized that it only takes one stumble for all those things you thought were balanced to come crashing down!  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever just needed a break from the world?   I think that is where I found myself this past year - I think I found myself going through the motions because caring meant hurting, and I didn't have time to deal with all of that.  So I kept going and going until I could not get up any more, so for most of the holidays, I did very little besides lay on the couch and be a bum.  

I think it was the best thing I could have done - you see all of the resolutions and goals don't mean anything when you can't remember why you are doing those things.  So for me, 2014 is a chance to remember why I fight, a pause to get my bearings, and an opportunity to move forward past the struggle.  I don't think I will make a resolution or a list this year, I just want to be present.

stop and smell the coffee!

Well hello friends!  I hope you don't mind, I kind of like addressing this post as if we are all old friends simply picking up where we last left off.  The Christmas season is upon us, and I am so very excited!  It's my favorite time of year, and bonus - it actually has felt like winter here in South MS for more than a few hours straight this year.  Most of the time we have this slightly bipolar weather pattern that can fluctuate between summer and freezing in the same day five minutes!

So this particular season has been extremely hectic and so very busy for us - at this moment I am quite frustrated at this fact.  I am very careful in what I commit to because I like to give 100% to very few things rather than 25% to several things.  I am not sure if that makes sense to anyone but my me and my parents because they are the ones who taught that to me.  I would really like to scream right now, but I can't because I have to work!  So after work and after small group and after I buy coffee creamer, if you see me screaming outside my apartment don't be alarmed.  I will be okay after I scream!

I feel like the first two paragraphs are completely at opposite ends of the spectrum, and that is exactly what is the problem.  I love this time of year - it is the perfect time to stop, smell the coffee(with your creamer), and enjoy the days, but its like I don't have time to go to the bathroom much less smell the coffee before I attach the I.V. filled with it to my arm!

Okay, I know that was a tish dramatic but you get the point.  I am tired of being busy, and I really feel like that's not God's best for us.  He created rest for a reason, and I truly believe that busyness can be a tactic of the Devil.  Busyness is usually a bunch of less important things meant to distract you from what is really important and what your ultimate goal is.  For example, this week is supposed to be a fun week for my kids celebrating the birth of Jesus and preparing for Christmas holidays; instead, I am exhausted from busyness, my nerves are frayed, and I am frustrated.

So I go back to a couple of my favorite verses that get me through life.

"Cease striving, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the Earth." - Psalm 46:10 

  When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.” - Nehemiah 4:14

The entire Psalm 46 is an "I got this" psalm for me, and Nehemiah is just wonderful!  

Okay, now I feel better.  I do apologize that you readers have to see the inner workings of my catharsis, but this blog does help me process things and deal.  So I hope you have an outlet for your frustrations, and I pray that we all can stop and enjoy the season!

ghosts

Do you believe in ghosts?

Are you haunted by ghosts?

I do and I am.  While the idea of the spirit of someone who has passed really freaks me out, it is the idea of ghosts of my past that are the most frightening.  The ghosts of the person I used to be seems to haunt my reality - I am pretty sure there is more than one ghost.  The ghost of the young girl I was before I became a believer, the ghost of the timid wallflower I was during most of high school, and the ghost of the naive diva I became in college.

I was around four or five, quite young, when I became a believer so that particular ghost is not so much haunting as elusive.  That simple faith of my childhood that God would take care of everything is something I must search for and tap into on a daily basis.

The timid wallflower ghost seems to hit me square in the face anytime I step foot near my high school - yes it is just as bad as it sounds.  Its like I am possessed with the 16 year old version of myself anytime I turn in the parking lot and I try quite hard to blend into the seat of my car.  I was a substitute teacher there a few times when I moved home, and I had to remind myself not to look as scared as I felt because I was no longer that girl.

Most recently I have come face-to-face with the college version of myself, and for a brief moment, I found myself wanting to be that girl again.  Surrounded by great friends and family, successful in school, active in organizations, she was a devout optimist, confident in her abilities, and stubborn to a fault.  College was great, and I treasure those times, but the seconds were fleeting before I realized that this girl was un-tested and lacked depth.  Yes she had not experienced pain and struggles in any real way, but she also had never really experienced the strength of God's hand when you have nothing else to hold onto.

Even though it does make me sad that things have changed and that girl is a ghost, I wouldn't trade the lessons I have learned when all of those things were stripped from my life.  I had placed my friends where only God should be, I relied on my own abilities rather than leaning on God, and during my junior and senior years, I was "too busy" to spend real time in the word.  Little by little, God took away those things so that He could restore my foundation and form me into the person who could withstand the winds and rains of testing and trials.  Now I am not saying that I have "arrived" by any means, but I at least feel that I am on the right road.  Sometimes it just takes a few ghosts to remind us where we have come from!

focus!

"21 You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile. 22 For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way. 24 Only [i]fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.”

I Samuel 12:21-25

Well you guessed it, I am a few weeks into a new study - this particular one begins with the period immediately following the period of Judges and continues through the life of David.  This particular passage is Samuel talking to Israel after they rejected God as their king and demanded a human king like every other nation.  The issue was not simply wanting or needing a king, but rejecting God as their king. You know I used to be quite the judgmental snob towards Israel, but the more I study the Old Testament and the more of this life I live, the more I relate to the people of Israel.  Which is typically the exact moment when I find myself acutely aware of both the grace God gives us each day and the need to submit to His authority in my life.

I think I identify so well with the Israelites because like them, I need these reminders "not to turn aside."  And then because I am that girl - I read scripture and then have this scene in my head.  This time, it's as though I am supposed to be listening to someone but I am distracted instead, and He snaps His fingers in front of my face and says, "focus!" Immediately I snap to attention as though He is the King and I am the lowly peasant.  He continues, "remember the Lord who is great and mighty, and remember what you are to be fighting for" (Nehemiah 4:14) because we must never forget, He is our King and this life is a fight!

It is so very simple to get distracted and to "turn aside."  Most of the time the distractions are not necessarily sinful things in and of themselves.  These activities become sinful when I place them where only God should be.  Still other times, it is not an activity at all, but an attitude towards things.  I begin working and desiring things instead of God - does that make sense?  The verse in Romans 12 that speaks of being transformed by the renewing of our minds means so much more in the light of this - so much of this battle is mental. We need grace everyday, and we need His word like we need physical nourishment - every day, three times a day sometimes.

I am immensely grateful and blessed that He does not abandon His people but gives us these "focus" reminders!  

balance

work and play

family and friends

career and family

God and man

We all have things we balance on a daily basis, and perhaps some are on the list above.  For some of us it seems a little less like an exercise in balance and more like a complicated session of juggling.  We feel as though we must allocate just the right amount of time and energy to the proper persons or activities, but Jesus told Martha in Luke 10 that only one thing is necessary.

 

38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I am not saying that we are to be lazy or antisocial - notice that Jesus did not chastise Martha for serving.  We have responsibilities and are called to service, but I think sometimes we can get distracted by those that are not serving.  Often we look at the task at hand which at times can be quite daunting, and we begin shifting our eyes to the right and to the left to those who we think could help but aren't.  It is in moments like these that my attitude takes a turn for the foul, and it is all downhill at that point.  Then these verses come to mind - "you are worried about so many things, but only one thing is necessary."  I can hear my Mom and Dad telling me that "you can't worry about what everyone else is doing, you have do what God asks of you."  Another person's actions or inactive state is not the problem - the problem is my attitude which altered when my eyes were not on Jesus and my task.

Mary chose the good part, the one thing that was necessary - sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to His word.  During those times when my attitude needs serious adjustment, I must come back to that necessary part.  Just as we cannot adequately exercise our physical bodies without proper nourishment, we cannot adequately serve our church or our community without sitting at His feet listening to His word.  Sometimes we have to "be still and know that He is God." (Psalm 46:10)  That's a difficult one for me - the being still and knowing that He is God.  In my finite mind I feel as though I have to do everything if it is going to be completed and completed the way and at the time I want it to be.  However, that way of thinking is so very contrary to God and His character which leads to me being stubborn and arguing with God.  I must tell you that never really ends well for me - I just have to choose to let Him have it, to surrender my stubborn heart to Him.  What can I say - work in progress here!  These days I am learning the balance of the following list...

grace and truth

femininity and strength

being still and service

yes and no

food and exercise

thus far...

In 1 Samuel 7, the ark has been returned to the Israelites, the people have repented of their sins, and returned to God.  Upon their return, God defeats their enemy and Samuel places a stone called an Ebenezer as a reminder to the Israelites that "thus far the LORD has helped us."  (1 Sam. 7:12)  I love that it says "thus far" - not that the character of God would change, but it serves as a marker for the people of Israel.  Like the mile marker on the side of the highways, this marker indicates Israel's current position as well as how far they have come.  I think we all need these markers, moments or mementos that remind us where we are and where we have come from, as a place of reference to return to when we falter or when things do not seem to be going as we think they should.

The other thing that is so encouraging to me is that Ebenezer does not mean "thus far I have been perfect" or "thus far I have made it on my own."  No, it is "thus far the LORD has helped us."  The people of Israel failed, they stopped serving the God of their fathers, and they worshiped idols - images that they had created.  Stop before you say that they were crazy for bowing down to some statue - an idol can be anything you put where God should be in your life.  I don't know, maybe that doesn't leave the same punched in the gut feeling with you that it gives me.  Maybe you are perfect and have it all together - this is probably the wrong blog for you as I am nowhere near perfection.

I am so easily distracted which leads to just the slightest drift off course; the only problem with a slight drift is that the longer it goes unchecked, the further you are from where you are supposed to be.  The difference for Israel is that they returned and repented.  We all will have times when we miss the mark - it's what you do afterwards that counts.  Return to God with ALL of your heart and remove distractions, idols, anything that you have replaced God with - those are the instructions to Israel, and those are the instructions to all of us.  These are God's instructions to me.  Return.  Repent.  Have your Ebenezer moment.

"Thus far the Lord has helped us."  Ebenezer is not the completion of the journey.  "Thus far" denotes that we have not yet reached our destination.  From the beginning until now, God has been with us and helped us and provided for us - Ebenezer is simply the marker, reminder of the character of God so that we can deny the distractions and give every piece of our hearts to God on a day-to-day and moment-to-moment basis.

Some days, you just need to return and repent and look at the Ebenezer moments in your life.

Echoes

Sometimes it is the echoes of glory from a past triumph 

or the echoes of laughter and tears from good days that went by all to quickly.

While other times, it is the echoes of what might have been  - 

the what-ifs in life that lead to the very cusp of insanity.

Still other times, it  is the echoes of tragedy -

those instances when everything is still so real that it takes your breath away 

even months and years later.

We all have echoes - the left-over bits and pieces of moments from our life that can be haunting.  I think these snippets or echoes are always with us, but most often it is some outside stimulant that forces retrospection.  The smell of new crayons, the feel of a summer breeze, 90's music on the local radio station are just such stimulants for me!  

These moments of nostalgia or regret bring me to one simple conclusion - it is not just what you do that matters but how you do what do that is of equal importance.  I have been reminded lately that this life is much too short and moments much too precious to do anything half-heartedly or to live without integrity.  How you live matters.  What you do with your given amount of time matters.  Do not for one second think that how you live only affects you - there are people out there waiting for you to get off the bench and into the game.  But to get into the game, you first must let go of those echoes - even those that build the ego.  Nothing we undertake will neither change the past nor bring it back.  It is time to make new echoes - to scream at the top of your lungs, to finally join that gym, train for that 5k, go back to school, make new friends, or start a new career.  

Those people waiting for you to get in the game deserve the best you not some stand-in on auto-pilot.  Today - this instant - is all you are given so decide to make the effort now!

love and work

On Friday May 10th, our Uncle Allen Sharp left this world quite unexpectedly leaving a gaping hole in the fabric of our family.  The days following went by quickly, were filled with many faces asking for answers, and left us feeling achy, hazy.  I remember bits of pieces of those days...

To be quite frank, I have no great words of wisdom or answers to the questions we all feel after an event like this.  All I can tell you is that it sucks - probably the most difficult experience of my life.  I am pretty sure I went through all 7 steps of grief in the first five minutes and have continued to grow through them in each and every five minutes following.

So instead of some quaint offering that would only act as a band-aid for the pain, I thought I would share some of the lessons I learned from my Uncle Allen.

1.  Love - love your spouse, your family, and those friends who think they're family!  My uncle loved his wife - how many construction-type men do you know that willingly go shoe shopping with their wife just to spend time with them?  That's love in my book!  He was a man who was taught to do everything to the best of his ability, and that standard was not compartmentalized into work.  He was also insanely loyal and generous to his friends and family!

2.  Work - if you are able, you should work and work hard.  Like I said, no half-hearted, piss-poor job would satisfy him.  Do it right the first time - don't cut corners and take the simplified, coward's way out.  He had a low tolerance for ignorance also.  If you don't know how to do something, then ask someone who does!  Uncle Allen was the type of person who could do anything he set his mind to, and he could get almost anyone to do exactly what he wanted to do.  Candace and I joked about him being in the mafia - if you wanted something done, you went to Uncle Allen.

I know that is only two lessons, but I think those are the two things he did really well.  I also think that if we can strive to do those things well, then we will have lived a good life at the end.  I don't know why or pretend to understand why God chose that particular Friday, but I have to hold tight to what I know of God - that He is good, that He has a plan.  Even if parts of that plan make me angry.  Not so much angry with God, but angry that death exists at all.  Times like this make me long for God's promises of no more tears and no more death.

Finally, the lesson I learned more through his death than his life.  Life is fleeting, much too short to hold a grudge.  Those things that we were angry about on Thursday didn't really matter Friday morning and should not matter in the weeks and months  to follow.  Sometimes, I think tragic events can be the very thing needed to shake us from our stubborn complacency and help us see that now is the time to forgive.  You cannot do anything about yesterday, and tomorrow is not promised.  So love the people God has placed in your life and do the job He has entrusted you with today!

a little workout story

I am so incredibly blessed to be a part of our church - to be constantly challenged to be who God created me to be and to be reminded that I must align myself with God's Word in order to do that is just one of those things that I am so grateful for.  I really don't know how anyone can go to church anywhere else.  I don't mean to offend you, but that's how awesome our church is.  I digress...

So this past Sunday, John began a series on Identity - who we are in Christ.  I am a little excited.  Don't tell him, but he has kinda been rocking the Sermon series as of late. Who really preaches on the Zombie Apocalypse and doesn't turn it into a "turn or burn" yelling match at minute 5?  Really?  Yeah - he does and it's pretty incredible, so stop reading right now and go watch the sermons.  Go.  Now!  You may return when you have finished.

So identity - who we are in Christ.  That's a big idea for me, and I have to break it down to wrap my head around it.  I began with this relationship thing which, for me, looks like Kay Arthur studies to help guide me in studying the Word and spending time with Him.  (Side note - I have a pretty incredible Bible study partner who is also from my church!!!)  It takes some time, but I begin to see little things coming out in the way I live due to what I was studying.  We built walls with Nehemiah, fought battles courageously with Joshua, understood more of the cycle of behavior of the Israelites with the Judges, was inspired by the excellence of character of Ruth, etc.

One of the things that I was convicted quite strongly about was the idea of Biblical femininity of Esther, Ruth, Debra, etc which begins with balance - something I continue to struggle with everyday.  So breaking it down further, I began with something I could tackle - my weight.  Candace and I joined a gym in March, and we have been going 5-6 days per week since.  It's difficult for me to see a difference, but I know the very real difference in the way I feel.  I feel like the difference I feel and see is part of Christ being lived out in my life in a very real and practical way.  I don't want to be super skinny or crazy ripped workout girl - I just want to be a good steward of my body.  I want who I am and my reputation to give a correct estimation of who He is in my life. I don't pretend that I am perfect at this, but my point is that He is working on me! I am sharing this with you to hopefully inspire you and provide a little more accountability.  If I can do the workout thing - anyone can!

Progress so far!

More to come!  Have a great week - as we all know I have become that girl that only posts about once a week!  

Much Love,

Colie

changes and a soapbox

Well hello there!  Remember me?  I am Nicole - the semi-silent blogger.  My apologies for that - things have been slightly crazy around the Beaty-girls' household the past few weeks.  A few things I am quite excited about -

• Candace and I joined the gym!!!  We have needed to do this for sometime now, but we just had to get motivated.  So the week of Spring Break, we went to a new local gym that is open 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week!  Also, since the schedule we keep makes evenings difficult - we are working out most days at around 5:30 in the morning!!!  I don't like seeing more than one 5:30 in my day, but oh my word, it is so worth it!  I think I may be slightly addicted to working out... is that possible?
• Candace and I designed and proposed a summer program for children - and it was approved!  More about that to come!
• The school year is almost over... it means things get terribly busy around campus but it also means that a break is coming!!!

So I think that is all on the list at the moment - but I do have a small issue for the soapbox!

Have you seen these?

Source: purehome.com via Hailey on Pinterest

Perhaps I over-think things, but inaccuracy drives me crazy.  Its like English majors throwing temper tantrums because you used the wrong "your/you're" or "there/their/they're."  Please allow me to elaborate on this inaccuracy.  The anchor and the "refuse to sink"  is cool; I mean, I like anchors and refuse to sink is just catchy enough without being too cliche or tacky!  The problem comes when you think of what an anchor is actually used for...  One guess, an anchor has one job, and it is to sink!!!  Anchors are quite large and heavy so that they will sink to the bottom of whatever body of water and keep whatever water craft in one place.  An anchor will not keep you from sinking - it will keep you from drifting! Now if the catchy phrase were to say something like - "my hope is fixed," "refuse to be swayed," "stand firm," etc, then I would not be on my soapbox!  I think my main problem is that people are using this as a tattoo - hello people, it's wrong and permanent!  Like I said I love anchors as tattoos and the message of perseverance is the same but use a different phrase!

Okay soapbox moment over!  I hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

WW + TBT = FUN

I am super excited today because tomorrow is the last day of school before SPRING BREAK - otherwise known as the week of regaining your sanity just before the school year ends!  I think the children need it just as much as we do!  So in honor of my excitement I offer you a wardrobe wednesday/ throwback thursday combination for your viewing pleasure!

I have recently found Wanelo - it's like Pinterest for clothes and it has a buy now option!  I kinda love it, and I am loving these quote tees that I would pair with a cardigan or blazer that may or may not be completely visible to the whole world.  But you get a chuckle out of it because you it's there!

   

They make me smile, and I hope they have the exact same affect on you!

So as for the promised throwback thursday combo part of this post...

College....

A little further back...

This was a snow day at the first house Candace and I ever rented together...

Okay friends! Happy Spring Break to everyone!

message monday

A few quotes because I just did not have the words today, but someone else did...

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Duane on Pinterest

Source: ddmboss.wordpress.com via Jordan on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Cyndi on Pinterest

real marriage

My apologies for the silence as of late - I have no profound rhyme or reason concerning it.  I simply didn't know what I wanted to write - sometimes I get like that.  Caught up in my own thoughts.  Well I have figured out something I need to say.

Candace and I attended Mark Driscoll's Real Marriage Tour Simulcast at our church Friday night - why you may ask.  Well while neither of us is married at the moment, we do hope to get married in the future, and I like to be overly prepared for everything.  It takes me 3 months of research before I decide on a computer, and it is probably a good thing that the contract for our cell phones is 2 years because it takes me that long to choose a different one.  So you can see my dilemma.  I digress, the messages Friday night were great; I really learned a great deal about what a Godly marriage looks like.  We missed the Saturday sessions which were to include one for singles; therefore, because I had to know what he would say to someone in my position, I found a similar sermon on YouTube by Mark Driscoll.  I am posting it here, and I strongly encourage all of you to watch the video, google Mark Driscoll and watch more videos.  He is a very intelligent man of God.  I will tell you that he is blunt - so be prepared.  

I must also tell you that God has been working on my heart and attitude - there are a few things that I must release to Him and some things He is ripping out to replace with new.  I pray He never stops working on me - even if it is quite painful for a season.  Trusting that someone other than me has what's best for me in mind is sometimes difficult for me.  That's just a long way of saying that I am a control freak but a control freak learning every day to let go. 

So...  See ya! Watch the video!  Have a good week!

odd life, sunshine, and joshua

Okay I will be completely honest and say that the post every day thing does not work for me!  So for now the posts will be sporadic but will probably encompass one of the five themes I listed here. 

So today, I was thinking of sharing some of my favorite things with you.  Candace and I love movies especially on Sunday afternoon when we are resting before gearing up for another work week.  This Sunday, we found The Odd Life of Timothy Green. 

I must say that I loved it.  I love the idea of giving love and family to a child who does not have either.  When I think of what I want for the future, I think of family - a husband, children who may or may not be of the same ethnic background but are loved.  I feel like I have been so incredibly blessed by the family I have that I must share.

I am not sure if it was the weeks of rain that felt like years or being cooped up because of all the rain, but I had felt a little down the past few weeks.  I just felt bogged down - does that make sense?  And when you feel down, everything can discourage you to the point that all you want to do is curl in the fetal position under a blanket on the couch.  Then there were a couple of events that transpired that helped me out of the bog - it stopped raining, the sun came out, and I began studying Joshua.  So I have two new favorite things - sunshine and the book of Joshua - although I am sure sunshine and I will not be on friendly terms come mid-July and August.  For now, I am happy to see it - I needed it.

Okay, so I hope you all have had a great weekend!  What are some of your favorite things this week?

Weekend Wrap Up + Message Monday

It finally stopped raining... and then it snowed.

Then the sun came out again - I had almost forgot what it looked like.  I did forget to take a pic because I was so busy absorbing as much as possible!

This weekend consisted of working at a basketball game Friday night, and spending some much needed sister time on Saturday.  I know you are thinking, "you live with your sister, why would you need sister time?"  However, Candace, Brit, and I rarely have time to just go shopping together - don't get me wrong, none of us would trade those 3 precious babies for anything in this world.  It's just nice to have some good quality sister time where you burst out laughing at random moments and you communicate completely in movie quotes completely understanding what the other person is referring to.  I realized a few years ago that the three of us have a unique relationship with each other and with our family - not many people can say that they are as close to their families as we are.  A fact which breaks my heart - I pray and hope that all children know as much love growing up as we have known in our lives.  

We didn't take a ton of pics Saturday, but I did manage to snap a pic during lunch of the two crazies - from this pic you would never guess that they are supposed to be grown adults.  

Seeing as today is "message monday," I thought I would share with you a verse from the Bible study I am working on right now!  Yes it is another Kay Arthur study, and yes you still need to look up her studies!  They rock - I promise!  So throughout some of the other studies I have done, I have learned that one struggle that is quite prevalent in the life of believer is one of fear and discouragement.  I know it is so easy to become afraid of living out God's call and to become discouraged in the midst of the task, but I didn't realize that this is something that even those in the Bible dealt with.  For some reason, I think of them as "super-Christians" instead of the normal people God chose to use. Those normal people, like us, needed encouragement, and God says He will provide all our needs.

So...

God is speaking to Joshua in Joshua 1:9 as Joshua is preparing to take over leadership of the Israelites after Moses and to lead them into the promised land - a somewhat daunting task, don't you think?

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous!  Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Another translation says "do not be terrified or discouraged."  I love this - it just makes my day!  The sun came out literally and, not to sound cheesy, I felt like this verse was God pouring sunshine into my soul! I pray it brings some sunshine into your life as well!

wardrobe + throwback

Okay so I am not so sure this posting everyday thing is for me - so stick with me and I will figure this out eventually.  Tonight I am combining the past two days to make one fabulous wardrobe + throwback!  For your reading/viewing pleasure...

Okay so this wardrobe wednesday does not feature my wardrobe - my apologies!  However, I have to share with you my MOM'S rocking style!  Yes, those are skinny jeans in the first pic, and yes my Mom has perfectly paired pewter and pumpkin! (Try saying that 5 times fast) She has such great style, and I love it!  Go ahead, admit it - my Mom is cooler than yours! 

Now as for the promised "throwback!"  We have pictures from 6 years ago.  The top is when Brit graduated high school - man I want to be that size and that color again.  The bottom is from one of those nights in downtown Hattiesburg that can only be described as college days.  These girls in both pictures are some of my best and closest friends.

Okay that is it for me tonight!  

Much Love,

Colie

thrifty tuesday

So one of the things we do quite well in our family is hunt for a bargain!  We love all things vintage, broken, unique. You can basically point to anything in our apartment and get a full back story that includes either someone making it or it coming from Dirty Cheap.  My mom even has several ornaments on the Christmas tree that she has "rescued" - angels or Santa Clauses with missing arms or legs or wings are all welcome on her tree.  We like taking in things that everyone else might not want.  We also love things that come with their very own story, and that is the basis of the "thrifty tuesday" post.

So I have for you a few of our "thrifted" and diy Christmas decorations as well as a great pair of shoes from the ever fabulous - Dirt Cheap!

Christmas stockings made from part of a burlap bag found at the Rusty Chandelier - BTW if you live in Laurel, and have not been you are fifty shades of crazy!  Third Thursday - Sunday of every month!  They are super wonderful people that know us when we go in now and keeps Candace in stock of vintage cameras!

Ornaments on our tree - Dirt Cheap for the felt white trees and Rusty Chandelier for the rust snowflakes, snowmen, and bells.  Garland made from muslin and lace tied onto green yarn!

SHOES!!! DIRT CHEAP!

I hope this inspires you to never pay full price for anything ever again!

Much Love,

Colie

message monday

I know I said that the changes would come after the new year; however, I don't like things to begin in the middle of the week. (I know, a touch OCD.)  So we begin with "Message Monday."  It is more or less self-explanatory - a message in Scripture, poetry, quotes, lyrics, etc that has stood out to me.  As it is New Year's Eve, I thought I would share this pretty quote I found on pinterest.

Have hope

Try new things

 Be active

See the good

Say, "I love you" more

Challenge yourself

Choose to be happy

Eat better

Enjoy today

Forgive more readily

Read more often

Become your best you

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' "

Jeremiah 29:11-13

You may know the first verse, but my personal favorite is the last two.  He hears our prayers when we call upon Him, and we will seek and find Him when we search with all our heart.  It is so incredibly beautiful and precious to me to know that in this chaotic world that He knows the plans and that He listens.

I hope you all have a safe, happy New Year.  I pray we (myself especially) turn to God with all our heart.

Much Love,

Colie