Check it Out!

I seem to be in the mood for inspirational stories this morning. Here’s one about a boy who survived after his dad tried to murder him and found strength in Christ.

Then there’s the story of how a style blogger’s brother has miraculously lived 21 years when doctors said he wouldn’t make it to a month.

On a somehow related note, Kevin deYoung reminds us that there are worse things to fear than death.

Somehow also related, RC Sproul explains why we should pray even though God is completely in control of everything.

Defense for gay marriage is actually not as popular as we think it is.

Speaking of marriage, if I could re-do my wedding it would look something, but not completely like, this.

Isn’t their pinwheel photo area lovely? Here’s a tutorial on how to make paper pinwheels!

What comes after marriage? A baby carriage, of course! And even though I’m not yet expecting, I’m saving these photos for future kids’ room inspiration.

Given my current obsession with Gothic architecture and stained glass, I couldn’t help but fall in love with these lovely drawings.

Enjoy your long weekend! Go out somewhere and enjoy life!

Added: The was a pony at the Apple store!

Photo(s) of the Week

Even though Art History hasn't been at all what I expected or looked forward to, I am thankful that I've been introduced to some amazing art. Out of everything we've looked at this quarter, Gothic Architecture is by far my favorite. Look at how beautiful all these building are! It amazes me that God created us in such a way that we're able to make such inspiring works of art.
(You can click each photo for its source)

Even in black and white, the stained glass is stunning! Hope you're as inspired as I am!

Remembered

I’m a nostalgic kind of person. Quiet drives, time alone at home, and even daily chores give me a lot of time to reminisce and call memories up. It’s part of who I am and I can’t seem to help it. I’m good at long-term memory and bit and pieces of my life so far come and keep me company often.

The only real bad thing about it is that I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one. Would the 7th grade friends I remember and fondly miss even recognize my name? Did the nerd camp friend who promised to never forget me keep his end of the deal? (Yes, I went to something I like to call “nerd camp” when I was a kid!) Does that song remind my 9th grade friends of the good times we had too? Or is it just me? Am I the only one who remembers?

I may be inexplicably afraid of large bodies of water, big animals, and those tall electricity towers that line up like giants along highways. But my biggest fear by far is forgetting and being forgotten. That’s why I’d sometimes rather not contact old friends, try to add them on Facebook, or in any way let them back into my life. As horrible as that may sound, I’d just rather not know if they don’t remember the great times I remember.

It may a silly fear, since all the people I’ve gotten back in touch with do remember me and some have even sought me out. But I’m glad that even my unreasonable fear isn’t too unreasonable for God; he assures me and gives me comfort through his word.

In Deuteronomy 31, when Israel is about to finally enter the land God had promised them, when Moses their leader was stepping down after 40 years, when they could no longer ignore the reality of war and conquest God assured them he would not leave them.

In Joshua 5 when Joshua is stepping into Moses’ shoes and getting ready to try to fill them and lead the people into the battles that awaited them in the Promise Land God told him he’d never leave him.

In 1 Chronicles 28 when Solomon is made king of Israel and receives from his father the overwhelming instructions and specifications on how to build the temple, God, through David, promises to not leave him.

Through these challenges, God promised his chosen people he’d never leave them. Because I was chosen by God (Ephesians 1:3-6) I know he’ll never leave me. If that weren’t enough, in John 14:16 Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, God, will be with believers forever.

I know my Father in heaven will never forget me. He’ll always be with me. And even if everyone else I’ve ever encountered does, as long as he remembers me I know I’ll be just fine.

Style Idea 23: Hoping for Fall

I went out for my morning jog yesterday and realized I should have brought a jacket! It was enough to get me daydreaming about fall. Leggings, boots, blazers, coats! I even planned the perfect beginning of fall outfit to wear that day, The weather forecast shattered my dreams, though. Temperatures are indeed falling, but in Vegas that means we drop from the 110’s to the low 100’s. Still not nearly cool enough for a fall outfit. I can still dream, right?

Doctor Bag: $49.00 Urban Outfitters

Colorful Tunic: $44.00 Francesca's

Maroon Leggings: $26.00 We Love Colors

Black Booties: $49.95 DSW

Navy Blazer: $98.00 Gap

Hebrews 11 Challenge: Intro

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

How many times have you heard the word faith in sermons? How many times has it come up in conversations with other Christians? How many times in your witnessing and evangelism? How many times in your personal prayer and Bible study?

Faith is a word we use really often, but have you ever stopped to really think about what it means? As a youth group teacher, I can say it’s one of the most difficult concepts to figure out and explain. It may seem simple at first, but explaining everything that belief really means quickly gets overwhelming.

This week’s verse clears things up a bit. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” It is confidence in God’s ability to keep those promises which haven’t yet been fulfilled. It is trust in his will to accomplish all those things Christians should be hoping for: salvation, heaven, everything finally being set right.

Faith is “…the conviction of things not seen.” It is knowing that God is real even though he’s presently invisible to us. It is knowing that Christ lived perfectly keeping everything the Law commanded, gave up his life to save those who trust in him and repent of their sins, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven to sit at the Father’s right hand.

For the rest of the year and probably into the next, we’ll be looking at all the examples of faith Hebrews 11 offers and learning the details of what faith really is. Until next week, meditate on what you know of faith. Study Scripture on faith and compare what you already know to that. Do the two line up? What changes might you have to make in order to be more closely aligned to God’s word?

Coveting

Reading through the Ten Commandments is always at least a bit difficult for me. No matter how well I think I’ve been doing, some sin always comes to light when I really sit down and measure myself against God’s perfect standard. It never fails. I feel conviction.

One commandment in particular never had that effect on me, though. I could stroll right past it, lightheartedly checking it off my list of things I had taken care of. Reading “You shall not covet…” actually made me feel a little better about myself. I was happy with the car and house God had given me, couldn’t complain about clothes or shoes, enjoyed the company of great people in my life, and was content to wait for the think I needed but didn’t yet have. I sincerely thought coveting just wasn’t my struggle.

What I thought changed as I checked blogs off my daily reading list last week. First, I read an amazing description of the beginning of a round-the-world trip: white water rafting in an African river, petting tame lions, riding on elephants’ backs, watching the sun set behind majestic giraffes. Why couldn’t I be the one embarking on such a majestic adventure?

Then came another blog that talked about a couple’s love of traveling. Ever since their wedding day they’ve been packing up and going whenever they may feel like going. Long weekend drives are common and they have a long list of favorite places in several states. Why couldn’t Richie and I have that kind of freedom?

Last, I stopped at a blog written by a guy designing his way through the book of Psalms. His work is amazing. It is inspiring both spiritually and artistically. Why didn’t I have that creativity and skill?

By the end of my blog reading, I was feeling pretty horrible about myself. It wasn’t any of the bloggers’ fault – they’re all great and share awesome things with their readers. I admire all of them. I just felt unsatisfied with my own life when I compared it to theirs.

It’s hard to admit, but I wasn’t glad for the blessings they get to enjoy and I wasn’t thankful for how wonderful my life really is. All I could feel was envy and anger at not having the same exact blessings exactly now. 

I don’t think it could be any clearer. Even though I don’t covet the “usual” material things, that doesn’t mean I don’t covet at all. It took a horrible mood and the ugliness of real envy to make me understand that coveting isn’t just about stuff. We can covet whole lifestyles, beauty, success, relationships. In that case, I covet. A lot.

Do you have a commandment you tend to skip over? One you feel you don’t really struggle with? I thought I didn’t need to work on not coveting, but that was only because I hadn’t fully understood what coveting really covers. Maybe the commandments we think we can handle should get a closer look.

PS. When I’m thinking clearly, I really wouldn’t trade my life for anyone else’s. I may wish I could do a lot more things, but if I had to give up what I have now I’d rather not.

Style Idea 22: College

Two of my youth group kids are starting college next week! I couldn’t be more proud of them or more surprised at how quickly time passes by. It’s almost been a whole year since I started school and it feels like my first day was just yesterday. All the excitement and energy I felt is exactly what they’re feeling now. The least I can do I help pick a comfortable outfit perfect for that first day.

Evening Horizon Scarf: $17.99 Mod Cloth

Blush Tank: $26.99 Ruche

Corduroy Backpack: $68.00 Urban Outfitters

Blush Sandals: $34.00 Urban Outfitters

Denim Button Down Skirt: $25.00 Thread Sence

Proverbs 31 Challenge: Wrap Up

Our first Bible challenge is officially complete! It’s been great going through each verse that describes the Proverbs 31 woman. Is has definitely been edifying and useful for me to stop and consider each godly quality and I hope it has been for you too. Just in case you missed one of the posts or would like to revisit some of them, here are the links to the whole challenge:

1. Intro
2. Trustworthiness
3. Doing Good
4. The Hard Way Out
5. Looking for Quality
6. Sleep Less
7. Smart Spending
8. Strength and Submission
9. Thankless Work
10. Investing
11. Giving
12. Prosperity
13. Beauty
14. Building Up
15. Quality
16. Strength and Biblical Submission
17. Powerful Words
18. Don't Do Nothing
19. Rewards and Motive
20. Beauty and Charm
21. Rewards

Listing these just made me realize how similar some of them are. One of the benefits of taking more time to read and study Scripture is that you pay more attention to subtle differences in verses that can seem so alike at first glance.

Another benefit is that you get to really examine yourself and compare yourself to what Scripture says. I know it’s been both a blessing to see what I’ve progressed in and a challenge to realize how much work I still have to do.

My hope for this challenge is that it will help you become a better wife, mom, sister, daughter, and give you growth as a Christian. And next week, we’ll start a whole new challenge!

Check It Out

Design Sponge posted an awesomely easy Coffee Filter Flower DIY. It’s definitely something I’ll be trying soon.

Ali is traveling around the world! You can read her blog for amazing journal-like updates and great photos.

Although I really used to take pride in my sarcastic ways, thoughts like this made me think about whether my joking was really just mean.

Jon Acuff wrote about our tendency to make bad trades. Read it for yourself here.

Are college professors out to convert students? Apparently, a lot of them are.

Kevin DeYoung posted an extremely helpful three part series on giving and taking rebuke.

Have a happy weekend!

Photo of the Week

This is the little guy we found a couple of weeks ago. It was over 105 degrees, he was lost, and he didn’t have a collar. We haven’t had him checked for a chip yet, but we definitely plan on doing that soon. In the meantime, he’s welcome to keep stretching out on my brother’s bed for his frequent naps.

PS. We’ve been calling him Killer and if we get to keep him that’ll be his name.