the funnest weekend

LIFE SIZE CLUE!!!!! 

Jacob had this fabulous idea for last week's 5th Quarter for the you! It was a hoot and the kids loved it!! 

It was set up similar to the real game of CLUE - which 1/2 the kids had never played... ridiculous - but with real people and real rooms!!

I was the victim in the crime scene!!! I think I'm a normal-sized person but when I stood up and looked at the outline... it seriously looked like a 7-year old had been murdered! It was microscopic and didn't have a neck... COOL! 

This is my wonderful husband and mastermind behind the night! 

Here's the suspects!!! HILARIOUS!! 

Miss Scarlet (the flirt), Prof Plum (the nerd), Mrs. White (the old one), Mr. Green (the cool guy), Mrs. Peacock (the ditz), Colonel Mustard (umm... just Evan)

They were SO FUNNY!!! The kids loved them!! 

Here's a close up of Colonel Mustard because he is just that ridiculous!!! 

P.S. HE'S ENGAGED NOW!! WOOT WOOT! 

After an hour of playing and groups trying to figure out the murderer, the weapon, and the room... 

WE FOUND A WINNING GROUP:

WOMEN! WOMEN! WOMEN!!! 

They won some CDs, journals, and trinkets!! 

I LOVE THEM!!! 

YAY CLUE! 

HARVEST DAY BLOCK PARTY!!! 

 Our first block party was last year!!! It was awesome and hectic and wonderful and so good! 

This year's was EVEN better!!! God definitely showed up and He was glorified by the smiles, the serving, and the fun (in HIM). 

Look at all the people playing games: 

AMAZING!!!! 

We had games, free food, face painting, dunking booth, worship, bouncy toys, picture booth, and more!! 

It's so awesome to see people SERVING!! The youth served a lot and it blessed my heart!!! We have a lot of youth who just have servant hearts and it's just great.

Here's a few of our fantastic college servants: 

They were great!!! We are SO thankful for our college group this year!!! More on that in a later post because I might/definitely will get off on a tangent!!! 

 Here's 2 of the most servant-hearted people I've ever met - our mommies!!! We put them to work and they were awesome... as usual. We are blessed!!! :) They are styling here with some kiddy sunglasses!! Perfect for my momma!!! Not big enough lenses though!! My mom has ALWAYS liked the grasshopper sized lenses even when they weren't in style. She wears flip-flops all year round. Has always worn leggings. Has always wore dangly big earrings. She's basically Paris Hilton's style guide for the 2000s!!! :) 

Last weekend was GREAT and I KNOW this weekend will be too!!! It's DISCIPLE NOW time!!!! I'm so pumped!!! Be praying!! 

Shouting. Dancing. Deliverance.

So... one day I was driving along through the square in "downtown" Troy. I looked to my left and say this on a building:

WHAT?!?!?! WHO KNEW?!?

HOW AWESOME!! 

I have no idea what the building/store is. Maybe it used to be a church. I don't know but I LOVE it!! It spoke to me!!! This is what I want and what the Lord wants for Troy.  To SHOUT. To DANCE. To be DELIVERED!!! AHH!!! SO awesome!! It was one of those times that I just had to stop and delight in the fact that my Jesus KNOWS me. He longs for me to continue shouting and dancing for deliverance!!!! 

I will shout for JOY. I will shout FREEDOM. I will shout for VICTORY. I will shout my prayers for the hurting, the discouraged, the unloved, and the searching.  I WILL SHOUT TO MY GOD!! (If you know me... you know I'm pretty darn good at shouting... and God likes it!)

I will DANCE. I will JUMP. I will WORSHIP. I will not be ashamed.  I will not be held back. I will not be afraid. I will encourage others to DANCE with me.  I will pray against the hand of fear and timidness!!! I WILL DANCE WILDLY FOR HIM !!!!! 

I will continue to be DELIVERED from me. I will OVERCOME this world, because Jesus already has the victory!!! 

I LOVE IT!!! I want this written on my house but that might be a little gaudy!! 

Will you SHOUT? DANCE? and seek DELIVERANCE??? 

Friday is my FAV!

I don't really know what to do for the FRIDAY FAV this week, so just know that FRIDAY is my FAV day this week!!! I'm excited for the weekend... very excited!

I do wanna share 2 verses that I have been meditating on this week. They are so good and so rich and I love them.

For the LORD your God is LIVING amoung you.
He is a mighty Savior!!! 
He will take DELIGHT in you with gladness.
With His love, He WILL calm your fears.
He will REJOICE over you with joyful songs.
Zephaniah 3:17

The verses speak TRUTH to me. I am DELIGHTED in. HE IS HERE! He knows exactly what is happening around me.  HE WILL CALM ME!! HE is constantly REJOICING over me - even when I am not rejoicing myself!!!! He is a might SAVIOR - He continues to save me, to make me new, to give me freedom. HOORAY!! This verse just makes me want to sigh... and breath in His goodness. He is here. What freedom that gives me. It calls and causes me to WORSHIP, to DELIGHT only in Him, and to be calmed with His love.

In that day He will be your sure FOUNDATION,

Providing a rich store of SALVATION, WISDOM, and KNOWLEDGE.

The fear of the Lord will be your TREASURE.

Isaiah 33:6

I am in desperate need of WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE.  I was not given (or I don't know how to use) the gift of discernment. I can't read people or situations very well.  I just except everyone to be good, truthful, and real... well... they aren't. I guess if I don't have discernment, I NEED wisdom to help me do what I am suppose to do in the bad, lies, and falsehood of people and circumstances.  My heart wants people to be good, for me to know exactly what to do, BUT you can't attain TREASURE that easily.  I must seek, struggle, learn, train, and experience life to truly understand why and how I can TREASURE the glory and honor and goodness and holiness and purity of my LORD!!!

But, for real... people just need to be nice, honest, and good!!! That would solve the world's problems! I know, I'm a genius!

This year, I am choosing to SEEK and not HIDE!!!! I want the TREASURE He has stored up for me. I want it more than anything.  I choose to SEEK!!!

feeling CrAzY!

So... I'm feeling crazy.  Not like a shout off the rooftops "let's go party" kind of crazy.  It's like a broken, expectant, bitter, joyful, uncertain, confused, exhausted... kind of crazy. 


This week I have felt especially inadequate in everything I do... everything.  I can't explain it and I know it's Satan - all day everyday. But... golly... I am feeling it. There is chaos going on around me - there's a new twist to stuff everyday. My heart and brain and body are overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed with things I would have never thought I would have to be bothered with. Overwhelmed with stuff that make me miss middle school days... okay maybe not that far back but definitely the care-free college days. Yes, I miss them. I don't like big girl issues.  I don't like being refined and being taught true PURITY and true HONESTY and true DEPENDENCE. It's painful.  BUT I am rejoicing because I know it's worth it.  


This time in my life makes me think back to when I first moved to Troy.... I HATED IT! I mean ABSOLUTELY HATED it!! My best friends were 6 hours away. My mom was 2.5 hours away. Troy, in my mind, was the size of my thumb with nothing to offer. I was UNCOMFORTABLE. I felt ALONE. I hated being in that time. I cried a lot. I struggled with God every morning. I was open and honest and needy.  And... I grew SO much in that time.  I don't remember another time where I have been so intimate with my Savior.  That time was so personal for me - God daily guiding, comforting, loving, and speaking truth to me.  I crazily yearn for those days sometimes - that feeling and presence I felt with Him.  I am expecting now.  I am seeking Him.  I am looking around for whatever He is doing. 

 Look around at the nations;

look and be amazed!

 For I am doing something in your own day,      

something you wouldn’t believe      

even if someone told you about it.

Habakkuk 1:5

I am joyful because I am seeing change, seeing passion, seeing WORSHIP in others. I am grateful and refuse to allow Satan to steal my joy! I am rejoicing and will continue to praise and love and invite.  I am just crazy. I am thankful that my Jesus loves this crazy girl.  That he invites me to REST in Him.  That He is CONSTANT. That He goes before me.  That His Spirit will not leave me. I am thankful He is working.  I am excited that Satan sees me as a threat - AND HE SHOULD!! I am relentless for my Jesus and will do whatever He calls me to do. Satan is defeated and Jesus will once again be VICTORIOUS!!! I'm excited that I am allowed to experience His victory - whatever it may look like. I don't like the battle... but I am willing. My God is bigger. My Jesus is truer. Victory belongs to Him along. He dances and sings over me and I rejoice. 

HAPPY ESCAPE-FROM-THE-WOMB DAY!!

ISSAC HENRY IS FINALLY OUT OF THE WOMB!!! 

hip hip HOORAY!!!! 

He looks so handsome and perfect and I can't wait to meet him and overwhelm him with all my love!!! Funny thing is me and Emily will be meeting him at the same moment... so... he really might be a bit overwhelmed!!! OR maybe he'll relish in our excitement, loudness, and craziness!! Then we will REALLY know he's Ljo's kid!!!! That will be the tell-tell sign!!! So... here he is:

That is Emily in the floating box... she was smart and skyped with the new nephew before all the people flocked to him.  I wasn't that smart! 


Here's when he was born... well a little after:

He's a healthy buddy!!!! Isn't he precious!!!! :)

I love him!!! I can't wait to squeeze him a bunch!!!! 

I hope he loves his Auntie Ann!! He has about 400 aunts so he's a lucky fella! all our girls will be fighting for his love!!! (and his mom's cooking!!)

happy birthday hank!! 

i love you lindsey jo! Good job! He's a hunk! 

fRiDaY fAv!!!!!

This week's Friday Fav is my Fav!!!

My favorite thing in the WHOLE WORLD is seeing girls fall in love with Jesus.  I love to see change and joy and challenge and love and holy anger and fruit!!! It's so good.  I'm going to share a list of girls who I have SEEN and am SEEING Christ work in their lives. THIS IS NOT AN EXTENSIVE LIST!!! I am just really proud of these ladies!! Ready? OKAY!

First... Haleigh... my co-leader!!! I have seen LOTS and LOADS of Jesus all over her!! It's awesome!! A true, crazy transformation and it is SO GOOD!!

HALEIGH

MAGGIE

I see Jesus working in her LOT S  right now!! He is wanting to use her like CRAZY in her school!! She is a light, a joy, and  a friend to all who know her!! So exciting to see her seeking God in her life!!! Go Mags (Pooter)!

 MALLORY
This girl has spunk and I love it! She loves Jesus - loves to talk about Him, be with Him, and see Him work!!! It pumps me up! She is beautiful inside and out and is using her time to glorify Him!!! Go Mal Pal! 

ANGIE 

Angie has CRAZY JESUS strength!! She is a fighter for justice, hope, and goodness. She hates wrong and strives to make things right.  She has experienced evil, chaos, and hurt. BUT SHE IS REDEEMED and she lives like it!!!!!!! I love me some Angie!!! Go Ang Go! 

CAITLIN
This is my girl who moved away... SHE'S BACK!!  And I'm pumped. She is such a leader and she LOATHES hypocrisy! She wants to see change. She wants to be the change. She is feisty and I LOVE that about her.  Jesus is changing her heart in so many ways (I probably don't even know all of them), and it excited me! 

MEREDITH
Can I just say that I have been praying for this girl for a LONG time!!! I am seeing Christ in her and IT IS AWESOME!!! She is being drawn to Him, she is changing, she is talking about what's happening in her heart, and she is DIFFERENT!!! She is such a leader and has so much influence in her school - if she uses it for Christ... things are gonna get CRAZY!!!!! GO MER GO! 

SARA

O wow, have I seen change!! From a quiet, scared girl to a girl whose confidence is wrapped up in Jesus - it's awesome!! I see boldness, seeking, and purity in her.  She is DEVOTED and wants more of Jesus!   She wants to please Him and I think she is precious!! GO SARA! 

KELSEY
I have never seen such a maturity and a deepening of faith as I have in Kelsey! It is INSANE!!! Her family has been through so much this year - she could turn to a lot of different things, but she chose Christ and it is so apparent!!! She amazes me and I LOVE her crazy, querky, loving heart!!! God is all up in her story and I CANNOT WAIT to see how He is going to use everything!! He turns ashes into beauty, weeping into dancing, and pain into joy!!!!!! She is the picture of this! GO KELS!! 

PEIGHTON
This girl has a heart to serve and I LOVE IT!!! She is always coming up with new ideas to serve and love on people.  She is the little momma of the group - she cleans up, helps out, and makes sure everyone does what they are suppose to do.  I have seen her mature in Christ so much within the past year!!! It's so awesome! She is the reason her sister comes to Bible study and it's just so apparent that she wants to do for Him and be used by Him. 

KAITLYN
She finds joy in Jesus' presence.  She is happiest at church, worshipping, and speaking truth to others.  She said some of the most powerful stuff I have EVER heard at summer camp this year... then she prayed the most passionate prayer I have EVER heard from a teenager!!! I KNOW God wants to and will use this girl!!! CAMP COUNSELOR is written all over her!!!!! GO KAITLYN! WOOT WOOT! 

CHRISTINA

This girls passions are so inspiring.  She lives for justice!  She gave up her birthday last year and told her friends and family that if they wanted to get her something they should give to this ministry to gives pure water to other countries! Amazing - I don't know many teenage girls with that selfless desire to care for others.  I see a rebel in her - a rebel of the world and I LIKE IT! She is also a vegan - again, being different than what others expect. She stands out. She is following the command to be a stranger in the world.  Her faith and life stand out too.  She is passion, justice, and set apart!!! I love this lady!!! 

BECCA
Becca is AWESOME. She is the catalyst to the Bible study.  She is a light in her school. She is the passion in our youth group. She loves deeply and she longs to see change.  I hope it happens!!! i love this girl and her heart!! She amazes me.  She's one of those girls who you ask yourself, "is she for real, or is she faking me out?"... well, this girl is for real!!!! GO BECCA 

Odds & Ends...

Here's a few odds & ends we have added to the hizzy!!!! :)

Jacob hung me up a towel rod for the guest bathroom.  Now we won't have an awkward towel laying in the sink. Hooray!! It looks very snazzy! 

Here's the entertainment center we retrieved from our good friend Katelyn's house!!! It works perfect! Our oversized TV even fits in there all snug in a bug on a rug!!!! It's fantastic! 

Speaking of Katelyn, look at the AWESOME present she got me for my birthday! It's a metal I LOVE YOU hand!!!! It's currently in the naked green living room! I like it there, it just needs some furniture to go with it.  We have to take it slow people... we aren't made of money! 

Speaking of birthday presents, this is what my brother got me!!!! It's so great and absolutely perfect!!!! It found its home on the cross wall!! 

The new guy is the one in the top left!!!!!! It's great!!! I adore my cross wall. It's so festive. But it's not meant to be a tool that familiarizes my heart with the cross. I always want to stand in AWE of my Savior's sacrifice! 

This is my chalkboard!!! I love it! I like to write my quiet time Bible verse on it.  This saying "Live Life You're Saved" is one of our favorite quotes to say in Bible Study!!! One of the girls wrote it on there and I just loved it.  This little guy is in the kitchen, where me and Jesus hang out each morning. 

There's more. I have plans. I have been re-fueled with ideas for the house!!! I can't wait to do it all! 

I still can't figure out what to do in the gold bedroom though... boo me! 

Holding Back

Have you ever held back something?

Maybe you held back tears? Held back from telling someone exactly what you thought? Held back your feelings for someone? I'm sure we've all HELD BACK.

I am HOLDING BACK in life right now.  God has recently revealed this to me.  I have been praying for FREEDOM - for myself, our church, our youth, our community... and I am HOLDING BACK.

I feel like I have put myself in a straight jacket... and I have to figure out the way to freedom.

I know it's kind of a strange concept, but that is what my heart feels like.  I am HOLDING BACK in loving others, in praying with power, in speaking TRUTH, in wholly worshipping, and in discerning and obeying what God is telling me.  

I honestly don't know what living FREELY as a Jesus-follower looks like, but I know I have so much to learn, to let go of, and to do! I REFUSE to become complacent, mediocre, and apathetic... I WANT FREEDOM!!! 

I want to go, to do, to PRAY, to love passionately, to lead, to discern, to follow, to speak, to call, to write, listen WITHHOLDING NOTHING!!!!! 

I want complete freedom with Christ!!!! I want it. 

But... how?

How do get to a place of total abandonment of my selfish desires, my impurities, my attitude, my agenda, my judgments?  I don't know. I know I don't want to live in a straight jacket anymore so I will search and seek and ask and find my God and live FREELY in His presence. I will rely on Him... not me. I will love Him... because He loves me.  I will pray passionately... because He listens.  I will strive for VICTORY... because He has already won.

The Magic of Matrimony!!

This weekend I had the honor of being in a precious friend's wedding.  It was a perfect weekend!! The weather was GORGEOUS. The celebration was fantastic. And friends were together again!!!! It was magical!!

Here we are at the rehearsal dinner looking all snazzy!!! Here's the breakdown from left to right:

Caitlin - from Bham, Chrystal - now lives in Las Vegas, Jess - the bride!, Christina - lives in Washington DC, Chesney - from huntsville, Katy - live in Bham, and me!!! 

They are GORGEOUS girls! And I have missed them LOTS AND LOTS! 

The rehearsal dinner was fun and yummy. Then we danced the night away with a live band!!! It was a blast!! 

Saturday morning we had breakfast at this swanky, quaint tea room in Huntsville.  It was adorable!  

Here I am with the BRIDE!!! Hooray for wedding day! 

Here is the stunning bride!!! She was breath-taking!!! We joked with her when she was taking all fun fancy pics that it looked like she OWNED that mansion behind her!! She was HOT! She was so happy... and I loved it.  Her beau (I didn't take a pic of him... oops) got teary when he saw her walk down the aisle... but who could blame him?  A pretty luck man!! They are currently in Bora Bora!!!!!! I'm a bit jealous! 

Here are the maids of the bride.  We look pretty good! Aren't the flowers stunning!!! We took lots and lots of fun pictures. It was a great day with old friends... I loved it! And Jess got married so... it was a success. Mission accomplished! 

The flippie floppies were part of our bridesmaids' gift!!!! HOORAY!!! Do you see those shoes I wore b/c I love Jess... they were REALLY high heels.  My feet don't enjoy those AT ALL! So... Jess, being the kind person she is, gave us those elegant flip flops to change into for the reception so we could get jiggy without breaking our face!!!! And get jiggy we did - electric slide, cupid shuffled, and I learned the wobble (sp?).  We sang at the top of our lungs to DON'T STOP BELIEVING!! It was fabulous!! I loved it and so thankful I was a part of the weekend! 

Congrats Jessica and Jonathan Walker!!! 

purity... no fun

I know you are looking at the title like WHAT??? you probably shouldn't say that.  I know... just hang with me.

If you like to read my blog (I don't know who you are... I just write to help me process stuff and I know my mommy reads it so it's all worth it), you know I am fighting for PURITY. It's not fun. It really isn't.  The process is messy, full of realizations of our IMpurities, and the struggles to FIGHT those and FLEE from them is... no fun. I have been praying WITH EXPECTANCY and thinking and searching for PURITY. I have been praying it over my husband and I see my God working.  He is pruning us. He is chipping away... but it hurts.  We see sin. We see what HE hates - because in essence that brings purity... becoming like Him.

Over and over again... He has been calling me to three things... and I mean He is calling them out to me LOUD and CLEAR.  I know, because HE is clear, that striving for these 3 things lead to purity and holiness and fullness in Him. Those 3 things are:

HUMILITY. TRANSPARENCY. COMMUNITY. 

Humility - OUCH! I am a prideful woman. I just am. I am an independent person and don't like to be needy. But I am needy. I am lacking. I am inadequate and that should be okay. And there's more. I think TRUE humility is so much deeper.  Christ's humility is spelled out in Philippians 2 - HE became a slave when He deserved and WAS Lord. We can't even humble ourselves, our status, our reputation, to love all people at all times no matter what it looks like. I don't need praise from people. I don't need people to know all I am doing - my goal should be to make SO MUCH OF HIM and so little of me. Not just when it's convenient... but in everything. We should be okay to need each other and to fully rely on our Savior, Provider, Healer, Beautifier, Creator, Constant.

Transparency - This has been so huge for me lately. To grow, to confess, to become humble - WE MUST LIVE TRANSPARENT LIVES! We have to invite people into our crap, our struggles, our HEARTS, our victories, our REAL LIVES to live pure.  I have to be transparent to my husband, even when it's hard. I have to let down my walls and tell my heart to people that are inviting me into their lives.  I have to be transparent. I have to love... without hindrances. I have to pray... witholding NOTHING.  Transparency... it's a call to become pure in every aspect of my life. It's not a fun process....

Community - I think this is SO important in The Church today. We so often fight our fights alone. Pray alone. Read alone. Think and process alone. The Church was started with a group of people, a body, depending and sharing with each other to no end. We are so closed-up and ashamed there is no sense of community.  Church today is going and listening to someone talk... blah blah blah... and then go home.  We have to love and love deeply.  We are called to confess our UGLY sins to each other. To show Christ to each other. To be deep-Spirited friends.  To KNOW each other. We don't.  That is my longing. I need community. I need to open-ness and honesty and and love that has no boundaries for each other.  We ALL long for that. We really do.  It's not easy... you have to... be transparent and humble yourselves and all of that fun stuff.  But when friendships are founded on Jesus Christ... the love and community there is unshakeable! It's incredible.  Our churches NEEEEEEDDDDD it! We need to cultivate a feeling of belonging. A culture of LOVE.

WhAt'S uP??

This weekend was good. I really don't want to write about my weekend, but I will anyways.  I have lots swarming around in my head... but we will wait on that until I can process everything. SMILE

These were the events in the big town of T-ROY!

Friday we saw Courageous! I already told it was great! but... IT WAS GREAT!! GO SEE IT!  I also heard Priscilla Shirer is doing a book about a resolution for women!!! Yes m'am. I want it! I also started a new Bible study "Discerning the Voice of God." I'm pretty pumped about it and want to share stuff with you.  I also need to finish sharing about the BRAVE Study... but I'm not superwoman people!

Saturday was Mer's birthday so we celebrated it with a tailgate!!! Lots of yummy food. Sunshine. Friends. I liked it. I'm happy Troy knows how to tailgate... poor Tennessee has a lot to learn...

Me and my cute husband wen the the tailgating together... because we are one! :)

Here we are in the game. Please note how Troyish I am. I looked like a Troy fan... but I cheered for UAB!! hehe! UAB AcTuAlLy looked good!! i was stunned!! They ended up losing b/c some ref lost his glasses and couldn't see a CLEAR pass interference!!! BOO!!! It cost us the game... really. I saw some friends from UAB and I felt so ashamed that I had Troy stuff on.  But... Troy does pay the bills... so we will support them on the outside :) my heart is still a blazer!!!

Then... lots of craziness happened. Youth stayed at our house until 2:00AM talking. We have a new brother in Christ because one of the boys GOT SAVED!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!! We have been praying for this guy for a while now and my God is so good. He works crazy, shocking, yuck things out for His glory and His Kingdom and He calls his kids to Him!!! That was fabulous.  It was so good... it is still good. Please pray for him because the stupid Satan is going to try to attack him.  He needs prayer warriors around him to protect his heart as he digs deeper. 

Then, this isn't the weekend but it will make a Monday sound more fun... we had a Crafts for Causes night. It was fun!!! :) We made paintings for Sav-A-Life baskets,  knitted for Hats for Toddlers in Thailand, made cards for orphans, wrote letters to widows, and enjoyed each others' company!!! Here's some photos: 

I love those ladies!!!! :)

So fun!