a weekend of together in pictures...

Hi there.

Here's my weekend in pictures. We went to Birmingham this weekend to see family and to get more friends married. 

I got to meet my new nephew, Barett. He's precious! My neice, Ava, is with me too. They are precious. I got to play with Polly Pockets with Ava, hold Barett, and visit with my bro and sis-in-law. It such a sweet time. 

WEDDING FESTIVITIES:

The wedding was at the coolest place EVER. Look how pretty it is! 

Here's me and 2 other Morgan ladies. I love them. 

Ashley... my sis-in-law... she loves Jesus. She has taught me how to be a lover of Jesus, a wife, a mother, a forgiver, and more. 

Here's me and my cute hubby... he was in the wedding.  We are looking good! 

Being at wedding makes me so thankful I married this man.  I wouldn't trade my life in Troy, with him, for anything. God knows what He's doing. 

LOOK... I have on heels! 

Here's my precious mommy. We got to spend lots of time together this weekend - shopping, Olive Garden, Momma G's, seeing family! It was so good!! She is the best mommy ever!!! :)

Jacob and his fellas. 

These boys have been besties for years. I love how God has changed each of them... it's nuts... really. 

The one with the black vest is the new husband! Good luck Matt!!! :) 

Lil' Jo!! 

Jacob adores her!! :)  

And last... as you can see in his eyes... something awful has happened... 

Walt had to say good-bye to his girlfriend... the blanket. 

She went into the trash today... he was devastated. BUT this thing smelled SO awful! It was time to move on... I had to be the bad parent to finally throw it in the can... 

AHHH!!!!

AHHH!!! That's what I have felt like recently! It's been out of control busy around here. I told Jacob last night... I have been so tired I can't even sleep? Ever felt like that? Maybe I'm the only weirdo... but I doubt it.

There's been really great things going on... we had our annual ITP AIM (Alabama Interpreting Metamorphosis) Conference this past weekend! This conference is pretty awesome because it's STUDENT RAN! They do everything from coordinating interpreting, to arranging the schedule/presenters, to setting up a silent auction, and everything in between. It's a really neat experience and really builds the character and professionalism of the students. It was a major success!... but it wore me out!

We are still meeting and doing activities to prepare for our summer mission trip to Belize! I'm excited... but it's weird being on the other side of it... you know... being an adult on a trip.  It's nerve-racking. Not only knowing you are gonna be responsible for youths' lives in a foreign country but also seeing the intense spiritual battle that happens when you are planning for a mission trip.  These kids (and adults) are getting SLAMMED! It's nuts!

We took a Spiritual Gifts test on Sunday with our team. I thought that was fun... to see "what" we were bringing with us and "who" was on our team.  I took one of these tests when I was in youth and God has surely grown or revealed my 'real' spiritual gifts to me as I have grown up in Him.  My top (that doesn't sound like the right word) gifts are Teaching (I would NEVER have thought this a few years ago.. I can't talk in front of people very well, my ideas just seem crazy to me, and I never thought I was "teacher" material) - I using a lot of " " today, huh? - Knowledge (WHO KNEW??...), Faith (I've always known this one), Hospitality (I've always liked to talk to strangers... or walls... whichever would talk back), and... Healing!! Now... this last one is pretty new and crazy to me. I believe... o I believe He has given me the ability to see the impossible. I believe because of Jesus... He can use me to heal.  But... as my wise and discerning husband said to me last night... I don't only have to power/gift to heal physically but God wants to use me to HEAL SPIRITUALLY.  Sometimes I think it's easier to believe He can heal physically than it is to know He will heal hearts. I am struggling with that right now...

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1

This verse has been very overwhelming to me lately. I mean...VERY. I LOVE working with the girls in our youth and college groups... I mean it is truly my heart's joy! Until now, I have NEVER felt "mommish" to them. I have never felt WORRIED about them or felt like I had to protect them. I have always felt that I am their Teacher, Mentor, and Prayer Warrior, but lately the feelings of worry, awareness of spiritual warfare, and urge to protect has intensified by a MILLION! These girls are in a battle everyday... and I FEEL it! I literally feel it. I know that's weird. I'm sure my mom felt like this with mom MANY times. Being overwhelmed with me and my decisions, wanting to do something... but deciding to love and pray and love some more.  I want to do the same... it just gets overwhelming when it's 15 girls who are laid SO strongly on your heart.  What can I do? Fix them? No... I pray! Where do I start? I have no clue... prayer is tough... I SO believe it is the most powerful tool (WITH the Bible) that we have to combat this world, but my heart doesn't always understand it. Anyone with me??? 


The word INTERCEDE means to INTERVENE. I love that! I get to intervene for these girls. To plead their case to a Holy and Loving God. And He listens. And He answers. It may not be immediate (preaching to myself) and it may not be what I expect... but He HEALS and RESTORES and FREES! I am banking on those promises. 


I am thankful for the other leaders who are praying and INTERVENING with me. I am thankful for HEALING... for HEALING the sick and the captives! 


Who are you INTERVENING for? 

Happy Birthday Hubs!

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday! He's 24... old man! 

I love my hubs. He's a great man. He's my best friend. He KNOWS me. He makes me smile even when it's the last thing I want to do. He is a dreamer. He cares for people (even when he doesn't want to). He loves youth ministry. He hates mediocrity. He loves learning but hates homework. He is a meat & potatoes kind of guy.  He has loved me since I was in 7th grade... with bangs AND braces! I have loved him since I was in the 10th grade... I saw his servant's heart and knew I was gonna marry him... creepy! He loves to laugh. He is a movie fanatic. He is a truth speaker. He loves his family.  He is a product of people loving and investing in him.  He is a preacher of the Word and a singer of worship.  He loves Walter. He gets the words to songs wrong a lot... and I laugh. He is a leader. His spiritual gift is discernment... and mine IS NOT! He loves people well. He is a fisher of men.

He is great. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB! 

You are loved... and very much so! 

which Jesus do you follow?

It's Good Friday... the day that changed eternity. Thankful for it... thankful doesn't seem like a good enough word.  It's overwhelming to think about it. 


I have been reading the crucifixion account in each of the Gospels.  I LOVE Luke's perspective.  He likes detail. He is like my hubby. Jacob. When Jacob tells a story, he includes every detail he can possibly remember. If he is talking about a trip we took, he will include what the weather was like on the way there, the car we drove, who was sitting where, the name of the hotel, what the hotel smelled like, the daily itinerary... in detail, and everything in between.  Hilarious! I guess I like detailed stories now... but I love Luke's story of Jesus' death and resurrection. 


I have been thinking a lot this week about the boxes we put Jesus in.... about the Jesus we actually follow.  That "Jesus" may not be the Biblical, all-powerful Jesus He really is.  Maybe it's the Jesus that's portrayed by the masses - a Jesus who LOVES no matter what (true to an extent) and doesn't care what your life actually looks like... just wants you to go to church.  Maybe it's the Jesus that Hollywood portrays - a weak, corny, flowy-haired Jesus... a crutch, someone you pray to when you are sick or want something. Maybe it's a genie that you see Jesus as - you pray... He should answer EXACTLY how you expect. Maybe He's just a get out of jail free card... Yay for not going to hell but where's the overflowing thankfulness in our lives? Or maybe it's the REAL JESUS... the holy, righteous, just, humble, radiant, king, compassionate, hope, ruler, lover of sinners, hater of evil, restorer, radical... 


Which Jesus do you follow?


As I read the accounts of the cross... I started thinking about the boxes that the characters could have put Jesus in.  The "Jesus" that the characters may have followed. Now... I'm no scholar or anything... I just like thinking about the perspectives of the people involved.  They weren't perfect and I want to learn from them.  Just amuse me... let me know what you think, too.


Who was Jesus to JUDAS?
Jesus was a means to an end, a cheap exchange, worth giving up.  He traded Him for MONEY. How often does that happen to us? We trade Jesus everyday (in a way) for something that may SEEM temporarily better, bigger, more glamorous, more comfortable, more success... Luke says that Satan entered Judas and led him to betray Jesus. How I want my heart totally consumed with Jesus so Satan has no where to enter... no area to sneak in.  Yes, Judas definitely felt remorse for betraying Jesus... so much so that he hung himself... how awful to be known as the disciple to give Jesus up?  I pray we aren't known as the generation that traded Jesus in....


Who was Jesus to PETER?
I LOVE PETER!!! He is one of my favorite Bible characters. Why? Because I'm much like him. He LOVES Jesus... he really does. Peter has a lot of foot-in-mouth experiences with Jesus and others... I do too. Peter has a lot of ideas... some good, some not so good (like the sword to the policeman's ear)! People have told me that I do too. But Peter denied Jesus. I think Peter might have doubted... not completely sure Jesus was who He said He was. He didn't know the whole story like we do... so He may have been uncertain when Jesus was carried away in the darkness if He was really the King of kings. He was terrified. He allowed His relationship with Jesus... the one that was typically focused on Jesus become self-centered, fearful, and weak. How often do we do that?  Oh... I do. 
I know Jesus loved Peter, too. He probably loved his quirky personality, his passion, his ambition, and his heart. In Luke 22, before Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him, He tells Peter this:
³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. ³² But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
I love that Jesus pleads for Peter. That is my Jesus' heart... praying for those He loves and those who love Him. Like Peter, when we become focused on self, we must repent, turn to Him again, and STRENGTHEN EACH OTHER. 


Who was Jesus to PILATE?
I think Pilate knew who Jesus was. He knew the TRUTH as it's called in John 18. He hated that the desire of the people was to crucify Jesus. He wanted nothing to do with it.  Could he have done more? I'm sure he could have. Did he give in? Yes. Did he conform to what the masses were shouting? Yes. Was he afraid to follow TRUTH? Yes. But, I love this, from John 20:

 ¹⁹ And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth,^[d] the King of the Jews.” ²⁰ The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.

²¹ Then the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”
²² Pilate replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”


He knew! Whatever happened, he believed. A governor... a leader and expected holder of justice, truth, righteousness, and royalty, saw this in the man of Jesus Christ. That's the Jesus I serve. 


There are other characters we could analyze and a lot that could be said... but what Jesus do you follow? Although not always apparent or true, I LONG to follow the Jesus, the King, the Redeemer, the Mighty One, the One without limits, the One who gives love and joy and peace and holiness.  I want Him to have complete reign... no holding back. no doubting. no weak passion. no fear. 

InTo ThE gLoRiOuS

Happy Hump Day!

I just bought the new Christy Nockel's CD! You should too... it's great! She loves Jesus a lot and her songs scream that LOUD!

One of her songs echos my heart right now. It's called "Into the Glorious." It's what I want and what I feel like God wants for me and those around me.  I so often settle for the norm. I don't want to be to crazy. I honestly believe if I did what I know Jesus wants me to be and look like... people would think I was a freak. I want to be a fool for the sake of Christ!!! We put Jesus and His power in a box.  Well... I'm telling you... I want to experience every drop of it.  I have to figure out where I put the key to the box I locked Him in, what all in my little/weak heart is holding Him in there, and how to let Him FREE and have complete reign in my life.  How do I do that? How do we do that? Umm... dig deeper and sing this song constantly in my heart, over my family and friends, and shout it to this city! Look at these words... AHH!!! They are just so good!!!

I was made for more than this world could offer me.
My heart to hold true mystery.
My voice was made to fall on holy ears.
My life to collide with majesty.
Out from the ORDINARY.
INTO EXTRAORDINARY.
This is a heart-cry, from my life.
To say I LOVE YOU, God, I LOVE YOU.
So take me deeper, oh.
I can hear You calling.
Inviting me in.
INTO THE GLORIOUS.
I was made for REST, in a world that's STRIVING.
To lie down in fields of green.
To set my feet upon this HOLY ground.
To build my life on the things UNSEEN.
Out from the ORDINARY.
Into EXTRAORDINARY.
You're calling me.
And God it's a breakthrough.
Now I can see You.
Inviting me.

YES o YES o YES! I want the glorious. I want the EXTRAORDINARY. What does that mean for me?
EXTRA faith. EXTRA prayer. EXTRA dependence. EXTRA study. EXTRA freedom. EXTRA exposure. EXTRA deep.
I want to depend utterly on Him. I know that's scary to say... because I don't know what that means. I want to experience HIM. To experience the glorious! I want Him to use me. To sift through the decisions, ideas, and thoughts that are constantly circulating in my head... and make them His!

I want to see radical change in the youth God has given us to shepherd.  How do we encourage that? It's so tough for my heart. I get discouraged... I see tweets, facebook posts, and listen to stories. It hurts my heart because I KNOW and am constantly assured that God has SO MUCH MORE. What do you do when Jesus isn't in their homes... when He isn't the leader and foundation of their parents... when they are so easily distracted by everything... when the Jesus they follow has been reduced to a weak crutch, a genie, a get out of jail free card, a label????  It takes radical decisions. Radical and real fasts and battles against the world. People say you plant seeds... that is true.  But the church in Acts wasn't about "planting seeds," it was about radical change... a holy reverence for God... a revival... a Holy Spirit move!! I believe that can still happen. I don't want to settle for planting seeds. Yes, I understand it takes time for some people.  But I also KNOW I serve a BIG God... a God who is all about RADICAL and GLORIOUS change (Saul to Paul, high school Anna to Bible study teacher, angry Jacob to humble God-fearing Jacob, Mr. David, criminal on the cross to a resident in heaven). I believe.

To get to the EXTRAORDINARY takes belief, action, and prayer. But... my heart wants the glorious!!! Yep yep!! Don't you? Don't you want to see change, experience the power of prayer, to feel the complete freedom and joy Christ is holding out to us?  Anna does!

He's inviting us. So much waits for us on the horizon... don't hold back. Don't get fearful. Press in! Press on!

a change will do you good...

Yep... sometimes, if not most times... change is good.

I invited a change of appearance this weekend, but it's really because I long for more. A deeper, bigger, radical change in my own heart, our church, our town, our nation, and everything in between.

I started the weekend like this...

 Lots of hair! 

I ended the weekend like this...

CHANGE. A lot is gone, but the smile remains. Change is good. I'll tell ya... my head feels so light and breezy and great!!! :) 

Change isn't always pain-free. It isn't always immediate (which I have to remind myself). But change is a constant... a necessary constant. 

Sometimes I long for change because I am selfish. Sometimes I long for change because I feel like Jesus wants it. So, I had to ask myself... what do I really want to change?

I want my heart to change - I want a radical, unhindered, wildly abandoned love and passion for Christ. 

I want to see others' hearts change. I want to see freedom take over place of sin, insecurity, and lies. 

Our church to change. For people to trust in the leadership of our pastor... as he follows Jesus.  That's Biblical! For there to be community and unity that is unbreakable. That prayer would be the foundation of who we are as a body of believers. For worship to be our passion. For people to be excited about serving, teaching, learning, telling. For God to ROCK OUR WORLD! 

Families to love Jesus more than anything else - to see some Deuteronomy 6 families.

Our town to change. Troy needs Jesus more and more everyday. As the crime increases and church attendance decreases... we are desperate for Him.

I need a change from my comfort. I want to live an uncomfortable, risky life.  What does that look like? I don't know... I just want to live radically for our radical Savior (he died on a cross for us, people...). 

My heart just feels like change is needed and is COMING. I am hopeful... not fearful. Jesus has so much more to offer us than to settle for mundane, boring "Christianity" that involves going to church and maybe some extra churchy events.  He offers HIS LIFE, HIS FREEDOM, HIS FORGIVENESS, HIS LOVE, HIS PROVIDENCE... He offers Himself. To rest in that... that is good. I refuse to live in the mediocrity of American Christianity. I pray for a changed heart... to know what unhindered devotion IS! 

I know it takes pruning, cutting back, snipping...

but the snips and the cuts and the pain and the pruned ends become an offering we can give back. I donated the hair I'm holding. In the same way, the things that cause us and help mold us become our offerings... our stories... our testimonies. The small and the big changes... that's where Jesus is working... to make us His own... to make us look like Him. Although not always a physical appearance... changes are sculpting and molding us to look like our Creator... our Story-Maker. 

Jesus never told a disciple or a student that they were done growing... they were done learning.  Paul never wrote to a church and said they had done such a great job they could just sit back and relax now. We are called to grow, to learn, to CHANGE, to press in, and to offer.