Me and My Cute Fam!!!

I just wanted to show off my fam from our photo shoot by Duolens Photography! It was tons-o-fun! 

MY FAVES:

I asked Jacob if we could do a jumping picture... he said no. I said, "Fine... you stand there and look like I'm crazy because that's pretty much real life."  He waited a while and then asked, "Is it okay if I do a heel-click?" HAHAHAHA! 

LoVeY

Our fam! 

This is Walt... he has crazy eyes because he is about to go OFF on that camera!! haha!! We love him... 

A lil' sassy!! I like it! 

The others are great fun too: 

HELP!!! Someone needs a tan!!! Yikes... 

Hope you enjoyed the pics! I know I do! 

If it seems we are crazy...

CAMP! I LOVE CAMP! It's kinda weird how much I love camp! 

This year we went to Student Life again... but to Lee University in Cleveland, TN. This year was a lot different than last year. Yes, different place. different worship leaders. different people. smaller camp. But it just felt different. 

I was a little nervous going into it because I was signed up to lead a family group again.  I was nervous because I had THE BEST FAMILY GROUP EVER last year! I mean I seriously did. I knew whatever group I got this year, I would be comparing to my last group... tough to compete. 

So... when I arrived to camp I got my family group roster, and to my surprise I had SIX (6) from our youth group! AHHHH!!! Strangers... I can handle... I like them... they appreciate my awkwardness.  PEOPLE I KNOW... yikes... it meant I had to make it meaningful and fun for them regardless of the fact they knew me!! A little scary.

BUT... God is good and He knows what He's doing! It was a fantastic week and I'm SOOO thankful for my family group... they were amazing!!! 

No big deal... but the picture above is of our family group winning the AMAZING RACE game. Yep... we won! Go FG #41!! We were pretty proud... because we are obnoxiously competitive! 

This was one of my favorite things... I got to RE-name each of them with what they thought their identity is in Christ.  I made name tags for each one and we wore them. I love the idea of Christ giving us a new name (Jacob to Israel, Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, etc)... and many of the students in my group were aching for a new start... a new identity... a new name... so that's what Jesus did for us all last week.  Sweet time. VERY humbled that he CHOOSES to use me... 

Now... the youth group! 

God did so many things... I can't even begin to explain it all. last year... for our group... it was much more of an event... this year (my hope and prayer) is that it was a catalyst for transformations.  Lots of deep things were beginning in our youth! As one of the girls said... last year was an event... an exciting time together with Jesus... this year it was more about falling in love with Him.  AMEN SISTA! 

I can't explain everything that happened last week, but I can tell you what He did with and in me. 

So... ever feel CRAZY?  I DO! I mean I feel like this (my pic) on the inside most days... often my face probably looks like this.  But it's just who I am.  I often feel CRAZY... but I hold back... I don't love with abandon. I don't pray with full expectation. I often live in fear of who God is calling me to be. I feel absolutely crazy when I look around and feel so different than how others are acting around me.  I don't understand how Christians can read the Word and live like they/I do, how they/I can worship Jesus with frowns on their faces and hands in their pockets, and how we/they are satisfied with mediocrity when Jesus calls us to go deeper... still!!! I really feel CRAZY.  God has given me extreme passion for lots of things... 

This is where my heart ALWAYS longs to be... listening, teaching, discipling, and witnessing transformation.

But often times I feel my heart settles so that my physical self will fit in better with the culture around me. SO WRONG! Well... the last night of camp I was just doing my normal worship... you know the jumping, shouting, dancing stuff.  All of sudden I feel like God is telling me to sit down. I'm like... hello God but I'm going crazy worshipping you.  He keeps insisting that I just sit down.  So... I finally give in and sit.  He tells me to breath in deep. So I do.  He just whispers to me that I am breathing HIM in. That's it's His breath and His CRAZYness in me. He tells me I'm not crazy. He assures me I'm not too much (I often feel like people think I'm too much... or not enough). He loved on me in a way that only He can. And it's because I was willing to stop doing what was good (worshipping outloud) and choose what was best... RESTING in Him and LISTENING to Him. 

Then... Tony, the speaker, starts off His sermon in 2 Corinthians... talking about Paul.  I have no idea what he was saying honestly because I couldn't stop my emotions from oozing out, but God shouted out one passage to me:

³ If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit.¹⁴ Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. ¹⁵ He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

Yes. Yes. Yes! 

It's for Him... it IS Him. :) 

If I'm "crazy" or feeling that way... it's for HIM alone. If I'm acting "normal" it's for the people... so Jesus will be attractive regardless!!! SO STINKING GOOD! Glad Paul felt crazy too! It gives me hope! :)

Thankful I have a partner to be CrAzY with... a man who loves the Lord and loves his crazy wife. 

Thankful for the week at Student Life.

Thankful for life-changing God encounters.

***ChUcKtOwN***

My week was SO splendid last week... we must not mush it all together... we must marvel and relish at it in chunks.  Today is my ode to Chucktown... others may know it as Charleston, SC.  I know it as the temporary home to my best friend.  It's a lovely place.  Let me give you a recap of my visit. I know you are pumped. 

It was QUITE a long drive from Troy. 8ish hours to be exact.  

I worked a full day on Friday and then departed... some would say stupid.  But that some does not include me. 

I was fading fast between Macon and Savannah, GA and then I discovered my lifesaver... SUNFLOWER SEEDS AND AMP ENERGY DRINK.  Definitely saved my life... along with obnoxiously loud music!  After I started munching on the sunflower seeds... I was oddly WIDE AWAKE! 

But I FINALLY made it to see this lovely face!!!!! 

It was only like 2 AM... not sure why she looks so tired. Prob because we are nanas now! 

We went to the beach.  On most days this beach wouldn't be near as good as the white sandy beaches of the Gulf. But... since Em was there... it was perfect!!! 

Aren't we cute? We look pretty much identical, huh?

The next day we frolicked around downtown. It's pretty much the cutest city in the US! 

I was also introduced to PRALINES.  I always thought that old people ate PRALINES... I was very mistaken.  These sweet morsels are basically heaven in a candy shop!! 

EAT ONE!... or SEVEN! I loved her new friends too... they are pretty great! Didn't get to meet all of them... but I approve! 

 Yep... just Em's city!!! 

This is called the Battery... because there's cannons.  I didn't make this up.  But it's lovely! We just walked and walked and talked and talked and sweated! It was the best! Made my heart so happy! 

PLEASE NOTE... Em is wearing a t-shirt. That is why she claims she will never find a man... someone told her that once. :) 

 I love my bestie... for many reasons.  BUT THIS REASON IS GREAT...

SHE TOOK ME HERE:

 (It's my FAV if you didn't know!)

It was a fabulous weekend! I would drive 8 hours to see her again! 

I hope you have a best friend like her. 

Next post: STUDENT LIFE CAMP! 

hE iS fAiThFuL

Yep... He is FAITHFUL!! 


I've had an exciting week.  I wanted to blog about it yesterday, but I got agitated while I was blogging yesterday and it just made me not wanna write anymore... so I stopped.  So I will enlighten you today! And I'm glad I waited so now I can tell you some really amazing stuff that happened last night! 


#1 So we are still collecting money for our Belize trip... only a month out! CRAZY! BUT... 2 weeks ago we were still lacking $10,000! OUCH!! Well... our God had been working... we are only lacking $2,000 now! Yep, He is FAITHFUL!  Jacob has been a little stressed about this since he's the leader and all.  I'm just the wife so I don't worry about money (never have)... I just prayed.  He listens... so that's good.  But this week we had a very FUN-draiser (get it?).  It's called STROKES OF FAITH... basically it's an awesome painting party! Check it out:

Some of our Belize Team

It was a blast and they painted such pretty pictures! We made about $700 too! :) FANTASTIC! 

#2 I got to see some very special people... I love them lots. They stopped for a visit on their way home from the beach!!! 

THE COKERS!!!! :) 

I got hug on Isaac Henry and his hot momma! It was glorious! I needed some bestie time... even if it was short. I'll take all I can get! 

#3 THE CONNECTION BANQUET!!!!!!!!! So... my heart has been a little anxious about this event for quite some time now. Our goal was to put Luke 14 into action:

the faithful men of the Connection ministry...
always there... always serving

¹² Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. ¹³ Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.”

So... we wanted to put these verses into action through our Connection ministry. We wanted people from our church involved and our goal was just to LOVE on those who came. We wanted to just smother them in Jesus' love!  We rounded up people to get table cloths, make centerpieces, bring fancy dinnerware, bring giveaways, etc! We went door to door inviting people with fancy banquet invitations.  We prepared grilled chicken, baked potato, salad, rolls, sweet tea, and lemon pie.  And we prayed for God to move! 

I was nervous that no one would show up. And it looked that way for a few minutes... and then they came! And they kept coming!!! We didn't know how many to plan for because in recent months, not many people have been coming. But last night... we fed 45 people and then had to turn some people away because we ran out of chicken! It was nuts! I was so pumped and joyful because HE IS SO FAITHFUL! 

Me and Miss Leah Beth. She's precious and quite funny. She loves Jesus.
She told me I didn't know who I was talking to when I was talking to her.
I asked her what she meant... she said "Hunny, I am a child of God. I KNOW HIM.
He reveals Himself to me... and I know you is chosen."
I said "YES MA'AM!" :)
I like her... querks and all! 

I've also been a bit discouraged about door to door.  We go every month and invite person after person... and then no one shows up.  Last Sunday I did NOT want to go door to door.  But... I've come to the conclusion when you really don't want to do something that has the potential to impact the Kingdom... you better do it! That's just Satan trying to stop ya! So... I went.  And we had about 15 people come because of our sharing and inviting on that Sunday!!!! Gosh... God loves me so well.  He loves on me in only a way He can. He gives my heart's desires in CRAZY ways. And I am ever grateful. 

These ladies right here are something special. These are the Connection ladies - faithful and true! 

Mrs. Hilma, in the middle, is the cook and she keeps us straight! We love her dearly! 

Thankful for RADICAL women like these in my life! 

All that to say... WOWZERS... God is just good! Now... onward to my great week's adventures. Needless to say... I'M PUMPED!!!  I would like to leave you with one of my favorite videos EVER. I kept this little boy at the parents night out we had... CRACKED me up!!! And now... introducing Gunner singing "Yion King" (that was not a typo... that's how he says it)