au revoir

As December 1st is approaching I can't help but think about how close 2012 is!! With that in mind, I have come to the conclusion to remove myself from facebook & blogs for the month of December. I spend way too much time reading through statuses, liking photos & catching up on my favorite blogs. God help me, I'm going to try my best to utilize this month for giving thanks to God for the year 2011...as this has clearly been a year to remember, I want to be ready & equipped for the new year of adventures/seasons to come. By fasting from these social outlets, I pray that God would bless me with a clear vision, humble & thankful heart as we head into 2012.

au revoir 2011...
see you in 2012

identity crisis?

Tonight I was overwhelmed, while scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed. It caught my eye that so many teenage girls have over air brushed profile pictures of themselves. There must be some major identity crisis' taking place. I am of course, found guilty for painting on my face every morning (and more so when I go to a fancy event). It's not that make-up or looking good is bad, it's not being able to anywhere without make-up on OR getting stuck in the mind set that your true identity is only found in your outward appearance..

Why do teenage girls Picnik their beauty away anyways!? It makes me so sad, that women in general think they must paint their face on to be beautiful. Women long to know, "am I beautiful?" We think the only way to get the answer we are looking for is by applying heaps of make-up on. That is in fact a lie.

I think it's about time Satan stops over-taking media & brain washing females into thinking they are only beautiful as COVER GIRL's painted with foundation & eye liner or over-airbrushed-Picnik-pixally-cheaper-versions of themselves. Lies. Lies. Lies. Satan is full of it. Girls, don't believe these STUPID lies! Wash your make-up off and look in the mirror & tell yourself you're beautiful with or without make-up on! You are perfect in His eyes, no one else opinions should matter or form your ill thought processes of what you think of yourself.

"For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1 sam 16.7

Once you take the mask off, you'll find that people will STILL think you're beautiful, without over correcting your Facebook profile picture on Picnik, I promise :)

confession.

edit: 30 minutes after post // Satan, I will not believe lies you feed me! Get behind me. I am His and He is mine, made in His image. The world tried to define woman-hood, but I will not conform. I am who I am, because of I AM. Amen. * thank you Jesus for blessing me with sisters to remind me who I am & speak truth into me.

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17

confession:
I wish I was more girlie.
Sometimes I think there is something wrong with me! Tonight we went to the mall to bum around and I had a revelation, I wish I was more feminine/girlie. Every time we go to the mall, I try to have fun, I'm not adventurous when making purchases, I don't get excited about things in Anthropologie, I never wear earrings, I hardly know how to do my hair & make-up, I hate babysitting, I love cuddly babies -- but I'm really awkward at holding them, it takes a lot for me to cry, I don't know how to braid hair, I'm not crafty, I can't doodle, and generally just not girlie :( I want to be more girlie... but every time I try, it doesn't work! How am I ever going to be a decent wife/mother!? #help

sisters, in need of rescue.

Unearthing Sexual Exploitation from Unearthed on Vimeo.

forward motion

This week I have been thinking about Australia way too much. I miss it SO much, it's paralyzing. It makes me wish my life away. I can't keep looking in the rear view mirror and it's so frustrating! I'm trying to make forward motion, but it sucks! It's going to be hard & difficult. Then I'm reminded that this time last year, my forward motion to Australia was hard & difficult. Hopping across the pond for six months seems like cake compared to what God has for me next. I can't dwell on the past if I want to move forward!! The next mountain I want to get over is going to take the same kind of trust, faith, and strength it took to go to Australia... I need to replace my mourning for Australia and be empowered to go above and beyond towards the next mountain... because with
HIM nothing is impossible.

With man this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.
MATTHEW 19:26

Jesus, give me more faith that YOU can move mountains...
I shouldn't need anymore signs, I think sending me to
Australia & Thailand is a big enough sign.
Just give me more faith.

sick day

sick = illness
today is the best day to be sick, it's dark & pouring rain. chasing after a sore / scratchy throat - runny nose - coughing - sneezing - achy - warm - tired body with heaps of hot tea & tissue.


sick = rad
today marks 25 years of marriage for my parents! 25 years is a long time. I'm happy they got married & decided to stay married, even through not so merry times. God has been so faithful through their 25 years and I know He will remain faithful for the next 25 years...as they have remained faithful to each other.

HAPPY 11/11/11

11 thoughts.

1. I am currently obsessed with Michael Buble's Christmas album, I highly recommend listening to it on Spotify or buying it on iTunes.

2. I am REALLY thankful for the friends -- people God blessed me with to do life with.

3. It makes me excited that my church is passionate about being a church on mission... therefore they are hosting a missions conference this weekend, I'm pretty stoked about it!

4. Today is my sisters 1 year anniversary with her lovely boyfriend!! Cheers to them!!

5. Today I taught a four year old how to say "hello" & "thank-you" in Thai.

6. There is way more to life than what your bank account says.

7. I love that my job is for a cause greater than myself... it's the first job where I'm not working to create revenue.

8. Today in honor of the date... you can get a year of Relevant Magazine for only $11.00!

9. Lately I have to remind myself A LOT that I could have it wost than I currently do...someone is ALWAYS having a worst day than you...remember that.

10. The best kept secret is dirty hair...

11. This is the Bible verse, from the 11th book of the Bible, 11th chapter...

The guards, each with weapon in hand, stationed themselves around the king—near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple. 2 Kings 11:11

so sus.

Sus is Australian slang for, suspicious.

It's common sense right that nothing you do online is hidden, right? Therefore it shouldn't come as a surpise that anyone reading this is tracked to an extent, right? Ever since I started my blog I've had a tracker that tells me where a viewer is from & the duration of their visit. Semi for wonders sake, semi for safety and semi for reassurance that I have an audience :)

Which brings me to my very sus situation... (and now whoever is viewing this will be found out!) Ha. I only know a hand full of people from Canada and none of them live in Ontario... so WHO in the world is CONSTANTLY viewing my blog posts!?

Now you see why I'm so sus... should I be concerned? should I be flattered?! It's wierd & creepy... literally some days they view it every hour... because I'm such a worrywart, I looked into password locking my blog, but you can't do that on blogger. Lame, right!

Anyways, I'm probably just making a mountain out of a molehill....

hodge-poge

1. I'm in the middle of drafting a HUGh-MUNG-Oh update on what God has been teaching me... it makes me excited & gives me chills.

2. The other day I was reading my journal from this year, looking back on this year also gives me chills... I still can't believe what has happened in this short span of time! God has be so evident, His fingerprints are all over my journal... including the Aussie flower I smuggled into the US... don't call Homeland Security on me!

3. I saw this on TMFS [warning: addictive time waster] the other day. Hopefully my future husband is thinking this, one day... because I'm totally keen :)

4. As the weather is changing, I'm missing Australian summer.

5. Did I mention I L-O-V-E my new admin job!? I seriously can't believe I get to do what I do!? God is so good. This weekend I got to connect with heaps of people from the ministry I've never met before...it was so great!

6. Though the bitter weather is coming, I do enjoy the signs & sounds of the coming holiday seasons!! Including the red cups from Starbucks.

7. A friend of mine down unda' sent this to me the other day.. it made my day!

the end.

word.

- Oswald Chambers.