prayer walk

today thousands of people gathered downtown to cover the streets of our city with prayer! it was sweet... first we had an outdoor worship session & encouragement from local pastors. then we hit the streets praying! they blocked off a mile of the main street going downtown & we did a prayer walk through the city. it was an awesome opportunity to see the Church gather in such a huge way!!


"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17

people everywhere

post prayer walk, we hit up the lafayette coney...yumm-oh!

trek down wooward

love these girls -- notice we're wearing WINTER clothes! classic MI Spring :(

we know where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

dotk

daughter of the King.
I just LOVE what this phrase means...
daughter: belonging
of: ownership
the King: utmost/highest/ruler

that also happens to be the name of the girls only weekend that WSM does every other year.  this past weekend 150 of us gathered to be reminded that we are daughters of the King! the theme this year was hidden: safe. secure. adored. stemming from the passage in Colossians 3 that says we're hidden with Christ... leaving us safe/secure/adored! it was such an encouraging weekend.  the girls each got letters from their dads/father figures.  watching the girls read their letters was the most nose tingling part of the weekend!! I love the relationship between fathers & daughters, it doesn't matter how bad or how good your relationship is with your dad... there's still a very unique connection between the two.  and this is only magnified when it comes to our relationship with the ultimate father figure, God! we're safe/secure/adored by our heavenly Father! on Saturday night as the leaders, we got to speak Truth into each girl one-by-one.  we shared with her characteristics of God we saw in her, told her what God thought of her, encouraged her and prayed over her. this was my favorite part! being able to crush satan with TRUTH. we were able to help erase lies that the girls may have believed or been told... ah it was so great, it gave me chills to look the girls in their eyes and tell them who God says they are. we also did lots of typical girly things like; paint nails, have a fashion show, give out cute gifts, eat lots chocolate, cried lots of tears, laughed a lot, said YOLO after every sentence, dance to one direction.,. ya know the usual things! ///////// it was a refreshing weekend.

Insta-friday

1. last weekend was a woman's conference at my church! this insta is so grainy, but I am SO blessed to call these girls my friends/sisters & go through the ups/downs of life together.

2. this weekend WSM is taking 150 girls up North for DOTK! [girls retreat for our youth group...an amazingly life-changing & empowering weekend is ahead] as a gift we made a gazillion button bracelets & a ton of other Pinterest trinkets.

3. the other night I went running rather late in the day -- I love that we can do that now -- and the sun was setting, so I had to snap a photo... I'm obsessed with the sky/sunsets, the Artist is a good painter!

4. working for a young adults/college ministry, but not being in college is kind of funny. I forget how stressful this time of the year is, with finals and what not. so yesterday I got to assemble & pack a ton of hopefully encouraging care packages... fun times trying to figure out postage machine in our office :)

5. this morning when I was leaving the house I noticed all the dandelions popping up and it reminded me of the classic Five Iron Frenzy song... old school, right!?

color run

today I signed up for a 5k... not just any old boring 5k... a colorful & FUN 5k! I don't know why I have never heard of this, but instead of those classic mud or warrior dashes that make you run through mud, this run makes you run through COLOR!! how fun is that!! if that's not fun enough, a bunch of my girlfriends are also doing it!! I'm so excited :) I love that someone finally decided to promote FUN exercise. find a fun / color run near YOU!

background

I'm all about indie, alternative, folk music... but I also secretly LOVE rap/hip-hop music. Since most of the main stream rap/hip-hop music is so inappropriate, I'm SO thankful that Lecrae has such good music, it fills my rap needs without having to sing nasty lyrics! Background came on earlier and I just really like these lines...



So let me just shadow you, let me trace your lines
Matter of fact, just take my pen, here, you create my rhymes
'Cause if I do this by myself, I'm scared that I'll succeed
And no longer trust in you, 'cause I only trust in me
And see, that's how you end up headed to destruction
Paving a road to nowhere, pour your life out for nothing
You pulled my card, I'm bluffing, You know what's in my hand
Me, I'm just going to trust you, You cause the dice to land
I'm in control of nothing, follow you at any cost
Some call it sovereign will, all I know is you the boss
Man, I'm so at ease, I'm so content
I'll play the background, like it's an instrument

I know I'm safest when I'm in Your will, and trust Your Word
I know I'm dangerous when I trust myself, my vision blurred
And I ain't got no time to play life's foolish games
Got plenty aims, but do they really Glorify Your name
And it's a shame, the way I want to do these things for You
Don't even cling to you, take time to sit and gleam from You
Seems You were patient in my ignorance
If ignorance is bliss, it's 'cause she never heard of this

mood: mooooody

OKAY. So update, I heard back from MBI ... didn't get accepted, didn't get declined, didn't get offered other options. I was just told to wait.

HONESTLY, GOD!? WAIT?! MORE WAITING?!

Want to hear what is going on in my head right now.... What the HECK. Am I STILL not FULLY grasping the patience thing?! [I consider myself PRETTY patient at this point in my life... 22 years old & still never had a boyfriend, still living at home, still waiting for direction on the next step -- have these things NOT taught me enough patience so far?!] What am I doing wrong?! Why am I not getting a clear answer, when I was expecting it!? What is God trying to teach me?! What could it possibly be, that is making a clear decision for my next phase of life be so difficult?! Why is it taking this long if I have PURE intentions to wanting a Bible degree?! I want to BUILD the Kingdom. If Moody isn't the avenue that's supposed to happen, doesn't it seem like I'm just wasting my time?! Why was I supposed to apply there in the first place?!

What is it?! Speak! Tell me! Just tell me already!?

Hey human nature, it's time to cue all of the doubt, questions, anxiety, stress, depression & anger... guess what it is ALL creeping in right on time. Where is God? Why isn't He answering/showing me where to go?!

I was TRYING to see God in all of this by reminding myself of ALL the times so far in my life that HE has shown up & not in small ways, but HUGE ways. I can say that I have SEEN God the ways that Moses has seen Him. I have experienced His grace in ways that the unclean woman has. I know that I know, that I know He is who He says He is. --- but it's difficult to REALLY believe that in my heart. My mind knows and my heart has known, but is having a hard to remembering His Truth/Ways/Love/Grace.

I'm not sure whether to consider this part, chapter, season a STORM? I'm so confused.

I KNOW that I am here for a HUGE purpose, I am an OVERCOMER since birth and the 12 inch scar down my chest reminds me daily... He has OVERCOME, so I could have a chance to OVERCOME ... that's enough of a reminder to know that I have purpose & a call on my life, but how does He want me to carry our HIS purpose for my life?! He didn't allow me to overcome for nothing!

Now what? Keep waiting?

Move forward with the OTHER options?

Can the MBI idea all together?

God remind me of who You are and who I've seen You as.... I KNOW Your provision/love/care/heart ... remind me ... reveal Yourself to me AGAIN ... get me out of this darkness ... revive me ... restore me ... redeem me

too much me, more of YOU.

-----

in the time of writing this & being annoyed, I've been listening to Shawn McDonald on shuffle... God ALWAYS speaks to me through music lyrics and especially through SHUFFLE... often when I'm needing to hear from Him, a song comes on and basically reminds me of who He is or encourages me...

AND every Shawn Mac song that has played randomly so far, has totally been either what I'm thinking or how I feel... I'm not even kidding and this one just now REALLY struck me, cause this is me!?

How can we know so much

Yet still be so out of touch

And how we miss the point

When its all about, all about Love

/\ I know so much of how God is and how His ways aren't our ways, but I'm still feeling out touch and I'm missing the point that it has NOTHING about me, it's just about Him/Love.!?

----

I actually accidently found this passage this morning while flipping to 1 John ... found it fitting to my current situation ... 2 Peter 1v3-11

---

as I'm doing the last edit on this post, his song Take Hold came ... another good reminder of course.

There is no hope up in your eyes,
as if the blue had left your skies,
The sadness fills you cheeks of stone,
Maybe you believe you are alone.

Your face is shone with quiet despair,
as if this was what you chose to wear,
Your sin you strap upon your chest,
as if there was no longer rest, longer rest.

Take hold, don't give up.
You gotta make the best of what you got,
Give it all you best shot,
Take hold, don't give up.

Your heart seems to have hit the floor,
but I do believe you're meant to soar,
The enemy's wounds, they must go deep,
but I pray the Lord your soul to keep.

There is no taking back those days a gone,
But now it's your chance just to move on.
Make the best of the life you live,
'Cause before Him you soon will give.
You soon will give

end for now.

Insta-fridayyy

here are some faves from the last week or so.

happy FRIDAY!

His ways are higher.

Russian pancake date.

Re-visiting a childhood memory.

Such a good day.

Lovely.

God & I times outside... the best.

Chopped the hair!

explosion.

my head is about to explode & I'm sure I'm giving myself way more gray hair than I originally intended. God is teaching me a lot in this season of waiting, still waiting, and more waiting. on top of here's this decision, or this one, or maybe that one. I had coffee with a friend tonight and she just said that God just wants us to take the next step. easier said than done, right?! God has opened some doors for me and now it's up to me to just take the next step. I'm naturally an over-thinker, perfectionist and severely indecisive... so everything going through my mind lately is hard to process because of the way I've conditioned myself to think... I need to stop thinking my way & just let God be in control. :::::: after getting coffee with my lovely friend Let Go by Frou Frou was on.... guess God is STILL trying to speak sense into me, no wonder I've been WAITING so long.... I'm too stubborn to grasp HIS way of doing things. I'm glad God hasn't given up on me, I'm a mess & totally complicating my life even more, by my feeble attempts to figure out God's will for my life!! dying to myself DAILY & choosing to follow HIM is all I have to do, that is the will of God, to just follow Him.

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus // And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."

luke 9 v 23-24

////////////// everything will be okay in the end,

if it's not okay, it's not the end.

a good friday.

God is so GOOD.

We were able to rent out a local theatre for our Good Friday service this past weekend. the same theatre that NEEDTOBREATHE played in just the week before... then Friday as a collective we are in there praising JESUS!? I love it. Royal Oak is this cute trendy little local city, swarming with young adults... perfect right!? the day started out with lots of running around between church, the grocery store, and the theatre [but I do LOVE my job :) ]. our awesome band did a really speedy sound-check & rushed over to other campuses to play for other Good Friday services, just hours before the LH service -- we were so thankful for their long hours & hard work all day. after hanging out at the theatre all day trying to take care of the band & crew with Linds, some lovely ladies and I grabbed dinner & coffee... the service started at 10 pm, so we had to get caffeinated! Right before the service, about 30 of us gathered for a really crowded/sweaty/powerful time of prayer, it was such a good way to start the night! Everything about the night went even better than I was expecting! We had around 1,100 people come out for really powerful worship & life-changing teaching. I don't know how people could have sat through, the almost three hour service, without leaving changed! the presence of God was so tangible in that place. it was seriously a good Friday, mainly because the story of what Jesus did for humanity is so GOOD!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. - EPHESIANS 2

*photos by Randy Floresca

pinterest treat

Over the weekend I was browsing Pinterest -- that's what normal girls do on a Saturday night right? While I was gawking over the dessert section, I decided to take action! So I scrounged up all the ingredients to make brownie-cookies. Last fall I attempted the same dessert and it totally flopped. In January while I was in Atlanta, my aunt made the PERFECT Pinterest brownie-cookies, they were so yummy -- except they had Oreo's in them, and I'm not really an Oreo fan. THEN I found the perfect recipe...

Ingredients:

Brownie mix & chocolate chip cookie dough.

Directions:

Place parchment paper in 13x9 pan. Pour brownie batter into pan. Scoop cookie dough onto brownie batter. Bake 35 minutes at 400˚. Allow treat to cool. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream & voila!

thailand : year later

It's been a year since I left a rainy Sydney Airport for a foggy Hong Kong and ended up in a dark humid Bangkok Thailand. with just a hiking backpack, a carry on and a pillow -- no hair dryers, no extra comforts, just a week or so worth of clothes a pair of tennis shoes and flip flips -- for three months!? [sometimes I miss living life that simply...!]

It's crazy what you remember a year later, I remember the customs guy at the Sydney airport guessing that we were with YWAM because his sister had been involved with YWAM, the nasty dessert we had for dinner on the plane, I remember taking Thai money out at the airport, I remember getting picked up in a Sung-tow for the first time, racing down the busy high way thinking to myself, is this really my life?! I remember being scared/anxious/excited all at the same time... not knowing what to expect. fast forward to June 2011, three months later, I couldn't believe it was already over, that short amount of time... was so life-changing.

the people I met, the stories we heard, the lives we saw change, the long sweaty church services, the language barriers, the food, the opportunities, the tears, the laughs, the tension, and the joy of knowing we were all exactly where God wanted us for that moment in time. I'm SO thankful for that opportunity and really will never forget Thailand.

customs lines. smoggy sun rises. meeting missionary families. passing out Thai Bibles. an elephant ride. shady internet cafes. laundromats. fitting 18 people in the bed of a pick up truck. skype calls. running around the Chaing Mai moat, early enough to see the monks collecting the offering from the shrines. eating rice for all three meals. grocery shopping at 7-11 and Tesco. the colors and smells of the markets. language barriers. bad coffee, but good enough. baht. church services on the cement floor of an four wall church. Karen grandma's. being offered fanta in a dirty plastic cup. battery powered house electricity. nick names. cold showers, even if hot was an option. mountains. hand motions. song-tow adventure rides. learning. growing. sleeping in a bamboo hut. hospitality. sights and sound of the Burma & Thai border. alive churches. worship in Thai. lights & sights of Bangla Road. putting Satan in his place, before going into the bars. seeing the look on a refugee/orphan's face when she was told she was beautiful. living simply. being the minority/sticking out. roof top worship. sweaty bus rides. crowded streets. torrential rain. smoothies. long church services. the kids. trying to teach English in a creative way. walks to the corner hut for mystery snacks. speaking in church services with translators. bug bites. playing UNO with sponsored kids. MANGO. bucket showers with chickens and pigs. Starbucks for bar ministry intercessions. being faithful in the little. the sight of Phuket from a plane window. live monkey's. secret beaches. hill tribes. motor bikes. street vendors. fashion. uni students. the lady at the cafeteria bakery. wild dogs. won gen. hiking backpacks. seeing so many white tourist men. plastic chairs. Sa-wat-dee Ka / kob-khun Ka. culture sensitivity. trying and trying again to use chop sticks. avoiding spice. seems crackers. bumpy bus rides. seeing God move in Thailand.

that. was. Thailand.