photos

Thailand Outreach Photo Slide from clf815 on Vimeo.

Get Away

I'm guilty of shallow God and I time. My human nature allows "things" to get the in way of the perfect get away. Personally my fondest times spent with God are when I'm in a secluded area. Where I can talk out loud. Stretch my arms. Lie face down. Meditate on the Word – simply listen, without distractions.

Today my heart was heavy. The only way I could relieve it was to get away; away from noise, away from life, away from wants, away from needs, away from traffic. Away from everything that constantly gets in the way.

I found myself at one of my favorite parks. Lots of hills, trails, open space, streams, and nature. With nothing around me except for Gods creation, I sat in a huge open field of grass to listen, pray, and read. It's crazy how you can feel the Holy Spirit moving in moments like that. Burdens were lifted and I released aches to Lifter of my Head.

When people say they are going on a weekend get away it usually entails some sort of a break, an oasis, relaxation, or time off. That's exactly what it is to spend time with God. A time to take the load off, to rejuvenate, to refresh, to breath, to rediscover life's value. The amazing thing about God is that we don't have to request work off; we don't have to make plans, pack, or prepare to take a get away with God. We can come to Him anytime, anywhere to simply get away. Just as we allow our selves to rejuvenate physically, we must allow ourselves time to rejuvenate spiritually, taking time to get away with God.

keep calm & carry on.

landing in Miami last summer.

This is my life motto from now on. From this moment forward I have to simply keep calm & carry on. Such a good phrase to live by. Especially because I know how I am and how I handle stress.... I need to remind myself to keep calm in everything I do. mmm...cannot wait for the the deep sigh of relief I will be able to take when I walk into a Sydney terminal in 20 some days [that thought gives me chills... ehh... that's REALLY soon]... LORD give me strength & perseverance!

Fall is nigh...but so is summer...what a conundrum!

Ah, ¡Septiembre! For some reason the month of September is the only month I can remember from when I struggled through Spanish in high school & into college. That's besides the point. I just cannot even believe it's SEPTEMBER?! What in the world... why is my life sliding by so quickly and seemingly nonchalantly?! I leave for AUSTRALIA in about 30 days. That's thirty days to wrap things up here, to savor every second of "fall" that I can, to emotionally and spiritually prepare myself and to raise as much support I can. The panic is beginning to set in [typical me...]. Praying, praying, praying for strength and courage as these 30 days of preparing, packing, planning, and taking off come rushing towards me. No turning back now, eh? Exciting and terrifying at the same time. It's strange to me that something that I've only ever dreamed of is coming true in front of my eyes and I'm slightly terrified. God wants to know how much I trust and lean into Him it seems...it's hard but it's what I have to do. A common phrase thrown around in my church family is:

"how big is your God?"

...such a valid question. We so often doubt the power and strength of God... HELLO He can move mountains; He's bigger than any bill we have lingering, He's bigger than any petty conflict we find ourselves in, He's bigger than any dream we're trying to fulfill. There's no way around it, I just have to buckle up for this adventurous, yet terrifying ride that God is about to take me on.

Enough ranting for now. I was just encouraged to read Joshua... I need the courage of Joshua right about now ::

"... I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night {c o m f o r t}, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:5-9

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[EDIT...hour later...] just read a devo on Josh 1:1-9!!

God is so cool... He knows what we need, when we need it.

"Obstacles (a.k.a. getting to Australia) are one way that God strengthens faith. When you are confused and cannot see how He could work out your situation, do not walk away in defeat and miss His blessing. He wants to teach you His way of obedience, trust, and courage. Believe Him; He always keeps His promises. "

Life Is Never Boring

Sometimes there are days when I wish my life was more exciting. Then over the past few days, I have found myself literally laughing out loud... because my life has really never been boring.

not-so-boring-week::
Did a huge family shoot for some family friends; in the scorching heat. Went to my sisters first ever Detroit Tigers baseball game...she LOVES the D, but some how had never been? Ate late night pizza at the motor city brewery, chatted with the AgapeBabes , celebrated 4th of July with my family, some how made it to work in between, went to the beach with the siblings, had a massive water fight with middle school kids at Oasis, ran around town to get things done for my YWAM application and finally sent a package to Australia! Hung out downtown with good friends, realized how soon a good friend is moving out of state, met my new neighbor at 1:30 in the morning...by breaking in with my landlord, crashed at my sisters apartment because I can't sleep somewhere alone, shot a really pretty wedding along side a sweet professional photog, ate fancy hors d'oeuvres, ran into a creepy-regular-male-library-patron at the wedding....who happens to be a bartender on the weekends!? Ran through golf course sprinklers, heard that the church I grew up in merged with church and prayed through lighthouse, and did a kids shoot in a sweet park!

I don't think my life is boring anymore.

Weekend Report.

Two exciting things...

1. My third sister -- not blood related -- got married last night! She's been Brittany's best friend since middle school and has pretty much been an extended part of our family since then. It was the best wedding I've been to in a while. It was seriously perfect. An out door wedding, by the water, clear skies, sun setting, yummy food, lots of dancing, amazing family and friends...it was so great. I'm so happy for them! They are planning on moving to Australia in October which brings me to the next item..

2. I'm FINALLY filling out an application to YWAM! If I get accepted I'll be leaving in October for New Castle, Australia... for five months! It's crazy how God is moving and working! My mom pretty much said that she would be upset with me if I waste any more time contemplating whether I should apply or not! I wrote in my journal the other night (shocking...that rarely happens) that if I don't apply this week that I will regret it the rest of my life. I'm at the prime time of my life to do something like this...nothing is holding back. Can't wait to see what's next and where God is leading... ::s i g h:: I've also been reading he book of Ecclesiastes...oh man! So fitting for my life right now!

A Lifetime Movie

What if your life was a movie? You would have the lead role. What other co-stars would there be? How would the other characters act? What kind of ending would there be? What would the climax be? Would it be a comedy or a tragedy?

I was listening to Band of Horses latest album the other day, while sitting in Caribou working on potential photography business plans. I couldn’t help but keep the title track Infinite Arms on repeat. Every time it would loop, one line stood out:

“It's like living in a movie twisting the plot…”

God, the ultimate director; gives Steven Spielberg a run for his money. In fact He has directed the most movies ever…in all history. For every person in the world there is a grand cinema being lived out daily. Scene by scene, God wrote it and is now directing your very own movie. Cool to think about eh?

Unfortunately, a lot of times we live like the line in the song. Constantly trying to twist the plot of the life we’re living. If we would just stick to the movie plot that God intended, we could continue to draw close to Him and we would see his work be fulfilled through us. Yet, once we start twisting the scenes to fit our selfish desires, the plans God had for us begin to be fulfilled through someone else’s movie -- ultimately making us to miss out on God's blessing and favor on our life. We need to stop twisting the plot God has for us and start living out the amazing plot He already wrote for us, the one He wants to see acted out.

We're even lucky enough to have out takes at the end of our film, every time we mess up a line or don't act the right way, we're given another chance to re-shoot the scene! Take after take, God's mercies are spread all over our movie, because we might forget our lines and mess up a scene. God knows where, when, and how we will mess up in our movie -- yet STILL chooses to give us another take.


God is the director of all directors and it hurts Him to see his actors try and twist their plots. It won't be easy to get all of our lines and acting right. In fact, it will take a lot of hard work and extra effort, but we can rest assured that our ending will be eternal.

My Mom's Day.

Mom's day was on Sunday & we got to celebrate the best of the best ... sorry to those of you fooled into thinking your mom is the best, you're mistaken ... for real, because only five humans have the best mom.

To surprise her, I got all five kids together for an updated "kids picture".

Thanks to::
+ my garage sale tripod
+ the heavy Spring rain stopping for 20 minutes
+ all the sibs cooperating.

r e l a x a t i o n

In California ... babysitting for a cute baby!

feeling super b l e s s e d to have an opportunity to be on a relaxing vaycay with the sweetest family!

as of late.

I went to Chicago last weekend. Hung out with sweet people. Was followed by drunk Polish adolescence. Saw the city bloomed and blossomed thanks to my friend, Spring. Enjoyed the sunshine. Ate expensive food. Took lots and lots of snap-shots. Worshiped with Hillsong United, for the second time. Saw the Spirit move through a crowd of 10,000+. Got little, to no sleep. Had a l o n g car ride home -- flat tire = adventure. Twas' a good weekend.

S P R I N G

If you know me at all you know I strongly dislike that cold, gray, dark, bitter season...what's it called again, oh yeah winter.. That's why right when the clocks change and the sun begins to shine again, the grass starts to show and the buds start to bloom, I fall in love all over again with the state of Michigan.

This past week has be the greatest spring weather ever! from the 60's to HIGH 70's .... this weather makes me am happy. Sun shinning, birds chirping, flowers blooming, pulling out the skirts and flip flops, seeing people outside...it all makes my heart happy.

E A S T E R weekend::

Good Friday -- Good Friday is the day when Christians reflect the horrifying death of our Savior, but it's a good day because we KNOW that that's not the end of the story. Our Savior is alive and living in the souls of his children! First our family went to the Good Friday service at church... it was a great time to worship and reflect what Christ did for you and me. Later Lindsay and I made dinner for Ashley and Steph...it was so fun! Our first dinner party was a success. Later that night we headed down to Pontiac for Lighthouse's Good Friday service. We had a sweet opportunity to hold our Good Friday service at the Crofoot in Pontiac...it was sweet! The venue was totally packed and the presence of God was felt. Cliff brought a good word from the journey of Jesus' death to resurrection. There was communion and time well spent in reflection of what Christ did for the world on the cross. The worship was also amazing...to think that people walking by the venue could hear 20-somethings praising Jesus' name at the top of their lungs was an unbelievable thought...it was quit a night to remember. After the service Linds, Ashley, Steph, and I went to IHOP at 2:00a...it was so fun, then we went home and crashed and slept in till 12....unreal! ... I love my what Jesus did for ME on the cross. I love my church. I love my friends. I love sleeping in!Such a good Friday.

Saturday -- after sleeping in way too late, we walked around the city and hung out at the local Bou...we're becoming regulars, I love it. Then we ventured home...in the rain, we made it though! Then we headed to a friends birthday party that reminded us of a graduation party...it was funny...but we had a good time. THEN to top off the night, Lindsay and I ran into the mall on our way home to get a last minute Easter outfit essential and bumped into two guys from a local worship band that we poke fun of ALL the time...but they totally recognized us! While we were making small talk, we mentioned where we were living and they told us how trendy we were...Lindsay & I got quit a laugh out of their comments...after we ended the conversation of course.

Easter Sunday -- We spent the night at mom and dads house...because it was a holiday, so we woke up to Belgium waffles and Easter gifts...I still don't understand the whole getting gifts on Easter, but I'm not complaining. Then we headed to church with the fam and church was packed out! It was so great, everyone looked their Sunday best...with pastels, ties, dresses, skirts, and suite jackets. Church was really good, of course. After church we took pictures and went to our families house for dinner. I love holidays, time spent with the family is always time well spent and to warp it off with relaxation is so great!

Easter season seriously makes me SO thankful for Jesus. It's like Thanksgiving, but in the Spring. Being able to reflect on the ultimate gift to man kind is amazing...Christ sent his son for the whole world! It's a lot to wrap my brain around! But not only did he send his son, his son took on OUR shame and rose from the grave to LIVE in you and me and WASH us c l e a n from our shame! Jesus is so good...such L O V E shown on through the death and Resurrection of Jesus.




“For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Random Rambles.

{FREEDOM}
Living on my own is such freedom! I love it! I can't believe it's real life now. It's kind of scary though how fast you really have to grow up when you live on your own. No more depending on the parents to buy things you know you need, but you've always took for granted because you never had to buy tolit paper or dish soap....mmm....I do love it though! It's proven to be such a fun adventure thus far. From moving out to moving in, painting, shopping, and organizing. Lindsay and I are having such fun with our own place, especially in a downtown area, where everything is in walking distances. *sigh* We love it! We feel super blessed too that we were able to make such a smooth move and transition! God has been too good to us!

{EXCITEMENT}
Can I just say life is SO exciting right now [& moving fast]...so much potential and possibilities. Seriously living "FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS".... I love this time of my life, experiencing true freedom really for the first time in my life -- not only in my everyday life & living on my own, but with God too! Speaking of where God has taken me, my Oasis small group has seriously grown up in the past few weeks and God is doing awesome things in the lives of my girls! At MOVE we had the best small group times ever, the girls really opened up and I learned a lot about them and from them, I love how God can use 12 year girls to teach me a lesson. My attitude towards serving in Oasis has totally changed too, it use to be such a headache and annoyance to try to sit down and have small group time [because settling 12 rowdy 6th graders down can be quit challenging], but as time has passed the girls have clearly gotten more mature and we're now able to make more use of the small amount of time we have every Wednesday night now! It's crazy to see where God has taken me up till this point in my life....it's been a crazy ride and I can't wait to see where HE takes me next!

{OTHER NEWS}
My photography business is going full force now and picking up momentum. Thanks to my sister and our good friend who unknowing to me set up my very own Facebook fan page! [facebook.com/cfillmorephoto] As of right now, I am still trying to finish an associates degree which sounds (& seems) super lame but it's something right!? ha. After that, hopefully I can travel a bit & serve over seas....then pretty much go full time with my photography....then again, these are my plans, we'll see where God takes me next.

"for HE has done marvelous things" ::: psalm 98

::Redefining Love

It seems like in today’s world we overuse the word love. Not only are we saying it too much, we’re using it wrong. Instead of using love as a verb, we use it as an adjective. We use love to describe our liking of almost everything, or at least I often find myself doing so. I might say; I love this band, I love those jeans, I love my mom, or I love warm weather.


But do I really, actually love these things? A lot of times we say we love things and yet forget all together how to love others. We overuse a word that, as described in the Bible, has a lot more depth to it than expressing our liking of a new pair of jeans.

Love, in the Bible, is a call to action, something sacrificial you do simply because you love someone. Knowing that “luv is a verb,” as DC Talk would say, we can easily see that God didn’t intend love to be a describing word, but an action word. The Bible calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, but how often do we actually put this kind of love into action?

This time year, the word love is plastered over everything; cards, candies, shirts, and balloons. What if instead of plastering love onto things, we plastered love onto people around us? What if we acted out what love really means? Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13 carefully and see how Paul describes love.

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Did you observe what love is not and notice what love actually is? Is that how you are going about loving those around you? Whether it’s your boss, professor, family member, or stranger, this is how we’re supposed to love others. These attributes are vastly different than us trying to describe our favorite jeans. Love is an action that the followers of Jesus Christ are called to display on a daily basis.

The Bible says that things of this world are temporary; therefore we must spend our days loving people more than things. It’s through the action of love that the world will see Christ displayed. Now it’s time we take back what love really means and put into action what God sees as love.

Ancient Skies

No matter the time of day, I love to observe the sky. What do you see when you look up at the sky? Do you look past the clouds? Can you believe how small we are compared to the sky? Are you quickly reminded of God when you see a pretty sunrise or a storm rolling in?


The sky is quite an intriguing part of creation. Everyone can see it; wherever you are in the world, we all see the same sky. To the human eye, the sky is constantly changing due to the weather and rotation of the Earth. No matter the change we see, its been the same sky since time began. We might see dark rain clouds, floods of red and orange hues, or simply a cloudless blue, but still it remains the same. Day might turn to night and seasons might come and go, but the sky itself doesn’t actually change; we just view it differently.

One summer night my sister and I were driving with the windows down and music blaring, when we were struck by the beauty displayed across the horizon. With my camera strap snug around my wrist, I stuck my camera out the window to snap this photo. It’s in this photo that I am reminded of our never changing God.

Our seasons might change, our view of life might be as bright as the morning or turn as dark as the night, yet we have a Creator that never changes. Our Creator, like the sky, is for everyone. No one is left out when it comes to discovering and knowing the beauty of the Creator, just like the beauty found in a sunset or flashes of lightning.

Psalms 68 says,
“Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord, Selah,
Him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice”.

God rides the ancient skies. The skies might change view but God is still in them. Even when our circumstances are a cloudy gray or a bright hue, God is there. We can find him in every part of life and every view of the sky.

When we are open to it, God reveals himself in gorgeous and magnificent ways. The Creator of the universe chooses to display a magnificent master piece across sky on a daily basis. We are on His mind when he paints the sunrise every morning or brushes in rain clouds. He is everywhere, in everything, and with everyone, just like the sky we see everyday. We serve a Creator that like the sky is: bigger than we could ever imagine and for everyone, everywhere.

JOHN 15:1-4

I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.

Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit
[that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away);
and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch
that continues to bear fruit, to make it
bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.

You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the
word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].

Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me,
and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear
fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to)
the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

Where did November go!?

I cannot believe it's already December.....November flew by too fast, but now it's officially Christmas time!! Here is a look back at November.

Dead car battery = good late night laugh
After a lovely dinner Linds, Steph and I were asked to leave Panera (because they were closed, we aren't trouble makers), we headed over to Denny's to finish out chit-chatting marathon. After chatting for 8 hours straight (we counted) 1:30a rolled around and we all agreed it was time to part ways seeing we all had to work that morning. It was the first weekend of November where it had gotten cooler than we were use to, Lindsay went to start our '95 Blazer and it would not start. We weren't that panicky at first because sometimes it starts after the 2nd try. When we got to the 4th or 5th try we something wasn't right....and the noise that the car was making made us think it was the battery more than the engine. There we were the three of us in the cold laughing really hard in unbelief. Luckily Steph hadn't left yet and mentioned having a jumper cable. Once we contained ourselves enough to function, we popped open both of our hoods and figured it couldn't be THAT hard to jump a car. (still laughing) To our relieve (after a few feeble attempts) we noticed two police cruisers in the parking lot...SO we went into Denny's to find the cops for help (mind you we had left the restaurant two hours prior because it had become too smoky, so the Denny's staff was probably really confused). We found the cops and they politely obliged to help us out. The cop came out and asked us some Q's about the cars and then hooked them up and boom done.! Finally, at around 2a we were on our way home! Thank God for jumper cables, laughter, friends, and cops.



S I D E J O B
It's official, I am actually starting to make money for clicking my camera. This fall I've gotten to do three shoots - senior portraits and two engagement [two of which were on the same day] ((exhausting))! I am pretty excited about where these potentially could lead....but as always, just trying to take it one step at a time. So we'll see what happen next. As for the coming up months, I am shooting a wedding after the first of the year and another in May! This makes me excited for possibly starting a side business to get through school and beyond.

Nashvegas: {long over due}
For Thanksgiving weekend the fam traveled down to the best city in the world, Nashville Tennessee! We hadn't been there in quit some time so we figured it was time to make another trek down there as a family (Dad, Mom, Brit, Linds, me, Chad, and AJ). The seven of us loaded the family mini-van at 4a Wednesday before Thanksgiving and arrived in Nash around 2p....thankfully I was able to sleep most of the way or else the drive would've seemed like an eternity I'm sure. WE...stayed at a weird hotel with our extended family but made the best of it...spent quality time at our grandpas house...over ate...explored the city...got family portraits done....ate some more...saw live music...drank coffee at a cute cafe my uncles friend owns in East Nashville called the Ugly Mug....enjoyed the fall sunshine....drank more coffee...went on a late night Sonic run...laughed and enjoyed time with the cousins, aunts, uncles...snapped pictures... It was a good time, annoying at times BUT it made timeless memories none the less.

Handmade Detroit :::
I usually work every Saturday morning, so I especially appreciate and LOVE having a spontaneous Saturday off...this one in particular happened to fall on the day of the Handmade Detroit Urban Craft fair downtown. This craft show is so sweet, everything is hand made and produced in Michigan! There is so much stuff you would never think of that people use to create crazy crafts and goods. So Brit, Linds, Stefanie, and I made a day out of it... we met at the cutest French cafe for brunch called Le Petit Zinc, where we ate crepes and conversed. Then we headed to the Majestic Theatre for the show a got a dent in our Christmas shopping, while finding some things for ourselves too.
Like any craft show you needed cash to purchase things so when we were finding ourselves low on the dough, we knew we needed to find an ATM machine. Of course the ATM machine in the theatre was shady and out of money so we asked around and found an ATM a block up. Stef and I walked up to the nearest bank where we met a woman that claimed she need money for a bus fare, when we offered her a warm sandwich from Starbucks instead, she agreed. The three of us walked over to Starbucks and listened to a little bit of her story and how she was just having a hard time. We gave her the sandwhich and told her that Jesus loved her and had hope in her....she smiled and her eyes got glazed over like she was going to cry. We parted ways and returned to the craft show....it's the little things that can make a BIG difference in someones life.

_I thoroughly enjoyed my November.

God of the City

What do you think when you think of Detroit? It’s scary, home of the automobile, big business failure, or almost always cold... if you thought any of those you’re pretty much right on. But do you ever think of the PEOPLE of Detroit? Day-Twah is the home of so many people, suburbs or not, millions claim the D as their home. Home unfortunately holds different meaning depending on who you’re talking to.

To the well-to-do’s of suburbia Day-Twah, home is over sized, filled with things, managed by ‘help’ and provides comfortable places to slumber. To the middle class of The D, home may be tighter in space, yet still filled with things and provides a warm place to rest ones head at night. To the poor and needy, home may be an uncomfortable bed in a crowded shelter or a park bench in a lonely over grown park. Homelessness exists everywhere if you look for it, yet it cuts deeper knowing how close to home it is.

A group of people from my church, who are passionate about spreading Jesus’ love and hope to the hurting, started going down to Mack and 3rd every Sunday afternoon mid-summer. There, a group of homeless people wait outside of shelter known for crime, drugs and prostitution. Whether it’s staking out a place in front of the chain-linked fence, that guards the shelter or sitting on the curb of the three lane one-way street corner, this what home is to the people at Mack and 3rd. Getting to know their stories [Read some here by my talented friend Stefanie] and struggles, while creating community with them is what we are called to do. By meeting some minor and basic physical needs, while looking into their spiritual and comforting their emotional needs, we are able to spread Jesus’ message that is for EVERYONE. The message of hope, love, value, forgiveness, and healing.

When I think of Detroit I think of the potential it has as a thriving city. I believe that the Church, holds the key to hope and healing for a hurting City(ies) and its people. There is much potential that is just waiting to be revealed. A great up rising of restoration on this city can be possible only through Christ, and people trusting God will provide, protect and guide.

You're God of this city, you're the King of these people, you're
the Lord of this nation, you are...You're the Light in this darkness, you're the
Hope to the hopeless, you're the Peace to the restless, you are... For there is
none like our God, there is none like You, God! Greater things have yet to come,
and greater things are still to be done here.

Senior Photos

Currently editing some senior photos.....
How I wish I had this much motivation during the day!

Time well spent

Over the summer while Up North I got up early one of the mornings we were there, to watch the sunrise. There I spent real time with God and quieted my own heart just to hear His heart. I can't tell you how refreshing our Savior can be. This needs to happen more often than not, because it really is time well spent.

+Being still
+Listening

+Waiting
+Seeking

+Praying

Beautiful Day

Earlier, I was driving to work from church and I could not believe what a beautiful day it iwas! Though the air is quite crisp, today is simply a gorgeous fall day! During my twenty-five minute journey, the car temperature read 45° the entire time, yet I felt it necessary to have the windows cracked with the heater blasting – strange I know.. All of the sudden I heard, “The heart is a bloom…” I knew this could only mean one thing, that U2’s, Beautiful Day was about to be blaring over my crackly radio speakers, and how fitting right?

taken from my phone...while swerving on the road :)

Today has been a Beautiful gift from God. I guess everyday is, but today especially. I have so much to be thankful for on this Beautiful Day, and yet so often I take so much for granted. In church today--one thing I am thankful for, my church--our pastor spoke on temptation, referencing Luke 4:1-13…it was of course a slap in the face. One of the points was “resist the temptation to take short cuts” (vs. 5-8) 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours." 8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." This is something that I tend to do so easily and is a honest struggle. Often, I believe the lies that Satan throws at me, and reach for the crown before I take the cross. I loved when my pastor said “short cuts abort the plan of God”, when I choose to take the short cuts, I am stalling the plan God has for me…taking the easy way out instead. My prayer for this week is that I would choose the cross before the crown, by NOT taking any short cuts – even if it means pain or persecution.

Well, that is one reason I have had a Beautiful Day…learning and growing in God can be so beautiful and I don’t want to miss any God given opportunities to do so. Now I am at work. One thing I actually really, really, really don’t like to be doing on Sundays is… working. But today I am trying to have a good attitude about it, because I am pretty thankful for the job I have. Okay now I just need to prayerfully pursue a Beautiful Week…even when my alarm clock does off at 6:30a, wish me luck.