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.

gush.

Can I just take a second to gush about my life?! Oh yeah this is my blog of course I can :) These last few weeks God has REALLY opened my eyes to see HOW MUCH I have to be thankful for.... it makes me feel so happy & kind of guilty that I have it SO good!! My family/friends/community/job are such a huge blessing...! trying to count my blessings more frequently. just had to take a second to gush about my surroundings, out of sheer thankfulness!!

Insta-friday

this has been such a good week! I'm overwhelmed by God's goodness / grace / joy / mercy in my life. this weeks instagrams are just a reminder to me of how much I have to be thankful for!

"The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with

my song I give thanks to him."

psalms 28 v 7

L to R

1. at WSM the other night everyone was wearing their TOMS.. love it!

2. our church just added a HUGE youth facilities & it opens in a few short week... I'm stoked to see what God has in store for this building... it gives me chills to think of the 100's of students that will soon pour in there & how the message of Jesus will be spoken over them!!

3. my twin semi-surprised me the other day & picked me up for lunch from work!!

4. one of my favorite tracks on the new Passion album is Sing Along, it's basically a prayer over everyone hurting in the world & when I was singing along to it I couldn't stop thinking of how it was nighttime in Thailand & praying that God would wrap His arms around the women/girls starting their shifts at the clubs/bars... seriously crushes my heart to think about the women I met in Thailand... keep praying for them.

5. this morning I was driving in the worst fog ever.. but made for a pretty photo :)

6. last night Linds & I went to visit Ange & her little Loves.. it was so great to just relax and chit-chat with her! I haven't seen/spent time with her in quit a while since her & the fam moved down town to their sweet little loft!! I feel super blessed to have a woman like her in my life... every girl needs wise godly women in their lives!! [read their story...God is so evident in their life]

7. YES I broke out my favorite sandy's... I just need to work on getting a pedi!

8. the final insta needs to explanation... but could have a huge part in my over flowing JOY :)

full on.

Random rant time... After an almost two month long post-traveling-escape-from-real-life-siesta... I am now employed full time. It's an office job, which I love & the work is not that difficult or grueling, but it's the schedule that I can't handle!! It is so FULL ON... early mornings & 5 o'clock traffic! I really don't understand how parents work full time!? When I come home I don't want to do anything... I just want to go to sleep as soon as possible! It is hard to fathom adding other responsibilities to this kind of schedule... especially other humans! So yeah, I guess I should start praying that I don't have to work like this, when I have my own family. All that to say, this schedule is forcing me to maintain a healthy sleeping schedule, making me super THANKFUL for BOTH of my parents who work hard to provide for our fam and especially thankful that my mom didn't have to work while I was growing up :) Now go give your parents a hug... because they work long hours, so you can have MORE than you need in life!!

loving this song tonight.
Brandon Heath, The Light In Me

photos

Thailand Outreach Photo Slide from clf815 on Vimeo.

aching for Thailand

After calling Thailand home for three months, when I start to think about it
I can't help but REALLY miss it! Today I was missing things like...



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. is. Thailand.

Playing Catch Up!

G’day Family & Friends!
Greetings from the Land Down Under! It has now been four weeks since I’ve made my home in sunny Newcastle Australia, therefore I thought it would be appropriate update you all! I’m going to let you know on what I am doing, how you can get involved and what the future holds.

Getting There.
After a teary farewell, I said bye to everyone, everything, and everywhere I know. I remember sitting at the gate waiting to board my connector flight literally thinking, “is this really happening? Am I seriously going to a different country by myself right now?” It was a very surreal experience to say the least. I remember getting a tingle in my nose as I saw Detroit fade below as the plane ascended. First flight I had a row to myself, second flight I slept, third flight I met up with a girl that I’m now in class with. God proved Himself faithful over and over again, through out my travel time.

My flight from Los Angeles to Sydney only had two empty seats on the entire flight. Somehow my new friend Kathryn and I managed to get seats right next to each other. It was a major blessing being able to have a companion on an eighteen-hour flight. We got to know each other quickly. We exchanged testimonies and life stories until we got our first of FIVE meals. As we ate our bland airplane food, we became friends with the passenger next to us. He was on his way to Hillsong College in Sydney, to study Worship Art, I love when God orchestrates situations like that! When we finally made it to Sydney, the airport was filled with friendly Aussie accents and bare feet!

After a two-hour drive North, we made it to the Newcaslte YWAM base! The base is located in an economically suffering suburb. The building itself was once a hostel that was built around a 1800’s style house, forming a massive compound of YWAMer’s. The YWAM base averages about eighty staff and students regularly. After getting “the tour” and settling in a bit, it literally felt like home. Everyone feels like long lost friends and family! The community makes you feel very welcome and comfortable.

Daily Grind.
After a week of orientations and get-to-know-you games, we were able to get into our daily schedule of the three-month lecture phase of DTS [Discipleship Training School]. We get up early in the morning head down to the warehouse [a giant warehouse a few blocks from our house of classrooms, meeting rooms and offices] for lectures, after a morning of lectures, we head back up to the house for lunch, after lunch everyone has a work duty to keep the house in order, after getting our jobs we eat family style dinner and go to more lectures.

Depending on the day of the week, we go out at night to practice what we’re learning in lecture. We either go into shopping malls to evangelize or serve homeless people sausage and talk to them about how much Jesus loves them. On Sunday’s a group of us lead an international church service at a local Baptist church, for local university students. After the service we eat lunch with the students and spend the afternoon getting to know them better. God has been teaching me to tear down the wall of timidity when it comes to talking to strangers and opening my eyes to the fact that no one should live with out not-knowing the Truth.

Lectures.
The lectures have been super challenging and compelling! I feel like I’ve been able to see and experience God in a whole new way. He has opened my eyes to the importance and urgency of reaching people for Him, what it really means to fulfill the great commission, and what quality quiet time with Him looks like. As a follow up to the lectures, we have questions that make us really examine God’s Word and our heart. We’re then assessed my one of the leaders on what we have learned or gained from the lectures.

Youth Street.
On the weekends the entire base works together to run Youth Street. Youth Street is a program that YWAM runs for local teenagers. The kids come to the warehouse every Saturday to rego [Aussie slang for registration], after rego, the youth is split into teams for various activities such as; surfing, music, dance, sports, and skating. The teams are designed to let the kids develop hobbies in a positive Christ centered atmosphere. After a few hours with their team, everyone comes back to the house for a picnic styled dinner, and Youth Street Live. Youth Street Live is a time of worship and preaching based towards the youth. A lot of the kids come from hurt backgrounds and tough family situation. Youth Street is an awesome way to reach out to the youth of Newcaslte for Christ!

How YOU Can Help.
As many of you know, after three months of Lecture and working with Youth Street, our team is going on Outreach for three months. For our Outreach, half of our group will be going to minister along the Australian coast for three week, before traveling to Brazil. The other team will be going to the Thailand and Burma boarder to minister to refugees. Our team will have the chance to reach people that may have never heard the powerful life-changing message of Jesus Christ.

Before I came on my DTS, I felt a strong calling towards Thailand; therefore I’ve told my staff that is where I feel God is calling me. We will not know our official teams until early next week, but be praying as the teams begin to prepare for each Outreach.

Coming here and not knowing where our Outreach would be has been a HUGE lesson in patience and trusting that God goes before me and knows where I’ll be going. As of right now, I still need $4,000 for the actual Outreach phase. God has certainly been faithful in providing the money I needed to get to Australia and I know that He will continue to provide what I need to leave Australia and ‘go into all nations’.

It is hard to express how THANKFUL I am for each of you and all of your support, whether prayerfully or financially. God has been so faithful during this season of my life, I know He is the Provider and will bless me with what I need.

If you’re interested in helping me financially, you can donate two ways:
1. Via www.ywamnow.com, check "Student Donation/Support" as payment type.
2. My PayPal account, donate to cfillmore@comcast.net

THANK YOU!

h a p p y christmas.

“For to us a child is born...
HE will be c a l l e d
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
_ i s a i a h 9:6

*amazing Christmas Eve church service, quality time with friends + family, too much yummy food, many fab pressies, twinkle lights, J E S U S...feeling super BLESSED.

Guest Post:

Stole this post from my twin lfillmore.

"For our third-annual Christmas get-together with my girls {babes, sisters...}, we got all dolled up & had a huge, delicious dinner together.

I love dressing up, I love dresses, I love wearing heels, I love putting make-up on, I love curling my hair, I love it. So its always exciting to get all dolled-up for dinner with some of my favorite girls. In years past we've gone out to eat all dressed up, but this year it was kind of sweet just dressing up to go over to Angela's.

After we ate & took pictures {of course}, we put our "cozy clothes" on, ate dessert, & started what turned into an almost four hour period of time of just sharing what God has been doing in our lives since the last time we all met {in this setting, last spring}

It was one of the best experiences I've ever had & will always remember. One by one, we all talked about God, our families, school, work, guys, friends, & everything else in-between, struggles, highs, lows, & weaknesses, but there was so much openness, honesty, & rawness. And there was a lot of tears & tissues, but also a lot of laughs. It was so great!


Once more & more of us started talking about our lives over the past few months, we started to see a trend or thread throughout each of our stories/updates that all kind of related to each other. It was so encouraging!

It's also just sweet to think back over the last few years that this group of girls have been together. We've all grown & matured SO much, its awesome. It's awesome that we have each other to share about what Gods doing in our lives with!

There was one point when we gathered around Angela & prayed over her. It was so great, she has prayed over us & for us so many times, it was so sweet to be able to come around her & pray over her!


When I left {at 2:30am} I felt so filled, so overwhelmed, and just feeling overly blessed once again by God's greatness in my life.

How did I get so blessed with such a rich sisterhood that I know I'll have around me for years to come!? I wish every girl could experience times like these & have a group of sisters like mine...

It was definitely a sweet early Christmas gift.."

full of thanks.

Since it happens to be thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to spout off what I'm thankful for.



"[Spiritual Fullness in Christ] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with
t h a n k f u l n e s s.” -Colossians 2:6-7




family;
dad-- providing, sense of humor, protection, caring, strength, health, similarities.
mom-- nurturing, advice, wisdom, caring, protection, discipline, example.
sister 1-- inspiration, wisdom, creativity, independence, outlook.
sister 2-- sharing, closeness, friendship, creativity, similarities.
brother 1-- sense of humor, similarities, dedication.
brother 2-- innocence, driven, humbleness.

church;
Christ-centered pastors, mentors, speaking, fellowship, & worship. facilities, provision, driven, authenticity, passionate, missions minded, generational-ly friendly.

life;
friends, family, opportunity, breath, second chances, lessons, mistakes, freedom, work, play, education, food, clean water, toiletries, technology, medical care, abundance.

refreshing thought,

"...we have been wandering as spiritual exiles...living in a world that no longer fits our deepest longings." - the prodigal god

:: then LOVE came; filling our deepest longings and desires...what {comfort}

"He who did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up for us all—
how will he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things?" ROMANS 8:31

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.

so close // bethany dillon

I’m so close to being so far away from You
I was wrong, but it takes so much to say it to You
Like a broken husband and wife
Who never talk but share their nights
I’m so close to being so far away from You
I have nothing when I’m living apart from You
Outside, creation groans
To lose our darkness and be made whole
For my feet are close to slipping
Speak to my heart in time
You have promised, so I do believe
You won’t forget this wandering child
Still, I’m so close to being so far away from You
Though I know no one on their own makes it through
My soul clings to the dust
So in Your life, let it be enough
I’m so foolish to believe that I can escape Your love
For my feet were close to slipping
You spoke to my heart in time
You have promised, so I do believe
You won’t forget this wandering child
You’re so close
when I feel far away from You

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

*Keep Running...

God Disciplines His Sons

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

⁴In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to

the point of shedding your blood. ⁵And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."

⁷Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? ⁸If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. ⁹Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! ¹⁰Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, i

t produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
¹²Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees.

HEBREWS 12:1-12

Tonight, while spending time with God I came across Hebrews 12 ... this was the Post-It marking the passage that I so often forget to apply in my daily life. So many times I stop running (like this week)... I give up too easy, I walk. In an actual race (back in my Cross Country days..), our coach ALWAYS yelled, "Never stop running -- even if you have to just slow down your pace, NEVER stop running! Pick up those legs!" In reality (I hate to admit it) BUT when you are running a long distance and you begin to walk, from not being in shape -- it does indeed make your legs hurt even more than if you were to just simply slow down your pace to a jog. With Christ, when we 'walk' we are allowing Satan to slow us down, he doesn't want us to finish STRONG! When we slow down we give Satan the foot hold he desires. Slowing down amounts to us not spending time with God and letting our relationship with Christ dwindle. Yet when we continue to run with Gods strength, we are filled with JOY and PEACE ... we aren't ashamed for walking!! We don't live in SHAME or GUILT. When I would stop running during practice or a race I was left feeling ashamed and as though I had failed. God doesn't want us to go through life feeling like failures, he SO loves us that he sent his son to die, that HE could help us finish the race with HIS never ending POWER + GRACE + MERCY + LOVE! Christ wants to see us FINISH our race STRONG with out holding back .... RUNNING, SPRINTING to HIM alone. When we run to him our legs don't hurt as bad as they would from walking or slowing down with Satan. BUT when they do hurt, God is testing us to see if we have the will power to keep running through our trials, sufferings, or despair. The more you run and work out, the STRONGER you get, your legs no longer hurt or feel the burn -- in this case, after sting of sin -- that is guilt and shame. In Christ we don't experience a burn in our calves from walking, we find our STRENGTH to finish the race HE has set out for us. Will you join me and pick up those legs, get in shape + sprint for the finish line!?

Birthday weekend

UpNorth
-noun. anywhere in the state of Michigan other than your home town or county. usually found on dusty, winding, wooded, two lane streets off of I-75. near a lake with sandy beaches and maybe a historical lighthouse. sometimes (if lucky) hidden. most of the time in walking or biking distance of boutiques and cafes. relaxing and refreshing for a week-end-get-a-way.

+ here's to another 15th of August

Ah-mazing summer nights..

Wow. This summer is dreadfully going by faster than I would like, HOWEVER at least I have something to look forward to at the end of my some what 'freedom' ... Hillsong Conference in Miami, which falls at the end of August! So excited, there are no fitting words. That’s beside the point. Summer nights are something I live for; warm breeze, nine o'clock daylight, bon fires, fire flies, being out late because homework isn't calling, or staying up late (and not because a paper is due in a few hours), spending time with friends, or listening to thunder storms. what ever the case my be, I love summer nights. This summer some nights are spent in a different sort, learning, hearing, praising, and talking about my God. Sunday nights, obvious; Lighthouse.. which is always good. And now just for the summer season; Watershed.. which is an amazing time where the women collective of thee Lighthouse Collective are able to spend time digging into God's word as a sisterhood. God has opened my eyes so wide this summer and it's not even over yet..!


I don't enjoy drama, I think girls can be too catty and that sometimes they are too much.. So girls Bible studies always make me a tad nervous at first, but after I test the waters (no pun intended) I really do end up enjoying them. This summer we (as in Watershed::Lighthouse girls) are studying Esther through the Beth Moore Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman study. The study itself is pretty good, but besides the study, the time we spend listening to each other talk is probably (for me) the most powerful. There is something about hearing girls share what they are struggling with and then coming to find that we are all basically struggling with the same exact things from day to day, no matter what background, shape, size, color, or personality we come from. Each of us have at least one thing in common, being a woman. I love that about this group. I love that when I hear a girl share her heart that I can relate to a tee with what she is dealing with. I love that, that is God. I love that God moves in each of our hearts to see Him through someone else’s struggle perhaps. It has been amazing the encouragement I have received from this Bible study and I am so expectant for what God is going to continue doing this summer.. for such a time as this (Esther 4:14) that the women of LH would be able to spend time with one another and share, learn, grow this summer! It is in fact amazing..



like .. love;
Not in a valley girl tone of course, but I do have to say I like love. Who doesn't like love.. Even for a guy, he has to like love, he has to like affection or relationship or contact or communication.. Though this could be coming from his mom or a sports team, I'm not an expert, but it doesn't take a scientist to know that EVERYONE likes love, people like being loved. This summer at Lighthouse, Cliff is starting series called 'Like Love', a dating/relationships/love/friendship/whatever it is series on none other but love! I have to say I am slightly stoked. In high school WSM did a series on love and boy/girl connections.. it was good, but this one will be a bit different seeing that for this group dating is no longer recreational (to some maybe) but for the most part it's now a time where prospective spouses come into play...anyway, what ever the circumstance, the first part was on Sunday and it was exactly what I needed to hear, it was the kind of message (which seems selfish, but true) that was directed right to me! It was all about how you can't think or go about a healthy relationship (boy OR girl) with hidden sin. The call for forgiveness is evidently key and of course something I have grown up hearing, but it was so right in my face on Sunday. I am so excited to hear the rest of what Cliff has to say about God, dating, and relationships in general. d e e p b r e a t h I am excited to see what God does in my heart after this ah-mazing summer.

final thought;
read this and be encouraged..

Love

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.[c] Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d]says the Lord.
20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."[e]
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:9-21

picnic season

What a lovely day for a picnic ... so we went on a lovely picnic.

thee fresh(wo)men kairos group went on a picnic yesterday afternoon. we wore pretty dresses. ate delightful food. had merry conversation.

excited

SO many things to be excited, happy, and thankful about!

"Sing to the LORD a new song,for he has done marvelous things"

Ps. 98:1

KAIROS CHRISTMAS:

[hint] kairos is the fancy name for Lighthouse Collective small groups where people; make connections, learn, make new friends, build community, grow, trust, or share meals and life together. And for our Christmas party, we were treated to Miyakoa - a Japanese steak house for a very filling dinner, photo op in a giant snow globe and dessert at the Melting Pot ... it was so fun :)