Band Of Horses

Oh how I love Band of Horses. I'll never forget coming across their myspace page back in the day and falling in love. I'm happy I got to see them last night. They played two of my favorites,"No One's Gonna Love You" and "Factory". I'd say it was a pretty good show, though they definitely left out some of my favorites! Slightly bummed about that but they did play at the Fillmore... which happens to be my last name! I still want to go up to the ticket counter, show them my license and demand to be let in for free because my grandpa "owns" all the Fillmore threatre's. Unfortunately, I'm not that bold or out going. Plus they probably wouldn't buy it because I'm really bad at lying?!

Here are the two songs they didn't play, that they should have....

Transformation.

I rarely post about music that I love... which should change I guess, right? Because I LOVE music... most music anyway. But last summer I started listening to Joy Williams side project, The Civil Wars, as their live recorded album was free on Noise Trade & Myspace...amazing. I saw them play last night, therefore I thought posting about them would be the most fitting thing to do.........

Growing up I listened to and followed a lot of different Christian music artists, one of my faves being Joy Williams...I'm pretty sure I had her on my Top 8 back in the day. I even planned on one day working within the Christian music business (or music business in general), I figured I love music & Nashville, why not move there one day and work in the biz?! Well dreams and life changes, therefore that's not really my cup of tea these days.... all that to say, I've loved watching Joy Williams transform into my now, favorite indie artist. Joy Williams, the once bottle-blond-pop-artist transformed over the past few years into, a more natural-indie-hipster-folk-artist. She traded in her catchy, Christian, studio recordings for more organic, raw, mellow lyrics and beats....which I love.

Not only has she been doing some solo stuff heard on various sitcoms and commercials, but is touring with the likes of Ten Out Of Tenn crew & her band The Civil Wars. We went and saw The Civil Wars last night, with Madi Diaz -- they all were amazing. I wish I had more time and money to go see a show every weekend. There's just something about hearing music live compared to hearing it on your iTunes... in my opinion it not only sounds better but there's just a different feel to the music, it's all about the atmosphere too I guess... I love it. Anyway, I'll stop raving... just go and check out her *new* solo stuff & The Civil Wars.

Season of N O M A D - ness

Life is ch-ch-changing.

room at my parents B E F O R E moving out.6 months later ...
room at my parents A F T E R moving back.

Thanks mom + dad for always taking us back :)

I'm heading to the land down under.
If I get accepted for a visa that is.
$8,650 is the magic number.
Merely pocket change to God, right?

"I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles."

p h i l i p p i a n s 4:10-14 [MSG]

growing pain: home

It's a rainy Saturday morning at work. I am missing Saturday's when I was growing up. Before I knew the value of sleeping in. When Saturday automatically meant house-hold-chores for the first half of the day and enjoy-a-day-off the other half of the day. Before I could drive. The time I was care-free. When life was relatively easy.

When it was nice and sunny out. We would play outside until the sun went down. Only to come inside with dirt under our nails and a ton of bug bites. Going on adventurous bike rides through our neighbor hood. Running around our giant front and backyard. Taking the tire swing and turning it into a carnival ride, using the jungle gym. Creating a water-world with a hose, the swing set and the trampoline. Playing house in our giant built-just-for-us play house. Making cities out chalk on our driveway and riding our bikes through them, making stops to grocery shop at the "Grocery Store".

Then there were Saturdays that were rainy. Those days were spent inside. Inside the family room. A room designated just for movie watching, craft making, library book reading, barbie or doll house playing, and fort building. The deep dark blue comfy carpet was very inviting to play on, no matter the time of day. If we weren't in the family room, we were in the kitchen eating Chewy Granola bars for a snack or sitting up at the kitchen bar stools talking moms ear off while she made dinner. Sometimes we would play in our bedrooms, but pretty much only on the Saturdays where we had ventured to clean our rooms that very day...the only time a room was fun to play in was when it had just been cleaned (how ironic right?). Sometime we would just use the entire house to play in, running around or chasing each other from the bedrooms all the way to the family room (causing broken bones).

Thinking about my old house makes me remember too many memories; good, bad, happy, sad, exciting, scary...ultimately causing growing pains. I'm learning that it doesn't matter what roof is over your head, it's the people under that roof that make a house a home.

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

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.

short & sweet

in a world that is so enthralled with looks, appearances, money, or keeping up with the Jones’s - which is so prevalent in the area I live, with the name brands covering each kid that walks into where I work, it’s sad that people think that money and status will satisfy... it's good to know that some people still want to make a difference in the world around them, not worrying about what people think. so this weekend was cold as I'll get, which I still dislike greatly, but I learn to deal .. I'm just happy to have a warm place to rest my head at night. so anyway, last night I got be part of something bigger than myself, which is always a good feeling. wsm [Woodside student ministry] hosted a volley ball tourney, where each team had to raise a certain about of money just to play and on top of that, prizes were given to those who raised the most money. the money is going directly to a orphanage that our church has in Thailand, where children are rescued from a life of sex trade and agony. as of today there are twenty-five children there, and hopefully twenty-five more this year. all together the high school students alone raised $7,000, not including concessions and other donations through the night. God was truly shown, seeing that we were only expecting maybe 2,500. it's just cool to see students spend their Saturday night (really snowy & bad roads at that) having fun playing volleyball, unifying as the body of Christ, and helping the children of Thailand. Besides helping those across the earth, my sister helped out at the homeless bbq downtown yesterday.. which I for one would really love to do, if I ever get a Saturday off! So yeah, anyway I love seeing/hearing about people doing things like that, it makes me smile. In other news, I started reading the Bible starting in Genesis & Matthew – at the same time. It’s the coolest thing ever, if you can get yourself through the genealogies, the Bible honestly is so intriguing and has totally captivated me, a lot more than I thought. Other worthy for mentioning news, me and Lindsay are going to Miami in April … I know I can’t believe it either. We both love & need adventure in our lives, so why not take the plunge. Finally, God is truly invading, captivating, and mending my heart. I love to see God moving and at work.