Things I’m Loving / High Five for Friday

At some point I should probably come up with a different name than the crazy long one up today, but it fit since I was torn between doing like I did last week and posting the things I am loving (from my favorite Vizsla loving blog) and from posting my top five moments of the week (from The Small Things blog).  So here’s my mish-mash of the two. 🙂

1.My husband is my favorite.  He plays with the dog when he gets home and the dog is going crazy from the cold weather.  He doesn’t hesitate to leave work when I call him with an emergency.  He helps make food.  He prays.

2. And Boaz…well he’s been a highlight this week with all his cute (sometimes annoyingly stubborn) habits of wanting to be under the covers.  He makes up for it by always being happy. Plus, he’s awfully fun to have nerf gun wars with at times. And he’s been a great napping buddy this week.

3. Unexpected follow-up calls from my doctor and the ER.  I so love that they took the time out of their busy days to make sure that things were still going good!

4. Visiting with my sweet friend, her husband, and their adorable baby boy!  I’ve been waiting for this ever since they came home for Christmas.

5. All of the Christmas cards, New Years cards, pictures, notes, prayer cards, and random things on my fridge! I love having a fridge full of life and people to pray for and encouragement.

6. Giraffe print! 

7.  Songs that speak to my heart while at church and reaffirm picking that pesky little word for the year (open).  

i will not.

for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!

So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?

hebrews 13:5-6

i will sing of your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.

(have i said that i have the wof cds on repeat especially the rejoice one? well i do! most songs don’t have youtube videos but go spotify them…they’re good…)

worship wednesday

when i am afraid, i will trust in you.

ever faithful. ever true. oh my soul. {lord, teach me. show me. get it deep in my heart that while i am so used to the ever revolving door of missions/ministry…that you. that you never let go.}

there is beauty in our tears. you’re working in our waiting. sanctifying us.

when beyond our understanding, you’re teaching us to trust.

your plans are still to prosper. you’ve not forgotten us.

you’re with us in the fire and the flood.

faithful forever. perfect in love.

and oh how my heart sings “be high and lifted up.”

what are you listening to?

wee bit o’ me and you

1. what books are you reading?

2. what movies/tv shows are you watching?

3. what’s your favorite color combination today?

4. what’s the first word that you see in the room around you?

5. what’s on your song playlist lately?

6. pottery, painting, or drawing?

7. walking on the beach or laying on the beach?

8. ruth, esther, or mary?

9. matthew, mark, luke or john?

10. get up early or stay up late?

——–

mine =)

1. one in a million by priscilla shirer, drawing near by bevere, the fitting room by kelly minter, out of control and loving it by lisa bevere, and a few others “in progress”

2. so you think you can dance…. =) and the torchlighters heroes of faith videos from voice for the martyrs

3. green and pink

4. live love

5. tree by justin rizzo, forever love by francesca battistelli, waiting here for you by christy nockels, not what i thought by jessa anderson, brokenness aside by sons & daughters, safe by britt nicole, she is love by parachute

6. pottery today. i am missing working on the wheel.

7. walking on the beach totally! or running. but walking and talking is my fave.

8. i’m picking ruth for today…..she went through the hard and stuck with it and boaz seems totally solid and legit.

9. john. i do love him.

10. today…get up early. but really i’m happy with either as long as i get enough sleep!

your turn!!!

not what i thought

god,

you’re not who I thought you were.

in a good, hard way

you show me

your ways are not mine

when I go knocking for ways to run

you slip in with your “not now, baby girl”

you gently pry my hands

so i can let go

purposefully

lay down my “isaac”

to finally admit

God, I want this

but I want what You have more

even in the midst of learning to

surrender

you love me

you teach me how to soar

and be planted

all at once

because that’s beautiful

dreaming, hope, trust

with deep roots

right there in the breaking

i find you giving me the

yes, walk this way

but be prepared to

keep

surrendering all

and remember

“i’m everything i promised

my faithfulness is true”

free

my repeat songs lately?

free to be me by francesca battistelli

not what i thought by jessa anderson ( i got this for free and i LOVE it. god is SO not who i thought…in a good way. a real good way. in fact i love this song i’ll probably write more about it now now. =) loved the song explanation too.)

what if we were real by mandisa

perfect by pink (clean version only!)

dynamite by taio cruz (yeah yeah celebrate life.)

you are more by tenth avenue north (this is my song that i hear and go sigh. god i know you keep speaking this over me even though i keep trying to be the girl in the corner with tear stained eyes and the shame she can’t hide)

brian wahl (have i told you i love him? because i do. not the love like i want to marry him just the love that i love his music)

 

noticing a theme?

i’m wrestling with the wounds of the past and the “traumas” and finally ripping off my dirty quick fix hide this bandages so that there can be actual real healing. because at some point the bandaids have to come off.  at some point you decide. decide to fight through the hard. decide enough’s enough. decide to surrender to be free. decide to be you. life’s full of decisions and more often than not i play the analytical mythical find the “best” and end up in indecision but when i decide i decide and i’m starting to decide. so by no means am i perfect…i’ve still got open wounds…wounds finally open take time to heal too.

but tonight. i tasted a bit of what i lost when i came back to the states. a bit of that freedom to be comfortable in my own skin. of the confidence and grit and stubbornness.

i ran.

since i don’t like any of the running shoes i have currently…i left them all at home.

bare feet. sun setting. my sweet spot within minutes.

a mile or so later. sitting on the end of the dock splashing my dirty dirty blistered feet.

so much transpired in a moment from thinking i was putting my dog outside to finding my feet hitting the pavement and my heart learning to lean into the moment.

a moment of chatting away with god without having to use any words.

a big exhale of trust and letting go expectations.

—–

has god surprised you by a moment lately?

made for monday

Hey there Monday! Let’s kick up our feet and play along because Monday’s need a little fun and questions seem to do the trick. Plus, I love hearing people’s responses =)

Are you going on any summer vacays? Yes!! Eee, leaving tomorrow for a little cali-cation. 

What is your favorite place to eat? Um. Why I asked a favorite question when I don’t do favorites well…but I think my fave place to eat pre-marathon is now Olive Garden—chicken scampi sans chicken…so basically scampi. so tasty! I do love panera, chipotle, starbucks (for PTL and vanilla chai), cheesecake factory, nando’s, and really though most of the time i love eating at home since most of those slash all of them aren’t even in my town… =)

What’s God whispering to your heart lately? rest. trust. hope. especially in the hard. share your story. and it’s okay to cry. 

What is the most random thing you see in the room you’re in right now? I don’t know if it’s “random” but it’s a wooden giraffe. I liked it so I put it on my bookshelf. 

Skirts or shorts? Skirts!!! Still looking for that elusive running skirt that will stay in place and keep me happy on those long runs that I love.

Favorite type of pen to use? I have yet to find one….on the hunt for one! I really really really would love to find some awesome colored pens that don’t bleed through the pages in my bibles. That would be fabulous. Though, I want all colors–pink, yellow, green, red, blue, purple, etc. 

What is one thing you always pack? A good book to read. Any recommendations?? I just finished “Whatever you do, Don’t Run” and it was fabulous and hilarious! So was Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me. I’m also FINALLY reading A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. Yay for good books.

Top love languages? Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Quality Time/Touch, Acts of Service. Shower me with words of love and encouragement and I melt especially when they come in the form of surprise gifts of words. Give me a BIG, honest, “I love you no matter what” kind of hug and I exhale. Connect with me and be intentional about talking/spending time with me and let me know that you’re not going to leave and you’ll have me teary eyed. 

What are you praying about like the persistent widow prayed? home. (not necessarily a place, but kind of…not necessarily people, but kind of…it’s just home. i want home. so many heart desires rolled into that little word that i keep asking with tears in my eyes saying, home? is that too much to ask for?)

Song(s) on repeat? Brian Wahl’s songs, Perfect by Pink, Redeemer by the Moment Sound, Last Train Home by FM Static, What if We Were Real by Mandisa, Just Cry by Mandisa, Amos Story by Aaron Ivey, When She Cries by Britt Nicole, Come Home Beautiful by Seth Primm, The Beat by Ben Rector, and I’m sure quite a few others…I’m SO a repeat girl. 

Your turn!

curled up

this is a call to all the dead and disappointed

the ones who feel like they are done

this is a word to all the ones who feel forgotten

you are not.

oh you are not.

cause we’re alive. alive in You.

we are soaked in all the grace that we have been given

unchained from all that we have done

your mercy is rising like the sun on the horizon

we’re coming home

alive by sons & daughters

throw on some yellow paint

throw on the paint

get out the colored pencils

color outside the lines

do the unexpected

because He says to

live a little

let some SUN finally shine

change things up

run hard

smile

enjoy

let the tears fall

and while they do

hold fast

He’s making those deserts into

Eden

———

As much as I don’t do favorites because they stress me out and I don’t like being boxed into only one thing, I must admit I do “favor” a few men of the bible.  My New Testament man is John all the way. He brings me home and holds me close.  More on that another day.  Today, I want to talk about my Old Testament love: Isaiah.

Not only does he happen to have my tattoo verse but He also has this amazing little verse that I found when reading through the bible in 90 days.

The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing. ~Isaiah 51:3

Sigh. God making my deserts into Eden. I love what David Wilkerson (what an amazing life…) wrote about going through the desert:

To those going through the valley and shadow of death, hear this word: Weeping will last through some dark, awful nights—and in that darkness you will soon hear the Father whisper, “I am with you. I cannot tell you why right now, but one day it will all make sense. You will see it was all part of my plan. It was no accident. It was no failure on your part. Hold fast. Let me embrace you in your hour of pain.”

Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail—his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world.

And just to add one more lovely bit…here’s a bit from a song by Sons & Daughters:

You are a Savior and You take brokenness aside and make it beautiful. 

With all of these pieces, I throw a little more paint on my messy canvas life.  I’m slowly starting to see the bright yellow hope poke through the desert sands and see the beautiful in this breaking desert I find myself.

How are you doing? Do you have any desert places? Finding any bits of yellow in them?

p.s. check out my happy new background and header on my blog…makes me smile

my saturday song: light up the world

i’m gonna believe that we will see the kingdom come to earth.

i’m gonna believe that signs and wonders follow hearts that burn.

i’m gonna believe that sickness and poverty will cease.

i’m gonna believe the power from the heavens will release

yeah light up the world with Your love