And now for something COMPLETELY different...

I found this video on a blog I was reading today and just had to post it. Apparently Penn is known to be an atheist. HOWEVER, you can tell from his experience of receiving a Bible as a gift, a seed was planted. There is power in our story...the story of Jesus. We MUST tell it!

Random Wednesday Awesomeness.

You can't fight the awesomeness when it hits you. Enjoy.


Cadbury Eyebrows from Nils-Petter Lovgren on Vimeo.

A Very Duggar Wedding

I hope ya'll watched Josh & Anna's wedding last night on TLC! If not, I won't spoil the ending for you. But it does involve an awkward closing shot of a hotel room door. Bow chica wow wow!

Anywho, the real fun happened throughout the rest of the show where we saw how the Duggars put together the ceremony.

Honestly, unlike my last commentary, I don't have many things to report. With just one exception.

The interview with Anna's father. I really think he seems sweet, but I can't be sure he's totally comfortable with a fleet of Duggars coming at him. When he was being interviewed as to why there wasn't going to be any alcohol at the wedding, he commented, "Becuase in the Bible when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding, the word "wine" actually means "grape juice".

Cut to me spitting out my drink.

Um, I going to guess that the beverage of the day was NOT Welch's grape juice. That Mary didn't run to Costco and stock up when Jesus and his friends came over for dinner.

When I mentioned how funny this was to my Mom, she said, "Well if it's good enough for the Duggar wedding, it's good enough for your wedding." To which I replied [perhaps just a wee bit enthusiastically], "YEAH RIGHT"!

Anna's Dad also mentioned somehting about no dancing because of potential hip thrusting. Honestly, I was still stuck on Jesus turing water into grape juice.

One thing I did notice during their vows was that they were allowing God to choose the number of children they would have. I'm honestly surprised they aren't prego yet! I can't wait to see which letter they pick to name all their children! Perhaps it will be W...for Welch's.

Meanwhile, My Dignity is Restored...

Perhaps you remember this little dilemma?

Ah yes. There went my dignity!

Well, it took much longer to find jeans that I anticipated. I walked into the mall shortly after the "discovery" like some jeans buying novice, thinking it would only take one trip. Um, clearly I had blocked out all previous jeans buying expeditions.

Finally I dragged my Mom to Von Maur last weekend in the frigid temperatures. As I should have anticipated, Von Maur did not disappoint. Not only did I find a pair of jeans, BUT they offer FREE alterations and FREE shipping to your house!

This little gift came this afternoon:


Could it be jeans perfectly tailored???


YES!!! Here's the long shot.


I'll spare you the proof that there's not a hole in the butt. I hesitate to post a picture of my backside on the internet. I'm sure you understand.

Thank Heaven for Small Miracles

Oh, yes.

And if you don't regularly follow Ellen, you'll need to watch this.

Distraction

"If satan can't get to me with destruction, he will try to get to me with distraction."

Mmm hmm...you bet he will. He will try to distract me with all his wimpy power.

Tonight I had a pretty interesting attempt at distraction from satan. It was one of those moments where afterward you say, "What was that?"

And then you start to think about. We take you now to my internal monologue:

"Ok, what the heck was that."

"Was that person right in what they said?"

"Is that what GOD is trying to say to me?"

"No! That is totally NOT what God is saying!"

"But...that person is a really strong believer. Certainly they were hearing from the Lord!"

Enter doubt. Enter confusion. Cue distraction.


2 Corinthians 10:4-5:
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I am submitting fully an completely to my Lord. I will do what GOD says I should do. The enemy has no power over me!

So what would YOU do...

...the day after someone new is given your job? In the past few days I have asked myself [and a few other people] what they would do if they were in George Bush's position.

What DO you do the day you aren't the President anymore?

Sleep?
Cry?
Laugh?
Grieve?

What would YOU do "the morning after"?

God's Kindness

In addition to being, oh you know, the most powerful Being, Ruler and Creator of Heaven and earth, our God is kind.

He is a mysterious contradiction in terms.

He is a powerful, warring King, yet a sweet Abba Father who delights in His children.

Today I experienced His lovingkindness, this time from someone who doesn't know me well, doesn't know what has already been spoken this year...just someone who listens to the Lord.

This person grabbed me after church and said, "Your time is coming. He is being gathered in the fields and brought to you."

That was it. So simple...and so powerful.

I am so thankful to the Lord that in the first 18 days of 2009, I have received so many words and scriptures about TBD. It is life-giving to my soul. I am giving God all the glory. He is so kind to His children!

Jeremiah 31:3 says, "The Lord appeared to him for afar, saying, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'"

Claiming Divine Health!

If you haven't caught on to Kelly's blog, please start reading it today!!

She is a young woman who had her first daughter yesterday after struggling to conceive for several years. Her daughter is now in critical condition at a hospital in Tulsa.

Please check out Kelly's blog, and say a prayer for baby Harper and her parents!

I just feel like when we are given our promises, our miracles, the enemy loves to get in a stir things up! Needless to say, satan doesn't love it when God does what He said He would do!

Let's contend for this miracle on this sweet family's behalf!

Hot Potato

Remember the game "Hot Potato"? Passing a beanbag around the circle, anxiously hoping you don't end up with the bag when the leader calls "STOP!"

Guess what? We don't have to play Hot Potato when it comes to relationship with God.

Here's a scripture I'm meditating on today:

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."

The deal is this: everything I have belongs to the Lord. My home, my family, my iPod, my church, my car, my soul, my being, my dreams.

None of it belongs to me.

I don't have to be anxious about which "Hot Potato" will end up in my hands.

1 Peter 5:7 says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." Casting is not a dainty thing. The definition is "to throw, hurl, or fling."

Not dainty.

I am THROWING, HURLING, FLINGING my cares upon Him, because HE LOVES ME. And it's all His anyway! This is a refreshing truth that lightens my spirit!

Anticipation

anticipate [an-tis-uh-peyt]
1. to realize beforehand; foretaste or foresee
2. to expect; look forward to; be sure of

All weekend, ever since "the prophesy", I have been feeling this sizzle of anticipation.

What's next Lord? What will be the next revelation? The next scripture? The next word?

I am clinging to your promises, oh Lord. I am believing Isaiah 65:24 today:

"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are speaking, I will hear."

Early Breakthrough!!!

Do you remember this post? The part where Jen and I were talking about our dreams for 2009?

We have early breakthrough people, early breakthrough!!

A bunch of my peeps were at a church meeting tonight in Wooster, and the man that was speaking was making prophetic declarations for 2009. He said the following:

1. Barren women who have not had babies will have their wombs opened.
2. Women who are not married will have miraculous marriages in 2009.

I got an instant text from my friend Joy, and she and Cara both called me almost immediately after their meeting. They both have claimed these prophecies for Jen and I.

Lord, I receive this word You have sent through this speaker. LET IT BE JESUS!!!

Happy Birthday K-Rock!!

Today Kristen turned 35 29 years old!

Happy Birthday friend!!

In honor of her birthday, I have composed a photo journey of some of my favorite Kristen moments. So pop some popcorn, settle down with your children snuggled close, and let's begin.

First, you have to know that Kristen is an incredible mother. Here's a picture of her with Lauren!


In addition to being a great Mom, Kristen is a multitasker. Here she is, oh, 4 DAYS after giving birth to Gabriel getting ready for an 80's party. Please note, she is feeding Gabe, curling her hair, and rocking out some serious 80's attire.



When Kristen is not running around after her children, she is a fan of the arts. Here she is rocking out on RockBand.



If Kristen's not playing her 6-string, she can sometimes be found on the dance floor. Or ALWAYS on the dance floor!



Here's another picture from the 80's party. We convinced her to do her best impression of "Flashdance". I have reason to believe the epidural had not worn off yet.

**Updated: Picture removed at the birthday girl's request. Although, if you're nice and email me, I may be willing to sell it. For a price.**


Kristen is one of my favorite travel buddies. This picture was taking the day we got to Scottsdale for a conference.



Above all these things, Kristen is a Jesus Freak. She would be the first to tell you that! She has a contagious passion for Jesus and I'm blessed to call her friend.

Happy Birthday Kristen!!!

Extreme Makeover - Blog Edition!!!

Woo hoo! New blog layout!!

100th Blog!!!

This is my 100th blog! Woo hoo!

I find it very fitting that something so random would be my blog post for this celebratory moment.

I was doing laundry today and was putting away a pair of jeans and noticed something so offensive, I can hardly utter the words.

There was a HOLE in the BUTT of my jeans!!!!

How long have I been walking around with a hole in the butt of my jeans?????

Suddenly my conservative, religious roots kicked in and I immediately felt like a fast woman with loose morals.

I think I even felt the twinge of my Mom's deep-rooted Southern Baptist upbringing.

Then just as quickly I was filled with joy!!! What does this mean??? SHOPPING TRIP!!!!

Or...perhaps I'll just fashion them into a pair of these:

The Randomness of a Woman's Purse

This morning I had to clean out my purse. It was bad. I don't think I have really cleaned it out since before Christmas. Now, while I don't have anything in my purse as cute as this or this , here are just a few items of note:

• Nail file [yes, it has a case so it won't scratch anything...jealous?]
  
• 6 Fruit Breeze cough drops [I have no idea why there were so many!]
  
• 1 Cold-eeze [So few?]
  
• 1 Ticket stub to the movie "Doubt" [Excellent movie...highly recommend]
  
• Clear nail polish [Can you blame me?]
• 1 hair clip [Which I use.]
  
• 1 hair tie [Which I would NEVER use!]
  
• 1 tampon [Overshare?]
• Tissues [This has been a new development. All of a sudden I'm getting struck with that "old lady runny nose" issue. However, I do vow to NEVER stuff tissues in my sleeve.]
  
• Pen
• Highlighter [Is anyone really surprised?]

Anyone else have random stuff in their purse??

New Year, Same Random Thoughts

Hi ya'll!

I hope you are getting back into the swing of things like I am. And by "getting back into the swing of things" I mean talking to my Academic Adviser, getting frustrating/not frustrating news, getting a parking spot stolen, paying $216 for 3 books, and needing to get a physical and a TB test for class.

Man, I miss the holidays. Much simpler times.

I can't really think of one clever topic to write about, so I thought I would tap into my Music Maven skillz and drop some new tunes on ya'll. Consider this the "Worship Music" edition.

• Misty Edwards - "Always on His Mind" immediately followed by "Finally I Surrender". Please ask a friend or family member to pick you up off the floor afterward. So incredibly good.
• Aaron Shust - "Come to Me". Perfect for soaking purposes. You'll be hearing it soon at Zion.
• Dancing Generation. Ok, not really. That was just a little jokie for a few of you!

That's all I have at the moment. I bought a ton of new worship songs over the holiday break, so stay tuned for more recommendations!

END WORSHIP MUSIC EDITION!

On a side note, are you familiar with the song "Live Your Life" by T.I. featuring Rihanna? If not, here's a little clip:



NOTE: You really only need to listen to the first 40 seconds or so to find this next story funny!

Ok, so now you know what song I'm talking about, right? So, this morning I was doing my morning examination of my skin, and I have this unruly blemish that I have been wrestling with for what seems like YEARS. It just won't cooperate. This morning, I wiped my hands of him. I may have broken into this song and serenaded my little blemish to just "live his life".

My word, I need help.

Welcome 2009!!

"May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You.
~Psalm 25:21

Hope is a beautiful thing. Like a flower that thrives on sunlight and water, hope relies on the daily sustenance of the Word of God, of prayer, and of experience shared with others who have received the gift. Hope is an elusive bird to those who have no relationship with God or reservation in eternity. Hope requires more than simply clicking red shoes or crossing your fingers. It is a sweet and magnificent benefit of walking with Christ. Hope looks at all that is true about the present, lifts the circumstances of life into the tender, loving hands of God--and exhales in trust. Hope makes it possible to live with our feet firmly planted on earth while our hearts and minds are committed to a vision that is far bigger than we are.

A new year is like the fresh, crisp page of an untouched journal. We lift our pen to the first day. This year will hold unexpected joy and sorrows, moments of faith and fear, wishes fulfilled and dreams abandoned. There is much we do not know. But there is much we do know with absolute assurance. We know that God is in control and that His heart is good and merciful toward us. We know that we are not alone. We know that everything that happens in our lives and in the lives of those we love has already passed through our Father's hands. And we know that we are loved.

~Sheila Walsh