woke up to the sound of rain

My Soul Longs for You

by Misty Edwards

"My soul longs for You my soul longs for You

Nothin' else will do nothin' else will do

My soul longs for You my soul longs for You

Nothin' else will do nothin' else will do...

I believe You will come like the rain...

You'll come like the rain

So let it rain let it rain let it rain let it rain...

Hallelujah Hallelujah You'll make all things new"

listen here.

nicknamed my bank accounts today

logged in. customized.

Savings= "DO NOT TOUCH"

Checking= "Card It"

It makes me happy!

mm beautiful night

1) Jason texted me to quickly check out Jupiter and the moon at a particular time

2) Laura and Ragan came over to watch the old version of Pride & Prejudice

3) Shelly joined us after making some magnificent pumpkin muffins

4) my mom joined us after eating some hot bread and soup (which was super yummy)

5) my dad joined us after making us all a fire in the fireplace. so cozy.

Ragan, Laura, and I fell asleep sometime in the middle of the third movie (which is in the middle of the 6 hour production)

after waking up, we stargazed in the freezing cold

been thinkin about Psalm 147:4
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name."

mm God is so amazing.

met with the lovely Deborah for coffee

at Esco Joe's this morning after music class,
& i loved catching up

she is learning to anchor her future with God's will.
it's so encouraging to hear her explain how the more
she relies on Him for everything, He proves Himself
faithful and blesses her for her patience and
motivation.

after talking with her and then Jamie previously,
i'm so tempted to travel to Europe
get plugged in with a church,

take residency while working,
become a citizen.
get free education.

travel where ever the Lord leads

sleep and breath in His presence,
waiting on His signal and wisdom.

now, that's the life.

for those who do not know,
i'm very determined to live in
a Spanish-speaking country.

i want adventure.
and i think that living in Christ
will be the most wild, rewarding thing.

pictures of the wedding

can be found here.

haven't quite rested since the festivities have ended.

Ecclesiastes 2

particularly, verse 11:

"When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun."

can you believe that

my sister gets married tomorrow?! gahlee!

"A Generous Life"

1) This weekend, my music teacher received $400 extra for his musical performance. His clients were more than pleased with his professionalism and musical abilities. His first thought? "I shall give this to one of my students." {which he spontaneously does every few months, although not such a large sum- bout $100-$200} He offered a girl {number 9th on the role because it's November 9th} $400 if she was on time to class. 10 minutes before class began {precisely 7:50 a.m.}, He wrote her name on the envelope and put the money in it. Let's just say she was late and was incredibly disappointed. He was determined to give the money away to some lucky person in his next class.

2) Cultural anthropology class discussion today: the rules and functions of authority, power, law, force; cohersion. what really caught me was when we brought up sharing & how it is not in our nature to share. Giving must be taught to selfish people in societies...

3) I had just arrived at the Escondido Transit Center after Palomar classes today {waiting for a ride home from the madre}, and a woman approached multiple people asking for change so that she can go get something to eat. If you know me really well, you'd know that I always carry a good serving size of organic applesauce in my purse. Weird, I know. You'd also know that I never-ever have cash. But today was different. There was a few dollars in my pants pocket! The Holy Spirit gently reminded me that the dollars were God's and not mine. I became so excited to give such a small contribution. As it turns out, she had walked away fast before I could hand her the lunch bag full of the sauce and monies. More than anything, I learned what it felt like to be a cheerful giver and how easy it is, once you already previously decide to give whatever you have in order to further His kingdom.

Ryan Paulson's sermon on Sunday night about
generosity was phenomenal.
we camped out at
2 Corinthians 9:6-15

• a generous life isn't our natural inclination & must be determined ahead of time {9:7}
• a generous life is a life that is blessed by God {9:6, 8-11; Proverbs 11:24-25}
• a generous life is a life that points to Jesus {9:12-14}
• a generous life is a reflection of God's generosity to us! {9:15}

p.s. you can't out give God.

walk down memory lane

cheering at Escondido High School
{sophomore year}

I think I learned the most about
how God is faithful, loving, and more than enough for me
when I was on the cheer squad in high school.

when was it for you?

the funniest thing

is when your thumb falls asleep every few hours

{I jammed it badly a few weeks back,
and then re-injured twice within the same week!
yikes!
-once while driving
-the other in modern dance class}

So, I wear this awesome thumb/wrist brace
and it causes my thumb to fall asleep :)

so silly.

godly sorrow v. worldly sorrow

yes, there is a difference.
{reminds me of godly wisdom v. worldly wisdom
love the theme...
so thankful God's ways are not like ours}

godly sorrow:
begins with repentance
leads to deliverance {salvation} & no regrets. none. zero.
also known as, freedom IN Christ

worldly sorrow:
does not begin with repentance
leads to death and ends with regret.


2 Corinthians 7:2-16
p.s. IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEGINNING,
how we approach sorrow.

I love how simple the Bible is:

John 1:8 says, "If we claim to be without sin,
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
and will forgive us."

For me,
living in God's kingdom,
is waking up in humility,
with a hunger for righteousness,
and an anticipation of forgiveness
and empowerment from God's grace
in order to do His will for that day of my life.
For we are not alone. He can help :)
and we cannot love others around us
without remaining and being secure in His love.
which is unconditional.
o and amazing.
understatement of the year!

These past few months, I have
done everything in my power to love
those whom I sit with on the Sprinter
and love those in my classes
but I've missed the opportunity
to love my own family and
be there for them in this time of stress
and wedding planning.

I have greatly failed them.
Especially being a bridesmaid,
the sister of the bride,
the daughter of those who are hosting
the wedding at their house.
And yet I have not served them
haven't shown/given the love,
the encouragement they need.

I am sinning against them
by daily choosing to walk in worldly sorrow,
self pity, selfish ambition,
maybe even focusing on God's ministry
instead of God, Himself. very unhealthy.

which = cutting myself from His presence, love, and grace
which = not living in the fruit of the Spirit
which does not = a lifestyle that reflects Christ's example
which will flow naturally from us when we
live IN Him remain IN Him find satisfaction IN Him
for He is enough for us and much much more!

all that said and done, I have 2 weeks before the wedding.
2 weeks. to live in humility, service, and love towards
my family.

yall can feel free to hold me accountable.

mm what it say?