Words & Tea

She loved words.
The kind that got her creativity flowing and her heart beating fast.
With a book and a cup of tea, she was fearless.
Bold enough to take on her day, her world.
Words brought her meaning,
Called out things in her that brought joy
That brought life
That brought freedom.
And one day, when words had been exchanged,
With a cup of tea in hand.
She realized she was free.
And that has made the world anew.

MC

On Changing

So the last few weeks I have been dealing with the changes that come with the end of a relationship. Although it was hard, I know that obedience brings blessing. Saying "yes" to what I had been hearing the Lord say for a while was scary and foreign but in the end worth it. Yes his heart and mine are hurting a bit but the Lord is GOOD and heals all brokenness. I am excited for this new season of life and what is ahead as I finish my first year of college (I'm sorry... what? WHERE DID THE TIME GO?!) and head off to Camp Greystone to love on some awesome girls! Here we go.

Here's a little bit of happiness for your Tuesday:

1. This awesome list my sweet roommate sent me. So much truth.

2. This video that Donald Miller shared on his blog.

Go and live my friends.

Be Blessed today.

MC

Back Again

 

Guess who's back at trying to blog again: This Girl. 

I don't know why I have had such a hard time keeping up with blogging and making it a priority but it is one of my goals this next month to blog at least once a week so hopefully I can hold myself accountable and write some decent posts. Here we go.

This week I had the amazing opportunity spend my spring break at the beach with twelve of my best friends and ADPi sisters. Our week was filled with laughter, sunburns, movie nights, Kilwins runs (toasted coconut ice cream is literally the best thing ever) and relaxing. Our sweet BYX (a Christian fraternity) friends also came to visit us twice and we had a blast getting to laugh and be dumb with them. I am so overwhelmed with how the Lord has blessed me and how He continues to place such awesome people in my life since starting college. I am so expectant to grow in these friendships in the next three years.

I just feel alive lately with the expectancy of what the Lord is doing in my life. I know he has me where I am for a very specific purpose and I am eager to grow into the mold of who he has planned for me to be. It never fails that when I feel this way, words of any shape or form make me feel even more alive. So tonight I leave you with a quote from my favorite author in one of my favorite books. This quote has kept me moving since college and I hope that it will stir a dream in your heart to venture out onto the road on which you are traveling.

“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.”
― Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road

Be blessed friends.

Happy Easter. 

Today

Today I am dreaming of quiet spots where I can breathe crisp, fresh air, be created and rest. The desire to write is consuming me but I just don't know what to write on. So for now, enjoy these pictures. What are you dreaming of today?

xoxo

** These are not my photos but were found on Pinterest.

Two Months Later

So I'm a college student now.. give me a break. Oh who am I kidding, I'm just a slacker. I have plenty of college friends who manage awesome blogs and I just put it off forever and end up writing posts every couple months. Yikes.

Life at college is so wonderful. Yes it's hard and I haven't had many healthy home-cooked meals. At all. And yes I stay up much later and have to cook, brush my teeth and wash my dishes all in the same sink. And my room is always hot and sometimes has an odor. But my gosh, I wouldn't trade where I am for anything. I am learning and growing and the Lord is blessing me over and over again. All summer I prayed for a strong group of girl friends to come my way and college and the Lord is so faithful and has blessed me with more precious friends that I could have ever imagined. He's placed groups like my bible study group and the church I've started going to in my life and I'm being filled. The first couple weeks of school were so busy and I hadn't found a church where I felt like I belonged and man I was thirsty. Thirstier than I have been in a very long time. God has just shown me over and over since I've been at school that He is kind and He wants me to know His love and His kindness. Man, He's good. College is good. Life is beautiful.

More to come (I promise).

Lasts

So I leave for college this coming Friday. So crazy, my gosh. As time gets shorter and the days closer, I'm experiencing a lot of lasts. My last Disciple Now (youth group retreat), my last Sunday at the church I've grown up both physically and spiritually the last fourteen years, my last youth event as a student. But the awesome and encouraging thing is it isn't goodbye, merely see you later.

This is just a new chapter of my life.
I think I'm ready.

How Great He Is

Goodness I can't get over how much Jesus STILL loves me when I'm frustrated and covered in sin and don't make the time to sit and talk with Him. That He STILL pursues me and woos me to His presence. That I can still be Confident and Radiant and WHOLE in His presence. Man, there is so greater God and I can't even comprehend great his love is for ME. Thank you Jesus.

Mmmm to rest in His presence is more delightful than anything of this world.

What God is Teaching Me

This summer has been one full of adventure but with the adventures I have had, God has been teaching me over and over to be humble. And I don't just me the sweet person humble. I'm talkin' biblical humbleness: that NOTHING I do if for my own glory. That my works don't make an ounce of difference in how God sees me. I like to think that I don't have a pride issue but obviously I do because every time I think I will get even a tiny amount of glory from something I've done (today it was being interviewed by the local news for our S.A.V.E. 5k- S.A.V.E. is a whole different blog post in itself) He takes the glory away from me (my part of the interview being cut). I know that's a silly thing and although it stinks I'm so thankful that God would keep reminding me and disciplining me to know that everything I do should bring glory to HIM: NOT TO MYSELF. God is so good. All the time He is good.

Less Than One Month

I decided to start this blog about a year ago so that I could write about my senior year and then proceed to write about my upcoming years of college.. And I barely wrote my senior year. At all. But it's never to late to start right?! Especially since I am t-minus 27 DAYS away from moving into my dorm! THIS IS INSANE. I want to be alright, to feel content in who I am before I head off on this adventure and lately this has been a dreadful task. I don't want to worry about fitting in and not being enough anymore. I AM enough. I am completely WHOLE in Jesus Christ and I can laugh at the days to come because He has already won. He is stronger than any of my doubts, worries and fears. He already has friends and passions and adventures laid out for my on campus. He knows the life were going to walk together through the next four years (and I'm sure he already knows how often he's going to have to pick me up and carry me). I'm ready for this moment even though most of the time I feel ready to go crawl under my bed and have a good cry. I can do this. I WILL do this. It's going to be the adventure of a lifetime. Here we go.


Also, I have found great encouragement in the song "Age of Worry" by John Mayer (Born and Raised). Here are the lyrics:


Close your eyes and close yourself
Danger hiding in all the world
Soothe your tears, your innocence
While you do everything wrong

Don't be scared to walk alone
Don't be scared to like it
There's no time that you must be home
So sleep where your darkness falls

Alive in the age of worry
Smile in the age of worry
Go wild in the age of worry
And sing Worry, why should I care?

No you fight is not within
Yours is with your timing
Dream your dreams but don't pretend
Be friends with what you are
Give your heart then change your mind
You're allowed to (throw) it
Cause God knows it's been done to you
And somehow you got through it

Alive in the age of worry
Rage in the age of worry
Sing out in the age of worry
And sing Worry, why should I care?

Rage in the age of worry
Act your age in the age of worry
And sing Worry, get out of here!


*Lyrics copied from Elyrics.net
**The bold phrases are those which have brought the most inspiration

Restarting

Why do I always feel like I have to start afresh? Today I have just been overcome with the realization that more stuff just never seems to be enough. All the new clothes I bought are now old and I don't feel like wearing them. Maybe a hair cut or getting my cartilage pierced or re-doing my room will fill that hole that's eating away at my heart... think again. What is this and why the heck do I never feel content with all the wonderful things I already have?! Why do I spend hours on the computer wishing I could have that outfit I saw on Pinterest or be as awesome as my friends appear to be on Facebook. I want to feel completely whole but it's quite difficult when the whole world is screaming at you that "YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH!!!!" I need the silence and peace of alone time in Christ. I need to remember that the ONLY way I will EVER feel whole is drawing close to Him. I need to be away somewhere alone with God. Maybe the mountains.. I feel a hike coming on soon...

The Craziest Thing I've Ever Done

This past weekend I spent 24 hours in a van with five other people. And in this 24 hours, I ran three legs of a race from Chattanooga to Nashville. 196 miles were completed with twelve pairs of legs and a lot of laughter and power bars. Now I'm sure you think I'm crazy, right? Well apparently there are many other crazies out there because there were several hundred teams running along side mine in this crazy, 196 mile, 36(ish) total hour relay race called the Ragnar. Let me tell you people, it was crazy but it was FUN. So fun that I hope to do it again next year and get others to do it as well. So whether you're a runner or not, YOU CAN DO IT. If I can run, trust me, you can too. If you've never tried, go out and buy yourself a new pair of tennis shoes and make a playlist that hypes you up and get out and try it. Or at least get outside. And if you've tried before and haven't succeeded, try again. Start slower, with intervals or running and walking and then increase the running while decreasing the walking. If you need motivation other than yourself (let's face it, most of us, including myself, do not have that sort of dedication) think about getting this ap or join a local running group like this one. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Running is the best "me-time" I could recommend to anyone. It's free, it's outside, and it clears your mind while lifting your mood (thanks endorphins!!). So if you're looking for a stress-reliever or just some alone time to think, try running. It could change your life.

Here are some pictures from the race!!

Our shirts. 1 Peter 2:11

 Sweet Sarah cheering on her husband

 Finishing my first leg 4.4 miles

 FINISHING AS A TEAM!!!

 The team: Ashley, Me, Eric, Jay, Dad, Daphne, Mark (our leader), Lisa, Jere, Sarah, Judd, and Kim

 Leaving our mark

 My first race medal!

My best friend and father. We're running buddies :)

Good Music for a Pretty Day

It's chilly outside now and I LOVE it!!! Also, I just cannot get over Drew & Ellie Holcomb. Such beautiful people with such beautiful voices. I'm heading to Knoxville tomorrow to see the campus. Hopefully I will have some sort of discernment about where I'm supposed to go after this visit. Fingers crossed!! Bonne Weekend!!

How Great He Is

Im getting out of my funk. The last month has had some really great moments but has for the most part been filled with stress and loneliness. Why, you may be wondering? Honestly I have no idea. I have the worlds greatest family and true friends who are real and honest and build me up spiritually. But for so much of my time the past month I have had this ache in my chest. This pit of loneliness. It has consumed me, exhausted me. But still, through all this darkness I can say that God is STILL and ALWAYS good. It blows my mind that when he created me, he created me for this exact moment. And I am perfectly made and perfectly His. What an unbelievable fact!!! Pslam 139 says "I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made". God made my laugh, my big smile, my brain that is capable of (thankfully) comprehending pre-calculus and my legs that are strong enough to carry me on my hour-long run yesterday (best run ever- so far- 5.66 miles!). He made my heart that yearns for adventure and that aches with desire for orphans of Uganda and India and all across the globe. And the most beautiful this is that he has placed in my heart a small compass that always turns back to him. So even in hard times, in stressful times, in lonely times, I will praise his name and sing "My God How Great Thou Art!"

If you have not heard this wonderful hymn that always pulls my heart strings, go find it and LISTEN. And praise His name.

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great thou art, 

How great thou art.

This Is the Stuff

Life lately has been interesting. Mostly, I've just felt REALLY stressed. Have you ever had that little pit of anxiety that sits in your stomach and weighs on your chest and you just have that feeling. The feeling that the stress will grow. And consume you. Absolutely swallow you whole. Just one gulp is all it will take because you're just so small and helpless. With school, trying to figure out college and scholarship stuff, and my "motherly" nature (trying to fix everyone else and help everyone else) I feel less than paper thin. But through that I can still see that God is good. And he's using this time for a reason, whatever that reason is.

"The LORD your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love and rejoice over you with singing." Zepheniah 3:17

What to Write About...

Today was a half day at school and I promised myself that I would blog today (See, I'm actually trying to make it a priority). But as I sit at the computer with a stomach full of BlueCoast Burrito, my mind falls short in the creative category. On most of my favorite blogs (see Here. Here. and Here.) there are some sort of "Favorite Things" Posts. So here are 10 things I love at the moment...

Ten Things I Love...

1. I am obsessed with all of Emma Leonard's artwork. Magnificent.

2. This reminder that sometimes life is actually as beautiful as I dream it to be

3. Moments like this one.

4. Let's get a {pretty little coral} trailer.."

5. I just love floral!!

5. My heart cries JOY for this picture..

Isaiah 61

6. Can I have handwriting like this please???

7. I'm seriously in love with these books.. Like my heart beats faster every time I look at them.

8. This beautiful pattern (Floral, again, I know)

9. This Hair (see how to here.)

10. This video by the wonderful Drew and Ellie Holcomb (Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors)

It makes my heart HAPPY.

Starting Over

I've wanted to be a blogger for a long time, believe me I've tried. So I felt like I needed a fresh start- a blank canvas. This is my last year of high school and soon I will be moving onto college and then wherever God takes me. Am I nervous? Nervous is an understatement. All I can do though is pray and rest assured that God has already made a place for me at a college, He's already laid out a husband for me, an occupation for me and many blessing, as well as trials, for me. I am some what of a control freak. I hate feeling out of control but God is teaching me that his plans are far better than mine and I can have faith that he has a plan to give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). So I am trying to break my grip on the steering wheel and enjoy life as God takes the driver's seat. So here goes nothing..

Enjoy the ride.

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14