advent conspiracy

i have a confession. something that's been weighing on my heart for about a year now. i have an addiction. one i'm not proud of. an addiction to stuff. i'd really like to re-say that. i think the more appropriate way of saying that statement would be "an addiction to shit." pardon my french. but it's true! it's all just crap! i won't be able to take any of it with me. none of it is eternal. it's just junk that accumulates in my house, more like my closet. the problem is....i like so many different kinds of things, so many different styles. but i don't need any of it. but i still buy it. i get a little rush when i buy it, but the feeling doesn't last. i feel empty just a few minutes later. and the funny thing about it is, when i GIVE the feeling lasts a lot longer. i actually LOVE giving. but i just don't think of doing it very often. my friend kristin mentioned the advent conspiracy to me yesterday. i really liked what i heard. and then today i got an email from my cousin tori with the advent conspiracy you tube video. what a cool message. and a good reminder!

every year my family struggles to figure out what we should get each other. the problem is we're mostly all on our own now. so when there's something we want, we usually just go out and get it for ourselves. and the stuff that we don't go out and get ourselves is expensive stuff that our family probably wouldn't buy for us either. we end up spending so much money buying a gift for each person and it's all just dumb stuff. something just to give eachother. so this year before thanksgiving we started racking our brains thinking of something we could do different. gift cards for each other? draw names? a price limit? what? we decided that instead of buying gifts for eachother - when we already have WAY more than we could ever want or need - we would find a family in need and shop for them this year. i am so excited about this for so many reasons. 1) i love to give. 2) i'm looking forward to the bonding time with my family, going out and getting needs and surprises for another family and wrapping them up together. 3) because christmas was sometimes a struggle for my mom (a single working mom) and if it weren't for the friends and family around us who helped support us it would have been WAY more difficult.

so we decided that it was my mom's job to go out and find a family in need. she found one, and they happily accepted our offer. i can't wait!

i think my biggest goal and focus for 2009 is going to be to focus less on materialism and more on my creator. all these wants have started to become a distraction in my walk with god. i want to buy less and spend more time and resources that will bring him glory.

watch the video above. and think about it. what can you do differently this year? to spend more time with your family, less money on the things that are unnecessary and give more to those in need?

[worship fully] [spend less] [give more] [love all]

xoxo,

(ah)

thankful

i was driving in the car the other day...listening to the music, which brought me to thoughts of how thankful i am for the life god has given me! for all the challenges he has allowed me to go through, for the way he has molded me, and for all the blessings he has given me.

i was laying on the floor in a circle with all of the girls from my small group the other day. discussing faith, and the different thoughts that popped into each of our heads. each of us at one point or another that night, laying in our circle mentioned how thankful we were for "this!" that moment. that connection. that encouragement. that feeling. that worship and praise to god. that closeness. all of that!

what are you thankful for?

i'm thankful for a loving god. for his grace and his mercy in my life. his provision over my life. i'm thankful for spring green and autumn orange. for the golden wheat and bright spring flowers. for the changing seasons. i'm thankful for the crisp air, for the sparkle in the snow and the way the ocean waters glitter. i'm thankful for my family. all of my sisters and my brothers. for long walks with my sisters. and the playful punches from my brothers. thankful for my parents. for my dad's recovery and for my renewed relationship with my mom. i'm thankful for god's faithfulness. for his timing. i'm thankful for my in-laws and for their son who is such a gift to me. for the way they raised him to be a loving- godly man. i'm thankful for my neices and nephews. for their energy and their giggles and bright smiles. i love to hear their voices on my voicemail and to feel their hugs after months of not seeing them. i'm thankful for my friends. for our connections. for the openness we share. for the ways they challenge me. i'm thankful for my husband. and the amazing man that he is! i'm thankful for his desire to follow god and the direction he leads us in our life. i'm thankful for the way he loves me. for his tenderness. for his gentle correction when necessary. for his encouragement. for our connection. i'm thankful for long walks on cool evenings. for the smell of a bonfire on a cold evening. for hard runs that make me sweat. for music that moves my soul. for the rides on my bike that give me a rush! i'm thankful for adrenaline and the way it pumps through my veins. for my church and for the word that inspires and motivates me. i'm thankful for my camera. for the emotion that god allows me to capture through my lens. for the excitement it brings to my insides. i'm thankful for art. for creating. for inspiration. i'm thankful for good food. for baking and cooking. for entertaining friends. i'm thankful for front porches to sit on with my girlfriend and drink sweet tea on a hot summer day while watching her kids play. i'm thankful for color. i'm thankful for the blue in the sky. i'm thankful for breath. for life. for my life, right here - right now.


xoxo,
(ah)

every three seconds

every three seconds a child under the age of 5 dies from poverty-related causes.

is that statistic upsetting? it should be!

i've talked about my experience at catalyst several times, but i have one more thing to say about it. we had the opportunity to hear a compassion girl speak at the conference and it was really eye opening. so often you see the stands to adopt a child at different concerts or conventions, but often times if you are a tad bit skeptical like i can be, you keep walking. not this time. not for me.
but that changed when i had the opportunity to hear a compassion child speak at catalyst. when i heard how her life had changed as a compassion child. she's in college now. and she shared with us how the financial support she received as a child helped her get to where she's at today. but she also shared that one of the most important parts of her journey as a compassion child was the loving letters she received from her sponsor. telling her that she is beautiful and smart and that the lord loves her! these were things that this girl had never heard before. in fact, she heard quite the contrary every day. people told her she was ugly and that she was going to be a druggie just like her dad some day. and she believed it. until she was sponsored and compassion was able to support her financially, provide her with an education and medicine, and teach her about the lord and his love for her and about the hope she can have in this world.

after i heard her spoke i was walking around several different booths with my husband networking with other organizations for Ps20. and then we came across the compassion international booth. i asked him if we could please adopt a little girl. he said "sure!" so we stood in line to look at all the adorable little kids. while standing in line i got the opportunity to meet the compassion girl who spoke. she was so sweet! we exchanged hugs and i of course got watery eyes when i was talking to her, thanking her for being willing to share her story! it was a great moment.

you too can make a difference in a child's life. it's only $32 bucks a month. do the math. that's just over $1 a day. think of all the money you spend on random different things, like.....oh say starbucks?

i am so excited to start exchanging letters with my sweet little kenyan girl! i can't wait to send her family a gift at christmas time, and her something special on her birthday. the gifts have to be monetary, but compassion helps the families with their gifts. and i especially can't wait for her to learn more about my savior and hers too! i can't wait to start telling her how beautiful and smart she is. i can't wait for her life to be changed, forever!
i hope i'll get to go to kenya someday and meet her.
that'd be awesome!

go adopt a child!
and if you do.....let me know!

hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,
(ah)

give me your eyes....

i love this song right now!
i heard it on the radio the other day and it got me!

please go watch the music video on youtube! it's really good. and just reading the lyrics doesn't do it justice.

by brandon heath.
give me your eyes for just one second
give me your eyes so i can see
everything that i keep missing
give me your love for humanity
give me your arms for the broken hearted
the ones that are far beyond my reach
give me your heart for the once forgotten
step out on a busy street
see a girl and our eyes meet
does her best to smile at me
to hide whats underneath
theres a man just to her right
black suit and a bright red tie
too ashamed to tell his wife
hes out of work
hes buying timeall those people going somewhere?
why have I never cared?

give me your eyes for just one second
give me your eyes so i can see
everything that i keep missing
give me your love for humanity
give me your arms for the broken hearted
the ones that are far beyond my reach
give me your heart for the once forgotten
i've Been there a million times
a couple of million eyesjust move and pass me by
i swear i never thought that i was wrong
well i want a second glance
so give me a second chance
to see the way you see the people all alone

the album is titled, “what if we” — a powerful question in and of itself. this song in particular deals with the question of “what if we looked at the world through god’s eyes?” brandon wrote this song after being in a crowded airport and being struck by all the lives represented around him in the madness and chaos of the airport.
that lesson is so universal… each day as we go through our routine, we all cross paths with so many people. but how often do we stop to think of those people, to pray for them, to reach out to them, to meet them where they are… to even care about them? we get so wrapped up in our own lives and our own routines that we forget to really see the world around us.
i challenge you (myself included, of course!), for the rest of this week, we have no idea what is going on in their lives. try not to be judgemental. look through everyone, into their lives and what might really be going on inside that hard shell. give everyone an extra measure of grace. i saw this quote the other day.





"be kind. everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." (john watson)



this is kind of my prayer right now.
i've been thinking lot about how i'm just here, and how i don't do anything to
physically serve god and others very often. i've been really interested in slave trade and sex trafficking over the past year and wanted to try to start serving with innocence atlanta, but i just let my schedule and my selfishness take over.
then i went to a conference - catalyst, and i got to see the african children's choir perform. it was amazing to say the least. jeff foxworthy shared some entries from his journal while he was in africa, it really impacted me. i would love to go to africa. i would love to have my eyes opened and my mind enlightened even more!!
i've been trying to think of a way that i can incorporate my photography into some sort of service or worship to him lately. i've had a few people contact me about missions trips that they are going on and they've asked me if i would be willing to join their team to document their experiences with my camera. wow! what an awesome gift that would be! i'd love to incorporate those two - photography and missions!



please say a few prayers this week for my three friends who will be journeying to kenya.


kristin, nathanael, and amber.


i'll be praying for you guys. i can't wait to see your pictures and hear how god has changed you!


xoxo,
(ah)

i think i'm good

i think i'm good. i really do. sometimes i compare myself. i'm embarrased to even say it! who am i? who am i to think i'm good enough? to the point of my own detriment, to the point of taking Him for granted. the fact that i think i'm good, is perfect proof that i need Him, and that i'm really not that good. not even close!
there's a woman in the bible whom i wish my faith was as strong. my confidence was as strong. my passion, as strong. she was a harlot. but she understood the gift! she wasn't good, and she knew it. she didn't consider herself to be good. but she knew she didn't have to, because she knew christ and the "good" that he had given her. she embraced his gift to her. and sh accepted it freely. i hate to admit it but i'm afraid i might depict the person more of simon in this story in luke. that's not who i want to be. and that's not how i want to approach my savior or anyone else who is worthy of the savior. because i don't want to think that i'm good enough. too good for a gift. i have a lot to be thankful for. a lot of things i've done wrong. a lot of failures. i'm not perfect. i am forgiven and i want to have an attitude of gratefulness, rather than an attitude of "well, at least i'm not doing that." i think i'm guilty of comparing myself to others. but instead i should be comparing myself to christ. that'll give me a wake up call.

luke 7:36-48 (the message)
one of the pharisees asked him over for a meal. he went to the pharisee's house and sat down at the dinner table. just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that jesus was a guest in the home of the pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. when the pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "if this man was the prophet i thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him."
jesus said to him, "simon, i have something to tell you."
"oh? tell me."
"two men were in debt to a banker. one owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. which of the two would be more grateful?"
simon answered, "i supposed the one who was forgiven the most."
"that's right," said jesus. then turning to the woman, but speaking to simon, he said, "do you see this woman? i came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. you gave me no greeting, but from the time i arrived she hasn't quit kissing my feet. you provided nothing for freshening up, but she has sooted my feet with perfume. impressive, isn't it? she was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. if the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal."
the he spoke to her: "i forgive your sins."

jeff henderson spoke at our church this week. north point community church. he did such an awesome job! the title of the message series was called illusions. if you'd like to listen to it - click here!
part 2 of the series was about self delusion.
"we can sit in the comfort of our homes as we follow the downward spiral of of celebrities in the media and think to ourselves, "wow, that person is really messed up!" and in doing so, we can be deceived by the illusion of our own goodness. yet when the truth of who you really are meets the truth of who jesus is, you discover the truth that sets you free. free from the illusions of your life. free to pursue god with confidence. free to worship him out of the reality of who we really are."

a few notes from the service:
+ stop depending on your goodness
+ the longer someone is a christian, it seems the less desperate we become for him
+ we are too familiar with the grace of jesus, so much so that we start to take it for granted
+ the illusion is distraction from him, from who we really are, from how bad we really are, from how much we really need him
+ jesus doesn't want a religion with us, but a relationship with us.
+ let's just assume there is a god. if there is, how are you going to find your way to him? it's not by being good. we can't find our way to him by being good.


just some food for thought.
hope you all have a great day!

xoxo,
{ah}