What Does it Really Cost?

All these things cost about $8.00:

1. 2 Grande Coffee Frappuccinos with whip and caramel drizzle
2. Steak 'n Shake's "Steak 'n Shake" meal
3. 7 things at Dollar Tree
4. 1 bottle of nail polish at Target
5. Multivitamins at CVS
6. Charmin © paper towels (12 pack) with a coupon
7. Chicken Nugget meal at Chick-fil-a
8. 2 Twelve packs of Dr. Pepper
9. 2 Tank tops from Walmart
10. 3 boxes of Special K Cereal ™

How many of us buy the things listed above?

Well, honestly I can say that I am a "tight-wad" so I don't think I'd buy a bottle of nail polish for that much, but that's pretty normal for a really good polish. The rest of the things on this list I buy pretty regularly (except the tank tops, even though occasionally I do). My question to myself was…

If I just gave up buying one of the things one time, would it effect me? The answer…

No, I could easily give up buying one of these without it really effecting me in any capacity at all. 

So, why do I ask this question? Because, $7.77 will buy clean water for one person for 30 years.

30 YEARS

We spend that much on 2 cases of 24 bottles of clean drinking water a month or every two weeks, or every week. Whatever that is for your family, lots and lots of us do it, right? But there is a place on this earth in 2014 (which is crazy to me) where people don't have clean drinking water, people don't have clean water to bathe in, people don't have clean water to cook with, or fill up their personal swimming pools, or ponds or fountains, or bird baths, or washing machines, or toilets, etc. I just keep thinking of all the ways that we use water. I keep thinking of all the ways that we WASTE water! And then, there are people around this planet that don't have any to even drink. And we can live with that? We do though, every day it's as if when it's "out of sight, it's out of mind" I am praying that I never get that way about wanting to help these people. 

Sower of Seeds (@sowerofseeds) is a ministry dedicated to helping these people and people sold and enslaved to human trafficking. I urge every single person that reads this to click here and go donate $7.77 (seriously that is nothing for many people) and skip Starbucks tomorrow, and be glad that you did because your one coffee just provided one person water to drink. Huh, kind of a strange thought that they probably haven't ever even had a cup of coffee, and are we willing to give up just one cup?

After you've donated about $8.00 start PRAYING FOR THESE PEOPLE AND THIS MINISTRY

Christmas Eve Gift!

Happy Christmas Eve Day! 

Every year our family plays this game. I am guessing back in the old days there was a prize for whoever won. My PawPaw used to tell me the prize was a Yankee Dime (kiss). I don't think it has a name it's just "Christmas Eve Gift" Whoever tells each other that first on Christmas Eve wins. Hmmm…it doesn't sound just extremely fun, but I promise, it is. I think it's because we don't get to see or talk to each other much during the holidays because it's so stinking busy, but it is another excuse to text your cousins and without saying "I love you" implying it. I love Christmas Eve Gift. Libby beat me to it this year, but she only got a few people and I beat her to the rest. We are night owls, so the last few years I have text most of my cousins probably before they were asleep and then awoke to texts back. That's a good Christmas Eve morning. I hope it is for them too. It's one of my favorite traditions!

I am so blessed by all of my cousins it's crazy to think that God has blessed our family so much and sometimes I even wonder why. I actually struggle with that sometimes. Why is He so good to us and there are others suffering or hurting, etc., but I guess the cool part of that is God has given all(I can safely say all of us) of us a passion and heart for those who are suffering and hurting and those who don't know Him and that He can and will meet all of the needs of His children. He is so good to us! I am overwhelmed thinking today about our precious King, Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ this morning! I am so incredibly grateful!

Thankful Thursday: Little Leo

First, I want to apologize for not posting a Pin-Wednesday yesterday. It has been a crazy two weeks. Today I am so thankful for my little Leo. He had the worst Sunday I could imagine. I had to be gone pretty much all day, and when I came home I just had a horrible feeling about him. It was the weirdest thing ever. I opened the door and I didn't see him in his normal spot looking for me when I come home. I told myself not to panic and went to open the back door. No Leo. So I hopped out the door as fast as I could hollering for him as loud as I could. I couldn't hardly see anything because of the shadows from the trees. I saw that the fence had been pushed down and there was a gap that he'd torn up under my house that hadn't been there that morning. My first thought was that he had gotten out and ran away or something. Then I saw his little feet and the wire hanging over the fence. I screamed ( it was the most high pitch scared to death, bloody murder scream I have ever let out) as if I had just seen a dead person. I thought when I got closer to him I was going to see him strangled in the wire. My whole heart sank and I think from the shock my whole body went numb and I ran as fast as I could to him ( I wasn't even supposed to be walking on my foot) When I got to him I realized that he had broken part of the fence and gotten his little leg caught in the wires on the other side of the fence. He was sitting upright with that front leg sticking straight out. I went and got him untangled and he was limping on it like he had no feeling in that leg. I was hysterically crying this entire time, screaming as loud as I could hoping someone in my family could hear me, and thinking how absolutely awful all of it was.

Now, since getting him to the vet and after learning that he had nerve damage on his leg we are going through with some treatment options. I am sad that he has to be in a cast for 6 weeks and that we have some big decisions to make for him in the near future, but I am praying God heals him and he gets his little leg's nerves back. I am just so thankful that it was only his leg that got caught in the wires. I am thankful that he is still here and still being as ornery and as cute as ever.

Our First Wedding Shower

I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am to all of the ladies at Paramount for all their hard work in throwing a wonderful shower for Caleb and I. Mary had told me how sweet and loving each of the ladies were, but to actually get to meet them and talk to them and realize that she was not exaggerating even a tiny bit, was such an incredible blessing. I just got done texting his sister telling her how it went, and honestly it's hard to put into words. I could go into detail about all the "stuff" we got which was all much appreciated and needed, but more than that I think Caleb and I would be in agreement that it was just a total blessing. I was overwhelmed at all the ladies.

You know, I may sound awful for saying this, but I am just going to be honest. Most of the time at wedding showers, people bring gifts, that's what the showers are for, and it is more of "the thing to do," so we all (yes I am including myself in that, "all") just bring gifts to bring them because that is what you do. At the shower today though, I think the difference was that these ladies didn't just bring gifts to give "because it is what you do at a shower," they brought gifts and/or came up for the shower, because they are truly lovers of people. They love as if it were Christ loving through each and every one of them. I told Krissie tonight, that I could just tell the sweet presence of the Lord was present today. In all of their kind words, their gifts, and their love and prayers. I can't even tell you how many cards wished us blessings and said how the people giving the gifts were praying for us. How incredible to know that all these sweet ladies that have true kind hearts and such servant hearts are praying for us and our marriage. One card said they were praying for us in our unity. I thought that was such a cool picture and reminder of what we are doing. We are becoming unified in Christ together to serve as one for His kingdom, and all of these amazing and wonderful ladies have played a huge role in blessing us and giving out of their kind, sweet, and servant hearts. I was overwhelmed by each and every one of them.

After we left, Caleb was so awesome. I think I talked his ear off the entire way home, and he was tired and ready to be done driving, but he was so patient with me and let me talk out some things that had been on my mind. Let's just say these weren't things that are on a man's Top 10 things to talk about on a long drive home when he's tired. I would venture to say that a few things would be put on a man's Top 10 things to avoid conversation about at all times, rearranging furniture, organizing the kitchen, craft stuff, etc. Have I said that I am thankful for him before? (0; God has blessed me so much I don't even understand His goodness towards me, but I sure am thankful. I am thankful He has blessed me with all of the sweet, serving, prayer warrior ladies today, an amazing new family, my handsome, patient and loving fiancé, and my family who I came home to tonight. God is so so good! I can't even begin to explain my thankfulness.

Blurry )0:

Pin-chilladas, Shane & Shane, Worship Through Song, & A Lot of JESUS

Last night, we had Shane and Shane come to Weatherford to do a concert, and what a blessing they were! 

I started off the day being a little bit more focused on a Blizzard, they are buy 1 get one for 99 cents right now. I called Libby after I had my quiet time and asked her if she wanted to go to DQ.  Then I talked to my wonderful boyfriend who said nothing about the concert, honestly at this moment I don't even remember what we talked about yesterday morning. After we got home I called Caleb to ask who know's what and that's when it hit me, "The concert is tonight!" Which I knew, but had forgotten until that moment and immediately went into "crazy-mode."

I had planned to do fajita's for dinner, but I didn't have time to defrost all the meat and didn't have all the stuff I needed at the ranch, which meant I had to go to the store. So, I decided if I had to get groceries anyways, I was going to make something else because honestly, fajita's get old. Out here they do anyway. I played around on Pinterest for a while and finally found a recipe I liked. I wrote down the ingredients, packed the ice chest, and got ready to go.

We stopped at the church so I could get money from Caleb and then headed to the store. Fellipe decided to go with us. It was his first grocery store experience in America and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. So, it was probably awful. He was extremely helpful though and I appreciated him going with us! We got all the ingredients that the enchiladas called for (a few that I added to it) and snacks for the "Green Room" and the "Volunteer Lounge."

Libby convinced me that we needed to stop by Starbucks because Fellipe had never had iced coffee before and she thought he needed to try an iced white mocha with no whip. I also tried it. NOT A FAN! I'll stick to asking for surprise drinks.

We got back to the church and I went on a rampage to get everything done. Rebekah helped me, and had she not been willing to do everything with me. It would have been an epic fail! I was so so thankful that she asked to help! We got everything set up just in time. Shane and Shane were a tad bit late and I was so thankful for that too! The Lord just worked it all out, in perfect timing. Seriously though, we brought dinner up right as they were walking in.

During the concert one of the Shane's shared some of what the Lord has laid on his heart recently and it was just some good solid we are sinners but Jesus is so wonderful to love us and pursue us awesome truth! He spoke these verses over us and just shared some testimony about what they meant to him,

"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal,invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:15-17 

He talked about how he sees daily that the Lord's perfect patience is shown and as well, it should be in all of our lives. They were such a blessing to hear from last night. I know this might sound dumb and some of you may not understand, but for part of the concert I got to sit (and stand) next to Caleb during our worshipping through song (I say through song, because I believe worship should be our lives Romans 12:1-2 are great scriptures to read to remind yourself of that, I know I have to daily). It's different when he leads worship and he's on stage and while we are still worshipping together, it was just different tonight. To be standing with him and freely giving thanks and praise and honor and ALL the glory to God in all of it, with him, because I know without any doubt that he desires and was in that moment desiring to glorify God it was just kind of awesome, and different. I was thankful for that time last night to be able to worship together. The Spirit was heavy and moving last night, I am praying that He continues His wonderful work in all the people who attended the concert last night. 

God is so so so so so good to us. He not only gave His son as a good, pleasing, and perfect sacrifice for the atonement of our sins, but He daily works in our lives because He desires to show us His unchangeable purpose in our lives (Hebrews 6). He promises us an abundant life and tells us that He will continue His work, in fact, He will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1). He works all things for the good of those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8). I am overwhelmed at the blessings I have received today. God is so good! As Keagan would say, "God is good! All the time, God is good!"

"When Life Feels Like A Taylor Swift Song…"

Crown of Beauty Magazine recently published their first book called, "When Life Feels Like a Taylor Swift Song, A Girl's Guide to Boys." As if their is ever a guide to boys, right? Well, this book is pretty close. It is geared toward pre-teen and teenage girls, however I recommend it to all women.

For me, I spend a lot of time with the college ladies and would love for them to read it too! Whether it's for ourselves as just a refresher course on what it was like to be in that stage of life, or a lesson to be learned now, it is a great read. It is helpful, honest, and speaks truth. It talks about filling our lives with Jesus and not relying on a boy to fill our lives. It gives girls and women alike realistic ways to put in to practice, and learn what a relationship with Christ looks like. Even for women in relationships or married, it's a good reminder for us that aren't in that teen stage anymore that your husband or your boyfriend doesn't and shouldn't ever take the role of Jesus in your life. While we know that, it's always good to refresh that in our minds.

Parents, I recommend that you get this for your daughter. I'm not suggesting that as a parent you buy this book to take the place of your teaching in her life, especially on the subject of boys, but sometimes when things come from a friend, another relative, a book, a magazine, or another place than "our parents" it sinks in a little more, or just reinforces what you are trying to teach them.

The book is encouraging and it leaves you with a desire to spend more time with the Lord and work at your relationship with God before any other. Aside from the book and it's greatness, the price can't be beat. It's only $4.99 and can be found here.

Thankful Thursday: Other Bloggers

Yesterday and today, I have been writing up a storm! However, none of that has been blog related, and for me makes me quite sad. However, in being so busy writing papers for school, I have been so encouraged by other bloggers.

I have been pretty bummed this week that I haven't gotten any articles done for my blog and I have been receiving encouraging emails and messages from quite a few of you!
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you if I haven't already and tell you how much it really has encouraged me this week. I am so thankful for you kind words and sweet emails. You have been a blessing to me this week.

I could name you all out, but then I would be afraid that I'd forget someone and I REALLY DON'T want to do that! You know who you are though. I am so thankful for each of you. I am really thankful that there is an entire community of bloggers that since I have started this journey blogging I have felt so welcomed into, so to all of you I am thankful for that too!

I am praying that you all have such a blessed day and weekend! I can't wait to get home on Monday and read about all of your weekend adventures and catch up with some of you!

Thankful Thursday: Choir, College Studnts, Unity, Jesus!

I'm sure I have done a post about the Word before, so I won't spend too much time talking about it, but seriously, IT'S SO GOOD! I was just thinking last night in choir, people make comments all the time about our choir about the true worship that happens as we stand up on those risers in front of everyone. People comment about how the Lord uses all of us and that we truly lead worship. I began thinking last night during practice about how much different it is to actually spend time with people who love the Lord and spend time in the Word, and that give their whole hearts not just in song, but through song to the Lord. It makes such a difference when I'm spending time in the Word and then I hear the songs we sing. The truth in some of them is like singing a devotional or something. I love and am thankful for our choir. We are so blessed and I hope that I never take that for granted. God has truly put His hand on us. I think about things as a choir we have been through. It's crazy how the Spirit moves and works and makes us all united. I can remember last year there was just a season of pain and hurt for some and just a heaviness that surrounded us, but we praised our wonderful Savior and God together every Wednesday and every Sunday. We have had some awesome times of joy and peace and excitement too! The Spirit moved in all of us and He was faithful in both times. We sing a song, we actually just did it last Sunday and the words that run though my head all the time are, "Even in the valley God is good, even in the valley He is faithful and true. He carries His children through like He said He would, ever in the valley God is good!" We have been in valleys and on mountain tops as a whole as a body unified and drawn together by Jesus, and it is amazing to be a part of. All of it to the glory of God!

Then we have the college group, I never imagined a group like that! College students sold out for the Lord. College students that homework, studying, etc. they make time to come together on Tuesday nights and worship and fellowship and pray and spend time learning and growing and being the body of Christ. Lifting each other up, bearing in each others burdens, and loving each other regardless of a background or a past or in some cases a present. Students who accept each other right where they are at. I have been amazed lately by the girls especially. There is always drama when you get a group of girls together (it's like inevitable, right?) but in the midst of girl junk and drama. They all seek to glorify God and to do what the Lord would call them to do. They are willing to be called out in areas that they aren't doing right in (I admire that in them, I fail at that sometimes, who am I kidding most of the time). Just last night I got a phone call at 12:32 a.m. from one of the girls because of some junk that we are all kind of going through right now. But it wasn't a phone call to gossip, it was a phone call because she was genuinely concerned and wanted to act according to the Word and ask if she had been in the wrong. She just wanted to glorify God through her actions and reactions towards others and ask how to do that in this particular situation. I don't know if any of the rest of you think that's cool, but I'm just saying college girl drama situations that they want to give to God and allow Him to work through and make them more like Him, that is pretty stinking cool!

I just love both of these groups of people and parts of the Body of Christ. I am truly blessed beyond what I could ever imagine, just getting to be a part of them. I am thankful for the unity through the Spirit that we have and I am thankful for the true worship that I am humbled to be a part of that happens when wonderful people who's goal is to bring His name glory and make Him famous come together. It changes things. I think it's why people make comments about the groups so much. When people who truly love the Lord get together to bring praise and honor and glory to Him and love each other and care and bear with one another in our burdens and in our joys, it's noticeable. The coolest part though is not even that, it's that if you were to ask any of those people about it. They would tell you the most honest and genuine answer which is simply that it is all because of Jesus! It isn't us, but it is Him and it is His Holy Spirit moving and working through lots and lots of submissive and open vessels to and for and through Him and His glory.

So, that's what I am thankful for today, two wonderful groups of people, two wonderful parts of the Body of Christ, that spend time with Him and in His Word and then come together with a common goal and purpose to bring glory to His matchless name. Ah! I am humbled and blessed and in awe that I even get to know this joy here on earth. God is so good!

Empty Words

Sometimes my brother and I like to have spontaneous jam sessions. He busts out the guitar and I bust out into a prayer through song. Here is one that we had recorded on our phones just in case any good song lyrics were to come out of the spontaneity. This time, just a prayer that I pray constantly:

Lord, I come to You

Heal my heart and make me new

Lord I want to worship You

With everything I say 

With everything I do 

Don't let these be empty words

Don't let my heart grow weary

but when it does and if I do 

I will remain in the state of praising You

My God I will praise You

Through the hard times and through the pain

through all my tears you bring the rain

and put a smile on this humbled face

thank you Jesus

Don't let these be empty words

I wanna praise You

I wanna praise You

God, You are the maker of all things new

& You are working to make me whole in You

Jesus come be my words*

Jesus come be my actions*

Please don't let anything I say 

Be empty words but use me everyday

in every way in every single thing I say

Jesus use me, make useful to 

the Kingdom of our God and Savior

Kingdom of our Lord 

Thank You Jesus that I'm an heir of yours

One day coming to live with You

In my home where there's no more empty words

Jesus make me whole in You

Clean my heart, clean my mind, clean my soul

Don't let me use any empty words

But only praise You in everything I do

Absolutely everything I do

Use me Jesus

Work through me 

Use me God

to further Your love.

Comforting scripture about His timing:   Acts 1:6-8

So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring Israel?"
He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs[1] which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

*I changed a few words as I have listened again, and written it out as a daily prayer of mine. Side note, I love rain and we were outside on the porch swing (in the middle of a kind of rough day) I prayed on my way over to the swing that the Lord would just bring something wonderful to that day…and rain! (0: He is so good to provide for our every need and in just the perfect timing. His timing which is fixed by His authority. Isn't that just so wonderful! (0:


[1] epochs:> seasons

Want to listen? Click here.