the little things.

one of the healthiest things to do, to kindle your love for your Creator, and just to keep you sane, is to remember God's blessings. not in the cliche, "count your blessings" way, but to actually recall the ways that God has recently pursued you on an individual level. God knows my heart and the things that make it swell with joy & sigh with peace... and now that i am sitting and actually have time to reflect, i am rejoicing over numerous kisses from heaven that i have received:


*a starry summer night...there is something about summer nights that i love
*the smell of fresh laundry
*gorgeous evening skies complete with pinks, purples, oranges & marshmallow clouds
*the baby rabbit that stood just feet outside my back door and stared at my cousin, sister, and i as we set the table for dinner...he stood there for a good five minutes...he was so cute and tiny.
*handwritten letters
*the inspiration and wisdom of a nine year old
*the words that i need being spoken to me


He knows just what i need...He is the true lover of my soul. it's the little things, people. 

twirl.

oh how i love being a girl. 

photos via pinterest 

innocence, beauty & strength.

-rhianna “S&M”

Feels so good being bad (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

There's no way I'm turning back (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

Now the pain is my pleasure cause nothing could measure (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

Love is great, love is fine (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

Out the box, outta line (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

The affliction of the feeling leaves me wanting more (Oh oh oh oh oh) 

Cause I may be bad, but I'm perfectly good at it 

Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it 

Sticks and stones may break my bones 

But chains and whips excite me 

i have so much i want to say, but have no idea where to begin. all i know is that my heart is burdened. i heard rhianna's "s&m" song last night, and although i have heard it several times before, it makes me angry and extremely sad every time it comes on. it is easy to become desensitized to things in the media, but i absolutely refuse to become desensitized to anything that condones the very things my Savior had to die for. 


there is no doubt that there is an attack on purity, for women in particular, in our culture. look at the lyrics above, one of the top songs right now. Satan has led our culture to believe that purity and innocence is stuffy and prudish, not beautiful and attractive. instead, he has us believing that the rebellious women are the attractive ones. and it's the song lyrics we listen or sing along to, the movies we watch, and the magazines we read that not only glorify rebellion and the loss of innocence, but desensitize us to the fact that rebellion is the reason why Jesus had to atone us for our sins...rebellion is why Jesus went to the cross and suffered. 


this has been on my heart for awhile, and i ended up finding this article last night on "fighting for innocence."  i loved how it cleared up the misconceptions between being naive and being innocent. to be naive means to have never had any temptations or opportunities to sin. to be innocent means to have had all the opportunities, but to have remained strong and to have stood firm against the temptations. therefore, to be innocent certainly isn't to be naive. innocence is something that must be fought for. to be innocent is to be strong. 


why must we fight for innocence? because the loss of innocence is why everything is so messed up. it's why little girls and women are enslaved in the sex trafficking industry. it's why men are addicted to pornography. it's why the divorce rate is the highest it's ever been. it's why the shorts in the stores are getting shorter and shorter every summer. it's why Abercrombie Kids is selling padded, push-up bikini tops to little girls. and we just accept all of this... 


we have to fight for innocence so we can fight for our little sisters, daughters, nieces, and friends. we also have to fight for innocence because we are the Bride and Jesus will return for a pure Bride. to care about my innocence is to care about my sisters' in Christ innocence if we are one Bride. we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (romans 12:1-2) to what is truly beautiful and attractive in a woman. 

Darkness mars the spectacular beauty of light. It turns white swans into messed-up, crippled, ugly ducklings. No woman is as dazzlingly attractive as the one who turns her back on darkness and passionately embraces the light. -Mary Kassian

what do i know of Holy?

there are two things i must share. 


one: i meant to let you all know forever ago, but here is the link to the other girls' hospitality posts from natalie's series on "seeking to show hospitality." there are lots of good wisdom and helpful tips in those posts! 


two: i have to share this song with you. i heard it for the first time tonight during worship and the lyrics are so humbling. i don't know anything but a glimpse of holiness, but i want to know it and be holy like Jesus!

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

(CHORUS 2)
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

aloe, chinese takeout, and a good book.

i might as well be taking a bath in a tub full of aloe. 


that's what i feel like doing right now.


yesterday i thought it'd be a good idea to lay out at the pool "just for a little bit." well a little bit turned into two hours, and this is a lot of sun for someone who hasn't gotten any in nine months. and so i look like a lobster. all over. except for my face because luckily my face lotion has spf 15 in it. but clearly i missed a spot when applying it as there is a streak of red down my nose.


so today has been all about soaking in aloe, eating chinese takeout, and reading "as sure as the dawn" by francine rivers. it's the third book in her mark of the lion series and i can't put it down. it's been awhile since ive been really into a book so i am excited. i am hoping my burn will fade before i go into work here in a hour, but that's doubtful :)


have a fantastic day everyone and wear sunscreen.