Life in Pics

Mom and I went to the LA fashion district for great fabric finds. 

 Spent the weekend in Murrieta w/a great college friend, Ashlee Martin

 Went to Louisville, Ky for a conference. Got to tour the slugger factory!!

 while in Ky the tornados hit the surrounding area. a couple of us went out and bought supplies and then took them to Henryville, which was only 20 minutes from our hotel.

 I went and "hair modeled" at a salon called "Dry Bar". So cool and fun! loved this lamp!

In honor of National Women's day, the HSM girls went to LA together. Love them so much!

Two Week Mark

Two weeks have flown by since giving up facebook and it has honestly been the most freeing two weeks I have felt in a while. I didn't realize how much drama comes with being connected to facebook and how many conversations start with "did you see _______ on facebook?" Having real life conversations with people over the phone or at a coffee shop is so satisfying verse over online chat! Here are some things I've spent the last two weeks thinking about and doing.

1). The first week of lent I dedicated to the word re:Lent. I spent my times with God focusing on this word and how it was used in the bible and how I can apply it now. I learned that God is relentless. He never gives up. He doesn't chose the easy way out. I learned that relent means to soften in feeling, temper or determination. In the Old Testament God relents towards his people often! His people do things day in and day out that don't honor him and only bring more harm to themselves, but God chooses to soften the blow by showing grace and favor upon them (Isaiah 57:6 is a good example). I learned at the end of the week that I need to soften (relent) my determination and self motivation for some compassion and grace. I get too wrapped up in power through stuff that I forget to let others come along side me so that I can teach them.

2). Week two was re:Pent. This was been the toughest week. It was the toughest to be away from facebook and it was the toughest to be honest with God. We always hear the need to repent and be forgiven of our sins but I often times do not truly repent of everything that is on my heart and in my mind. I try to talk myself out of things that I did that are not pleasing to the Lord. So as I struggled with not logging into facebook as every talked about what students were doing, or pictures posted by friends, I also struggled with fully being honest about things of the past, hurts, healing, and current struggles. I learned that I am selfish about my time and activities to an extent that could be preventing me from things that God desires in my life. I came to face to face with what my desires in life are verse what God's desires for my life are. It was a healing week that I ended up loving by Tuesday night.

3). This week is re:deemed!! excited to share about that later =)

4). Since giving up facebook I have had the best phone conversations with friends. I have sent a couple of letters to people that live out of state! I have read more blogs and finished 2 books (I started them over 6 months ago). I feel more productive and accomplish then I have in a while. It really has been a freeing experience. I also have been involved in way less drama!! I'm not a dramatic person at all...I try to avoid drama at all circumstances, but it seems like knowing every one's business over facebook lends itself to getting involved in unwanted pressures of life =/ But it has been awesome to not be a part of that!!

That's the update for the last 2 weeks!
love ya all
A

Goodbye Facebook. Hello Phone Convos.

Today marks the first day in the 40 days of Lent. I know there are some of you out there that have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, so here is a brief, I mean really brief, summary of what Lent is before I get to the point of this entry;

lent is 40 days of fasting just as Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism (Matt 4:2)

It's a season in the church of simplicity

practiced in most tradiational, orthodox churches

a time of prayer, fasting, and service

from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday

Typically we now see the season of lent being celebrated traditionally by the Catholic and Lutheran churches around the country. Every wednesday from Ash Wednesday (which is today), until Easter, people gather to celebrate and remember the events that took place leading up to the death and ressurection of our Savior. However it is recognized by all denominations. 

It is also extremely common for Christians to give something up during the 40 days. Normally you hear of the child giving up their favorite toy, or someone giving up sweets or soda. However you often don't hear the heart behind their giving. And sometimes they don't even know why they are giving it up.

This lent season I have been inspired by a local church's "theme" to spend the next 40 days focusing on what Christ does for me through lent by using "re:" in front of a certain word each week. Example this week the word is re:lent. God is re:lentless in the way he persues me, invests in me, and loves me. I also have decided to give something up. I normally don't give anything up. My heart is never fully in it, which usually means I'm too selfish and posessive to give up something for that long. I've been really convicted lately though to check my heart and desires about what I'm doing vs what is pleasing to God. So in a flash of a moment God reminded me that it is not about the thing I surrender/give up, it is about my heart behind it. With that said I am giving up....drum roll please....

FACEBOOK!!

Yes that is right, 40 days without facebook. If you know me at all, you know this will be hard. I use facebook for ministry with students (my job). To connect with distant friends and family. I use it to schedule hang out times with friends. Check in and see what my immediate family is doing (they only live 10 minutes away so this is actually aweful when I think about it). I even use it to check up on people that I work with, live with and love to death. It is really sad though that I chose facebook instead of picking up the phone and calling. It is sad that I have to look at someone's status to see that they've had a bad day or that they just made the soccer team. So for the next 40 days I'm going to use the time I spend on facebook to send cards to friends via snailmail. I'll use it to call/text students to see how their day is going. In the wee hours of the night my time will now be spent reading books instead of "news feeds".  Maybe I'll even update this blog more often with some good meaty material and not just random life updates.

If you need me then call, text, email or tweet but don't facebook me.

Love ya all,

A