O God,
let something essential happen to me,
something more than interesting
or entertaining
or thoughtful.
O God,
let something essential happen to me,
something awesome,
something real.
Speak to my condition, Lord,
and change me somewhere inside where it matters…
Let something happen to me
which is my real self, God.
—TED LODER, GUERRILLAS OF GRACE
O God of such truth as sweeps away all lies,
of such grace as shrivels all excuses,
come now to find us
for we have lost our selves
in a shuffle of disguises
and the rattle of empty words.
Let your Spirit move mercifully
to recreate us from the chaos of our lives.
We have been careless
of our days,
our loves,
our gifts,
our chances….
Our prayer is to change, O God,
not out of despair of self
but for love of you,
and for the selves we ling to become
before we simply waste away.
Let your mercy move in and through us now….
Amen.
—TED LODER, MY HEART IN MY MOUTH
—Philippians 4:11
—C. Spurgeon
I recently designed a dress for an engagement shoot. Lauren came to me with a vintage “air force” inspired vision, and we decided to go with something classy and sophisticated. What better than a pencil dress?! A soft yellow glow of color immediately came to mind up against her beautiful light brown skin and hair.
I felt inspired by an old picture of Lauren’s mother back in her prime. What soft simplistic beauty both Lauren and her mother share.
I chose a soft flowy Poly blend fabric for the top, incorporating a boat neckline that tied down the center front.
I then chose to do a high waisted, slender fitting pencil skirt with a high slit up the back for the lower part of the dress. I found the perfect textured poly/wool blend fabric that had soft shades of golden yellows all throughout.
The blouse and skirt came together nicely with a traditional vintage side zipper. Final alterations were made, and then I shipped the dress off to Lauren in LA!
With Lauren’s fiance stationed in California, they decided to have the first part of their engagement shoot at the Channel Isands Air Guard Base. Their awesome photographer, Megan Welker, seemed to capture their old-timey romance inside the hangar among many of the enormous aircrafts. meganwelker.com
I love the ruby red ankle-strap high heels Lauren paired with the dress!
What a strong and beautiful couple, standing firm through the tests and trials military life may often bring.. Truly testifying that LOVE knows no time nor distance.
It was truly a pleasure working with Lauren. I loved her enthusiasm and shared with her in your excitement! A true gem.
The warmth of the sunlight poured in through the back windows this morning. It was beautiful, it felt good, and it was hopeful… but it wasn’t long after and the sun was gone. For some reason today of all days, it hit me!…our back patio area had become overgrown with vines and towering plants. It almost completely canopied our garden in the back.
To be honest, I had been mesmerized by the beauty of the flowering vines and lush green plants covering the entire fence and stairway. I’d been in awe of the beautiful purple, pink, and white blooms. But my love for the blooms caused me to forget the much needed pruning. They had become overwhelmingly out of control, blocking almost all access of the sun to the garden. My plants below were suffering..they had become week and started to wilt. Their source of the sun had been cut off, and they were slowly dying.
I couldn’t help but think of our relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we get a little too mesmerized by the world around us.. we get caught up in our career, our dreams, our desires. It lures us in with its sweet aroma and breathtaking beauty. We watch and are amazed at how quickly it grows and towers over us with strength. We don’t realize that it’s vines have entangled all around us. They have twisted and knotted so thickly around our thinking that we can barely see through. We begin to suffer from lack of sunlight…lack of the source.
You see, what God has in store for you is far more beautiful than what you could ever imagine..but it usually takes some pruning to see. The question is: Are you willing to let God prune your life? Are you willing to let him cut back on some of the areas that are blinding you or keeping you from fully serving Him? It may be difficult and it may be painful…but, my friend, you must learn to see these trials as your Heavenly Father’s loving and gentle hand at work, and not as a cruel punishment. Beauty and joy come after the hard work and labor of tending to the garden. Don’t get frustrated with God today; know that he is working all things for your good. He doesn’t want you to become overgrown with the twisted entanglement of this world, but to live each day in the light of his grace.
One of the plants I trimmed back today was a Bougainvillea. They grow wild all over California’s coast in bright colors of purple, pink, orange, and yellow. As I was cutting at the branches, I noticed that most were pretty skinny and didn’t take too much effort. But then there were a few branches that were extremely thick and strong. I had to grip the trimmers with both hands and pull down to finally tear through the flesh. That’s the same way in our lives. Some branches are just a lot more painful to prune than others. Many times we don’t understand why we have to go through such hardships…but we must remember that God is in control and he is caring for and nurturing his precious garden. Pruning is essential in life…it must take place in order to grow.
Once I had trimmed back everything, discarded of the fallen branches, and swept up all the remaining leaves, I noticed that my arms and hands were covered in bloody cuts and scrapes from all the thorns.
I couldn’t help but think of my sweet Savior. The one who bled for me. I don’t doubt that it hurts him to prune us, I don’t doubt that it hurts his heart to see us go through tough times.. But i know He sees the bigger picture and the ultimate good that comes from it.
Thank the Lord today for the beauty and life made possible through his own wounds and suffering. Ask the Lord to help you trust his goodness through the pruning times in your life. If you fail to see his goodness in the hard times, you will certainly miss out on his goodness in the grace that follows!
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If you haven’t checked out my husband diet blog yet, you should! www.dannsdiet.com
He had to lose weight to help calm his gastritis, and through this diet he was able to lose almost 40 lbs! Now a days, I’m actually working on fattening him up alil;) He fell in love with Nature’s Path Organic Peanut Butter Granola. Well after months of paying $4 for each 11.5 oz box, I decided it was time for me to make something just as yummy from home without the high costs of organic brands.
here’s what you will need :
10 cups of Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1 cup of Sesame Seeds
1 cup of Wheat Germ
2 cups of Peanuts
1 cup of Coconut oil
2 cups of Pure Raw Honey
1/2 tsp. of Sea Salt
1 cup of Cane Sugar
1 cup of Brown Sugar
1/3 cup of water
2 cups of Organic Peanut Butter (Creamy or Crunchy)
1. Shell Peanuts. This takes time, so i typically shell them while Skyping my mom, chatting with mys sisters on speaker phone, or watching a TV show. Muti-tasking is key:)
Preheat oven to 350℉
2. Mix all your dry ingredients (oats, sesame seeds, wheat germ, and peanuts) together in a large bowl. Set that to the side.
3. Place medium sized saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add your Coconut oil and let dissolve, then add all other ingredients (honey, salt, cane sugar, brown sugar, and water) EXCEPT for peanut butter. Heat til dissoved and well blended, stir continually
4. Return to your bowl of dry ingredients and slowly pour the liquid over, mixing thoroughly with a spoon. The liquids will be absorbed and the granola will become darker and shinier.
5. Add Peanut butter to the mix. Stir together thoroughly. Add oats if texture is too runny.
6. Spread the granola in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and stir the granola with a large spatula so that it does not over-brown on the bottom and edges.
7. Return the granola to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet. Letting the granola cool on the baking sheet will retain the clumps.
Store the Granola in an air tight container.
Now all thats left to do is eat and enjoy these yummy clusters of goodness!
Last night I got to attend a Needtobreathe concert on The Reckoning Tour at the Fillmore. I had always loved Needtobreathe’s music, so when my friends told me they were coming to San Francisco I was all in. I appreciated their soulful sound and gospel back ground, being that I’m from Nashville. They grew up in South Carolina where the lead singer, Bear RInehart’s, father was a Pastor. With southern rock in their blood, they incorporate a variety of beautiful sounds with instruments like the harmonica, piano, and slide guitar. I felt somewhat like home when they began to speak with southern draws:) It was refreshing in a big city like SF.
I sang along and swayed to the music. I almost felt like a little highschool student being at a concert.haha I never really went to many growing up. It was alot of fun, but about halfway through…my back began to ache, my knees started to stiffen, and my run down body from years of basketball was telling me to go home!haha
I stood there and listened while they took a break from singing to introduce eachother. They spoke about each member, they spoke about the Filmore, and they spoke about their tour….but I kept waiting to hear something, anything about the Lord. Wasn’t he the whole reason they were there? Wasn’t he the whole reason for their success? A Christian band..playing at a well known secular venue, The Filmore…and they couldn’t even mention Jesus? Given, I know they sang about God the entire time…but what about those who aren’t familiar with the lyrics, what about the unbelievers working the venue, what about the non-Christian friends people brought? What an awesome opportunity God had placed in their hands to tell thousands of people about his precious gift! .
I still love you Needtobreathe..but this deeply saddened me.
Oh, you know…just another regular Monday..another day on the job. Nothing too exciting.
My dad is an electrician..He’s been running his own company for over 25 years now. i like to think of him as a one man show. He drives all over Nashville in his big white truck going into people’s homes and businesses each and every day. But this Monday was different for some reason. He pulled up to the job site at a local business and began talking to the owner. By the end of that time spent there on the job site, my dad is kneeling down with this man, one hand on his shoulder as the guy begins to pray. Right then and their this man confesses to the Lord that he is a sinner, asks for forgiveness, and puts his faith in Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Just another Monday..just another day on the job…and a man’s life and eternity is forever changed.
I am continually challenged by my father. Throughout the years I have been amazed at the number of people my dad has actually stopped, knelt down, and prayed with on the job. He has such a personable way about him, where he doesn’t hesitate to get to know a complete stranger on a deeper level. He talks to them, he actually listens to them, he sympathizes with them, and then he speaks truth to them with no reservation. When I think of my dad, the words Passionate and Unashamed come to mind. He is passionate about the Lord, and not ashamed of it. He speaks as though he has the cure to a disease or the key to a door! Shouldn’t we speak about the Lord and his salvation in the same way?! Are we lacking in enthusiasm? Do people want what we have? …do we even make people think we enjoy what we have?
The truth is as Christians we have this amazing gift of eternal life with Jesus Christ! The hard reality is each and every person we come in contact with throughout the day will either go to heaven or hell when they die. The question is: do you care? I wonder how many people will one day look me straight in the eye and ask: “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” What a sickening feeling that gives me to think about.
Maybe your first problem is that you don’t realize the gift you have. Maybe, its that you just don’t care for others. Stop and ask the Lord to give you a heart for the people around you…not just love them, but see them with an eternal destination. Ask the Lord to reveal his love and mercy to you, that you would truly see it for what it is.
Most of the time, the root of the problem is that we are selfish. We don’t have a heart for people. This truly hurts the Lord to see. His very first commandment was to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind”; and immediately following is to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Loving your neighbor..what does this look like? Maybe it’s actually giving them time out of your day. Maybe its listening to what they have to say.
But all of this is in vain, if we do not speak truth into their lives where needed. We can only do this by being in the Word and becoming familiar with it. We can give people our time, our attention, and even meet their needs…but if we do not share Christ with them, we do not really love them.
Mark 8:38 tells us, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Are you ashamed or embarrassed to share the gospel with someone at your job, school, neighborhood? Are there too many people around?..someone might hear…everyones watching…what will they think?
What if my dad had not shared his faith that Monday..what if he had been ashamed…
So it hadn’t been but a week since my return from Sao Paulo, Brazil…and you’d think I’d be sick of all that Brazilian food I had consumed over the past month. But NO! My mouth still watered for the amazing way they cooked their beans! haha Who knew you could crave beans? I got to try so many different types of food while over there, but somehow I would find myself always going back for seconds with the beans and rice. These are no ordinary beans though! They are a type of black beans that have been slow cooked with all sorts of sausages and beef that fall right off the bone. The black bean color seeps into the rest of the stew-like dish making it look quite mysterious;) However, the taste is sensational!
Talk about preparation. This National Dish of Brazil takes hours to complete. The lunch party was scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m., so I started Thursday night by soaking the beans. Friday I began preparing the meats by browning them in onions, garlic, and bacon grease. Now I never said this was a healthy meal;) But it’s so worth it. A Brazilian family would only have this special dish about once a month and is typically served for lunch. Once the meat was browned, I added water, bay leaves, and some spices to the pot and covered it to slow cook. The delicious aroma quickly poured into every room of our flat. I also prepared the Farofa (toasted manioc flour) over the stove with onions, butter, salt and pepper. Farofa is a traditional side dish for the Feijoada, along with rice, collard greens, sliced oranges, and fried Mandioca. All the Brazilian ingredients would have typically been hard to find, but thankfully I live in San Francisco where there is such diversity! Little did I know there was a small Brazilian market on Valencia St. just a few blocks down from where I live which made it all possible!
In the meantime I got out all my fresh pre-pealed young coconuts and got to hacking! Literally…I’m sure our neighbors above were wondering what all the racket was about. Feijoada is such a heavy meal, i thought a light fruit sorbet served in a coconut was the way to go. I took my largest cutting knife and started to hack at the upper edge of the coconut, scraping back some of the soft light flesh til I reached the inner hard shell. Then I placed the tip of the knife directly to the coconut and hammered it in until it started to crack. Then I slowed pried the top of the coconut open all the way around. The rigid texture of the inner shell helps create a clean cut all the way around. Once I went through about 15 of those, my hand was about ready to fall off! Oh, but how pretty they were;) I saran wrapped them and placed them in the fridge to cool. The day of I would just pull them out, fill with either Mango or Pomegranate Sorbet and garnish with some fresh mint leaves from my herb garden:) Spoonfuls of the fruit sorbet while scraping the soft bottom of the coconut made for a sweet surprise. The Mango happened to be my favorite.
The day of an event is always the craziest! I woke up super early Saturday morning and started cutting the fresh collard greens into thin strips and slicing up the fruit. I put the Poa de Quiejo (cheesey rolls) in the oven 30 minutes before everyone arrived, and squeezed some fresh lime juice. I also had Guarana there to drink! My sweet neighbor came over right before and cooked some Tostones (fried plantains) for all the arriving guests, and boy were they tasty! While he and I were sharing the stove at my house, his wife was over across the street cooking the Mandioca! Yes..I’m pretty sure I have the most amazing neighbors ever!
Time to Party! It was 1 p.m. and All our sweet friends from church began to come in through our front door one at a time. Having all our wonderful friends in our home and getting to serve them gives me more joy than almost anything. God has given me such a love and desire for our community, and I feel like I am best serving them when I open up my home and feed them;) Hey, I feel like God wants each of us to serve in the way he’s best designed us to. God’s just happen to give me a love for cooking and hosting! My prayer for every event we host in our home, is that the Lord would be glorified through that time…That his name would be honored and that he would be pleased with our time of fellowship. We gathered around and held hands and Dann prayed over the food and our time together. He thanked the Lord for my dear Brother-in-law and Sister in Brazil and the ministry they are doing there, the opportunity he gave me to go and visit, and the very reason we were gathered there that day. I always find myself stopping and looking around during those moments when people are eating, running around, talking, and laughing…and can’t help but smile knowing God is in this very place. He has come down to dwell among us.
We ate, and ate, then ate some more! :)
After everyone had had all they could eat, we went outside for a lil photo booth fun!
We had such wonderful time fellowshipping with so many familiar faces and even had a few first timers who we got to know a lot better! It wasn’t til after 6 when the last person left, and Dann and I curled up on the couch. I fixed me a huge plate of food and sat down to eat for the first time. We started a fire and didn’t move from that spot the rest of the night:) Tired out from such an eventful day. But reminded once again how truly dear to us our friends here in San Francisco are.
