in every day, every moment & every circumstance we ever face, we are given a choice. hopefully it’s a simple one where the best option is clear, but often times - it’s not. in every day, every moment & every circumstance we ever face, we are given a choice and the option we grab ahold of, no matter how small it may seem, will either lead us away or closer to God’s will for our life. maybe it’s your college decision, the future of a relationship, whether to stay in or leave your current situation, a job offer or something as menial as what your weekend plans will be, but right now in some form or fashion something is consuming your thoughts because a choice has to be made. whatever it might be, it matters. it matters because God loves you and He wants the best for you. it matters because He’s guiding you, to the right people & the right places. it matters because He knows the plans He has...

what has a hold on you? what haunts you, taunts you and keeps your from being all that you can be? when did it start creeping into your life? a month ago? a year ago? five years ago? do you even remember? maybe not, but it’s here now and it has a desperate empty hold on you. whether it’s rejection, pain, insecurity, guilt, shame, lust, addiction or loss that is keeping you prisoner, I want you to know that there is a promise of freedom. Freedom Himself paid the highest price that He could to ensure that you would never be indefinitely shackled ever again. at the cross He took every chain and broke them by His breath alone. it is finished. yesterday is finished. Love did what we could never do and in Him we are free. from the recognition and acceptance of the weight of that moment onwards, this is now. this is life abundantly. this is joy and peace. this is acceptance, grace and purity...

1.) trying to be something you’re not meant to be is the best way to be miserable. 2.) you were created fearfully and wonderfully with gifts that were given to you to do something that only you can do, go do that thing and do it well. 3.) be gentle with yourself, you will only ever have one body and it is much easier to preserve than to fix. 4.) always listen to your heart, if something feels right - chase it. 5.) if you can’t get someone out of your head, then there’s probably a reason. 6.) some people aren’t forever, they teach you something but aren’t meant to stay and that’s okay. 7.) don’t waste happy days looking back at something that you’re better without. 8.) the past is a place to visit, not to live. engage where you are now. 9.) take special notice during magical moments, notice everything and capture it, you’ll want to keep those memories with you always in their fullness...

when we feel like we have our lives together, we don’t need grace, right? we’ve been conditioned to believe that grace is an eraser used only when we mess up, when we fall down and become entrapped or ensnared, when we feel ashamed, guilty, or hurt. grace is typically viewed as an anti-venom to guilt and shame, and yes, these things are a byproduct of the beauty of this gift but we shouldn’t be so prideful as to think that it is the sole function. grace is so much more than that.

grace does what we can not, grace is a vital part of our story, of our every day. grace sustains us, grace gives us freedom, graces lets us live in the fullness of God’s will for our lives. grace does so much more than simply blot out our record, although praise Him that it does do that as well.

grace is the most dynamic agent that we will ever know, it starts at the cross, by making a fallen people, right...

don’t you know who you are? you are a ray of rainbow light dancing across a dimly lit room. you are a dandelion releasing a hundred tiny wishes into a daydream. you’re a wildflower, blooming where ever you take root, adding wonder and beauty to a dull world.

don’t you know your name? you are known, living in the freedom and fullness of life. you are secure, believing that despite rejection, fear and hurt you have infinite worth. you are whole, trusting that even when you feel like you’re in shattered bits, you’re being held together by Love.

don’t you know the promises? the promises that have been made to give you rest, to give you peace, to remind you of the unrelenting fight and pursuit for your heart, your mind, your soul? don’t you know that you are worth fighting for? worth pursuing? worth loving? don’t you know that He’s never far, that He is waiting for you…

don’t you know...

((be strong and courageous. do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.)) JOSHUA 1:9

((‘come follow Me’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’)) MATTHEW 4:19

following Jesus can be translated to so many different things. however, in my opinion three simple words are all that is needed, a simple command changes everything…come follow Me.
this statement serves as an invitation, a sign of surrender and an acceptance of the gift of true life. this command evokes a reaction, to follow. following means to leave yesterday at the foot of the cross everyday, living in boldness with the secure promise of a beautiful tomorrow. following means to constantly have open hands and an open heart, to constantly be asking the Lord for His direction instead of trying to figure it all out on your own. following means to serve well with what...

right now I know it doesn’t seem like it and I know it might be hard to believe, but you are lovely. you are lovely in the ways that you don’t notice… in the way your eyes sparkle when you sing along to the car radio as your hair dances around your face, in the way you take time to listen and notice the things around you, the way you quietly light up a room simply by being in it. hold onto that magic because the image of perfection you’re striving for pales in comparison to the joy your hold within your heart. someday, I promise, someone will see that sparkle and protect it. right now I know it doesn’t seem like it and I know it might be hard to believe, but one day you will meet someone who cherishes you. one day God will intersect you with a man who sees all the beauty you hold, who will make every day an adventure and every night a dream, who’s pursuit of you will reflect the true...

some of the most utterly defeating moments in life stem from simply not being chosen by the world, and by each other. with so many potential opportunities and roads to walk down, sometimes the answer is inevitably ‘no, not this path’ but instead of recognizing this gentle push in the right direction by the hand of Love, we either weep at the crossroads longing for something that was not meant for us or we try to run down roads that are distracting us from where we should be headed, leading us in circles to keep us from the fullness that is promised. why do we do this?

some of the most utterly defeating moments in life stem from being rejected by the world, and by each other. with so many potential opportunities and roads to walk down, sometimes the answer is undeniably ‘no, not this path’ but instead of recognizing this gentle push in the right direction by the hand of Love, we take in...

((get ride of your worries, cast all of your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.)) 1 PETER 5:7

((when i am afraid, i put my trust in You.)) PSALM 56:3

((I know all the things you do & I have opened a door for you that no one can close. you have little strength, yet you obeyed my Word and did not deny me.)) REVELATION 3:8

what is it that you are waiting on? hoping for? praying for? there is something that is consuming you, it’s where your mind wanders, it’s the topic of a majority of your conversations with God. whatever it might be, i know that it’s scary. you feel afraid of the unknown, of the lurking dark deep waters that are threatening to drown you, but as the wind and waves roar and you feel as if you could never possibly survive the storm, remember to who you belong. remember who loves you, who is for you, who is fighting on your behalf. remember Whose voice thunders over...

2014 held so many beginnings
2014 held so many ends
2014 held exciting hellos
2014 held heartbreaking goodbyes
2014 held change.

going from one season of life to another is never easy, transitioning is never easy, even if it is to something wonderful. i vividly remember New Year’s day last year being so overwhelmed with the anticipation of all that would come, tears were the result, but not all sad scared tears, happy tears for what i knew would be good, relieved tears that i was resting in something so good, and somewhere mixed in were tears of fear that things would not continue to be good. fear that life wouldn’t continue on the sweet road i had recently embarked on, fear that i would lose people i loved in the chaos of going from here to there, fear that letting my guard down would result in be being hurt. and although some of those cries were well placed, I can honestly say, 2014...