Surrender

In a sense we are all in some way, outcasts until we meet the Lord.  We are thirsty for people to love and accept us.  We drink from many wells to try to satisfy our longings, but eventually, we tire of always having to draw water to get our needs met. Each of us asks, Isn't there someone who will give me water without manipulating me or requiring me to jump through hoops for it?  Isn't there someone who will love me just for who I am?  Then Jesus appears at high noon.

Cynthia Heald

Source: Etsy

If You Want a Good Laugh...

Click here.



I'm sorry, but I cannot take this seriously.  Nor could I take anyone who had one of these in his or her home seriously.  We could def not be friends.  Tacky much?!  This is just so over the top but I guess there are people out there who will buy it.  What a strange, strange world we live in.

Mumford Monday

Maybe I'll make Mumford Mondays a new tradition?  Anyway, as I sit here on the Lawn taking in the beautiful weather (instead of taking that run I had planned but ended up having no energy for after a full day of running on 3 hours of sleep), all I really want to do is close my eyes and let Mumford & Sons lull me into slumber.  Can we just talk about the fact that they do a cover of Wagon Wheel is my musical nirvana?  Have I also mentioned that my love of Wagon Wheel stems from the shout out to Roanoke in the 3rd verse?  Holla.  Happy Monday!

City Love

Sorry I've been so MIA yall.  Thinking about posting about NYC overwhelms me because I can't figure out which parts to tell and if I told everything it would be a novel. So I'm going to post pictures and let you live vicariously through those.  


Favorite part:  One night after serving dinner to the homeless, my family group was able to participate in a Bible study with them and it was easily the highlight of my week.  Hearing about their stories and perspectives on life was humbling and reminded me how I blessed I am.  I learned more about God and life in the one hour than I have since Passion.  At another site, one man I was serving lunch to told me that he was "too blessed to be stressed" and that also just hit me.  How often do I stress over the silliest things when people who don't even have a place to live are praising God?  It made me question the strength of my faith if the roles were reversed.  It's humbling to say the least.

 My family that I served with for the week on Avenue of the Strongest.

 I nommed on NYC pizza literally ALL week.  Sometimes I had pizza for multiple meals a day.  I'm not ashamed.

 Ground Zero.

 World Finance Center.

 A mural we worked on all week at a clinic.

 Sunset over the subway tracks.

 My very first reaction to Times Square.

 Times Sqaure in all its glory.

 Cheezin in NYC.

 Disney silhouettes.

 Beware of what you may find when organizing rooms with donated items.

 An awesome Christian based soup kitchen where we served breakfast.

 Emily and I in Central Park.

 Rock climbing in the middle of NYC.  No big.

 Folk band in Central Park.

 Em and I at the fountain where Blair and Dorota frequent.

 Family swing time.

 Having our very own Kate Plus 8 moment.

 Columbus Circle.

 Grand Central Station.  Remembering the Dan/Serena moment.

 Smayes and I at Dylan's Candy Bar.  A sweet tooth's heaven.

 My Grand Central Station cupcake from Magnolia Bakery.  I had 4 cupcakes while in NYC.  They were the best cupcakes of my life.

 Dinner in Little Italy.

Yeah, we saw Phantom on Broadway.  It was incredible.

P.S. There are Lawnies playing Rebecca Black's Friday right now and analyzing the lyrics as I write this.  Consider my day made.


P.P.S. The title of this post comes from a John Mayer song title.  Go listen to it.

The Short List: Future Hometowns

Don't worry, I will eventually get around to telling you all about my first trip to NYC.  However, I am exhausted and have so much to tell, so the posts will have to wait.  I realized while in the City that even though I absolutely loved it, I could never actually live there. So that caused me to think about where I would like to ideally live post-college.  And drum roll please, here are the top 5...

1. Charleston.  An easy number one since I've been in love for six years.  It's the perfect blend of romance and southern charm.  It's on the beach and is rich in history.  It's a big city but is not overwhelmingly dirty or large.  I could go on for paragraphs about how wonderful it is, but I'll spare you.

Rainbow Row, my future home?

2.

Atlanta, Georgia

3.

Charlotte, North Carolina

4. 

Austin, Texas

5.  

Nashville, Tennessee

The last two I have yet to visit but those are minor details.  As you can see, a prerequisite is below the Mason Dixon line because my soul craves southern hospitality, warmth and easy access to sweet tea.

New York, New York

So tomorrow bright and early I will be heading to NYC with my wonderful Agape family.  We will be staying in the city to not only to see the sights, but more importantly to serve and love those in need.  I'm so excited to have the opportunity to stop focusing on myself and intentionally put others before me for the week.  I need this trip to recharge and be reminded of how great God is and how He has blessed me in countless ways.  So often I find it so easy to focus on myself and my problems, but I am going to take advantage of this week to humble myself.  I come third -- God first, others second, me third.  I pray that God will use this week to change my heart.  

I'm not gonna lie, I'm also excited to go shopping, see museums (i.e. the Met), frolick in Central Park and attend a Broadway show (we're seeing Phantom of the Opera!).  Fingers crossed I get to see Kleinfeld's, aka the home of Say Yes to the Dress, my fave tv show.

So I'll post lots of pictures and tell you all about it next week!!!  

Midterm Madness

Things getting me through the stress of studying for 2 midterms in 1 day:

1. The fact that it is now March.  Spring is just around the corner.  I can feel the warmth now.  Congrats everyone, we've made it through my least favorite part of the year, the middle of winter.  

2.  Psalm 62:5-8

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

3.  My grooveshark playlist.  Here's a sampling.

Clef Hangers - Southern Girl

The Civil Wars - Poison & Wine

Adele - Someone Like You

Glee - Silly Love Songs

Changes - Tupac

I Need a Doctor - Eminem

Psychotic Girl - the Black Keys

Garden - Needtobreath

How He Loves - David Crowder Band

Innocent - Taylor Swift

Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra

Completely random mix, I know.  And that's not even all of it. 

4.  Spring Break in NYC with some of my best friends is in less than 4 days.  Not only will I have the priviledge of serving people, but I get to see the sights of NYC for the first time with people I love.  And we get to see Phantom of the Opera, one of my faves.

5.  Caffeine.  Caffeine.  Caffeine.  

(Confession, I had to look up how to spell caffeine.  That's how foreign of a concept it is to me.)

Countdown until my first exam:  8 hours.  Yikes.