Banana Seat

So I officially feel old.
I was walking back to the dorm of some of the freshman girls that I lead and we were talking about bikes. We were talking about different things that we had on our bike...like the different types of horns, or bells...streamers on the handlebars....cards in the spokes...I pulled out the ole banana seat and there was silence. They had no clue what a banana seat was!!!! I felt old.

3D Art

I was reading on Nixter's blog the other day and saw a post that she did on Julian Beever. He is an English artist who is famous for his 3D effect art on pavements in England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Here are some of my favorites...

Human Tetris

(HT Nixter)

Powerful Video

Check this video out on Zach's blog.

Forgiveness

Check this out. A friend sent me this link and thought it was cool about forgiveness. CHECK IT OUT!

Arabic Food Night

One of Hilary's students from a couple of summers ago, Joe (Jawwad) is visiting from Iowa. Tonight we cooked Arabic Food. Our friend Jake came over too to enjoy the goodness! Here are some pics...
Hilary making falafel with her new falafel maker that Joe brought her!
Joe stepped in to take over!
Lots of good food, lots of laughs :) It was a good night!
We're off to Corpus Christi for Thanksgiving to a friends parent's house and then to their ranch. Can't beat that for a Texas Thanksgiving! Not sure what all the ranch will involve, but I will be sure to take pictures and post!

Day 5

I'm late in getting my Christmas music out. I finally broke it out...mid-November. Sad. I usually get it out some time in October. Really. To be honest...I'll listen to it year round. I love it!
It is a little difficult when the weather is 80 degrees. I'm not complaining. (well, I sort of did the other day when I was sweating REALLY bad and my air conditioning wasn't working.)
My mind tried to wrap around the thought of Baby Jesus today. I had to just sit and be still about it.
I love babies. I LOVE them. I love holding them, looking at all their little parts, smelling them, kissing them. Just staring. It's amazing how you can just stare at a baby and never get bored. The whole baby process is amazing. How it all works and comes together, everything about it...you know what I mean. It is truly amazing to me. It is beautiful. God has uniquely designed it all. I had the privilege (sorry Laura) to watch my sweet nephew Noah (sorry Noah) be born. I was in the room (the nurse gave me a job to do...so I had to stay!) and saw everything! It was the first time I had seen anything like it! It brought me to tears as I saw him come out and take his first breath. It was absolutely beautiful!
Can you imagine Jesus. Baby Jesus. FULLY human. FULLY God. FULLY baby. I'm sure my eyes would have been filled with tears, and I probably would have fallen to the ground as I watched my Savior come into the world, taking His first breath. With the angels singing, I wonder if I would be singing too. What a precious little one!
Today my mind has been on this Little Baby. So thankful for this gift.

God-
Thank You for such an incredible gift of Love and Grace. Thank You that You chose to bring Him here as a baby, FULLY human, FULLY You. My mind has a hard time grasping it. Thank You that Your love has extended so far. You have shown humility in coming as a helpless baby. It is beautiful.

One Question...

Why in the world would a Hallmark store play Delilah on the radio? really. Not a good idea.
Remind me to never go into a Hallmark store...already emotional...while listening to Delilah on the radio talking about going home for the holidays and talking about "loving someone tonight".
Not a pretty sight.
That's all I'm going to say.

Race for the Cure

On November 4th a team from my church got together to support breast cancer research, by participating in The Race for the Cure. Here are some pictures of the day...
Getting ready...

The team...Our survivors!! Melody and Jocelin. The men...The women...
I love Austin.These are my two favorite ballerinas...they really are professional ballerinas!! How cool is that?!The timed runners started on the Congress street bridge....we were not on that bridge! We were with the walkers!So Melody decided that she didn't feel up to doing the entire 3 miles...so to support her...yeah...to support her...we joined her in cutting through where the 1 mile mark was ... for kids...and families...and us! But it was a little funny to then be joined up with the timed runners sweating and running hard...as we leisurely walked.... :) But we made it strong through the finish line!! Here is Melody doing a victory run through!Gotta love the pink port-a-potties!Melody got special treatment because she is a survivor AND she worked so hard that 1 mile!I mean...seriously....some MAJOR special treatment!This guy was the scariest part of the race for me...he kept looking at me. It was freaky.If you want to read more about Melody go here.
If you want to watch a sweet video my church showed during our service on "Live in Community" with Melody and Jocelin's story... go here.
If you want to laugh go here. :)

Day 4

Tonight at church I felt an amazing connection between God and I. I LOVE worship. I love standing before Him raising my hands in the air, closing my eyes and singing my heart out to Him. The Spirit is so powerful in that place. I can't really describe it. I remember it when I first stepped foot into that place. He moves powerfully and I felt it strongly tonight.
Andy was singing one of the songs he wrote and the words were so powerful, here are the lyrics...

Great Day of the Lord
The sun rises like a bird
With healing in its wings
Shines the light of righteousness
On the broken and unclean

And this righteousness comes not
By the working of our hands
But it is the gift of God
Purchased by the spotless Lamb

As by Your law we were condemned
By Your grace we are restored
And by grace alone we'll stand
On the great day of the Lord

One the great day of the Lord
When the dead in Christ shall rise
And the sun and moon will be replaced
By the light in Jesus' eyes
On the great day of the Lord
On the great day of the Lord

So we wait for Your return
Like a bride awaits her groom
And with all creation yearn
That the day is coming soon

When You'll ride in victory
And darkness reigns no more
At the coming of our King
On the great day of the Lord

On the great day of the Lord
When the dead in Christ shall rise
And the sun and moon will be replaced
By the light in Jesus' eyes

There is something that stirs my soul when I can sing to Him to lift Him up and praise and adore Him. The voice that He gave me, whatever it sounds like, and giving it back to Him as I use it for His glory. Lifting Him up.
There is nothing like it!
We also sang the song "Mighty To Save"
I could just jump up and down right now! Man! SO good!
"Savior, He can move the mountains...My God is might to save...He is mighty to save....
Forever, Author of salvation He rose and conquered the grave...JESUS conquered the grave!"
YEAH! He is alive! He is out of the grave and I can feel it!
I found myself as I was singing this chorus...crying out and praying and proclaiming that He IS mighty, He IS powerful to move mountains and He IS powerful to save! I was crying out on behalf of the people that do not know Jesus. Not just know of Him...but KNOW Him. KNOW HIM! It was a sweet time of intercession.
"Shine Your light and let the whole world see...we're singing...for the glory of the Risen King!"
The message tonight was on the Atonement of Christ. It was REALLY good. I would strongly suggest you check it out. You can listen to the message here.
He basically talked about how we are born sinners. And because God is an infinite God, because we are sinners and will completely fall short of Him, there is an infinite debt that must be paid for our sin. The consequence is the infinite wrath of God. Finite beings cannot pay an infinite debt. Someone had to step in. Jesus! JESUS! He is the only hope! Can you imagine the weight of debt, from the billions and billions of people that have lived way before us, the people now, the people ahead of us. Can you imagine the weight of that debt?! Jesus took it on! He paid the debt so that we don't have to. GRACE!!! Because of that He covers us in righteousness instead and every ounce of God's wrath is gone. Because of Jesus, not from anything that we do, but because of HIM!
I am amazed at the weight of His love tonight. AMAZED!

My Savior-
You are mighty to save, You are powerful to move mountains, You are alive and loving on the world. Thank You for taking my place and for putting the infinite wrath and the infinite debt on Yourself so that I don't have to. So that I can spend eternity with You because of Your victory over the grave, and Your covering of righteousness over me. I don't deserve it. Everyday, I fail. Everyday I sin. Everyday, at some point I turn my back on You. I try not to sometimes but it happens. But I know that You look at me and You see You. I continue to walk forward to You. Walking through the junk and through the stickiness of sin, but You clean me up. You hold on to me and bring me through to You. Thank You. Thank You for the freedom to worship You and to come to a place where many come to be with You. Thank You for giving me a love for music and singing, and thank You that You get to me through that. My knees are weak, in love with You. Thank You for filling me up.
For YOUR glory Jesus!

Day 3

"I need You, I need You
Bring Your glory, bring Your glory
May it overflow, in me tonight

I glory in You
You satisfy I delight in You
You complete me, You complete me

I need You, I need You
Bring Your grace, bring Your grace
May it overflow, in me tonight

I glory in You
You satisfy I delight in You
You complete me, You complete me

I need You, I need You
Bring Your love, bring Your love
May it overflow, in me tonight

I glory in You
You satisfy, I delight in You
You complete me, You complete me"

Day 2

The Lord reveals Himself but also reveals my heart...the ugly parts. Today was a hard day. I was tired and had a headache...(from day 2 of no caffeine!) And I found myself with a bad attitude. He continued to show me the hidden places in my heart that have been aching, and was also showing me sin. He also reminded me of past sin...not to bring back guilt or shame, but to rejoice in the fact that He has brought me out of it and set me free and to give Him glory for what He has done through those things. I have complete freedom.

Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through."

I'm thankful for the heaviness of today. Through my bad attitude, God broke through and really gave me a hope of heaven. It has also been a theme so far...reminding me that I was not made for here.
Again...a song touched me today. This one is also by Brooke Fraser (can you tell that I love her!?) This is a song called C.S. Lewis Song:

If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary
Then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared

Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan
As I wait for hope to come for me

Am I lost or just less found
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me
Is it breaking free, wanting to come alive

Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth
Of who I was born to become

For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath
So we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live
I was made to love
I was made to know you

Hope is coming for me.

John 14:1-4 "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going."

My Love-
Thank You Jesus. Thank You for the cross, that on it You took away my sin, the past, the present, the future. It's only by You that I have freedom. My chains are gone and I've been set free. Because of the freedom that You give I no longer have to be bonded to the things of this world, I don't have to be a slave to them anymore. You have released me into You. I can raise my hands in surrender to You and raise my hands in freedom from being tied to sin. No longer! No longer do I have to carry the weight of it all, You put it all on Your shoulders, so that I wouldn't have to bear it. Thank You. What a sweet and amazing gift of grace. I thank You Lord that these world things leave me unsatisfied. Thank You that they don't complete me, that they don't love me. Because they lack this ability...I know that there is something more, something that IS satisfying and complete and loving...its YOU. If they did have this ability, there wouldn't be as much of a need for You. But I have tried to find satisfaction, love and completeness and I end up empty. I know there is something SO much more. YOU! I look forward to Home. A place I haven't been yet, but am on my way. When the day comes that I arrive there, what sweet rejoicing and dancing! I can't wait! Thank you for the many rooms that You have prepared. I'm sure they are beautiful. SO beautiful! I try to imagine it, but my mind can't wrap around it. I continue to trust You.
I love You!

Bat Cruise

When Hilary's parents were visiting in October, we went on a bat cruise.
For those of you who don't know about this...
There are about 1.5 million bats that live under the Congress Street bridge between the months of March and November. At dusk they all, all 1.5 million of them, come flying out from under the bridge and fly to who knows where looking for food.
Most people stand on the bridge and look down at them.
But we actually took a "cruise". A boat that went under the bridge and are basically right under all of them.
It was interesting.
Here are some pictures...Here was a dead bat they had in a box to show everyone...nice...Here are some sweet pics of the city and the lake...You can sort of see the bats on the left side of the picture, just to the right of the trees and just above the people standing on the bridge...you can see a dark patch in the sky...you have to look hard...I was a little nervous of them coming down and attacking my head so I wore a hat...I was also a little nervous of bat poo. So were Hilary's parents...So was Hilary...I'm pretty sure I got peed on. It was gross.
Here is a video. It may be hard to see..
Again...you have to look closely...

Bats eat lots of bugs...(the video didn't turn out that great, but you can sort of see them in the red light)

Day 1

God is doing something.
I know He is doing something because I'm being stretched and challenged.
I have started a 40 day fast today.
It is going to be good and yet hard. I have given up some things that I have felt a bond to, that I run to for comfort and feel will satisfy me. In reality, they don't. So I have made a decision to get rid of them for 40 days. Running and clinging to the Lord to replace those things when I hunger and thirst for them and crave them...it will be a sweet reminder to pray. To ask God to come and fill me, satisfy me, comfort me, LOVE me! Also, to lift up the people I care about in my life.
This is nothing to boast about. This is something between God and I, but wanted to document what I have been learning or how God has touched me. As I'm learning and being moved by the Spirit I would love to encourage you too.
I want to post as much as I can during these 40 days. These 40 days that lead up to a sweet and beautiful day. The day my Savior was born!
Today I was encouraged by a song. I was reminded that music does something to me that renews me and gets me fired up!
Today the song was Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser. (see previous post of videos by Brooke)

Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet toward home, a land I've never seen.
I am changing less and less asleep made of different stuff than when I began
And I have sensed it all along fast approaching is the day

When the world has fallen out from under me
I'll be found in you still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through
I'll be found in you

There is distraction buzzing in my head saying in the shadows it's easier to stay
But I've heard rumors of true reality whispers of a well-lit way

You make all things new
You make all things new

I was reminded in this song about that no matter what...because I have given my life to Jesus and I'm no longer my own...but I'm Jesus' and I am found IN HIM and this place is only temporary. There is a much better place awaiting my arrival. In this waiting, as I am found in Jesus, He is creating in me something that is preparing me for that day, He has made me new and has taken away the old! He will use the old things for the new. He is the one that satisfies. I'm choosing to believe this even when I don't "feel" it. He is faithful and WILL satisfy.

Isaiah 58:11-12 MSG "I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-firm muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. "

I was encouraging a friend with this quote from a poem by Amena Brown and God used it to encourage me also...

Every time I take a breath I discover YOU. That the same breath I'm breathing first originated inside of YOU. So I breathe YOU in because YOU take me in. Jesus in YOUR pure light I have come out of the shadows of darkness YOU ALONE SATISFY

Lord Jesus-
You alone satisfy. ONLY You. Nothing that this world has...no food no drink no person no thing can ever complete me, ever satisfy me, ever comfort me, ever LOVE me, the way YOU do. I confess that I haven't been "feeling" it. You know how I'm created, You know the design that You have placed on my life, I'm a feeler. But Lord, as I humble myself at Your feet, I choose to BELIEVE You and Your word. I'm choosing to run hard after You, I'm choosing to fill myself with You and not with the world, I'm choosing to fill myself with Your grace Your forgiveness Your love, I'm choosing to walk the well-lit path that You have lit with Your Spirit, I'm choosing to throw up my hands and proclaim that I can't do this, I can't live this life, I can't love how You love, I can't be...without You...without me being found in You. Jesus, You have given me new life. Because You were nailed to a cross, willingly, out of love for the WORLD...somehow that included me. Because You took on the sin of the world, sin in its entirety, You took it off of me and gave me a new life. New clothes. New heart. The old has gone! The new has come! Thank you. I thank You that you are reminding me of Your love for me. As I sit at Your feet, talking to You. As I open up Your word and get to know You, I'm falling back in love with You. You are my love. Thank You for loving me with a love that cannot be comprehended this side of heaven.
May YOU get glory Jesus. It's for YOU, my LOVE!

I've Been Tagged...

I've been tagged by Laura. (she's making me do this...)Here goes...

Name 5 things you were doing 10 years ago:
1. Junior in High school
2. in the 4th Ave Jazz Show Choir.
3. Hanging out with friends
4. Driving around in the white Plymouth Sundance
5. Dad went to be with Jesus.

Name 5 things you were doing 5 years ago:
1. Singing in a band
2. Working full time.
3. Hanging out with friends
4. Living with Meghan (Laura...I was out of your house by then...remember my 21st b-day partay?!)
5. Making random trips to the "Ably House" 3-4 hours away in the middle of the night.

Name 5 things you were doing 1 year ago:
1. Said some really hard goodbyes to family and friends
2. Moved to Austin, Texas
3. Roommates with Hilary
4. Trying to figure out how to start a new life and to be far from family and friends
5. Finding an amazing community group and an amazing church

Name 5 jobs you've held:
1. babysitting
2. Served food at the Quad
3. Lemstone Books
4. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics...the digestive disease clinic (how exciting is that?!)
5. Pediatric Associates

Name 5 of your favorite snacks:
1. Diet Coke
2. Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Strawberries n' Cream Cheese Frosting
4. Chips and salsa, or queso, or guacamole
5. anything chocolate

Name 5 things you did yesterday:
1. Went to work
2. Elliptical machine for 1 hour
3. Played my guitar and sang some songs
4. spent some time with God.
5. Talked to my roomie

Name 5 things you'd do with a million dollars:
1. Buy a car (a Toyota or Honda!) nothing special, just something that will last a long time.
2. Live like I'm living now
3. give a lot of it away to people who don't have anything
4. support missionaries and organizations that are doing amazing things.
5. buy a piano or keyboard

Name 5 things you hate doing:
1. dealing with car issues
2. getting up really early
3. sitting in traffic
4. doing the same thing over and over again everyday.
5. ?

Name 5 shows I like:
1. The Office
2. So You Think You Can Dance?
3. 24
4. What Not To Wear
5. **not much of a TV watcher**** (we only have one channel!)

Name my 5 biggest joys in life:
1. Worshiping Jesus at my church
2. being an aunt to 5 amazing nephews and one Lovely niece
3. singing
4. my family
5. friends who love me even when they really know me!

Name 5 people to tag:
1. Meghan
2. Kelli B.
3. Joanna
4. Rachel B.
5. Rachael C.


You're it!

Shane squared/Bebo/Alli

Last night a friend of mine (who's from Iowa...not Hilary) and I went to the Shane & Shane, Bebo Norman and Alli Rogers concert. Shawn McDonald was supposed to be there, but I guess he canceled at some point during the tour. I was bummed, I was really looking forward to seeing him play live. He's cool.
I thought the concert was amazing. It was the last night of their tour, so I'm sure they were wiped, but they did an amazing job. It was at the EVFree Church in Austin, where one of my friends works...(she's from Iowa!) She was saying that Shane and Shane were both really sick that morning (puking) and they were supposed to lead worship but had to cancel that morning, and was hoping that they wouldn't have to cancel the show. But they made it through and there was no puking on stage! You wouldn't have known anything was wrong!
Alli Rogers is from Cedar Falls Iowa. (another Iowa girl!) and I had met her a long time ago when Beautiful Feet did a concert at Orchard Hill Church. She has since moved to Nashville and is touring around with these guys and several other artists. I got to talk to her afterwards. She's cool!
Here are some pics I took during the concert.
Shane and Shane sort of look like they are in pain...but that's normal...they make those faces. I just sit there and wonder "How does that come out of your mouth!" It's amazing. If you have never heard them before check out the videos at the end and you'll understand! If you ever get a chance to see them live GO!!
Miss Alli Rogers...
Bebo. He's a funny guy. I laughed a lot.
They did a sweet little acoustic song.
This dude could play basically any and all instruments. Here he is playing one of my favorite instruments. The accordion... Here are a couple of videos that I found online of Shane and Shane, two of my favorite songs...oldies...but SO good! Enjoy and be blessed! (clearly I'm obsessed with videos lately!)
Psalm 145:


Psalm 118:


Here is a video I found of Alli Rogers..


So now I feel like I need to post one of Bebo...here's one I found...