I remember our first night in our new house. Well, new to us…it was built in 1950 and came with a ton of character, which is why we loved it. We moved in on my 29th birthday. I remember sitting on the floor in our living room, surrounded by boxes and our furniture thinking ‘I need to memorize this moment of gratitude.’

This house was a huge gift from God. We got a lot more house and yard for the money compared to all the other houses we had looked at. We set out looking for a ‘starter home’ and ended up with a place that could easily be where we stay the rest of our lives.  I knew there would be days of frustration to come…because that’s just how life is…so I wanted to make sure I paused to bookmark that day.

And I’m so glad I did. Because in the 4 years we’ve lived here, we’ve had to replace duct work, insulation, roofs, and ceilings. In one of the coldest winters on record here in VA, I lived for almost 2 months without heat (while hubby was deployed…talk about an adventure!) because of issues with the heater.  Thanks to years of hubby’s inconsistent schedule and… ‘life’, it still looks like we’re moving in. We’ve made a TON of progress, but you wouldn’t necessarily know that if you walked into the place for the first time.

This house that was such a huge praise report back in May of 2010 has been the foundation for prayer requests many times since then. It would be so easy to forget that this ‘need’ or frustration was once a huge blessing and praise…and ultimately still is.

We pray for God to give us a spouse…and then we pray for God to fix him because he’s driving us crazy ;). We pray for children…and then pray for God to fix them because they’re driving us crazy (or so I’ve heard…hubby and I only have 2 pug fur-kids).  How often are today’s prayer requests yesterday’s praise reports? And how often do we forget to praise Him for the initial blessing even if we’re in a new season that requires new requests?

God, may we consistently be reminded of your goodness in our lives. We have so much to be thankful for even in the midst of our ‘requests’!

I challenge you to think of at least one ‘request’ in your life that used to be a ‘praise’…and praise Him for it again today!

Image Credit: Erin Kass

I’m processing a lot today and the words just aren’t coming, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I’ll let an image do the talking instead.

In June 2013, I went on my first mission as a photographer with the Historic Triangle Virginia Honor Flight group. Honor Flight is a non-profit organization created solely to honor America’s veterans for their sacrifices. Veterans from all over the country receive an all expenses paid trip to Washington, DC to see THEIR memorials. It truly is an amazing organization and if you click the links above you can find out more information.

This is Andy. He was a pilot in WWII. If my husband were writing this, he’d be able to tell you the specifics but I know from listening to Andy’s stories that he was involved in some big stuff. In this image he was 91 years young, I believe. He was adjusting to a new life in an assisted living community after losing his beloved wife several months prior. He has a large tattoo of a lady on his left forearm and when asked about it his response was ‘I was young and dumb once’.

I sat across from this amazing gentleman on the bus and he definitely made an impact on my life as we traveled from the east coast of VA to DC and back. But this image…this image was taken as Andy quietly described how he felt after reading a letter from his son (veterans receive mail from family members on their way home). With tears in his eyes, he explained that this letter told him just how much his son and family respected him. He explained that this letter contained sentiments that his son had never expressed. At 91 years of age, Andy found out he was loved and admired more than he realized.

This image spoke more than any story I heard that day. This image speaks the power of honor.

 

Image Credit: Erin Kass for Honor Flight HTVA

“An attitude is a cluster of thoughts with emotional flavor, and every type of emotion has one of only two roots – love or fear. Love and fear are the root emotions, and all other emotions grow from these.

For example, out of love flow joy, peace, happiness, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, compassion, calmness, inspiration, excitement, hope, anticipation and satisfaction. Out of fear flow hate, anger, bitterness, rage, irritation, unforgiveness, unkindness, worry, self-pity, envy, jealousy, obsession and cynicism.

The discovery that love and fear cannot coexist in our brains is revolutionary. In fact, scientists have researched the anatomy and physiology of love and fear right down to a molecular, genetic and epigenetic level that can be described in detail.

They have found a deeper system in the brain concerned with positive love emotions and negative fear emotions. They have discovered that these two systems cannot coexist, that at any one conscious moment, we will be operating in one or the other for each cluster of thoughts we think.”

– Beginning of Chapter 13 in Dr. Caroline Leaf‘s book “The Gift in You”

 

I read this recently and it has changed my life. Fear and love cannot coexist. You can’t have feelings of fear and love at the same time. 1 John 4:18a “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” is not just a ‘nice verse’…it’s how God actually created us! If we’re experiencing emotions of fear, perfect love = God (“God is love”, 1 John 4: 8b) eliminates those emotions! We have the ability to recognize the root of fear causing the toxic emotions and “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Over the past couple of weeks I have put this into practice. When I’ve had emotions of stress or frustration, etc, I’ve stopped to ask myself ‘What is the underlying fear root of what I’m feeling right now?’ I’ve been able to identify the cause, and then counter the toxic thought with what GOD says.

For example:

Emotion: Stress over unexpected expenses that pop up

‘What fear is the root of this stress?’: Possibly that you’re trying to get out of debt and every time you think you’re getting ahead, something comes up…the fear is that you’re never going to get out of debt!  OR Possibly that your needs won’t be met for food, rent/mortgage payments etc…so the fear is that you won’t have what you need (or even potentially you won’t have money for what you WANT if it’s a matter of unexpected expenses taking away extra ‘play money’!)

What does God say?:  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~Matthew 6:25-34

Faith response/Taking fear thoughts captive: God you are my provider and I’m putting my faith in your Word instead of feeding the fear that I am feeling right now. I believe you love me and that all things work for the good of those who love you. I’m trusting for you to provide as I keep my focus on you and follow where you lead.

 

It has been amazing to see how every toxic emotion really has stemmed from an underlying fear. Fear of rejection, fear of things not going the way I’d like them to, fear of the unknown, etc. I’ve quickly been able to bring my emotions and thoughts in line with God and those feelings of fear have been replaced by love and peace! And then I’ve already made myself aware of the underlying cause so when the fear starts to creep in again, I’m armed and ready to defeat it!

I pray that each one of you reading this will take this new information that has transformed my life and allow it to transform yours. May you experience His supernatural peace and joy that comes from being wrapped in His love. His perfect love that casts out all fear!

Image Credit: Erin Kass

Day 16 and here I sit again having absolutely no clue what to write. It’s not a matter of not having ideas…it’s that I have too many! God has continued to blow me away with His power and faithfulness.

Sooooo….

God,

Thank you that your thoughts are not my thoughts and that your ways are not my ways. Thank you that yours are higher than mine. Because there is no way that I would’ve been able to navigate myself to the position I currently find myself in life.  So often the term ‘mind blowing’ is used to describe trivial mundane things…but you have shown me what it’s like to truly have a mind-blowing experience. For you have overwhelmed me with your presence. You’ve overwhelmed my mind with your glory to where there was no trace of my own thoughts.

In the past 6 months, you’ve revealed yourself to me in ways I never knew existed. And I am so thankful.

I’m truly addicted to you. You satisfy. You are I AM. You are faithful and worthy to be praised. I echo the sounds of heaven ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty’, ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power’

For you are a good good God and a good good Father. Your plans are definitely to bring me hope and a future. I praise you for I am wonderfully and fearfully made. You have created me with the ability to worship you in a way that no one else can and I am honored.

I never want to take you for granted. I never want to say I’ve had enough. For in this life it is impossible for me to fully experience all that you are. More of you God, more of your presence in my life. Thank you for loving me.

Amen.

 

Image Credit: Erin Kass Photography

Throughout life we have landmarks that serve as reminders for where we have come and all that God has done. Today’s post is one of those landmarks. I wrote it back in the beginning of 2013 for the Delight and be blog. Delight is a ministry for young ladies ages 14-21 who love God and the creative arts. Being part of a ministry for teenagers is not on any ‘what I want to be when I grow up’ list from my childhood. But God started tugging on my heart and my involvement as a blog contributor eventually grew to being involved in their FB group/community online. Then it grew to me actually leading the ministry’s East Coast retreat in April of this year. God has used it to expand my image of Him beyond anything I ever could’ve pictured before.

I’m sure there will be many more posts about Delight in the future but for now, enjoy ‘Beautifully Weird’. Yes it’s older, but God brought it to mind as I was praying about what to write today so someone obviously needs to read it <3

 

I am weird. I don’t easily fit into one social category. Growing up I had different types of friends. It takes me FOREVER to finish one of those personality tests because in many categories I’m not one or the other all the time. I occasionally (Ok, often) get weird looks in response to quirky things I say. I often have an entertaining random dialogue going on in my head – but I tend to only verbalize a small percentage of my thoughts so people don’t think I’m absolutely crazy.

I have struggled to find a place where I really ‘fit in’. Because I have varied interests, I can usually connect with many people on some level but rarely do I find someone who I completely relate to on a deep inner-core-of-my-heart level – someone who understands and can appreciate all my levels of quirkiness. At times I’ve felt like I belong on the North Pole in the land of misfit toys.

BUT, Psalm 139:14 says ‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made’! I am created in the image of Christ – so guess what? That means He is ‘weird’ too and can fully relate to how I feel at times!

During a recent quiet time with God I told Him how frustrated I was with how He made me. [Yes, I get real with God]. As an extrovert I crave deep connection with people and it can be a challenge to not have it. His reply was that I was created for a specific purpose – to connect with and photograph other special ‘weird’ people. Through my confidence in how He created me, other people will be set free from their own insecurities. They will be able to see the greatness in how He created them.

How awesome is that?! God made me weird ON PURPOSE. And if we’re really honest, ALL of us are weird, right? Our weirdness is what sets us apart as BEAUTIFUL individuals and daughters of God. God is the master artist and He has created each one of us to be unique and to do something special in this world to glorify Him. NO ONE ELSE can do exactly what you do – and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be!

“But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.” – 1 Peter 2:9-10, The Message

You. Are. Beautiful. Wear your weirdness proudly and show the world what an amazing masterpiece you really are!

 

Image Credit: Jordan Brittley

No, I’m not talkin’ about chicken fried steak and collards. This post is about Philippians 4:8 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”

What are you feeding your soul? What are you filling your thoughts with?

I recently heard the amazing Dr. Caroline Leaf speak and bought several of her books. She is a cognitive neuroscientist with a PhD in Communication Pathology specializing in Neuropsychology. And yeah, the stuff she has to share is as impressive and mind-boggling as her title 😉  She uses science to illustrate/’prove’ scripture. The little bit that I’ve learned from her has unlocked a whole new world of understanding and appreciation for how God created us, and how He really did give us the guide to living well in His word.

Did you know that our brains are constantly changing physically? What you’re thinking now, what you dwell on, what you read, watch on tv, etc all affect the physical make-up of your brain. If we choose to dwell on the things of God…everything that Phil 4:8 says, then we’re developing healthy ‘trees’ (our thoughts actually form tree-like objects in the brain!). Anything that doesn’t line up with God creates toxic ‘trees’…and these toxic thoughts affect every cell in our bodies. Our toxic thinking leads to sickness and just overall not-so-wonderful life!

I know for me, there are days that I have just wanted to be in my funky-ness. Sometimes it just seems fun to be irritable and cranky like a toddler throwing a temper-tantrum. On those days I would just figure I was having a temper-tantrum day and tomorrow would be better. And it usually was. However now that I know how our bodies were created, I know that it’s really not helping me to give in to those toddler-moments 🙂 I’m just building toxic trees in my mind that I’ll have to deal with again in the future. As much fun as the temporary tantrum may seem, it’s not worth it in the big scheme of life.

Because God has created me for more. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10) The thief comes in the form of the temper tantrum. The thief comes in the form of ‘oh I’ll just have my crappy day because it’s Monday and Mondays are supposed to be bad’….or ‘because I’m in a job I hate’…or ‘because my spouse is driving me nuts and it’s HIS fault I’m like this’

But that’s not the life God has for us. He’s given us the weapon to fight off the thief and live in His abundant life of peace and joy. We have a choice. And if we continue to make choices that are in line with His word, eventually we’ll have a full forest of trees in our mind that reflect the mind of Christ! (and there are actually ways to literally burst our toxic trees to eliminate them from the physical composition of our brains…but I haven’t read enough about that yet lol)

Let’s be intentional with these lives and bodies and minds that God has given us. Let’s not settle for the world’s standard of what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise but instead rise above to God’s standard. Let’s set ourselves apart and demonstrate true health and freedom in Christ so that others can find it for themselves.

Image Credit: Erin Kass Photography

 

This is ‘Day 13’ but I’m writing it on Day 14. Because when I went to write last night, God said ‘spend time with me instead.’ So I did.

We so easily can feel like we need to fill every single page of our lives. But sometimes, it’s ok to leave them intentionally blank…because sometimes, God speaks in ways that aren’t easily translated into words. And sometimes, we just need to leave the space for Him to come. So we can stop and fully breathe Him in!

Image Credit: Erin Kass Photography

Today’s post has been brewing for a couple days now. And it’s a post that I’m just going to have to spit out in the same way that you rip off a bandaid…quickly and without much consideration. Because while it’s exciting on the one side, it is sending my analytical side into overdrive…and if I think about it too much I will freaktheheckout (freak the heck out for those who aren’t used to chopping up hashtagged/run-together words 😉 )

Yesterday I told someone about a friend of mine who is one of the most God-believing faith-filled people I know. And she always has been. We were in high school together and I still remember her saying how God would provide ______ or _____ if we just believe Him. Her head was in the unseen. You knew if God was gonna show up for anyone, He was gonna show up for her.

Almost immediately after that convo ended, I thought ‘wow, I bet people wouldn’t say the same about me. Yikes.’  Ok, maybe someone would say that my faith is high…it is my primary spiritual gift. I believe God can show up in ways that are beyond our comprehension. I’ve seen Him do it.

But I’m talking about the HUGE, no doubt, no over-analyzed, God-sized-life faith. The faith that comes with all the songs about God bringing us into the depths of the ocean ‘where my trust is without borders’ (Hillsong ‘Oceans’) and getting caught up in His waves of love. Waves of love, happy closeness with God, a life overflowing with Him…that all sounds lovely and can give us the feels when we sing it. But do we rrrrreallly know what we’re singing when we sing those songs???

It probably could be illustrated by Peter when he was walking on the water: (Peter, as he’s stepping out of the boat, starting to walk toward Jesus…in a happy sing song lovey voice “Jesus lead me out into the deep, let me walk upon the waters, etc etc etc” (he realizes he’s actually WALKING. ON. WATER.) “Hey, look at me, I’m walking on water, pretty cool…HOLY CRAP, WHAT AM I DOING, WATER ISN’T SOLID, YOU CAN’T WALK ON IT, AM I CRAZY?!?! WHAT THE HECK WAS JESUS THINKING WHEN HE ASKED ME TO STEP OUT OF THE BOAT…UH OH, I REALIZE I’M NOT ABOVE THE WATER ANYMORE glub glub” (this scenario is probably much more amusing in my head and I’m so sorry I can’t actually verbalize it for you, but hopefully you get the gist 😉 )

This weekend I’ve realized that while my faith gaze has been set toward the open waters of endless God-possibilities, somewhere in the back of my head I’ve known that the shore is still visible somewhere behind me. But God wants me to have ‘in the middle of the ocean, no shore in sight, I have absolutely no option but to trust in Him and allow Him to knock my socks off’ faith. The faith that doesn’t just say ‘I’m trusting and believing God to provide $200 for this mission trip He’s called me to’ (because $200 is a reachable number in my head) but instead to believe for $20,000 to provide a new home for orphans in Africa.

I’m not saying we’re all supposed to build $20,000 homes for orphans in Africa…I know that’s not what He has for me either. But God has put the equivalent sized dream in me and He’s just waiting for me to say ‘ok God, this is yours, let’s do this.’  And He’s ready for me to go ALL IN. Not to say ‘I have faith in God’, while calculating how it could be accomplished or stressing over details or if it will even happen, but to TRULY have unshakeable faith…where there is His supernatural peace that comes with the knowledge that He has it all under control.

My God parted seas, brought the dead back to life, and wiped out entire armies when the odds were not in ‘His’ favor. Over and over and over again He’s proven His faithfulness…and since He is ‘the same yesterday and today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8b), the same God who did all of those things and so much more is the same God who is going to show up in my life as I put my faith in Him and follow where He leads.

Image Credit: Erin Kass Photography

I’m definitely not a Bible scholar and haven’t done a ton of research on this…but from what I’ve read and heard, ‘Selah’ is thought to be a time to pause, praise and reflect. On this 11th day of the Write 31 Day challenge, it is definitely time for Selah.

It’s hard for me to believe that this journey has only been 10 days so far. I’ve had to smirk to myself multiple times as I’ve seen God use my words to encourage other people. My under-analyzed, non-edited words. 🙂 And there has been such freedom in that. I’m starting to realize that it’s maybe not as much the perfectionism that can hold me back as much as it is my tendency to over-analyze and try to consider every single possible angle to come up with the ideal scenario. Trying to come up with the ideal or most efficient scenario is beneficial in some situations but often it is pretty prohibitive.

I’m honestly a little surprised that I’m on day 11 and haven’t missed a day. But that’s also a testament to the power of just ‘go-ing’. Just doing. Having somewhat of a direction and just going for it without knowing all the details ahead of time.  I’m seeing how my approach to this blog is shifting my approach to other areas of life. I decided to dive in head first and I’ve had to rely on God for each step…

Which is another huge thing I wasn’t expecting. Yesterday I read Sarah Lango’s blog post about being ‘Nothing Without Him‘. She wrote “I write because He teaches me the lessons, He speaks to me through His word, He guides my fingers as they slide across the keyboard and words fly upon that blank document, making it something. ”

He is our inspiration. This challenge has pushed me to seek His inspiration every single day (because otherwise you would’ve read A LOT about my pugs…like, I would’ve just had to change the title to ’31 Days in the Life of a Crazy Pug Lady!). It has made me consistently pay attention to things that otherwise have the tendency to get lost in the ‘ick’ of life. It has been awesome to stay in tune to the ‘love nuggets’ as I call them, that He leaves for us to find as we go about our daily lives. They’re all over yet we get so distracted by things that don’t matter and miss out on His blessings. THIS is where I want to live…where life is fully alive. Where life is full of His presence and glory.

I can’t wait to see what He reveals through days 12-31! 🙂

Image Credit: Erin Kass Photography