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I Married My First Date
It was a steamy August afternoon when I spotted the tall handsome senior drummer the first day of marching band practice. One of my giddy fellow freshman girlfriends pointed him out to me, since she had a crush on him. Of course, he had no idea any of us wide-eyed ninth graders existed as he strutted on the field a head above all the rest of the band. The summer sun had kissed him in the color of bronze, and his long locks of brown still celebrated a break from the school dress code. Wow, I thought, how could my friend ever think he would notice an awkward fourteen year…
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God of All Comfort
Who do you trust to keep your precious child? That was my dilemma upon finding out I was pregnant with our first baby after six years of marriage to my high school sweetheart. Everyone in the tiny, one-street-light town of Corrigan, Texas had one and only one suggestion: Shirley C. Talk around town was she and her husband had lost a daughter, Cindy, in a tragic accident, but they had forgiven the driver and decided to have another child, a girl they named Hope. Well-known for her calm and peaceful spirit, Shirley baby-sat one little girl, Lindsay, in her home, while Hope and her older brother, Paul, were at school…
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Worry Like A Raven
I get asked all the time about my tattoos. People want to know why I chose them or what the significance is to me. I wish I could say that every single line of ink on my body had some deep meaning…but they don’t! Sometimes flowers are just pretty and make me happy! However, there are certainly quite a few that do hold meaning. One of my most recent additions is a raven on my wrist. It rests between two pre-existing tattoos. Above is the first tattoo I ever got – the one that started it all – a very small, simple “J14:27” for one of my favorite verses; “Peace…
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Fragile Hearts Beat Strong
“Jesus replied, ‘what is impossible with man is possible with God.’” Luke 18:27 You may assume this verse is solely referring to miracles but, in its context, it’s actually referring to matters of the heart. Things that seem difficult or even impossible are made possible with divine intervention. This includes loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable. Society has a way of twisting the truth, don’t you agree? We are taught that being meek automatically makes you weak – and that weakness is something to be ashamed of. One definition of fragile is “delicate and vulnerable.” Delicate is defined as “very fine in structure: of intricate workmanship or quality”. An…
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Bacon With A Side Of Regret
I hadn’t seen my parents in three months – so clearly a celebration was in order when they made it out last week! One of the things I love about Nashville is the food selection. I am surrounded by some pretty awesome spots, each with their own unique flare. I apparently used this visit as an opportunity to completely erase all knowledge of health from my memory. We went out to eat once – sometimes twice – a day. As I’ve mentioned plenty of times before, I’m an all-or-nothing kind of gal so you can imagine the gluttony that took place. If it wasn’t burgers smothered in cheese and bacon…
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Flying Diamonds
Have you ever met those people that seem to have it all together? Not the ones that pretend to have the perfect life to cover up their insecurities, I mean the genuine people. The ones that are kind to others, confident in who they are, and successful in pursuing their passions. Oftentimes we kind of write them off, don’t we? Somehow the fact that they have “it all together” makes them some sort of mystical creature in a class of their own. If we are all born with the same instincts, the same basic needs, and into the same world – what is it that separates us from them? Inhibition.…
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The Belayer, the Rope and the Rock Wall
So I went rock climbing (indoors) for the first time today! I have always wanted to do this. No time like the present, right? I was super nervous but excited. It wasn’t the typical nerves one may assume would come with your first climb. I had no fears of falling, breaking bones, or equipment malfunctioning (although the fact that the person I went with is an awesome, positive, encouraging person who just so happens to be an instructor probably helped to keep any of those traditional fears at bay). My fear was much less logical than all of that: the fear of failure. We started at what was basically the…
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Face Your Fears…of Humility
As Christians, we are called to serve others. We are called to take up our cross and follow Christ’s humble example. Humility, however, is no excuse for complacency. Humility is not the opposite of being successful or great — that is a lie that pride sneaks into our hearts. Jesus wants us to strive to be great — he just redefined greatness. “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first…
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Divorce: Peace For the Future
Divorce is a terrible thing. It does nothing but take from everyone involved. It takes away trust. It damages the heart. It has the ability to affect all aspects of life. Dreams deteriorate and it leaves people hurt and most importantly vulnerable. The enemy thrives in this type of environment. He finds pleasure in our weakness because it gives him an advantage. He wants us to believe that we are defined by our relationships. We are defined by others’ views of us. We are powerless against this. But there’s a problem with that. We are NOT defined by these things. We have something that he can’t take away. Peace.…
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Breadcrumb Trails
“God works in mysterious ways.” We have all heard — and probably used — this saying before. Although there is a lot of truth in that statement, I am starting to figure out that He has a particular strategy when it comes to my life. I tend to be a bit of a dreamer. I like to use my imagination and I like to use it in all aspects of life. As with any personality trait, this can be a blessing but can also cause me a little trouble sometimes. When I get an idea in my head, my imagination takes off and there is no way to slow it down! Whether it’s thinking…
