He Wants It All

I recently listened to a song from a family group named Forever Jones called "He Wants it All". Just sitting and listening to the music, the song began to minister to me in such a profound way. I lifted my hands high and let the tears fall down my face. The song began to speak to me in such a beautiful, profound, and convicting way.

The lyrics are truly amazing. It is basically just speaking of dropping everything and seeking Jesus first. There is such a freedom in surrender. The song is definitely a passionate cry about this very subject. There is something so beautiful about lifting up your hands and saying God, I want Your will. You are God and You are working all things together for my good. I trust You! Your way is perfect.

Here are some lyrics from the song:

"And there's a God that walks over the earth
He's searching for a heart that is desperate
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all"
-------------------------------------------------
HE wants it all.
All of our love.
He wants us to share our hearts with Him.
To lay down our idols and distractions.
He truly deserves it.
He desires it.

I strongly encourage you to listen to this song and pray that it blesses you and encourages you as it did me.

Brokenness

We all have our times of brokenness, seasons where we feel dry and weary and could use that drink of water to refresh our spirits. We are broken, but yet beautiful so, and I believe that God uses that brokenness of ours to rely on Him, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. The God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He uses that brokenness to bless us, to help us grow, to keep our eyes focused on Him.

In that point of desperation He hears our hearts cry, and our plea for help.

Psalm 40 says "I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him."

I love the book of Psalms of David because of the openness and rawness of it all. He was a man after God's own heart, a God that cares for our troubles and concerns and thoughts more than anything. Many of David's psalms are extremely encouraging to me.

I just think that in our times of brokenness, comfort is there. And that is in the name of Jesus. He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.

Psalm 34:18 "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit".

WORDS

"Sticks and Stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me"

Whoever said this obviously didn't understand the concept of words. In fact, words can hurt deeper than some silly twig or rock can. Words can change ones perception of someone, can tear down and build someone up. Yet this is so common, even in the Church! The bullying, the teasing, the gossip, the negativity, the intolerance. It's all there. How have we allowed ourselves to become desensitized toward such a thing?

I was a victim of this today, which was surprising because in a situation like that I would typically shrug it off, but found myself upset. It reminded me of the power of encouragement and made me wonder, how many times do I say something mean or offensive to someone instead of showing them grace? If I overhear someone gossiping, why don't I just walk away or say something to protect that person's honor?
This is an issue that needs to be prioritized.

We may gossip or speak badly about someone out of jealousy and envy, we may gossip to cover up an insecurity about ourseves. But gossip, all in all, is just negative. Nothing good comes out of it. Since when did cutting someone else down to make ourselves feel good become so common? As the body of Christ, we are called to encourage and edify each other, to speak love to our strengths and help each other with our weaknesses.

James 3:9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness.
As children of God in Christ Jesus, we need to speak encouragement to others. These are people made in the image of God. We need to see them as such and encourage them. Sometimes people just may need an encouraging word or acknowledgement. We need to be the love of Christ and be a good example of His word by extending that love to others.

We need to ask ourselves, do we want to bless and encourage someone with a word? Take for instance that cashier at Wal-Mart. Do we want to argue with her because she's having a bad day or do we want to extend grace and ask her how her day is going? One kind word can go a long way.

I know that am convicted to speak words of encouragement and love unto others, because it is part of the example that Jesus showed. He truly is the greatest role model.


Stop with the cutting words
Stop with the gossip
Be an encouragement
Extend grace
Speak love

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LOVE

Valentine's Day. Also known as the day of love. One of those days where chocolates and cards are flying of the shelves. Restaurants are packed with reservations and people waiting to take their significant others on special dates.

I think all this is great and essential for relationships, but we tend to focus on the wrong things. I believe that if it weren't for God, we wouldn't even know HOW to celebrate Valentine's Day. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He is love. Sometimes we tend to overshadow that with other relationships, but as Christians He gives us the ability and grace to extend that selfless, sacrificial, and pure love to others.

Love is more than flowers or candy . It is a commitment, an action, it is beyond emotions, it is unwavering.

1 Corinthinans 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

True love is found in the love of Christ. His love is still there for an imperfect people who struggle with sin. His love is there for the broken and lost.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. This is the love that endured the cross and died for our sins, and still considers us His friend! How amazingly wonderful that truth is.

The love of Christ is unwavering.
The love of Christ is unfailing.
We love because HE first loved us.

Find You On My Knees

Kari Jobe is an amazing worship leader and just an all-around sweet girl. I have yet to meet her in person, but I just sense a sweet spirit about her. Her music is so heart-felt and encouraging and brings you to that sweet place of worship. Her new cd, Where I Find You, does exactly that. Everyone should get it!

One song that I am drawn to in particular is "Find You On My Knees". It is a cry, that in the midst of struggle and upset, at times of brokenness when we are completely humbled and on our knees, we find God. It is in that time that God is able to transform and do a new thing (Isaiah 43:19). The song is a proclamation that even though there are struggles and trials, we can stand on the promises and faithfulness of God.

I love the fact that the message of this song is that despite our weakness, He is made strong. He is Yahweh! We are imperfect, that is why we need Jesus!
He works everything together for our good. I believe that brokenness is a such a beautiful place to be in. Lord, help us to embrace our brokenness!

Here's the video.

The Art of Modesty Part 1.

There is one topic topic that is extremely important to me as a young Christian woman, and that is the topic of modesty. We as Christians are called to be modest and holy, set apart from the ways of this world. Yet we are bombarded with negative images in pictures and movies. Our society is set on proclaiming the phrase "Less is more" and "Sex Sells" is embraced by many. These things are just lies and could not be farther from the truth. All in all, MODESTY IS BEAUTIFUL.


1 Timothy 2:9 "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes"

1 Peter 3:3 "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes."

Ok, I believe that it's ok to look nice. We're girls! We should desire to carry ourselves in a certain way. However, it is when our fixation on outward appearance, clothes, makeup and jewelry surpasses that of our focus on our worth in Christ that it becomes a problem. Our beauty comes from Him alone.

Modesty is reflection of how we perceive ourselves. We are children of the King, so should treat ourselves as such. He delights in us and loves us. The way we dress should also show that we are aware of such things.

I admire Christians in the spotlight like Rebecca St. James, who is an advocate for modesty and proclaims that "Modest is Hottest". At the end of this post I have a video of St. James taking a stand for modesty on national television. (Warning: the title of the video may sound extreme but it is totally relevant to the conversation I promise you!) It's so encouraging to see her take a stand for something so seroius and important, and she is certainly a great example of a role model for today's youth.

I admit, we are all not perfect, and we may make mistakes concerning this area (I know I have). But God can take that mistake and turn it into something beautiful. I know that He is constantly working on me more and more in the area of modesty, as well as providing good role models who uphold the same conviction.

This is part 1 to this topic, so I will definitely be posting more about stylish (and modest) clothing,accountability, as well as some other stuff. :)

Be Blessed!
WARNING: The title may be offensive, but it is totally relevant to the subject matter :)

Noisetrade

I a self-professed lover of music. I tend to follow or listen to music that glorifies the Lord and music that I can be encouraged while listening to. While I am a fam of some of the stuff that plays on stations like KLOVE and Air1, I still love some artists that are under the radar, and all embody a positive, Christ-like message. And the music is REALLY good! Artists like Josh Garrels, Theory Hazit, Neulore, and Ascend the Hill use their unique sound to help reach and bless people. And many of these bands offer music free!

I admire websites like Noisetrade, where artists give some of their music away for free. You can also donate money to them as well. Noisetrade has a significant amount of Christian artists that are extremely talented. Indie label Come and Live also has a ministry in which they give great music away! I really recommend checking it out.

Go support underground Christian artists! I believe you'll be blessed by it!

Superbowl Madness

I am a football fan. Really, I am. However, for the superbowl this year I joined the masses of women and young ladies who could really care less about whether Tom Brady of Eli would take home the trophy (of course, my favorite team, the Saints were eliminated in the playoffs which would explain my lack of interest in the game but that's another story). Of course, many like to look at the Superbowl commercials as a means of entertainment, but I found myself disgusted at how women were portrayed as lustful objects and all kinds of other nonsense. Pretty much every commercial this year I found ridiculous. I mean, am I right? This made me want to turn off the tv as fast as my little fingers could find the remote or find something else to do. I chose the latter.

So, I wanted to do something productive and I found the pie recipe on pinterest to battle all others. I'm talking about chocolate chip cookie pie. Sounds delicious doesn't it? I certainly think so. We're talking ooey gooey, chocolately goodness, all baked inside a graham cracker crust. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It looked so good in fact, I decided to try it. And how delicious it was! I totally recommend it to any one who wouldn't feel guilty about having a slice or two. The recipe is listed below. It's really simple.

Would you look at that yumminess? I personally didn't add ice cream or chocolate syrup because it was sweet enough but if you want to, go for it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Serve with ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy.
Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter.
Stir in morsels and nuts and spoon into pie shell.
Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Hola

Hello all!

Welcome to my blog! I hope you enjoy reading this. I have been urged to start writing a blog for quite some time and finally gave in! One thing you'll notice right off the bat is that I am extremely random/hyper (the exclamation points give it away). The most important thing is that I love Jesus! He is my Savior and Redeemer and I strive to seek Him in all I do. I am a proud Sweet Tea drinkin', food and football lovin' Southern gal who embraces values more than anything. I love to write poetry and songs and love reading and watching anything Jane Austen. I aim to post pictures, reflections, things that the Lord has put on my heart as well as recipes and other good stuff. Whew! I'll try to keep this place updated as much as possible, but if you have any questions, feel free to comment!
Be Blessed!

Brandi