Weekend Links

Ty and I visited the Getty Villa here in LA, and it was a pretty little surprise. I suggest going if you like history or art. 

Funniest thing I watched online this week: Breaking the Barrier. You know you've done it. (berniehatefield.com)

Most beautiful, real and still respectful thing I've read on Sandy Hook and God in schools. (Rachel Held Evans)

Totally forgot about this board that I was planning on using for Christmas this year... #pinterestfail. Gonna do the smores for my little siblings though. Shhhh. (Pinterest)

Just found out about BeautyArmy from makeup guru friend, Kendra. Gonna try it! Have you? (Citizens of Beauty)

My mind is consumed with the Becoming Girls Conference right now. My staff has taken team work and leadership to a whole new level. Ugh I LOVE them. (becominggirlsconference.com)

Interesting: All the Weddings I've Ever Been to, as I Remember Them. (The Hairpin)

Considering ordering this book. I loved Experiencing God and I think this might be a woman version of that. In a way. Online book club anyone? (Wonderstruck)

What's new around your world? 

Home Birth VS Hospital Birth

I made Ty watch The Business of Being Born with me. 

It was an act of love really. I wanted to watch it for educational purposes but it turned out to be one giant, holy-crap-what-is-happening-session. But I would recommend it for first time moms. 

At least for me, it was informative and enlightening on the decades old battle of home versus hospital births. This particular documentary was a little heavy on the home birth side of the argument but understandably so. I think. 

Like I said, this is my first time. 

What I've been contemplating the most is the freedom aspect of labor and delivery. I know I cannot program nor predict how those days will run, but I at least want the power to say yes and no, music or no music, people in my room or no people in my room, walking around or not. 

I've heard horror stories about nurses and doctors manipulating situations, women who didn't want drugs ended up getting them, women who did get (and want) drugs and they didn't work, etc. And I've heard horror stories of home-birth panics, health scares, unpreparedness, etc. 

All of the above scare me. But just a little. 

I understand this is a tricky topic, but it's one that a lot of you know and care about. 

So, the virtual floor is open:

-How/where did you do labor and delivery?

-What do you wish would have happened?

-What do you wish would NOT have happened?

-And any other unsolicited advice and website references:) 

*Please keep comments and opinions respectful as this can be a tricky and personal topic. We are discussing information and not personal attacks. Any rude or disrespectful comments will be deleted.

 

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The Girl that Sings blog isn't a mommy blog, but I do post updates, stories and topics of motherhood I'm discovering and others I'm wrestling through once a week on Thursdays if you care to enjoy and join the convo.

Mo's Merry Christmas Music

Tell me your favorite Christmas album/song ever! I need to stock up for next year :)

My Pre-Pregnancy Body

Everyone says your body is at its sexy prime between the ages of 20-25. Or really, anytime before you have a kid. 

I know it's a real thing, the pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy body thing, but it's one of those phenomenons you can't really grasp until you experience the widening hips, the extra padding around the midsection, and the bust boost. (This post might be traumatizing/over the line for the men, sorry about that.) 

I've read some hilarious posts on topics like "what no one tells you about pregnancy" and "before I got pregnant..." and others of the sorts. Here's my brief rendition.

Before I (miraculously) became pregnant:

• I could talk on the phone and walk at the same time. Without sounding like I just ran a marathon. 
• The only problem with doing laundry was that I didn't want to do it. Now, stretching ligaments allows for only 1-2 loads. (Thank goodness!)
• Eating was something I did because I enjoyed it. Now, my body curses me at 3AM for more applesauce. Or bacon. 
• People said I wouldn't show til 16 weeks. Lies. All lies. Everyone is SO different.
• Nausea meant a mean case of the flu. Now, it brings me comfort. 
• I didn't think it was possible to love Ty any more than I already did. Now, we've entered a whole new beautiful world. 

I love being pregnant. Laying on that doctor bed, with it's crinkly paper and bright white lights, the ultra sound tech placed her chilly wand on my belly.

For a split second she couldn't locate the baby and my heart dropped. 
Turns out, Baby Mo likes to hang out a little more north than usual. 

I cried, first tears of relief and then awe.

Baby Mo was kicking around like a little soccer player (though I can't feel it yet) and it made all the chubbiness, abnormal bodily functions, and nausea worth it. 

There is a human being growing in my belly. A real, live, human being. 

That beautiful truth will never cease to amaze me and everyday I am overwhelmingly grateful. 

More on it next week. 

Baby Details: 13 weeks / Baby is moving around / Baby is size of a peach / Momma is craving mexican food and bacon

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The Girl that Sings blog won't turn into mommy-dom, but I'll post updates, stories and topics of motherhood I'm discovering and others I'm wrestling through once a week on Thursdays if you care to enjoy~

God is Pursuing You (and me)

Sometimes I forget that God is actively pursuing me. 

I forget that His love for me is so overwhelming when I stop and think of who He has made me to be in His eyes. I forget that there was never a "good enough" benchmark that I had to meet in order to deserve His love. There was no race I had to run to be accepted by Him. I just was. 

Then this morning, He reminded me. While eating my sliced apples and sipping my tea-cup full of coffee, He reminded me that His love, it never ends. It is new, every single morning. 

I knew that was a verse somewhere in Scripture, so I googled it, naturally, and cried over the whole passage. 

I wanted to share it with you because I know some of you are struggling with this whole God thing. Others of you, like me, have simply forgotten the depth of God's love for you. And then there may be some of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, but you know something is missing from your life. So be blessed dear friends and remember today, God is pursuing your heart. ~

I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.I remember it all-oh, how well I remember-the feeling of hitting the bottom.But there's one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up.They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.


Continue reading...
 (Repost of New Every Morning)

A Stranger Mothered Me Back on Track

Original Photo Source / Edited by JMorlet

It's okay to be nice to a complete stranger. I'm grateful for the lady that taught me this lesson.

I was sitting in the corner of my favorite hometown french bakery, sobbing my eyes out. I tried my best to conceal the tears, but the mascara smudged down my lower lids was a dead giveaway. I couldn't help it. I was at my wits end, and with every last ounce of girth in me I struggled to put on my every things-going-to-work-out cap on. 

I knew it would. It always does. But at that moment, I was tired of waiting. 

I ordered my usual, a breakfast crepe with eggs, ham, mushrooms, cheese and strawberries, a stared off into space as though the answers to my questions would inscribe themselves on the back wall. 

Now, please understand there is a slight possibility I was overly emotional and approaching PMS week. 

Nevertheless, off into space I stared. 

For about 15 minutes. 

And then the sweetest little old lady walked up behind me, gently rubbed my shoulder and whispered five words that shifted my mood and my philosophy on strangers. 

She said, 

"Sweetie, you need to eat."

In that moment, that woman was my hero. At a time when I felt all my decisions were either being made for me or non-existent, she gave me the simplest of directions. I needed someone to remind me to focus on the next right thing. I needed to eat. I hadn't eaten anything all day.

It was like she knew that and instead of pitying me in her mind and walking away, she sweetly and gently took the time to mother my exposed heart. 

There are people in your life today, that need you to help them along to their next right thing. Look for them. They will come in all different shapes and sizes, looks and styles, ages and genders. Regardless, they need you to notice them and sweetly whisper something like, "Sweetie, you need to eat." 

What Are Your Christmas Traditions?

Original Photo // Edited by JMorlet

Last Year I did a series with my friends on our Christmas traditions. Since our little family is starting soon, Ty and I've been chit chatting here and there about traditions we might want to try with the Morlet Clan. 

I had a lot of fun re-reading through these and thought you might find them sweet and original. 

*IMAX, Ornaments and Bingo, by Misty Gatlin

*It's Not Christmas Without Tamales, by Crystal-Lee Howley

*A How-To on Tamales, by Marissa Bryson

*Documenting Christmas Dinners, by Laura Tremaine

*Remembering the Old and Learning the New, by Aislin 

*One Big Day of Little Traditions, by Tamara Clare

*Cake on Christmas Day, by Tammy Hodge 

What Christmas traditions does your family do? Tell me!

I Will Never Forget the Other Side of Motherhood

I have resisted the idea of Mommy-Blogger. I once went to a conference, having no idea how deep and wide the Mommy Blogger identification went, I was bombarded  overwhelmed by them.  

But now, I am a mom. No getting around that. 

I think mom thoughts, like how if we have a girl she won't date til she's 32. 
I feel mom feelings, like how love is showing up in quantities I didn't know existed.
I see mom sights, like this adorable stroller I will kill for. 
And so on. 

But I will also never forget the other side. 

I will never forget what it feels like to read someone's pregnancy announcement and cry tears of joy and longing in the same flow. 

I will never forget what it feels like to see my ugly crying face in the bathroom mirror because my period came, once again. 

I will never forget what it feels like to want something so bad, that without it you're not sure who you will be.

I know what it feels like to be broken, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. 

I know what it feels like to be angry, at something completely out of your control. 

I know what it feels like to be hurt, by a God you've ascribed your whole life to.

But I also know what it feels like to have hope. Not just because I got pregnant, but because I was always a mother. Whether in 2012 or 20 years from now, by conception or adoption. 

I am someone's mother and you, all of you whose stories I've read and cried over... 

You are too. 

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The Girl that Sings blog won't turn into mommy-dom, but I'll post updates, stories and topics of motherhood I'm wrestling through once a week on Thursdays if you care to enjoy~

Becoming Into the Weekend

This conference has been consuming the better part of my year. Tomorrow we're having one of our last team meetings before the big event (Jan 25-26). I could start a whole blog about my team and how they work together, sparking one another's inspiration and creativity.

I love these girls and all that they represent.

I am passionate about this next generation of women and girls, rising up to be who God called them to be.

Not feminists with an I am woman hear me roar, but girls who are discovering the heart of God and more specifically, the heart of God for them. 

If you're new, myself and team of (amazing) women and girls put on a 2 day conference for Middle School and High School girls. We invite moms to come too.

We have fun and there is always lots of goodies~

This year, we're incorporating a real live horse...on stage...doing backflips.

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In other news,

Next month's blog series will be on The Secret Life of American Teenage Girl. Not related (entirely) to  the TV show. The boy series will follow.

Christmas is 16 days, 2 hours and 40 minutes away.

For those of you who hear my cries for help on Facebook, thanks for your input! Loving the Etsy stores.

Ty and I, as horrible as it is, are in a not so silent Christmas Gift competition every year. We set a budget on what we're allowed to spend on each other and this year, I'm going to win. Guaranteed.

Have you seen this Instagram vid?? #peedmypantsitssotrue

Oh, and it's the weekend.

11 Things Not to Say to Newlyweds (and Why)

Every newlywed has that question that is like lemon on a salted wound or the broken record that is on everlasting repeat. Here's what not to say to a recent newlywed.

I'm guilty of these too.

1. How's married life?
This is kind of an exception because, in all honesty, you probably really want to know. Or do you? Newlyweds get this way too often, and answers can become rote and rehearsed. Of course they're not going to tell you about the actual married life, if you know what I mean. Let's try to change it up to what's the best part about marriage? or what's shocked you so far? 

2. Soooooo when are those babies comin??
I want to meet the first person ever that asked this and slap them. Kindly. Almost all newlyweds will smile and give you some long far off timeline but honestly, they don't know just as much as you don't. Life doesn't work like that.

3. Are you all settled in?
Timeline is very important here. 1 Week after the wedding: are you kidding? Have you unpacked a house before? 1 Month after the wedding: The proper answer is yes, because I don't want you to know I haven't touched anything since we've moved in... 1 Year after the wedding: If we're not by now, we never will be. 

4. Is it different living with a guy?
You're expecting them to tell you some funny story about the toilet seat being up in the middle of the night or the sink full of shavings, but what they're really thinking is I had no idea guys fart in their sleep! So yes, yes it is.

5. Aww sweety you look so healthy!
Why do you patronize me so? I know you mean, Aww you're gaining marriage weight. 

6. Oh I bet you're still in the honeymoon phase.
Maybe. Maybe not. And if they're not, they'll just lie to you anyways and that's gonna make them feel really bad.

7. Oh you two are young, you'll get the hang of it.
The urge to respond with a big fat, "duh" is unbearable. We understand you're reminiscing of the younger years in that sentence, but we're living in the younger years and we could really use some chocolate.

8. Honey, no one's an expert on marriage, but...
As you proceed into your 20 minute monologue alluding to the fact that you are, indeed, an expert on the subject, all they're thinking is that is so not my marriage. Everyone's different. Let our advice be as such.

9. How's the sex?
No! You better be the BFF if you're asking this question. If you're anyone else, back off. In.appro.priate! 

10. It just gets better. 
Though you're probably right, this can be either really good or really bad. How long does it have to be bad to get better? Or wait, it gets better? Than this?! But I love this!

11. Marriage isn't all about the sex.
Right now, it probably is. Or maybe it isn't. But you don't know that. Preconceived notions about the percentage sex should take up in a marriage isn't up to the cultural norm to make. It's up to the couple. Let it be.

What To Say Instead: I'm so happy for you!
Yes. This is the most amazing response we ever received as a newlywed couple. No pressure to talk, no weird questions to answer, and yet we knew our friends and family were happy for us.

Got some to add?

10 Tricks to Fuel Your Blog Writing

1. Carry a mini-notebook everywhere.
Ideas escape faster than they fly in. Catch as many as you can and decipher their quality later. There are dumb ideas, but if you don't write those down too, you'll never spot a good one.

2. Get the Evernote App
I use this app for nearly everything pertaining to writing. Songs, blog posts, random quotes and books I need to read. It syncs up with any device you have the app on (iPad, iPhone, Mac, etc) and is available offline. Love it.

3. Get the Weave App
I use to only make my shopping list on Weave, but now I categorize and plan out my posts with this baby. You can set due dates, keep track of time spent on posts, and assign to-do's to various projects. It's an organizer's Disneyland.

4. Scan Facebook & Twitter
What are people talking about on Facebook? What are they retweeting on Twitter? Who are they mentioning? Find out what people care about, and then get creative with how to mold that into your niche. Sometimes it doesn't work. Other times, it's your golden post. 

5. Eavesdrop 
I said it. I tried this one day, totally nervous someone was going to catch me, and it was a huge eye-opener to what people's conversations really revolve around. Different areas will have different norms and cultures. In LA, almost all the conversations I've caught glimpses of revolve around relationships. Make sense huh? 

6. Take a walk.
Writers have been doing this for centuries. "Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move," wrote Henry Thoreau, "my thoughts begin to flow." He describe walking as, "a great art." Whether it's the rhythm or the movement, the seeing or hearing, walking enacts all the senses of a writer. (For an interesting article on Walking and Writing click here.)

7. Develop a routine.
I've started looking at Pinterest every morning right when I wake up. But not for house cleaning tips or hairstyles. I have a board I've called "When in Doubt, Look at Me," and in there I put colors, pictures, art and photos that stand out to me. Sometimes I don't know why and other times I do. Then I choose one to keep referring back to throughout the day. It forces my mind go deeper in thought, story development or theory. 

8. Think Back
What memories do you have that fit your writing niche? Are you a mommy blogger? Write about a childhood memory of your mother. Are you a fashion blogger? How about how you insisted on wearing your ballerina costume on picture day! Home decor blogger? Everyone has a memory or two of "decorating" your room with Crayola Markers. 

9. Ask Questions
Some of my biggest blog series came from this one. I asked what people wish they knew and at what age. Nearly everyone said their 20's! So I did a series on What No One Ever Told Me About My 20's. Bingo. Most read series to this day. 

10. Write a Yes Share | No Share List
Blogging can be, and usually is a very personal endeavor. Not matter how "business" you make it. People read your blog, well, because they like you. Early on, I made a list of things I was okay with sharing with the public and things I would steer away from. Over the years, some things on the NO SHARE list have hopped to YES SHARE list. And vice versa. 

Wanna start a blog? Here's an online course to get you started. 

Weekend Links (from the comfort of my bed)

The last couple weeks I've been on the lay low. Most days I don't even open my computer. Finally my husband turned to me and asked, "Who are you?!" 

I'm a tired, bloated, peeing, over-eating, amazingly happy woman.

Yup, that about sums it up.

So, how are you?
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Here's what I've been reading 'round the Web-o-sphere ~

Nearly everything I've read about working out and pregnancy says something to the effect of "Just keep doing what you were before you got pregnant." I need to find what's out there for the girl who was "walking-to-and-from-Starbucks."

 My recent internet obsession is Alex Bodean. A funny, friendly, and freaking informative little girl she is. If you like photography, business or oogling over pictures, she's your girl.

Shared my 10 Tricks to Fuel Blog Writing over at Blog Guidebook this week. Amazing stuff going on over there.

Well, did he go to church on Sunday? Interesting perspective. What do you think?

Elsie has a new e-course out and I just have 1 question: Who wants to buy this for me for Christmas???

This is our new home church here in Los Angeles. !!

The new show, Nashville, has got me hooked. Acting is okay, music is catchy, autotune is all over the place, but I love it. I don't know why. Storyline I think. Have you seen it? Like it?

Maggie is a new (+adorably preggo) friend of mine. Her shop, Gussy Sews, is to die for. If you like ruffles and pretty colors, you will love her.

What are you reading these days?

*PS. Blogging sched back to norm on Monday :) 

Thankful for Change

This season I have an immeasurable amount to be thankful for, but it is all summed up with this guy. These last couple of months, we have been fused together in a new city, a new home, a new job and a new baby on the way. Change is tightly crammed into the Mo home this year. And we wouldn't have it any other way. ~

We're Pregnant: Baby Mo is on the Way!

So, I can finally un-secret my Baby Pinterest Board.

Man Version of this Story:

We're pregnant. 

Woman Version of this Story:

On October 26, 2011 I wrote, 

Today makes 1 year of us trying for Baby Mo #1. And my period has come again... 2 weeks early. I am broken today. And a little lot angry at God. I know He loves me, but I feel so forgotten. A hopefully beneficial thing in all this is that ever since I told our story on the blog, so many women have come out of the wood-works with their own stories of heartache. I was so scared that if I told my world, it would make it all more real. I don't want it to be real. But, God is good. So I'll obey. Because I know He loves me. And He can take this silly girl's anger. --

The last year has been a whirlwind of awkward conversations, ugly cries, jaw-dropping stories from women I would have never guessed struggled with fertility, and little graces of hope. 

Exactly one year later (totally unplanned), October 26, 2012, I opened my journal and scribbled these words, 

I am 2 weeks late. Yet this time around, I have a greater peace. I have not won this battle, but I know, I know with all my heart God's way will outshine my way. Three weeks ago I gave up babies again. This time, with a promise. I told God that I was going to go full speed ahead in life. Between this church plant and the girls conference, heaven knows I can keep myself more than busy. I promised I would move forward if He would promise to give me a warning sign when He was going to allow us to become pregnant. That's all I wanted. I wanted time to slow down. --

Unbeknownst to either of us, a sweet (new) friend gave me that warning. She posted Isaiah 49:15-16 on my Facebook and said she couldn't stop thinking about me when she read it. 

It says, 

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

I was afraid to read into it.

I couldn't be.

I JUST said I was going to move full speed ahead. 

Like three weeks ago.

So I wrote it down and moved on. 

Two days later, I was guest worship leading at a new church and was horribly nervous. So nervous, in fact, I threw up in the women's bathroom. That was strange. I don't think I've done that since 6th grade.

That afternoon I slept. For four hours. That's strange. I never nap. 

Ty left for a concert with some friends and I sat on the couch, sicker than a dog, clutching my stomach. There's no way. But I should take a test just in case. But there's no way. Seriously. 

I turned on the shower, dug out that Clear Blue box I'd been saving for a time such as this, and peed on that stupid little stick. All the while, coaching myself through the cyclically familiar grief I was about to relive. 

It's gonna be negative. It's so gonna be neg---

I saw it. It was clear as the sky is blue. That little sucker had a double line.

Without notice, my eyes flooded and my heart began pouring out praise and thanks to my God. I bawled, all alone, in my West Hollywood apartment, because once again, though He didn't have to, He gave me my heart's desire.

That night He reminded me of this: 

Julianna, I haven't changed. I didn't become more good. This isn't proof of my faithfulness, because you and I both know I was faithful before you even took that test. This is proof of my blessings. I. See. You. I. Will. Never. Forget. You. 

No, I replied. No You won't.

- - - - -

Many of you have walked this journey with us and want to say, from every fiber in our beings, thank you. You have cried with us, prayed over us and with us, emailed us words of immense encouragement, fed us dinners and caffeinated us with Starbucks, and we are forever grateful for each of you. 

This baby isn't just for us. He (yes we think it's a boy) is meant for so much more than to be a Morlet child. 

He is meant to show the world just who God is. He will have his own purpose, his own story and his own journey of faith. But in the meantime, we will share this gift with you. ~

Other Details: 

9 Weeks along / Due end of June-ish / Feeling amazingly nauseas / Craving cucumbers / Popping a tiny bit, but it's probably mostly gas. 

Waiting

It seems like everyone is always waiting for something. 
Birthdays, holidays, vacation or promotions. 
Graduations or job interviews, wedding days and babies. 

We wait. We anticipate. 

I wait. I anticipate. 

Monday is a big day for the Mo house. Stay tuned.

Weekend Links + A Download

(Click on the image to save for a background download- - -)

Things have been a little quiet here. Those that are still here, thanks for hanging with me. It's been a weird couple of weeks, but the end result will. be. worth. it. 

And thanks to you sweety pies of you who helped me with my microdermabrasion dilemma on Facebook. Saving up for the Clarisonic and making an appointment this week.

I went to this conference with my pastor's wife and it was sweet and refreshing. The biggest take-away for me: God, my Father, empowers me to be right where I am. 

Mmmm (Christina Perri) Christmas music.

This is taking most of my time these days and I am LOVING it. These girls are my passion and my inspiration. This year, we're Becoming Brave. 

Holy salad. 

I had a moment of shame this week when I realized nearly 90% of my "Food" Pinterest board was dessert. Dessert people. As if all I eat is dessert. 

@LASCANNER is the funniest informative person I follow on Twitter. Hands down. If you live in LA, you need it.

How true is this?

So, What are you doing this weekend? 

Los Angeles Dream Center

In early October, Ty and I got to lead worship for some of the most passionate men and women I've ever encountered. '

It was not a Sunday morning; it was 7:00 Friday morning.
It wasn't in a church; it was in a gym.
The seats weren't any pews; they were metal folding chairs.
The people weren't in dresses and slacks; they were wearing jeans and black t-shirts.
There was no worship band; just one guy, a congo and a guitar.

There was no facade. It was Spirit of God.

We were at the Dream Center.

Our new friends, Steve and Brooke, invited us out because Steve was teaching that morning's chapel. I am not exaggerating when I say God has explicitly anointed and had favor upon the efforts of the Dream Center. In a place where desperation would be understandable, it does not exist. 

For the drug addict, the at risk teen, the pregnant mother, the starving family, the homeless men, women and children, the rescued sex slave, the Dream Center of LA bleeds hope. 

Hope that only comes from Jesus. And I am honored, honored to be in the same city as these folks. ~

More information on the Dream Center:
How it Started
Write a Letter to a Rescued Girl
Youth Center
Adopt a Block

Speak of What You Hope

Lyrics from What We Hope by Elenowen

Be Right Back

 Due to some recent events, JM will be taking a short break. Everything's good. No one's dead :) 
Thanks, as always, for reading and writing and encouraging!

Love,
Julianna

Psalm 23:6 - (Day Twenty)

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." (Psalm 23:6)

Ty and I prayed Psalm 23 over our marriage, knowing that because of the journey preceding five verses, verse six is a choice we were making. We would pursue goodness and mercy from God, towards each other and those around us. 

It is the cornerstone on which we build our marriage. And so far, it has served us well. 

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*Oh hello! New here? Til the end of October, I'm writing verses that have been pivotal in my life. Everyone has those they cling to in seasons of life. Do you? Share it with us on Facebook!

Psalm 23:4 - (Day Nineteen)

"Your rod and staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4)

I don't know about you, but rods and staffs, those were tools of discipline in my home.

Ok well not exactly a rod, more like a wooden spoon but when you're on the tail end of it, it's pretty much the same thing. (Can I get a witness? Yup, that just happened.)


But in the phases of life, there are transitions. 

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child." (1Cor13:11)

When I got in trouble, I knew there were consequences. I knew they sometimes came in the form of a wooden spoon. I knew that reasoning was not an option (with me) because I was stubborn. 

I remember one time, my brother and I were whining and fighting in the garage as my mother was attempting to talk to a neighbor. A couple times she asked us to stop. "It's not very becoming," she'd say.  

We didn't, of course. 

So she turned to me and said, with her stern face, "Go to your rooms. I will be there in a second."

Oh shoot. 

We ran as fast as we could into the house and talked through our elementary game plan.

"Go get Julissa. We'll lock ourselves in the bathrooms, and have her bring us pitchers of water so that we'll keep drinking and always have to pee. Then, Mom can't spank us. Because we're in the bathroom!"

Genius! 

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a (wo)man, I put childish ways behind me. 

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:11-15)

The maturing process of a Christian is very similar to that of a child; no matter what age you are saved. 

In both realms, discipline is meant for protection.

As children, rods and staffs, they aren't comforting. They are painful, seemingly unnecessary and emit "consequence" to us. But they are done out of the love of our parents. 

When my Momma slapped my hand as I went for the stove, she knew I was going to get burned. When my Dad made me change my booty shorts before youth group, he knew they were wildly inappropriate for the occasion and my age. 

Parent's don't (or shouldn't) enjoy disciplining their children, but it's their responsibility from the Lord.

As adults, the discipline we received as children helped guide us along to maturity and wisdom. We can see now that the discipline for whining and fighting was to eliminate that habit from my life. Who wants to hang around an adult whiner or complainer?? 

As new believers, there are things we cannot know are right or wrong without the guidance of a Father, leading us, carrying us, nudging us and disciplining us along the way.  

As mature believers, have perspective and comfort in that training. It was a Father, raising up His children in maturity. 

I hate discipline. And I use to fight it. But God has been showing me more and more, how necessary it is for my life. It's only awful if I don't learn. It's beautiful if I do.

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*Oh hello! New here? Til the end of October, I'm writing verses that have been pivotal in my life. Everyone has those they cling to in seasons of life. Do you? Share it with us on Facebook!

Psalm 23:3 (Day Eighteen)

I was a little high school freshman, my first year at Winter Camp, and our speaker was a Jamaican Mexican bald man who had more love in his heart than the world knew what to do with. (If you know Sabo Cortez, insert head nod and smile here.)

In the pinnacle of his evening message he leaned in, looked every single one of us in the eyes, and whispered, "Brothers and sisters, you were saved FROM something, TO something."

Wide eyed we leaned in as if he were giving away the secrets to life. 

So interesting. 

For the longest time, my limited view of Christianity was so I wouldn't go to hell. That Jesus loved me enough to save me from there. I was never okay with the "waiting for Jesus to come back" mentality. It didn't sit right with me. But I didn't know what else there was to do.

And then that night, the door was unlocked and swung wide open. I'm supposed to be DOING something. Not sitting. Not waiting. Moving, faster than ever. Pushing, with the force and stamina of the Gospel behind me. 

"He leads me in paths of righteousness, for His name's sake." (Psalm 23:3)

He led us into righteousness, for His namesake. Not ours. 

He led us FROM something (sin, shame, guilt) TO something (freedom, mission, purpose, life).

Are you stuck in the FROM of salvation? 
What will it take to move you FROM, TO? 

I have my Jam-exican friend's number, I can have him call you ;) 

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*Oh hello! New here? Til the end of October, I'm writing verses that have been pivotal in my life. Everyone has those they cling to in seasons of life. Do you? Share it with us on Facebook!

Psalm 23:1-3 - (Day Seventeen)

Psalm 23 was one of those bible verses everyone memorized at Vacation Bible School. I can hear it, as if it was yesterday. 100 kids, all wearing some bright colored t-shirt, standing and reciting, the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...

I am forever grateful for that basis of Biblical knowledge. 

But over time, the foundation gets jaded. Know what I mean? 

Over time, I have forgotten the preciousness of those words. The Lord God Almighty, He is my Shepherd. Everything He does, as a Shepherd, is thoughtful, purposeful, intentional and beneficial to my well-being. 

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23:1-3a)

As a newly wed, I remember being so relieved that sometimes, God, as a good shepherd, makes us lie down in green pastures. Sometimes, when I'm running around like a crazy person, He takes that rod, swats my booty and firmly causes me to stop. 

You need rest, He says. There is a longer journey ahead. Drink, be refreshed and sleep. 

It's happened so often in my adult life, that I am learning to recognize the signals. 

I know that when my physical body is weak, for no obvious sickness or reason, it's swat and lay #1. 

I know that when my mind starts running like a rat race, completely out of control, that's swat and lay #2.

And I know when I am burnt out, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, to the point where talking to anyone is too much effort, I've missed or ignored the first 2 swats and this one is a little firmer. Swat and lay #3. 

I lack nothing with my God, because it is He that refreshes my soul by His firm and gentle shepherding. 

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*Oh hello! New here? Til the end of October, I'm writing verses that have been pivotal in my life. Everyone has those they cling to in seasons of life. Do you? Share it with us on Facebook!