Words that Bring Life or Death | Free Downloads

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This morning our pastor's message was on the power of words and how we can either speak life into our circumstances or death. Either way it will change the atmosphere. I want to remember that. I want to bend my atmosphere, no matter what happens in my day, towards Jesus, His life, His love. 

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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

ROMANS 12:2

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

EPHESIANS 4:29

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart.

MATTHEW 15:18

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

PROVERBS 15:4

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

LUKE 6:45

This is What Love Does

We all have a gripping desire to feel loved, valued, seen. The journey may get rocky, vision may get blurry and a refocus may be in order. But at the end of the day, when love leads the way, the world shifts.

Love is patient and love is kind. It doesn’t envy or boast. It is not arrogant or rude. It doesn’t insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful; it doesn’t rejoice when things go wrong, but rather rejoices with the truth.

It is the very key that unlocks the door of unity.

Why?

Because love bears all things, believes all things, hopes and endures all things.

Love joins generations. It compels the younger women to reach up for the hand of her older generation. It activates the older women to lift her up in the lessons of faith and bravery.

Love covers multitudes of sin.

Love unifies diversity.

What do we need most to change our corner of the world?

Love.

And by our love, we will shine.

If We Were on a Coffee Date | No. 15

If we were on coffee date, I'd tell you I'm fighting the urge to become a coffee snob. Like really fighting it. I see how people get there. The beans. The water process. The temperature and tamp. But I refuse to be a Starbucks hater. Although I won't even buy their beans again. #truestory

If we were on coffee date, I'd be wearing a long dress with a crop top and proud of it because my pre-mom tummy is starting to come home. She'll never be the same, and that's okay, but little glimpses here and there are nice.

If we were on coffee date, and you're in pre-mom stage of life, I'd tell you to wear your bikinis and crop tops everywhere. Not really. But really. Just kidding. Kinda.

If we were on coffee date, you'd probably be confused. And laughing.

If we were on a coffee date, I'd text you this article I read in Darling Magazine on seeing and giving credit to the tiny triumphs in our life. Spending the emotions on the small stuff and not waiting for the big stuff.

If we were on coffee date, I'd ask how life is going and what tiny triumphs you need to celebrate.

If we were on coffee date, you might say something like "Good, fun, busy..." and I'd be like, "No, I mean like really." Nitty gritty stuff. You know.

So tell me. How's life going? I do email, twitter, facebook and I love chatting in the comments here too :)

Original image via

Never Let Us Go | Shoreline Music

Never Let Us Go, was written by Ty, Jake, and Marquita of Shoreline Music. The feel is similar to Job Song, some of you will remember from a while back. What I love most about this song is the accessibility it has almost instantly with a congregation.

Simple melodies lend themselves to the depth of the lyrics.

The message is simple: Brokenness is not a disadvantage for the children of God. It's an advantage. 

This project was one of the funnest in my worship / music experiences. The team and staff that put their hearts, time, sweat and tears into making this tool a reality is incredible. I know because I work with them. Most everyday.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll introduce them to you. One by one, profile highlight of my friends and co-workers.

"Why?" you might ask. Why do you need to know these people?

Good question.  You're just gonna have to trust me.

These people are rich in love and talent and passion for God, His people and His house.

I love our team. So so much.

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Watch the other videos here:

POWER AND GLORY
WANNA KNOW
more to come. 

The Boy I Met at Starbucks

It was Tuesday morning and I did the same thing I always do on Tuesday's. 

I woke up at 5am, slammed my snooze button, dragged myself out of my warm sheets and got started with my normal-every-Tuesday-morning-routine. I drove to Starbucks, swapped the typical weather jokes with my favorite barista, ordered my grande coffee and bagel, and walked out the freshly decorated glass door.

What wasn't routine was the scraggly teenage boy I ran into on my way to the truck. He was asking for something and though I didn't clearly hear him, I assumed it was money. I said sorry, I didn't have any, and continued on toward the truck. 

He didn't ask again and he didn't pester. But something in my head did. Did he ask for money or food? I quickly spun around and asked, do u need food? His reply was so innocent and affirmative so I held out my goodie bag and said, here ya go, a toasted bagel with cream cheese made just for you. He smiled so big, I thought his lip ring was gonna pop out. 

I didn't think anything of it until I got in the truck and started pulling away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the boy peeling open the cream cheese, so carefully and joyfully, like it was freaking Christmas morning. I drove to the office, weeping like a broken hearted mother. 

I didn't know this boy. I had no idea what kind of trouble or circumstances got him to the streets, but I do know that he is someone's son. And if my son were out on the streets, asking for food at 6:30 in the morning, I know I'd want that busy looking girl to stop and give him her bagel. ~

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If We Were On a Coffee Date | No. 14

If we were on a coffee date, I'd probably want to meet you at a coffee shop towards downtown. There are so many cute shops here in Austin that I have yet to experience. Houndsooth, Mozart's, Cafe Java. Or we could to go TOM'S. It's my fave! 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you this month has gone waaaaaay too fast. I know it's the shortest month of the year but seriously, wasn't it just Feb 1st? 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd ask what the highlight of your month is. 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you the highlight of my month is watching people get excited about changing the world of some sweet Filipino girls! It's seriously blows me away at how people in this blog community have grabbed a hold of the fight to stop sex-trafficking. 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you I'm so anxious to see how much $$ was planted in the My Refuge House birthday month. !!! I know our goal was lofty ($2700) but I ain't neva scared. 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd ask what you're crazy passionate about in life. Like the kind of passionate you could just talk and talk and talk about for hours and hours. You know that kind? Is it writing? Parenting? Marriage? Chemistry? Counseling? Music? Non-profs or health? 

I'll run and get us a muffin and then I want you to tell me. Tell me everything! 

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Films & Books Talking About Sex Trafficking

"This list is not an endorsement of everything that is presented in these pieces—there is a great amount of nuance in such a complex issue. You’ll rarely find a full piece that uses your favored perspective, level of explicitness, or correct language. It shouldn’t stop us from coming together and being educated." - Love146.org

F I L M S

• Flowers of War, 146 minutes*
• The Whistle Blower, 110 minutes*
• Girls Rising, 101 minutes* 
• Fields of Mudan, 23 minutes
• Rape for Profit, 86 minutes
• Underage, 7 minutes
• Trade, 120 minutes
• Very Young Girls, 84 minutes
• Call + Response, 86 minutes

*Available on Netflix


B O O K S

• Lost Girls, by Robert Kolker
• Girls Like Us, by Rachel Lloyd
• Beyond the River, by Ann Hagedorn
• Sex Trafficking, by Siddharth Kara
• Ending Slavery, by Kevin Bales
• The Johns, by Victor Malarek

It's easy to be overwhelmed when talking or hearing about such an atrocity as Human Sex Trafficking. But now is not the time to lose heart. That does nothing for anyone.

We must rise higher and take even just ONE STEP forward. They deserve it. Will you step forward with me right now?

We're raising $2700 in leiu of my 27th birthday, to support the education and restoration of 12 rescued girls in the Philippines. My personal friend and rockstar, Crystal, oversees this home and the stories she shares would blow. your. minds.

It's real. It's here. And you can do something about it! Got $5?

Plant your seed here.

G I V E

Click to give your donation of $5, $10, or $20 via My Refuge House's super secure and tax deductible site. (Make sure to use the provided link so we can track how much $$ raised.)

S H A R E

Know someone who is passionate and overwhelmed about this too? Tell them you found something small they can do to start with! 

G E T

Yup. We want to show you your sacrifice means the world, so we're giving you a little gem of music. A free download will be coming later this month! You're the first to hear about it!

What I Want to Tell My Daughter About Sex Trafficking

Hopefully, if we do this generation right, nothing.
Hopefully, it will no longer exist.
Hopefully, it will be a horrific part of history she reads about in school.
Hopefully, it will be one of the biggest victories the Christian Church has seen to date.

When my girl comes home from school and asks why bad men take girls and do bad things to them, I hope that my generation did everything they could so we can say, because there is evil in the world baby. 

But we know God is bigger than that! And by His power, because He said with Him we can do anything, the people in our world gathered together and gave all they could to make sure it was stopped on our watch. 

I want to be able to tell her it looked impossible, but we did it.
I want to be able to tell her that while evil is real and dark and big, God is bigger and His love reaches into every nook and cranny of this earth. 

No parent wants their kid to experience fear.
(Maybe the fear of getting their booty swatted every now and then but you know...)

No parent wants to see terror in their daughter's or son's eyes when either they find out or experience how dark this world can be.

We want them to be free to be whoever they want to be, with no strings attached.
No fear.
No heartache.

Right?

And while I do not live in a world of illusions, I know, because studies have shown, there are problems that plague humanity today that are utterly and completely mendable. Annihilable. Vanquishable. Vanishable. They can cease to exist. 

We just have to do something. Anything to cause a ripple effect.

I want to tell my little girl that the her doctor is a walking miracle.
Her teacher isn't supposed to be here.
Her president, that movie star, those astronauts, that police officer, business owner, CEO, worship leader, pastor, lawyer...

...they have stories that will blow her mind. 

I want so badly, for her to see the loving hands of God, through our obedience, weaving redemption into the fabric of this world at a pace never seen before.

Don't you? 


Here's 3 things you can do RIGHT NOW ||

G I V E

Click to give your donation of $5, $10, or $20 via My Refuge House's super secure and tax deductible site. (Make sure to use the provided link so we can track how much $$ raised.)

S H A R E

Know someone who is passionate and overwhelmed about this too? Tell them you found something small they can do to start with! We have custom Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pics just for you. 

G E T

Yup. We want to show you your sacrifice means the world, so we're giving you a little gem of music. A free download will be coming later this month! You're the first to hear about it!

I'll do my part, you do yours and together we can change the world. I promise.