when in doubt, Love.

Country Road, Take Me Home

2011-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

I seriously giggle every time I sign in to do a post when I see how long it's been since my last post. I think about blogging so much, and I have so much I could write. So...I'll try to do better. :]

Right now we're in the final stages of buying our first home. This week we will either get the house, or lose it and have to shell out some cash for inspections and things like that. So it's a tense time right now, but we both have peace about it, and we know Jesus will take care of it.

After we get the house, we're looking at lots of fun DIY projects I can talk about, plus a potential family shift. I'm pumped.

aloha and hello!

2011-07-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

[andy bernard quote from The Office. love it.]

I am actually doing some DIY-ing, and hoping to start posting pictures and linking up. I'm getting a handle on two under two, I think...or maybe I've actually started getting delusional. We'll see!

May BH&G Organization

2011-05-30T19:20:00.001-07:00

May Storage Projects: Garage

Create Task Kits. Create kits for various outdoors projects by filling 5- and 10-gallon plastic buckets with all the tools, products, and accessories you need to complete specific tasks such as car-washing, weeding, bicycle repair, and more.

Stash Sporting Gear. Fill tall kitchen trash cans with large and odd-shaped sporting gear. Drill holes in the bottom of bins if drainage is important. Stabilize containers by securing to a wall with short bungee cords.

Organize the Trunk. Clean out your vehicle's trunk. Toss every item that is expired or damaged. Place all trunk gear in a canvas bin or box. Make sure the container doesn't slip by adding rubber or hook-and-loop tape to the bottom.

Tidy Up the Tools. Hang hand tools on a wall near your workbench from hooks on pegboard, magnetic board, or a wall-mount strip system. Label each tool's spot. Put extra tools in a tool box or clear plastic boxes and store on floor underneath workbench.

**I don't have a garage, but I'm okay with that. This is lots of organizing I don't have to worry about! ;]**

Update since 40 days ago!

2011-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted anything, other than the copy&paste stuff about organization, and a LOT has been going on. It's after 9, so I'm sleepy, but I will try to get caught up here!

First of all, the reason for the absence is that the staff of 6:22 were doing a 40 day media fast leading up to our Good Friday event. Can i just be real and say that I did NOT miss Facebook at all? We cancelled Netflix, didn't watch anything on TV [except some stuff that Shiloh likes], got off Facebook, and a few other different things, depending on the person. I really thought not having Facebook would be tough, but honestly if it weren't for my family and the pictures of my girls, I would've deleted my account when this fast ended. I've been so much more productive! More at peace, more organized, more active during the day because I'm not constantly checking updates and all that craziness - it's nuts how much time I waste on that site! But I'm sure I'll fuss more about that another time. :]

The biggest excitement in my life has been having 2 kids! Ariel Judah was born February 17th. She is my little Loverbug. Shiloh has adjusted to her wonderfully, and I'm just constantly in awe of how blessed I am to have such beautiful, perfectly healthy, loving, hilarious little girls.

They are my sunshine -Sugarbean and Loverbug. :]

Also, I've been doing a Bible/Book Study with the rest of the staff on Philip Yancey's book Prayer and I'm really enjoying it. I'm on my 6th time of reading through the book, and I'll definitely read it again. I was going to do a blog series on it and Matthew suggested I teach a study on it instead [I'll probably still do a post or two]. So that's been good.

Let's see...we just had our Passover dinner at the Boiler Room, this past week was the Feast of Unleavened Bread [which I *love*, because I get to make flat breads all week. :] Good excuse to bake too much!], and then we had our Good Friday gathering, which moved from the Town Commons to GCF due to rain. It went great though! 4 or 5 people [ I couldn't see all the hands clearly due to stage lights] accepted Jesus as their Savior - ALWAYS incredible to be around!!!

I've been getting more creative/crafty with the snatches of free time I've had, since I couldn't just get on Hulu or Netflix, too. More posts to come about that I'm sure!

This has been an awesome fast. Very humbling, very eye-opening. I'm excited to see what happens next!

March&April BH&G

2011-04-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

**I'm catching up on my BH&G posts! Since Ariel was born [need to post about that!] we've been doing a media fast leading up to Good Friday [need to post about that too!], so I haven't posted anything anywhere. But I don't want to fall too far behind, so this is just a real quick catch-up!**

March Storage Projects: Living Room

Personal Storage Bin. Give every family member a spot to stash personal items. Fill a bookcase with similar baskets or bins and label containers with each person's name. Establish a house rule to put away books, magazines, toys, and projects every night.

Multifunctional Storage. Overhaul your occasional tables. Replace tables and traditional ottomans with small chests and storage cubes. Add baskets to open spaces. Skirt tables and stash items underneath.

Don't Overdo with Collectibles.[I'm currently working on this!] Edit a collection to 12 or a fewer outstanding items. Display on a single shelf for maximum impact. Store other items in the collection in one location. Introduce three or four new items--and remove and store the same number--every season.

Create a Space for Entertainment Supplies. Designate one easily accessible drawer for entertaining supplies. Fill the drawer with coasters, napkins, and snack bowls or plates. Include a basket of favorite snacks, a roll of paper towels, and a mini trash receptacle.

April Storage Projects: Laundry

Sorting Baskets. Place a three-compartment bin or basket (look at home or office supply stores for options) in a closet or on an open shelf in your laundry room. Use it to separate out clothing to be repaired, dry-cleaned, and donated.

Keep Detergent Handy. Fill plastic beverage dispensers with laundry detergent, softener, and other liquid laundry additives. Hang a set of plastic measuring cups nearby from a cup hook.

Drying Rack. Mount a drying rack or double towel bar near your washer as a spot for air-drying clean sweaters or rugs.

Make a Catch-all for Ironing Supplies. Convert a silverware caddy into a stain-treating or ironing kit. Fill with small size cleaners, spray starches, and linen waters. Be sure to include essential tools such as brushes, dry-cleaning pads, and collar points.

Love.

2011-02-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

“I confess that I love him, I rejoice that I love him, I thank the maker of Heaven and Earth that gave him to me. The exultation floods me.”

-Emily Dickinson [my favorite poet]

My husband is amazing. He is truly my best friend, and has seen me walk through my darkest moments. I don't know how he keeps loving me some days, but I am forever grateful that he does.

Even more so, Jesus is the lover of my soul. There are parts of those dark moments that Matthew will never know about, the parts that happened in my mind and heart and soul. Jesus knows all of them, and loves me completely. I have hurt Matthew many times in the ten years we've known each other, but it's nothing compared to how I've betrayed Jesus - and He loves me. He loves me so much that He comes after me when I run away.

It's mind-blowing. It's beyond undeserved. But He gives it freely. I can't begin to understand it.

How, then, can we not love other people? The second greatest command from this Man who adores us is to love others. We stop loving people [or never start] over such petty things. Jesus has given us everything and we killed Him in return -but He LOVES us.

?!?!?!

John 13:35
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

BH&G Post for February

2011-02-07T04:25:00.000-08:00

This one will probably be my favorite. I love love love going through the kitchen/dining room and clearing stuff out!

February Storage Projects: Kitchen

Sort and Label. Evaluate all pantry items. Toss everything that's expired and give away everything you didn't use in the last year. (Write today's date on every item so you'll know next year if you actually used each item.) Put items back in pantry and label shelves.

Outfit a Drawer. Double the storage capacity inside a cabinet by adding freestanding wire shelves. Measure your cabinet interiors before heading to the home center or choose expandable shelves. Include riser-style inserts for small items such as spices or glassware.

Utilize Cabinet Doors. Evaluate the interior of every cabinet door and determine whether you can use the space to store spices, loose recipes, paper towels, or utensils. Add shallow shelves, racks, wall-mount pouches, and magnetic or cork boards.

Add Hooks. Install a utensil bar or metal grid above or beside your stove. Dangle five to eight frequently used utensils from S-hooks. Include a small wire basket to hold salt, pepper, cooking spray, and oil.

A Good Reminder...

2011-02-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

I didn't write this, but it popped up in my Google Reader and I wanted to share it. You'll have to forgive my laziness, but between the sinus infections being passed around in this apartment and being in what Michael Scott calls "the terminal stages" of my pregnancy, this is as good as it's going to get for a bit. :]

5 Key Secrets to Making Marriage Last

from Simply Stated By RealSimple.com by erinkane

What are the five key secrets to making marriage last? According to British author Catherine Blyth (The Art of Marriage: A Guide to Living Life as Two) it's fairly straight forward:

1. Prioritize pleasure and laugh. Often. Remember that your marriage is something you create, together, day by day.

2. Seek the best, and keep actively noticing each other.

3. Minimize stress on your bond.

4. Embrace change.

5. Cultivate gratitude, never forgetting to praise your beloved, out loud.

Seems easy, right? Yet in practice we all know it can be quite hard. In all seriousness, how do you minimize the stress on your bond when there are bills to pay, car repairs to make, kids home sick from school, work deadlines, and mountains of snow piling up outside your door?

How do you actively notice your partner amidst the daily chaos that is married life?

I guess by paying close attention and keeping the home fires burning. Blyth suggests it takes "time, novelty, and awareness."

"Marriages can grow stale if we assume that we know each other too well. But do new things, take a few risks, see new sides to each other, and you'll experience again the surprises that jolted your heart when you met."

Kind of reminds me of that episode of Modern Family when Claire and Phil try to spice things up with a romantic getaway and role play. It's one of my all-time favorite episodes. Hilarious!

With Valentine's Day around the corner, do you have any special surprises planned?

New Series for 2011

2011-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

I got an e-mail from Better Homes and Gardens a few days ago, and at the time I was trying to organize all my "nesting" craziness into something manageable. So this was nice to get. I decided that since I will need to take it easy when the baby gets here [42 days!], I'd just share their organization tips for each month. :] I hope it's as helpful to anyone else who reads this as it was to me going through it.

January Storage Projects: Home Office

Create a Mail Station. Set up mailboxes on a desk, wall, or bulletin board. Or give each member of your family his or her own labeled box, bin, or slot.

Stay on Schedule. Hang a large monthly calendar in a spot everyone can see and use it. Choose a paper calendar or dry-erase version, and encourage everyone to write important events, deadlines, and reminders.

Organize Office Supplies. Outfit a desk drawer near your main working area with a divided tray or multiple small bins. Limit the number of office supplies in each compartment. Label each compartment with an adhesive label.

Get Rid of Junk. Test all writing utensils. Toss everything that doesn't work perfectly. Group similar items (pens, pencils, markers, etc) in canisters for easy access.

Good Post I Didn't Write.

2010-12-20T04:44:00.000-08:00

December 20, 2010

Presents/Presence

Tags: Christmas, Family, Friendship, Home, Imperfection, Love

You can’t fool them, you know.

Two pudgy hands cup left cheek and right, turn your face to demand your eyes laser lock onto hers, and she whisper-stomps “Mama, you’re not listening…!”

Technically, you’re right when you coo, “Yes I am, honey, I can just do two things at once,” because you did hear her; but she’s right because you weren’t listening.

Hearing only requires ears; listening demands ears, eyes, mind…and heart. The difference is ages apart.

Your children don’t just know the difference, they understand the difference:

Something else is more important than them in that moment.

O u c h!

I grow weary from all the admonitions to focus on Christ during the Christmas season, to resist holiday busyness. Please don’t get me wrong–I agree with that!–but then I see a believing people tangled and lifeless in sticky-webs of shopping, baking, parties and school or church programs….

And mamas are distracted…

And daddies are working extra hard to pay for everything…

And though our homes have never looked more lovely or smelled more cinnamony delicious…

Our actions are speaking loudly and they don’t always match up to our words.

Or maybe I’m the only one…. :/

* * * * *

“For God so loved the world He GAVE His one and only Son….”

God incarnated man becoming fully present with us to experience life as we know it. He felt the love of his mother’s touch, he learned craft at the hand of his father, he celebrated marriage, and he cried from personal loss. He looked his friends and followers directly in the eye and gave them his complete attention, regardless of the demands placed on him and distractions associated with circumstance.

Jesus was fully present with his family and followers. Jesus IS fully present with his family and followers.

And so, sweet lovies, might I suggest a Christmas gift you can give your family and friends this year? Something inexpensive but absolutely priceless?

Your time.
Your undivided attention.
Active listening instead of passive hearing.
Being fully present when you’re with them.

Close your laptop when they walk into the room. If you’re a blogger, let go of any notion that you “owe” your readers daily postings at the expense of your marriage and family. Silence your cell phone. Be available to the people who need you. Be still with the people you love!

As a mom to a high school senior, I promise–learned from experience!–you don’t have much time….

You...your presence–sharing tea or dinner or reading aloud or over a game of Candyland–is the lovliest of all gifts to give and receive.

Please chime in! What are the holiday trappings that threaten to divide your attention? Have you unintentionally ignored your children or spouse while readying for Christmas? What are your suggestions for meaningfully engaging those you love?

by Robin Dance, P E N S I E V E

[Check out incourage.me if you haven't yet...there are some amazing women writing beautiful things!]

creativity.

2010-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

I found this post today, and I am determined to make one [or five?!] of these beautiful wreaths. I know you can just go out to a store and buy pre-made ones to hang up, but where's the fun in that? How much does it actually reflect you?

I'm not even a big fan of wreaths, but I may be changing the way I feel about that. I'm itching to go outside right now and get the supplies needed to make the "twig" one. Know how much that would cost me? Zero Dollars. Always a good budget for me.

So here's your encouragement for today : Get up and be creative!!

P.S...it's supposed to flurry tonight...!!!

Experimenting.

2010-12-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

I had some bananas left from last week that I wanted to use in something, and then Matthew found cashews on sale this past weekend while we were getting groceries, so I was left with little choice : I had to make some muffins. Oh darn. ;]

I wanted to try doing something special with them, and I had some cranberry relish from my mom [my favorite part of Thanksgiving, by far], so I thought I'd give them a holiday spin. So today's experiment became :

Cranberry Banana-Nut Muffins

Super easy - I won't even post a whole long recipe here, just basically use a standard Banana Nut Muffin recipe, like this , or get a super convenient mix, if that's more your style. I didn't have a mix today, so I threw together a guesstimate sort of recipe [I didn't have the patience to look one up - Shiloh was napping so I knew my time was limited, lol].

Once you do that, just ad in about 1/2 - 3/4 [depending on your taste preference] of cranberry relish. You could easily substitute the canned whole berry cranberry sauce. I also put in about 1/2 cup of OJ just because orange and cranberry are awesome together.

Anyway...that's my experiment in the kitchen for today. I also made sweet potato fries, since I had some sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving as well. Yummmmmmmm! Now if I could only figure out something good to do with lots of onions...

The Mercy House.

2010-11-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Go check this out, it's incredible!

If I had the money, I would buy all the girls on my christmas list these:

AND, between now and November 30th, you can save 30% with the code SUPER30. Amazing? Yes. Consider supporting this incredible ministry!

Jumping on the Bandwagon.

2010-11-20T03:57:00.000-08:00

While I do think that it can be [not always] cheesy to do holiday themed posts, being thankful is a very Godly attribute, so I'm am joining the blogging world and doing a Thanksgiving post. [Also, I am hosting our families for the first time this year, so I may be M.I.A. over the next week!]

1. I am thankful more every day for my salvation. Without Jesus, nothing else in my life would work, and none of the amazing things I'm about to share with you would be in my life. He has had His hand on me even when I've tried to push it away. He has lavished Love and Grace on me.Keep in mind that I deserve none of this! I am a real mess - I am selfish, stubborn, judgmental, and unloving, to name a few. But He is always loving, always faithful, and always pursuing me. Without Him, and am and have nothing.

2. I also get more thankful every day for my incredible husband.
And not just because he's the most handsome thing I've ever laid eyes on!
He is my very, very best friend. We met in October of 2000, dated for a year [I was 13, he was 17 -yes, my dad hated that], broke up in 2002, dated other people, and got back together in February/March of 2007. We had stayed in the same circle of friends, but hadn't been really close [we'd have a long conversation about once every 6 months, but saw each other almost every day]. Then he just showed up one day at the coffee place where I worked and something clicked into place. I wasn't even thinking romantic things at the time; I was going through a really bad break up [which had been going on for about 8 months to give you a picture of how dramatic and ridiculous it was], and he was just being a friend. He was exactly what I needed. I could trust him completely. From that place of trust, openness and forgiveness, we found ourselves in a weird place. He came over to my apartment one night and said "I either can't talk to you anymore or I'm going to marry you." That was March 2007. We were married New Year's Eve 2007. And it has been better than I thought marriage could be. :]

He's an amazing father!! Shiloh adores him, and his heart just gets mushier for her every day. I didn't think I could love him more, until I saw him walking around with her in the delivery room, and they were just staring at each other while he sang to her. And as she's grown they've formed such a special bond. I can't imagine raising a child [soon to be children!] with anyone else.
He loves Jesus more than anything. He is the reason I accepted Jesus in the first place at age 13, and he helped draw me back to Him when I was in the darkest place I've ever been. He wasn't always sugary about it, but he was always real and willing to tell me exactly what the Bible said about anything, even if he though I wouldn't like it. And he's still that way. I have so much respect for him. The only reason we could make it when we got back together, the only reason I could trust him enough to marry him, is because I knew He loved Jesus more than me, and that is how he can love me so well.3. I can't begin to express how thankful I am for Shiloh.

She is an absolute gift from God. She is a real picture, wrapped in a perfect little body, of the Grace Jesus has for me. I made so many bad decisions in my life that should have prevented me from ever having her. All I could think when I first held her and got to see her was "I don't deserve this. God loves me more than I will ever understand to have done this for me."
And every day He shows me something new and amazing through her. I feel so incredibly blessed to be entrusted with her.
4. I am thankful for the baby in my belly. :] It was a real shock, but the closer it gets the more excited I get. I can't wait to see both Matthew and Shiloh around this new little baby. Our little family just keeps growing, and I can't wait to see what life will be like with 4 of us.

5. I am so, so thankful for my friends. Specifically, my friend Haley. She has stuck around through some real tough situations and has supported me and Matthew when literally no one else did. Jesus was really trying to bless me when He brought her into my life. She understands what we do for a living, and has a heart to do it as well. Plus, Shiloh is in love with her. There's nothing like having someone who your kid enjoys as much as you do, and who genuinely loves your kid. I have no clue what I'd do without Haley in my life.
I'm stopping there, even though I could probably go for days [I'm seeing now why people have been doing things like "10 days of thankfulness" and stuff like that...we have a lot to be thankful for!!]. I will add, since it's Sunday, that I'm thankful for my church, Greenville Christian Fellowship. They are some good folks. And the leadership is stellar. If you don't have somewhere to be on sundays, look them up!

"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds."
-Psalm 9:1

Jesus Hearts Yard Sales.

2010-11-15T02:12:00.001-08:00

I've had some pretty major yard sale scores the last couple of weekends, and it could not have come at a better time. The last few months have been the worst financially since Matthew and I got married [don't even mention October...which I renamed "Sucktober" very maturely!], and it is of course time to gear up for the holidays, which we are hosting for the first time this year. Then throw in the move mid-october plus a 14 month old plus my pregnant belly suddenly getting giant seemingly overnight, making me MUCH less efficient, and we have what you could call a tight spot on our hands. [Note: Shiloh is not a "tight spot"...her ability to climb on things and reach things above her head may be, though ;)]

Anyway, at times when it's tough financially, it's easy to start doubting everything you're doing, wondering if maybe you've been a bad steward somewhere and so God can't trust you with as much, so you start pulling your life apart to look at everything you've done. The problem with that is, it's not about you.

Yes, you absolutely are responsible for being a good steward with what you've been given. And yes, there is biblical evidence that God rewards good stewardship[Matthew 25:14-30]. But, when you begin to think that God's provision and faithfulness is tied to something you're doing, you're making it about you and your works, instead of the fact that God is love, and will be gracious and just.

So that's what I learned [and have been learning, and continue to learn]: it's not about me. If I would just go ahead and really learn this lesson, God could stop trying to get it through my head and work on another part of me...but I am just not learning it very quickly. I'm very grateful He loves us in our messiness.

Another temptation in financial hard times is to doubt not ourselves, but God. This is always a dumb idea. God is always God, He is always Love, He is always just and kind and gracious. But when we don't receive something the way we expect to, we refuse to receive it at all, sort of like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. If we would just step back in those moments and remind ourselves of the Truth : God is good, He is Love, He is my Father, and He will provide for me, we would be able to see where He is providing for us in a different way.

Like my yard sale scores.

We have [literally] a zero dollar budget for anything other than food for Thanksgiving. So decorations and things of that nature were totally out the window, which isn't a big deal, but kind of a bummer. It's my first Thanksgiving as hostess, and I'd like to be kind of fancy and fun about it, you know? And although this seems like a silly little desire, God knew this desire of my heart and made a way for me. He didn't give us a bigger check so I could go out and spend money on brand new stuff. He did, however, remind me that Matthew and I had seen a moving sale that morning and that since they said everything must go, they probably just put everything out by the street after the sale.

Jackpot.

All in neat stacks in boxes was everything I needed. Platters and dishes and candles and decorative things...I mean everything I could've wanted from a store. For free. My friend Haley and I went by and loaded up the Jeep [no exaggeration...we packed it out!] and even got to meet the owner of the stuff and hear their story. And this was doubly exciting to me because I hate the idea of buying/consuming new things and increasing the need to just make more and more junk to sell in stores for way too much when there are people throwing the same stuff out every day right down the street. It's crazy to me! When did we get too snooty to re-use someone else's candle holders or board games or pictures frames [and the list goes on and on]?! Crazy.

I think that's why Jesus hearts yard sales. We learn to consume less, respect the earth more, and find our identity in "stuff" less. We learn to be creative. We learn to share with other people who may need what we don't anymore. It's just good common sense. In case you didn't notice, I heart yard sales too. :]

This now feels super long. Hope it made sense. Now I'm going to bed. :]

New Recipe.

2010-11-10T08:33:00.000-08:00

I love experimenting in the kitchen. Sometimes it turns out awesome, sometimes it is really bad. But today I may have nailed it.

No pictures, because it would be pretty boring, but here's what I made:

Vanilla-Honey Tea

1 family size tea bag
3/4 cup sugar [we like it real sweet!]
2 Tbsp organic honey
1.5 tsp clear vanilla extract
2 quarts water

Pretty simple...I just wanted to change it up a little from normal sweet tea and thought I'd share. We'll see what Matthew thinks when he gets home from work.

Access.

2010-11-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

Things are finally getting settled [still haven't unloaded all of our stuff yet, but I think it's helping me restrain myself from putting up Christmas decorations so I'm ok with that]! Matthew had a personal retreat this weekend to a monastery in Virginia that's being turned into a Prayer House, so Shiloh and I had our first girl's weekend alone. And we made it. :] Actually, we more than just made it; it was awesome! She slept ten hours straight at night and took a three hour nap in the morning, and we went with my friend Haley to a toy store here in town and played there, and then scored some free stuff out of some yard sale leftovers. AND we saw a rainbow. Pretty sweet.

So here's where I am this morning:

To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

[Ephesians 3:8-12]

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

[Hebrews 10:19-22]

Shiloh started me on this because she's really into keys lately. She LOVES finding the right key and us holding her up to the door, the mailbox, whatever and letting her put in the key to open it.So this morning she was walking around with a key putting it in all the keyholes [all our doors have skeleton key keyholes because they're old] and I got hit with the word "access". She wants access to everything Matthew and I have, and to us. And it goes both ways, because I want all of her as well. The idea of shutting a door between the two of us when one of us wants to get to the other is a painful image for me!

And it's the same with God as our Father.

There was a door between us, and we're the ones who closed it. Everything started with open access between us and God, and then we slammed the door in His face. Every day we get up and make decisions to shut that door between us. And then we have the audacity to say things like "God is distant" or "I can't feel God and it's His fault" and on and on. But the truth is, we shut the door and God put a plan in motion to swing it wide open. He was a parent separated from His children, and that is an anguishing place to be. And us? We are too comfortable in this world to realize most of the time that we are nothing more than children separated from our Father. That's scary when you're a kid! And it should be even more so in a spiritual sense.

We have bad things enter our life, and instead of letting God through the door that He gave everything to open, we throw a tantrum and blame it on Him and shut the door. And yet through Jesus, we have the ability [and the right!?!] to open the door and get close to Him again. We have access to the God of the universe any time we want because He's adopted us as His children and has handed us the keys. Isn't that insane? What's probably more insane is how nonchalant we are about it. I'm guilty of that, most definitely. I can hang out with, talk to, hear from, receive from, give to, and directly connect with God anytime, and I pass up opportunities all the time because something else is more pressing. I always forget to have some time with God during Shiloh's naps, because I start cleaning or crafting or blogging or looking up coupons, etc and by the time I realize I'm not spending that time with God, she's awake. But what good does a clean house or saving money on groceries do for her if I'm not where I need to be with Jesus or being an example for her of how to pursue and love God?

Don't waste this gift.When I hand Shiloh a key, she is focused on one thing: getting access to whatever I've just given her. She's so much smarter than me. :]

And she so darn cute. Here's another picture just for cuteness.

I'd encourage you to look into this stuff yourself...there's a lot I could say that I'm not because I don't want to post a novel.

not now, arctic puppets!

2010-11-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

This has been a month for the history books. Or maybe a month to purposely be left out of the history books. I have never been so glad to see a month end!

This is just a quick update, because we just got internet today and it's been over a month since I've posted, but it's also ten o'clock and I'm almost 7 months pregnant [when did THAT happene?!] and I know Shiloh will be up at 5am [only 7 hours from now...zzz...].

We've been at the new apartment for almost 3 weeks now. It is such a cool place. Once we get more settled, I'll take pictures. I hate not being settled after 3 weeks, but I'll have to count the stairs next time I leave and share that too...then you'll understand.

Shiloh and Matthew have been sick, so I have been beyond busy and pretty much in a constant state of wishing I was napping. But we're coming out of that now, and Jesus has given me lots of grace to get them through it, as well as giving me such a sweet husband and daughter, which helps a lot.

We haven't had internet, which is more crippling than I expected. But we got it hooked up today [FINALLY!], so I'm hoping to get back into blogging as I get more settled here.

Life Lesson of the Day/Week/Month: taking care of a baby is like a vacation compared to taking care of a toddler. ESPECIALLY while pregnant. I have so much more respect now for women who have done this without having a total meltdown.

Jesus is doing some good stuff in our family right now, and in our little community of people at the Boiler Room. It can get messy when He does that, but it's always for our good. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.

Now I am going to go to bed and hopefully not move for at least 6 hours. That's not likely, considering Kicky McGee here in my belly and how much water I just chugged, but here's hoping.

I Will Remember You.

2010-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have not forgotten about blogging! I have been keeping up with the recipes I've tried each week, pictures and all. I just have to figure out how to get them from my phone onto my blog. :] But so far, I've made cake pops, dulce de leche, pesto, and a "family omelet". I'm pretty excited.

ALSO, I need to do a ONE YEAR blog for my little baby girl! I'm waiting on pictures to do that, but once I get those, be prepared to say "aww" for about 10 minutes straight. :] She's so cute.

So I have a lot to catch up on here, but I'm 20 weeks pregnant, chasing around a now walking one year old and trying to prepare for a move in two weeks...I'll get this done when I can!

secret place.

2010-09-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

I know this may seem a little cheesy, since the Boiler Room is doing internships right now called "Secret Place", but I promise I wasn't thinking about that when I decided to write this. :]

I was reading a devotion today on Psalm 91, and it mentioned abiding with God in the secret place. We read things like that all the time, and the Bible uses that phrase a lot, but what does it mean to you? Do you have a secret place?

If not, I'd suggest finding one.

For the first year or so I was saved, I didn't know/care what this meant. I was happy with my life, I was surrounded by christian friends, and I didn't really feel a need to have a place just for me and Jesus, since He was so widely accepted in every other area of my life.

Then, Matthew broke up with me. And suddenly my 15 year old world crashed in around me. I was left staring at everything I had lost and trying to figure out if I really meant all the things I had said about loving Jesus or if I had been doing to fit in with my friends and make Matthew like me. My friends got tired of me moping about the break up eventually, and then it was really crunch time. All I had was Jesus to lean on and work through it all, and we needed a secret place.

I don't necessarily mean a physical location. When you're a teenager, the only real option is your bedroom. ;] I mean a place in your heart that is just Jesus' spot. A place you keep things that only He knows about. A place where you can lay your burdens on Him, because He cares for you. And then He can come in and heal and clean. Somewhere He'll never have to share with anyone else.

Once I got past all my mess with that break up, I found that having that place was still important to me. My quiet times with Him were sweeter. I felt like He knew me better, and I knew Him better. [Even though He obviously knew me all along.] It's not just a place to retreat when times are hard. It's something we have to cultivate in all seasons. You can't invite Him in and then when things work out, lock the door.

I'm also not knocking having a special physical location where you like to be with Him. Those can just be more tricky[but also very helpful, especially when you live with someone else!]. When I returned from my short stint at Emmanuel College in Georgia, I went into another very dark time in my life. When I was going through that [and up until Matthew and I got married], I always went to the field behind the graveyard on 10th street to just sit and work through things with Jesus. I could cry, or yell, or lay down, or dance, or sing, or read my bible and journal, all without interruption. I spent one night out there in pouring rain just laying on the ground, letting Jesus deal with mess in my heart. I still love going there, and it still calms me when I go.

Jesus has a special place in His heart for you. We're not just a mushed up ball of humankind to Him - He knows each hair on our head. I love Shiloh more than life, but I have NO clue how many hairs are on her head! He really cares for you specifically, and wants a special place for the two of you to have to yourselves. Just like a husband and wife. There are things Matthew and I know about each other that no one else will, because we have a secret place in our relationship where intimacy can grow. Jesus is our husband...we are His bride...doesn't it make sense? Find a place for Him. He won't storm in and force you to, but when you choose Him and make a place for Him, beautiful things can happen.

New Direction.

2010-08-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

One thing I have learned over the last year is that blogging about anything in depth is difficult with a baby/toddler. Then, throw in being pregnant again and sleepy all the time, and it gets even more difficult. But this is something I really want to do, and I have a plan and a system...so hopefully this will work.

I'm slightly stealing this idea from an old friend of mine, named Sarah. She's been doing a new things every week this year and it's been inspiring to keep up with. [Check her out at her blog - she's a smart cookie!]

So I'm taking that and tweaking it a bit, because I have been going through everything in the house recently [nesting much?] and came across my recipe binder, which has hundreds of recipes, most of which I've never tried. And I LOVE cooking! So I got bummed out for a minute, and then wondered how to give myself a kick in the butt to start trying some. And this is what I came up with:

52 Weeks - The Recipe Edition.

I'm going to pull out a new recipe every week for the next 52 weeks [even if it's just a drink or dessert or snack recipe-I'll need easy ones for when the new baby gets here], and make it one night for dinner. Then I can take pictures and post the recipe and tell you what we thought of it! It will take some commitment, but I really want to do it.

So the plan is to start with Shiloh's birthday party, since I'll be trying a few new things there, and then jump right in the monday after! I'm pretty excited.

The second phase of the plan is to blog another day each week with something God's showing me in the bible. I love writing about the bible! So let's see if I can do this.

10 Months?!

2010-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

So my little Sugarbean is 10 months old today. I really can't believe it. I remember looking at her when she was born, and I feel like it's been 2 weeks since then. It's enough to make you cry a little. :] Especially when you're preggo with baby #2! So to my big girl, at 10 months you:

Are crawling, cruising, and standing alone like you were born doing it.
Finally have a "lovey"! A little baby doll your wilmington Grandma [Haley's mom] gave you.
Will try anything we feed you - you are a great eater!Are laying down for naps now...So I am getting more productive ;]
Wake up in the BEST mood - you are so so sweet!
You have started just crawling into our laps and snuggling.
You babble constantly! You get really serious about it sometimes and it's too funny.
You have a great sense of humor and just crack yourself up a lot!
Still only have two teeth, but you're working on more. I don't mind though, since you still nurse to sleep. ;]
Are becoming more of a Daddy's girl every day...I wish you knew what it does to his heart.
You still won't take a pacifier, but that's okay by me!
You figure out things on your own sometimes that really blow us away -you're so advanced for your age.
You make us so proud when you behave in the nursery at church. Despite how anti social we are, you are quite the friendly little booger!
You shout at other little kids in public to get their attention...you really scared a little girl in Babies 'R' Us...haha.

You are so beautiful. You do something new every day, and I feel like if I blink I'm going to miss something. You are truly a gift, and I can't imagine life without you. I pray for you so much! I know Jesus has big plans for you and I'm so privileged to get to see them. I love you more every single day. I can't believe It's time to plan your first birthday already!!

slacking.

2010-06-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

So I haven't posted since April...whoops. A 9 month old spitting up on your keyboard will do that. :] But I've been getting inspired, and I have big plans for making time to blog...so we'll see how that works out.

this is incredible.

2010-04-17T05:17:00.001-07:00

Read the girl's story behind this ministry. I can't imagine letting Shiloh do something like this...but what if God has called her to really Love like He does? What if we could raise her to be better than us, to trust God more than us, to be truly selfless and whole-heartedly pursue Christ, no matter what the cost? It scares me to think of letting her go to do something so radical. I wonder how much it tore apart Mary to watch Jesus live out His calling?

It helps me remember my life is not my own. But I have a harder time thinking that about my little girl. :]

cloth diapers&DIY goodness.

2010-04-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

For reasons of frugality and trying to be "green", we are trying out cloth diapers at home. I randomly found one pack of 12 cloth diapers [looks like a burp cloth] at Wal Mart for 5 dollars. I haven't seen them since! I then got two diaper covers off Ebay. You can support stay at home moms and save money over going to some boutique. They usually run from about $14 to $30, and I got mine for $3 and $5. We just don't have the money to drop $100 on the startup kits and all the little extras, so with some creativity and bargain hunting I'm making it work for under $20. If we decide to switch to cloth completely, I'll have to find more covers and maybe more inserts, but I can just find some more deals online. Shiloh likes them, and looks pretty darn cute in them, so the switch may be in our near future.

Then I solved my lack of pillows problem with Matthew's old t-shirts and quilt pieces my grandma put together:And turned my utensil caddy [which took up too much space on the counter] into my crafts caddy:
And made an old cashew can into the new utensil holder:

I'm pretty excited about getting stuff done. I've had a surge of energy and creativity the last month or so! Expect more pictures and DIY stuff soon, regarding my garden and our move coming up!

halfway there.

2010-03-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

Shiloh is officially 6 months old, and it sort of breaks my heart. I know that too soon she'll be walking and talking and outgrowing me. I feel like I just can't get enough of her!

So, here it is:

Shiloh, at 6 months,

You can sit up on your own [until you see something you want!]

You can roll across the living room shockingly fast.

You are still breastfeeding like a champ.

You absolutely hate bananas [the face you make always makes me cry from laughing].

You love teething cookies and applesauce.

You respond when we say your name.

You can hold a bottle on your own [makes me really sad!].

You like tearing up magazines.

You still sleep on your side instead of your back.

You always crack up when your Daddy yells "butt!" at you in his silly voice.

You are a bouncing machine!!! Thank goodness for your johnny jump-up.

You "talk" to us very seriously...it's too cute.

You are into EVERYTHING...especially Daddy's Blackberry. :]

Your favorite color is red, which is one of my least favorites!

Your eyes look exactly like your Daddy's.

You love bath time.

You're very soothed by Daddy singing.

You're incredibly hot-natured! It's a little ridiculous.

You have me and Daddy wrapped around your little finger - which I wasn't expecting to happen to me!

You hate Miley Cyrus and fuss when she's on the radio. [yessss!]

You "nom" on everything...including chairs...which really cracks up Will the intern!

You sort of army crawl across the floor now...so the pack and play will be a big part of our lives soon.

You give me and Daddy "kisses"...sloppy and sweet!

You have started hugging me...and it makes me want to explode!

You are better than I could have dreamed. You have changed my life and I would do anything for you. Nothing matters to me more than you do. I'm sure all moms feels this way, but I often look at you and find it hard to believe that any person has ever loved another person this much. I want you to have everything that is good. I want to tell you about Jesus, and watch you grow up in the way He wants. I want to support every dream you may have. I want to be a better person than I ever have been so that I can be what you need me to be. I pray for you almost constantly!

My life will always be better because you are here. I adore every part of you and can't wait to get to know you more and more as you grow. You are a perfect picture of God's grace for me. I love you more than you will ever know, and more than I could ever understand.

my life as of late.

2010-03-11T18:32:00.000-08:00

Shiloh has been killing some teething cookies. She can hold it and feed it to herself...which makes me a little sad. Stop growing up!!

I got lovely birthday flowers from my lovely friends who threw me a surprise party!
Shiloh also likes swinging...but in a very calm way. :]
Matthew's an awesome daddy.
Bruegger's Bagel Breakfast for my Birthday! [alliteration much?]
Life has been busy, but good. I have had an awesome 23rd birthday and this weekend will top it off when I get to spend the weekend in Black Mountain with people I love, and see Jennifer Knapp in concert! :] Also, Shiloh will be 6 months on Saturday...so I have to get back up here and do a 6 month post like all the other cool moms.

Spurgeon:TheBoilerRoom:Greenville

2010-03-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard Matthew explain where the name for the Boiler Room comes from, let me share it with you.

[Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-92) was England's best-known preacher for most of the second half of the nineteenth century. In 1854, just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 20, became pastor of London's famed New Park Street Church (formerly pastored by the famous Baptist theologian John Gill). The congregation quickly outgrew their building, moved to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall. In these venues Spurgeon frequently preached to audiences numbering more than 10,000—all in the days before electronic amplification.]

Charles Spurgeon was obviously a powerful speaker. When he traveled, he was asked where the power came from in his ministry, and he said it was due to "boiler rooms" - a room in whatever city he was traveling to where people would gather and pray before, during, and after his meetings there. This is what fueled his ministry and gave it such an impact. Like a boiler room in a building or ship, they were not really seen by anyone except those working in them, but there would be no power without them.

This is the heart of the Boiler Room in Greenville.

Prayer fuels missions. If you believe in the God of the Bible, you believe in prayer. Even those who don't believe in Him often utter prayers without thinking when they're in a desperate situation. At our core, we as human beings believe in prayer. And we've seen things change when we cry out to Him.

Now...what if we prayed even when we weren't in crisis mode? What if your pastor could get up to preach knowing that he had been covered in prayer throughout the week? How more bold could those who reach out on ECU campus be if they had people praying for hours each week for them?

Ephesians 6:12 says that we do not wrestle with flesh and blood, but with the powers of darkness in this world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. That's why shouting at college students doesn't work, but praying against the things holding them down does. [And no, I don't mean walking up to a stranger in a public place and putting your hands on them and "praying the demons out of them". That's not a good plan...ever.] But what if when you went up to share the gospel with someone after having spent a significant time in prayer for them? We need to become more spiritual-minded, and less flesh-minded [and crazy-minded, for that matter.]

So that's the idea. A room where God's glory can dwell. An atmosphere that is conducive to prayer, worship, and intimacy with God. A place where the people of God can be with Him anytime - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And from that flame on the altar that never goes out, real power from heaven to change lives and set people free can flow. And though the people praying in th Boiler Room night and day may not be the ones to go out in power or even see what their prayers accomplish, they are still keeping the flame that fuels it going.

If you have a heart to pray, or maybe just want to see what this looks like, come out sometime. We now have public prayer/worship from 10-12, Monday-Friday, plus 6:22 on Friday Night. We'd love to have you!

Love:Responsibility.

2010-02-18T05:39:00.000-08:00

I was reading my Bible at 6:22 on Friday, and stumbled across some verses that are amazing. I was planning on using this for my lesson at the 6:22 girls' bible study last night, but then only me and Hannah came...haha. So this is where I'll use them.

Proverbs 24:11-12

11 "Rescue those being led away to death;

Hold back those staggering towards slaughter.

12 "If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this',

does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not He who guards your life know it?

Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?"

We have a responsibility to one another. Christianity only works if we stop putting ourselves first and start looking out for others ahead of ourselves. If you see someone struggling and just go on with your day, this passage says that God weighs your heart and perceives that you made that decision, and that He repays each of us for what we have done. That's a big deal - it's important to God that we rescue those in need of rescue.

Also, we aren't just supposed to pat each other on the back for being good at pretending we have it all together; We're supposed to share in our struggles and bear one another's burdens. [Galatians 6:2]

Hebrews 11:13-16

13 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

We are not from here. We are not citizens of this world, and we should live accordingly. When you go to a different country, you have to take some time to get accustomed to it - a different language, or dialect, or traditions, or behaviors - how much more, then, should we feel strange and different in this world? We should not feel at home here, because this is not our home. We may never see the fruit of what we do; we may get hurt over and over again by putting others before ourself, but that's not an excuse not to do it. We'll see it when we get home - to our real home. While on earth, we should always be homesick for Heaven. The reason we fall short most of the time is because we have settled in here, and we look just like the rest of the world.

1 Thessalonians 5:14

14 "And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, take tender care of those who are weak, and be patient with everyone."

This is my favorite verse. Well...one of my favorites. :] It lists a lot of types of people, or a lot of places people can be on their walk, and how other believers should respond. Not a single one of them lists "ignoring" or "judging" as a Godly option. When someone is weak or struggling with something, how often do we just gossip about them and pat ourselves on the back for not being that sinful? People are constantly hurting and going through things all around us - it's the human condition. But how many times at the end of the day can we look back and note the person we've taken "tender care of" that day? That's part of our job description! That's at the core of calling ourselves "christian". Loving others more than ourselves. Willingness to inconvenience ourselves to help someone else. And again, we fall short of this because we look just like the world. This goes against human nature and what the world would say to do, but it is God's heart, and therefore, it should be our heart.

You know how to make your heart look more like God's heart? Spend time with Him. Get to know Him. Read His book. It's awesome. :]

This is also awesome...and a good way to get pumped up about living like Jesus. Watch/listen to the whole thing...we've got this painted in the Boiler Room because it's just amazing.

Snow & 5 months!!

2010-02-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

So, Shiloh turned 5 months yesterday, and we celebrated by playing in the snow!
Her eyeballs are amazing. :] And she loved chewing on my snowball!!

Shiloh and Daddy walking through the snow...

I've got some verses that were sticking out to me at 6:22 that I can't wait to write some about...so maybe tomorrow I'll do that.

my family.

2010-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

I think this is how God is with us. :]

conviction.

2010-01-11T07:35:00.000-08:00

1 Corinthians 10:31-33

³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³²Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

I got hit with a major conviction last thursday, as I was driving back to Greenville from Farmville [my mom's house]. All girls struggle with self-image, but adding the 60 pounds you gain while being pregnant and then only losing 30 of them by month 4 after giving birth can really bring out some issues. Now add years of battling [not very successfully] an eating disorder or two, and being dumb enough to get on a scale other than at the doctor's office, and you have a good picture of my state of mind last thursday when Jesus got me.

Here's the problem: I am selfish. Sure I care about health issues, and want to be a healthy weight for those reasons, but that's not really what motivates me, or most females.

We have a deep longing [which I believe is from God] to be found beautiful. To be adored. It's why guys have a natural ability to find women beautiful. These are both good things. But what we have done is taken these natural, in-God's-image desires, and twisted and perverted them into things like porn, lust, pre-marital sex, and eating disorders, to name a few.

The male side of this struggle is pretty obvious, for the most part. The female side is veiled, and yet celebrated.

Vanity.

Vanity and insecurity so severe that we spend large amounts of time, money, and energy making sure that as many people as possible find us attractive. Vanity so consuming and uninhibited that we are willing to put our brothers in a position where they may stumble in order to appease our neediness. Sometimes we even go so far as to engage in physical relationships we'll later regret and that the other party will regret so that we feel "wanted".

This is sin. Yes, society feeds it and encourages it, but we have to take responsibility-this is sin. If I stand in front of the mirror before I leave and am thinking about what any person other than my husband will think, I'm cheating in my heart. Desiring any attention in that manner from anyone but your spouse, honestly, is a sin. It is idolatry, adultery, and being a stumbling block.

Thinking back to the above verse, we need to dress in a way that is pleasing to God and even that glorifies him [I do not mean cheesy Christian t-shirts! LoL]. We need to be loving towards the males in our lives by helping them not to lust. We need to be different from the world. We need to be more concerned about others' struggles than about our egos.

I'm not trying to offend anyone, or push my convictions on anyone. All I can do is read my bible and pray, and then listen. And this is what I get from that. I'm also not saying that males don't struggle with this - don't even get me started on male vanity! :]

So pray for me about this, and ask Jesus about it in your own life. And dress really cute for your spouse! After all, they're the person God designed to be enamored with you!

discipline.

2009-11-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

I need more discipline in my life. I know I'm supposed to write [blog or whatever] about scripture, to dissect it and get revelation from it on a personal level and then write about it in an edifying way for other people [not just "believers"]. I know that. So why don't I do that? Probably lots of reasons...but they're all just excuses. I'm going to try to be better at this.

Grace, Shiloh, and The Fire Escape.

2009-09-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

First off, I've been gone for a while, and that's because I'm a mom now. :] September 13th, 2009 at 4:18am we had our baby girl. And it has changed everything!

I was always aware of the huge amount of Grace in my life, especially when Matthew and I got married. But when I got to see Shiloh for the first time, I was overwhelmed by it and suddenly found myself searching for a better word to describe it, because Grace didn't feel big enough to contain what I felt. That's because we belittle words like Love and Grace by just throwing them around. But looking at this perfect, beautiful baby made me think of all the bad decisions and destructive behaviors in my past that should have gotten in the way of this happening for me, and I knew it was only by Grace that I didn't miss out on her. Think about it...how many good things are in your life that you cannot take the credit for? How many things have you done to get in the way of goodness in your life? And yet here we are, with plenty to be thankful for, no thanks to us. It's all Grace.

Just wanted to share that...it's been a huge lesson for me. -shepardlilley

As for The Fire Escape: We are back on track! We missed a few weeks due to super hot weather and then baby related craziness, but we are re-focused and ready to go. There's a lot of work to be done before we open full-time in January, and some of it will require some awesome volunteers. :] We will need people to get some flyers from Shepard and flyer the crap out of ECU campus over Christmas Break. We also will need people to volunteer to work some hours in the shop at first, until we steadily make enough to pay minimum wage. Any time you volunteer, you get to keep the tips from that shift. And the shifts can be broken up into as short as 1 hour or as long as 6, depending on your availability. We are flexible. :] So if you're a student at ECU and have an hour or 2 between classes and you'd like to come earn some tips, we can work that in. You're welcome to sit and do schoolwork or whatever while you're there, too. Some volunteers will also be needed for some artsy/decorative stuff.

So just let us know! You can comment on this as a response, e-mail shepard.lilley@gmail.com, or message us on facebook. Have an awesome FALL day [finally!]!!

Now Hiring!

2009-07-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

If you haven't become a fan on facebook already, go ahead and look up The Fire Escape on facebook and join! If you are a fan, then you've likely seen the last post that we are looking for trainees for the fall, so that we'll have employees for the spring. We'll go into more detail here, since there are way too many people on facebook:

Starting August 14th [the grand opening!], Shepard will be working regular hours every friday. On the 14th, it'll just be noon to 7, but after that it will be 7:30am to 7pm. That's every friday this semester! What we need is a group of people that can come in to be trained on fridays - obviously not all at once, but if we could get 2 or 3 at most in there with Shepard each friday we could hopefully have a pool of staff members of 4 to 6 people to pull from in the spring, when we're open monday through saturday. You'd basically show up when she needs you to [probably not at 7am the first few weeks, unless we find some morning people in a college town ;) ] and hang out while she works with customers and can go over the normal operations plus closing and opening duties. Then once it gets to around 5pm people will probably start coming in to hang out before 6:22 starts and you can try some stuff on your own. We'd like to have a face to face meeting with anyone who's interested sometime in the next few weeks, so look at your calendars, spread the word to anyone you think might be interested, and if nothing else, show up on the 14th and buy some coffee. :]

Any questions you have can either be left here as comments, e-mailed to shepard.lilley@gmail.com, or left on the 6:22 answering machine at 252-551-5973.

Worshipfest in 15 days!! Get excited!

The Fire Escape

2009-07-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of realizing a dream I've had since I was 16[click on "coffeehouses" on the left, and then "The Fire Escape"].

When I was 16, I did a research paper on something I had heard Matthew mention before called The Jesus Movement. It was basically hippies in the late 60's who got saved and created a whole new culture of Christianity mixed with the lifestyle of the youth of that day. Amazing! One of the catalysts for spreading the culture was the coffeehouses opened by some of the guys involved, and when I was learning about them, some thing just erupted inside me and I haven't been able to shake it. I've always felt pulled to the culture of that time period anyway, and finding out about this jesus-infused sub-culture just made it better. So I knew that one day I wanted to open my own coffee shop, to be a tribute to The Fire Escape of that day.

Now, thanks to the opening of The Boiler Room, it's happening. If you don't know what The Boiler Room is, check out matthewlilley.com or 622ministries.org - it's cool stuff. Getting that space has opened up an opportunity for so much, and one part of that is me being able to open The Fire Escape to help fund what's going on up there.

When 6:22 starts back up every friday night this fall, The Fire Escape will be open every friday, from 7:30am to 7:00pm [when 6:22 starts]. Our grand opening will be August 14th, the friday after Worshipfest, at Noon. If you come to Worshipfest, I'll have a coffee shop open there an hour before each session, and I'll be handing out flyers for The Fire Escape - each one is good for 50 cents off any drink on the day we open!

When the spring semester at ECU starts in January, we will have regular weekly hours - Monday through Friday, 7:30-6:00, and Saturday 8:00-2:00. That will start January 11th. Hopefully by that point I'll have a couple people hired and maybe another person to help me run it, and it will also give me a few months with the baby when she gets here in September. Pretty excited!

I'll use this blog to post updates as we get things ready to open, possibly put hiring information up, post polls about flavors and ideas, and post any discounts or coupons we put out. So be sure to check back at least every couple weeks! I may not post a ton at first, but it will pick up as it gets closer to opening.

row boats and new plants

2009-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got up on Saturday morning and wanted to do something outside. I also wanted to keep from spending a bunch of money on something entertaining to do, and somehow avoid an allergy attack for Matthew as well. What to do?

River Park North. Greenville people - support River Park North!! I've been talking about going for a while, so Matthew mentioned it Saturday morning and we called some friends to see if they felt up to some outdoors-y fun. The four of us [five, if you count their puppy, Daisy] drove out there and rented a couple jon boats for $5 a piece - and that's for four hours of use! We got to paddle around and enjoy the sun while staying cool since the wind was coming across the water at us, Matthew's allergies were fine because of the water. We got some fun pictures, Daisy got her first boat ride, it was excercise, it was inexpensive, and I got some sun [finally!] without having to sit outside and sweat. We now also know we can go rent canoes and pedal boats, dig in the fossil pit, walk down three different trails, have picnics, go camping, rent fishing equipment, and paddle all the way down to the Town Commons from their outlets. If you don't live in Greenville, look up the website for the city you live in or a few surrounding cities - parks like this are not uncommon. It's a great thing to support, it keeps you healthy without feeling like exercise, and you can enjoy nature and spend less money than going out to dinner or to the movies. That's what Michael Scott would call a win-win-win scenario. :]

I also found some cool stuff I wanted to share, but instead of typing it all out I'll just post the link to this other guy's blog...pretty fun stuff.

I LOVE baking soda. It's useful for everything! I already use it for a lot, but here's a list of some good ideas[the comments are useful too!]:
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/154/1/30-baking-soda-tips.html

Lemons are super useful too. I'd like to get more into using them.

And my new favorite thing : Guerilla Gardening. I don't know where to get these supplies, but the seed ball idea sounds super fun.

That's about it...trying to stay short and sweet. :]

good finds in g-vegas

2009-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy weekend, but I'm back now. Friday we had a big event called Day Seven, and we've just been settling back down from that all weekend, so I skipped yesterday too. But I'm back! :] So here's what's been happening.

1. Free Planters
You've seen the picture of our indoor garden, and it has now just about tripled in size. However, planters are not super cheap, and I did not want to go spend $60-$100 on plastic pots. So Matthew and I went driving around, and after one very disappointing night, we decided to drive through a friend's neighborhood just to look and jackpot! We got about 10 different sized planters all big enough to give our veggies room to grow, and we paid nothing for them. A neighbor was throwing them all out, and we just grabbed them from their trash pile. And now our garden has outgrown our apartment! Half of it's downstairs [getting lots of rain right now, actually].

2. COMMUNITY GARDEN!
This just about made me do a dance. We were looking at some apartments downtown for when we move to make room for the baby, and across the street there was a big vacant lot with a large garden. I didn't know what it was, but it looked fun, so when the girl was showing us the apartment, I asked her about it, and she said it's a community garden where you pay $40 a year for a plot and can plant your own garden. And she said they're really cool about sharing stuff that they grow too! I am so excited. I can't wait to transplant our garden over there.

3. Froggs.org and Uptown Greenville.
Join Froggs.org! We did today. Look at their 5 year plan for Greenville- they're already starting on it. Greenville apparently just got this big grant to put in parks and implement green building, and they're pushing the revitalization of existing properties over the wasteful practice of tearing them down and starting over - super exciting! And Uptown Greenville is going to also start a Farmer's Market DOWNTOWN! Not to mention all other kinds of beautifying and greening of the area. This was a good find by Matthew!

So...bottom line is...Greenville, NC is no longer the worst place in the US to live. Haha. And we're starting to live up to our name!

grandma really did know it all.

2009-04-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Most of the people in my life now [including Matthew] never met my Grandma. She died right as I was getting to know all the people I know now. And that's a shame, because their lives really would be better having known her. I may be a little biased, but in my opinion she was just about the wisest, most genuine person on the planet. Reminiscing and realizing I was copying some of her habits, I decided to specifically remember and try to implement some of her wisest ones. So now, I am sharing them with you. And if you think about it, I'm sure your own Grandma's little bits of wisdom could help you out in a pinch too.

1. The Communal Rag.
This is something that will probably make anyone slightly germophobic shrink back in terror, but I obviously did not die of any crazy disease growing up, and neither did anyone else who stayed with my Grandma. So I'm sticking to it.
This came to mind when Matthew mentioned that we were on our last roll of paper towels. AGAIN. I really really hate buying paper products. It seems so wasteful! You run out over and over again, you have to use a ton to clean up anything, and they're not cheap, unless you want to get the kind that run out in a day and a half. And I'm pretty stingy, so for me to talk junk about the cheapo kind means it's BAD. So, frustrated about the $20 or so a month we spend on napkins and paper towels [and that's getting them on clearance at BigLots!], I remembered my Grandma's communal rag. This was a rag that sat in the kitchen, usually draped over the faucet, and was used to clean up anything and everything that got spilled. At meal time, she'd wipe mine and my sister's hands and faces [obviously either with a different rag or the same one washed out], and then the table, and BAM! Clean kitchen. Clean kids. No paper towels or napkins. No trash, no wasted money, no environmental impact. Was she thinking about being green? Porbably not. But she wasn't wasting her money either, which, like I said in my last post, usually go hand in hand. "Waste not, want not." Remember that?

2. The Big Freezer.
Some people will argue whether or not this is green, but if you get an energy efficient freezer it can be, and just the basic principle behind it is pretty green, no matter how you implement it.
My Grandma would freeze ANYTHING. She had a shed out back that had a big deep freezer in it, and she had it full at all times - all kinds of broths, soups, fruits and vegetables, meat, water - if it could be frozen, she would freeze it. And she kept that thing full. Now, let me explain the difference between my Grandma's freezer and most people's freezers they have out in their garage or wherever:
1.It was filled with leftovers and extra of things she had made or grown in her garden. Not $12 bags of chicken fingers and egg rolls and microwaveable frozen dinners. People go out an buy freezers to make their Sam's Club membership seem like it's not a waste of money. They put a few bags of frozen vegetables that have no nutritional value or processed, fake, overly salted meat products [example : chicken wings/fingers/strips...they're horrific for you] in it that they paid way too much for and call it a day. My Grandma's way is greener and cheaper because first of all, she didn't go out and buy crap food in bulk just to put something in a freezer she bought to seem economical. She needed to save all that extra and leftover from what she already had so that she wouldn't have to go out and buy more. Opposite principles.
2. Also, it wasn't a drain on her energy bill because she kept it full - even in your freezer attached to your fridge, you should always keep it full, even if it means filling a milk jug wth water to have something taking up space - this makes the freezer use less energy to stay cool.
And I can't even begin to explain how tasty it was as a kid to go out to the freezer and get frozen fruit juice - from canned fruits, she'd pour the syrup or juice into a tupperware container and freeze it. This was much less fattening than ice cream, albeit probably just as much sugar, and it was free for her. She just used excess from what she had.

3. The Clothesline.
This may be my favorite, and I had a clothesline at our old house that I miss having here -I'm looking into rigging up an indoor one for our apartment, even though we don't pay for the washer and dryer use. It's just plain relaxing to hang up clothes! Especially outside on a pretty day. My Grandma always did this, and again, it probably wasn't to be green, but her simple lifestyle just lent itself to being green. Next to your refrigerator [which is like 30% of your energy bill!! Cut those temperatures back!], the dryer uses the most electricity to run. So next time you think it's a waste of your time to go out and hang up clothes, remember that 20 minutes of hanging up could save 10 to 15% on your energy bill...and then see how wasteful it feels.

4. Gardening and Using What You've Got.
So I've already announced myself as a big big fan of gardening, and to me, if you're going to me out there manicuring your lawn and planting flowers, why not have a little patch that actually does you some good as well? My grandma had about a 5'x10' garden, where she grew amazing tomatoes and cucumbers, not to mention mint and other cool stuff. She always used what she grew and loved giving it to visitors when they came. I love tomatoe sandwiches more than anything to this day because of her tomatoes! It saved her so much on her grocery bill to be able to walk outside and pick fresh produce! Which, by the way, she made her own compost to fertilize. :]
She also used what she had in terms of backyard growth. She had a pear tree with a strawberry patch around it that she didn't have to do much to take care of, but she could pump out some strawberry jam and pear jelly in that little kitchen of hers thanks to those random things in her yard. Also, she had a huge pecan tree in her yard, and she used to let my sister and me go out and collect all the good ones and had a huge basket to keep them in inside. And nuts are flippin expensive!! She could've just raked them up with the leaves and done what everyone else does and go buy pecans and pecan pies, but she used what she had and saved more money buy picking them up and using them. And no one ever complained that they didn't taste store bought!

That's about all I have for now. Matthew and I went and bought some washcloths today to try the communal rag deal, so I'll let you know how that goes. I'd encourage you to sit back and try to remember thing from your childhood that your grandma did. They lived through worse recessions than we have, and they made the best of it. Pretty smart ladies.

jesus is green.

2009-04-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

So I've been learning a lot over the last couple of years about simple[cheap!] living, green living, and christlike living. The more I learn about each, the more it seems they have in common. Over the last few weeks it has become increasingly evident to me that living simply and taking care of the environment are not just choices, but callings of people who claim to follow jesus.

If you're reading this and you're not a "christian", you don't have to stop reading just because I mentioned jesus. I'm not sermonizing or anything, just venting a little frustration with myself and fellow "believers" for being...well...not very much like jesus.

So think about it...as americans [I don't like this term either...canadians and mexicans and anyone in south america are also americans, but we claim the phrase as our own...sorry...another vent.] are very, very, VERY spoiled. Very wasteful. VERY self-pleasing and self-absorbed. ALL of us live beyond our means and use up well more than our share of natural resources. It's destroying the planet [that, if you believe the bible, was created by God for us to live on] and reducing the quality of life for people all around us [love your neighbor...? that's in there somewhere, right? oh yeah, jesus said it was the SECOND GREATEST commandment.].

After thinking about my own level of spoiled-ness and wastefulness, I got pretty bummed out. Not just because of the environmental and people impact of my greediness, but because it says a lot about my character and my love for God, His creation, and other people. And if you're a "christian", it really should bother you. Sorry if you don't like that. But stewardship is a pretty flippin big deal in the bible, and we're horrific stewards of the planet. And it's also the opposite of how jesus was/is to be so self-absorbed that we let our lifestyles destroy so much and so many and think that it's the way it has to be, because we "deserve" a certain lifestyle.

So...I set about to make some changes in my own life, and I'm flirting with the idea of getting some community things started [because Greenville, NC, ironically enough, is NOT very green friendly]. Here is my first little step : I'm going to show you what I've done in our little home to prove that it's not impossible, expensive, or crazy to lower your impact [matthew and i still shower!].

First Green/Simple Step: Indoor Garden.

This was super easy, incredibly inexpensive, and shockingly fulfilling. Matthew and I got some seeds for some vegetables we like over the winter, when they were on sale for about 25 cents a pack. I got some leftover potting soil from my mom [it was actually a pot that she'd had a poinsettia in, and so i just pulled out the dead plant and scooped out the soil. for free!], grabbed our paper egg carton [you know...the grey kind that aren't styrofoam], and planted a couple little seeds in each hole. I had seedlings from all of them within a week, and before a few weeks had gone by I already needed to move them into bigger containers! I used two pots I got for 70 cents at BigLots for the two biggest sprouts [beans and corn, not pictured], and cut some little holes in the bottom of some plastic punch cups left over from our wedding for the rest. When I can find the right container, I'll start saving shower water for watering them like I did at our old house [just catch the water in a container whenever you're letting it run to warm up...that's a lot of wasted water!] So I'm saving money and will be eating healthier for free, and it's been really cool.

Also in these pictures, you can see two of our little solar lanterns I put in the window every day that serve as nightlights around the house after dark...nice, free light. You can also see that the curtain is pulled up just enough to let in light for the plants...leaving them closed while the sun is out keeps our apartment noticably cooler during the day. With that plus the windows open a little plus two ceiling fans, we don't even have to use the air conditioning until it hits around 90 degrees outside, and that's saying a lot for my husband, who serves as my personal space heater when it's cold outside.

Second Green/Simple Step: Indoor Composting.

Let me preface this by saying most of what I'm doing would be easier outside, but I live in a 500sq ft loft apartment with no yard, and most people in cities live in apartments with no yard and use that as an excuse to opt out of these things. So if you have a yard, use it! If not, don't be lazy!
So, composting. Much easier and much less smelly than you'd expect. I just took a coffee container that we had emptied, lined it with a ziploc bag, and started filling it with things like coffee grounds, used tea bag, egg shells, and any fruit or veggie waste we have. In a couple of weeks, I'll have free, fresh, nutrient rich soil that I can put on my indoor garden to make it grow like crazy. So I'm wasting less, and I don't have to go spend 25 bucks on miracle gro to have healthy plants. And people always flip out about the smell, but I honestly haven't smelled it yet. Our garbage disposal smells disgusting and it's not even giving me free nutrients.

Third Simple/Green Step: Recycling and Repurposing.

This lamp is a good example of something that could've easily been thrown away but is now a piece that we love. We got this gold reading/desk lamp from matthew's parents a while back because we like lamps more than overhead lights. We really hated the way it looked and had it unplugged and set in a corner to be taken downstairs and tossed out. Then, feeling especially crafty one night, I pulled it out along with some black acrylic paint, beaded ribbon and hot glue gun I had in my craft box and went to work. When Matthew got home from band practice, I presented the new and improved version, and it now proudly sits as the first light we turn on when we open the fron door. And the cost? $0. Environmental impact? 0.This was something I did out of frustration with having to clean up the backyard at our first house. I decided to make it worth my while, and grabbed a uniqe stick, a candle I got out of the "free" bin at Habitat for Humanity, and a scrap of some material I got from HfH [about 50 cents for 3 yards or so, and I just used a strip for this left over from re-upholstering our diningroom chairs]. I tied the candle into a nook in the stick, and Matthew loved it and we've had it displayed since then. In this picture, it's in its new home in our bathroom in our apartment. Cost? $0, since the fabric was so cheap and I only used a scrap of it. And it helpd me clean up my yard. :]

This is just fun. Matthew's sister gave us a calendar with daily quotes from The Office, and instead of throwing them away every day, we save them and rotate the funniest on our refrigerator so they can be enjoyed by anyone who comes over, and for more than just a day. Easy. Green. Funny!
This is the sewing box my mom gave me when I moved out. It has proved invaluable since getting married. I've salvaged shirts and jeans for both of us, saving us tons of money on clothes, something we really try not to buy [we've worn the same styles for a long time...t shirt and jeans never really go out of style, and we both still get by just fine in clothes we've been weraing for years], I've sewn pillows, made gifts, and recently with our news that we're having a little girl, I've been able to do lots of girly decorating using stuff we already have instead of wasting money on the expensive crap at baby stores. Learning to sew is not an old fashioned, anti-feminism skill. It's amazingly useful and my husband appreciates it a lot.

Along with all the repurposing [one of the best waste-reducing practices out there], we also recycle, of course. Although my recycling amount has gone down since finding new uses for things, I still appreciate having it available for the things I'm not creative enough to reuse.

I'll stop here, since anyone who's read all this is probably getting cross-eyed about now. Be encouraged! Start taking little steps. Take shorter showers, turn off lights, watch less TV, get some flowers for your window, or whatever works for you. We have a huge responsibility and we can't just ignore it. Please feel free to comment with suggestions or examples of other things we can do to minimize our impact!

babies and rocket stoves [two separate topics, i promise]

2008-12-08T12:03:00.001-08:00

So Matthew and I visited Greenville Christian Fellowship yesterday, and it happened to be their Children's Christmas Sunday. It was pretty darn cute, and quickly escalated from shy kids running off stage to all of them shouting the Christmas songs with no melody in mind. We were sitting behind one of the youngest girls, who had on her special red velvest dress and her blonde hair up in pigtails just for the presentation, and she couldn't keep still or quiet. She happened to notice us sitting behind her and immediately started to "talk" [like 2 year olds do] to us about a yellow marble in her hand and anything else that came to mind, even though she had no idea who we were. Her mother then started trying to get her to turn around [because every adult knows you don't talk to strangers ; even I know that], which wasn't succesful until it was time for the little girl to go onstage.

And I started thinking...doesn't Jesus say we are to become like little children if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven? Doesn't He mention our need for "childlike faith"?

What if we approached other people like little children do - with no judgement or bias or preconcieved notions of how they'll respond to us? What if we had that chillike faith in other people? I know that ultimately we must have faith in God above all else. But Jesus was willing to put Himself out there, put other people before His own comfort, and reach out to people whether He thought they'd accept Him or not, just to be able to love them. What if we could be as open and welcoming to people we don't know as children are? Sure, some people may not really appreciate your openness, but that's their issue. Kids don't care, they don't get offended and take it personally if someone isn't courteous enough to fake interest in what they're talking about. They just go open up to someone else. They expect all other adults to be like their parents and approach other adults with that same level of trust and respect , and if we take that in reference to looking at God as our Father, we can learn a lot from children. While I was thinking about this, the verse came to mind where Jesus is talking to people when they want to get into Heaven, and He says "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' [Matthew 25:35-40]

I love that parable, and it always really makes me consider how I treat other people [which I'll be the first to admit, isn't perfect]. I think that's where Christianity has lost the most in the last century or so [maybe before that]. Jesus started all of this with Love, and what made His Love different from any other love on the earth was that everyone was invited. No one got turned away from His Love. They could reject His salvation, but He would not ever stop loving them. And that's how we should be. People can reject us and our beliefs and our message, but that doesn't meaned we're allowed to stop loving them. If Jesus practiced that logic, where would we be?!

I'll stop there, because I don't want to get too rambly. :] I wanted to share this video too, because it made me happy, and I want to make one really badly. Now this would make for fun camping!

just some thoughts and verses to back them up...

2008-12-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'll preface this by saying only that I love my husband, and that we both love Jesus, and we honestly hold no anger or bitterness against any person. The Bible has saved my life so many times and is so precious to me, I just wanted to put out there what I got from it.

1 Peter 5:2

2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve;

-eager to serve, not demanding to be served.

Hebrews 10:21

21and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

-great priest = Jesus. not any man.

-house of God = the Church. not a specific building.

1 Corinthians 12:25

25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

-CONCERN, not judgement or gossip or slander.

-concern for EACH OTHER, not themselves.

-EQUAL concern, no favoritism.

Romans 12:5

5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

-EACH belongs to ALL the others. we are all equal. there is no bowing down before a man or submitting blindly to a man.

Ephesians 4:15

15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

-CHRIST is the head. any man who says he is the head elevates himself to Christ's level, which is idolatry.

Colossians 3:16

16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

-"as you teach and admonish ONE ANOTHER". not one person teaching all other people. we are all to teach and admonish each other, and learn from each other. no person is above this.

Matthew 12:6

6I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.

-"one" here refers to Jesus. He was referring to the fact that in the kingdom of God, the building doesn't matter. the body of Christ, the Church, is made up of people - believers. there is no all-holy "house of the Lord" that demands respect simply because it's been titled the house of the Lord. that's worshiping a building. WE are the temple.

1 Timothy 3

1Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. 5(If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God's church?) 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.

- I highlighted in bold the qualities that tend to be lacking on a lot of "overseers" - they're just people. they're not more important or above other believers, they just have a different job. i'm not trying to be judgmental, because it's not my place to judge - only God can judge people. this is just what i've seen in my experiences. and the bible says these are REQUIREMENTS...not suggestions. it points these out because a lot of harm can be done, intentional or not, by someone in an overseer position who does not meet the biblical requirements.

-the point i wanted to make with this is that the Bible says here that the overseer must be "respectable". it does not say that if a man decides to call himself an overseer, that he is owed respect. he must be a respectable person. the only One to whom we "owe" respect and submission is God. and like i said earlier -anyone who claims you owe them respect or submission is putting himself on God's level and therefore enforcing idolatry.

1 Thessalonians 5:12
12Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

-this tells who who to respect. the ones who are over you "in the Lord"[which means they fit the above requirements] who admonish you, who ALSO work hard AMONG you. those who recognize that they are just part of the body, one of many overseers, who are willing to work hard among the body and not place themselves above it and expect o sit back and be respected simply because of their position and not in corollation with the work they do.

-it says to "hold them in the highest regard in love BECAUSE of THEIR WORK". not because of their position or title, but their actions. if their work or lack thereof doesn't deserve respect or high regard, then they don't deserve it. a position or title doesn't entitle someone to respect. THE BIBLE SAYS THEY MUST EARN THE RESPECT, NOT JUST DEMAND IT.

There's so much more scripture about this. In reality there's scripture to answer any problem or question we have because God love us like that. :] There are people out there who will twist things around until we forget that the most important thing is Love. That's why the Church is in the shape it's in now. Read the Bible for yourself. Make what you believe personal. Don't just take someone else's word for it [not even mine] - Jesus died to have a personal relationsip with you. Love Jesus, Love others, read the Bible every chance you get. It's not the easiest way to live- but it's the best way, and the way He designed for us.

starting out.

2008-11-20T09:29:00.000-08:00

I figured since I post things on Facebook pretty regularly anyway, I'd upgrade and get a little more regular. :] I'll keep posting bible study stuff, plus all the DIY projects, frugal living tips, cool recipes and home made cool stuff I find all the time. I'll try to make it at least a couple times a week, if not more than that. So keep checking in!!