Beautiful Sunday Afternoon with This Lovely Fam!

My dear friend asked me to come out and shoot
a few pics of her family....
they had a mix up with their photographer...
sad for them but great for me!

I love any chance I can to get behind the camera
and practice.

They are a sweet family, very dear to my heart...
their girls are just PRECIOUS!

Grace Flows Down...

"...as I go, I comfort myself with the thought that when I come

to the gate of the City, the Ruler of the City will easily

recognize me since I have this coat on my back—

a coat He freely gave me the day He stripped me of my rags"

~ Pilgrim's Progress ~

Sorry I'm so late in posting my follow up to the previous post.

I had a WONDERFUL trip to visit my family.

If you recall...God heavily put it on my heart

to confess my sin to those I've hurt over the years

and ask their forgiveness.

That's a VERY humbling thing but I was eager

and excited to share what God had revealed to me

and to get everything off my chest...it was a burden

I had carried around for far too long.

Also, the freedom I was feeling from all that

God had revealed and worked out in me

the weeks leading up to this moment

was overwhelming...in a good way!

So, I arrived Saturday afternoon and

realized if I had arrived a few minutes later

I would've missed the chance to talk to my Step-Dad

since he was leaving to spend the weekend

with his mom & brothers.

A little history on our relationship....

My SD came into my life 21 years ago

at a very difficult time and

for that I've harbored resentment

and anger in my heart toward him.

Now...never mind that my SD was nothing but

sweet, loving, kind and would do ANYTHING

for me...I couldn't get past my own hurt

to receive that love.

When I sat down to tell him what God

had revealed, confess my sin, apologize and

ask for his forgiveness, I was FLOORED

with his gentle spirit, loving words

and GRACE that was extended to me.

I certainly didn't deserve it but he was very

quick to give it....much like my Heavenly Father!

The next day I was throwing a baby shower

with my mom for my brother's girlfriend.

A little history there, she's been around

the family for over eight years and

through a series of events I lost all

respect for her for some decisions

she made in her life that I disagreed with.

Like any normal person not walking

around in blatant sin...

you would just agree to disagree and move on...

clearly, that was not the case with me!

I was walking around in judgment toward her

and, you know...that makes everything better!

Not so much...I can honestly say I've spent

the last eight years ignoring her...to the point

that I couldn't even LOOK at her.

Imagine family birthdays & holidays with

that awkwardness.

Well, before the shower started, I was eager

to confess my sin to her and ask her forgiveness.

She was very understanding of why I may have acted

the way I did but I quickly explained there is

no excuse for my behavior.

I was not loving her as Christ would love her.

She, too, quickly and kindly

extended grace to me.

It's humbling to sit here and right this...to confess to

you all just how ugly & deep this sin in my life was

and that I let it go on for YEARS!

But, praise God, my story doesn't end there.

As I drove back to OKC I reflected on what just happened

that weekend.

Both of these people, whom I had NOT loved well

over the years, whom I had not shown the love

and grace of Christ that was so freely given to me,

just POURED out grace to me.

I was humbled by their kindness and even more humbled

by God's kindness. I've done nothing to deserve it...

but grace has been given to me...

it's not the first time & it won't be the last!

Thank you Lord for stripping me of my rags and

placing a coat of grace on my back....

May I be mindful of this and quick to extend grace to others.

Blind to Sin....

The following quote sums up what the
Lord has been teaching me the past few weeks:

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating.
By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil
and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.”

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~

Man...I couldn't have said it any better myself, Mr. Bonhoeffer!

I'm in a Bible study at church called

Freedom in Christ...

I took this class back in the spring

and I'm co-leading one of the

groups this fall....

I learned sooo much last time

and God is faithful, as usual, to

continue pruning me and making me

in His image...as I sit in The Fire.

Two weeks ago the lesson was on Forgiveness...

this is by FAR my favorite lesson in the entire course.

It's such a powerful night for all involved...

it's a night where we go and sit on our own

and work through repenting of our sin

then on paper writing out everything we would ever

want to say to the people that have hurt us...

then giving it back to the Lord and saying...

I forgive you to that person that hurt you.
Once we're finished we put it through the shredder
never to think about it again.

God had been working on me for a couple of weeks
prior to this lesson.

As I sat there listening to the two women give their
testimonies of how they've forgiven...I sat there
with tears streaming down my face and I couldn't
wait to get to the exercise...I was ready to spill
my guts and forgive the person
God had put on my heart...
which led to two others I needed to forgive as well.

I sat down with my pen and paper and began writing...
as the words appeared on the paper
God gently revealed to me how I had been blind
to my own sin....
how I've spent YEARS judging each one of these
precious people in my life...
harboring ill feelings and anger toward them...
it had gotten so bad I could hardly look
them in the face...
the worst thing about all this is that I was so
deep in my sin that I couldn't even see how I
was wrong or how I was hurting them.

God graciously softened my heart for this very moment...
to reveal my sin and change my heart toward
each one of these people.

He's also given me the heart to sit down
with each one of them
and confess my sin.
If you think about it...say a prayer...
I'll be doing that this weekend.

I can't WAIT to see them, love them and extend
the same grace & forgiveness that
Christ so graciously extended to me.
I pray through this, they will see
Christ's work in me and receive His love
through me...
To God be the Glory...
Great things He has done!!!

My Long Awaited & Over Due Bedroom Redesign

It all started back in December of last year...I came across this lovely picture.

Within a half an hour I had an entire bedroom redesigned in my mind!
The gray, the white, the pop of yellow...I LOVED IT ALL!

I was now on the hunt for the perfect wall color...
the bedding...
the accent lamp...
the fabric for my curtains &
tufted headboard (yes, with the help of my
amazing family...we MADE the headboard!)
Thanks to this wonderful tutorial you can find here.
It was very helpful and
it is 27 pages
of step-by-step goodness!

This was a work in progress
over the next few months
gathering things as
my budget allowed,
waiting for bedding to go on sale,
finding great deals at flea markets,
waiting for the ever failthful
40% off coupon from
Hobby Lobby,
looking for just the right color
and fabric for the
Tufted Beauty.

In July, thanks to friends & family
We made it happen...
Let the fun begin!

Here are the before pictures....
The dark green was killing me...
never mind the fact that I've had the same
comforter set since 2001! Don't get me wrong,
it's a great set that I got at Dillard's and enjoyed the
years of mix matching sheets...but it was time to
MOVE ON!

(I didn't think about before pictures until we
were literally in the process of moving stuff)

The cute desk I purchased with the money I got
for my birthday (Yay for still getting birthday money)
It was only $89 and I found it a really cute
Antique Market here in Oklahoma City
called The Rink Gallery
It's a really fun place and on Sunday's
they have Live Music and Free Refreshments
while you shop!

OK...you get the picture...
This room needed HELP!

Currently, I rent a home with a couple of friends.
I knew I had to get approval from the landlord
to paint.

I sent them my top three and they happened to pick
my favorite color!
Martha Stewart Sharkey Gray- You can find
it at your local Home Depot
Painting the room, alone, made a HUGE difference!
With the help of my sweet roomie...
we had the room painted in a matter
of a few hours one Sunday evening.

My very talented Graphics Designer friend
Amanda came & spent 2.5 hours drawing
the outline and button placement
for the headboard...
what a blessing & what a sweet friend!
I don't work well with numbers...
without her help, it would've been a disaster,
I'm sure of it.

Thanks friend!

My wonderful grandparents drove from
Tulsa to help me make it all happen...
They are very talented and AMAZING!

I had the wonderful task of making
each button

My grandma is an incredibly talented seamstress...
She, along with the help of my great grandmother,
made my curtains, shower curtain
and a couple of accent pillows.
They spent over 100 hours in between
the 2 Saturdays sewing!!
That is LOVE.

Now for the after pictures!
I'm very pleased with how it all turned out.
We did this in 1.5 Saturdays
It's still a work in progress...
I'm waiting for my rug to go on sale
and I'll be painting my nightstand. I'll
post pics once I have that completed.

I was inspired by Kasey Buick's lovely
gallery wall over at Lola B's
It's not as grand as hers
but I worked with
the space I had and am pleased
with it.

Cleaned up the dresser, put ball caps
where they go, on a hook in the closet
and got rid of the clutter.

I had to add a crown to the room...
I LOVE crowns...
I AM a daughter of the King
after all :-)

Here's a close up of the curtains



My sweet & talented blog friend Paige
over at Simple Thoughts
took this picture.

BONUS...We had extra material
and my grandma made this
Anthropologie inspired shower
curtain for me!

You can see all of my inspiration and
details on where I purchased everything
on my Pinterest.

Cove & Grey: Villa Tre Ville

A favorite blog of mine just posted about the most gorgeous house she found in Architectural Digest....it was too good not to share....Enjoy!

Cove & Grey: Villa Tre Ville: "I am loving all the homes featured in this months Architectural Digest. One really jumped out at me...it feels so crisp and relaxing. gor..."

True Love.....

In my quiet time this week I'm reading through
the events leading up to Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection...

In Luke 23:4 it says,
'Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds,
"I find no guilt in this man."'

I couldn't get over this verse.
I've read it numerous times in my life
but it really stuck out to me this morning.

Christ was GUILTLESS.
Here is the man who LOVED...
He loved so much He was willing to
leave His throne and the Father,
to walk the Earth in the flesh and
take on the sin and shame that belonged to
everyone BUT Him!
He died a sinners death on the cross...
But...it doesn't end there!!!
HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD!

SO that,
we wouldn't have to pay the penalty for our sins...
I don't have to pay the penalty...
which is DEATH & separation from Him for
eternity!

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

This just points out WE are NOT Guiltless.
I fall short EVERYDAY!
But by the grace of God, I have a savior
who paid the price for my sin
and because of that...
I don't have to be
separated from
Him!

For God so loved the WORLD (my emphasis)
that He gave His only Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish
but have eternal life.
John 3:16

I put the emphasis on World here because
He came for ALL.

For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all,
the Righteous for the unrighteous
(the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty),
that He might bring us to God.
In His human body He was put to death,
but He was made alive in the spirit,
1 Peter 3:18 (Amplified)


If you don't know Christ as
your Lord & Savior
You can...
He did this for YOU!!

What does it look like to receive
Christ YOUR Savior?

I was involved in Campus Crusade for Christ
They have a wonderful tool
The 4 Spiritual Laws
I've used some of that information below
I've linked it above if you would like
to read more.


We must believe in Him

because, if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe
in your heart that God raised him
from the dead,
you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

We must Receive Him

John 1:12
As many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those
who believe in His name.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast.

The only thing in this process that is left up to us
is the invitation to let Christ in

Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him and eat with him,
and he with me.
Revelation 3:20

If these words are speaking to you,
my prayer is that you will
invite
Him
in!

Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for
dying on the cross for my sins.
I open the door of my life adn receive You as
my Savior and Lord.
Thank you for forgiving my sins
and giving me eternal life.
Take control of the throne of my life.
Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
In Jesus name, Amen

If you prayed that prayer, Christ in in your life!
What an amazing Easter this will be for you!

There is more information
here
If you prefer to talk to someone
Please feel free to contact me!

I leave you with a beautiful song by
Phil Wickham
True Love

Blog Redesign

Thanks to my sweet friend Christa over at One Cheap Mama I was inspired....

I wanted to redesign my blog....

I've been in the mood to redesign a LOT these days!

I found my new blog background and header over at

The Background Fairy

as suggested by Christa.

What's great about The Background Fairy....

she has TONS of designs to choose from

as well as step-by-step instructions

for how to apply them to your blog...

This is PERFECT for the

technologically challenged

like myself!

I also added a few of my favorite blogs

to my MUST VISIT section...

check them out...you will NOT be disappointed!

Hope you get inspired...

Now if ONLY my bedroom redesign

could go this fast!!!

The Fire....

Ok...this is a long one...grab your coffee

and sit for a while...

Don't worry...it's not all me talkin'...

there's a sweet story at the end.

So....

I've been going through Freedom in Christ

a women's Bible study at my church....

The past couple of weeks focused on...

Repentance...

WOAH!

Talk about rock your face off!

This week was the Refiners Fire...

the importance of praising God

during those trials...

Our teacher talked about the

Israelites and how they

were rescued out of Egypt...

and they were STILL MOANING

as they were in the wilderness with

God providing for them EVERYDAY!!

How many times have I been smack

dab in the middle of a trial

and I'm moaning or trying to

tell the Lord how to do things

or to speed up the process...

God has me in each trial (wilderness if you will)

for a specific time...

I can choose to moan about it...

OR...

I could see this as an opportunity

for trusting

and

praising the Lord...

praising Him because He doesn't want

me to stay in this ugly mess I'm in...

Praise Him because He wants to

draw me closer to Him

Praise Him becuase He wants

to make me In His Image

Praise Him because

others may come to know

Him because of the trials

I'm in and how I choose

to handle them.

I embrase these trials and

I want to come out of these trials

like the woman in

Song of Solomon 8:5

"Who is this coming up from the

wilderness leaning on her

beloved?"

I trust the Lord...

I trust His timing...

I know He is with me...

In the wilderness...

I'm thankful I have Him to lean on!

I'll end with a sweet story that was read this evening...

a story about the Refiner's Fire

The passage they refer to is Malachi 3:3

"He will sit as a refiner and purifer of silver;

he will purify the Levites and refine them

like gold and silver..."

Enjoy!

Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to

read the scriptures and make them the subject of

conversation. While reading the third chapter of

Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression

in the third verse.
"And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

One lady's opinion was that it was intended to

convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the

grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a

silversmith and report to them what he said

on the subject. She went accordingly and without

telling the object of her errand, begged to know the

process of refining silver, which he fully described

to her.

"But Sir," she said, "do you sit while the work of

refining is going on?" "Oh, yes madam, " replied

the silversmith, "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed

on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining

be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver

will be injured."

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort

too, of the expression,

"He shall sit as a refiner and purifier

of silver."

Christ sees it needful to put His children into a

furnace. His eye is steadily intent on the work of

purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged

in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come

at random; "the very hairs of your head are

all numbered."

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith

called her back, and said he had still further to

mention, that he only knows when the process of

purifying was complete, by seeing his own image

reflected in the silver.

Beautiful example! When Christ shall see His own

image in His people, His work of purifying will

be accomplished.

Author Unknown

The Year of Believing

Yesterday I celebrated my 34th Birthday.
A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a sweet friend.
She asked me if I could come up with one word for this
coming year to describe what the Lord is doing
what would it be?!?

After talking it out a little more with her
I quickly came up with my word...
BELIEVE!

I have some life experiences that have allowed
lies to creep in...Thankfully, He doesn't
want me to live in darkness but to walk in
TRUTH!

The Lord has taken me through this hard
yet beautiful season of healing...
A season of replacing lies about Him
replacing lies about who I am
Replacing lies for TRUTH!

I did grow up in a Christian home and
I've heard many of the things I'll list below...
however...it was all head knowledge...
it wasn't heart knowledge...
I didn't necessarily realize they applied to me!

So....as I continue to walk with Him,
here are the things I BELIEVE...
Thanks to His Word...
I KNOW...they're TRUTH!

God Delights in me...and He sings over me
Zephaniah 3:17

He has great plans for me...not to harm but to prosper
Jeremiah 29:11

He is my Protector!
(Always has and always will be)
Psalm 3:3

He is my Rock & Deliverer
Psalm 18:2

He is enthralled with my beauty
Psalm 45:11

I am fearfully & wonderfully made
Psalm 139:14

He makes life known to me...
He fills me with joy...
I have eternal pleasures forevermore!
Psalm 16:11

I am a tree planted by water...whatever I do prospers
(this was a prophetic word spoken over me)
Psalm 1:3

I can wait in HOPE for the Lord...He is my help & shield.
Psalm 33:20

My prayer....

May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:74

Last but not least...

My heart trusts Him.
Psalm 28:7

What will your word be for the next year of your life?

Why Was I So Reluctant Again?!?!

Two years ago today....yes Valentine's Day...I reluctantly followed the Lord from Tulsa to Oklahoma City.

It was a rough transition. I had recently been laid off from what was my dream job,
had to pack up all my things and move away...
from my friends, my family & my church....
all of which I loved!

The one bonus I had was that I would be living near
one of my best friends from college....
however, she has her own family and friends
so I knew I couldn't expect her life to stop or to easily fit me in.

Even though it was hard and I frequently asked God
"why?"...I trusted Him.
I knew He had a purpose for this move and season of my life.

My cousin Rhonda, who is like a big sister to me,
could tell just by our phone conversations that I wasn't doing very well....
needless to say she was concerned for me....
rightfully so...I was concerned for me!

Time went on....I visited a few churches and finally settled on Bridgeway.
This was the BEST decision I could've ever made!

Since I've been at Bridgeway the Lord has blessed me with
the most AMAZING friends...
they love me well...
they point me to Jesus....
they fight for my relationship with Him....
they encourage me....
AND....we have LOTS of fun!!!

I've also been going through a season of healing...
It's painful at times and hurts but it's a good hurt...
you know what I mean?!?!

The Lord has been working in my heart...
He's been revealing areas that need to be addressed...
that I didn't even know where there to be addressed!
He's been revealing Himself to me in ways I've never seen Him...
He's producing new fruit and giftings in my life like never before...
I'm humbled by His love for me and I do believe He had to bring me
here...to OKC...for this to take place.

For that....I'm truly grateful and wonder....Why did I reluctantly go?!?!
Hind sight is always 20/20...if I knew this was ahead I may have jumped on board!
Who knows really....when I know something is going to be painful...
I have a tendency to avoid it...so maybe I wouldn't have jumped on board.
All I do know is that I've been thankful for the Lord and
all that He's been doing the past 2 years...
My life is better...
My heart is better...
My relationship with Him is better...

Thank You LORD for all that You've done
All that You're doing
and all that You're going to do...
May You always receive the glory!

The following passages are ones the Lord used to speak to me
during this hard transitional period…
I knew He brought me here to draw me closer to Him…
THIS comforted me and helped me to stop asking….
Why?!?

Hosea 2:14-15
Hosea 6:1-3
Zephaniah 3:17

My sweet discipleship group

Moriah & Ashley

John & Susan

They have been so sweet to

have me in their home

and love on me.

Some of the many amazing women

that are now in my life!


My dear friend Kristi...
she & her husband Ty have been such
a blessing to me.


More of the amazing ladies in my life.

Snowmageddon!

Apparently we're in the middle of a record breaking snow storm

it stretches for 2000 miles...and apparently it's headed your way...

So....stock up on your favorite things you like to

have when you're snowed in...

sit back, relax and enjoy the Thunder snow as it rolls in..

Happy Snow Day Everyone!!!

Meet Alecia...

Hello Kelly's Korner Readers!

I'm Amy, with permission, I'm hijacking Alecia's Blog

to introduce her to you and to YOU single guys!

Alecia's in her mid 30's and FABULOUS!!!

She lives in Oklahoma City and works at at non-profit organization.

She's been a great friend of mine for over 10 years. We went to OU

together and she loves her Sooners, especially some Sooner football.

Music is a big part of Alecia's life.

She loves to listen to all kinds of music and will never pass up

the opportunity to see her favorites in concert.

She has a HUGE heart for the Lord and for serving others.

She is very involved within her church. Alecia has traveled the world

on missions trips. She'll go anywhere the Lord leads...let's be honest,

she'll go anywhere for that matter!

LAUGH...the girl loves to laugh and she'll make you laugh

as well...Alecia is super fun!

If you or your guy will appreciate Alecia's fabulousness,

leave a comment with a way for her to contact you.

You don't want to miss out on her!!