Never Forget

The sermon yesterday was incredibly challenging

and incredibly AWESOME!!

I really couldn't stop talking about it yesterday 

with my friends...it's so good I just HAVE 

to share it with anyone who will 

take the time to read & listen (a link to the sermon)

So...here we go!

My pastor, Sam Storms, provides very detailed 

sermon notes

I apologize in advance...

you'll be seeing more from him than me...

he just does an incredible job of saying it

and I am HORRIBLE at 

summarizing it...trust me!

I'll put my little interjections in here 

and there...what I felt God was 

impressing on my heart at

the moment.

The passage is Joshua 4:1-24

Sam's summary of the previous chapters:

"Joshua sent spies into Jericho so 

survey the land and gain info regarding

size and strength of the enemy

 

Once spies returned, Joshua commanded the people 

to keep their eyes fixed on the ark of the covenant,

the place of God's presence & power 

 

As priests stepped into the flood waters of the Jordan, 

it parted, like the Red Sea did 40 years earlier,

allowing the people of Israel to enter the promised

land on dry ground

 

before they made their way across the Jordan, God told

Joshua to instruct 12 men, one from each of the 12 tribes, 

to pry loose from the river bed a large stone, to hoist upon 

their shoulder, and to carry it to Gilgal on the east border of Jericho"

 

So, Joshua & the 12 men from the 12 tribes set up a memorial,

if you will, to be a constant reminder of what God had done.

 

Sam related this to the importance of passing on a godly 

heritage to your children & grandchildren that will

one day pass it on to their children & grandchildren.

 

Some challenge questions found in the notes but not in the sermon.

BONUS!!

 

What will your children remember most about you?

What will they remember mattered most to you?

What are you doing to preserve and sustain in the hearts of

your children the knowledge of God?

What are you doing to keep them mindful of His faithfulness?

What are you teaching them that will build into their 

value system a reverence for God & confidence in His word?

He went onto talk about how Christ at the last supper 

took the bread & wine and commanded us to 

"Do this in remembrance of me"

I like how Sam explained this... "This command reveals the 

weakness of the flesh even in those who have been born again,

for it is remarkable that we who have been redeemed by Christ should

need to be urged to remember Him."

We are SUCH forgetful creatures.  It's so easy to get caught

up in what we don't have & our busy-ness of life that 

we FORGET what we DO have...LIFE in Christ!

How can we forget such an amazing gift?!?

How can we forget all the wonderful things God has done?!?

How can we forget the time He did (fill in the blank here with 

really cool God story)?!?!

This is where Sam encouraged us to really 

commemorate and tell friends & family the 

life-changing events when God made His grace

known to us; our conversion, a healing that occurred,

God's provision or guidance, etc.

One of my favorite points is next...

"Why is this stress on remembering in the Bible (as seen in 1 Chronicles 16:12 & Psalm 105:5)?

The simple answer is because one of faith's most devastating enemies is 

forgetfulness and one of faith's most powerful allies is memory!"

Sam offered a couple of illustrations

"First we are commanded to remember God's ways and acts

and deeds in order to overcome despondency and hopelessness

and doubt (Psalm 77)

Asaph is confused, struggling with doubts & wondering if God really loves him...

you can see his brush with despair in verses 4-9

How does Asaph emerge from this pit of depression & disillusionment?!?

He remembers...he calls to mind who God is

and what God has done! (Verses 11-15)

Second we are commanded to remember to fuel our worship & 

love for God & gratitude for all He's done (Psalm 103)"

Third we are commanded to remember so that we might pas along to the coming generations

the truth of God and His Word and the glorious ways in which he delivers His people

Psalm 78:1-8; 145:4

Every generation of Christian men & women has a biblical responsibility

to pass along to the next generation the mighty

and merciful acts of God"

This next part really got me...like a punch in the gut!

In Judges 2:6-15 we're warned of what can happen

when we don't remember and when we don't share 

with those around us of God's goodness, His faithfulness, His Truth!

^" When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land.   And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel.  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years.  And they buried him within the boundaries of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.  So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies.  Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress."

"Although the first few generations who entered the land remained faithful, as time 

passed they failed to pass along to the next generation the remembrance of what God had done. Soon, their memories began to fade.  It cam upon them gradually, but evidently the command to remember was ignored and the memory of what God had done for Israel disappeared from their collective consciousness.  How did this happen?  The explanation is simple but devastating: parents failed to recall to mind what God had done; in turn they failed to tell their children, who in turn had nothing to say to their children about the mighty exploits of God & his goodness and faithfulness.  Simply put: 

Spiritual amnesia led to apathy that eventually led to apostasy"

For those, like myself, that don't know what apostasy is (I find I need a dictionary a LOT when my pastor speaks...LOL) I found a definition

A willful falling away from, or rebellion against, Christian truth. Apostasy is the rejection of Christ by one who has been a Christian (Wikipedia)

Oh Father...may I NEVER Forget!!!

I don't have children yet but I pray I pass

down the amazing God stories in my life...there are MANY.

Until then...I'll proclaim it to all who'll listen!

I hope you're still here...because I have a question for you...

How to you remember or commemorate the things

God has done in your life?  Please share...Give Him the glory

so we'll never forget!!!

 

35 & Feelin' the LOVE!!

WOW!!!

That's all I have to say
about this birthday weekend
I've just celebrated.

This one's is packed full of stuff...
but good stuff...
hope you make it to the end

God is in the business of surprises
and that's exactly what He did
this weekend...

It was packed full of
friends.
love.
generosity.
and SURPRISES!

Friday was my actual birthday
fun fact about my birthday
I share it with a couple of really cool people
Dr. Seuss & BonJovi :-)

Friday my roomies hung the Birthday Banner
and Becca made me a delish birthday omelet




I was crowned Birthday Princess when I got to work



The boss-man took our team to
lunch at the Cheesecake Factory
His lovely wife was able to join us



I got to spend some time with my
dear friends that have been in Kenya
for the past couple of years and
my other friends from Arkansas
and their combined 9 children!!!
Soooo FUN!

They blessed me with a yummy dinner,
cake & their time. My love language is
quality time and it was so nice to just
sit & chat with them

I spent Saturday with a dear friend
and her family.
Again...lots of quality time
some PHENOM sushi
and sweet gifts

Sunday was a PACKED day
I went to church then
22 of us went to one of my
new fave restaurants
The RePublic Gastropub

My friend Kyle said
"Look at all these people here that love you, Leesh"
It was overwhelming.
Especially since I've only been here 3 years
I feel like it could take a lifetime
to find as many sweet friends as I had
at lunch Sunday...my cup runneth over
for SURE!



Guys...don't kill me but I couldn't
resist posting that PRESH pic!

Well, a couple of days prior my sweet friend
Moriah said, "Leesh...you're in for the
BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!"
She & Ashley were collaborating on this
and I had NO CLUE what it could possibly be.

So, during lunch Moriah gets everyone's
attention and presents me with a card.

I loved it...it was a Mary Englebreit
card that says
"The Princess of Quite a Lot"
My cousin Rhonda gave me that
stationery when I was in college so
it was fun to see it again.

Well...I open the card and begin reading



I start shaking when I get to this statement
"We have started you a 'camera' fund
so that you can purchase a nice camera of your
own. We have raised near or more than
$800! We love you"

I was overwhelmed...I started crying!!

Ashley & Moriah got this incredible
idea from my former roomie Veronica
She has an incredible gift of knowing
just what the receiver wants or needs

So...they messaged my roomies
several of our mutual friends and family
and collected this
without me having the slightest clue...
You all are GOOD!!!

After lunch I got a yummy dessert and
my friends sang Happy Birthday...
it was probably the most beautiful way
it's ever been sung before...the restaurant
seemed to just stop as they sang...it was AWESOME!

I continued the day by going to see
the Dr. Seuss movie The Lorax
with Moriah, Ashley, Ariella & Brett
It was a super cute movie & we laughed a LOT

As we were leaving the theater
the girls & I were just chattin' it up
and laughing at our fave parts of the movie...
Brett turns around and was like

"That was Nick Collison"

I quickly turned around and saw this
HUGE man in a black hoodie
Ariella & I get closer to see if we can
see his face...sure enough...it's him...
he was getting a ticket to the movies
The guys in the ticket booth
were cute as ever...trying to appear
as if their jaws weren't on the floor.
Once the ticket was purchased I leaned in
and said, "Hey Nick...I'm celebrating my birthday,
can I get a picture with you?!?!"

He was very polite and said "sure", took the hood off
and snapped a pic with me....SO FUN!!!

Thunder Up Buttercup!!

I then headed over to my dear friend's house
to have dinner with her & her hubby and
their 3 sweet little girls.

Their middle child Sophie gave me the present...
How cute is she by the way?!?!



It was the most adorable coffee mug from Anthropologie
I had just seen the mug the day before
at my other friends house and fell in LOVE
there He goes again with the surprises!

We ended the evening sitting
outside in cozy chairs by their
outdoor fireplace...it was a
PERFECT evening for it

I just don't even know how to begin
thanking everyone that was a part of
the most amazing
Birthday Weekend EVER
and the incredibly generous gift!

The Lord is FULL of surprises and I
LOVE how He allows the Body of Christ
to be in on His surprises...
My heart is overwhelmed by His love for me
and the many people He's placed in my life
to love on me...what a PRECIOUS gift

I've done nothing to deserve this but
it's gifts right out of the Father's Heart
for His child. He knows me inside and
out and knows just how I receive...
What an amazing Father we have...
He knows each and every one of us
sooo well...He knows just how
to speak to our hearts and love on us...
it's so amazing...I'm baffled!

He never ceases to amaze me

Last thing...

A sweet friend from church encourages
her friends to pick a word that
describes what this coming year
looks like for them...
I've chosen my word...
God has healed my heart
in so many ways
over the past 3 years...
This year is a year of Transformation!

I pray my heart is willing to do what
God asks in order for this
transformation to take place
My desire is to be more like Him
and less like me

To 35 years!!
Believing this is the Best Year Yet!

Kenya Dig It!!!

I'm thrilled to tell you I have an opportunity
to share Life this summer in Kenya with
a group from my church, Bridgeway.

We will be working with a nonprofit organization
called Maisha - it means LIFE!
Maisha was started by the lovely Beatrice Williamson.

Maisha is "committed to bringing hope to the hopeless
and light to the darkness." They minister to orphans, widows
& those living with HIV/AIDS.

We will leave July 12th and return July 22nd

While our team is there we will partner with Maisha
in feeding orphans & widows, organize a soccer camp,
minister to people who are HIV-positive and
help with construction projects.

There is nothing more exciting to me than
living out the scriptures ~
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure
and faultless is this: to look after orphans
and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the world."
~James 1:27~

What an incredible opportunity we have as followers of
Christ...He allows US to care for those in need,
to be His hands and feet,
to take part in His plan,
to make His name know among the nations....
WHAT A PRIVILEGE!!!

I know not everyone is called to go on the mission field
but I do know that we are all able to make a difference.

God uses each one of us in unique ways to reach the nations.
Some go, some pray & some send...all very vital roles
in helping God's Kingdom come.

With that said...I ask for prayer
prayer as we prepare to go

prayer for my heart...that I would
hear God's voice & have eyes to see what
the Holy Spirit wants me to see,
wisdom in how to minister to each person
I come in contact with.

prayer for protection from any attacks
the enemy may have planned...in the
past he's physically tried to take me out
at the knees.

prayer as I raise support...
total cost of this trip is ranging between
$3100-$3900 depending on the flights
This will cover flight, transportation on ground,
food on sight, lodging & project costs.

I have to have $1700 by April 1st
and the rest by June 3rd

God has ALWAYS been faithful to provide for me
through the generous hearts of people He's placed
in my life and I'm continually blown away
each time He does it!

If you would like to support me leave a comment
with your e-mail address and I'll send you details.

I look forward to posting updates during this fundraising process
and once I return from the trip...I'm sure you'll see TONS
of pics :-)

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

I'm also selling Maisha t-shirts for $25, proceeds
go towards my trip. They are black t-shirts with
this gorgeous design.


If you would like one...please leave me a comment
with your e-mail & I'll give you the information
on how you can get one

~

"and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your
light will rise in the darkness, and your night
will become like the noonday."
~Isaiah 58:10~

Minted & a $25 Credit...

I'm a journal freak...
I have to literally talk myself out
of purchasing one any time
I'm at a book store
or in the stationery aisle
at Target

Step away from the journals, Alecia...
step away from the journals.

Well, my favorite blogger, Paige,
from Simple Thoughts posted
about these gorgeous journals
from Minted

And if it wasn't enough that they're
stinkin' cute...you can personalize them!

AND...If you sign up with them
through the link I've posted
you get an instant $25 credit on your
purchase of $30 or more!!!

Soooo...I COULDN'T pass this by!

At $16 a journal...it's a great deal

Take a look...these are wonderful gift ideas...
and with Valentine's Day & Easter coming up
who isn't in need of ideas!

Lovin' this Chair

This gorgeous chair was featured on one of my favorite blogs, abode love.

I loved it so much, I HAD to post about it...
Isn't she pretty...such character!

I have a feeling, with my love of design & Pinterest...
you may see more posts from me!

Grafton Chair, Flora Dora

Laurel-Dawn is an incredibly talented designer and
I think you'll enjoy her blog...check her out!

She not only posts beautiful stuff but she's funny too.

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..."