the geeeeetar (a.k.a. - guitar)

So...I got a guitar for Christmas. She looks a lot like the one above. For lack of a better name, let's call her "Pinky." To learn to play a guitar, such as Pinky, has been a dream of mine for....yeaaarrrss. Currently (literally as I'm typing this post) my fingers are throbbing in pain. It seems that playing a guitar involves a certain amount of pain...but let me tell you...it's totally worth it.

Since my first lesson last week, I have used almost every free moment of my time to nail down "Sweet Caroline" by Mr. Neil Diamond. Now when I say "nail down" what I really mean is attempting to strum the chords in a manner that slightly resembles this song. I honestly can not wait until I am able to play this puppy well enough that I can actually sing along. Then I'd be like...a one (wo)man band.

So in the next few weeks I am hoping for severely calloused fingers and rock star results. :) We shall see.

Regardless, I am excited. I think God knows exactly what we need when we need it...and he knew I needed Pinky. Learning to play has been so fun.

God is cool like that...he knows what fills our hearts with joy :)

This CCV original "mockumentary" takes an in-depth look at the life of Arts Director Ben Foulke, and his addiction to hair care products.

04-25-10 "Intervention" from CHRIST'S CHURCH OF THE VALLEY on Vimeo.

Jesus Freak

03-07-10 "Jesus Freak" Man-on-the-Street Segment from CHRIST'S CHURCH OF THE VALLEY on Vimeo.

Our youth pastor, Dan Reischel went out as his alter ego "Rev. Kenny Swagger" to learn more about what it means to be a "Jesus Freak." Hilarious!

Stay tuned for his sermon...

Encouragement

Saw David Crowder Band in concert yesterday. They were amazing! I love their song Everything Glorious. The lyrics say...

You make everything glorious

And I am Yours

What does that make me?

The definition of glorious in the dictionary says: marked by great beauty or splendor

So yes...if God made everything glorious, and we are His....what does that make us?

A creation marked by great beauty or splendor.

Put that little fact in your pocket** and carry it around with you :)

**note: I guess you could write this truth down and literally put it in your pocket...but when I was referring to pocket I meant more of a figurative "pocket"....you get the gist ;)

Shhhh!

Read a great article today on boundless.org.

http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001058.cfm

It talks about a woman who decided, during Lent, to "refrain from rushing to explain and defend herself, even when she felt she might not be fully understood." The article said that "this discipline was inspired by the well-known prayer attributed to St. Francis, which includes the line: "O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek ... to be understood as to understand."

Let me tell you a secret...

I love to talk.

If you know me, this may not come as a surprise. ;)

Conversation is great, but as I read this article I can think of plenty of times when I've used my words to fill an uncomfortable silence, defend myself, or make sure others know how important I am.

Yikes.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. (James 1:19)

"grant that I may not so much seek ... to be understood as to understand."

For example, when this woman applied the exercise at home she saw how valuable this discipline can be for relationships. Her husband had said something that she would normally take immediate offense to and react rather quickly by defending herself. Instead of saying anything, she remained silent. After a few moments of her "prayerful silence" her husband apologized. "He knew his words had been hurtful, and her silence gave him the chance to reconsider."

I am guilty of the "quick reply." I agree with the article when it says that there are proper times to speak up ("to defend an innocent person, or to speak the truth boldly to people who are deluded by a lie. ") but there are also moments when words may harm the situation rather than alleviate a problem.

The article ends by saying...

In times when prudence says, "be quiet," your silence can be a statement to God, yourself, and even others that you believe God is really in control and will work things out the way HE wants them. It is an act of faith.

I think it's important to reflect on the ways that we respond to others. Are there times when silence would be more valuable? As a chatty gal, this presents a challenge. It seems an important thing to consider, and in the coming weeks I am going to try and do what my good old friend James says...

be quick to listen, slow to speak

Help-Portrait

Heard about a really cool organization. Help-Portrait. A photographer started an event by just asking his fellow photographer friends to help him take pictures of people in need. This idea spread so quickly, that it reached places across the world like France, South Korea, Germany, and Japan...to name a few.

I had the privilege of hearing this man speak today and he said that his main goal in taking these professional (and beautiful, might I add) shots of these people is to help them to realize how very special they are.

Volunteers helped to get these people ready for the photos (clothes, hair, makeup) and then they were treated like stars with their very own photo shoot.

A few stories he shared included a man who had only had his picture taken once...when he went to jail. A man and his son who were separated because of problems with alcohol and drugs were reunited to get a photo together. A single mother and her two children got their very first family portrait.

One person who had their picture taken wrote on the website:

"Receiving a gift is like getting a rare gemstone; any way you look at it you see the beauty refracted." --Proverbs 17:8

The Help-Portrait photographers that showcased their God-given talents at the Nashville Rescue Mission ARE those rare gems. They captured the inner light of many who have felt broken, worthless, unattractive, unloved and under-appreciated"

They are doing another event soon. If you'd like to get involved..check out their website

http://help-portrait.com/

Africa Bound!

Africa is getting closer. I can't believe I am going to be there for almost two weeks. I have never been on a missions trip so I am gearing up to go and see what God is planning to do in my heart. I'm sure it's nothing less than amazing....

There are two things I would really like to get out of the trip:

1. To be completely and utterly humbled

and

2. To show God's love

simple goals...yet I expect amazing and complex outcomes

With that said, I would like to keep updates on what's going on with the trip. Here is my to-do list as of now:

-raise 1,700 more dollars! (little nervous about that one)

-fill a suitcase with t-shirts for my Kenyan friends

-get a passport (ASAP)

-fill a bunch of other suitcases with supplies that my Kenya friends may need

-learn a little Swahili!

As this trip gets closer and closer it's almost impossible to believe that God is giving me this opportunity. I don't think I'll believe it until I've landed in Kenya (cool thing--I had a dream about that very thing happening the other night!)

So..I'll stay updated on that good old to-do list and how my heart is gearing up for this trip.

For now...kwa heri. (goodbye in Swahili)

:)

Brokenness

Just finished reading a book....A Tale of Three Kings--A Study in Brokenness.

It's a book about King David. Before he himself became king, he worked in the kingdom under King Saul. Apparently, this guy was terrible to him. He was so jealous of David. Eventually, after torturing him physically and mentally David had to flee the kingdom because Saul had decided that he wanted to kill him. The book says:

"David accepted his fate. He embraced the cruel circumstances. He lifted no hand nor offered resistance. Nor did he grandstand his piety. Silently, privately, he bore the crucible of humiliation. Because of this he was deeply wounded. His whole inner being was mutilated. His personality was altered. When the gore was over, David was barely recognizable."

He hid in caves, desperately trying to escape Saul and his soldiers who continued to search for him so that they could kill him. He's at the end of his rope. He is broken beyond belief and without even a friend's shoulder to cry on. But then the book says...

"There in those caves, drowned in the sorrow of his song and in the song of his sorrow, David became the greatest hymn writer and the greatest comforter of broken hearts this world shall ever know."

...God can use our brokenness. Devastating things that happen to us or that we struggle with may have mutilated our inner being, altered our personality or made us barely recognizable.

Maybe that's part of the answer when we are suffering...and we ask God, "Why is this happening to me??"

I think it reminds me that...

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.-Romans 8:28

Building Some Sand Castles?

Beautiful song by Jennifer Knapp-Faithful To Me

All the chisels I've dulled carving idols of stone

That have crumbled like sand 'neath the waves

I've recklessly built all my dreams in the sand

Just to watch them all wash away...

So true. I, like the lyrics in this song, have wasted so much time recklessly building my own dreams in the sand. Sometimes (let's be honest, most of the time) I just want what I want when I want it. So I just charge through God's perfect timing and seize whatever that may be at the moment. Or at least I try...

Thank goodness He is merciful. Thank goodness He protects me. I sometimes reach for things that may not be the best for me. Why is it human nature to want to do things on our own? What is it that keeps causing me to forget that God has a perfect plan for my life?

Psalm 32:8

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.

His loving eye.

When someone loves you, don't they want the best for you?

Yep.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

So what happens when I want something that God doesn't want me to have? That sounds like a bit of a problem wouldn't ya say? Here's what Elisabeth Elliot says on the subject (by the way, I love her, she's super wise).

"He (God) wanted Adam and Eve to be happy but He didn't give them everything they wanted. He knew it would be the death of them. So they got mad and decided he didn't love them and was being stingy when he told them not to touch the fruit. How could he love them if he didn't let them have it? They put more stock in the snake's reasoning than in God's."

Where are you placing your trust? In your own limited resources/vision/knowledge or in God who has infinite amounts of resources/vision/and yes..knowledge and most importantly, knows our hearts much better than we ever will. :)

"Happy (insert holiday of your choice)!"

I thoroughly enjoy my part-time job. I work at a Hallmark store at a local mall. My co-workers are fun, I get to help people pick out gifts and cards, and I get a discount. Not bad. I also enjoy chatting it up with customers. We have a bunch of "regulars" that come in and like to talk.

We also get some weirdos. I love weird people. I love to watch them and to ponder on what it is that makes them so peculiar. But there are two kinds of weird.

There are the harmless weirdos. This would be the 70 year old woman that comes in and tells me about the stuffed animal she bought, named Chloe, and sleeps with every night and then goes on to explain that she enjoys watching tv with her numerous cats. This is also "weird whistling man" who comes in every Saturday at the same time and just walks around the store whistling the same tune. Harmless weirdos are great. They are fun and make life much more interesting.

Then there are WEIRDO'S. I use all caps because I really don't have one word to categorize them. This type of weirdo is the one who comes in during holidays and likes to wish everyone a "Happy _______" in a tone that insinuates that if someone does not celebrate this 'said holiday', they are a complete and utter moron. The sad part is, this sort of weirdo is usually a Christian.

Yikes.

I am a Christian. I believe in God. I think J.C. is the man. All of that. It's not good that these people are freaking ME out....what would someone that doesn't believe in God think? Let me help you...they would think, "This person is a judgemental, close-minded WEIRDO."

Joyce Meyer talks about this a little in one of her devotionals. She addresses the fact that a lot of us (Christians) like to have our fish sticker thingies and what not to make sure people can identify us as a believer...but do we then go out and make sure we are 'acting' like Jesus would? And when I say acting like Jesus, I mean are we loving people without judgement or reservation? We should be identifed that way.

Maybe we should keep our 'Happy Blah Blah Blah's' to ourselves and stop freakin' people out. :)

Student Teaching = No Time For Blogging

Welllllllllllllllll it's been a long time! You might be wondering (or you might not, that's okay too) why have I not blogged for such a very long time? Two words...

student teaching.

I am student teaching in Upper Darby (close to Philly) for a class of kindergartners. It's been quite an experience, probably one of the most trying experiences I have ever had (I now understand why Arnold had such a tough time).

You may be chuckling and thinking to yourself, "Mandy these kids are what, 5 years old? How hard is it to teach them about their shapes and colors???? Seriously??"

Okay, seriously, I'll be honest...the curriculum is not hard. Yes I am teaching them their shapes, colors, how to read, and the like. What is hard is loving these kids day in and day out even when they don't listen to a darn thing I say (which happens more often than I'd like). I mean really why, oh why did I sign up to teach in the first place? Well I am good with kids, I think they are great, and I thought I might as well make money doing what I'm good at. But when you wake up at 6 every morning and get ready to go to a job where you have twenty 5 and 6 year olds in a room for 6 hours you need a little more motivation than a salary.

So this student teaching experience has taught me a lot. It is also supposed to help me decide if teaching is really for me.

I'm still not sure. . .

Does that worry me?

Yes.

So I still don't know what I am going to do with the rest of my life?

Nope.

Even after all these years of college?

Yep.

Do I know that if I continue to listen for God's guidance that He will provide me with a job that will include my passions and my talents?

Yes.

It's all down to the when and where. Right now, I'm pretty sure He just wants me to graduate and get THE HECK out of college. Then, I'm planned up until about oohhhhh...August. After that....????? Your guess is as good as mine.

Anyway...I'm back...going to try to blog more (it may not really pick up until May 2nd, GRADUATION!)...and am waiting on God to show me what's next :)

My Brothers

I feel the need to give my "brothers" a shout out.  What I mean when I say "brothers" are some awesome guy friends that I have been blessed with.  These guys have been great to get to know over the past few years and I just feel so lucky to be able to call them friends!!

Now ladies....we all know that not many things can top a girl's night...I'm not trying to argue that!  But there is just something also very special about hanging out with some of your guy friends as well.

Tonight I went out to a little social gathering, party, what have you with a big group of friends from my church.  We had an awesome time playing games and just laughing with each other!

On our drive home, I was actually "stuck" with 4 of my guy friends.  By the time the ride was over, my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.  It's so cool to feel as though I can just be myself around these guys.  

Why do I feel that way?

Because I know they respect me, and in turn I respect them.  I know that they would be there for me if I needed them to.  I also know that they care about me as their sister.  Those things mean a lot to me.  It makes me feel safe, cared for, and valued.  

I understand that there are boundaries that need to be put in place in any guy/girl friendship, and I enjoy those healthy relationships.  I see Jesus in the guys I hang out with.

So brothers, whether you be my "little brothers" or my "older brothers"...just know...you are AWESOME!

My little friend Ashee

2 year olds love Photobooth :) (not to say I didn't have my fair share of fun!)

Dream Big

 I have had some far-out big dreams for my life since I became a Christian.

Why?

Because for the first time I felt as though I could dream big.  Because I came to understand that if I was doing something for God, he could give me whatever I needed to get there.

Some of them include...

-working at an orphanage in Morocco

-dropping everything to do missionary work wherever God calls me

-working in Children's Ministry

-working in Youth Ministry

-working in Adult Ministry

-teaching elementary school

-joining the Peace Corps

Some of them can be eliminated from the list because of having experiences in that area and just realizing it wasn't for me...and others I think I have mentally erased because I felt like I was dreaming too big....

Am I?!?

It's so easy to get comfortable where you are in life.  Being a college student, I go to class, do my homework, hang out with friends, lead a small group, go to cru, etc etc.  and all the while I am realizing that it has been MONTHS since I have REALLY challenged myself.

Being a senior in college is exciting/difficult/nerve wracking.  I am excited to move onto the next chapter of my life buuuuut....what if you don't know what's going to be in that chapter?  Like not even the TITLE of the chapter?  It freaks me out.

All I know is, I need to begin to challenge myself again.  I need to feel uncomfortable.  I need to start taking leaps of faith.  

Why?

Because God can do great things through me.  He can do great things through you.  Heck, look at what he did with Paul.  This guy was a murder/persecutor of Christians.  He had complete hatred for them.  Then God turns his life upside down and he finds himself preaching to these people, encouraging their faith, and bringing people to Jesus.  Or my man Moses.  Moses apparently did not have any skills in the public speaking arena.  He was a simple guy, with a simple job, and a simple life.  Then all of a sudden God asks him to lead this huge group of people out of captivity and to PART THE RED SEA.  I bet he never imagined that God would use him to such a great capacity.   

What do they both have in common?  They both stepped out in faith AND they both must have been scared to do so.

The way God got Paul's attention was to make him temporarily BLIND.  Scary.  Also, God called Paul to speak to both Jews and Gentiles.   Hmm that's a bit scary considering the fact that the guy had just converted from Judaism to Christianity annnnd he had been killing the Gentiles.  I'm sure he thought that maybe both of these groups were a LITTLE annoyed with him.

And as I said about Moses.  He was a simple guy.  It says when he was having a conversation with God that he kept trying to tell God that he was not a very eloquent speaker, so imagine his surprise when God asks him to speak to the PHARAOH among other important people.

You never know what God is going to ask you to do.  

I think I stopped listening.  I stopped listening because usually when God asks me to do something, it involves that step of faith.  It involves me trusting that he isn't going to make me look stupid or that my efforts will not amount to anything.  

So I've posted a few verses on my wall.  One of them being....

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

What is your BIG dream?  What are you passionate about?  Don't let fear get in the way of pursuing it.

I am reading a book, "Who Calls Me Beautiful?  Finding Our True Image in the Mirror of God" and I had to share this part with you...

Finally, we must hear what God has to say about us.

Before the beginning of time, I knew you.  I knew what color your eyes would be, and I could hear the sound of your laughter.  Like a proud father who carries a picture of his daughter, I carried the image of you in My eyes, for you were created in My image. Before the beginning of time, I chose you.  I spoke your name into the heavens, and I smiled as its melody resounded off the walls of My heart.

You are Mine.  My love for you extends farther than the stars in the sky and deeper than any ocean.  You are My pearl of great price, the one for whom I gave everything.  I cradle you in the palm of My hand.  I love you even in the face of your failure.  Nothing you say or do can cause Me to stop loving you.  I am relentless in My pursuit of you.  Run from Me--I will love you.  Spurn Me--I will love you.  Reject yourself--I will love you.  You see, My love for you was slain before the foundations of the world and I have never regretted the sacrifice I made for you at Calvary.

When I see every part of who you are, I marvel at the work of My hands, for I whispered words of longing and desire and you came into existence.  You are beautiful, and I take pleasure in you--heart, mind, and body.  You are My desire.  When you turn your head in shame and despise at what I have made, still I reach for you with gentle passion.  You are My beloved and I am yours. 

(Author's adaptation from 1 John 3:2; Isaiah 43:1; Matthew 13:46; Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8; Psalm 194:4; Song of Solomon 7:10; 6:3)

Worship

I had an awesome time at Providence (a church in West Chester) tonight. I had never been, and didn't know what to expect, but when I got there the place was packed! We started with worship, an awesome sermon, and then finished it up with worship. One of my favorite things to do is be in a room where people are singing to God and to just be still and quiet and listen to it all. Hearing other people lift their voices as a way to show love to God is such a beautiful thing to me.

They played one of my faaaaavorite hymns "Come Thou Fount." I am normally not a hymn girl (except for a few), but this song is just so beautiful and powerful to me! Here is my favorite part of the song...

Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

You can listen to David Crowder Band sing it on this video on youtube

...are any of those words true for you?

Important Question: Answered

Coming back from grabbing a delicious dinner from "South Side" (south campus cafe) I noticed two things:

1. It was extremely cold

2. My nose was running (gross, I know)

So then I got to thinking....why is it that when it's cold outside does your nose seem to run excessively?

Well, for those of you out there dying to know the answer, I was able to find it on kidshealth.org (I figured I would get a pretty simple and straightforward answer on a website for kids)

Here's what they said...

Baby, it's cold outside- When you're outside on a cold day, your nose tries its best to warm up the cold air you breathe before sending it to the lungs.  Tiny blood vessels inside your nostrils open wider (dilate), helping to warm up that air.  But that extra blood flow leads to more mucus production.  You know what happens next. Drip, drip, drip.

I hope that you can now sleep well, knowing you have the answer to one of life's more important questions. :)

Seriously God, Where Are You?

Although I may be an introvert, I love hanging out with people.  Yes, I do need my alone time or the 'tude starts to come out, but for the most part being with friends and family is something that lifts me up.

Let's bring God into this.  Yes, from my blog it's pretty clear that I am a Christian and believe in God.  Great.  Wonderful.  Along with that comes many perks...one being that I get to spend my afterlife (eternity-ish) being joyful beyond my wildest dreams.

So when I get to heaven I'll get to meet God.  Hang out with him.  

But what about now?  Yes everyone tells me I need to...

"Talk to Him"

"Tell Him everything"

"Spend time with Him"

And this can happen by doing the following...

praying

reading the Bible

singing worship songs

serving other people

etc.

I get it.  I understand what I need to do to hang out with God.  But you can't tell me that it is not REALLY difficult to chill with someone you can't see, can't audibly hear (unless you are Moses), or can't even hug.  

It's got to be possible to "hang out" with God.  Two years ago, closer to when I first became a Christian, I had no problem with this.  I could literally spend an hour or two reading and praying and felt as though I had really spent time with God, that He was completely present.

Maybe it's that whole feelings piece.  No I can't feel God, but that doesn't mean He isn't there.  He's always there.  He's everywhere.  I do believe that, but when I am hurting or need comfort and I know it can only come from God...it would be great just to get a hug from Him.  

I'd like to bring this blog to a close with a nice "lesson learned" paragraph or a scripture that made it all better for me...but I can't.  I really do not have an answer to my struggle.  I am trusting that if I continue to bring this issue to God, he will eventually help me to understand.  I am thankful for the fact that God wants me to be open and honest about stuff like this.  

All I know is...once I start to resolve this issue with God, there is always going to be another question or doubt that I am struggling with...and that's okay.  I think it's even okay that I may be a bit angry with Him because I just want Him to be PHYSICALLY present.  

I am glad that God is real and wants me to be genuine with Him in our relationship.  

Hmmm....that makes me want to give Him a high five.  Darn it.

C'mon Get Happy

Like any other normal human being, I experience many highs and lows when it comes to emotions. A lot of the time, these high and lows are based on external situations such hitting a deer with my car while driving on 422 (causing anger and annoyance) or being able to spend time with family and friends (causing happiness!). I sometimes forget that there is much more to life than trying to set up or control my external world to make sure that situations foster positive emotions. I try to control my life so much, making sure that nothing negative happens, that I get really frustrated when things don't go my way.

This morning I read an article on the Boundless website...http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0000980.cfm

It talks about how happiness can't be related to external events because no matter how hard you try, bad things are going to happen. And most of the time they are completely out of your control.

What are we to do then? If we can be 100% sure that at least one bad thing will happen to us during our lifetime, what is it that will keep us joyful during those situations? What if our dreams of being successful in a certain area aren't accomplished? What if we lose someone we love or what if we ourselves become sick? What if we never find that person to spend the rest of our lives with? If we continue to try to base our happiness on external situations, what happens when those situations arise that are out of our control?

Being a Christian, I am supposed to find my joy in a completely different place. My joy is supposed to be found in something that will never be affected by external situations. My joy should be eternal because of the fact that I am loved by God.

Easier said than done.

It's hard because I find myself focusing on the things I DON'T have instead of the one thing I DO have and will ALWAYS have and that is my relationship with God and his promises to me, like...

1. I will spend eternity with Him in Heaven

2. He will never ever give me more than I can handle

3. I can become more and more like Him each day (a.k.a - experiencing peace despite difficult situations)

I think that the ultimate goal here is to focus on what I do have instead of what I don't have. To be grateful for every breath I take. To realize that because I chose to believe in what Jesus did for humanity that I am now both privileged and responsible to be used by God to affect eternity in other people's lives.

Yep, big sentence there. CHOSEN by GOD to affect ETERNITY .

Last night I spent some time with God and was able to remember how much I let what I see and hear in this world affect me. Because God isn't someone I can physically see or be with it's sometimes hard to keep my focus on Him. When I lose that focus I let things like hitting that flippin' deer on 422 or being let down by someone I care about, make me depressed and extremely anxious.

God is so much bigger than I can imagine....but having regular reminders of the fact that I am being cared for and watched over by the creator of the world helps me to put the things that get me down, or even devastate me, in perspective.

Side note: I realize I referred to the victim of my minor accident as a "flippin' deer"...possibly causing some of you to think that I do not feel remorse for impailing (maybe even killing...yikes) the poor thing. While I do feel some anger toward the deer for messing up my car, I do feel bad for the little guy/girl (didn't really get a good look at it). Just wanted to make this fact known. ;)

Some Rest...

Do you need some rest?  A sigh of relief?  Do you feel as though you are constantly trying to live up to extravagant expectations?

Yes, it is wonderful to have goals.  God wants us to grow and aspire to be more like Him.  

BUT...

When is it too much?

Read this excerpt from Captivating by Jon and Stasi Eldridge:

The wounds we received as young girls did not come alone.  They brought messages with them, messages that struck at the core of our hearts...

Debbie's father had an affair.  What made it confusing was that in many ways, he was a good man.  The message that settled in her heart as a teenage girl was, You'd better do more than she did or you won't keep your man.  After this came a young man who pursued Debbie, and then left for no apparent reason.  We've known this beautiful young woman for several years now, and one thing has puzzled us-- why is she always working on her life?  Why is she always trying to "improve" herself?  Debbie is always looking for something to work on.  Prayer, exercise, financial responsibility, a new hair color, more discipline.  Why is she trying so hard?  Doesn't she know how amazing she is?  What makes her search so frustrating is that she doesn't know what is wrong with her.  She simply fears that somehow she is not enough.

Sound familiar?

Take a deep breath, relax, and take a few minutes (or hours if you want to! this is important stuff) to soak in the facts.....

1. God loves you more than anything in this world, yes you.  He sacrificed the most precious thing He had just for you

2. He loves you right now, AS IS, exactly the way you are

3. You were made in the image of Him, you are unique and beautiful and deserving of love

...and...

You Are Enough.