I am going to go ahead and apologize for anything that doesn’t make sense, is unreadable or misspelled in this note. It’s pretty late, I’m up with a sinus headache and tons of random thoughts going on in my head. But, I truly believe the Lord has laid some burdens on my heart for a reason and I’m pretty sure He wants me to share. Although, I can’t be certain if it’s He that wants me to share, or just myself. I’m trusting that it’s Him.

If you know anything about me (and you must know a little bit if you are reading this note since we are “Facebook friends”) then you know that I am totally and unashamedly a follower of Christ. I hope that I haven’t hidden that well. I have put my entire mustard seed of faith in the authority of Scripture. I believe that what the Bible says is Truth. In that, I guess you could say, I have no doubt.

Ironically, I only begin to notice doubt creep in – when I struggle to share my faith.

I know that makes me sound like I’m completely contradicting myself. But, if I’m being honest… sharing Jesus is easy, if I’m inside a church or talking with someone who understands the words “salvation, grace, redemption, repentance, atonement, and everlasting life.” But, it’s not so easy when they don’t.

I never want the message of Christ to become so redundant to the point where I don’t even believe myself when I speak it! And unfortunately, I’ve felt that way at times. So, I’m determined to change this pattern of speaking and teaching and sharing Christ with others. I want to lead them to Truth – not with flattering speech, but with an authentically, changed life that could have only taken place through the power of something greater.

And just like John the Baptist in Matthew 11:3, when my faith and doubt collide, I’ll be holding on to the words of Jesus to remind me…

“The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.”

…it’s always been about changed lives, anyway.

Thanks to my lovely sister, Courtney, I have a new favorite song. I just love the melody, lyrics and most of all the singer is amazing! Beautiful vocals by JJ Heller. It’s the type of song that gives you a feeling of peace all over when you listen to it. Beautiful. Take a listen to “Your Hands” below.

p.s. that’s her husband on the guitar. how cute is that?

I just found the neatest thing! I came across it while reading one of my favorite blogs. It’s a cool program by Flickr that allows you to choose as many colors that you would like, and then it finds a bunch of random, interesting pictures that match that color scheme! How cool is this?

I have been searching for paintings/photos of a certain color scheme to go on a bare wall in my kitchen/dining room for months now. I think this tool may come in handy in finding some neat photographs to frame! Try it for yourself.

So, all of our friends decided to get married this summer.

Ok, well, not ALL of them… but a lot. Of course we do have a lot of friends that got married last summer and the summer before that (which was when we got married!), but this month there is a wedding every weekend. And Josh or I are in 3/4 of them. And then there’s all the weddings that we can’t attend, because they take place on the same day as the ones we are in.

Whew. Oh love… it’s such an exciting thing. This photo was from one of the recent Bachelor parties Josh went to. They made him this shirt and he had to wear it all over Panama City Beach. Bahaha.

I read an article by the writers from Stuff Christians Like in the newest edition of Relevant Magazine and saw this little excerpt… I thought it was great.

It’s a satire, just in case anyone gets confused.

You know what I don’t like about fundamentalist Christians? They’re so judgmental. I really don’t like when people do that. Don’t they know we’re supposed to be about love and not judgment? Jesus called us to love Him with all our heart and all our mind and all our soul. And to love others! Don’t they get that? It’s about love!
I’m just so sick of their negative attitudes.
They hate dancing, too. Did you know that? I’m not making that up or perpetuating a stereotype. They all hate dancing. They even made a documentary about it one time starring John Lithgow and Hollywood’s Kevin Bacon. Gripping stuff really, but I doubt any fundamentalists saw it because they hate popular culture. Ugh, I can barely stand how judgmental they are.
You know they don’t drink alcohol, right? Oh no, don’t ever offer them a glass of wine or a pint of beer. They’ll throw that right back in your face. That’s kind of a litmus test I use to determine whether you’re a fundamentalist or not. If I suggest we have a glass of red wine and you refuse, then I know. I know exactly what you’re all about and I can read the depths of your spiritual walk by that simple refusal. You’re a fundamentalist and you’re judgmental.
Sure, I don’t know many fundamentalists personally, because I can’t stand being around people who are judgmental, but I caught a few seconds of a church service on television once. I think it was a church in Texas. Most fundamentalists either live in Texas or are planning to move to Texas at some point in their lives. But even though I haven’t been to a fundamentalist church in, I don’t know, ever, you don’t need to go to one to know what they’re all about. Fire, brimstone and, above all, being judgmental.
Don’t you just hate how judgmental fundamentalists are?
I wish they were more open-minded.

There’s a lot going on.
And I’m not just talking about my personal life. I mean, in general.
Look around.
School, work, sports, papers, children, deadlines, entertainment, appointments…
It’s hectic.
And if we’re not careful, we may miss out on the only thing that really matters.

It doesn’t earn us a degree.
It doesn’t earn us a paycheck.
It might not provide us the entertainment that we’ve become accustomed to.
But it saves our lives…

A divine romance with the God of this universe.
Let Him completely satisfy you today.

Divine Romance – Phil Wickham
The fullness of Your grace is here with me.
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see.
The brightness of Your glory has arrived.
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied.

For You, I sing I dance.
Rejoice in this divine romance.
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love.

A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room.
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied.

The time has finally come! My “New Day” EP is now available for digital download on iTunes and Amazon. You can still order a hard copy off this website, under the store tab, and it will be shipped to you! Thanks to those who pre-ordered the album. You will be getting your signed copy in the mail, early next week! I am so excited for all of you to hear the music. I hope that I was able to share a little part of me with you. These songs were written during times of difficulty and times of joy. More importantly, my relationship with my Savior and the Creator of this universe… is always the center of every message, in every song I write and sing. I’m just a pen in His hands. I pray that comes across in the music and lyrics. God bless you all!

Thanks to Michael Spooner @ Red Couch Productions for Engineering/Producing this album.

We took the students to Panama City Beach, FL for the weekend. It was a wonderful time of spiritual growth and encouragement. I especially enjoyed the prayer time on the beach Saturday morning. Creation points us toward our Creator. So beautiful and serene.

Hey friends!

The EP is finally finished and ready for pre-order! It will be available for sale digitally and in hard copy on April 15, 2010.  I am really excited about the songs and ready for you all to hear them! There will be 7-tracks, including:

1. Beauty
2. Captivate Me
3. New Day
4. I Need You
5. Everything
6. Little One
7. Right Beside You

Please feel free to pre-order your copy by clicking the “Store” tab at the top of the page! Shipping is included in the sale price. Also, take a listen to “Right Beside You” here.

So, in honor of the new season of American Idol (and quite possibly, the last) I thought I would list my favorite performances from all eight seasons.

This was hard. I’ve enjoyed a lot of contestants over the years. American Idol is a great show and I look forward to moments that will go down in history. When it comes to my Top 10, each of these performances has changed the way I hear the song. I don’t hear the original anymore, I hear these versions in my head instead.

My personal Top 10 favorite American Idol performances:

*Honorable mentions: David Cook – Billy Jean and Matt Giraud – Who’s Lovin You

10.Ruben Studdard – Superstar

9. Kathrine McPhee – Somewhere Over the Rainbow

8. Jason Castro – Hallelujah

7. Bo Bice – Whipping Post

6. Carrie Underwood – Alone

5. Jordin Sparks – I Who Have Nothing

4. Chris Daughtry – I Walk the Line

3. Tamyra Gray – A House is Not a Home

2. Kelly Clarkson – Natural Woman

1. Fantasia Barrino – Summertime

Any performances missing from the list above that are your favorites? Feel free to comment below.