So, how do you like the new look?

I got a little carried away last night and redesigned the website! ... again. I don't know what it is about me, but I can only stand my blog design for a few months before I feel the need to change it! I guess you could call it "blog-identity-crisis." :)

Honestly, I've had "blog-identity-crisis" (or BIC as I'm now going to refer to it) for awhile now. I go back and forth on how I want to represent myself on this little space on the web. I'm not consistent enough for it to be solely a blog and I'm not traveling & singing enough for it to be solely a website to market my music. So therefore, I have combined the two worlds into one for the past couple years... which creates BIC.

So after finally finding the time to do it, I sorted through my vision for this site.

1. A blog for friends to stay updated on our little happenings.

2. A place to build community with online friends who support my music/ministry.

3. A place to distribute/sell my music.

4. A resource for others to find chords & lyrics of my original songs.

5.  A place for people to contact me for booking.

At the top of my list is community and sharing life with others. I wanted to organize my site so that it featured those 5 things that are most important to me in the order of priority. I think I was finally able do that!

So take a look around, click on a link above to navigate through my vision for this site or preview some of the changes (screen capped below).

:: new site preview ::

:: chords & lyrics tab added (top right) ::

 :: link to download my "New Day" EP on iTunes ::

Thanks for checking it out! And let me know what you think in the comments section below (that hasn't changed!) :)

It can be hard to live in today's culture as a Christian woman, especially in America. When I read the Bible and seek God on how to be a more godly wife, sister and mother (one day), it seems that we are practicing the exact opposite of what is encouraged. 

Don't be concerned about the fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:5-6

Which leads me to say...

I have an issue with Pinterest.

Yes, the site that just a few months ago I blogged about being maybe the first "all female, social network." And for the most part, it's absolutely true. It is a great resource, don't get me wrong, but many women are becoming more and more addicted to it every day (I know, I get email notifications blowing up my phone with new followers). Spending just a couple minutes (turned hours) on there myself, I can see why. It does have some neat crafts and creative ways to make things on a great budget. I have no problem with that. What I find disturbing is the overload of photos featuring models with fancy hair, expensive jewelry and beautiful clothes... exactly the type of thing that Scripture encourages women, like me, to not be concerned about. But this site goes past concern and actually encourages us to "pin" the things we want to emulate. I had fun with it for a couple days... until I started looking in my home, closet and mirror and feeling a tinge of unsatisfaction.

Source: thesmallthingsblog.com

Source: wholesaleclothing4u.com

Believe it or not, God does not desire for us, as women, to struggle with insecurity. But yet how many of us will admit to feeling this way? The Proverbs 31 woman is strong, energetic and busy working hard to take care of her home and family... that she has little time to worry about what other people think.

She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. Proverbs 31:17

  Believe it or not, God desires for us, as women, to be fun and spirited! Taking care of others, not worrying about how we look and that our hair is just right. We should be able to look forward to the future with laughter! Not be the worrisome creatures that society has seemed to make us out to be.  

She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens her arms to the needy. She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:20,25

  Believe it or not, our wonderful God does not desire for us women to be considered beautiful by the world's standards. It is not even close to His priority for us. His desire is that we are filled with a devotion, reverence and love for Him.  

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Proverbs 31:30

  Believe it or not... God wants us to be the loving, caring, nurturing, protecting, strong and spirited women that He had in mind when He created Eve. And yet, we are living our lives distracted by the things of this world and becoming cold, gossiping, insecure, judgmental, weak and needy women. No thanks to this society and... no thanks to Pinterest.  

There is a little "Follower's Fest" going on here today. If you are looking for some good blogs to follow, you definitely want to check these out! When I linked on, there were almost 600! So, I'm sure you can find a couple to interest you. :) I started blogging in 2007 during my sophomore year in college. I have always loved to write, and what better way to let my family and friends keep up with me than to share my ongoing thoughts and experiences through a blog? Oh, and maybe I met a cool, youth pastor guy named Josh who happened to be into the blogging thing as well (and I had to keep up!) You can check out my very first blog here (yes, it's still up!).  Soon after I married that bloggy, youth pastor, I needed a domain name change and decided that it would be a good time to switch to self-hosting on Wordpress so I could also have the freedom to share my music and sell CD's on here as well. That switch happened around January 2009 and I've been here ever since. :)

Blogging has had it's ups and downs. And I have had my dry seasons in writing. But, lately I've been encouraged to see the number of Christian women in the blogging community. They are very inspiring and have kept me going a lot of days. There are so many  people who need uplifting in this world, and just knowing you can reach a lot of people in writing a simple post is pretty amazing! I want to take a moment to highlight just a few of my favorite blogs to read when I get a chance to sit down. And of course, you can check out all of my links on my homepage as well!

In no particular order...

And of course, a few of my good friends in "real life"...

I hope you will stop by their blogs and show some love! Also, if you aren't blogging maybe they will inspire you to begin the journey into it. You may not think you have much to say... but trust me, once you have a platform to speak on you will be surprised at the thoughts that come out! And as many of you know from my Vulnerable post, I've learned that being real and honest is the best way to encourage others. :)