My 'Easter Dress'

He Is Risen!
It's a bit late to do an Easter post I know, but isn't that something to be excited about all year? =)

There's something else I get excited about, (though on a FAR smaller scale than the resurrection!) and that's.... *Drumroll please*
Clothes! [Shocker, eh?]

I was talking to Emily and telling her that I think all the fashion posts I see other bloggers doing are so cute, but I just don't like the idea of posting all kinds of pictures of myself! {not to mention I don't have all kinds of pictures of myself in the outfits I'd want to share}

Sooooo I came up with a compromise, Moodboards showing either what I wore or something very similar =)
So here's my Easter outfit:
The dress is from JC Penney, and it's the actual one I wore.
The Shoes are just an image I found on Google, (sorry for the poor quality) but they're almost identical to mine! Same with the bracelet and the shrug.

What do you think, good Easter outfit? =D



I was super excited about the dress because *gasp* it was long enough! Aaaand cute! Aaaaaaaaaaand half off!!! Oooh, and it came with a shiny belt, which kind of made my day.

I love shiny belts.

Sing To The Lord A Joyful Song

So, my friend Emily (who is leaving me to travel to another state for the whole summer. *sniff sniff*) recently did a blog post entitled "Barbossa Is Hungry." Pretty interesting huh? Turns out she found a list of questions, put her ipod on shuffle, and then used the songs that played in order to answer the questions. [This used to be really popular on facebook] She came up with some pretty funny answers, so I though I'd give it a try! Here's what I got.....

If someone asks "are you okay" you say?
Let Me In (Rigoletto)
What would best describe your personality?
Don't Forget (Laurie Beachell)
How would you best describe yourself?
Part Of Your World (Original Broadway Cast)
What do you like in a guy/girl?
Thou Wilt Keep Him In Perfect Peace (Mac Lynch/Tim Fisher) haha!
How do you feel today?
Gone With The Wind (Prague Philharmonic)
What is your life's purpose?
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross (Majesty Music)
What is your motto?
The Legend Spreads (James Horner)
What do your friends think of you?
Sorcery and Sudden Vengeance (Prince Caspian Soundtrack) Oh dear!
What do your parents think of you?
Count It All Joy (Mac and Beth Lynch) you'd have to ask them about that =/
What do you think of most often?
High Wire Stunts (John Williams)
 What do you think of your best friend?
How Shall They Hear? (The Herbster Trio)
What do you think of the person you like?
Lord I Need You (Northern Lights)
What is your life story?
Count Me (The Wilds)
What do you want to be when you grow up?
The Duel (Prince Caspian Soundtrack)
What do you think when you see the person you like?
Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus, K 618 (Robert Shaw) Everytime! haha
What will you do at your wedding?
Embraceable You (George Gershwin 101 Strings)  =/
What will they play at your funeral?
Amazing Love (The Wilds)
What is your hobby/interest?
I Am Thine O Lord (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What is your biggest fear?
The Turtle Lope (Thomas Newman)
What is your biggest secret?
The Bassingstoke Assembly (Adrian Johnston)
What do you want to do right now?
The King Of Love My Shepherd Is (Galkin Evangelistic Team)
What do you think of your friends?
When Love Came Down (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What is the worst thing that could happen?
Joy (The Wilds) Not really! lol
What is the one thing you regret?
 My Fathers Love (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)
What makes you laugh?
Pass Me Not O Gentle Savior (Galkin Evangelistic Team)
What makes you cry?
To The Pirates Cave! (Klaus Badelt)
Will you ever get married?
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (Jack Jezzro) Ironic....
What scares you the most?
Be An Example (The Wilds)
Does anyone like you?
Do You Love Me? (Original Broadway Cast) Ironic again!
If you could go back in time, what would you change?
With A Voice Of Singing (The Wilds)
What hurts right now?
The Secret Life Of Daydreams (Jean-Yves Thibaudet)
What would you want to say to the person who tagged you?
All Creatures of Our God and King (The Wilds)
What will you name this note?
Sing To The Lord A Joyful Song (Soundforth Singers and Orchestra)

It's All About The Cross.

I'm having a wonderful day!
A) There was free breakfast in the office;
B) I'm going to get a free Starbucks drink by bringing in a reusable cup;
C) I get off work at noon instead of five;
D) I'm going for lunch and shopping with my mom, just the two of us;

Simple equation:
A+B+C+D = Absolutely, positively, fabulously wonderful day! (And there are even more factors I'm not listing!)

I've been pretty excited about it all morning.

But then I got to thinking:
Today is Good Friday, when many people celebrate the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This may not be the actual day he died, but it is the day when much of the world takes time to remember and reflect on it.
I heard a message yesterday morning in which the preacher said that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, all points the message and power of the Cross. I got so excited! Christ died for me, shed His blood to atone for my sins, and rose on the third day to conquer death and give me eternal life!

But this morning when I was soooo excited:
It wasn't about the Cross.

I'm easily stirred to passion for the gospel when it's repeated to me or right in front of my face, but why am I not passionate about it all the time?

My 'wonderful exciting' days are few and far between.
Why?
I serve a Risen Savior, each and every day!!!
There is ALWAYS something to be excited about, the Cross! It should affect my life in every way. Every action, thought, and word. Every aspect of my life should be changed and transformed because of the cross. It should be my focus, my passion, the object of my devotion and gratitude. It should be everything!!!

Is my life all about the Cross?
Is yours?

The Only One That's True~

 So.... I used to really enjoy writing poetry. But I haven't done it in fooooreeeeveeeeer. So today I thought I'd try my hand at it once again. Here is my *quite* rusty attempt, it's something God has had on my heart for a while now!
The Only One That's True
My heart is afraid
To open to you,
For if you reject me
Then what will I do?
If you turn me away
Oh the heartache inside,
No, I think it's much better
To run and to hide.
It's happened before,
I've let someone in,
And they battered my heart
Left me broken within.
It takes so much courage
To not turn away,
And it seems so much safer
When I choose not to stay.
But what I don't realize
Is that you aren't the same
As the ones who've hurt me,
Who've left as they came.
You're different. You're holy.
And the love you have for me
Will always be constant,
So there's no need to flee.
The ones who have hurt me
Are nothing like you,
They're sinners and selfish:
O Lord, I am too!
Just as they've betrayed me
And broken my heart,
That's what I've done to you
Who loved me from the start!
Each time that I've sinned
Each time I ran away,
You lovingly forgave me
And pled with me to stay.
And though I've not been constant,
And strayed away from you,
You're still my hearts one safe place,
The only one that's true.

I'm Right, Right?

Alright my few faithful friendly readers, I need your help!
In a recent conversation with a friend, the issue came up of which gender was "easier to read." In other words, who is better at expressing or communicating how they think or feel? Guys, or girls? Is it fairly consistent across the board? Now I know that I am of course a girl, and so my opinion may be biased. But I honestly think that females are better at this communication thing! Girls are pretty easy to understand, even based on body language or facial expression alone. When a girl is happy or interested or excited, sh shows it on her face.
And when she is angry, sad, or upset about something, then that's usually pretty easy to see as well!
Guys, on the other hand, always look the same! Unless they are extremely happy or super upset about something, they generally sit back and look on the world with an overall look of contenment.
But if you can't tell just by looking at us, we still make it easy on you! All you have to do is ask! Girls love to tell people what we are thinking or feeling! Whereas guys? All they will give are vague answers that tend to tell you approximately... nothing. And while girls are just waiting for opportunites to express themselves, guys wouldn't dream of just coming out and saying what they think or feel! Inconceivable!

So, am I right on this issue? I know that it's a very general opinion, and it doesn't apply to every person or situation. But still. I'm right, right?

Well, if you agree with me, (or if you don't!) Tell me!!! I'd love to read your comments, but I'd especially love for you to vote in my poll! It's to the right ---> just under my blog description. So please, vote vote vote! And tell your friends to do so as well! The more votes I get, the better I will be able to see the general public opinion! I dearly hope a majority of you agree with me! =D

Praise God for Crutches!

Have any of you ever heard derogatory terms used for the Christian life such as:
"Oh, they are living in their safe little bubble!"?
or
"You are just using your religion as a crutch!"?

So often we rush to defend ourselves, talking about how those are the worlds perceptions but it isn't really true, and trying to save face in front of the lost.

But I've been doing some thinking.

Those things are true. So why are we so quick to deny them?

After all, I do live in a "safe bubble"! I am not completely isolated from the world, but I am safe and protected from harmful influences by my Lord, and I am separate from the world and all it's sin and heartache!

The point of my "bubble" isn't to keep me in, but to keep evil out! And it doesn't mean I can't communicate and be friendly with the outside world! In fact, I would love to invite anyone reading to join me in my bubble, it's a fabulous, peaceful place to be!

Jesus truly is my crutch. I wouldn't have it any other way. If anyone says that the reason I need religion is because I'm not strong enough to stand on my own two feet? They are absolutely right.

I am crippled because of my sin: we all are. The ONLY way that I can stand and live a full life is if I lean wholly on that 'crutch' that I've found in Jesus Christ!

With all the depression, suicide, emptiness, and heartache in this world, do people really still believe that we are fine on our own? That we don't need anything? I'm SO thankful that I've found a way to stand!!! And by the grace of God I will continue to stand, not choosing to grope around on the floor because of my own pride in refusing the ever necessary crutch.

How foolish would it be of me to try and walk on a broken leg unaided, making it worse and worse, when I had a crutch available to help me?

That's the foolishness of the world.

So I challenge you, when you are accused of your own weakness in accepting Christ, agree! We are weak. We do need help. We can't make it on our own! So let's stop fighting the worlds attacks, and instead point them to God, showing how different things are from His point of view.

Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.  I Corinthians 3:18, 19a

My Melancholy Blog Post

I've been a bit discouraged lately in blogger land. I'm not very good at this! I see blogs from fifteen and sixteen year old girls with 200 followers and fancy buttons and giveaways and events and I'm terribly jealous! I'm so thankful for you my dear readers, but I'm afraid you are very few in number! So, how do these girls do it? How do they create these lovely blogs, and then have so many people reading them? Any suggestions?