love

Love is a word that is flung around.

I LOVE carrot cake.
I LOVE my dog.
I LOVE sunflowers.
I LOVE my mom.

But all of these loves do not equate.

I am learning about love. Yes, about the love within human dynamics, but more importantly the unsurpassable love God has for humanity.

This love is a love that has no bounds.

In a world today where love is based merely off of feelings, this is a hard concept to twist our noggins around.

Love is always being patient, kind, gentle, and contentess is found merely in the presence of the other.

I love the way Phil Danyew puts it,
"I saw a Love, deeper than the Pacific,I saw a Love, burning brighter than a million stars,In a single line,You make alive"

I want my Jesus to flourish within me, so I may pollenate this love to the world.

Utterly Confuzzled

Confuzzled: To be confused and puzzled. Amanda's edition to Webster's Dictionary 2010.

This is the way I feel when I think of dove beauty products.

As an ex-hair straightener junkie, I've learned to embrace my natural curly locks, and rock them (if I say so myself.) I've become a part of the "all natural" movement, where little make-up is worn and natural beauty, as well as inner beautyis true beatuy.

I love the Dove Natural Beauty Campaign, don't get me wrong. I adore seeing all these little girls who are learning to learn their own frizzy hair, the gap in their teeth, and their freckles.

I adore the evolution video of how an "average" looking woman is transformed into a rockstar babe. SEE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U

But as I sit on the couch lavishing in little girls learning to dig their unique features, one of Dove's chocolate commericals come on. A sultry woman seductively posed in silk eating as "Your moment, your Dove' was narrated to me. Intasntly, the whole sensation I was enthralled by 15 seconds before is crashed. Crashed and burned. Crashed and burned to the ground.

Because the two messages clash as vividely as night to day. And it's devastating.

What's more devastating is when this happens with our actions. I'm an epic fail in this too.

For example, the Jews who loved God used to walk 5 miles around Samaria to avoid going through it. Their actions and sayings clashed.

Jesus sat with the Samaritan woman. We too, should commit to what we say and act it out.

Don't be like Dove.

Free Venti Experience circa 2008

A 2008 post from Myspace for the blogspot archive, because I'm a dork =) Enjoy.


Free Venti Experience

So tonight, I went to the local Starbucks and ordered a tall regular coffee. The barista guy said he had to brew a fresh pot, and told me i didn'thave to pay until it was brewed.

Five minutes went by. Then ten. I figured he had forgotten, and was fine with it. I really didn't need a black coffee at nine at night anyways.

Just as I was about to leave, the cash register worker came over to me and said "Oh, hey you still wanted you tall coffee right? "I said "Sure. No problem."

I go up to pay and grab my coffee, and he doesn't have me pay first off, but then he gives me a Venti size for the wait with an apology.

I wished him a happy Thanksgiving, and left.

Through this, God showed me this verse about my husband-to-be.
"But, as it is written,
";What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,what God has prepared for those who love him"-1 Corinthians 2:9.

That if I wait for my husband, I can order a tall for $2.10 but I get a free Venti.

=))

How good is our Lord?

To blog, or not to blog.

I am trying to fall into the routine of blogging more often. Not to make my blog another check off on my list, but rather attaining a personal accomplishment.

I was cleaning out my closet today and I began pulling out all the junk I didn't use anymore. Yup, junk. A lot of it was still super cute, and it still looked decent.

Why did I decide to throw it out? Because it absorbed to much space. I'm trying to break down into the fact that I'm still in a little room, and will have to part with mroe of my beloved stuff by next summer when college beckons. To be the Disney junkie I am, I'm getting down to the "bare necessities." Well not really, just kinda organizing, but it fit you know? ;)

I left a lot of clothes, but today I parted with a lot of the sentimental. Some sandals I got in Brazil, but never wore because they turned my feet burgandy. Some boots I scored at the thrift store and wore to my first high school dance (sadie hawkins.) etc.

Why? So I could become a more functional person.

Now to apply.

Does God ever pull "junk" -cute junk, but junk nevertheless- out of my heart? Does it always feel hunky-dory, or do I have to part with the sentimental and good memories?

But in the end, like I am now. I am left with a clean, organized closet with a lot more space for some more thrift store finds.
=)

A.mer.i.ca

Yes, I fully acknowledge the fact that this blog is a day late.


But then again, who's counting? ;)

America.

The one place you can be from and go anywhere else in the world and suddenly be a rockstar. No joke. If I want to talk to someone about Jesus, I can say I'm an American, and BOOM 96% of people flock to it like a bee to honey.

Why?

The other night I went to my local community's city fair. There was a group of old cronies playing 'Sweet Home Alabama' in shirts that looked like they'd been stitched by Besty Ross. I was walking around the park I went to my 6th grade graduation picnic was held, looking at families playing soccer, watching the Ferris Wheel going round and round as the cool Summer zephyr caressed my hair. The thought going through my head was...

'This is America.'

Well duh. I've only lived here my entire life.

But in all seriousness, when I really thought about the fact that I've had the blessing to travel. I've been to 4 continents, and have also driven from Maryland to California.

Even though I love some of the other countries I've been to, I always feel anticipation as I land in the foreign place. I don't know their laws. I have to go to an embassy to be treated by the laws I'm familiar with. I may (and usually do) have an accent.

This is not the same with America. Finding an American in a foreign country is like finding a brother. We can live thousands of miles away, yet we pledge to the same flag, we both know people in the service, we have the same history, we know Schoolhouse Rock. It's a beautiful thing.

I have the genetic make-up of Irish, German, English, and Mexican.

I do not have the DNA for an American.

No one does.

The beauty, the fascination, the obsession with America is choice.

The choice to
-serve in the military or be a pacifist.
-be Christian or an Atheist.
-live in desert or in the tundra.
-to be black or white (or like Michael Jackson-both.)
-etc.

I am not told what to wear, eat, drive, or think. Quite the juxtaposition. I am encouraged to think, to believe, to strive, to dream.

That is why I love my country.

Mercy

Remember the game in elementary school "mercy" where you'd squeeze another kids hand until both your knuckles were white, and then the loser would be the one who excalimed "mercy."

Unlike this cruel childhood game, I was jazzed to find more proof that my God doesn't torture us for mercy until we exclaim.

'Mercy triumphs over judgement.' -James 2:13

Mercy always wins over judgement. Now this is in the context for the person who has committed Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. I thought it was pretty rad because if you're like me.

Now, I know what you're thinking... I thought it too.

"Does that mean that I can sin and get away with it on the promise that God will forgive me later?"

Sorry Charlie, but the answer is a stark NO. Not only does that ideology cheapen God's grace, but Paul actually writes against it.

"Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a coverup for evil, but living as servants of God."

Bottom Line: We're still sinners, God will still forgive us, we don't abuse His forgiveness, and Mercy wins.

Toodles.