Truth and Love

Krista...
One of my previous posts is about friendship....and how the Lord brings certain women into your life at opportune times.
Krista has been that friend for me as of late...She challenges me and pushes me to be my authentic self, to be real, to be the true me all of the time....not just when its easy and comfortable.

The really interesting thing is that she doesn't even know that she is pushing or challenging me. She speaks what is on her heart, she tells it how it is. She speaks the truth, but surrounds it with love. Lots of women (myself included) shy away from these friends because we are fearful of what will come out of their mouths...afraid of being hurt or a lot of times we fear hearing the truth about ourselves, so we put distance between us and them....Leaving us unchanged and unchallenged.

Ephesians 4:14;(The Message) God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.

The Lord has been placing on my heart, the need...the calling, to be truthful in love..To be bold and speak the truth in Love, even when it hurts or makes me uncomfortable.
Here are some of the things that I am learning about truth and love!

Speaking the truth in love is NOT watering down the truth
Speaking the truth in love necessitates the use of both positive and negative
Speaking the truth in love must be plain to understand
Jesus is the ultimate example of speaking the truth in love!!

So I leave you tonight with this thought:
Are you being the "true you"...the you that speaks the truth in love, the you that the Lord designed with His own hands, the you that is unique, the you that is vulnerable, the you that doesn't water down the truth, the you that you are called to be...
Will you take the challenge with me tomorrow?
Will you make it a priority to speak the truth in love for a day?
Lets change and be challenged........ one day at a time!

Psalm 9:9-10

Psalm 9:9-10 (The Message)
God is a safe-house for the battered,
a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
You're never sorry you knocked

Let the Lord keep you safe today...Sit in His sanctuary and relax!

Seasoned vs. Reason...

I am very fortunate to have many different women in my life. Women from all different walks and stages of life!
What a fool I would be to NOT gain wisdom from some & help guide others. I believe the Lord has placed certain women in our lives for a "season" and some women in our lives for a "reason"!


My "seasoned" friends are the ones I can share with, the ones that stick with me through EVERY season of my life. They have walked the road before me, they have failed, tried again and grown and are now extending their hand to support me in my journey!
These are the women with whom a WE can share our brokenness, our hurt and our battles. These women are encouraging, great listeners, vulnerable, strong, and vital to my growth as a Christian woman.
These women are all ages!!! <em>These women point you to the one that heals, the great comforter and the ultimate friend

The "reason" friend is the friend that shares WITH me! They be-friend with a purpose!! A goal in mind....a specific situation brings these friends into your life. These women are intentional in their relationships, intentional in their speech.
These women share THEIR brokenness, their valleys and their successes with you. These women have something to share with you, something to help grow you, something that they know you need to hear!
These women are great listeners of the Lord, they listen closely to their father and share accordingly. These women are fearless!! These women challenge you but at the same time help motivate you! These women are vital to your growth as a Christian woman! These women point you to the one that heals, the great comforter and the ultimate friend!

I want to challenge you to think about what kind of friend you are....
Are you rising to the occasion when the Lords pulls at your heart? Are you being open and honest with your friendships?
What encouragement do you have to offer a friend, what trials have you been through that you can share that wisdom with a friend, how can you support your friend in her journey, how can you pray for your sister, and how can you point women to the One that heals, the Great Comforter, the Ultimate friend....

We are all called to be both a "seasoned" and a "reason" friend! Both types of friends are VITAL to our growth as Christian women!
What kind of friend will you be this week? This day? This year??
My prayer is that as you are reading this that the Lord has placed someone on your heart! I encourage you to reach out and be that friend!!

Things I DIDN'T care about UNTIL I turned 30!!

* The JOY of having a custom fit bra
* The right to preview/delete any or all pictures taken of me
* Hiding the pores on my face (Thank God for mineral makeup)
* The importance of 8 hours sleep
* The VERY LOUD ticking of my biological clock
* Wearing 2 inch heels all day
* Eating dinner before 7pm
* Going out in public without makeup
* The advantages of under eye cream
* Comfort being a factor when selecting an outfit
* Quality over Quantity, when it comes to friends
* Building my 401K
* Saying "I love you" EVERYDAY to those around me
* How close the hospital is to my home


I know some of you out there are going to point out that I passed 30, 6 years ago....Well YES i did (thank you) BUT I'm realizing how different my thinking is now than before that milestone!!

Sunday go to meeting clothes!!

Once a year my church has a "Back to Church Sunday"!
It's a time where the men wear suits and the ladies wear dresses and hats:)
It's a time where we just loosen up and dress up! Always a fun day. We even breakout all the "old" songs, you know the ones from the 80's, hahaha!

I LOVE my church and the family that I have there! We have been truly blessed with so many GREAT friends and relationships!
When we first came to Light and Life Downey, we were hurt, broken and in need of acceptance and love. What we found when we got there were people willing to mend us and help put us back together. People that would accept us regardless of our pasts, present or how we looked. What we found was Jesus with skin on!

I just have to take a moment to thank all of my family at LLCF Downey!!
I can see the Lords hand a year ago. He was leading us into relationships that would help support us both as we went into this hard year. Friends that would hold me while I cried over the death of my sweet dog, friends that would listen to me as I shared the news of my moms cancer tests, and friends that would laugh with me and friends that would ALWAYS turn my eyes back to Jesus!

Since we have been at LLCF Downey, we have been involved in Youth ministry, Women's ministry (which is a seperate blog all together) and Trav has done most of the Photography for the church! (that is why he isn't in any of the pics)
We felt so blessed that we just had to give back to the people and serve at the church!
As we grow new friendships and help heal, mend and love on other broken people.... We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all our church family!
Gods love grows out of each one of you, and extends to all around you. We are truly blessed to be a part of LLCF Downey!

A new "normal"

Wow! It has been WAY too long....
So much has happened this year, so much has changed...I just couldn't find the words to describe the pain that I was feeling or I'm not sure that I wanted to invite the world into MY journey these past 7 months.
BUT, I know that if I share my experiences, that somewhere out there, my life may help, reach, teach, heal, or help others that are going thru the same thing.

Changes:I fear change to some degree, I LOVE to change my hair, my furniture or even my style of dressing....One thing that I assumed would always stay the same was MY FAMILY.
My family adopted a new "normal" in May of this year. My mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. She has gone thru surgery, and is now is Chemo.....


I have seen my mom go thru so many different emotions and feelings. I have seen her be STRONG, I have seen her WEAK, I have seen her CRY, and I have seen her LAUGH!!!
My mom is an AMAZING woman!! Not only is she an INCREDIBLE woman, she is a woman of the LORD!!!!!
Thru all the ups and downs of her new "normal", the one thing that is consistent, is her faith in the Lord!!! She has NEVER wavered from that! She knows that she is in the Lords hands, she knows that HE is in control!! She knows that she is a testament of His love for her and His faithfulness:)

So, mom.....thank you so much for the example that you have been to me. Thank you for the early morning encouragement that you send me! Thank you for being honest with me, thank you for pointing me to Jesus when I felt hopeless, thank you for being the strong woman that you are, thank you for praying for me.........Most of all I thank you for letting the Lord heal your body and your spirit, thank you for letting me watch you grow deeper with the Lord as your body grows weaker, thank you for sharing yourself with me in new ways, and thank you for always letting me ask questions....
I am truly blessed to call you my mom!!!
I have seen a new strength in you mom...I know that it is not you, but it is the Lord!!!!

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Christmas "Kick off"

This weekend kicked off our "Christmas season".
First we had our annual Decorating Party at my mom and dads house:)



Every year, we decorate to my favorite Christmas Album... Amy Grant!!!!!!,
Dad and Christian pick out the tree.
Alicia and I bake something yummy:)!!!


Trav and I plan the games and we top it all off
with a White Elephant gift exchange and a little game of Farkle!!

Then on Saturday it was off to my work Christmas Party!!


My boss always cooks these AMAZING dinners for us! This year it was short ribs, green beans with hazelnuts, homemade lemon meringue pie, and a chocolate torte!
Food was wonderful, as usual, and its always fun to hang out outside of the office:)


My co-workers have become my "extended family" after 12 years of working together, that's only natural!!



This was a very busy weekend! But an amazing one for sure! I was able to take my mind off of "things" and just relax and celebrate with those that I love so much!
Oh yeah...plus I colored my hair!!!