My weekend:

I was reading Psalm 63 on Friday and came across verse 3: "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." That verse really stopped me... better than LIFE?! Wow. And I stopped and talked to God about that...is your love really better than life, etc, and I thought back to the ways I have experienced Him and how He has blown me away in the way that He loves me and I love that it says BECAUSE your love is better than life... How we have to first acknowledge experiencing that love and we will THEN glorify Him with our lips. That is just so true!

Anyhow, after pondering that and now having warm fuzzies in realizing the full on truth that His love REALLY IS better than like, my husband came home and fully confirmed what God and I had just been talking about. I am BLOWN away by the way that God loves me through my husband! Wooooooo do I LOVE my hubs being a great man, submitted to God :O)

My Friday night:

Ryan came home with sooooooooo BEAUTIFUL roses and then sent me into the living room to completely relax while he made an incredible dinner! Man alive, Lord, your love IS better than life!!!

On Saturday we tackled the massive home makeover (specifically all doors, trim and kitchen). MAD PROPS AND THANKS to Danyelle, Anne, Michelle, Heidi and Christy.... and of course my hubby shubba lubby (sorry everyone ;) ).... This is where we are now... more pics to come!

If in the next few weeks you have a hankering to do some painting, just give me a call :O)

So glad you came :O)

A friend was sharing how she feels like she's lost the desire to be with God, to come to Him and is kind of scared about the lack of desire, and the lack of a repentant heart. She doesn't want to feel this way, but just does and doesn't know what to do about it. I can TOTALLY relate to that and told her that that is exactly where I've been recently and how I didn't really become repentant until I got in the Word and asked God to open my eyes to His words and anything He's trying to teach me.

I know it's different for everyone in every season/circumstance, but I would say that if you're feeling like you SHOULD have a repentant heart, ask Him for one and if you even should feel repentant. Could be that it isn't repentance that is 'needed,' but a renewed longing for Him. He'll tell you :O)

I have a spiritual coach through work and I was talking to him about all of this on Wed and he is always giving really good illustrations. He was saying how with his six year old daughter he ALWAYS desires to give her a hug when she gets home from school. Some days she's all about it, and some days he can tell that she just doesn't want to and that is okay. It doesn't change his love for her. But sometimes, as her father, he reaches out for her because he wants to and it's his responsibility, right and privilege as her father. One thing though that he never does is let go first. When she comes to him to hug him, love him, etc he is sure to never let her go first. He will stand there and love her for as long as she wants or needs.

He said, "She must have had a really hard day in kindergarten a couple of days ago because she came home looking for me and when she found me she just grabbed me and held on. And she didn't let go, so we just stood there holding each other and loving each other. And when she was ready, she let go." I just WEPT when he told me that because it is SOOOOO important to remember that just because we don't feel intimate with God it doesn't mean He doesn't love us just the same and it doesn't mean that when we come back he may not be there with the same love.

When we come to Him for love and to reconnect with him He is there always. WE are always the first ones to let go. Whether we come to Him and get filled up with His love, and in our ignorance walk away and get depleted again, and then come back and the pattern repeats... OR, we come, connect and get filled up, and then holding onto His hand start walking again... Either way, His love for us doesn't change. I love the visual of Him holding me in the hallway as soon as I walk back into His heart. I love that He DOESN'T let go of me. Ever. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake me. That is the truth and that is sweet.

Anyhow, love to you, and I hope that your time with Him is sweet in knowing that when you come to Him, His love for you hasn't changed at all. He's just happy that you came.

One down...

Our first project... yay!!! :O) (Soooooo, there have been some questions about these pics. 1. We are still living in our condo, we just wanted to knock this out before we move. 2. The tan is the original, the black is the 'new and improved.' I'm all about darker colors :O) )

The Bride Cometh ...

When we first came to Austin, a guy on the side of the road was asking for donations for ARM ... "Austin Restoration Ministries." I don't remember if we gave him any money, but he gave us a little slip of paper with their name, mission statement, and phone number. Essentially, it doesn't matter who you are, what your issue, or if you pay... if you want off of the streets, drugs, alcohol, etc, they take you in no questions asked, no money charged, you just have to commit to their program for nine months. Every time Ryan and I went to throw the slip of paper away we just couldn't... throughout the almost one year we've lived here God has continued to give us opportunities to be connected to their ministry and today we got to go to the wedding of a man who runs one of the houses.

This was probably THE most celebratory wedding I have EVER been to. Ever.

They had the service on a Sunday morning so when we walked in the pastor was wrapping up his sermon and it was GREAT to hear him just shouting and quoting scripture... It just felt GOOD. People were sitting around white rectangular tables, purple flowers in the middle of each, the wedding 'arch' up front covered in purple and white flowers with netting... Then he finished and said, "All right, let's get some folk married." He stepped down off of the podium, the music started and the groom walked out... everyone started CHEERING!!! Ryan and I just started happy laughing :O) Then the wedding music started and when the door opened and the first bridesmaid started walking down the aisle a woman hollered, "Ya'll get up. Everybody up." and EVERYONE stood to their feet and started clapping and cheering for them... it was a 10 minute standing ovation welcoming the bride! When the last bridesmaid walked down they closed the door and the room got completely silent (everyone still standing). The song started and it was SO LOUD and with SUCH expectancy ... it just kept swelling and when they opened the door I swear a RUSH poured through the room, the bride stepped out and a woman shouted "Hallelujah!" and everyone was praying out loud, "Praise God," and "Thank You Jesus" EVERYONE was clapping and shouting and welcoming her... I just started crying... I couldn't even help it. Talk about, "Here comes the bride!" We shouted and clapped, people stepped into the aisle taking pictures of her and she was walking SO SLOW and just soaking it in. It was honestly one of the most BEAUTIFUL things I have ever witnessed or been a part of... this room full of people, all colors, delivered from all kinds of things, some still in just the beginning of trying to walk out... I was sooooo moved.

Oh, there are SO MANY things I could share, but that is what impacted me most about the wedding. I have NEVER seen something like that and could only think, "THIS is what it should be like. I can't imagine how cherished and celebrated she feels."

Okay, so, now I'm getting choked up realizing that this just a GLIMPSE of the welcome WE will get when we go to heaven. The bride of Jesus Christ Himself. I can't even begin to fathom the celebration and my heart aches at the thought.