Friday Fun :)

My mom sent this video to me, and I thought it was so cute! For most of my life, my mom has taught little pre-schoolers, and I have always been amazed at what truths little ones can walk away with. This video is just a sweet offering to the Lord and a peek into the imagination of a child...enjoy!


The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

"And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." ~Matthew 18:2-5

Roof for the Refuge

A few weeks ago, I asked for prayers for Nica. One of the prayers I mentioned was for the Refuge Project, a ministry run by One by One. This project is meant to rescue children from abuse and sex trafficking. This harsh reality was something that really impacted me while I was in Managua. It's one of those things that you hear about in passing (maybe), but something that not many people talk about. If something that terrible really happens, it happens someplace else. Out of sight, out of mind. It's a difficult thing to think about, and it's not an everyday reality for those of us in our comfortable little suburbs. But when you meet the precious little ones that have been forced into the trade...hold their hands, hear their stories...your life is never the same.

"The problem of child prostitution is a global problem with an estimated 1.2 million children trafficked each year. That equates to 2.3 children being trafficked every second. Child prostitutes service between 2 and 25 clients per day equaling 830 to 9,150 clients per year. Nicaragua is affected heavily by this global sex-trade. 60% of the human trafficking victims from the Western Hemisphere are exported from Nicaragua. In Managua alone there are at least 11 brothels that offer the services of children. These brothels keep the children locked away during the day so they are unable to escape. Unfortunately, the brothels aren’t the only ones offering sexual services of children in Nicaragua." (from the Refuge Project website)

My heart broke when I was faced with this reality on my trip to Nicaragua. But I was so blessed by the people I met while I was there, and I praise God for faithful servants who are in the trenches every day fighting on behalf of these children. You and I may not have the opportunity to physically rescue these little ones on a day to day basis, but there is something we can do to help. We can definitely be in prayer for these ministries and the children they seek to rescue. But we can also support these ministries financially. One by One has the opportunity to purchase a house that is adjacent to their offices, which they plan to use to house the children they rescue. They are currently raising money to purchase that house, but they still need to raise $20,000 by the end of January in order to make that possible.

Roof For The Refuge from One by One on Vimeo.

Would you consider supporting this ministry and helping them raise the money they need to buy the house?

You can give directly to the Refuge Project, or if you are still looking for some Christmas gifts, you can purchase some really cute jewelry from one of the One by One staff members who makes the jewelry as a way to support herself and her family. She has decided to give 10% of the profit from each item to benefit the Refuge Project, and for one of the kinds of earrings she sells (pictured above), she gives 100% of the profit to Refuge. You can see the rest of her gallery here on Facebook. If you find anything you like, let me know by Saturday, December 11th so that our missionaries can bring them back on their trip home to the States. Prices and reference numbers are listed below each picture on the site.

Worship is More Than a Song

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see music pastor and Christian recording artist Ross King in concert. He was invited to our church to do a special Christmas concert and share some of the songs on his new CD- The Christmas Stories. I had never heard of him until I started dating Mike, but I really enjoy his music! And I have been challenged by his music. He has written some great songs that have honest and powerful lyrics. I really enjoyed his concert, and I think you should check out his CD :)

I have been thinking about something Ross said in his concert last night. It's actually not a new thought (I have been challenged by this thought by others in recent months), but I haven't blogged about it yet. Ross talked about how we have somehow come to view the word "worship" as synonymous with "music." When you ask someone how the worship was, people will almost always frame their response in musical terms. I have been guilty of it. When did we let that happen?? There's nothing wrong with using music as a tool to worship our God. It's personally one of my favorite ways to bring an offering of worship before my God.

But worship is SO much more than music. It's SO much more than a song. I should be living a life of worship- in how I do my work, how I spend my money, how I interact with and love the people around me, how I spend my time, where I focus my energy and attention, how I spend my time in prayer and reading the Scripture...

I think this might be one of my favorite songs by Ross King- you may have heard it as it is one of his more popular songs and plays on the radio. You can listen to it here and I included the lyrics below. It's not on his Christmas album, but he sang it last night and I pray that the Lord helps me remember that He alone is worthy of all worship, honor, and praise. I pray that the Lord exposes the idols in my life and continues to mold me into a servant that boldly proclaims the hope of salvation to those around me. And I pray that He will provide the grace and humility I desperately need to truly live a life of worship to the glory of my King...

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze

If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols.

Chuck the pews and all the decorations too

Until the congregation's few then have revival.

Tell your friends that this is where the party ends

until you're broken for your sins you can't be social.

Then seek the Lord and wait for what he has in store

and know that great is your reward so just be hopeful

Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes you can sing all you want to

you can sing all you want to

And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song

Take a break from all the plans that you have made

And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.

Beg Him please to open up his mouth and speak

And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.

Shine the light on every corner of your life

Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open.

Then read the word and put to test the things you've heard

Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken.

Cause you can sing all you want to

Yes you can sing all you want to

you can sing all you want to

And don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song

Anything I put before my God is an idol.

Anything I want with all my heart is an idol.

Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol.

Anything that I give all my love is an idol.

We must not worship something that's not even worth it.

Clear the stage and make some space for the one who deserves it.

Cause I can sing all I want to

Yes I can sing all I want to

I can sing all I want to

And still get it wrong, worship is more than a song

And you can sing all you want to

Yes you can sing all you want to

You can sing all you want to

But don't get me wrong, worship is more than a song

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that's the measure you must take to crush the idols.

Fa La La La Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I am so thankful that the week is wrapping up and that the weekend is almost here! I have realized in the last few months that I have really come to cherish my weekends. I tend to wake up in a better mood on Fridays, just knowing the weekend is coming :)

Can I just say that I am SO excited that December is here! I think that (aside from the cold weather) this is my favorite time of year. I love Christmas and all of the decorations, music, lights, and activities that come with it. I definitely feel like the things that I enjoy about this time of year are a sweet blessing from the Lord. I am so thankful for the time with friends and family and for the opportunity to enjoy the holiday festivities.

As much as I love the holiday festivities, I don't want all of the glitter and rush of the holidays to distract me from bringing honor and glory to our King. I was reading through Isaiah this morning, and this passage just makes me excited to celebrate the birth of our Savior:

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious."

~ Isaiah 11:1-10 ~

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Laura!!

Today is Laura's birthday!

Isn't she cute?!? :)

I am so thankful for this sweet friend, and I can never express in words how much she really means to me. But today I am going to try :)

Plano Balloon Festival

Laura and I have been friends since our Baylor days, and we have been through a lot together. It still makes me laugh to think that we became friends over car rides to church...how fun the Lord is! :)

Baylor Homecoming

From our late summer nights talking about the randomness of life to moving to Dallas and starting our lives as "real adults," Laura has been with me every step of the way.

 

Rangers Game!

 

When we both moved to Dallas, we started the "Erin and Laura Go" adventures :) Such sweet memories! We have been many places- toured several Dallas landmarks, been to a couple of fun concerts, and have even done a little bit of real traveling.

 

ICE! at the Gaylord Texan

 

I have loved every adventure we've been on, and I definitely look forward to many more adventures with the lovely Laura!

 

Brad Paisley concert

   

While we have had our fun adventures and we have some sweet memories from those adventures, the best time spent with Laura is when we just hang out. We can just have dinner, take the puppies for a walk, watch a movie, or just sit and talk about everything or nothing :)

 

Our trip to California

 

The Lord has been good to provide a like-minded friend in Laura. She is absolutely beautiful inside and out! She is patient and kind, gentle and compassionate.

 

Josh Turner concert!

 

She loves the Lord and she is such an example of faith and love. I am always humbled by Laura's wisdom and how she strives to serve Christ in everything she does.

 

Addison 4th of July Celebration

 

She is the picture of a servant and patiently loves on the people around her every opportunity she gets. I have so much to learn from this gracious friend, and I hope that I have been able to encourage her as much as she has encouraged me.

 

San Antonio Riverwalk

 

Laura is the friend that I can tell anything to and she still loves me- despite my ridiculousness :) I can laugh and cry with her, air my frustrations and ask for advice. I can say stupid things and she always- very lovingly- puts me in my place.

 

State Fair of Texas

 

 She is the friend who tells you what you need to hear rather than what you want to hear, but does it in the sweetest way possible.

 

After I wowed the crowd with my fox trot skills ;) lol

I know that I can count on her for anything and everything- she is always there to listen, to encourage, to pray, and to love.

Trip to Waco

 I am really looking forward to celebrating with her tonight, and I thank the Lord for her sweet friendship over the years.

At the zoo

The Lord has been so good to provide a friend in Laura, and I really hope that she has an amazing day!

Baylor Game

Laura, I don't tell you enough how truly grateful I am for you, but I want you to know that you are the bestest friend a girl could ask for :) Happy Birthday Sweet Friend!!