Lakeside Park roses

Saturday night lovies...

 Oh, look what I found...

My favorite boots.

There are very few candid pictures of me that I enjoy. But this one...I just was truly happy. Getting ready for my wedding, pushing boxes of decorations, with my best friends.
And I see beauty when I look at that picture.
And that unwashed hair, girl? Fabulous.

Hello, booty!

God, thank you for giving me friends to pin up all them wardrobe malfunctions. No joke, my slip was totally showing. But hey, I wanted to give everyone at my wedding an opportunity to practice mercy and grace. They did.

First picture right after the ceremony

Husband, I love you. Because you were my best friend long before I was ever your "wife." And this was the only thing we could come up with to pose after all that craziness. I really get tired of posing for pictures.

First home

When I see this picture, it will always say to me, "First home." This is the view from our first "home" as married kiddos. Honeymoon, you were full of comfort and grace.

Awake, O sleeper

Confession:

 Sometimes I feel asleep inside.

 
 I have a great husband, a cozy home, and we know we are    
 where God wants us. We feel  like we're in that cozy,
 preparation time. Things are normal...saving money, having
 lots of good fellowship, using our home to love people in.

 BUT...sometimes my heart is asleep. My mind knows what's
 going on is good. My spirit can't seem to understand the same.
 I get angry. Why can't this good stuff be good, Lord? Why
 can't I feel?

 I've tried ignoring Him, being angry with Him, feeling
 confused...

 Then I got to that point, again. That place where I'm so worn
 out. So I cried and I yelled. And once I was done,

 I sat in quietness and whispered to Him,

 "Awaken my sleeping heart."

 He did.

 We are in a war. Someone is fighting against
 us, to make us fall asleep to what our Lord is
 doing. I can't think of anything worse than
 sleeping through His exceedingly abundantly
 for us.

 Let God awaken us to this truth:

 The war is already won. Christ is risen from
 the grave, our lives are hidden in Him...so we 
 are alive. 

 Let us live up to what have already attained.

Easygoing lipstick days....

                                                          bearded husband & rosy red lipstick

Since I was a kid, I had these naturally rose-colored lips. They were pretty. Otherwise, I thought I was a rather interesting..strange..looking girl. Big forehead, big teeth, big cheeks, big chin. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

I have this fear of man. Fear of people's misconceptions or assumptions about who I am.

It sounds ridiculous, but I was afraid that if someone saw me with lipstick, I would look like someone I am not. I didn't want to cover up what I thought was one of the few attractive things about me - my lips. What if I met some handsome guy and he didn't like lipstick girls and there I was wearing lipstick. It makes me laugh now to look back and see how much I really thought about it.

That lipstick struggle was about so much more. Fear of man.

The other day I was getting ready for a date with my husband and pulled out my gorgeous Estee Lauder lipstick. The one I keep on me all the time these days. Even when I don't wear any other makeup, sometimes I just throw on that lipstick. For me. Because it makes rainy days and snow days feel alive. Because I don't care if someone sees what I really look like. They've got time. Because I'm going on a date with my husband..and he knows what I look like with no makeup.
And I'm a wife. And I'm a friend. And Jesus loves when I'm praying while I put my lipstick on and when I go to church with no makeup on.

I've struggled for years with fear of man. Which is also a pride issue. But over the last year, God has slowly been teaching me through everyday life how to REST in HIM.

Stop worrying over the little things and rest. Dress up, or don't. Work out, or don't. Cook an awesome, healthy dinner for your husband...and have fun when you microwave that yummy bowl of soup. 

So, go ahead. Wear that lipstick to the grocery store. Eat a cheeseburger. Be real. It's all about our attitude.

Do the things we choose reflect a heart at rest or turmoil within us from fear of man?

Live in freedom.

Stir...

 My best friend, Clarke (who also happens to 

 be my husband), has these dreams.

 I have these dreams.

 Deep down in my heart.

 We want to connect to the world.

 I dream of writing and encouraging and

 helping others recognize God's call for

 them.

 Clarke dreams of planting churches and

 mentoring young men.

 I feel God stirring my heart. For days.

 There is a feeling close to discontent, but

 it's not unhappy. Just as if something big

 is coming up and God wants me to see it. And

 be ready.

 He wants me to be ready. So this nervous

 excitement in my stomach reminds me to talk

 to Him. To look for Him. And He is reminding

 me to not give up on the dreams He put in my

 heart. Do not let worldly wisdom snuff out

 the seemingly "wild" dreams you have for

 your life. If they are for the Lord.

 Let God give me words to write. Let God

 prepare us for His people.

Help!

 Oh my dear goodness, I love design and pretties, but I just need some help getting this blog some love.

Since I love cool designs, I would also love to say that I could design a blog by myself...

Let's be honest, I love the idea of crafts, too...

But I'm much better at appreciating other people's crafts.

Maybe I'm going to have to save up my pennies and ask someone to make this place a cozy spot. until then, it's nice being real.

Confession: I'm not an artsy, crafty, sewing, blog, designer, photographer woman. No offense to those of you that are. Ya know, I love y'alls creativity and pretties, but I'm sure good at spending my time appreciating yours rather than working on my own.

To all my girls out there that have the fabulous ideas in their minds, but can't seem to get them out in real time. I'm here for you.

Exceedingly & Abundantly, Jo

You do not go unnoticed.

The front row. Church on Sunday. A middle school boy with his mom. I watch as he walks in, sits

 down, and proceeds to rock himself back and forth while we worship. I wonder what he's thinking. He seems captured in his own thoughts...I wonder if he's thinking about the music or Jesus or all the different stage design, or maybe something totally different. I know he knows something I don't know. I can just tell. While some may look at him with questions, all I can question is what he knows that I don't know. I believe that God gives special gifts or understanding to children or people that we may see with what we call “disabilities.” If we can't understand the minds of these children, what things must they know that we don't. So, I watch this little boy. And I know, I know if he is in the kingdom of heaven that he will walk before me, that he will describe details to me in heaven of things I never understood. Things that I overlook, missing details, traits of God...he must know things that I don't know, that my mind can't fathom. The bible says that God has made the wisdom of this world foolishness...so what the world considers foolishness, God has called His own. So we who think we know something, must really be so far behind.

Sweet boy, I hope someday I can see Jesus through your eyes. You know things that I don't. You are so calm and precious. I watch you, as you truly are, not nervous or agitated, but calm and intelligent, detail-oriented, and fearless. I wish you knew that someone wishes they could understand you. Your life is noticed.