Young, Dumb and In Love.

I've already bragged about this guy once, but let me tell you about him once more.

mat kearney's new cd is most excellent. He's such a poet with a guitar. I've had a crush on him since junior high.

There is something different about his third and latest album. It is infused with this vibrant energy and just ooooozes love. I did some digging and low and behold I found out that he just got married. love that. His songs reflect this new life with His love.

One of his song's is called Young, Dumb and In Love. I listened to it, and then listened to it again. and as I kept on pressing repeat I thought...this is the song of our generation. And when I say generation, I'm not just talking about the teens and 20s. I'm talking about the young and the old returning to Jesus.

To be Young is to live like a child. It is to be poor in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." What does that even mean?

You see when you live a life not only aware, but actively responding to this idea that EVEN on my best day it is only by the grace of God. I can pray for the sick and see them recover. I can have outrageous moments in the glory...I can get a raise, make a friend, etc. But when you realize that it is all by the grace of God, you living knowing that you have NOTHING to lose AND everything to gain.

When you live young and poor, you live with a declaration of DEPENDENCE. I can do nothing apart from the power, authority and love of the Holy Spirit.

I hope this next one doesn't offend anyone, but when you are literally IN the Love of Jesus you just act dumb sometimes. And I mean that in the best possible way. Those of you who have been in love know that sometimes you do really dumb things. all to be with that person. You just have to be with them. You almost become consumed. You talk, eat, breathe, think, everything about this person..which results in some crazy and wild things. Being in love with Jesus is no different. I don't go up to someone and share the love of Jesus because I feel obligated. I do so as a response to His all consuming love wrecking my life. And when I say wreck, I mean that as in the best thing that ever happened to me. I was on the bus and I heard the Lord give me a word for someone I was sitting next to. And for a quick second, i thought nooo way I'm not talking to her. She'll think I'm crazy...And then I realized, how can I not pour out the contagious love that has filled my life. Who am I to not share some lovin. You know, when you get prompted to respond to God's love...in whatever way that looks like. It is important to remember that if not you, then who?

In Love:

I don't dance around, shout, cry, laugh, jump, sit, lay, etc. in worship for God's love. I do it as a response to His love. I've shared this before, but I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I'm in love with Love. The very nature of God is love. I live for those encounters where you walk in one way and you leave another. It is the kindness of the Lord that leads people to repentance.

There were these old, lifeless habits that I used to have that left me lonely and even more desperate. But ss I began to experience the Love of God daily, that old wine so to speak (literally and figuratively) just was old news to me. As you enter into the presence of God you are changed. renewed. restored.

I think we as body have misrepresented the love of God. There are lists of what to do and what not to do. Some legitimate. But eventually a list of rules gets dusty and loses it pristine, shimmering appearance. And then all you are left with is a moldy list. But when you live everyday to encounter and experience Jesus, you're never the same. You realize how ALIVE everything is. you become awakened to the rhythms of GRACE and freedom!

you shout and dance around because you can't contain this love. you have to do something.

if you're still working out this whole Jesus thing, or maybe you're dried up and left feeling like this whole Christianity thing is for the birds. I just encourage you to ask the Father to show you His love. Get alone with him, and just ask. And His very word says He will come to you. His love never fails. It won't fail you. All you have to do is ask. You'll be awakened to His sweet mercies.

Live in love with Love.

Best Face Lift I've Ever Had.

My favorite secret places with the Lord are my car and my room. I can sing, dance, shout, cry, dance some more...and just be with the Father. I have had just the neatest encounters with God alone in my car and in my room. This one particular time, I locked myself in my room and started worshipping. And one of the most exciting things about spending time with the Lord is you NEVER know what is going to happen. Seriously.

Ok so this one time I just got stirred up and started a little dance party for myself...2 hours worth of a dance party.

• Here's a quick side note. If you don't think there is freedom in the Kingdom, then you gotta shake yoooo self a little bit. I used to hate to dance...After the Lord broke the chains though, I have become a dancing fool...most of the time that is.

Anyways. I'm dancing around. and I walk outside my room to hydrate myself and Emily, that roommate of mine says to me, "Oh my gosh Alex, you are glowing. Like seriously, you are glowing."

Now I wash my face daily, but she sure wasn't talking about some sort of pretty skin color.

Let me show you something.

When Jesus died on the cross he tore the veil. This veil was the worst. I'm not kidding. It separated the Jewish people from the Holy of Holies WHICH is where the presence of God rested. ok, so what? Well this represents the distance between man and God. In Isaiah 59 it talks about how the sin of man separated them from the Father. LOOK IT UP.

Talk about a bad day.

Matthew 27:50: "But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last. AT THAT MOMENT, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces."

Talk about a good day.

By Jesus giving up His life, sin which the veil is symbolic for, was torn and nothing can EVER separate us from the Love of God. Nothing. It is done. Paid for. We live in perfect freedom.

In 2 Corinthians it says:

"Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are, --face to face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face!"

There is no longer an excuse to live without a God face-lift. Sorry. That might've worked 2000 years ago. But this is the 21st century, folks. Jesus is alive. He is waiting to meet with you and transform you into His likeness. Tuck yourself away to your favorite place. Even if you don't have a secret place to hide away in, or you don't have a prayer to lift up. That is ok. For He will meet you.

Let me ask you this real fast. If you knew you could have all your credit card debt, bills, mortgage, car payment, etc. paid off...free of charge. No mail in rebate, or secret sign your life away contract. Just the opportunity to live debt free and STAY debt free. Would you do it?

DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

You can live a life in that same freedom TIMES a million. It was paid for. Don't go another day with chains around your feet and handcuffs around your wrist. You were created for something so much more...and your face will SHINE with the brightness of His face! yeah, yeah, yeah.

Lover of the Presence

I love being awakened to the Presence everyday. It is always new. Always refreshing.

Talking about the 'presence' is just another word for the Love of God. When Jesus walks in the room, love rests. The very nature of God is love.

If all you have is 5 minutes throughout the day, take it and just soak up the very nature of God. Even those 5 minutes spent in His goodness will sustain you, recalibrate your heart, ignite and send you off in joy and restoration. His banner over you is love. Just ask beloved to feel Him today. ohhhh, you'll never be the same. LIVE for those encounters. You know the ones where you walk in one way and you leave another. Yeah, yeah, yeah. everyday. live for that.

also, i was just recently introduced to this husband and wife team. their worship is so good. so real. go bless someone!

The Talk of the Nations

Psalm 126

It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,

when God returned Zion's exiles.

We laughed, we sang,

we couldn't believe our good fortune.

We were the talk of the nations--

"God was wonderful to them!"

God was wonderful to us;

we are one happy people.

And now, God, do it again--

bring rains to our drought-stricken lives

So those who planted their crops in despair

will shout hurrahs at the harvest,

So those who went off with heavy hearts

will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.

Are you the talk of the nations? Are you the talk of the town? Do the people at your work buzz around in awe of the Goodness in your life? Can people just not hold their tongue because of how gracious God is to you? Are we one happy people?

God has set you free. That is a reason to throw a party. To come home laughing. To never stop giving thanks. You are living a dream that is actually to good to be true. But you are serving a God who makes it come true.

When I read this Psalm, I see ribbons, festivities, people in the street. I see a community basking in the Love of their Creator. I see a simplistic joy in the Holy Spirit. Can you really believe your life? ohh how God is so good.

HEY MOMMA LADY!

The sound of the rest of the summer.

Dancin' around. Little somethin in our lemonade. Sunshine. JOY and Freedom! THISBESTLIFE party. Celebrate with some Mat Kearney and watermelon.

Don't forget to love on each other.

Polishing Silver Until He Comes Back.

Let's talk blessing. God does not bless his children because of anything they do or do not do. That is a conditional God, which is so not the Father. It is almost as if we are playing the childhood love game with God. "He loves me, He loves me not. He loves me, He loves me not." So with flower in hand, we hopelessly wait to pick the next petal because THEN he will love us. FALSE folks. God loves you the same yesterday, today and forever. His love never changes. NO matter what you do. what freedom!

But as we live this best life, we have the ability to CHOOSE to grow in the favor of God. Even Jesus had to grow in favor.

I was driving home many months ago. I had been trying to figure out where to work this summer and just couldn't quite seem to get any direction. So I am driving home one day and the Lord says to go apply at a restaurant. I thought, well my gosh, I have no restaurant experience. They won't hire me. Blah, Blah, Blah. So after negotiating with the Father for a while, I gave in. Although I was unable to see clearly at this moment, remember that the Lord will NEVER set you up to fail...only for you to step out and trust His faithfulness. Ok, so I go in. Apply. And get the job right away.

My job consists of polishing a lot of silver and running a lot of food. Which is great. The job is a blessing of God. And I could not have been more thankful. One night, after polishing what seemed to be mine of silver I started getting a little lazy. I heard the Lord ask why I wasn't polishing the right way. And then He said that everything I do is unto the glory.

You see, when you live IN LOVE with the King of the Universe everything you do is in response to that LOVE. That changes everything. Moving from religion to relationship will literally change everything. It is not that polishing silver is my favorite past time. But when you move to the rhythms of mercy with an understanding that EVERYTHING is because of the grace of God, what/why/how/when/how many is all a by-product of that love. EVEN on my best day it is only by the grace of God. Living poor in spirit is wealth in the Kingdom.

After the Lord re-calibrated my work ethic, I polished like the Queen was coming to town. Two days later I got a very significant raise. When you live in LOVE, favor follows. Blessing follows favor. Challenge is the next step. It is easy to assume that because of God's blessing you dont' have to work for it anymore. that is an incorrect way of thinking. Abuse of blessing only leads to error. And response to error only creates another error. We then assume that God takes away those things in our life. And I do not think that is the case.

Let me illustrate.

1 Kings 11:9 The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

Why does it matter? The more obvious God's will is to you...or the more He reveals His heart, the greater the requirement. His still small voice is not punishment, it is His mercy. When you clearly see and hear the blessing of God on your life, there is great weight in that. God appeared to Solomon twice and gave him the desires of his heart. And yet Solomon CHOSE to turn from the Lord. A lot of times people cannot handle blessing and crumble. Solomon did.

"Sometimes He actually speaks so quietly that you actually have to be leaning in to Him to hear his voice." Why? it is his mercy.

BeautyTIPS4

This is the end of the series on BeautyTIPS. But it will certainly not be the last! I mean how could it be? We didn't even touch on hair, clothes and SHOES. So fun.

For this last part, I asked the Beauties in my life to share what makes each of them so exquisite. ENJOY!

This first beauty just happens to be one of my BEST friends. No one quite melts

my heart like this girl. Emily was the first I asked for beauty advice. She's got it goin' on. Take her advice and look glorious!

EYES: There are 6 billion people on this earth right? Something like that. That means 6 billion sets of eyes. Every eye being different than the next. That is so cool. Emphasize those babies! Use the right makeup to make your eyes pop! Alex does the BEST at this. When talking to her, I can't help but stare at 'em. I also really enjoy choosing eye shadows that make my eyes pop.

A GREAT SMILE: To me, it brightens everything up. I was very blessed to have a good set of chompers, and parents that always made me brush and floss. Here's the thing; You don't have to have a perfect set of pearly whites to have a great smile. Enjoy life, smile a lot, and definitely still remember to brush.

CLOTHES: By no means, am I fashion expert, but I'm workin on it. A unique sense of personal style just about tops any beauty tip. Once again, I look to Alex on this one. I think it's safe to say her sense of style has changed a lot in the last two years. She puts together pieces that I would have never thought to combine, and yet they work so perfectly. Don't be afraid to wear what others won't wear, and don't be afraid to try new things. If you like it, buy it.

CONFIDENCE: This is hands down, the hardest beauty secret to upkeep. In society today, there are so many factors that can shatter our confidence. Naturally, we compare ourselves to others, and always want what we don't have. If we're short, we want to be taller. Straight haired girls want curly hair, but the ones with curly hair would kill for it to be short. Once we can get past all of this however, we can become confident in the person we have become over years of fine tuning. Ask anybody and they will tell you, a woman with confidence in herself shines in a room. You can see it when she walks down the street, when you have a conversation with her, or when she is with no makeup and in her pajamas still feeling like a million bucks.

Wise woman, yea?

Our next guest editor is truly the most beautiful, gorgeous, unique, natural, confident and humble person I know. I could truly go on for years telling you about my sister. YEARS. she is most certainly my better half.

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• She does her thannnng and does it well. I can honestly say that any beauty wave that I have ridden over the years is because of her. She is a beauty pioneer.
• She loves well. What I mean is that she calls out the beauty in others. You will never leave a conversation with my sister not feeling better about yourself. Her very nature draws out the magnificent in those around her. The depth of this trait is so great because you cannot recognize a quality in someone else that you yourself do not also have. Also, she is so confident in who she is, and so grounded in the value the Lord has in her that she is not shaken or jealous by anyone else's beauty. Rebecca celebrates those around her!
• She has these big, deep, hazel eyes that are captivating.
• She eats really healthy and works out a lot. Becca's got a rockin' bod. Seriously. But she works hard for it. Take care of your body. She certainly is on my case about it. But in the end, it is so worth it.

Rebecca is a fighter. She'll fight for those close to her until it is finished. She knows truth and lives by it. When I look at her, I see the love

of Jesus. So sweet is my sis.

My dearest Kait Rohfling is such a natural beauty.------------------------->

She is the only friend I know that swears by lipstick and man does she wear it well. I started wearing lipstick because of her. Lipstick gives your just that added color that really can make or break and outfit. LIPSTICK!

My glorious friend Hannah can make anyone, anywhere feel

valuable and know their worth. She asks questions. She really, truly cares about the converstaion. It is genuine. To be interested is to be interesting.

Finally to my favorite!

I asked our sweet Jesus what His beautyTIPS were. This is what your Creator has to say about YOU:

"I made you just right. Every hair on your heard. Every freckle on your neck. When I look at you My fair one, I just see perfection. I think it is funny how you all color your hair and try and change how you look. I colored your hair just right. But I love watching you curl and put bows in your hair. You could never do or undo anything that would make me look at you any different. I am captivated by your beauty. I can't stop thinking about the way you move. The color of your eyes. To me, you are My beautiful one. My beloved. Just be you. Don't be a version of yourself. But be the REAL you. The you I created is quite magnificent. Don't change anything about you for someone else. I just love you. I really, really love you. You make my heart dance. There are these times where I gather all of heaven just to watch you...just because you take my breath away so. Let me love you more. Let me be the lover of your soul. Let me in. Let me love you more. Ohhh, if you only you knew how beautiful and remarkable you are to me. Will you let me tell you?"

OHHHH thank you sweet Jesus! We were created for the glory. Let Him in you beautiful one!