High Five for Friday!

As much as I love summer and taking a break...I really do love a schedule.

Ahem, I make a schedule of my day, nearly minute-by-minute, the night before...tell me I'm not the only one.

...Yes, I realize this is sinful.

But I am thankful for my job and people in my life who keep me busy :)

Today I'm linking up with Lauren for H54F!

ONE.

Saturday my brother Trey and I had a marathon date.

Hibatchi heaven for lunch.

Do we like white sauce, or do we like white sauce?

Followed by Sweet Frog (frozen yogurt).

No pictures. We ate it too fast.

A long walk on the beach.

A walk around the loop at Wrightsville.

And then we were planning on going to a church service that night, but once we got there we realized they don't have church on Saturday nights, just Sunday. Oops.

JD online pulled through. 

TWO.

Before watching one of JD's sermons, I made this deliciousness:

Blueberry Broccoli Summer Salad

...Trey chose to eat this massive conglomeration of carbohydrates instead:

THREE.

I started an internship with the director of the counseling ministry at a local church in Wilmington on Tuesday!

The woman who I'm working under is such a gift.  Her love for solid theology matched with her gracious attitude is edifying and super convicting.

She gave me this book to read weep over.

FOUR.

Celebrating Magran's 75th birthday last night at Nana's house!
Can you tell by all the grandma pet names that we're southern?


Our family is MUCH better because of this woman.

FIVE.

I'm working at the daycare today from 7 am till 5 pm...

and then driving to Durham to see my best friends and hang out with all the City Proj kids and some incredibly wise couples!

I. Am. So. Excited. 

God has been so good to me through my community at the Summit.

Have a great Friday!

Five Favorite Finds.

It really is crazy that the Lord would grant any of us wisdom.

He has granted us conviction of sin, awareness of our own depravity, desperation for a savior, and knowledge of His Son and the relationship He desires with us.

Granting wisdom to His children is a little superfluous, don't cha think?

Well, I'm grateful that He does. It allows me to be edified and refined through His work in other people. 

Even people I've never met:

1.  Preach the Gospel, and Since It's Necessary, Use Words
Ed Stetzer

"...since the gospel is the saving work of Jesus, it isn't something we can do, but it is something we must announce."

2.  Read Your Bible More and More
John Piper, via Desiring God

"Legalists trudge with their Bibles on the path toward justification.  Saints sit down in the shade of the Cross and plead for the blood-bought pleasures."

3.  Love Notices Wet Hair
Tim Henderson, via The Gospel Coalition

"...the chief responsibility of our lives is to love God and others as we love ourselves.  But we don't.  If we're honest, it's not even close.  We don't love anyone with the vigor and thoroughness that we love ourselves."

4.  Trusting God Is Not Easy
Ray Ortlund, via The Gospel Coalition

"There is something about coming to the end of ourselves and our own strength and wisdom -- that's when our hearts finally crack open, and the love of God pours in."

5.  Obeying God Comes After Grace, Says Tim Keller
Lillion Kwon

"Christians who obey God and then expect grace and blessings have got it all wrong."

When was the last time an article made you repent?

Tasty Tuesday: Blueberry Broccoli Summer Salad

Saturday evening, after Trey and I had a super fun and humbling date, we went home. 

(After trying to go to a church service that night, and then realizing that particular church has Sunday night services, not Saturday. Summit member mistake.)

I made a salad while Trey made the biggest fish taco I've ever seen.

Here's what I made:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup fresh blueberries

2/3 cup broccoli

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

2 egg whites

juice of 1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil & balsamic organic vinaigrette 

(or any vinaigrette-based dressing of your choice)

First I chopped up the veggies:

Then I threw in the veggies and blueberries in a large bowl.

I removed the yoke from the two boiled eggs, chopped the whites, and threw them in the mix.

Finally I squeezed the lemon juice and drizzled the dressing over the salad, and gobbled half of it up!

You could easily double this recipe to feed a family of four.

Yes, this can be a meal--veggies, fruit, and protein!

Or it can be a great summer snack to reach for.

No more sugary cereal, Kayla.

Trey tasted it, and wasn't a fan to say the least...but he's a sixteen year old boy who eat fish tacos the size of his head.

Take Note: Paige Benton Brown

This past weekend The Gospel Coalition held a conference for women in Orlando!

Source.

My discipler got to go, so for a lot more and accurate notes and more reflective wisdom, check out her upcoming posts :)

The conference's main sessions were streamed LIVE--words cannot express how happy I was/am about this.  The way I worship, fear, and view God has been shifted.  This brings Him more glory, and for that, I am so so grateful.

I only got to watch about four (I say about because I was only half-listening to one) talks, but my favorite one that I got to hear was Paige Benton Brown's, In the Temple: The Glorious and Forgiving God.

Source.

She taught from 1 Kings 8:1-30, 52-63.  And she spoke for over an hour.  And none of it was boring.  Impressive.

A few great points/quotes:

- All other religions present a relationship between god and his people that is causative--If you do ____, god will give you ____. 

- Christianity presents a relationship between God and His people that is contradictory -- He says that we have done nothing to merit His love, favor, mercy, etc...yet He freely gives it as a gift despite our failure. 

- She referenced verses 27-28: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house I have built? Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before You this day." 

- That "Yet" is huge -- it indicates that Solomon knows he does not deserve answered prayer, or anything good, from God, yet he asks for it, knowing that God keeps His promises: "'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with His hand has fulfilled what He has promised with His mouth to David...'" (v. 15). 

- God keeps His promises; therefore we can trust Him. 

- The purpose of God's will is relationship, not forgiveness.  Forgiveness is required for relationship. 

- He gives up His rightful throne to take on my rightful Cross. 

- As the temples was the dwelling place of God, now because of Jesus, WE are the temples in which God dwells. 

- Does my hatred, jealousy, doubt square with the fact that I house the glory of God? 

- Work, reason, wrestle FROM the "templeness" that Jesus has given to us, not TO it--you can't.

- He tells us to "...be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) -- therefore, if we are filled, "there ain't no room for anything else." 

- Being a temples of the living God changes the amount of time I spend investing in the way that I look, how I spend money, etc. 

- There is no room for the attitude that "the way I spend my money, time, and efforts is up to me, because He fills ALL of it.  

I have never before considered, to this degree, that I am a temple of God.  Not as some princess-like jewel that God doesn't want anyone to scratch, but I literally house the presence of God.  Therefore, fickle discipline and doubt of God's sovereignty is laughable; my prideful desire for control and fear at the thought of relinquishing control seems not just erroneous, but ugly.

I am always more wretched that I think I am; He is always more good, more holy, and more glorious than I think He is.

Five Friday Finds.

Seeking wisdom is the largest part of me recognizing the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Daily scripture reading, sharing and listening to peers and particularly older, wiser women and men, listening to sermons/talks, and yes, even leisurely reading articles is part of me seeking wisdom.

Have the words of the Bible and other people draw me to the throne of justification and grace is beautiful, and makes me worship Him more.

This week, by the grace of God, has been no different.

1.  Children and Salvation
JD Greear, my pastor (Summit Church)

"As my kids grow older, they will certainly have moments of insight in which they understand better His grace, and defining moments in which they "own" that posture.  But it is a posture I can encourage them toward from the beginning."

2.  Are You Young, Restless, and Reformed?
Hugh Whelchel, via The Gospel Coalition

"...young men and women are still striving for more substantive and experiential Christianity."

3.  How Jesus Saved My Dad and Family
Tony Evans

"...she could not understand how the more she rejected him, was unkind to him and tried to prove that believing in God was wrong, he kinder he was to her and the more he invested in God's Word."

4.  Rebuilding a Healthy Schedule
Joe Thorn, via The Resurgence

"It wasn't just that I was working too hard, but that I had also started listening to the devil's lies."

5.  Why My Husband of Three Years and I Go To Marriage Counseling
Sharon Hodde Miller, via Hermenutics

"In a culture of instant gratification and entitlement, many couples feel duped and unprepared when they realize they must word hard to make marriage succeed."

What are some articles you've recently enjoyed?

Wednesday Wellness: Sleep Styles

Most of us don't put a lot of thought into the way we sleep.

You hop into bed and, if you're like me, count the number of hours of sleep you're going to get and hope you don't have a hard time dosing off.  

Now, I've heard a lot about what your preferred sleeping style says about you...

If you sleep on your stomach you're type-A; sleeping on your back means you're lethargic and unmotivated.

I used to sleep on my stomach and side, and then I forced myself to sleep on my back...so what does that make me?

But that's another post for never (because honestly, who cares?).

What I'm here to discuss is the pose in which you take before you start counting sheep.

It matters.

The googled pictures of slumbering babies are for your enjoyment.

Let's begin with the worst position:

Stomach.

Sleeping on your stomach ensures that your neck will be twisted for hours. 

And likely means that you will have a crick in your neck for the rest of the day. What fun.

The Not-So-Bad Position:

Side.

Side sleepers (as long as you aren't curled up in a fetal-like position) benefit from an elongated spine and virtually no pressure on their neck.

However, your face is being smushed into your pillow and things are sagging hanging.

Hello early wrinkles.

The best sleeping style:

Back.

Sleep on your back, people.

Your head, neck, and spine are easily maintained in a neutral position.

No skin scrunching and easy breathing.

If you're a snorer, it's not going to get any better.  Just purchase some snoring strips and flip on your back.

What is your sleeping style?

Tasty Tuesday: Culturally Confused/Healthy Burrito

Friday night I came home from a ten-hour work day to a Mexican dinner.  Score.

However...Mexican food is typically in conjunction with extreme overeating and a load of regret.

So I decided to be proactive and before I gazed too long at a giant white flour tortilla and regular sour cream (fortunately, I don't eat red meat), and tried to make it healthy!

I grabbed these tortillas that I knew were hiding in the fridge just waiting to be chosen instead of their nutritionally and financially cheaper counterparts. 

Not too shabby.

I grabbed two (it was Mexican night, give me a break):

Opened a can of black beans, and distributed 2/3 of a cup of the beans onto the tortillas.

Sprinkled some feta cheese on top...

Now I know what you're thinking.  It does indeed seem like a Greek dish thus far.  I promise I indulged in the deliciousness of Mexican night.

Zapped it in the microwave for about a minute, and loaded some mild (I'm a wimp and unashamed) salsa and lettuce on top.

Yummy, filling, and not too much.

What are some tricks that you use to make Mexican food a little less...suicidal to your health?

High Five for Friday!

It's Friday...PTL.

This week has been awesome, for realz.

For one, I'm now on blog lovin':

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I'm linking up with Lauren for High Five for Friday!

Music, letters, muffins, and beach dates--all included!

Let's get started:

ONE.

Last night my parents, my Nana (mom's mom), Magran and Papa (dad's parents) and I attended a benefit concert that raised money for Special Olympics, at Thalian Hall in downtown Wilmington.  

Magran, me, Nana, and Mommie before the show.

A couple that are members of my family's church are former Broadway performers, who have four children, two of which have downs syndrome.

The concert was in support of a campaign called "Spread the Word to End the Word", referring to the word "retarded" which is derogatory and offensive to people with disabilities and people that are close to people with disabilities.

Daddy and I getting super pumped.

Mommie wanted to join in on the fun.

It was getting out of hand.

By the way...this was my view from the front row baby.

The music was gorgeous and timeless and I hugged a ton of people from my family's church in which I grew up.  It was awesome to see often ostracized members of the church supported.

Gratitude was wrought--for my Savior who rights all of our wrongs and makes perfect what I have broken.

TWO.

Sending snail mail :)

THREE.

These carbs. Mmmm.

FOUR.

Beach date with Mommie on Sunday afternoon. Delightful.

Yes, my mom is wearing DANGLY pearls to the beach. She's southern. 

And she got some interesting tan sunburn lines.  

For her sake, pictures not included.

FIVE.

Walking on the beach in the evening with my family is becoming an unscheduled tradition. And I kind of love it.

Sorry for the awful lighting.

From the lifeguard stand.  Rebels.

Afterwards we had a family game night. 

P.S. My sister and I tied for first :)

What's your favorite family game?

Five Favorite Finds.

Can I just say how much I love not having schoolwork having extra time to read, dwell, and meditate on scripture and life-giving, worshipful pieces of writing?

Well, I love it.

Enjoy these fantastic articles I found this week:

1.  Snuggling Is Holy Work, Too
via The Resurgence
Alex Early

"It is heart-wrenching news for a child to learn that Jesus takes Daddy away from the family to go do 'holier' things than play in the floor, telling bedtime stories, learning about their interests and snuggling."

2. Quantity Time, Quality Time, & a Clingy Son
Ben Reed, Small Groups Paster, Grace Community Church

"...you can tell what you value by what fills up your calendar."

2.  When Grace Goes Violent

via Desiring God

David Mathis, quoting Matt Chandler's book Explicit Gospel

"...he wants sin starved to death, and he will hunt and pursue the death of every sin in his heart until he has achieved success."

4.  J. Gresham Machen: "Liberalism Has Abandoned Christianity"

via The Resurgence

Justin Holcomb

"Machen writes, 'In trying to remove from Christianity everything that could possibly be objected to in the name of science...the apologist has really abandoned what he started out to defend.'"

5.  Is a Wife's Submission Culturally Outdated?

via Desiring God

Tony Reinke

"Husbands typify Christ by sacrificially loving their wives, and wives typify the church by following their husbands...the balance between leadership and trust...points to the unending submission that the church will experience under Christ's headship (Ephesians 5:24-25)."

What are some great articles you've read recently?