It Should've Been Us

In leu of Good Friday, I thought I'd drop in as we are preparing for Jamaica and remind you the beauty of the cross. Long story short...the battle, the trial, the pain and sufferings, the cross, the fight...it should've been us! And that's the beauty of the Gospel. Jesus took it all for us and forever we will be with Him in eternity...if we believe in who He says He is. Without the cross, there would be no hope for us, eternally. Without the resurrection, we're wasting our lives and our faith is pointless. All other gods are still in their graves but not mine! Thank you, Jesus, for humbling yourself to death so that we may have life.

Happy Good Friday,

Won by One

On Sunday Husband and I leave for Jamaica!! Most of the time when people "leave for Jamaica" they leave behind a stressful week of work to embark on a romantic getaway with their significant other or a week of fun in the sun with their friends or family. They lounge around eating and drinking themselves silly at their all-inclusive resort for a week while thinking nothing of the life they left behind! And though that would be so nice, our week won't necessarily be of that sort.

Jamaica is a little more than the pictures that you see in travel magazines when you’re trying to plan a Caribbean vacation. Like most parts of our world, Jamaica is an impoverished third world country that is drowning in health issues, a lack of education for children, and trying to survive in desperate living conditions. This is why we are going....with 30 other adults and students (yes, a mission trip during their spring break...crazy, right?...what servants!)

“Won by One to Jamaica” is a ministry in Harmons, Jamaica. Our trip will consist of two new-home constructions and ministering to kids and adults within the community during the day and during the evenings. Each individual on our team will also be carrying down two large suitcases full of donations for the people in Harmons. 

Please pray for us, our team of 32, and the Jamaicans that God will place in our paths during our time there. Please pray for no sickness (motion, especially as we will face some pretty harsh roads for a few hours :), pray that we can complete the work while we are there, and pray that I do not attempt a stow away to bring a child back home with me and that I don't spend the whole week in tears over these children but that I will love them to the full. 

We honestly covet your prayers more than anything but thank you SO much to those who have sacrificed financially in order to make this trip possible for me! You will be hearing from me soon! 

If you'd like to keep up with us, you can do so via pictures on their website! 

...And Jesus came not to be served but to serve!

Happy Easter!

Work hard Play hard, Jack!

Jesus rested on the seventh day and created a cycle for us to follow. Yesterday, they showed this video in the service to go along with the current series, 'Buck Dynasty' and I thought it was so funny! Enjoy :)

Play hard,

Spring Closet

I'm a sucker for warm weather. Let's just call it like it is. I don't do cold. I can drink coffee and wear fuzzy socks while in a bathing suit just as well! :) So, with the rising temps and "longer days", I get giddy!

So, what do Spring trends hold? Some good...some bad not for me...but that's the good thing about "trends". They come and go. Some go and come back years later. So, don't run out and fill your closet or home with strictly trends because you won't have anything to wear next year! Ha ha! Buy a few staple things (that don't cost an arm and a leg) that will work for you year after year even if it's not considered trendy. Here are some things that I'm seeing and some things that are on the runways that you may or may not be able to pull off. Every woman for herself!

BB Creams

I love BB Creams! My favorite is the Loreal Magic Beautifier BB Cream! It's lighter than a foundation but gives just a much coverage (for me) as one! It's better for your skin because it acts as a moisturizer, primer, sun protectant, foundation, treats imperfections, and gives a smoother texture to your face! So, especially for the warmer months I ditch the foundation and grab a BB Cream! 

Subtle Ombre and Waves

Everyone was hit hard with the ombre trend last year and I'm a huge fan because it gives me, being blonde, an opportunity to go a little longer letting my roots show! However, this season, the trend is a little less bold and a little more subtle which I think I like better! It's a tad more natural looking yet adds dimension and character to your hair! Oh, and beachy waves are still here!

Hair wraps

Another thing I'm loving because it gives me an excuse to go an extra day without washing my hair!  (I promise I'm not dirty, I'm just low maintenance when it comes to hair because I have a lot of it!) So with more roots and dirtier hair, I'm thinking the hair trend this season is a simple, less is more look and that's me! I also love the boho look!

Neon

I really love neon and it's back again! I wasn't so sure of this trend when it hit last year because all I saw was a montage of 80's music videos in my head! However, like mentioned before, less is more when working with trends! So a little bit of neon lipstick or a punch of neon clothing isn't going to blind hurt anyone! 

Stripes

Whether on your body or in your home, stripes are still here! Be careful not to over-do the stripe situation (like in the picture on the right) because you may get nauseous! It's harder to pull off stripes because they do widen you so be careful where you decide to wear your stripes...whether on top or on bottom!


Bold Sunglasses

I haven't seen much of this yet but it's all over the runways. Now, I love my sunglasses, not sure about the "bold" part but hey, just because I can't pull it off doesn't mean you can't!! I see some of our Pursuit girls rocking these though!


Long Shorts

Some call them bermuda shorts, some call them board shorts, but for my 5'4" self I call them "I'm too short and they make me look like a frumpy mess shorts" If you're taller than me, rock them! I just can't! But I know a few moms of teenage girls that are going to be pretty happy the long-shorts trend is back in! We will see if they actually make their debut soon! Ha ha!

And in true Kourtney Kardashian fashion (which I love) she manages to be a walking Spring 2013 trend! So, wear one, or wear all of them...cause it can be done :)

Less is more,

1996-Millbrook-2013

I love any excuse to visit my family! Normally it goes hand-in-hand with seeing a baseball game as well because if I want to see my family, I have to 9 times out of 10 see a baseball game! Good thing I love it! So, last weekend me and mom ventured to Jacksonville to see Stephen play and this weekend I went to see John play near my hometown which was perfect because the main reason I went back was for something a lot bigger than a baseball game (sorry, John ;)

Close to 17 years ago, me, my angry butt (and man, I was real mad...where the heck was Aiken anyways!) and the rest of my family made the move from Greenville, SC to Aiken, SC for my dad to lead pastor a church! As a fourth grader, I didn't really care where God had call my dad cause he wasn't calling me! So I secretly made arrangements to live with a friend...'cause that's what kids do, right? Ha! Well it only took my first day of school to prove me wrong, which He has done quite often in my life. I quickly made the best of friends and the rest is history! But my dad has always said that the "dash" on a tombstone is the most important...and though that would be a book in itself, let me just pinpoint some of the dash in between 1996-2013, shall we?

• Salvation & Baptism of Jessica, Stephen, and John
• I met Heather, Ashley, Ashley, Mandy, Nicole, Lindsey, Ashleigh, Bailey...and so many others that were the best friends I could've ever asked for during different times of my life! I thank ya'll for that!
• My 4th-12th grade small group leaders...you have ALL made quite the lasting impact on my life! Not only did you disciple and teach me but you did life with me and my friends! Thank you for always opening your home to me and coming to see me play basketball and cheer! That has shaped the kind of leader that I try to be today! I love you all immensely! It was so good to see some of you on Sunday! See you soon ;-)
• Thank you, Mike & Debbie Chandler, Brandon & Ashley Bowers, and Stephen & Morgan McNeil! You invested in the life of my teenage and adult years when it was easy and when it was hard, helped me stay the course, and played a profound role in my passion for students! I love you guys to the moon and back! 
• We saw a new beautiful facility go up and bought tons of new property! Thank you, Church, for investing in the lives of people in Aiken to help fill the seats, see people saved and baptized, and disciple others!
• I interned one summer in the student ministry with Jake & Jenn Edwards, met my husband through that (I'm forever grateful to you both!), and got married at Millbrook! 

Millbrook, thank you for investing so much of your time, energy, talents, and money into my family! Your love will never return void for me! Yes, my parents have done a phenomenal job raising their kids and have poured so much prayer into our lives that has molded us into the Christ followers that we are today, however, they couldn't have done all of that without the encouragement and leadership of some of you! Thank you for being a refuge for my family. Thank you for allowing me to LOVE the Church!! A lot of Pastors kids can't say that but I can and I thank YOU for that! Please, love your next Pastor and his family in the same way that you have loved all of us! I could go on and on but my words could never fully say how I feel about you! So, in the words of my dad on Sunday, I will just say ... 

"How can you love Jesus and not His Church! Jesus is using YOU to build His church You have a job to do! YOU are the 29th chapter of Acts! The Church won't fail you, don't fail it! Continue the Good work! Don't give up! Don't reminisce or sit on your hands!! The Church shall move AHEAD and MAKE DISCIPLES! Make it about JESUS"

Please continue to pray for my parents in the next phase of their lives! Pray that they continue to have a burning passion for those who do not have a relationship with Jesus and that they would continue to storm the gates of hell! Pray for their next church and their new city...that they will be on fire to reach others no matter the cost! Pray for the practical matters of it all: for a house to sell and a smooth transition to a different city! Pray for clarity and guidance in a chaotic world! And as you pray for them, we will pray for you!

'Til next time MB,