Florida pride Friday

incredibly spoiled, but so grateful to live here...

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

ROBINSON 

Fits & Starts 

 SO excited for these guys... back in the day i played the bass guitar (yep, that's right...slappin' the bass man) in the middle school/ high school worship band with Brentice and Tyler...

it's about time they released some official tunes!!! 

check them out!!! 

Florida pride Friday

i was born and raised in 

alligators don't scare me

i've got a jar full of sharks teeth

i wear flip flops year round

i can almost guarantee that every afternoon at 4pm there will be a torrential downpour for 20 minutes, then you can head back to the beach

i have a drawer full of bathing suits
while my sweaters are packed away in boxes

a mountain is any hill 100ft above sea level

i don't surf...but I sure can buggie board!

i can pronounce Okeechobee, Kissimmee and Withlacoochee

hurricanes = hurricane parties!






 

we have amazing
sunrises AND sunsets

 yes- i went to UF, no- i don't know Tebow 

it's socially acceptable to be sweaty

 publix is truly where shopping is a pleasure

an umbrella, sunscreen and bug spray are in my car at all times

and the humidity...

that's just a natural moisturizer!

 



  although I have moved to California and fallen in love with the west coast,

i'll always be a Florida girl at heart

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫ : classical edition

 growing up with a mom who studied music as her major in college, sang in the symphony, and led the children's and adult's choir at church--
I was strongly encouraged (aka forced) to play the piano. 

of course, as soon as I got the chance, I quit. 

and of course, I regret it. 

however, I believe I have redeemed myself and made my mom the happiest mom ever by not only moving back home for a few months,
 but by asking her to teach me piano again. 

a few months ago I heard this song 
and decided it was my goal to learn it on the piano

Clair De Lune [french for "moonlight"]

by Claude Debussy

I'll admit, it's quite a challenge to go from my last 

performance of the pink panther to this...

but I'm really enJOYing this challenge 

What old hobby would you like to pick back up?

use me

so incredibly thankful for the Lord's gracious

desire to use me

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

 I've got the best song EVER to share with you guys this Tuesday...

Below is one of my favorite articles, written by Keith Johnson.

I love the picture it paints

I love the conviction it brings

& I love the Savior it points me to 

For the next 2 weeks, I have the privilege--and challenge--of taking 2 IBS (Institute of Biblical Studies)courses as part of my training for joining staff with Cru.

As I struggle to wake up at 6:45am,

stay awake in lecture for 4 hours,

understand new theological terms,

and soak up as much as I can...

my prayer is that these are not just dance moves,

but natural responses to the music of the gospel

which compels me to grow in knowledge of Him

Hearing the Music of the Gospel
Keith E. Johnson, Ph.D. (for the full article:click here)

The Music and the Dance

Imagine yourself in a large house in which those who are deaf and those who can hear are living together.[1]  In one of the rooms, you see a man sitting in a chair listening to music on his iPod.  Rhythmically, he is tapping his foot, snapping his fingers and swaying to the beat of the song. His entire body moves in response to what his ears are hearing.  It is obvious that he is enjoying himself.

A few minutes later, one of the deaf persons opens the door and enters the room.  He carefully watches the person listening to the music and thinks to himself, “He seems to be having fun, I think I'll try that too.”  So, he sits down next to the man with the iPod and begins to imitate him. Awkwardly and haltingly at first, he tries to snap his fingers, tap his toes and move like the man next to him. After a little practice, he slowly begins to sway in time with the first man by watching and trying—mirroring his actions.  Although he eventually gets better at keeping time, he concludes that it is not as much fun or as easy as it initially seemed. Indeed, it takes an enormous amount of effort to mimic the dance.

Imagine that a third person enters the room and watches this scene.  What does he see? Two people apparently doing the same thing.  Is there a difference?  Absolutely! The first man hears the music and his actions are but a natural response to the music’s rhythm and melody. The second man is merely imitating the outward actions.

An important parallel exists to our Christian life.  The “dance” represents the Christian life while the “music” represents the gospel.  Sadly, we are often like the person in my story who tries to perform the dance steps without hearing the music.  God’s heart is not simply to get us to dance but to get us to hear the music of the gospel—dancing reflexively follows. What follows in this article is a brief reflection on how to tune into the music of the gospel, listening for its rhythm as you read the Scriptures.

 

Understanding the Redemptive Focus of Scripture

Often we look to the Bible seeing nothing more than a collection of ethical directives and moral imperatives instructing us in how to live.   But to read Scripture this way is to reduce it to dance steps, the do’s and don’ts of the Christian life, and miss the melody entirely.  To hear the music of the gospel, we need to understand how God intends his Word to function in our lives. 

Toward this end, the writer of Hebrews gives us a push us in the right direction.  In chapter four, he urges his readers not to be hard-hearted and miss the “rest” God has provided in Christ (Heb. 4:1-11).  He closes with the following statement about God’s Word: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:12-13, ESV).  Notice how he describes the role of Scripture in our lives—likening it to the sharpest sword imaginable, a sword that penetrates to the deepest recesses of our soul.  As a result, we are “naked and exposed” before God.  What the writer wants us to see is that Scripture, first, is designed to expose the sinful condition of our heart. 

Several years ago I had a very stressful week prior to the start of major conference I was leading.  A number of times, I found myself asking my wife’s forgiveness for being rude to her.  However, in the back of my mind I really believed the problem was my circumstances: “If my life were not so stressful,” I told myself, “I would not be treating the people around me so poorly.”  The following Sunday, our pastor spoke from Deuteronomy 8 about how God tests our hearts to reveal what is in them.  It was as if God’s Spirit shined his spotlight in my heart saying, “Your problem is not these circumstances.  These circumstances merely revealed what was in your heart.”  This is precisely what Scripture is intended to do – to reveal our brokenness.

I realize that what I have said so far about the Scripture is not particularly upbeat and something you’d want to dance to.  But that’s coming.  The choreography of grace is indirect, by which I mean you cannot access it directly but must waltz first through brokenness and repentance. Those who seek to move directly to the upbeat and eliminate the downbeat, destroy the tune entirely.

Scripture, graciously, does not merely leave us naked, exposed in our sin.  Notice how the writer of Hebrews continues: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16, ESV).  The writer of Hebrews does not point us toward a program of behavior modification but to a person: the remedy to our brokenness not in corrective dance steps but in the person Christ.

Most scholars believe that the readers of Hebrews were Jewish Christians.  A number of them had experienced persecution for following Christ and some were tempted to walk away from Christ.  In this context, the writer of Hebrews paints a portrait of one who fundamentally understands because, in his human nature, he has experienced the exact same temptations as they have.  Through this (and other portraits of Christ), the writer of Hebrews is attempting to woo the hearts of his readers to the love and beauty of Christ.

This highlights a second role of Scripture—namely, pointing our hearts to our Savior.  We tend to limit this dimension of Scripture merely to those who are outside the Christian faith (i.e., the primary role of Scripture for the unbeliever is pointing his or her heart toward Christ).  We often fail to recognize that our hearts constantly need to be pointed to Christ as well.  As believers, we are still tempted to make our lives work apart from Christ and often seek life apart from him in control, influence, approval, performance, or any number of aternatives. We, therefore, constantly need to be pointed back to the one in whom alone life can be found.  From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture does two things: (1) it exposes our brokenness and (2) points us to our savior.  We will look at each of these in more detail.

 

Portraits of Our Brokenness

The primary question on most of our minds as we read and apply Scripture is “What does this passage teach about what I am supposed to do?”  If we read the Bible merely looking for dance steps (“What does this passage tell me to do?”), we will fail to hear the music of the gospel.  To hear the music of the gospel, we must first ask a different question: “What does this passage reveal about our spiritual brokenness that requires the redemptive work of Christ?” 

Let’s look at a couple of examples.  Imagine you are reading through the Gospel of Mark.  In chapter ten, you read about an incident that took place as Jesus and his disciples were making their final journey to Jerusalem where he would be crucified.  Immediately after Jesus tells his disciples that he will be spit upon, flogged and murdered in Jerusalem (Mark 10:32-33), James and John approach Jesus with a special request: “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory” (Mark 10:37).  James and John were requesting special places of honor in his kingdom.  They saw their association with Jesus as a means to future status, power and influence.  As a result, they were blind to Jesus’ true purpose.  At this point, you may be thinking, “How can they have been so blind?”  But if we each ask the question, “What does this passage reveal about my spiritual brokenness that requires the redemptive work of Christ?” we may very well see ourselves in the actions of Jesus’ disciples.  Are we not also like James and John?  On staff with Campus Crusade for Christ we may not make a lot of money; however, we certainly can look for life in power and influence and even use ministry (Jesus) as a means to that end. 

Next, imagine you were reading through the book of Jeremiah.  In the second chapter, you came across these words: “Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:12-13, ESV).  The people of Israel were dependent on rainfall for their survival.  They frequently collected rain water underground in cisterns hewn of rock.  For people who lived in a drought-filled land, this imagery would be startling.  The prophet claims that God’s people exchanged a rich flowing, fresh fountain for leaky buckets that cannot even hold life-giving water.  As we reflect on this passage, we want to ask ourselves the question, “What does this passage reveal about our spiritual brokenness that requires the redemptive work of Christ?”  As we reflect on this question, we immediately recognize that this passage aptly describe our lives as well.  When we look for life apart from Christ in relationships, success, control, influence, sexual fantasy, etc., we trade a fresh flowing spring for  leaky buckets that cannot hold any water.[2]

 

Portraits of a Beautiful Savior

Because Scripture has a redemptive purpose, it does not merely leave us exposed in our sin.  It also points us to the music of the gospel (i.e., all that God is for us in Christ).  Hence, there is a second question we need to ask as we seek to respond to God through his Word.  After we have asked, “What does this reveal about my brokenness that requires the work of Christ?” we next must ask, “How does this passage point me to Christ and the ‘good news’ of the gospel?”

In a debate with Jewish leaders over his authority and identity, Jesus offers the following indictment: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5:39-40, ESV).  Jesus was not talking with theological “liberals.”  He was talking with the people who revered the Scriptures.  Even though they carefully studied the Scriptures, Jesus claims that they completely missed the meaning of the Scriptures.  They were looking for life in the wrong place.  What was it that they missed?  They had missed the redemptive purpose of Scripture: that they were designed to point us to Christ.^[3] They had come to believe that Scripture’s role in redemption was in detailing for us the commands and demands that God required while missing that Scripture’s role in redemption was in pointing us to the Christ.

Again, note the difference in the following examples, when we come to the text not simply looking for dance steps but asking “How does this passage point me to Christ and the ‘good news’ of the gospel?”  Two short examples may help make this question (“How does this passage point me to Christ and the ‘good news’ of the gospel?”) more concrete.

Matthew 4 records the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.  If we read this passage simply asking “What does this passage exhort me to do?” we will not hear the music of gospel.  The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness will be reduced to a lesson about how to avoid temptation.  While this story may have implications for how we handle temptation, it is crucial that we consider how this story points us to Christ.  Matthew is drawing a parallel between the experience of the people of Israel and Jesus.  Both were led into the wilderness.  Both were tested.  What happened when Israel was led into the wilderness?  Israel failed.  What happened when Jesus was led into the wilderness?  He remained faithful.  We must remember that the Gospels proclaim “good news.”  In what sense does this passage offer “good news”?  Like Israel, we too have been tempted and fail. If we were honest, we fail more often than we care to admit.  We need someone who can live a perfect life in our place, on our behalf. And the great news of the Gospel is Jesus has done just that.  Jesus, therefore, is not primarily our example in this passage.  He is our hero.  In a sermon on this passage, Jason Gibson sums this up well:

If Jesus had failed in the desert we could not have been put right with God, for there would have been no perfect sacrifice to take away sin forever, and no perfect life to be credited to our account. In the Gospel God treats Jesus as if He had failed and treats us as if we had never failed. In the Gospel Jesus is punished as if He had disobeyed God, and we are declared to be perfect as if we had never disobeyed God! Matthew’s Gospel is about just that - the Gospel! Which is about Jesus, God’s final obedient Son. The wait for an obedient son is over. He has arrived. Jesus is the new and better Adam, the true Israel who has defeated the devil and won back for rebels the paradise lost. And this is the Gospel that is available to all of us who admit our weakness and inability to overcome Satan, and trust in what Jesus has done for us on our behalf.[4]

By asking how this passage points us to Christ, we begin to hear music we might easily have missed.

Consider again the following passage in Hebrews 4: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16, ESV). 

We live in a world marked by suffering and difficulty.  Parents married twenty years file for a divorce.  A friend’s life is tragically ended by an auto accident.  A parent contracts a debilitating illness.  As believers we sometimes find ourselves despairing in response to these circumstances.  It’s easy to feel like no one understands.  Notice how the writer of Hebrews points our hearts to one who truly does understand, calling us to reflect upon Jesus’ final hours:  He was betrayed by a friend;  abandoned by his disciples;  endured unimaginable physical and emotional abuse; and experienced an excruciating death.  He understands abandonment, loneliness, rejection, shame and deep sadness because he experienced these things himself.  He can identify with the entire gamut of our painful experiences.  Not only can we find understanding in Christ, but when we draw near to him we also find “mercy and grace to help in time of need.”  Thus, as we ask the question, “How does this passage point me to Christ and the ‘good news’ of the gospel?” we see that the “good news” is that we have a savior who understands suffering and pain because he has experienced them himself.

...

Conclusion

Our hearts were made to respond to the music—the music of the gospel.  As we allow Scripture to expose our brokenness and point us to our savior, we will richly experience the gospel.  As Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, explains, “[The gospel ] tells us that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope—at the same time. In fact, if the gospel is true, the more you see your sin, the more certain you are that you were saved by sheer grace and more precious and electrifying that grace is to you . . . .”  You are going to have the opportunity to apply these two questions as you reflect on six passages in Ephesians in the study that follows entitled, “Hearing the Music of the Gospel in Ephesians.”

---

[1] This illustration was developed by Larry Kirk.  I am indebted to Larry for helping me better understand and experience how the Scriptures point us to the music of the gospel.

[2] To use a biblical term, we are “idolaters.”  Idolatry is one of the major themes in Old Testament.  What is the first commandment?  “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:3).  Idolatry is not merely about creating a wooden statue to which we bow down in worship (cf. Ezekiel 14:1-8).  Idolatry takes place anytime the functional trust of our heart shifts to someone or something other than Christ.

[3] In his book Ancient Love Song, Charles Drew rightly notes that Scripture points us to Christ in a complex variety of ways.  The Law anticipates Christ by exposing our hearts and persuading us of our need for a savior.  The promises anticipate him by kindling a longing at numerous levels that only Jesus can ultimately fulfill.  Wisdom Literature compels us to look to Christ for meaning and for the ability to live wisely.  The psalmists and prophets often speak with the voice of Christ, anticipating his own anguish and exaltation.  Old Testament characters look forward to a prophet greater than Moses, a priest greater than Aaron and a king greater than David.  Thus, the way Scripture points us to Christ in Genesis differs significantly from the way Scripture points us to Christ in the Gospel of John. See Charles D. Drew, The Ancient Love Song: Finding Christ in the Old Testament (Phillipsburg, N.J.: P & R Publishing, 2000).

[4] Jason Gibson, “Finally . . . An Obedient Son.” www.beginningwithmoses.org/briefings/matthew4v1to11.htm, accessed December 21, 2007.

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

 this thursday i'll be packing up my car
and heading 2,793 miles to the east
(here's why)

 luckily i have some of the best friends out there
-seriously-
who flew to CA to make the trip back with me
so.excited.

AAA ✓

oil changed ✓

trail mix ✓

best friends to experience this epic trip with ✓

 No road-trip checklist is complete without good music

playlist ✓

can't wait to blast this

 

                     6 days
                     8 states
                     2,793 miles...ready, go!

{check out more of the Branches awesome music here}

oh hey transition, we meet again...

this bittersweet feeling is becoming very familiar...

i'm once again at a point of transition in my life

Twice now, I have begun the year thinking, 

“this is just for 1 year”, 

and now that I am again at the end of my internship, 

I cannot deny that the Lord is leading me 
to continue serving Him through the Cru ministry.

Through my experience working in the PSW office, through the counsel of friends and mentors, and most importantly through prayer,
the Lord has led me to apply for a full-time staff position with Cru.
And just last week I received my acceptance!

The exciting decision to join staff with Cru 
and attend New Staff Training this summer

also means:

moving back to FL

2,500 miles away from the people and places i grew to love this year

for an unknown amount of time 

while I attend 5 weeks of training and raise support

my sinful heart is so quick to be frustrated

to doubt

to complain

but--thankfully, I belong to a gracious God

who quickly reminds me of His trustworthy track record

comforts me with faithful friends

and calms my anxious heart with His provisions. 

so in the midst of change

and in the whirlwind of my emotions

I cling to the one who is constant

Numbers 23:19 - 

God is not human, that he should lie,
   not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
   Does he promise and not fulfill?

Hebrews 13:8 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

the joy of exploring california...

i love having visitors, especially these ones: 

"We're passing the landfills", says my mom as she and my dad enter Irvine, CA for the first time. She's obviously not used to seeing hills...because in Florida, anything resembling a "hill" would be a landfill....and so begins an east coaster's journey to the west coast...

although moving from one coast to another has had its challenges,

{like being new to everything}

it has also opened the door to so many new opportunities and chances to grow

one of the things that i've learned about myself in the last couple years is that

 i love to explore

 new scenery, new foods,  new people

gives me energy

stretches my comfort zone

and opens my eyes to a bigger world

and since my parents had never been to southern california before, 

we got to do some more exploring!

 Here are some of my favorite spots around + some new ones!

Walking around the story-book island of Balboa with a frozen banana as the sun sets 

You cannot get the full California experience without an In-n-Out burger

...animal style, of course.

*This place is ranunculusly beautiful*

right off the HWY-5 in carlsbad, ca is "The Flower Fields"

50 acres of extraordinary color in bloom on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean

it's open March-May-- it's a MUST see!

after a few days in Orange County, we decided to take a trip up the coast a bit...

although driving along the coast is beautiful, I prefer taking "the pass" (just north of Santa Barbara) through Los Padres National Forest with views the Pacific Ocean, the Santa Ynez mountains and Lake Cachuma--it's absolutely breathtaking 

(especially when you run for your life across the street
before a car comes zipping around the corner)

Montana de Oro (Point Buchon Trail)  was my parent's favorite part of their trip

 (and mine, even the second time) 

 california poppies, wildflowers, wide open space, oceanside cliffs,
and a WHALE SIGHTING! 

Keep driving north on US-1 for about an hour until you hear the seals...

seven miles north of San Simeon, is the Piedras Blancas rookery-- home to hundreds of elephant seals for their molt season for about 1 month

and of course, you can't come to california and not taste the wine

seriously...route 154...take it

And to finish off the trip, we stopped in Santa Barbara to see the old Mission

and there's so much more to explore...

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

Just bought my tickets to see these guys live
April 7th
Constellation Room
Santa Ana, CA
::so excited::

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

i wish my jam sessions sounded like this...

LISA HANNIGAN - I DON'T KNOW




What are you jammin' to today??

Turn it up Tuesdays ♫

there's nothing better than blasting your favorite song...
(in the car
with the windows down
on a sunny afternoon
on the way home from work)

whether an oldie but a goodie
or a newly discovered gem...
every tuesday (don't quote me on that)
i'll share a tune I think is worth cranking up the volume for

i'm learning to read...

let me clarify...i'm learning to enjoy reading

i'm the type who needs to be hooked within the first chapter,
or else it goes back on the shelf
...the shelf that doesn't really exist
because i've always thought: i don't like reading
i blame this on summer reading
summer after summer being required to read
strange, boring, and sometimes disturbing books
scarred me.

that's a legit excuse, right?


luckily--there have been some redeeming books out there
that have given me hope again

and I think I'm ready to give these a try

let's see what all the hype is about...

oh the joy of carbs...

i think spaghetti was the first thing my mom taught me to make.
and if i ever had to cook a meal for friends in college, this was my go-to.
pretty boring, right?
it was time to step it up a notch.

Here's a new "twist" on spaghetti
still super easy...but way more fun!
(and more impressive for your guests)

• 1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust (next time I would try a thicker dough)
  
• 6 oz spaghetti, cooked
• 1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
• optional: italian sausage or ground beef
  
• 8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes
• 1 egg white
• Parmesan cheese
• Garlic salt
  

1. Spread dough out on parchment paper
2. Cook pasta
3. Cook meat
4. Cut cheese into cubes

5. Mix spaghetti and sauce. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough.
6. Top with meat and cheese cubes
7. Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough.
8. Braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.

9. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Garlic salt
10. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown

good things come to those who wait

i love shopping
shocker--i know...
but not just any shopping, bargain shopping!
I've always prided myself in the fact that my dad says I'm a smart shopper.
yes, i do indulge in an occasional splurge
but i thrive off of a good steal

here's a classic example:

Dolce Vita Hayword Pumps

These were at the top of my wish list for months
i finally decided it would be worth it to save up the $$ to splurge,
but of course, they were sold out.
i searched and searched

a year-ish later...
in a sea of vintage bags, shoes, and clothes
i spotted them
...
you should have seen my face
it was like i had found buried treasure
in a way, i did!

Knock-Offs

it paid (big time) to wait!

My favorite O.C. thrift store: Crossroads Trading Co.
"Whether you call it recycled, resale, vintage or thrift,
we call it Fashion."
they've got everything from Marc Jacobs and DVF, to Urban Outfitters and Gap

Like most thrift stores, you've got to be willing to hunt
but the hunt is half the fun!

Happy Hunting!!