ForeverLOVEd

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 Lately I've found myself with a wandering sense of focus. It's something I find myself struggling with almost daily. I get caught up, and distracted by, the things going on around me. Even as I write this, I am floating down the Danube on a river boat, listening to a lecture on locks, while I find myself playing scenarios in my mind, glancing at the people sitting next to me, and thrown off by every person that enters in and out of the room through the glass doors. As we tour these beautiful palaces and grand cathedrals, I see my attention escaping. I get caught up in the magic of the wedding that is going...

7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 "Take a picture of that one!" or "Make sure you get this one", I hear my grandpa chiming over my shoulders as we walk the streets of Vienna. Luck would have it he dropped and broke his camera on the first leg of our trip, leaving me as sole photographer for the rest of the journey. Slightly frustrated by this role, I am doing my best to not only take in all of the beauty and experience the culture, but also to capture just what he wants in pictures. I find myself considering to what extent we need this all in photographs. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that I will have a collection of photos to help me remember my journey and everything I saw, but pictures only capture so much. The stories behind the pictures, the sounds, the smells, the feeling don't come alive until I put my experiences with them. Until I describe what each one is or where I took it and why. As much as I'd love to go ho...

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! Luke 12:27-28 I have always been the type of girl who hated roller coasters. I'd avoid them at all cost. Every time we went to a theme park as a kid my brothers would be scoping out the biggest or highest or scariest roller coaster, while I would run in the other direction. And on the rare occasion that they actually got me in line for one, I'd spend the entire time worrying about the ride ahead. Then when I finally made it on board, I'd squeeze the person's hand next to me so tight that they'd lose feeling in their hands. As I've grown, I've also been known to throw out every curse word I know while we made our way up the giant hill rea...

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Roman 12:2 A lazy Saturday afternoon and I found a few minutes to sit on my bed and catch the end of the Clippers game. Caught up by a come from behind win in the first game of the playoffs, I was eager to watch the game! I cheered from the end of my bed as the Clippers quickly picked up momentum and continued to score basket after basket, eventually tying the game! But I found myself with a certain anxiety as player after player got fouled and seemed to find themselves shooting, what could be a game changing basket at the line. It was an anxiety that brought me back to my sports career as a kid! My parents signed me up for all the sports little kids normally play, some I enjoyed and some I absolutely hated! As I grew up I realized I liked the sports where I got to work as a team...