Easter Sunday

Jesus came so that we might live.

We love because He first loved us.

We are forgiven because He took our place.

Happy Easter!

Thought for the Week

I was listening to a Passion City Church podcast today and the pastor, Louie Giglio, said something that really caught my attention (this may or may not be a direct quote :)

"The miracle is not that Jesus did what He did but that He wanted to do what He did" (this was about healing the blind man in John 9).

Easter is coming and I want to challenge you to think about the amazingness behind the Easter season. God didn't have to come and save us from our sins but He wanted to. Jesus didn't need to die for our transgressions, but out of perfect love He did.

This weekend, take a few moments to be in awe of the fact that God loves the sinners that we are and that He wants a relationship with us, His beloved children. This is the true meaning of Christianity.

Thankfulness

My Bible Study and I had a "50 Days of Thankfulness" event where we wrote down one thing a day that we were thankful for for 50 days. It was so great that we did it twice - once around Thanksgiving and another time in the new year. I love taking a few seconds out of my day to focus on being thankful. I think that we get caught up in focusing on "me me me" in our society rather than on God. This is a small way to counter that.

Here are a list of what I have been thankful for these past few days. I hope this list inspires you to write your own!

- Springtime sunshine
- Laughing with friends
- Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream
- Finishing a midterm
- Checking off lots of things on my to-do list
- Skype dates with friends



p.s. you can listen to Hawk Nelson's new CD (coming out April 2nd) all week here! Check it out - it's awesome!

Broken - SOTW

This chorus hits me hard every time. 

Song: Broken

Artist: Lifehouse

Your Glory

My life is Yours

My hope is in You only

My heart You hold

'Cause You made this sinner holy

Your glory is so beautiful

I fall onto my knees in awe

And the heartbeat of my life

Is to worship in Your light

Your glory is so beautiful.

- Your Glory by All Sons and Daughters

Struggles

Spring Has Sprung

Spring is almost here and I don't know about you but I'm ready pull some of my favorite warmer weather pieces out of the closet! The only problem is... it's still cold! Here are some tips to add some spring into your outfit while you wait for the warmer weather!

1) Layer up with Pastels!
Layering is key when transitioning into and out of winter but put a warm weather twist on things and pair pastels together. My favorite pairing is my blush leather jacket, a short sleeve green cardi and a black and white stripped shirt. Here's another version of my favorite:

2) Roll It Up!
Pair your favorite cozy sweater with a pair of rolled up jeans and a pair of flats or nude heels. Adding cuffs to your jeans helps you show a little skin  and adding a pair of nude heels can make your legs seem suuuuper long.


3) Color on Color on Color
Jessica on What I Wore has featured two outfits in the past few days where she has worn color on color on color (coral pictured here, find a purple outfit on her blog). Her tip for this is to ground it with a basic like dark wash jeans. Wearing a bunch of the same color is a great way to let everyone know that you're reading for spring! Try an outfit like the one pictured here - a cardigan, shirt and necklace - in your favorite color with your favorite pair of jeans!

Carry Me - SOTW

This song has quite literally been on repeat all week around here.

Enjoy!

Song: Carry Me

Artist: Josh Wilson

[note: the acoustic version is just as awesome!]

Tough Truth

"Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want.
It is the belief that God will do what is right."
- Max Lucado

What is faith to you?

All that is Gold does not Glitter

- J.R. Tolkien 

All that the world offers is not enough,

not all who don't know what's next are truly lost;

A strong faith from long ago will not wither,

a faith rooted deep will not be shaken.

From a spark of hope faith can be renewed,

darkness will not win out over the light;

returned to perfect the world will be;

Jesus again shall be King.

{my take on this beautiful poem}

Don't lose hope. Don't stop fighting.

God is holding onto you even when you forget to hold onto Him.

Never Gone - SOTW

I think I might be half of the hits on this video. 

Love the lyrics, love her voice, love the promise.

Song: Never Gone

Artist: Angie Miller (from American Idol Season 12)

Original by Colton Dixon here

Blaise Pascal

"In faith, there is enough light for those who desire only to see, and enough darkness for those of a contrary disposition."

- Blaise Pascal

" Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I’m talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do." 

- Romans 1:20

Lavender Jeans - 3 Ways

I recently bought my first pair of colored pants... yes, I'm a little behind with the times... and I was lost at how to style them at first! Here are three ways to style this pair of lavender pants (which is the pair I have). One way is girly, one is colorful and preppy, and the other is a bit more relaxed!

My Prayer

Here's my prayer for the week:

Lyrics from: More Than Words by The Museum

Through My Father's Eyes - SOTW

Beautiful honesty.

Song: Through My Father's Eyes

Artist: Holly Starr