The last few weeks have been beautiful! Here's a little update straight to the point...
We've had some windy and rainy weather, but it makes me want to curl up inside with a book
There's been some extremely sunny weather that has reminded me of how much I love the West Coast
I have had many wonderful coffee dates with some friends that I truly cherish
Pumpkin spice candles, latte's, and bread has entered the scene once again, and it brings joy to my senses
The gorgeous sweaters have made an entrance and the boots just complete each outfit to a tee...
Our heavy winter blanket has covered out duvet, which makes going to sleep all the more wonderful
My robe is no longer annoying and space hog in my closet, it's a MUST HAVE this time of year
Apple juice turns to hot spiced cider with a touch of cinnamon and cloves
This semester is just a little more than half way over, which means I'm that much closer to graduation
The Beautiful Truth is becoming more of a reality! I've had to kick into gear getting the planning going
Christmas is on it's way, and according to Starbucks, I should be enjoying everything RED...oh well:)
Quality family time is heading this way very quickly...
Soups and stews and pot roasts are something my husband hopefully gets to come home to
Life is beautiful.
Thank you God for the simple things that make me smile.
Britt
Nov 5, 2010
Oct 28, 2010
Not Perfect. But Beautiful.
No marriage is perfect.
We all have times where we are struggling. Often we have different levels of struggles. Some face extremely obvious hardship, while others are battle a little more quietly. Some struggle after 30 years of marriage, while others are pushing through things in their earlier years.
What I am getting at here is this....
Don't read into every other couple you know thinking that they don't know what it means to struggle. Thinking they just have a perfect relationship and nothing hard ever comes their way.
That's pure judgement right there.
I know for myself personally I bet there are some people that look as Jason and I and think, "Oh they have it good. They never fight or have bad days. They don't know what it's like to experience hardship in life."
And they are 100% wrong.
When I am talking about struggles here, I'm not just talking about the arguments or dissention that can be felt within your marriage. I'm also talking about the difficult things that can happen in life.
And we get it, even after only being married one year.
We know what it's like to argue.
We know what it's like to have a hard day.
We know what it's like to wonder where the money will come from and to wonder when things will get easier.
We know what it's like to just want to hold on to each other and ignore the difficult things happening around us.
Now don't get me wrong here, I do look back on my new life with Jason and see such beauty, such joy, such love that has grown deeper and more authentic. Most of all, I see God holding our hands together along the way. Honestly, besides the normal differences every young couple works through, Jason and I are wonderful. I feel that my love for him grows stronger as each day passes, and being able to see him every day of my life fills me with such joy.
It's the difficult challenges that life brings that can make everything else harder.
But it's how you act in that time that matters. It's how you respond that is important.
Take our wedding day for instance. It POURED and THUNDERED which changed every single plan that he been there from the beginning. Seriously, I'm not kidding her. We were having an outdoor wedding and reception in the middle of July. But God had different plans. So we went with it and INVITED the rain to be just another "accent" to our wedding day.
Just like the storms that come into our lives, we need to respond in a way we won't be embarrassed to look back upon. Yes, we make mistakes, but if we hold our heads up, I believe God will guide us down the right path.
So have hope today. Know that EVERY couple has difficult days, weeks, or months. Some couples experience hard times within their marriage, while others experience hardship in many other areas.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Push through this difficult time. Make sure to spend time with those that refresh you, and build you up. Ask others' for prayer. Spend time in prayer yourself.
God knows.
He will bring you out of that storm.
He brought Jason through the storm, and we were still holding hands tightly, full of love for each other.
He CAN do the same for you.
We all have times where we are struggling. Often we have different levels of struggles. Some face extremely obvious hardship, while others are battle a little more quietly. Some struggle after 30 years of marriage, while others are pushing through things in their earlier years.
What I am getting at here is this....
Don't read into every other couple you know thinking that they don't know what it means to struggle. Thinking they just have a perfect relationship and nothing hard ever comes their way.
That's pure judgement right there.
I know for myself personally I bet there are some people that look as Jason and I and think, "Oh they have it good. They never fight or have bad days. They don't know what it's like to experience hardship in life."
And they are 100% wrong.
When I am talking about struggles here, I'm not just talking about the arguments or dissention that can be felt within your marriage. I'm also talking about the difficult things that can happen in life.
And we get it, even after only being married one year.
We know what it's like to argue.
We know what it's like to have a hard day.
We know what it's like to wonder where the money will come from and to wonder when things will get easier.
We know what it's like to just want to hold on to each other and ignore the difficult things happening around us.
Now don't get me wrong here, I do look back on my new life with Jason and see such beauty, such joy, such love that has grown deeper and more authentic. Most of all, I see God holding our hands together along the way. Honestly, besides the normal differences every young couple works through, Jason and I are wonderful. I feel that my love for him grows stronger as each day passes, and being able to see him every day of my life fills me with such joy.
It's the difficult challenges that life brings that can make everything else harder.
But it's how you act in that time that matters. It's how you respond that is important.
Take our wedding day for instance. It POURED and THUNDERED which changed every single plan that he been there from the beginning. Seriously, I'm not kidding her. We were having an outdoor wedding and reception in the middle of July. But God had different plans. So we went with it and INVITED the rain to be just another "accent" to our wedding day.
Just like the storms that come into our lives, we need to respond in a way we won't be embarrassed to look back upon. Yes, we make mistakes, but if we hold our heads up, I believe God will guide us down the right path.
So have hope today. Know that EVERY couple has difficult days, weeks, or months. Some couples experience hard times within their marriage, while others experience hardship in many other areas.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Push through this difficult time. Make sure to spend time with those that refresh you, and build you up. Ask others' for prayer. Spend time in prayer yourself.
God knows.
He will bring you out of that storm.
He brought Jason through the storm, and we were still holding hands tightly, full of love for each other.
He CAN do the same for you.
Oct 18, 2010
I enjoy Big Train Chai
Now that is what I call beautiful. Spiced Big Train Chai.
What is something you enjoy today?
As I was thinking about what to write today, and I thought it was the perfect day for something simple. Something that wasn't in depth or profound, even though in my opinion Big Train is just that....But really, I was thinking about how we desire to feel enjoyment. There's a reason why coffee shops have spread like wildfire. It's a place were we like to take some time in our day to stop and grab something we enjoy drinking. Some of us meet at coffee shops to chat and catch up with a good friend. Some of us need a little perk to push us through the day, but this by all means adds a little joy into our lives, whether we will acknowledge that or not.
Sidenote...
I really get a whole lot of homework, cleaning, and checking off my to do list when I have a little cup of yummy joe. Even if it's decaf might I add....talk about mind games!!
Anyway, the point of all of this is my desire to remind you to take a moment to stop and enjoy something that you love. Enjoy that cup of coffee. Enjoy that piece of chocolate, or that pumpkin spice bread. Take some time reading those blogs that you enjoy, or if you are a book worm, read some of your favorite book before you go to sleep.
Do something today that you enjoy.
There are so many things that you could to do that you enjoy. Life is stressful, crazy, busy, and often scary at times. Things change. Stress pours in. Responsibilities pile on top of each other. Yet, take a moment to ENJOY your day. Take a moment to say hi to God and thank him for your day, for this beautiful fall weather. Unless you aren't in BC or on the West Coast....then I am really not sure if you are experiencing such gorgeous weather.
So today, I'm going to enjoy my chai latte (of course I'll disregard the fact that my milk tastes a little off;)
I'm going to get in a good exercise becuase I enjoy it.
I'm going to go see a movie with my love, but I enjoy being with him (And it's Monday and neither of us have things to do on this day;)
Do you get my point?
Do something today that makes you happy, that makes you feel good.
God loves you and wants you to enjoy today.
Britt
Sep 30, 2010
Walk on that Water...
Do you have a dream?
Do you have something so heavy on your heart, that you lay there dreaming about it as you fall asleep each night?
Do you ever wonder if that "one thing" you have always wanted to do just might ever becoming a reality?
I sure did.
And my dream is slowly coming true.
For the last few months, this song has resonated with me every time I hear it. The first time I heard it, was actually on The Biggest Loser as funny as that may sound. But honestly, it made sense right then as I heard the lyrics for the first time.
Walk on the water.
Just like Jesus told Peter to do. Just as Peter knew in his heart he very well could do, should do. The story is unique, and it is utterly beautiful now that I look at it.
29"Come," he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
Right now, I have only taken that first step of walking on the water. I have only begun my journey, of creating a group, a program, just something for every beautiful young girl, young women, mature women seeking to find the truth.
It's beautiful really. God has given me a dream. And I intend to pursue it until I feel that I have lived up to what I feel called to do.
But it hasn't been easy, and I am battling those doubts daily. "What if no one shows up? What if girls don't want any help? What if I get too overwhelmed that I can't speak anymore, that I can't even think? What if...?"
And I believe.
Do you?
Do you believe that what God has put on your heart, can and will come true?
Do you believe that you can do this?
Because I sure do.
I believe in you, and I need you to believe in me to.
Britt
Sep 17, 2010
A Struggling Life. A Loss of Another.
Life is so short. Life is incredibly precious.
Yesterday morning, a friend from high school lost his life. Today, a baby boy is trying to hold on to his. What do we make of this? Even though I am not closely tied to either of these beautiful souls, my heart goes out to their families.
Orrin Coates. A friend of many from high school, a best friend today, a brother, an uncle, a son. Orrin brought life to those he spent time with, this I do remember even though it's been a few years. He knew what his plans were, and he was full of joy because of that. Orrin, life took him too soon.
Baby Bowen. He was born with a heart that was under developed. He has a Mommy and Daddy that love him so much. Two big sisters that can't wait to play with their little brother. Bowen, a life that is fighting so hard to keep going.
God, we question why things like this happen. We don't understand why anyone has to lose a life so young, or be born with burdens that are at times physically impossible to bare. This reminds me of our little Carter that passed away a few months ago, that fought an incredibly long and grueling fight with cancer. Lord, why do they have to face this?
Loss is never something easy to grasp. Even when my precious GrandFather died Christmas day three years ago, it was still heart wrenching and life changing even though he had lived a long and beautiful life.
I'm reading through a book for one of my classes and these words resonated in my heart when thinking about loss. "Loss, any kind of loss---rejection, abandonment, divorce, death---is a shocking, numbing, gray thing that at the outset, at least, freezes the heart and slows the mind. Loss changes life at the root. Irrevocable. What was once the center of life--the person, the position, the plan, the lifestyle---is no more." (The Story of Ruth)
Loss freezes the heart and slows the mind.
So how to we grasp this? I'm speaking for those of us on the outside looking in. We may not have been in the direct line of this loss, yet we still experience this sadness and utter shock of the preciousness of life.
I don't know about you, but I have to run to God. I may not understand why things are happening the way they are, but I know that he does. He's the one that brought life into Orrin the day he was born. He's the one continuing to breathe life into the lungs of little baby Bowen.
We may not be experiencing loss the same as those who have lost their son, their brother, their best friend. But our lives have been shaken a bit. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of life, and the shortness of it at times.
This morning I woke up with a heavy heart. I was sad for Orrin's family. I felt for his close friends. I was wondering how baby Bowen was doing, wondering how his new Mommy and Daddy were handling this challenging time. So I chose to open my bible, and seek some encouragement, some comfort from my God.
" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
Then I skimmed further and found this,
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Guys, God is holding onto us. He is taking care of Orrin's family, he is holding the hand of Bowen. No matter where you are at in life, no matter what types of loss you have experienced, God is holding your hand. He wants you to know how much he loves you. So cry out to him, pray to him. He is listening.
My challenge for myself, and for you today, is to remind your family that you love them. Tell your closest friends how much you cherish them. Hug those you love, and kiss your children goodnight. But most of all, pray for those who are experiencing the loss first hand. Pray for those who are hoping for a life to just hold on.
Life is a beautiful thing. Don't take it for granted.
Yesterday morning, a friend from high school lost his life. Today, a baby boy is trying to hold on to his. What do we make of this? Even though I am not closely tied to either of these beautiful souls, my heart goes out to their families.
Orrin Coates. A friend of many from high school, a best friend today, a brother, an uncle, a son. Orrin brought life to those he spent time with, this I do remember even though it's been a few years. He knew what his plans were, and he was full of joy because of that. Orrin, life took him too soon.
Baby Bowen. He was born with a heart that was under developed. He has a Mommy and Daddy that love him so much. Two big sisters that can't wait to play with their little brother. Bowen, a life that is fighting so hard to keep going.
God, we question why things like this happen. We don't understand why anyone has to lose a life so young, or be born with burdens that are at times physically impossible to bare. This reminds me of our little Carter that passed away a few months ago, that fought an incredibly long and grueling fight with cancer. Lord, why do they have to face this?
Loss is never something easy to grasp. Even when my precious GrandFather died Christmas day three years ago, it was still heart wrenching and life changing even though he had lived a long and beautiful life.
I'm reading through a book for one of my classes and these words resonated in my heart when thinking about loss. "Loss, any kind of loss---rejection, abandonment, divorce, death---is a shocking, numbing, gray thing that at the outset, at least, freezes the heart and slows the mind. Loss changes life at the root. Irrevocable. What was once the center of life--the person, the position, the plan, the lifestyle---is no more." (The Story of Ruth)
Loss freezes the heart and slows the mind.
So how to we grasp this? I'm speaking for those of us on the outside looking in. We may not have been in the direct line of this loss, yet we still experience this sadness and utter shock of the preciousness of life.
I don't know about you, but I have to run to God. I may not understand why things are happening the way they are, but I know that he does. He's the one that brought life into Orrin the day he was born. He's the one continuing to breathe life into the lungs of little baby Bowen.
We may not be experiencing loss the same as those who have lost their son, their brother, their best friend. But our lives have been shaken a bit. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of life, and the shortness of it at times.
This morning I woke up with a heavy heart. I was sad for Orrin's family. I felt for his close friends. I was wondering how baby Bowen was doing, wondering how his new Mommy and Daddy were handling this challenging time. So I chose to open my bible, and seek some encouragement, some comfort from my God.
" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31
Then I skimmed further and found this,
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
Guys, God is holding onto us. He is taking care of Orrin's family, he is holding the hand of Bowen. No matter where you are at in life, no matter what types of loss you have experienced, God is holding your hand. He wants you to know how much he loves you. So cry out to him, pray to him. He is listening.
My challenge for myself, and for you today, is to remind your family that you love them. Tell your closest friends how much you cherish them. Hug those you love, and kiss your children goodnight. But most of all, pray for those who are experiencing the loss first hand. Pray for those who are hoping for a life to just hold on.
Life is a beautiful thing. Don't take it for granted.
Sep 12, 2010
Waiting for Something Beautiful
Yep. I'm listening to that amazing song by Needtobreathe called Something Beautiful.
And once again, I'm inspired.
The past few weeks have been just wonderful! I finished my job with the college and was able to do some last minute deep cleaning before my busy final year at CBC started. It was so nice to have a few weeks just to myself cleaning, and enjoying time spent with good girlfriends and family. Jason and I went home for about a week and spent some quality time with my family and that was such a gift! Everytime I get to see them, I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have them. They bring such refreshment into my life, and I thank God for that every day. Wish you could have been there wish us big brother!
So, I've actually begun the process of gathering info and what not for The Beautiful Truth. It's been such a fun beginning to this journey. I was able to get my mission statement put together, my vision, and the things that I value in regards to this dream. Thanks Cyndy for helping me with your expertise in getting this stuff out!
Here's what the walls looked like while we were doing the vision cast!
And once again, I'm inspired.
The past few weeks have been just wonderful! I finished my job with the college and was able to do some last minute deep cleaning before my busy final year at CBC started. It was so nice to have a few weeks just to myself cleaning, and enjoying time spent with good girlfriends and family. Jason and I went home for about a week and spent some quality time with my family and that was such a gift! Everytime I get to see them, I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have them. They bring such refreshment into my life, and I thank God for that every day. Wish you could have been there wish us big brother!
So, I've actually begun the process of gathering info and what not for The Beautiful Truth. It's been such a fun beginning to this journey. I was able to get my mission statement put together, my vision, and the things that I value in regards to this dream. Thanks Cyndy for helping me with your expertise in getting this stuff out!
Here's what the walls looked like while we were doing the vision cast!
To you guys, this looks like a jumble of color. But to me, it's ideas, dreams, and goals that have been written on my heart for months and are finally out on paper! It's been so fun beginning my research and getting some foundation set. The Beautiful Truth is BEGINNING! I have a lot of work to do, lots of prayer, and boy oh boy I'm excited:)
If any of you know someone that's passionate about making a change in the hearts and minds of our young women in the way they see themselves. If you want to help, email me! If you want to be a prayer warrior, I REALLY need it.
I'll keep you all updated on what's new with The Beautiful Truth.
I'm waiting for something beautiful to start rolling on into my life....:)
Aug 21, 2010
Operation Beautiful
Operation Beautiful.
What a blessing it was to see the one woman who started this thing speak about it on The Today Show a few weeks back. One morning, this woman came to the realization that she was sick of trying to live up to an impossible expectation of beauty. So she decided to make a change. She started putting sticky notes on the mirror in public bathrooms and hoped to make one woman smile. This continued on until thousands of women started sending in pictures of the places they had left a note and then a book was born. Every time I watch these type of videos I am once again reminded of the need to get The Beautiful Truth going. It's just so exciting to see the many different things women are doing to take a stand and remind each other how beautiful we are JUST THE WAY we are! It's inspiring, encouraging, and boy it is affirming.
For those of you that are aware of this dream I believe God has put on my heart called The Beautiful Truth, I am in the early stages of getting this started! I've been meeting with some people and discussing the possibilities for this next year in using the internship hours I need to obtain in order to graduate, to gain a stronger foundation of what I want to begin. I am hoping to spend three months doing research and polls and interviews and studying in order to gain a better grasp of what it is young women are in need of learning. I want to talk with those who have done things similar to this, or just been involved in the lives of those that struggle with self confidence. I also want to begin meeting with girls and really getting to the heart of this issue, and seeing how to make a beautiful change in the way we see ourselves. I'm hoping to officially start this program, or group during my second semester of school. It will be like my little baby, so I want to see how it goes on the campus of Columbia Bible College. This is all if my prof allows me to use this as my internship which would give me 8 hours for sure a week of research research research until I dive right in. Say a prayer! I sure hope this works out for my internship.
Other than that, it's been exciting seeing how God has brought specific people into my life at this time with gifts that can be used with The Beautiful Truth. How exciting!! I'm noticing that there's a big target on my back and the devil is sure heaving some huge challenges my way lately. But I will overcome each and every challenge and fear. When I say challenge, I mean my own fight to see God's true beauty in myself have grown more difficult. I've noticed old battles poking in more recently, which leads me to draw even closer to the Lord in order to gain strength and beat down those lies. The battle sure continues, even if you are trying to make a difference in the lives of others. Yet, my Mom has always said, if you don't feel the devil trying to bring you down, then you're not too big of a worry in his eyes, and boy we WANT to be a worry in his eyes...that means we are really doing something incredible for our God! I'm just thankful to have God on my side, holding my hand, and walking me through those dark moments. Lately, all I have been hearing and reading about during my God time is GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS! So thank you God, for that reminder that I need every single time I'm down.
Well, now that I went from passionately sharing Operation Beautiful, to updating you on The Beautiful Truth, and finally sharing some of the deepest struggles going on in my life, I guess I should end this tangent:)
Time to go to sleep....
Britt
What a blessing it was to see the one woman who started this thing speak about it on The Today Show a few weeks back. One morning, this woman came to the realization that she was sick of trying to live up to an impossible expectation of beauty. So she decided to make a change. She started putting sticky notes on the mirror in public bathrooms and hoped to make one woman smile. This continued on until thousands of women started sending in pictures of the places they had left a note and then a book was born. Every time I watch these type of videos I am once again reminded of the need to get The Beautiful Truth going. It's just so exciting to see the many different things women are doing to take a stand and remind each other how beautiful we are JUST THE WAY we are! It's inspiring, encouraging, and boy it is affirming.
For those of you that are aware of this dream I believe God has put on my heart called The Beautiful Truth, I am in the early stages of getting this started! I've been meeting with some people and discussing the possibilities for this next year in using the internship hours I need to obtain in order to graduate, to gain a stronger foundation of what I want to begin. I am hoping to spend three months doing research and polls and interviews and studying in order to gain a better grasp of what it is young women are in need of learning. I want to talk with those who have done things similar to this, or just been involved in the lives of those that struggle with self confidence. I also want to begin meeting with girls and really getting to the heart of this issue, and seeing how to make a beautiful change in the way we see ourselves. I'm hoping to officially start this program, or group during my second semester of school. It will be like my little baby, so I want to see how it goes on the campus of Columbia Bible College. This is all if my prof allows me to use this as my internship which would give me 8 hours for sure a week of research research research until I dive right in. Say a prayer! I sure hope this works out for my internship.
Other than that, it's been exciting seeing how God has brought specific people into my life at this time with gifts that can be used with The Beautiful Truth. How exciting!! I'm noticing that there's a big target on my back and the devil is sure heaving some huge challenges my way lately. But I will overcome each and every challenge and fear. When I say challenge, I mean my own fight to see God's true beauty in myself have grown more difficult. I've noticed old battles poking in more recently, which leads me to draw even closer to the Lord in order to gain strength and beat down those lies. The battle sure continues, even if you are trying to make a difference in the lives of others. Yet, my Mom has always said, if you don't feel the devil trying to bring you down, then you're not too big of a worry in his eyes, and boy we WANT to be a worry in his eyes...that means we are really doing something incredible for our God! I'm just thankful to have God on my side, holding my hand, and walking me through those dark moments. Lately, all I have been hearing and reading about during my God time is GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS! So thank you God, for that reminder that I need every single time I'm down.
Well, now that I went from passionately sharing Operation Beautiful, to updating you on The Beautiful Truth, and finally sharing some of the deepest struggles going on in my life, I guess I should end this tangent:)
Time to go to sleep....
Britt
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