^ i got engaged on this day

this is our engagement photo.

seeing God in 3x5s

God is a personal God.

it is possible to believe that God is not personal if you are blind, deaf, mute, vegetative, lifeless, and without a spirit. yet even then i'd question your reasoning.

i can't believe coincidence or "fate" is more personal than God any more than i can believe we evolved with no purpose in mind. unfortunately i've allowed the past few months to unfocus myself o­n where God is in the midst of life. but i eventually found myself at the bottom of a hole with no where to look but up... literally. the last 24 hours have deepened my understanding of just how personal God is and how visible His love is... even in ordinary things.


-the people around me have been such a blessing. my family, nathan, friends, coworkers...

-the Spirit has a huge hand o­n the heart of Awaken. i am so excited for where we are going as a church community and have no doubt that God will strengthen us if we keep our eyes o­n Him.

-i've been provided with so much financially -- i got an unexpectedly large bonus at work, got me back o­n track with savings and let me spend a little more o­n christmas gifts.

-my eye infection is gone. yes, i used polysporin o­n it all weekend. that should be common sense. but i prayed it would heal and oh look, it has.

-this morning i woke up and got out of the house with time to spare. (no rushing = very good start to lauren's day!)

-i trusted God would help me find a parking spot in the rush at brentwood. He did.

-i got off the train at ten past eight (unusually early) and had enough time to meander over to starbucks for an amazing grande vanilla non fat earl grey tea misto.

and then...
i looked at the sky.

enroute to downtown i had been listening to john mayer's old cd room for squares (a blessing in itself - i love his music and his lyrics are subtly intelligent - it's been in my player for the past week). o­ne song has caught my attention several times. the style's a bit country-esque so its surprising that i really really like the song. anyways it came o­n just as i stepped out of starbucks this morning.


Today skies are painted colors of a cowboy's cliché
And strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky
are next to mountains anyway
Didn't have a camera by my side this time
Hoping I would see the world with both my eyes
Maybe I will tell you all about it when I'm
in the mood to lose my way
but let me say
You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes
it brought me back to life
You'll be with me next time I go outside
just no more 3x5's


wow i love john mayer.
anyways so it was just a little reminder for me to appreciate the beauty of the sky this morning. and it wasn't hard to look up. see it's the simple things... God doesn't have to give me everything i want in order for me to believe His love is personal. He knows my passion for beauty and art in all its forms, and he blessed me with a made-to-order reminder this morning.

Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. (phil 4:6)

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. (psalm 37:4)

God o­nly seems as distant as you allow. but look for Him and you'll notice He's been beside you the whole time. a verse pops into my head that i read at pwc way back in january...

Careful, I've put a huge stone o­n the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can't get around. But the stone is me! If you're looking for me, you'll find me o­n the way, not in the way. (romans 9:33)


so why 3x5s? because especially in the consumer driven pace of the christmas season it's easy to forget where God really fits in. i want to experience life to the fullness that o­nly God can offer when He's standing right beside me. like the homeless guy who sits outside starbucks every day, and says 'have a nice day' to everyone who walks by. i ended up walking past him the other day then turned back after half a block to give him a bag of cookies i had in my pocket. there was beauty in his smile when he said thank you. i can't fully see God's work until i look for it. so sometimes we need the 3x5s to remind us of that, so we can anticipate what's coming... like mere glimpses of the beauty we will experience when we're standing in the glory of the Father... the background o­n my desktop is a sunset reflected in the waves of an ocean... as a casual photographer i find it even worshipful to capture beauty in a frame.

so take snapshots of your life, literal or figurative. see God's personal touch in it. find beauty in it. be thankful for it and anticipate the next opportunity to experience your life... it's here now...

thanks Father for Your hand in the world. for the reminders everyday of Your grace in my life. i pray john mayer, along with the rest of us, would realize the beauty of the earth that he sees is the handiwork of a very loving, very personal Creator.

i am chocolate

apparently it must be true. even though i'm not a fan of indulging in white chocolate. which almost makes sense -- if you think about it.

what kind of chocolate are you?

You are White Chocolate

You have a strong feminine side with a good bit of innocence thrown in. Whether your girlish ways are an act or not, men like to take care of you. You are an understated beauty, and your power is often underestimated!

What Kind of Chocolate Are You?