An Important Housekeeping Note.

Hey y'all.

So, I have some semi-bad news that I need to share with you.

I didn't meet Tina Fey last year in New York City. 

KIDDING. 

{That's not the semi-bad news. That's just bad news.} 

But seriously, Google Reader is shutting down.

I know. It's so sad, right?!

But, I have some good news!

You can follow my blog via Bloglovin'!

All you have to do is click on the link to the right of this post!

I must add that Feedly is another way to follow me but, I have yet to figure it out completely. {I would suggest this site to my male readers, though. It is a bit more manly than the cute and fluffy Bloglovin'. ;)}

In Awe, Overwhelmed.

Here's my heart Lord,

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord, 

Speak what is true

‘Cause I am found, I am Yours

I am loved, I'm made pure

I have life, I can breathe

I am healed, I am free

(Chorus)

Here's my heart Lord,

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord, 

Speak what is true

‘Cause I am found, I am Yours

I am loved, I'm made pure

I have life, I can breathe

I am healed, I am free

‘Cause You are strong, You are sure

You are life, You endure

You are good, always true

You are light breaking through

(Chorus)

Here's my heart Lord,

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord, 

Speak what is true

Here's my life Lord,

Here's my life Lord

Here's my life Lord, 

Speak what is true

Speak what is true

Speak what is true

I am found, I am Yours

I am loved, I'm made pure

I have life, I can breathe

I am healed, I am free

‘Cause You are strong, You are sure

You are life, You endure

You are good, always true

You are light breaking through

You are more than enough

You are here, You are love

You are hope, You are grace

You're all I have, You're everything

(Chorus)

Here's my heart Lord,

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord, 

Speak what is true

Here's my life Lord,

Here's my life Lord

Here's my life Lord, 

Speak what is true

Speak what is true

Speak what is true

This is what has been in my head the last couple of days. I've been meditating on how the LORD sees me. Not society, not friends, not parents, but the LORD, Himself.

My friend, Waverly, prompted my reflection with these two tweets.

Every time I read #RedeemingLove I am brought to my knees with the realization of the love and power of the God I serve.
— Waverly (@WaverlyyShea) June 23, 2013

The God of the bible is immensely bigger than the "god" that our culture portrays. #inutterawe
— Waverly (@WaverlyyShea) June 23, 2013

HE is ENOUGH. 

HE is LOVE.

HE is GRACE. 

HE is GOOD. 

HE is LIFE. 

I have been REDEEMED. 

I am LOVED. 

I have LIFE. 

I have been HEALED. 

I remember when I first realized how true these truths were. I remember sitting in that stairwell in Washington, DC., letting them sink into me and becoming overwhelmed. 

Overwhelmed by His love for me. 

Overwhelmed by His grace for me. 

Overwhelmed to the point of uncontrollable tears. 

God, You are my everything. 

You do love me. 

You have redeemed me. 

You do give me grace even in my darkest. 

Oh, God. 

There is not enough words to express my gratitude. 
I am forever indebted to You. 

Recommended Reading for {Disney Princesses}

Let's be honest here, I can be a bit snarky sometimes.

Other times, I can dive off the deep end and have a meaningful conversation about life.

Or maybe I can just respond to a tweet which leads me to analyze all of the Disney princesses and their princes.

Why yes, a blog post can start because of one tweet.

My sister is watching Enchanted. Anybody seen it? Should I bail? 😁
— Brenden James Smith (@brenden_james11) June 8, 2013

I responded thinking I knew the movie he was talking about. HA.

@noscriptomylife hahaha! Yeah I've heard about that ;)
— Brenden James Smith (@brenden_james11) June 8, 2013

@brenden_james11 from what I’ve heard, I think they’re both equal. I prefer my love stories without any “magic.” 😉👌
— Gianna (@noscriptomylife) June 8, 2013

We both agreed that "magic" should be left out of modern day romances because nothing ever goes right.

@noscriptomylife haha so true ;) from what I've seen I don't think either of the characters have read "I kissed dating goodbye"
— Brenden James Smith (@brenden_james11) June 8, 2013

{Oh, they've kissed something goodbye but it's not dating...}

@brenden_james11 hahaha or “When God Writes Your Love Story.”
— Gianna (@noscriptomylife) June 8, 2013

@noscriptomylife this is more "When Walt Disney writes your love story" haha
— Brenden James Smith (@brenden_james11) June 8, 2013

After his last response, I began to ponder what relationship book a Princess should read while she is waiting for her Prince.

Thus began an extensive search on Amazon, Pinterest, and the World Wide Web Bookcase in my basement. {Seriously, it's huge.}

And I narrowed the list down to five books.

 5.) How to Meet Mr. Smith in the Woods.

Because if you haven't noticed...

*Mental Note: When I'm single and in my 30's, I'll be sure to "venture" out into the woods to catch a man. Maybe I'll even sing to make sure he hears me. ;) 

4.) Get The Guy

Obviously, this would be the perfect book for Mulan.


3.) Too Good To Leave, Too Bad To Stay

Because the talking Teapots and Candles won't help Belle that much....


2.) Love in 30 Days

The book Mia Thermopolis should have read. Although, she did end up with the right guy at the end. I mean, look at him now. 

But then, the next day, I discovered THE book {#1} that would be perfect for the princesses to read... 

@brenden_james11 ☝ Wait. This is the book Disney princesses need to read... pic.twitter.com/tSHyV43gXG
— Gianna (@noscriptomylife) June 8, 2013

@noscriptomylife hahaha, oh so true.
— Brenden James Smith (@brenden_james11) June 8, 2013

So, what do you think?

Would you recommend anymore books?

Leave a comment below and let me know!


******

{Disclaimer: I have not read any of the books, other than the last one, mentioned in this post.  If you wish to read them yourself, please read with your own judgement.}

NC 2013 {Small Group}

What can I say? 

My small group rocked this year. 

I so enjoyed my leaders and the individuals in my group. 

This year, our small group had to create a cheer/chant type thing.

It was sort of challenging.

It really didn't help that the group next to us, Mint, had a cheerleading routine that went something like...

"Mint to awesome!"

*strike a pose*

"Mint to be great!"

*strike a pose*

"Mint to be fantastic!"

*strike a pose*

*insert people performing backflips*

*jazz hands*

All they needed were some pom-poms and they'd be set.

Or the group, Cocoa, on the other end of the football field alternating the phrase "Cocoa Puffs" with guy and girl voices.

I even have video proof for this one. {Note: Please ignore what YouTube did to the video.}



BUT, Mustard did eventually create a cheer which later turned a bit more theological sounding towards the end of the week. {I mean, after all, we did have some competition. ;) }

Envision this with me...

One guy, Fisher, stands in the center of the girl circle while the guys make another circle around the girls. The girls sway to the left and the guys sway to the right chanting "Hoo-Ha." The chanting ceases and then Fisher yells, "What goes on a hotdog?"

Everyone: "Mustard!"

Fisher: "What?"

Everyone: "Mustard!"

Fisher: "What?"

Everyone: "Mustard!"

Fisher: "What can move a mountain?"

Guys: "Mustard"

Girls: "Seeds."

Fisher: "What?"

Guys: "Mustard"

Girls: "Seeds."

Everyone: 1-2-3- Mustard!

If you didn't understand what you just read, don't worry, I didn't either. I mainly wrote it down for memories sake. ;) 

On a more serious note, I really did love my small group at National Convention. And I'm really sad I will miss it next year! *insert the saddest face you have ever seen* 

I love the community a small group brings in a big event like National Convention. I feel like I belong in the TeenPact world and I'm not an outsider. Yes, I did know people in my small group beforehand, I even grew up with one of them. But, even if I didn't know a single soul, I would still have a sense of belonging. 

TeenPact is a place where it's normal to be passionate about Christ, to have conversations about your relationship with the LORD, and to have a desire to change the world for the glory of God. 

So, thank you, people of my small group {and everyone else} for following hard after Christ and wanting to be the change you wish to see in this world––no matter how crazy you may be. ;) 

{Photo Credit: Tara Pattengale 

with Marvelous Things Photography.}