Worthy

"Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; 

 for He is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care"

Psalm 95:6-7 

 

In our Bible study we have been studying the book of John. This week we discussed Jesus, our shepherd.

We couldn't help but go to Psalm 23 where David so beautifully describes the loving care of a shepherd. Such care and protection.  I love how the verse above compliments Psalm 23...we are His people, the people of His pasture, under His care. Doesn't that make you want to worship Him?

This past week some friends and I got together to have a night of worship and prayer.
Beautiful, beautiful worship.

I can give no more glory to God than I cangive more light to the sun...but I can recognize, honor, and praise. I can use my gifts, my hands, my lips to show His glory.
To declare Him worthy of all glory.
Wednesday, we did just that. We gave Him "room to move" as we invited Him into our night.
We held our hands high, bowed our heads low and declared Him worthy.
It was such a beautiful night in God's presence, moving as the body of Christ in and out of song.

 

Here are a few shots I snagged during the night.

Growth

Sometimes Growth comes from the hardest of places.

Doesn't that make those hard places all the more beautiful?

Many people in my life are in hard places right now...not necessarily tragic, although some are...just hard...lonely...for whatever reason.

A season of drought.
A season of pain.
A season of waiting.
A season of wanting.

But one day, all of a sudden you'll realize that something has grown in you...in the middle of this rock you thought was desolate...out comes something bright, beautiful...something with life, something that bears fruit.

So, I guess all of this to say, hang in there.
Let God keep you there for as long as He needs...He's moving, even if you can't tell right now.

This reminded me of some photos I took last year in Wisconsin. My mom and I took a walk in the rain at the lake one morning. It was so beautiful and serene. The shore line was covered in scattered rocks of all sizes. A few of them had these beautiful plants growing from them. I can't image how such a delicate plant can grow from such a hard, and seemingly unmoving rock...yet it did.

The dark overcast sky, and muted greys of the stone could never match the vibrant beauty of life that these little leaves held. And somehow, they made the rocks all the more beautiful.

Jeremiah 29:10-11 
The Message (MSG)

^"This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

Their hardspot lasted much longer than mine...yet God promised growth...promised a future.
What hope we have.

Brie Fig and Apple Bruschetta

This weekend my mother and I threw a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. I will post about that another time, but for now I thought I would share the favorite dish from the party.

I got the idea from a beautiful little restaurant called Postinos. They have the most amazing variety of Bruschetta, my favorite being the Fig Brie and Apple.

I decided to replicate this delicious little apetizer for the shower. It was so easy and a huge hit!

Here's what you need:
-French Baguette 
-Brie
-Fig Jam (Can be hard to find, I buy mine at Fresh and Easy)
-Green Apples

Slice the bread to your desired thickness. Since we were going for bite-sized, we went with about 1/4 inch thick. Then toast under the broiler.

Slice of a sliver of brie and smear onto each slice of toasted bread. (back of a spoon works splendidly!)

Next, spread a small amount of fig jam on top of the brie. (This is a bit sweet, so don't overdo it.)

Finally, slice the green apple fairly thin and place on top.

Viola!! Delicious little appetizers! The tart green apple and sweet fig are the perfect complement to the creamy, buttery Brie. Ah so good! I may need to make some more after looking at these photos!

We cut ours into smaller pieces and served with tooth picks for ease, but they work great as a large appetizer as well.

Hope you enjoy!

New

Happy New Year...

A little late? I know, I know....I sort of lost these pics for a bit. BUT they stumbled their way back into my hand this week and I can't not post...they are too fun not to.
This New Year some friends and I gathered at an apartment clubhouse for some good times. It was low-key and perfectly lovely. Here's a few shots from the night:

Beautiful Sister/Friend Dannie

Insta-friend Sheriesse...because our friendship took all of 5 seconds to develop!

How precious is he??? This is Bryce, he turned 5 Sunday! Happy Birthday Bryce!

My DIY feathers! I got the idea from this lovely lady here.

That's Kerri...isn't she GORGEOUS??!! Check her out here.

I think that reflecting on the New Year 2 months in is more helpful than on day one. I should save some of these photos for April and then do this again...na.

January seemed to fly by. February not so much. I am ok with it being short this year...most often that annoys me, but I am ready to say good bye.

The other day my dear sister/friend Dannie and I had a scary incident...then a few days later we had the most traumatic incident of our lives.  Just a few days apart!! Not right!
Anyways, I am just so amazed and thankful for the wonderful protection of our Daddy in Heaven.

A situation that could have been life altering, was not.
A fear that could have been paralyzing was not.
A memory that could haunt me will not.

A few nights after our experience I found myself having a little trouble sleeping. I didn't really want to go to bed to be honest. And I didn't like that. So I decided to read my Bible. I opened my bible up to Psalm 136 and the first verse I read was:

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. 

His love endures forever." 

In that moment God gave rest to my mind. He is good...and His love is enduring...through all things.
I went on to read the entire chapter as if it were my prayer. 

"Thank you Lord, you are so good. 

Thank you for your enduring love." 

Each thankful verse became my heart's prayer, my heart's delight. By the end of all that thankfulness, all of that praising the Almighty God for all of His Wonder and Power and Love... 
there was little room left for fear.   
What a blessing. 

Disney

This post is a little overdue....but....We went to Disneyland!!!
Be prepared for a whole lot of pictures!

Whoot whoot!!

Just a Little Lowder

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I took some newborn pictures for some friends of mine, and I am finally getting to share them!
This little guy is a cutie! It was to be expected...with parents like his, good looks were pretty much a given.
I can't believe how good Brody did as we poked and posed and dressed and undressed him.
To our surprise, he was happiest when naked lying on the in the sun perfectly posed. :)
I had a wonderful time capturing this beautiful family on film.
Hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I did!

Welcome to the world Little Lowder!

XOXO,
C