Hope Spoken; All About Glorifying Him

The most beautiful part of meeting new people, making new friends, and doing new things is allowing the Lord to move in every aspect of it. Seeing him work out the details along the way. 

I heard about Hope Spoken nearly a year ago. Immediately I knew that it was a conference to attend simply because of the message spoken. Hope. Romans 5:1-5, We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, and hope does not disappoint. The women behind this event truly are genuine, kind, and very much full of the Holy Spirit. Their words online are the same in person. Their hearts are even bigger in real life. Making friends online is an interesting concept because there is always the concern that perhaps the realness of individuals online is not quite genuine to who they are. These concerns were put to rest upon arriving at the conference. 

Before leaving for the conference I asked the Lord to place the women in my path that He would desire for me to meet. To encourage me and those He might have me to encourage. I love that the Lord is faithful, always leading when we ask. 

My sister Jen, online (now real life) friend Allison, and new friend Caitlin were my sweet roommates for the weekend. Oh, you should really go read how God was so sweet to Jen (through Danielle) in getting her to the conference. (Read here) I'm so happy these women were my roommates it was so good getting to spend time with them. My sister & I haven't had a weekend together in years. Was amazing to have some unexpected sister time with her. 

Hope Spoken was all about Jesus, all about real life, and truly everything about Hope in our savior. Women with all different types of stories of brokenness, disappointment, loss, and the hard parts of life shared from their hearts of how the Lord set them free, made them new, restored them, and gave them Hope. I can not say enough how truly genuine these women were in sharing their stories from the stage & in one on one conversations. 

Over the course of the weekend their was ample time for worship, the word, and hearing testimonies from others. The Lord allowed me to share pieces of my story with my small group at the conference as well as a few other women. I love how the Lord is faithful. Always restoring. Alway at work when we least expect it. 

A few of my favorite parts of the weekend... 

Hearing Danielle speak about, Living in the Now. She graciously shared in such an honest way her fears about open adoption. As she began to speak the Lord totally wrecked my heart in big ways. Johnny & I have been praying about adoption for a few years now and we are at a place of waiting on the Lords timing. (waiting is hard) This lady is just the sweetest. 

Another favorite part was hearing from Casey's heart again. I had the chance to hear her a few years ago at another conference. Her sweet spirit came through then and once again at Hope Spoken. On the last night of the conference Jenny from Addison Road spoke and was just incredible. Totally anointed as she lead worship & shared testimonies from her life. I loved seeing friends who I haven't seen in a few years, hearing & meeting a favorite author Shauna Niequist, oh and eating very yummy treats. 

I wont mention all of my favorite parts because we would be here all day. I'll just say that the entire conference was simply beautiful. Every woman felt loved & valued. Something completely refreshing from the weekend was that I can count on one hand how many times I heard the word, blog. Hope Spoken was all about giving Him Glory. If your are looking for a conference full of Jesus, sweet new friends, and time to grow in the Lord this is for you. Saving up to go back next year! You should join me!

~Brit

Favorite Post by Other Bloggers this Week

This week I've actually been able to read some of my favorite blogs.
I've been popping in & out of this online community all summer so it is nice to
sit down to read some encouraging words, insightful thoughts, and great reads from
 a few of my favorite ladies who blog.

Here are my favorite post from other bloggers this week.

My sister Jen wrote from her heart with, Closing the Door, about the reality of coming to an end of having children naturally. What that looks like, feels like, & being excited about the possibilities of having more children through adoption. I loved this because so much of what she wrote is how I'm feeling right now. I'm unsure about the possibility of having more children naturally, if its an option for us considering how challenging my pregnancy has been. But like Jen, we are excited about the plans God has for our family. Click here to read her post. 

Becky from Apples to Gold shared, Swinging Between Peace and Furry, on Tuesday. It was kinda perfect timing for me to read this post after the day I had on Tuesday. I sat down to write Wednesdays post for my blog about a very similar subject, then went to her blog and found some very encouraging words. I love Becky's blog. She is one of my favorites! Click here to read her post.

I really loved Carly's post earlier this week, A Soft Heart and Thick Skin. She shared one of my favorite quotes, "Be Kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" while sharing an experience she had recently with some unkind words she received. It was encouraging to read how she graciously handled it & processed everything. Carly blogs at, This is My Story. She too is one of my favorite bloggers. Love her heart. 

Those are three of my favorite blogs to read & keep up with. Ones that I know you would love to visit just incase you dont already. Hope you head over to each of those post & be blessed by their words from this week.

Happy Thursday
~Brit

Hello Again

Hey Friends. 

For nearly two months I've been a very quiet lady over here. March felt like perfect timing to take a step back from writing & sharing here for just a while. Just to wait for life to slow down a bit and for this pregnancy to feel a bit more normal. Praise the Lord, both are falling into place. Johnny & I struggle with being a bit too busy but as of lately are consciously making efforts to adjust our pace. It has been good. 

March & April in Review. 

In April

we celebrated our savior with our family, friends, & church.

myself & 2 friends painted 6 or 7 of these for a sermon series at church.

 In April, we squeezed in quality family time whenever & wherever we possibly could. I'm telling you friends, the last few months have been nonstop crazy busy for our little family. All good things. 

April

We enjoyed lots of friends & family visiting! 

I made it a habit to pack to small group where my friend Debbie kindly administered my progesterone shots.

Enjoyed lots of fun girl time.

The sickness. Our little family has been very sick twice in the last few months. Yuck.

love this little guy.

The last few months have been full to the brim of all the good things in life; faith, family, love, friends, community & much more. We are working to make this next season of life a bit slower in pace while still incorporating all of those good things.

Happy Monday! 

~Brit

An Authentic Life

Living Authentically, was the theme of my life in 2012. I didn't write a blog post about it but I did write about it often in my personal journal. Not to mention I talked about it way too often with my closest friends & my husband.

Living Authentically is crucial in life because I wholeheartedly believe that it is impossible to become who God has called each of us to be if we are not living authentically. 

Last year I started realizing how common it was for people to live unauthentically. People live out these lives that really are not what they want. From buying the car that everyone else does, wearing the shoes everyone is wearing, and participating in activities (hobbies) that everyone else is because they are going along with the flow. It goes far beyond material things and straight into not having the ability to express personal opinions, emotions, and dream out of fear of rejection. Their lives don't belong to them. Instead their life has become about pleasing others, finding happiness in acceptance, and craving to fit a mold. This hit me hard last year. This is perhaps the reason behind limited spiritual growth. If you don't know who you are, how can you expect to grow in Christ?

After much soul searching, I pulled the breaks on allowing myself to follow this path. I just could not go there. Fortunately I didn't travel far down this rode. Staying authentic to myself is more important than following along, even if this means not everyone will understand me. And perhaps I get funny looks sometimes after expressing my thoughts, thats okay. 

This last year has been so much fun discovering who I am, the things I like, love, adore, and getting back to what truly inspires me. This past year I've made lots of pretty things that make me smile, found out that I love to bake & cook (who knew?), I am crazy about hoop art. I have truly enjoyed painting again. Especially with my Noah. Incredible to teach him about worshiping through art. I've fallen in love with scripture art. The Lord has been faithful in showing himself to me more & more as I pour my heart out through drawing. Even when its not pretty, I still walk away learning & growing in him.

I love living authentically with my family & friends. Playing hard in the rain, running around until we are so tired we just fall over, riding bikes, roller blading, and spending time together in worship. 

I've enjoyed more date nights with my man this last year. 

This year I have enjoyed so many late nights with friends on my back porch. God has given me some of the most beautiful friendships this year. I am forever thankful for the precious friends who come over at all hours of the night/day to share coffee with me, laugh, cry, pray, grow spiritually, and live life with. 

The most valuable aspect of striving to live 2012 authentically was developing a true hunger for Jesus that came out of knowing who I am in Him. Discovering how to live authentically through Jesus, becoming who he has called me to be. Wholeheartedly I believe that it is impossible to become who God has called each of us to be if we are not living authentically through him.

Hope you consider living authentically in 2013. I will be striving to continue living authentically in Christ. Can't wait to share (sometime soon) the theme God has called me to live out this year.

~Brit

Now Rejoice: Kayla's Journey

Have you ever known someone who has experienced the Lord so strongly in their life that you can literally see a radical change within them? I am blessed to have met & become the best of friends with a sweet lady, Kayla, who continually pushes me to grow in the Lord and pursue his calling in my life. You must read her beautiful story of redemption & restoration. By the way Kayla is the one who let me take pictures of her worshiping for the Now Rejoice photo above.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story..” Psalm 107:2

I’m so honored that Brit would ask me to share something on her blog.  She has made a huge impact on my life—I definitely would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for her encouragement, support and prayers…and of course, all of the fun and laughter we have when we’re together! Did I mention the laughter? 

Growing up I always went to church hearing stories about how much God loves us.  I didn’t understand this love because the only love I knew was seeing my parents argue all the time.   I went to church because my parents made me, not because I wanted to.  My deepest desire growing up was to be loved. I started searching for it in all the wrong places, though.  In junior high I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and doing things I was not supposed to do.  In high school things only started to get worse.  I began sneaking out and I turned to alcohol and drugs, hoping that would make someone love me.

Even though the constant partying nearly cost me my life my junior of high school, it did not stop me from getting into an unhealthy and immoral relationship.  Although I knew it was wrong, the inability to stand up for myself had such control on me that I could not stand up to this man who took advantage of me, manipulated me, and abused me in every way. Going through this time was very hard.  I went from a fun, bubbly girl to someone I didn’t recognize.  I was down all the time.  I was angry all the time.  I hated people.  I hated life.  I hated everything.  I didn’t believe in God.  I was mean and rude to anyone who tried to reach out to me.

During this time, my family did not get along.  I was pushing my parents to get a divorce.  They didn’t know what to do with me.  I did not get along with any of them.  I was rude and never wanted to be around them.  This all changed, however, when I went to college and got out of the unhealthy relationship. 

It’s a beautiful thing when the Lord intervenes.  During my first year of college, my super sweet roommate kept encouraging me to attend Chi Alpha (a ministry for college students).  That was the last thing I wanted to do.  She kept inviting me, and I eventually went for the free pizza (being broke has its advantages :) ).  The Lord began working in my heart and I eventually responded to His longing and gave my life to Him.  It has been a beautiful ride seeing the faithfulness of God on my life!

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26

Since being saved, the Lord called me to pursue justice on the man who abused me, He has restored my family (we all get along and have a blast!), and he restored my broken and bruised heart.  He has brought His beautiful redemption to me when I was lost, broken, hurt, and confused. Now, I'm a child of God called righteous, holy, a saint, beautiful, loved and forgiven. I am free and no longer bound by sin and the weight of my past. I am a new creation, brought to life by His beautiful redemption.

I now love people.  I love life.  I love Jesus.  I love my family.  I love all of my friends.  I love the calling God has on my life.  I Love.  

 I’m so thankful that I can Now Rejoice because of everything God has done in my life. 

“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.” Isaiah 61:3

Kayla

A Lovely Party

I had a lovely party on our deck Friday night for some of the sweetest ladies I know. Nearly every Monday night, for close to a year now, I have been having coffee with a group of ladies who have become some of of my best friends. Anyone can come & hang out with us at Java after Jammies. If you are single, married, younger, older, divorced, or dont have children it doesn't matter. The only requirement is that you be a woman. Unfortunately three of the ladies couldn't attend because of other commitments and they were missed. 

Over the last 6 months I have secretly been planning this party. I had been wanting to do something special for each of these ladies but at first couldn't figure out what to do. I asked myself the question, "What is something I would love for someone to do for me? What would that look like?" I have always wanted to have a beautiful birthday party with all kinds of lovely details & not have to do any of it. So, this is exactly what I decided to do. Throw a party in honor of each of these ladies & not tell them any details about it. They were not even allowed to bring anything to the party.

Thrift shops are one of my favorite places so for the past 6 months I have been collecting sets of thrifted china for next to nothing. I mix-matched the china, used mason jars for drinking glasses & to hold silverware, and re-cycled starbucks iced coffee jars to hold flowers. 

Angela & I. She is so sweet.

Last week I went to a pumpkin patch and grabbed 8 pumpkins for $5. I spray painted two of them white, laid a cream tablecloth with a burlap runner over it on the table, and filled the re-cycled vases with a $4 bouquet of flowers from the grocery store. The main light source was strung lights all over the deck. Year round we have lights secured on the deck but not above the table. I bought a package of $1.50 doilies from the baking section at Michaels to cover two extra strands of lights to go over the table. The doilies definitely added some much needed daintiness to the deck. 

I used washi tape on the envelops of the invitations for the party and really wanted to find a way to incorporate it into the table scape. The party was at night so tea lights were a great little source of light throughout the table. I wrapped the washi tape around the bottom of the tea lights for some extra character to the table scape. 

It was such a fun night. 

We ate an easy dinner of soup, sandwiches, fruit & cookies. 

We talked, laughed, drank too much tea & coffee, enjoyed some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and had a great time. I'm so thankful for these sweet ladies in my life. 

Everyone got a little gift bag filled with fun things. 

I'll share what I put in the gift bags later this week.

Left to Right is Angela, Rene, Meredith, Casey, Alyssa, & Diana. 

Rene & Meredith. They both are so great! 

Casey & I forced everyone to play the Friends game at one point. We only played for 10 minutes because we are the only two that watch the show way too much. We didn't want to bore everyone else.

Most everyone stayed pretty late. By the end of the night my feet were very tired. It was so worth it though. I must say that it really is necessary to throw a lovely party for you & your girl friends. It is so much fun & everyone walks away having had fun and feeling good. Now I really want to throw another party! It was so much fun!

Happy Monday!

Oh, by the way be sure to visit again in the morning

 because Now Rejoice starts tomorrow!

~Brit

Linking up with Sumo's Sweet Stuff