A Brief Update/Announcement

Don't get your hopes up, I'm not finished with THE MONTH OF CRAZY that happens as a full time employee of residence life at a university, and therefore not "back" yet. So no meal plans, recipes, pictures, nail polish posts, or fashion updates. 

Well... let me chase a rabbit here to give you one fashion update. I bought in to this "no poo" natural DIY beauty routine thing. I'm totally sold! Go buy these four things (or steal them from your cabinet) and when I get back from THE MONTH OF CRAZY I'll tell you what to do with them, OR just Google it. 

1. baking soda
2. apple cider vinegar
3. cornstarch
4. virgin coconut oil 

I've been washing my face with baking soda, spot treating blemishes with apple cider vinegar (which disappear the next day), washing my hair with a baking soda wash, spot treating my scalp psoriasis with coconut oil, moisturizing and coconut oil, conditioning my hair with a apple cider vinegar rinse, and using my DIY dry shampoo for dark hair made of cornstarch and cocoa powder. SOLD! I've "washed" my hair twice in two weeks and it looks fabulous. Like I said, more after THE MONTH OF CRAZY (yes, yes I am going to type that in all caps like I'm yelling it or saying it in a booming, deep, Morgan Freeman-like voice every time, because I am). 

End rabbit chase. 

The reason I am popping in to give you an update is because I have a need to tell you a vitally important update about my life. 

I found "the one" tonight. 

Okay, I didn't find my future husband, just wanted to get your attention by being dramatic (especially after chasing that rabbit). I did however experience something that I have to believe feels something like the feeling people say they have when they "just know" they found "the one." Not when middle school (or college freshman) girls say they found "the one," but when loving married couples reflect back on the moment they "knew" and were right. 

I mentioned before (see Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding post), that I was living life with a new church. We've been taking turns telling our life stories. Tonight was my turn. I won't share my whole story here (though I am praying about what that could possibly look like and mean), but I will share my "opener" to help explain the moment I had tonight. 

"If I were going to sum myself up in a few sentences, what I’d want you to know about me is that I’m passionate about cooking, baking, writing, women’s ministry, being connected to a church that believes in being a family, and living the Christian life out with others with transparency and vulnerability. Since this is a unique season and community where we’re trying to know each other in depth so that we can be a family, I’ll tell you a lot more, and by a lot, I do mean A LOT, but I believe my story as a whole, as traumatic and long as it is, gives explanation to these things I’m passionate about and vividly portrays the gospel message throughout. Because I’m passionate about writing, it’s my favorite way to communicate, so naturally I wrote my story out in story form and would like to read it to you.

"Every story whispers His name," is the tagline of The Jesus Storybook Bible. It tells the stories of the Bible, New and Old Testament, in a storybook form for children of all ages and points every story back to Jesus and how it connects to the redeeming salvation story. Every story in Scripture does in fact whisper His name, and some stories scream His name. Our stories, stories of redemption and salvation, do the same. Allow me to tell you my story, one that whispers, echoes and screams His name through every detail."

And so I read my story for approximately 25 minutes to this new church family. It was terrifying to be so vulnerable, but in the two short months we've been meeting together, I found myself able to trust them. It was one of the most incredible experiences. I was immensely encouraged and humbled. I've never felt such freedom from the trap of shame that often comes when I think about my story or free from the bonds of sin. I've also never felt so loved and accepted by such a large group of people. One of my best friends who had been praying for me asked me how it was after. My first response, as I sobbed happy tears all the way home and at least an hour after we met, was "indescribable." As I continued to reflect more on how I felt, I sent her the following message.

"You know how people say when you meet "the one" you "know?" I feel like this feeling has to be similar to that. I feel like I just had a moment where I "knew" these people are going to love me forever."

Her response was, "That's so sweet. You should tell them."

Since the way I communicate best is via writing, I immediately opened my computer and clicked "new post" and began to write about this moment. I can say with confidence that tonight will be a moment I remember for the rest of my life and that will forever now be added to my story. I literally sobbed, overcome with joy, that God would allow me to be part of such a moment.

Arise Church FAMILY, because we really are family, I love you. I'm beyond excited for this journey. Thanks for affirming me, thanks for accepting me, thanks for encouraging me, thanks for supporting me, and most of all, thanks for CHOOSING to love me (and each other). Because like I said tonight, if there is one thing I've learned from my being healed from my past journey, it's that the choice to love someone is often more meaningful than loving someone because you are "supposed" to.