Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Tuesday Tunes with Anthem Lights - I'm on Time!

   Hello there! Welcome back to Tuesday Tunes. (I'm trying a new opening...Not sure if I'm feeling it) Today's song is by a band that I really like, but that I always forget about, Anthem Lights! They have great harmony, and a variety of distinct voices. This is their Hymns Mashup (Pt. II) I enjoyed the hymns that they chose, and their background is really pretty. Special thanks to my friend who helped me find a song to feature! I hope you enjoy this. ~Promise

Sunday, December 18, 2016

How Making Pillows Reminded Me of God

     Seven days from now, it will be Christmas, and if you celebrate this "day of days", you know that people traditionally give gifts on that day.  Well, I like to give people presents, and I absolutely love making things.  Since I have quite a crowd headed to my house this year, I decided to look for something small and relatively simple that I could make rather quickly and tailor to suit several peoples' tastes.
     Long story short, I was talking with my aunt about what she wanted for her birthday, and she said she wanted a quilted pillow.  Aaaandddd after making one of those, I was hooked.  So everyone is getting a quilted pillow from me this year.  :)

    Now you're probably wondering what this has to do with God's handiwork.  My message today (or tonight, since it's almost midnight right now) is one that you hear day after day after day, if not from friends but from your own mind reminding you of its truthfulness.

     I struggle a lot with insecurities.  I think we all do at one point or another.  I bet you, reading this right now, can think of at least one thing you don't like about yourself.  Maybe you wish you looked better or had a girlfriend or didn't laugh so obnoxiously.  Maybe you're like me and are insecure about a lot of things...afraid that you're too loud or too quiet or too clingy, or that you're just not good enough.

    But today I was standing there in our basement (which doubles as a sewing room) and I was examining a quilted pillow top that I had made.  I had drawn from the person's tastes when selecting the fabric -- or as I like to look at it, paint; combining his favorite colors and something he is passionate about into one 13" square of fabric.
   And as I looked at it, I was proud of it...and the Spirit seemed to whisper to my soul that this was how it was when He created...me.

    That He worked hard and long on me, laboring over me so I was *just* perfect.  And when He was done, He looked at me...and He was proud of me.

    And then I asked myself, "How would I feel if someone came along and said, 'That's the ugliest pillow I've ever seen!'?"  (We do this to ourselves, but I just can't imagine a pillow cover looking in the mirror and pointing out its flaws).  Perhaps the person would question my stitching or the size or the seam allowance or how it was ironed.  The fact that my hand-quilted stitches are always far too big.  The fact that my seams often don't match.  The fact that I can't sew in a straight line.  If someone came along and pointed all these things out, it would hurt...a lot.

    This is how He feels about me -- but to such an extent that I cannot fully comprehend it.

    Another thing I noticed today was that one of my pillows had an imperfection that I simply could not let pass.  And so I got my mom's seam ripper and started ripping out stitches....five rows worth.
    I guess you can say that's how it feels sometimes when He is refining us -- making us better.  He is ripping out the bad things to put in the good.


    And when I had finally finished a pillow, I turned it outside in (if you've never sewn, you sew everything face-side-together so your stitches are on the inside) and stuffed the pillow in.  Then I saw a part where the stitches hadn't caught the top of the pillow cover all the way, and I needed to resew it.  So I put it back on the machine and sewed a wider seam.  It made me think about two things: again, the refining process, and the way He teaches us...when we are dense He sometimes chooses to take *drastic measures*.

    I never thought making pillows for people for Christmas would have anything to do with God, but it did.  Just goes to show that Spiritual analogies can be found anywhere you choose to look.  :)

   

Friday, December 16, 2016

Dear Anxiety.

 
   Dear Anxiety, look, I know we've been together for a couple years now, and you're invested in this relationship, but I think we need to talk. See, I don't think this is working out. Whenever you get upset about something, I try to talk to you and calm you down, but you're stubborn and hard to talk to. You make a big deal over my mistakes, you make me second guess myself, and you never let me be at peace. You'll be gone for weeks, then suddenly, you're back without warning. How can I be with you when you're only around to remind me of my fear? Frankly, you make me feel sick. When you're around, it makes my stomach feel upset. Sometimes it feels hard to breathe or do the easiest task when you're looking over my shoulder. Also, I don't like your friend, Depression. He's so entitled! He acts like he owns my whole outlook in life. He makes everything seem gloomy and worthless. He makes me believe that you're going to be my steady companion in life, and that I shouldn't fight it, because you're the only one that cares enough to tell me about my mistakes and failures. Well, I have two words for you and your buddy. Get. Out. You're not welcomed here anymore. You've overstepped your bounds, and caused me many a day filled with sadness. See, I've found someone. He's kind, he forgives, he's compassionate, and he loves me. He said he'd give his life for me, and he did! He's not going to abuse me like you did, or drag me down like you and Depression. So, pack your bags and leave. We're through. Now that I've found what love feels like, I can't go back into your arms.

   Oh, and Anxiety? My new man's a king.

~Promise

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Tuesday Tunes with the Piano Guys

Heyyyyy everyone! Today we're featuring a Christmas song from the Piano Guys! These guys are amazing. The piano is uplifting and sweet and the vocals are joyful. I've looked up to Jon Schmidt (the pianist) for a while now, especially because I'm a pianist. This year Jon Schmidt's family suffer a great lost. Annie, Jon's daughter went missing out on a hike, and was later found dead. If you think about it, maybe say a prayer for the Schmidt family, it's going to be a hard Christmas for them. In spite of tragedy, their music continues to bring hope and happiness to it's listeners. Thank you Piano Guys. God bless, and Merry Christmas! ~Promise

Monday, December 12, 2016

17 Things I Learned this Year

Hey everyone! So...If you haven't noticed, today's my birthday. I turned 17! Man I feel old....... Anyway, I thought that I'd share 17 things that I learned while I was 16. 

1. God is good! He's forgiving, loving, and strong, when you can't be. He's amazing, and I only hope that I can get closer to him this year.

2.  I have some pretty amazing friends. I may be biased, but I'm dead sure that I'm friends with some of the best people in the world.

3. Don't ever give up on school. Frankly, I don't enjoy school, but I'm coming to realize how important it is to push through and keep trying. 

4. Relient K will just keep getting better. At first, I listened to a couple songs from Relient K's newest CD, Air for Free, and I thought 'Meh. I like their old stuff better.' Well, now I have new found love and respect for the current Relient K. Keep it up Matt and Matt!

5. The new(ish) live action/CGI Jungle Book is actually pretty good. It wasn't exactly the same, and that's okay! It's a new take on an old classic that I grew up with.

6. Anxiety can be controlled. It takes a lot of hard work and prayer, but with God, nothing is impossibly. It reminds me of my favorite verse, 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10.

7. I could actually make a cd of my music! It blows my mind that I could record my music and that people would want to listen to it. Woooooooooaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.....

8. Blimey Cow is genius. They have some pretty good points, sarcasm, and humor. If you haven't checked them out, please do. 

9. Peanut butter really isn't so bad. 

10. Le Miz isn't really that bad. (but marius is)hahahah...don't kill me gracie...

11. The world won't implode if you don't have a significant other. As Jordan Taylor said, If you aren't happy alone, then being in a relationship won't fix that. 

12. The future isn't as scary as it seems. The future will still have God, and he's all I'll ever need. God's got his plan, y'all. Just relax and it let go. (LET IT GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo no? okay then...) 

13. Disney's probably using mind control because the music IS TOO CATCHY. 

14. My family ROCKS. Yes, we can get on eachother's nerves, but we all need each other, and I love them a lot.

15. You are allowed to say how you feel. Yes, I'm an INFJ and I don't really like to talk about my problems or feelings, but it's unhealthy to keep everything inside forever. 

16. Extroverts aren't as scary as I thought. They might be loud sometimes, and overwhelm you, but they're still human. I've found that I'm kind of liking being around louder people because I get to talk less and listen to them. (haha) All joking aside, Extroverts can be wonderful leaders and speak up for us poor introverts. They're awesome. We need a diversity of people in this world. I'm going to go hug my extroverted Dad now...

17.  This blog is a God-send. It gives me a way do something meaningful, even if it's just a makeup tutorial. I really enjoy blogging, and I enjoy it even more when I look at the stats and realize that over 300 people in Russia have looked at our blog. People in America, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdoms and many more have peeked into our lives. That's pretty cool. 

Thanks for reading! God bless.

~Promise

I Don't Know What to Title This...

     Life has been absolutely crazy the past few weeks.  It's been upside down and all over the place.

     But through it all, I have had three friends who have stood by my side no matter what.  They have listened to me complain, rejoice, and everything in between.  One of them is someone Promise calls ENTJ (only I call him INTJ because he says he is an introvert).  One of them is the best Friend anyone could ever have...God.  He is ever so wonderful, and I cannot describe the ways I have grown close to Him in the past few months.

     The other one...is Promise.

     Promise, for ten years you have stood by my side through thick and thin.  For ten years you have done nothing but been incredible.  You are strong, capable, darned funny, and awesome.

     I was shy when I was six years old, going to a new place I had never been before.  I remember walking into my classroom at our girls' group, and Promise literally bounced up to me and introduced herself.

     Funny that we've essentially changed places since then.  Now I'm the bouncy one, and Promise is a definite introvert.  But this much will never change: I would not trade our friendship for anything.

     Promise, you've been through storms, and you came out stronger.
     You've taken me in as your little sister for years and years, and no matter what my trial, no matter what my hurt, you've sought a way to fix it.

     And let's be honest, I still laugh about the time you accidentally burned yourself while lighting a candle in front of all of your best friends, as we sat for a fancy dinner party.  And the time you were putting on blue lip gloss, and your mom asked, "What does it taste like?" (it was, obviously, supposed to taste like blueberries).  "Blue," you said.  And let's not forget the time you forgot you were allergic to hay and went on a hayride.  Later that night you were lying on our cabin floor with a Kleenex over your face and planning your funeral.

     Ahhhh, and how you always manage to get mascara on Kathryn's nose...

     I love you, my dear, dear friend.  Can you believe it's been ten years?!

     Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We're so old now.  ;)

     Never forget... "Letter to letter, we stick together!"

     (P.S. Count the number of exclamation points after "Happy birthday"... :P This is going to be fun when we're 94...)

     Love,
     Grace