Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming

Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming from tender stem hath sprung,
of Jesse’s lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
It came, a flow’ret bright, amid the cold of winter,
when half-spent was the night.

Isaiah ’twas foretold it, the Rose I have in mind;
With Mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
To show God’s love aright, she bore to men a Savior,
when half-spent was the night.

The shepherds heard the story, proclaimed by angels bright,
how Christ, the Lord of glory, was born on earth this night.
To Bethlehem they sped and in the manger found him,
as angel heralds said.

This flow’r, whose fragrance tender with sweetness fills the air,
dispels with glorious splendor the darkness ev’rywhere.
True man, yet very God; from sin and death he saves us
and lightens ev’ry load.

O Savior, child of Mary, who felt our human woe;
O Savior, King of glory, who dost our weakness know,
bring us at length, we pray, to the bright courts of heaven
and to the endless day.

The MESSIAH-the savior of the World!!

Here are my favorite verses about Jesus. They are my favorite for many reasons, mainly because they show His love and majesty, His compassion and beauty, really His perfection. We who hope in Him have no other way into heaven and into His eternal presence than through His sacrificial death and magnificent resurrection!! These verses point back to my utter depravity, that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." and as the scripture says, "by His wounds we are healed." what a savior we have!! This takes me back to the time in my life where there were moments when i would have said "I'm a Christian" in some circles, and in others, i was ashamed to claim Jesus as mine, and in truth, He was not yet the One who held my heart and who i lived for. I hope this takes you back to the day of your salvation and that you continue to tell others of the Majesty of Jesus!!

^{Isaiah 53}

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished
⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors."

Merry Christmas to YOU!!

Merry Christmas from the McCoun's! Camus says merry Christmas too!! You can't see it good, but that's her velvet Christmas collar, given to her by Jessi, my friend who's on staff with us at PC!! We are having a great time with Jake's family-my first Christmas with the McCouns!! While students have been away from Clinton, Jake and I did ALOT of work around the house (well..mainly jake!) He's been hard at work on our screened in porch. We had it built on our house a while back, but it still needed to be completed, so jake worked 3 WHOLE DAYS on it!! I was such a proud wife!!! Meanwhile, i tried some new recipes and wrapped some Christmas presents, i love playing Mrs. Claus! We also took Camus to my parents to stay for a while because she's been home by herself a lot this month!! :( I was sad to see her go but will see her Christmas night!! Jake already gave me part of my Christmas present-a flag pole!!!! If you know me, you know one of my BIG loves in life is seasons and flags and decorating, so i was so excited!!! I already have about 10 flags from my childhood to put up so i can't wait to start in January.

We are with Jake's family for a few days up until Christmas, and we've already had so much fun with them!! I think Jake's mom is one of the most fun people to be around because she's hardly ever self--conscious and is truly herself!! We went bowling tonight, and are planning to meet up with some friends for breakfast in the morning :) i'll prob post again when we get our gifts, but for now, Merry Christmas. Here are some of my favorite prophecies about our Lord and my best friend and redeemer, Jesus!

jeremiah 23:5-6 (NIV) "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.

Galatians 3:16 (NIV) The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NIV) When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me ; your throne will be established forever.'"

Staff Training!

We have been on the road alll week!! I love going on road trips, and my FAVORITE part is getting to stay in hotels ;)! This weekend, Jake and I went with my family to Winston-Salem to one of my favorite Christmas traditions, The Nutcracker Ballet!!!!! I have been going to the ballet since I was 3 and only missed 2 years since then :) Then, on saturday, we went to Jake's little sister's Charity Ball!! It was so much fun, my only regret is that i didn't get to dance with Jake :( But it was great to spend time with his family and even get to go to the Christmas concert with them at Perimiter Church in Atlanta. They recently joined the church, and if you haven't heard of it...it is AWESOME! So many ministries to so many different groups of people in the Atlanta area..all the way to the nations!! it really gives me a true picture of the gospel, reminding me of James 1:27, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Then, on Monday, we headed to Atlanta for the week for some staff training. I wasn't really

looking forward to it, because i was pretty exhausted from travelling all weekend, but it's been

SO fun! I've gotten to meet some other staff wives from Campus Outreach Atlanta which has

been so good for my heart because there aren't very many young wives without kids on staff

with us in Greenville. We're meeting to talk about the DC conference we're having in a few

weeks, as well as talking about how to be effective leaders on the campus. I'm excited but sad

to be away from home during the holiday season!! I'll leave you with a picture of my most

recent purchase from Ulta (the best beauty product store EVERRR!!) I got this bubble

bath/shower gel/shampoo for 4 dollars!! it was originally 16 but was on sale for 9 and then i

had a 5 dollar off coupon!!

SNOW DAY!!!!

Jake and I are in the mountains this weekend for a little winter retreat!!! :) We love to come to the mountains and fix dinner together, read together, and watch movies. So far we've watched 2 of my fav Christmas movies, Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Wish. Yesterday we went to the Christmas parade in downtown Burnsville and it started snowing!!!! Right now we are snowed in and doing one of my favorite things-listening to a sermon together :-) Here are some recent pictures from the last few weeks!!

Happy Monday!

My beauty favs.

What do you do when there's not much time to get ready for the day? How do you look presentable when you only have 20 minutes to look your best? Here are my top 5 beauty products this fall!!

1. Rosebud lip salve- If you don't have some, invest in this little $8 tube of goodness. It smells so good like roses, feels like a pillow on my lips, and also has a little natural tint to it. Lately i have just been using it and no lipstick.

2.Bath and Body Works pumpkin body butter. This stuff is the best!! Great for a fun fall scent and not too pumpkin-y, goes on smooth and works well as a lotion for hands and arms too. I have been using this instead of perfume during the day in the fall. It smells like a mixture of pumpkin spice and candy corn, and is great for this time of year when your skin starts to dry out!

3. Essie Nail Color in #731 Sew Psyched-I just can't do the black nail polishes that are so in right now, and it's even hard for me to wear a dark brown for more than a day or two because i feel like i'm dressed up as a witch for halloween. Sew psyched is a great alternative to a light brownish-grey that is very in this season. It has an army green tint to it that i LOVE. it has become my fall neutral, and looks great with a short nail!

4. Christophe Beverly Hills shampoo- I just discovered the Christophe Professionals Hydrating Shampoo collection exclusively at CVS, and I can't get enough of it. My hair is thick and fine, and it's hard to find a shampoo that gives it enough shine without making it look greasy and limp, but this one does the trick. The bonus is, it smells so good, and you only need about a dime-sized portion each use! I couldn't find a big picture of it to show yall, but if you want to try it out it's at all CVS's.

5. Black riding pants-I got a pair on clearance at J Crew for about $12 and have worn them all fall! i like to pair them with a long tunic or a long cardigan and my brown leather riding boots from piperlime :) They are so comfortable and look great with navy and brown-2 of the staple neutrals of the season. One thing with these though, it's important to wear something up top that comes down at least 2 to 3 inches above the knee..modest is hottest!!

Hope for the believer in Christ

This psalm really spoke to my heart today... in my current circumstances-trials, weariness, and unanswered questions, there is hope in my soul that the Lord restores me and sustains me. It reminds me that i don't wait for the Lord's answers to my prayer to come with disbelief, but that i wait expecting Him to move in mighty ways because He is all-powerful! In a world where wickedness surrounds me, the Lord is the all-pure One and perfect One who delights in good and hates the idolatry of the world. I have the picture of me coming into the awesome house of the Lord and being loved and held by Him as i go through the days trials. Isn't it awesome to think that God surrounds us with His favor like a shield, and that He is always protecting us??! I hope these words from Psalm 5 encourage you today:

¹ Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
² Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

³ In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
⁴ For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
⁵ The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
⁶ you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
⁷ But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.

⁸ Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
⁹ Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
¹⁰ Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

¹² Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!

I love halloween. Besides Christmas and Easter, it's my favorite holiday. I love it for so many reasons but just to name a few:

-as many Reese cups as you want

-getting to dress up and be a kid again (who doesn't love that?!)

-Halloween carnivals

-Halloween movies-Hocus Pocus and Double Double Toil and trouble are my favs!!

-handing out candy to cute kids!!

and finally..carving pumpkins! jake is such a good artist, i can't wait to put up a pic of the pumpkin he did for me this year. We even had Camus a little miniature princess crown to wear, too bad she hated it! Just wanted to update cuz i realized it's been forever since i've written. I'm off to finish my 2nd viewing of Hocus Pocus with jake for the night!!

a Christian's Rant.

One thing i've been thinking a lot about lately is how we as Christians apply the Word to our lives and live out the gospel daily. it's not enough in this life to just proclaim "Jesus is my savior" but our lives have to prove that He alone is the worthy One, the One we live every day for and make every decision in light of. The call to live for Christ is so much more than tacking the American dream on to the gospel. If you want to know more about why this has been on my mind, this book is one of the reasons. I am going through it with my junior discipleship group at PC and it is convicting. I have found myself in so many conversations lately with people who plan out every detail of life and have reasons why they can and can't follow Christ in the is life. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "We walk by faith, NOT by sight." If you love and follow Jesus, what does this mean for you? For some Christian women, it means not working outside the home so that they can love and nurture their children in the Lord, not knowing how they will pay for a college education for the kids. But we walk by faith and not by sight. For others, it means taking a step out of their comfort zone to start a spiritual conversation. How will it turn out? we don't know, but we do know that we walk by faith in all that we do. If you look at the lives of the great missionaries of the past who reached out to the lost, who weathered illness and discomfort, who traveled to different cultures with new customs, what differentiates them from many Christians today? I believe it is that they didn't walk by sight, they did not worry about how God would provide for them but trusted in His sovereign hand and that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose". This has challenged me when i think about chasing the materialistic American dream. And while I do trust God, it is a daily battle for me not to choose to spend money on things that don't last, to live for today and not for eternity. In John piper's book Don't Waste Your Life, he pleads that we not get to the end of our lives and say, "I have wasted it! I have wasted my life!"...on working my life away, storing up possessions on earth that have no eternal value, pursuing the body of a supermodel...but that we would all live our lives as worship to the One we love. That we would experience the joy and freedom that come from giving everything to Him and walking out our faith every day.

My Daily Bread.

When i'm having a bad day, God always provides a little pick-me-up! Sometimes in nature, sometimes through a good sweet ;), and lots of times through cute wittle baby animals. Today I am stressed and overwhelmed with campus planning stuff with PC, sooo here are some encouragement pics!!!

"Thank Jesus There's a McDonalds!!"

.....that's what i said when we were leaving Honduras and heading back to the U.S. Knowing me, you'd know that i don't like Mickey D's, and given that we eat there 46578 times a summer with the 50% discount card at Myrtle, i am finished with my share of fries for the year by the time august comes around. But the golden arches were looking pre-tty good about that time, hey, it was american! Ok, so i am being a little dramatic but i really was glad to get some good fried food after spending a week at an orphanage with Jake's wonderful family! I got to go to a 3rd world country for the first time, got to go to an orphanage for the first time, and got to go on my first looong trip with the inlaws, without the hubby. Don't panic all you wives out there, it was a piece of cake with the McCoun's...it was just like being with my own family, i even bear-hugged Jake's mom and squeezed her hand tightly as the plane took off. ha, i'm serious. It was so much fun though, and here are a few highlights from it:

-wrestling with God over having to ride on a plane again (my biggest fear in life. period.) The way He answered: a rainbow when we got to the orphanage, and a rainbow when we got back to Atlanta a week later.

-spending time with the Skinner's, a family that moved from Gainesville, Georgia to give their lives to the orphans for the last two years

-hearing the faith story of the founders of Orphanage Emmanuel-they didn't even know spanish and they literally sold everything they had in the states and went to Honduras!

-painting a huge umm...warehouse thing...sweating is not my spiritual gift so i am grateful that God put me up to the challenge to "do everything without complaining" (Phil. 2:14)

-nightly devotions with the McCouns...soooo blessed by God to have in laws who love Jesus!

-finding internet on my top bunk so that i could email Jake at all hours of the night ;)

-the blessing of being taken out of the comforts of home to see that what i really need in life is more of the Lord, not more stuff.

It was a great week, and i would have gladly packed one of the kids in my bag and taken them home with me!! Buuut..i am so glad to have Jake back from South Africa and back in my arms! it was kinda tough to be apart for 10 days, not to mention get sick and go to the ER without my best friend by my side, but i was so excited on monday morning to see Jake that i couldn't even sleep much sunday night!! So, this week has been g-r-e-a-t. We have been able to rest and do some projects around the house, and i am working on my current project: a hand painted bedside table. i'm putting up a few pics from the past few days!

and, we're back..

We are back in our hot, humid and holy motel room at the mariner, for 2 nights. We got back today, and it's hotter than ever! We are really excited to catch up with all of the students and hear how their time has been for the last 3 weeks...but we are exhausted. one thing we always do before leaving home for a few days is complete a few last minute projects around the house like...oh, hanging a back door or reorganizing my grandmother's fine china. soo, we went to be around 3 and had to leave the house by 8 today. I am just excited to be down here again and to wrap things up! One thing i've realized about myself lately is how much my flesh craves stability with circumstance. every time we're at home i always want to stay and nest a while. But then i am beginning to realize more and more how even though we don't have the stability of being in one location much, we do have the stability of the Word and the Lord's affections for me are always there. Please pray for me that i'll believe that daily when i get discouraged.

One of my all time favorite singer/songwriters is Bebo Norman. If youve heard him, he's good. AND he's a PC grad. i'll leave ya with a quote by him and a link to one of my favorite songs by Bebo. I listened to this song every day when i was struggling through seasonal depression on a summer trip to south africa in 2007.

Bebo admits, “I have silently walked the last four years with a building and recently diagnosed struggle with anxiety. If I’m honest, it’s something that I’ve found a bit of shame in, and the irony is that it involves singing the songs I so dearly love to sing . . . It seems the older I get, the less I understand about this life, about faith and the struggles that come with it. But more importantly, I’m being shown that the older I get, the less I need to understand. ‘Pull Me Out’ is about learning more every day that what I really need to do in this life and in this world is to simply trust in a God who is indeed completely in control.”

In Your Hands

I didn't know I would love you when I looked into your eyes
But now I have a heart I cannot keep
And the greatest of fear is that you'll leave me here
Stranded in this water so deep

So don't you turn away from me
Because my heart and my hopes, they're in your hands
If I don't seem certain
It's just a common fear from a common man
But I am in your hands

Just so you know, I have never done this sort of thing before
I've never given up my very soul
But I have heard a voice like none I've heard before
And it's a voice that never grows old

Don't you turn away from me
Because my heart and my hopes, they're in your hands
And if I don't seem certain
It's just a common fear from a common man
But I am in your hands
I am in your hands
I know…I am in your hands

Drummer Can't Contain the Rock

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Home again...finally.

Jake tiled the black and white tiles at the top!! It looks awesome!
My earring hanger from TJ.
The door Jake made for our crawl space.
My first home made peach pie ;)
My flower boxes :)! To fill it with flowers, i bought a pot of mixed flowers from Home Depot for 10.00 and it filled the whole box!
Us after we ran the Peachtree Road Race
Jake and I at Isle of Palms
Wow, i haven't updated on here in a few weeks!! We have been gone from the Leadership Project for about two weeks now, and it has really flown by. Last week, Jake and I went on vacation with my family at Isle of Palms. I loved going on a shopping spree with my sisters, going to a fun place for dinner every night, and just being lazy ;). It was soo fun to be w my sisters since we're best friends!! One thing we love to do every vacation is read a "beach read". I read The Wedding Machine, which was entertaining and hilarious, and it was supposedly a "women of faith" novel, but...definitely did not mention a thing about Jesus or anything. hmm...Anywho, Jake and I decided on a whim to visit with his aunt and grandmother in Atlanta and run the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. It was soo fun!! If you know me, you know how i hate competition and even delight to fail at sports because i hate the idea of competing. But be proud to know that I didn't walk once during the race. By God's common grace, the weather was great and i was barely sweating until mile 4. We had so much fun running it together, i really think we could run a half marathon. So we finally got home on Monday night after a quick stop in Gainesville to see Emily, Jakes youngest sister, and watch some fireworks. We'll be home for about a week and a half or so, and we have lots of tasks to get done. Not gonna lie, one of the hardest things about spending the summer at Myrtle is that we inevitably return home to dead bugs and dead plants. I wouldn't change it for the world, i love what we do, but when we're here we make a checklist and get to work. Here's what we completed today:
Jake tiled the top of the shower it looks so good, i am so impressed that he knew how!
Jake hung flower boxes under the windows and i planted some flowers!
I got this awesome jewelry hanger from TJ Maxx!

Last Week!!

It's our last week here at the LP until we come back the last week in July to tie up the project...time has flown by!! This past weekend was parent's weekend at the Leadership Project, where the student's parents have the opportunity to come to Myrtle for the weekend and hear more about Campus Outreach, what we do at the LP, and spoil their kids by taking them out to dinner and doing their laundry hehe!! Jake's parents came last weekend and it was sooo fun for us, probably the most fun weekend we've had since we got down here! It was just so fun to be able to introduce them to the students we've been telling them about, and for them to get to sight see around the most wonderful city in the world-Myrtle beach!! just kidding, but it was so fun, not to mention Jake's mom brought us some delicious cupcakes that made my week!!! I haven't written on here in so long, so I thought I would put some pictures up of one of our friday night socials, the Theme Putt Putt social. We got split into different teams and assigned someone to dress like. Jake and I got the old folks home...again!! It was so fun to see what everyone looked like, and to get to know students we didn't know as well before.

Finally, I wanted to post another cheesy song to listen to on Youtube because it has really ministered to me when praying Gal. 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free." A lot of times we say this but aren't quite sure how to experience the freedom that being a son or daughter of our King gives us. I love this song because it speaks to me how Jesus is our healer and the One who sews up our wounds and breaks the chains of our prison cells, allowing us to dance along with Him for the rest of our lives, no longer bound by others' opinions or our own self-doubt. "You will keep in perfect peace Him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvIEJ_PmqJ8

Craaazy Fun!!

I haven't updated on here in forever it seems! Things are going great here at the beach!! God has done some really awesome things! 4 people have come to know Jesus now, and every student has a job and is working!! Sadly however, most of the staff team left today to raise support leaving just two couples, us and the Creasmans. I was so sad to see everyone go because i really, genuinely love our community!! But now that just means more time for us to connect with the students at nights and on the weekends!! Every Friday night, we have a project social. This friday night the social was theme putt putt!! Jake and I were dressing for the Old Folks Home (nursing home)!! It was so much fun to get to know some new faces and make connections with students we didn't know as well!! We are so exhausted though. After being here for about 3 weeks, i had a huge break down tonight. :( eek. I think just constantly being around the hustle and bustle of 80 students really got to me, and God definitely revealed to me that i'm not nearly the "perfect" daughter to Him that i think I am. i saw once again how sinful i really am and how i am just in need of Him-His character, His grace, His perfection...and His strength because i dont have any left! Ha. I am thinking about this verse right now, and praying that it will be true of me-colossians 1:29 To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me." Paul is talking about how he's trying to present everyone perfect in Christ, but he is laboring with all of Christ's energy and not his own. I pray that the Holy Spirit would meet me here in my weakness and that I would work not with human strength, but with the energy of the One who holds me in His hand.

We've been here at Myrtle Beach for over a week now, but it definitely feels like a lot longer!! All of our students have gotten their jobs now, and will begin working this week!! This year they will be working at Wendy's, Ocean Creek (housekeeping), Sketchers, Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Salsarita's, Zaxby's, and Build-A-Bear. This past weekend we had one of my favorite times of the week, beach evangelism!! Beach evangelism is a time when all 73 of our students and staff hit the beach for an hour and a half and interact with people hanging out on the beach with the intent of sharing the gospel with them. You might be thinking "man, that is pushy", or "I don't know if I agree with that." But, if you are a believer in Christ, I would ask you to search the scriptures and even your own heart regarding your feelings on evangelism. How did you come to faith? Was it merely by watching someone's actions around you, or did someone talk with you about what having a relationship with Jesus is really all about? Two of my favorite verses about evangelism are these:
1 Peter 3:15-16-"15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,16keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Romans 10:13-15 "For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

These verses tell me that not only is it commanded by God's word to be an obedient Christian and share my faith, but it is the only way that the lost will be reached. I'm not saying that it isn't intimidating to walk up to a stranger and ask them hard questions about where they stand with God, but it is possible with His strength! One of the cool things about this summer is that students come in with fear and anxiety about sharing their faith on the beach, and once they get out there and see how God works, they become truly passionate about it!! This Saturday, I had a prayer answered that i have been praying daily for a year! Last year, in the middle of the summer, I met a teenage girl named Karin on the beach. As I shared God's word with her for the first time, she wept. She knew that I had a peace and a contentment in my life that she knew nothing of; I told her it could be hers in only a moment. She hesitated saying, "I don't know enough about Jesus". So for the last year, I have prayed that someone this summer would walk up to her on the beach and share their faith with her again (she's from Myrtle Beach). As I was walking back from our evangelism time on saturday, my friend Ashley told me that she got to talk to a girl we had spoken with last year. Immediately i was filled with hope, knowing that it was her. Then Ashley said, "she remembered everything yall told her last year. Her name is Karin." I burst into tears at God's faithfulness, and was filled with excitement when i found out that she will be going to Clemson in the fall, where Campus Outreach is expanding!! We have invited her to come hang out with our students this summer, so please join me in praying that she will show up! Not only did that happen, but 4 girls committed their lives to Jesus on Saturday. I will keep updating more about evangelism, but feel free to leave questions or comments asking more about it!!

Home Sweet Mariner!!

We're here!!! We arrived in Myrtle Beach Friday afternoon and are staying at the Mariner Motel for the 2nd summer in a row!!! here's a picture of us from last summer ;). It's always really hard for me to get settled into a motel room, so Jake got me two shelves from wally world last night and assembled them for me to put all of our kitchen stuff and food on them!! We also got a 3-way light to make our room a little brighter, and it feels like our little nest. We're really excited for the next few days-the students get here on Wednesday, but we have some work to do before then...tomorrow is a little something we like to call "bunk bed day", where we take the motel beds and furniture out of the rooms and replace it with our very own double size bunk beds that fit two to a bed!! We will be working hard all day to assemble them and get the rooms ready for the disciples coming in. Hopefully i'll capture Jake in the middle of a manly task and post a pic sometime soon :) i do have to say that I love myrtle beach. Myrtle is where i came on vacation every year as a child, and it takes me back to the good ole days when i listened to a Raffi tape in my parent's orange oldsmobile station wagon on the way to the beach. I love to go to the restaurants my family went to, go shopping where we went...basically i love traditions. We are starting a new tradition this year-going somewhere FUN on our sabbath!!! it will be so fun to get away and spend time with Jesus for a while and then come back refreshed and energized. Hopefully i'll be able to keep the blog updated since we have internet in the room this year!!! i feel like im at the ritz carlton!!

What Do I Know of Holy

One of the things i like to do when i spend time with Jesus is to listen to songs that talk about His character and reflect on who He is. Today i was listening to this song, What do I Know of Holy by Addison Road. It really paints a picture of me as a human, in my humanity, how I want to have God all figured out, and put Him in a box...but we can never do that with God-He is so much more perfect, powerful, and unlike His creation that we can't fathom all of the facets of His majesty. It is my prayer that as you listen to this song, as I did, it will lead you to repent of how easy it is to go through the motions with God and not stop to meditate on how unfathomable and flawless He is!

To listen to the song, Just click on the title:

What Do I know of Holy

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?


What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees


What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?


What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?


What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Leadership Project Evangelism 2009

This video was taken at the end of last summer at the Leadership Project and is a story of how some of our students were able to use the training they received in Myrtle Beach in their daily lives...

Mansfield Plantation entrance
us at dinner at the Goat Island Grill
Jake on a rope swing at Mansfield
slave quarters at Mansfield
riding bikes around the plantation :-)
me with Valerie!!!
Jake with his discipleship group going to shoot guns!
Together for the Gospel 2010

Well, I haven't updated this blog in a looong time...over a month!! April is one of the busiest months for us on staff, so i'll give a few highlights of what has been going on this past month:

-we had a great Easter with the McCouns!! It was my first Easter sunday with them, and it was great!! We went to Perimeter Church in Atlanta which is a wonderful, reformed missional church. We also had some time to just relax and read while students were at home with their families!

-From April 13-15th, we went to Together For the Gospel in Louisville, Kentucky. The conference was a pastor's conference, and there were 7,000 people there, the majority of them men. The theme of the conference was "The Unadjusted Gospel", meaning that there is one true gospel and it cannot be changed regardless of modern culture...it is always relevant! We heard sermons from Al Mohler, R.C. Sproul, CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, my favorite John Piper and more!! One of the most encouraging pastors we heard from was Matt Chandler, a pastor at the Village Church in Texas. Matt was diagnosed with a brain tumor around last Thanksgiving, when he suddenly had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital. Now going through chemotherapy and being told he has up to 3 years to live, he is walking by faith and is a living witness to the grace of God and the fact that Jesus is better than life. Their family (he has a wife and 3 young children) is claiming Psalm 112:6-8 which says

For the righteous will never be moved;

he will be remembered forever.

He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is steady;

he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

-We have been planning and preparing for the Leadership Project, which will begin on May 26th this year. We will be heading to Greenville next week to prepare, and then down to Myrtle Saturday morning. Woo hoo!! We have 73 students coming to the beach this summer, 23 of them from PC. We are so pumped about the theme for the summer, "Witness". This comes from the scripture 1 Peter 2:9 which says, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Our theme has two facets: That we are image-bearers of Christ because we all, as humans were made in the image of God, and yet when we become Christians we possess the Holy Spirit and so throughout our lives we are becoming image bearers as we continue to be transformed into His likeness. Secondly, the fact that we are image bearers compels us to be message bearers, and to share Him with others!! We are so excited to see what God will do with the theme in our hearts and in the hearts of our students.

-I met one of my heroes in the faith's daughter, Valerie Shepard. Valerie is the daughter of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot. Jim was a missionary in Ecuador who was killed while trying to witness to the Auca Indians. His wife, Elisabeth, and daughter Valerie later lived with the tribe and they became Christians! Elisabeth has written many books about Biblical femininity, but two of my very favorites are Passion and Purity and Let Me Be a Woman. Her daughter, Valerie and her husband are church planters in North Carolina, but they have also been missionaries to the Congo in recent years. Valerie spoke of being a wife, mother of 8, and the struggle with the belief that she had to live up to her mother's reputation (she discovered this through studying Galatians and the false gospel of works). It was awesome!! Here is a picture of me meeting her!! :) :) I was SO excited since i reference Elisabeth's work with girls all the time!

-We went on our anniversary trip to Mansfield Plantation in Georgetown, SC. If you've ever seen the movie The Patriot, part of it was filmed here! Jake and I had so much fun exploring the plantation, riding bikes, and getting to know the other couples that were staying there! We also went antiquing around the town and to dinner at some great restaurants, my favorite was the Goat Island Grill.

Here are a few pictures from the month!! I will try to do better at updating what the Lord is doing in our lives. Right now I am reading through a great book about sin. If you know me, you know i struggle more with cheapening the grace of God than with legalism, so this book, The Enemy Within, is a great practical tool for me. I highly recommend it to anyone who is struggling with fighting sin!!