Youth Alive...another So Cal trip!

 Okay, my only request this trip was to hit up a Belizean restaurant and eat garnaches! But you know how you are not supposed to go grocery shopping when you're hungry because you tend to buy everything at once? That sort  of happened with me. :) I soooo could not decide on what to eat! So I had a multiple choice lunch. :)                

          
Coke in a glass bottle. The ONLY way to drink Coca-Cola.










Rice and beans and stewed chicken. Oh, the to-die-for fried plantain and a dollop of potato salad. After this meal, all I needed was a hammock and some nice sea breeze!

No hammock :( but I did find a bench on the Santa Monica pier to chill and let my gluttonous self rest after my humongous lunch. :)

Zuma beach. Where Jen, once again, found her happy place and I found a nap. After reading.

Some of my Cali peeps! Melissa, Christy, Carissa (lovely meeting you!), The Bouncer (Anali) and Me!

Anali and I. She was pretending she liked me.

The lovely Ms. Vivian and myself.

 Love this pic! I spy something(s) silly!

Jen's a Super Nerd. This was how we charged up our phones and her lap top, while waiting on our delayed flight.

Fun times!

A special thanks to Bro and Sis M for opening their home to Jen and I.  They have got to be some of the most precious people that I've ever met. No Lie. I mean, who would allow two chicks into their home, let them sleep on their beds, eat their food, let one break a chair and mess up their electricity and then...INVITE THEM BACK?! Saints, I tell ya. :)

Church was amazing. Bro. and Sis. Jones teamed up for the services, Sis. Jones directing the choir and Bro. Jones preaching. The Spirit moved strongly in both services. I don't think Bro. Jones was able to finish either sermon! When God's ready to move, who cares if we said the final amen?! My prayer is that someone's life was changed for the better last week.

G'bye! Tune in next time! 
Whenever that is. 

Randomocity - Jen's new word.

Soooo, I took almost 6 months off from the wonderful world of blogging. But she's back! Why, say you? I didn't plan on it. But I got too lazy and laziness becomes a habit. So. I decided that my first blog would be random things. Deep breath.....

Meet my new cousin!

Issac Jacob Menzies was born at 11:10am on Tuesday, August the 14th. 10 days after he was due! Now, talk about lazy! But we all forgave him since he is the CUTEST thing since...well, ever. The cutest thing ever. This picture was taken at about 3pm on 8/14. No, I could not have waited another day to go see him, okay?

I'm told he has my exact coloring. Now, ain't that just precious?!

Que mas?

Oh, yes. I've begun walking again. lol Good times! I'm on a health kick! Bought my vitamins, lots of healthy snacks, a couple of dumbbells and a weight ball. What for, you ask? Well, I have it on good authority (my deep and humble thanks, thou very wise and gifted 17 year old!) that if you are in a soon to be wedding, you should be trying to LOSE WEIGHT. How did I get to the grand ole age of 27 and not know this????? Well, to be honest, that's not really why. I just felt a desire to be less of a lump in the center of my bed for more than the necessary time needed to sleep. And because I heard that exercise is good for arthritis. No lie. I really did hear that. So yeah, Michelle is out sweating in the mornings here in PG! If you're ever in the area...keep away!

I think that's everything.

Oh, I came across a wonderful scripture the other day in my daily devotions! Want to hear it?! I love it!

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

The day I came across that scripture, I seriously needed a good dose of peace and joy! God's thoughts are not our own. His ways aren't ours. So if I was not "going out with joy" and "being led by peace", then surely I was walking contrary to His paths. My hand was not in His just then. Just like Peter, I had removed my eyes from His and was trembling at the sight of my troubles. Sometimes it's hard to realize that even though we are going through, God sees everything. 

He knows the sparrow that falls and He hears it's call, 

So why would I doubt, and think He can't hear my shout?

When I fall to my knees, He hears every plea

His ways are not mine, but He answers each time!

All The Broken Pieces...

On Sunday morning, as I was arranging a couple of fresh floral arrangements for church, a song kept playing over and over in my head. And as usual, I decided to sing along. :)

Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus
Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys.
Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus
And He will turn your sorrow into joy.

As I got to the end of the second line, I stopped. Why is this the hardest thing to let go of? The broken pieces of our lives? Why do we hold on to the hurt for so long? I didn't think much of it beyond that. But that night, my cousin led the service and talked about the Potter and the clay. How that God is the only One Who can take the broken pieces and put them back together again.

And I realized something...the only way for God to reshape us, to re-mold us, to put us back together again, is for us to bring Him the broken pieces of our hearts. He stands near His potter's wheel, ready to begin. But He waits for me to come to Him with my brokenness. He waits on me to bring Him my hurt and disappointments. My shattered dreams, wounded heart and broken toys. Only then can He take what is left of me and mold me into something beautiful to Him.

I'm so thankful that I'm in His hands and not in the Potter's field! The barren land filled with the discarded shards of other vessels is not where I belong. I may not be a truly magnificent piece of art...yet. :) But I am in His hands and I am a work of art in progress! I honestly believe this.

Did you feel, feel it break
From all the weight of your mistake?
You never knew how much it cost
Feels like your innocence is lost
So much for the perfect life
So much for the perfect day
It's like no matter how you try
Perfection's just too far away
So lift them up to Me

All the broken pieces
All the broken pieces of your life
All the broken pieces
All the broken pieces of your life

Did you hear what I said?
Did you read the words I wrote down in red?
I was broken once for you
And no one loves you like I do
And that's the beauty of this grace
It can put the pieces back in place
And shine reflections of forgiveness
In a million different ways

I can take even your greatest mistake
Every scar, every tear, every break
And I can turn it in to something more beautiful
Than you have ever seen
So lift them up to Me

All The Broken Pieces, Matthew West