DEAR DIARY #014

dear diary,

I’m currently watching National Treasure while writing this blog. Good thing I’m a girl and can multitask. I can write you a proper life update while intensely watching Nicolas Cage search for treasure. I tell ya, if I wasn’t doing what I was doing, I would so be a treasure hunter. Heck, maybe God will put treasure hunting in His will for me??

Anyways… This past week has been amazing. We had John & Helen Burns from Relate Church in Vancouver at our Church this past weekend. John spoke at Adore. He shared on relationships, seriously good stuff. You can listen to it here. Helen spoke at our Dream Women event on Monday night. She has some serious wisdom! Such an inspirational woman. She really challenged us to rise up and open our hands, mouth & heart & do what God wants us to do.

This week was also the last week of the fast. Incredible things God has been teaching me. Wow, I shared with a few close ones this week that it’s an amazing thing when you can look back and see how God has shaped you as you come to know Him more. I think of different opinions I used to have, different strongholds, different views…they’ve changed, I’ve changed…it’s a good thing, a real good thing.

Just the other day I read…

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” -Isaiah 64:8

I was reminded how he continually is shaping us in who he wants us to become. As we grow in our relationship with him, we can’t help but take on his characteristics.

I can’t wait to meet the 40 year old me who will have walked with her maker for 22 years. And then the 50 year old me, and then the 60 year old me…

Oh Jesus, continue to shape me.

over & out,

s.s.♥.

RECIPE // CURRY

Hey, hey, hey, it’s recipe time! 

So after a week on the juice/smoothie fast I moved on to the Daniel fast. With the Daniel fast you can eat a lot of food. It’s pretty much a vegan diet but not eating any sweet, sweet, sugary substances. You can eat fruits, veggies, & whole grains. Last year I found it a lot more difficult, this year it isn’t as bad. I’ve already seen God breakthrough in some areas of my life, but I need to continue to press in and pair fasting with more and more prayer.

Anyways, here’s a recipe for curry that my sweetheart & I made. It was delish…but we both agreed that it needed a bit more flavour!

Find the recipe here.

xoxo,

s.s.♥.

ONE WORD

ONE WORD.

I am a girl. I like to talk. When I’m passionate about something, I can talk your ear off. I like to use more words than less. So when I heard of "Life Women’s One Word to define your year", I was like yaaaa right, how on earth could one word define my year?  But I prayed about it and ohhh, the sweet, sweet power of prayer. See friends, the Lord answered my prayer. He gave me a word I had been hiding from for a long time. He gave me a word that I knew was hidden deep within the layers of my heart. He gave me a word that needs to be unleashed this year. The word he gave for me was…

BOLD

When I was a young girl, I was never shy. I was that kid with their hand up who the teacher would say to, “You answered the last question, let someone else have a turn.” I was that kid who loved reading in front of the class. I loved acting. One night James and I were going through a box of my old report cards and we stumbled upon a gem note from my grade 3 teacher, Mrs. Samuelson. It read, "Laura loves expressing her creativity through writing stories. She equally loves reading these stories out in front of the whole class." 

Through out high school and my late teen years, I was never one to hold back my opinion. I grew up in a household where having your own opinion was encouraged. In a lot of ways my boldness didn’t work the best for me. I made countless, stupid, “bold" decisions and said a lot of "bold" things, that were hurtful to others and best left unsaid. I "boldly" declared that I was a Christian then lived a "bold" life that was anything but Christ-like.

When I finally let Christ into my heart to begin to fully transform my life, my boldness transferred over. I was so bold those first few years, also very young in my wisdom and understanding. Over the years as I grew “wiser” as a more mature Christian, I felt as if I hid that boldness away. I felt that I didn’t want to offend anyone or embarrass myself. I held back my opinion more and more (which isn’t always a bad thing). I held prayers in my heart instead of boldly expressing them. I kept ideas in my mind instead of casting them out into the open. That little girl who boldly put up her hand to be a part of anything, was shrouded behind a veil of pride.

Well this year things are going to be a bit different around here. The enemy has tried to keep me timid but this lioness is rising to what her Father in Heaven is calling her to. I read this verse a couple days after God gave me the word of Bold for the year.

"God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.” -2 Timothy 7 MESSAGE

I know the gifts that God has given me and I’m ready to be bold in them. I’m ready to pray those bold prayers. I’m ready to speak those bold words. I’m ready to dream those bold dreams. And I’m ready to do boldly whatever the Lord will ask me to do.

Already this year, I’ve been asked to do things which will require some boldness. I know that if I tried on my own, I’d fail terribly. But God is with me, guiding me, strengthening me, filling me with His Spirit that can “accomplish infinitely more than we (I) might ask or think.”-Ephesians 3:20 

Oh hey 2012. This year I’m ready to be BOLD.

Be encouraged friends! I want to know the ONE WORD that God gives for you for 2012. Share on the comments or facebook or email me so i can be praying for you!!

Love you to the moon & back,

s.s.♥.

SNOW DAY

Never take the tundra lightly kids.

It’s a snow day in good ol Victoria, BC. Today’s prediction is 15-20cm, which is highly unlikely around these parts. So today I’m working from home. Later though, I’ll be tackling the local hills with my boyfriend. Can’t wait.

What you doing this snow day? Enjoy…and remember, the arctic is no respecter of fashion.

xoxo,

s.s.♥.

NYC vs LA

I went to NYC in 2010. I went to LA in 2011. Both cities were pretty dang magical.

In both cities, I didn’t get to spend the copious amount of time that I would have preferred. Both were HOT. NYC was experiencing a little heat wave when we were there, and it was seriously smoldering. If I were to choose one to live in, without a doubt, I’d pick NYC. The skyscrapers alone make the ol’ ticker sparkle. I could handle throngs of people at all times. I’m a city girl at heart. Yes, LA does have the Californian sun and DISNEYLAND going for them but there is just something sooo alluring about NYC. I want to go back and get lost in that concrete jungle.

Free People's January NYC vs LA lookbook displayed looks from both cities. Clearly NYC takes the cake.

NYC

LA

Which one wins your heart? LA? or NYC?

over n out,

s.s.♥.