THAT song, THAT moment

Good morning, lovelies! Today, I am so excited to announce a link up that I will be co-hosting with the gorgeous Leah of Beautifully Molded. 

Leah is a worship leader in her church. I am determined to hear her lead worship some day (it will happen, Leah!), but in the mean time, I will settle for reading her heart felt words on the topic. She wrote a beautiful and honest post this week called "When I don't feel like worshipping" and discussed how the Lord is so faithful to meet us in moments of worship, even when we don't feel like we're all there. 

Her post really resonated with me, as the Lord especially moved in my heart during worship this past Sunday. It was an emotionally draining weekend, to be honest. I brought myself to church in a broken state, knowing that I needed the Lord to fill my heart. The tears started flowing before the first set of worship, ya'll. Before. 

I couldn't even tell you what the first few songs were, cause I was too preoccupied with kleenexing the tears before I made my very own puddle. But then, it happened. 

THAT song came on. 

And THAT song is different every time, THAT song is God's way of expressing His love for me when my mind can't possibly understand. 

This time, it was "Oh how He loves us," and oh, how He loved me indeed. It didn't matter that most people wait until second set of worship to go kneel in the front. I brought my teary face and handful of tissues right on up to the prayer carpets, plopped myself down, and sang at the top of my lungs. 

And because I'm not very good at condensing blog comments, I pretty much told that entire story in the comments section of Leah's post. 

She had the brilliant idea that we come together and share the songs that have spoken to us at just the right moment. Because I think we all can agree that THAT song in THAT moment can make the world of a difference. THAT song in THAT moment can remind us who we are in Christ, and why we are here in this world. 

So join us next Thursday, August 15th, for a link up all about the power of worship. 

I know it probably seems like I just shared my moment, but lucky for this link up, I seem to have THAT moment all the time. How easily I forget how much He loves me, and how faithful of Him to always remind me. 

Happy Thursday, friends!

Anger, is that you?

A few weeks ago, some girlfriends and I started a study called Stuck. 

The 8 week long study is all about addressing the areas in our lives where we get stuck, but often continue on as if nothing is wrong. It's like something inside of us is convinced that we are the only one that could possibly be struggling, and so we neglect to address the issues that often have the firmest grip on us. 

This week's topic was anger. 

I did my best to make angry faces to accompany this post. You're welcome. 

I've been thinking a lot about anger lately. I've been paying more attention to this emotion when I see it in myself, and when I see it in others. I'm starting to notice a trend. I would dare to say that

anger seldom travels alone. 

Anger is often accompanied with pain, heartache, insecurity, and/or fear. I would even dare to say that these other emotions are typically paving the way for anger, they can be the seed from which anger grows. 

Realizing this has helped me to see anger in an entirely different light. When I am feeling angry, I ask myself why. Where is this emotion coming from? Often it's not even anger that I'm feeling, but rather hurt. And once I understand this, I can rationally see that lashing out or building bitterness is not going to do anything to help that pain. If anything, anger or bitterness will cause the pain to grow. 

And once I've figured out exactly what I'm feeling, I can take the time to analyze if this is even a rational feeling to begin with. Perhaps I'm feeling hurt by a friend's actions, or lack of actions. Maybe I am feeling insecure because I'm fearful that I care more for a person than they care about me. 

This is where God stares me straight in the face and reminds me of the fact that my identity lies in Him. The fact of the matter is that I am probably more cared about and loved than I will ever know, but when I am looking to others for worth or value, it will never feel like enough. 

As I let this truth wash over me, I can see myself uprooting the anger and bitterness in my life. Because it was never anger or bitterness to begin with, not really anyway. It all came from the deep seed of insecurity, and simply manifested itself into an entirely different monster all together. 

In Stuck, Jennie reminds us that Jesus Christ was misrepresented, mocked, betrayed, beaten and murdered unjustly while on this planet, and yet He rarely displayed anger. 

I really can't wait to meet this incredible Savior of ours one day. 

***

Oh, and PS: thanks for your answers yesterday! They really were so fun to read, you guys are awesome. Love you all!

Happy Humpday!

It's Your Turn!

Tables are turning, ya'll. 

A few weeks ago, I opened the floor for any and all questions. I had so much fun answering what you guys came up with, and it seems like you all enjoyed getting to know me better! So I want to get to know you better. 

Even if we're basically already bffs and you feel like I know the answers to these questions, I would still love to hear from you! And newbies, show yo'selves!

Who knows, maybe you'll find a new friend in the comments section. :)

Ready, set, dish the deets!

1. What's your name? We'll start real easy.

2. Where are you from? Gettin' a little more personal, now.

3. How long have you been following? 2 years? 2 months? 2 days? 

4. How did you find me? Are we friends in real life? Did you find me from another blog? Instagram? Twitter? I wanna know!

5. How can I find you? Do you have a blog? Twitter? Instagram? Basically, I want to know how to stalk you. It's a part time hobby, no big deal.

6. What are your favorite posts to read on here? Faith? Fashion? Running? The real serious shiz? We've got a little bit of everything here, what's your fav?

7. Describe yourself in three words. Because this is just about my all time favorite interview question. And everyone loves interview questions, right?

Can't wait to read what you have to say. Love you guys! You make my life a gazillion times better. 

Laughter

It really is medicine for the soul. 

Especially when it's with friends like this:

I spent my Sunday afternoon at the polo fields. 

Eating far too much cheese, crackers and hummus.

Enjoying the perfect combination of serious convo and laughing at our own hilarious-ness. 

Which is 1/3 serious convo and 2/3 hilarious-ness. 

What can I say? We're just funny people. 

I also enjoyed plenty of sparkling apple cider. 

And so did the birthday girl's shirt, when I spilled all over her about .5 minutes after this picture was taken. 

{Thanks for being a trooper, Kirsten}

I guess the clumsiness wasn't a side effect of alcohol. Shucks. 

 

Uganda - How did this happen?

This is my verse for Uganda. And it actually could not be more perfect, because we will literally be working with people in exile. We'll be spending time with Batwa people who have been relocated to Kisoro, Uganda in order to provide refuge for the mountain gorillas. 

So how in the world did I get myself signed up for a mission trip to Kisoro, Uganda, you ask? 

Well, allow me to tell you. 

***

It all started way back towards the beginning of this year. I had just joined the Influence Network, and was diving into the discussion forum. My eye caught a thread that was looking for 20-something bloggers who were interested in guest posting. Ding, ding, ding!

An e-mail here, and an e-mail there, and I find myself quickly realizing just how much in common I have with this girl looking for guest bloggers. Our conversations effortlessly flowed from family, to running, to relationships, always coming back to the reoccurring theme of how amazing our God is.  Yupp, Diana was destined to become one of my great friends from the get go. 

We made plans to swap blogs for the day, and both shared all about the post-college lessons that we have learned. Things could have stopped there, but lucky for me, they did not. 

You know those friends that can give the best advice, never get tired of hearing about what's going on in your life, and don't think you're crazy for overanalyzing every detail until it can't possibly be analyzed any more? And you know the kind of friends who do all of those things, and point you back to Christ while doing it? 

Well, that's Diana in my life. Whether I am messaging her on gchat, or shooting her a text message for advice and prayer, she has quickly become one of my go-to friends for any and all situations that come my way. 

And now that you understand the extent of the epic-ness of this blog-indused friendship, cue to a few weeks ago. Diana and I were doing our typical gchat routine, when she mentioned that she was applying to go on her first mission trip to Uganda. The Lord had already put Africa on my heart, so this immediately grabbed my interest. I asked her if this was with her church, or an outside organization, and when she said that it was the later of the two, I knew exactly what my next question would be. 

I asked if I could apply, too. 

She said of course! And the two of us immediately got goose bumps (sounding like a proposal story, huh?) realizing that the first time we'd meet could very well be on a plane to Uganda. Uganda!

I asked her how much the trip cost. You see, I knew that I wanted to go on a mission trip in the near future. But, I expected to pay for it myself. The idea of fundraising was downright frightening to me. 

So when she replied $3,700, I figured that my dreams of the most epic blogger date/mission trip of all time were flying out the window. That was just way more than my measly savings account could afford right now. 

I went for a walk outside, and thought to myself. Why am I so afraid of fundraising? I love supporting others when they are on mission for Christ, so why do I have a hard time playing the reverse role? 

The only things that came to mind were pride, difficulty asking for help, and the fear of what others would think of me. What would they think when I ask for support? Would they think I'm worthy? Would my non-Christian friends think I'm crazy? 

I suddenly realized that I had to do this, I had to face this fear. Because none of those items listed above are valid reasons for turning down an opportunity to raise money 

to bring glory to God's name. 

The fact of the matter is, if God puts something on my heart, who am I to say no? I want to say yes! No matter how scary or daunting it might be. 

And I quickly became very aware that not only does God want to change me on this trip, He wants to change me before it even begins. He's ready to teach me how to accept support and blessings from others, and it's time for Him to help me let go of my fear of what others think. 

So I did the craziest thing I could think of, and I applied. 

Let the journey of Amy in Uganda begin. 

The fundraising has officially started. Check out my support page here!

Your Questions Answered - Random!

I bet you thought I forgot about the rest of these, huh?

Nooope! I did not! Here are the rest of the questions that didn't fit into the Health, Fitness & Fashion, or Family & Faith categories. 

***

Lauren asked What are your favorite toppings on pizza? What movie are you popping in on a night alone with this pizza? 

Yum! This makes me hungry just thinking about it. Since I'm vegetarian, I love me pretty much any veggie toppings. I do have to say that margherita pizza is a favorite, and I'd probably make it even more amazing (and healthy) by adding feta cheese on top. 

And thick crust. I am definitely a thick crust girl. 

As for a movie? I'd pop in just about any chick flick. I am a total chick flick girl. 

***

Jena and Jessica both asked for some random facts about myself. So here we go, 3 things that you probably don't know about me. 

1. You may have seen this on Twitter or Instagram (both @sweethomesb), but I am officially in the process of preparing for my first mission trip!!

That's right! Consider this the official blog announcement that if all goes as planned, I will be going to Uganda in January!

And get this, I'm going with a blog friend!! Diana is amazing. I really can't believe we haven't actually met in real life yet, because she has seriously become one of my best friends. 

This will be both of our first mission trips, and our first time out of the country! God is so, so cool. 

2. I am fairly certain that I like every single type of food. 

Indian, Thai, Mexican, sushi, Vietnamese, Chinese, American, Italian, I really think I like it all. 

Let's make this a challenge. Anyone got any types of food that I didn't mention?

3. I have never lived more than 5 minutes away from the ocean.

Rough life, I know.

Although, I guess the real unknown fact is I'm starting to think that may change in the next couple years. 

Whooo knows? :)

{God does.}

***

And there we have it, folks! My answers to your wonderful questions. Thank you so much for taking the time to ask! This was so much fun, I definitely will need to do it again :)

Happy Thursday!