A Week in the Life of Lindsee

Since Sunday afternoon I have been in a brain fog. You might assume it's because I've maybe been sick, since everyone and their mom's seems to be ill, but that's actually not the case.

This past weekend was our high school retreat.

Enough said? I think so.

Although these weekends are beyond mentally and physically exhausting, I have to admit that they are some of my favorite memories, and this one did not disappoint.

Going into the weekend I was a little apprehensive because my boss, who typically does a lot for the retreat so I can enjoy being with my girls, was out of town. We knew this was going to be the case way in advance, so he did a ton of work before he left and I am so thankful. But still, things he would typically be in charge of, I either did myself or we found some amazing volunteers and delegated like crazy! If you are a volunteer of any sort, I hope you know how much you are appreciated. To say that we couldn't do it without you is a vast understatement.

Greg, my former youth pastor and our current missions pastor, challenged the students all weekend in his teaching. I wish all of you could sit under his teaching at least once. He's bold, speaks truth, steps on toes, but loves Jesus so much and serves him well. He's one of a kind and I am so thankful for he and his sweet wife, Allison, of being such great examples of a servant to me.

On Saturday, each group served in different capacities with different ministries all over Houston. I think that was a highlight for a lot of them. I love watching them serve their city with such delight!

I had my new freshman girls this year and they were a blast. It's so strange going from senior girls to freshman, but it's a new energy that I love! I so enjoyed getting to know them even better and am looking forward to lots of sweet memories, conversations and growth in the years to come.

I think my favorite part of the entire weekend was Sunday morning when we all went to big church (yes, I still call it that) as a group and sat in the very front. The energy they brought was amazing and I'm hoping that will continue to happen. We shocked the crowd when during Marvelous Light, we all, unplanned, lifted our hands and spun around. They keep me young and I am so grateful.

By Sunday afternoon I could barely form thought, let alone a normal sentence, and even left my car ON when I got out to eat lunch. Really. I was that tired. After I downed a burger, I headed home and fell into a coma for one hour. It was the sweetest nap I've had in a year, except when I woke up I felt like I'd been hit by a Mack Truck. And it was only 6:00. I went to bed that night exhausted and happy, praising the Lord for his faithfulness that weekend!

We ate chocolate fondue.

We got chocolate all over our faces.

We laughed.

We smiled.

We sang silly songs in the car. All weekend.

We rode a zipline.

We roasted marshmallows.

We gathered together in church.

Smiled one more time.

They insisted on picking me up.

And we all went home happy.


I always have Monday's off. Don't hate me, but Sunday's are considered work days, so I know you understand! I'm never more thankful for them than on the days after a big event. I need that rest! I did enjoy some downtime, went to Anthropologie with my roommate, and that night, took my first ever spinning class. My word! I wish someone would have warned me! What a tough, wonderful workout. I really only went to prepare for my triathlon that's in a MONTH!

I actually took Tuesday off for a personal day and spent it in the Woodlands with my sweet friend, Jen. It was a gorgeous day and we got to eat outside. We ate at Tommy Bahama's and I was in heaven. Guess what I ordered? Fish stinkin' tacos. I'm trying to become a fish lover because I know it's good for you, and low and behold, I absolutely LOVED them. I think I'm well on my way to getting all the Omega 3 fatty acid's I need.

The day could not have been greater!


It's been an interesting week because I worked on Wednesday, then Thursday had my first ever Jury Duty! Holla! I've been summoned before, but I was exempt because I was in college. Thankfully, I was not picked and let go after sitting and waiting all morning. In fact, no one was picked. All three cases were dismissed right in front of us. I found it actually very fascinating. The best part is that I now know what to expect next time I'm summoned!

This weekend I have exciting things happening! A Hillsong concert tonight and tomorrow I'm running my first 5k at the most gorgeous university in Houston. Again, it's all about the triathlong. Baby steps, Lindsee, baby steps.

But whoever said a sprint triathlon was a baby step? What am I thinking?

Bloom Where You're Planted

My freshman year of college I attended a conference here in Houston called Tell Me How. It was hosted at Houston's First Baptist Church and put on by Living Proof Ministries. The keynote speakers were Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Christy Nockels, who not only led worship, but also taught a session. I clearly knew who Beth and Christy were at the time (we’re obviously on a first name basis), but it was my first introduction to Priscilla, whom from then on, I fell in love with. Her teaching was so powerful, she was hilarious and her passion was contagious.

The three of them each took a main session, there were breakouts to attend throughout the weekend and then at the very end, the three of them did a Q&A session with us. This was by far my favorite part of the weekend. It is amazing to me the rawness and vulnerability people express when asking a question anonymously. (They wrote in questions.) Questions ranged from Christy’s lipstick color (which was a MAC color and made my heart happy) to things I’d be too embarrassed to even mention on here. I’ll let your imagination go there. Or maybe it shouldn’t.

To this day I still refer back to those notes. I remember that being a really pivotal time in my walk with the Lord and I was all ears. I wanted to soak up any and all wisdom I could from these wise ladies because after all, I was a freshman in college, and what in the world did I want to do with my life? I was desperate to know how to not royally screw up my life.

I know I’m only 25 and have years ahead of me to mess up, but hearing stories of college kids fall off the deep end really scared me. I didn’t want to be just a statistic. Nor did I want to be a pharisee. Which unfortunately, I tend to fall in that category more often than not.

One girl geared her question specifically to Christy Nockels asking her basically how she gets to do what she does, and what did it take the essentially climb the latter of success? I think she was defining success in that Christy had CD's out and traveled to lead worship. For those of you who don’t know, Christy Nockels is an amazing worship leader. The Lord has clearly given her a gift and she uses it to glorify the Lord in a way that is very rare. This girl in particular had felt called to be in ministry similar to Christy’s and was curious. I totally understand that.

Like always, Christy was so gracious and had such wise words to share along with words of encouragement.

I was glued to her as she shared her journey with us. Not that I feel called to leading worship the rest of my life, but we’re all called to something and I wanted to know so badly how to know what I was called to and how do I pursue that calling?

She said one thing at the end that is forever etched on my heart. I will never forget it.

“Bloom where you’re planted.”

Serve where you are. Do the mundane thing. It may be mundane to you, but it’s certainly not mundane to God. Even if it’s something you don’t enjoy at the moment, rest assured, you probably won’t be doing it the rest of your life. Be faithful in the little things. Be faithful in general. Stay committed. Serve from the outflow of your heart because you love Jesus and want to serve Him.

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked how I ended up being a Girls Ministry Director, I’m pretty sure I could have paid off my school loan by now.

All I can say is it was a God thing.

If you would have told me in high school that I’d be working in ministry one day, I would have laughed in your face. I never intended on working in ministry. I never even entertained the thought of pursuing ministry as an option.

Not because I hated church and not because I didn’t love Jesus. I loved each of those things, but my heart was to be a teacher. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was five years old.

However, during my senior year of high school the Lord really started doing a work in my heart personally. I attended a conference for teenage girls that year and my heart was stirred immensely. I wasn’t sure what all of that meant, but instead of sitting on it, I sought counsel and leadership from some older ladies about what was going on in my heart.

The Lord was clearly changing my desires. Aren’t you so thankful for his leadership? And the fact that he knows better what’s best for us?

That year I actually applied for an internship with a girl’s ministry and I was turned down. I was heartbroken, but knew that if the Lord had truly placed these desires to work with girls in my heart, he’d be faithful and guide me to serve in other ways. Although he shut that door, I decided to press on instead of give up and bail out.

My freshman year of college I stayed home and attended a community college here. During that year, I helped lead a small group of freshman girls. It was a good taste of teenage drama, yet I loved them so much.

When I went off to school that next year, I immediately got involved in a Christian sorority, Sigma Phi Lambda and through the next three years served as chaplain, rush captain and little things here and there. Do you see how the Lord threw me into girl’s ministry long before I or he made it my actual career?

As graduation neared, the desire to work in ministry exploded. I don’t think I talked about it a lot because it kind of scared me. After all, I went to school to learn how to be a teacher, not how to lead teenage girls. Or work in a church.

But God is faithful and his grace is perfect. He opened doors in ministry that I never pursued on my own.

I really struggled at that time with deciding whether to pursue teaching full time or take the position I’m currently at. But how could I not take this ministry position when my heart is really there? When I look back on different experiences, I see how he really prepared me for this position. It is a beautiful thing.

So how did I get this position? I simply bloomed where I was planted. I found opportunity after opportunity to grow and serve in college. But it wasn’t really me, it was all Him. And you know what; I’m still doing that exact same thing. I don’t do all things with excellence, I’m far from perfect and do not have most of my life together, but I’m willing and prayerfully obedient when he leads.

I don’t know what’s next for me or for you. But I can say with confidence and with experience that God is faithful. If he’s been faithful in the past, we can be sure that he’ll most certainly be faithful in the present and future. However, we must humbly throw ourselves under his hand. Under his leadership. Under his perfect wisdom. The key word there is humbly.

Check to make sure your desires exalt Christ and not yourself. Believe me when I say I'm constantly, probably daily, making sure my desires exalt Christ and not me. It's easy to exalt me, I am human after all. I could be really off saying this, but I’m not sure he’ll grant us selfish desires that steal his glory. He won’t waste his glory on us. Selfish idols and desires are things that rarely get his blessing, if ever.

The flip-side is thankfully, we serve a faithful God even when we're not. Praise Him for that. Praise Him for undeserved grace. Life may not always go as planned, but rest assured, He knows better and He already knows the outcome.

Bloom where you’re planted, sweet friends. He knows the desires of your heart. He is faithful. Believe Him.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6

One Less Lonely Girl

Valentine’s Day of 2011 will go down in the books as one of the best Valentine’s Days ever.

I am a hopeless romantic.

And although yesterday wasn’t the most romantic day of my life, it was definitely the best Valentine’s Day I’ve ever had.

It started in the morning when I woke up with a few sweet texts from friends. They love me well.

The best text was from my mom saying that she had just watched Josh Groban on The Today Show. Apparently, after his performance, he admitted that he’d be spending the rest of the day in a bathtub full of tears. Alone.

Don’t worry, Josh. I’m on my way. I was so willing and happy to spend the day with him. January must of dumped the that darling a while back. Bless his heart.

Anywho, after failing at getting a hold of Josh, I threw on some clothes and went and met my friend Dana at the movies. You see, earlier in the week I had admitted to wanting to see the Justin Bieber movie, Never Say Never.

I need to you know that I’ve never been a Bieber fan. I have nothing against the child prodigy, but I’ve never gotten in to any of his music. In fact, I actually only know one song of his. However, when Paramount Pictures is going to make a movie about a 16 year old boy, I’m intrigued. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only curious adult out there.

So, Dana and I marched ourselves into the EMPTY movie theater, chose are seats strategically, and then enjoyed a 3D (completely unnecessary) documentary about a boy who sold out his show during his first tour ever to Madison Square Garden in 22 minutes. Whoa.

Would you hate me if I told you that I loved it? That I even cried a little? (Totally unexpected.) That I went home and purchased his album after realizing it is perfect music to work out to? That I was beyond tickled that two grown women went to see a movie about a teenage boy all by themselves and we were the ONLY ONES in the entire theater? That I was thankful we didn’t have to watch it with 200 screaming teenage girls?

It was epic, y’all.

To redeem our crazy excursion, we treated ourselves to lunch at Newks after the movie. A very adult friendly restaurant with normal food like salad, sandwiches and soup. It was delightful.

After lunch we laughed, hugged then went our separate ways.

Upon arriving at my apartment, I had not one, but two bouquets of flowers waiting for me. This was after my dad surprised me by putting flowers on my car after church on Sunday. One bouquet was from my sweet roommate Bethany, and the other bouquet is a mystery. Both very pretty and nicely scented! It made my heart happy. The most important part about all of this is we currently have six, I repeat SIX, bouquets of flowers in our apartment. None of us are complaining.

Shortly after that I went to the gym where I ran, biked and swam. Whew! What a work out. Thankfully, Bieber kept me company the entire time. Well, except for when I was swimming, of course.

I threw dry clothes on after working out and then met my parents, in my lovely attire, at a Thai food place near their house where I indulged in Chicken Fried Rice and proceeded to talk their ear off about Bieber. Are you surprised? At this point, you shouldn’t be. It was a lovely Valentine’s dinner and one that didn’t cost me a penny. Amen!

I came home, took a shower and then turned on The Bachelor. Yes, yes I did. Please don’t judge. I think it was only appropriate to end such a wonderful day on a dramatic note. Thankfully, crazy town Michelle was not given a rose and I slept peacefully that night after thanking the Lord for such a perfect, joyful, wonderful Valentine’s Day.

By far, for no reason at all, my favorite one ever. Thank you, Jesus!

Dana and I sporting our nifty 3D glasses. Alone. In the theater.

Some sweet blessings. Chocolate from Dana, flowers from my dad, and the mystery flowers.

Daisy's that Bethany left on my dresser. So sweet! I could get used to having this many flowers in our apartment all the time. : )


What was your favorite part of Valentine's Day of 2011?

My Delightful Weekend

I loved this weekend for so many reasons.

Let me count the ways...

It started on Friday when I left work and proceeded to leave my computer shut for the next 48 hours. Can I tell you how much I loved it? For the past two weekends it's been like that for no particular reason, but I might see if I can make it a habit.

Because of said computer fast, I was SO productive all weekend.

From Friday night to Saturday night here are the things I accomplished in order of appearance: Garden Ridge, Sports Authority, Kroger, cooked up some chili, put in 30 Day Shred, shredded, crafted, meeting at 7:00 AM, ran, swam, home, cleaned kitchen, post office, bank, Target, Chick-Fil-A, cleaned, showered, hosted Chocolate Party of 2011.

I am every woman.

Except I'm totally not.

However, lest you think I'm not going to elaborate on the Chocolate Party of 2011, you are so very wrong.

About a month ago my friend Missy emailed me to see if I wanted to help host said chocolate party and if I was willing, could I host it at my apartment. It didn't take me two seconds to send her a reply with a fist pump yes!

Chocolate. Girls. Party. Talking. Laughing. Valentine's Day. What more could a girl want? I was so excited!

If you want to host a chocolate party in your future, here's what you need:

1) A bunch of willing, excited girls.

2) Chocolate fondue.

3) Items for dipping such as pretzels, graham crackers, marshmallows, strawberries, bananas and apples.

4) A joyful attitude. (Though chocolate will do that to you anyway.)

5) Hot cocoa. (Annalee's Mix)

6) Loose pants.

7) A hungry stomach.

8) A ticket in. (Your favorite chocolate candy)

9) Goodie bags for party favors on your way out the door that you stuff full of your favorite candies.

10) Sweet friends.

Seriously, y'all, we had so much fun! I never cease to enjoy the constant buzz of conversations going on around the room. Topics flowed from tires, to bad dates, to TV shows, to life updates, to toilet paper choices, story time and so on and so forth. You get the idea. Lots of women in one room means lots of chatter.

When I tell people I'm hanging out with my "blog friends" they look at me like I'm nuts. What I want people to know is that although we may have met through the blog, these are my blog-turned-real-life-friends. If not, I don't know if I would have ever opened up my home to them. I trust them. I love them. They are a blast.

I may not be "in a relationship", but I can assure that I went to bed with the fullest heart of the relationships the Lord has allowed me to have with these ladies. It is such a sweet blessing! Thank you, Missy, for coming up with such a great idea, and letting me be a part of hosting it. And thank you, sweet friends, for coming!

For the record, I ripped all the pictures, but one, off Missy and Heather's blogs. Thanks, girls!

Look how pretty and inviting my table looked?

Chatter boxes.

Heart to heart?!


Everywhere you looked, there you found some more talking. I loved it!

Sweet friends!

The entire group! Aren't we so thankful for timers on our cameras? These ladies delight me.

Top: Angela, Amanda, Ashely, Erin, Me and Heather

Bottom: Jen, Debra, Kelli (Baby Anslee) and Missy

Lastly, today was my sweet roommate, Bethany's birthday. After leading small group tonight we came home and made ourselves dinner. I re-heated some chili, while she whipped up a PB&J rice cake, because we're fancy like that. I love her and am so thankful for her! Happy Birthday, Stebanie! ; )

iPhone Dump: They've Stolen my Heart

If you've read my blog for ANY length of time, I think it's safe to assume that you know I work in ministry with middle school and high school girls. Can I just say that it is a blessing? More often than not I wonder how in the world I landed this position, or why in the world God would ever choose me to minister to these precious girls, but them I'm reminded of His plan for my life and ultimately, His glory. Truth be told, I really see how He prepared me for it, but that's another story for another day. I'm constantly humbled and thankful at His leadership and guidance in my life.

With that said, he's placed some mighty fine girls in my life that I get the pleasure of serving and loving on. They have truly stolen my heart. I find myself during the day thinking about them all the time wondering what they're up to. I consider them the teenage girls I don't yet have.

If you've ever wondered how a girls minister spends her time, look no further than my iPhone.

I present to you now, iPhone Dump number three. These girls have stolen my heart.

Meet Sara. Oh, sweet Sara! To know her is to love her! I met Sara through her sweet mom, Nancy, and have been smitten ever since. The worst thing about working with girls this age, is eventually, they end up moving out and heading to college. It's so bittersweet, because as sad as I am to see them go, I'm thrilled to hear what life in college is like for them. That's why I treasure my lunch dates with this girl. This particular day we had just indulged in Lupe Tortilla while she told me all about the Passion conference. Loved it!


These are two college girls, Myriam and Kendra. They're a hilarious BFF pair if you've ever met one. Over Christmas break we were all visiting at a friends house when Kendra, very kindly, made me the greatest peanut butter and jelly sandwich ever. ; ) It was overflowing with PB&J goodness.


Girl, girls and more girls! Headed to Belize! Look how nice we look. I can assure you I did not look this coiffed upon return. Michaela and Dana are the two other leaders in this picture. If it weren't for them, I'm not sure I'd of made it out of Belize alive.


Oh, Mary! Do y'all know how much I love her? I'm pretty sure this picture was taken during Belize training when she was playing with her handkerchief. I was laughing so hard. She's so silly.


If y'all knew how many times it took Mary and I to get this picture right at an Astros game, you'd think we were crazy. Oh wait, we are crazy! I love her so much! Some consider her my protege'. I am so proud of her.


3D movie, anyone? Anybody else hate them as much as me? The 3D movies, not the girls. These girls, who were eighth graders at the time, are now freshman and in my small group. That day was easy for them. All they had to do was watch Toy Story 3 with me. Now they have to answer my hard questions. Bless their hearts. They have no idea what they've gotten themselves into. ; )


Dear Beach Week, you delight me. Especially our crazy Walmart trips. What I love about working with students is I never have to act my age. Hence the trying on sunglasses in Walmart.


Argh! Oh, this picture makes me happy. These are "my girls." My girls that are no longer mine. Again, this is from one of our Florida shopping days. Every girl needs a picture with a pirate.


We used to meet for small group every Sunday evening at my house. It was perfection! The very last Sunday we met, the ice cream man happened to drive by. What better way to celebrate than to run after the poor man for some ice cream. It was hilarious and fun!


I took the girls to San Antonio one weekend just for fun. We had a blast! The best part was when waiting to be seated for dinner, a guy asked to be in our picture. He then proceeded to tell us he was an Academy model. Believe me when I say I was in full on protection mode during this trip, but he made me laugh. Good times!


This was a year ago! I can't believe it. It was their very last retreat. We stay in host homes, and this particular night, we were enjoying chocolate fondue. On the coldest weekend of the year. Which is why I stole Loribeth's knit hat. This year I'll be leading freshman! AH! Seniors to freshman! You wouldn't waste a prayer. : )


So, whose stolen your heart? Because they've certainly stolen mine.

A Weekend Letter

Dear Weekend,

You sure made a dramatic entrance, didn't you?

I'm not sure if it's because I live in Houston or not, but the weather here is always consistently inconsistent and that was the case last week. Last Monday was beautiful and sunny, but by the end of the week they were predicting 3 - 5 inches of snow. Really? In Houston? I love me some snow, but I was happy to believe it when I saw it.

Since I do live in Houston, and no one knows how to deal with that white fluffy stuff, we shut the city down sometime around Thursday evening.

Although I was sceptical, I had hope. Hope of snow. Especially since each of the weathermen were annoyingly hyped up about it. I also was very excited about not having to work on Friday. I mean really, who can complain about that?

However, knowing I'd most likely be stuck inside all day, after work I took myself to Hobby Lobby. If I was going to be stuck inside, at least I'd be stuck inside crafting (you know my ultra crafty side was wanting to come out) and watching movies, hence the trip to Blockbuster after Hobby Lobby. I was set! Set for days! The only place I didn't go Thursday night was the grocery story. Fail. Thankfully, I only have one person to take care of, so food really wasn't an issue. I had plenty.

I nestled in Thursday evening, put on my snuggie, made a cup of hot tea, and waited patiently for the snow. The snow that never came. I won't even tell you how late I stayed up for fear of judgement and lack of stewarding my time well.

I woke up Friday morning to a lot of ice, but no snow. My hope for snow had truly been deferred and my heart was so sick. My attitude quickly turned around, though, after I realized I had pumpkin muffins in my pantry just waiting someone to bake them. The aroma of pumpkin filled my apartment and my heart swelled. I can't forget to say that I even added a little surprise to my muffins, chocolate chips. Chocolate will heal any broken heart.

Since the ice wasn't quickly melting, I pretty much stayed inside all day piddling around. Then that evening, I met Callie, Missy and their cute families at Husky's for some juicy burgers. I was thrilled to see people and be out! I was also excited to get my baby fix. It was so great!

You know another fun thing that happened this weekend? The Super Bowl! Since that name is trademarked, I should just call it the big game, but I don't think anybody really cares.

Super Bowl to me, in all honestly, being the sanguine that I am, is all about the people, socializing and food than it is about the football. I could care less about professional football, but that's just me. College football tends to hold my attention longer. Not to mention that I love party hopping. Is that weird? Needless to say, my love tank of spending time with people I love was so full by the end of the night I could of burst.

An added bonus to the night was the Packers victory. Like I said, I could have cared less about who won, but my friend Ben is from Wisconsin, from a city just miles away from Green Bay, so I was happy to have a happy friend.

We ended the night by roasting s'mores, which is always a fun time! I burnt more marshmallows than I actually ate, but to me, the roasting is more fun than the eating.

Oh, and that craft? It never happened. Craft fail. But I'm not giving up! It will be done!

Weekend, you should know that you were very good to me.

Ben and I doing our victory dance over the Packers win!

Fire Pit!

Roast away!


It was the perfect weather out. Not too cold and not too hot. Funny, since we'd just experienced the big Winter Storm of 2011.

I love nothing more than a flaming marshmallow.

Girls roasting! (Anybody else think of The Office when they say the word "roasted"?) : )

See how black my mallow was? Rest assured, I did not eat that. And check out Bethany's face! Hilarious! She doesn't like flaming mallows.

Fun times!

Ben and Bethany! Also known as Benethany. You're welcome.

I'm not quite sure what the smoke was doing to our faces in this picture. But I love it!

Until next weekend,