iPhone Dump: It's All I've Got

So, how do you return to blogging after an almost two month hiatus? You do an iPhone dump. Last year those specific entries became my "go to" when I was out of ideas, but quickly became some of my favorites, so why not start with something I love?

Truth be told, when I logged onto Blogger tonight, I gasped! Everything is different. Apparently Blogger had a make-over during my absence and I'm now having to pay for that as I re-learn how to upload a photo and type a sentence. It's exhausting, y'all!

Last week I got an email from my dad titled "15 Tips on Blogging from John Newton" and I laughed because if that's not a small hint to post something, I don't know what is. I can guarantee you John Newton didn't add "take seven weeks off!" to his list, so don't take any advice on blogging from me. Dad has been keeping me up to date on how long it's been since I last posted and even has threatened to do a guest blog. So here goes nothing. Thank you, Dad!

Mirrors are so 2011. Who needs them when we have face time?

Can I get an amen?

I just ran across this the other night. Made me laugh so hard! My head has gone missing. My friend Sara took this picture at Passion and I'm still not sure what happened.

Freshly hatched baby chicks at the rodeo. They're sleepy. Can you imagine busting out of an egg all by yourself? Precious.

This year at the Houston Rodeo I got to see Lady Antebellum and Train. I love the rodeo so much!

My sweet friend Jen is weeks away from having a baby! This was at one of her showers. I cannot wait!

I bought this card for my BFF who lives in Alabama. Perfection. I miss her face.

You never know what could take place on our balcony. On this particular day Bethany gave Ben a haircut. I was concerned for his safety, but all ended well.

On the way to our half-marathon in Dallas the first gas station we stopped at was selling hard-boiled eggs. Um, are you as disturbed as me? Shouldn't they at least be refrigerated?

One of my favorite pictures from the half-marathon. I can't take credit for the actual picture itself, but I did do some Instagram work to it. Have I mentioned my obsession with Instagram before? It's not new.

In case you've been wondering since March 19th if I finished the race, that would be a YES! This picture shows my pure glee of being DONE!

Indeed. This was the background on my phone for some time.

Christy Nockels came to Houston for a Brown Bag concert that KSBJ put on. She is wonderful. And gifted.

My boss asked me to measure a few things one day and send her the measurements. I later sent her this text. Have I ever mentioned that I am a visual learner?

A few weeks ago the roomies and I had a night out. All was going so well until I lost my cupcake. Tragedy.

Back in April I had the sweet privilege of speaking at the Aggie Sisters for Christ retreat in College Station. I seriously loved them so much. I took this right as we got started with worship Friday night.

After getting home one night, I quickly realized I was locked out until my roommate came to the rescue. No way was I going to put my key or hand close to him. He was just chillin'.

The other night my roommate and I did Shred (Jillian Michaels workout DVD) together and since we only have one set of weights, she improvised. Ragu and vegetable oil. She told me she was sore the next day! Ha!

Sometimes at the ministry we have to use hair tools to fix things. This particular day it was the smoke alarm. I know, it makes no sense, but you have to trust me on this one!

Houston had about two weeks of incredible weather. I took that opportunity and created my office space outside. So refreshing!

It's unfortunate when a husband and wife own a restaurant and go out of town leaving the place abandon. Especially when you meet your best friend for lunch there and have to relocate. But it's also hilarious!

This much Vera Bradley can only mean one thing: Girls road trip! : )

I spent a weekend at this lake for my dear friend, Raven's, bachelorette party. It was heavenly.

Raven, the bride. Is it that obvious?! In less than two weeks she'll be Mrs. Jones! Woo hoo!

We celebrated at Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth that weekend and this was the line we waited in to get in. Absolutely insane!

The lake. On Instagram. I'm obsessed.

We had a few storms come through Houston, so much so, it took down this tree right outside my apartment. Wild!

About two weeks ago we had baptisms at BCF and baptized over 25 people. Y'all, it might have been my favorite Sunday morning ever. Such a sweet day. I love my church so much.

I got to travel with this sweet lady (and also my boss!) to Dallas for the first time to the PINK Impact conference at Gateway Church. It was such a privilege and honor to do so. We had the best time!

Worship with Kari Jobe to start out PINK weekend. So incredible.

I'll never forget the opening of the conference, especially these dancers. They were truly worshipping, y'all, and had THE biggest smiles I've ever seen. So neat. So powerful.

I'm not sure how this appears to you, but upon first glance, I thought it was a bear jumping on a trampoline. I laughed so hard I cried. And then I read it was a bear getting tranquilized out of a tree in Boulder, Colorado. Sweet mercy.

My best friend for life is about to give birth to her firstborn. I had the great honor of getting to throw her a shower with her sisters. I already love this baby so much!

Baby Love banner. Pinterest inspired.

I also may or may not have purchased this for Baby Girl Isaminger. Y'all, my wallet is feeling the pain of these babies and weddings coming up. But I would have it no other way!

My mother is emoticon queen. Every now and then I like to share a good one with my peeps. They make her so happy. And honestly, this one is MILD!

My compassion boy, Jhon, gets more and more of my heart every time I get a letter from him. This particular day he asked what my favorite flower was. Melt my heart.

I'm a girly girl, but working at LPM has almost been a shock to my system. Like for instance, last Thursday when after hours became beauty shop. My co-workers put my hair in this ponytail. And were so proud. I secretly loved it. Only at LPM.

I've spent some quality time here recently.

My co-worker and friend Nancy was so generous to give me and my co-workers tickets to the Casting Crowns concert this past Saturday at the Woodlands Pavilion. However, our real reason for being there was to see Lindsay McCaul, who happens to be her daughter-in-law. This was out on the lawn that night! It was packed!

My friend Angela and I at the concert!

A few of us from LPM with Lindsay! We were missing a few for the picture. So sad. But so thankful to Nancy for being so generous that night with us.

My mom's recital was this past Sunday. I've been to a few recitals in my day, but this father-daughter duo was a first. So precious!

Snail mail fills my love tank. And on this particular day, this sweet note and scripture cards from my friend Callie made my day! How precious are they? Thank you so much, Callie! You are wonderful!

Well, if that wasn't the most riveting revival of a post I'm not sure what was. Thank you for suffering through that with me.

Here's to blogging more frequently!

I Will Run

There are some folks out there that consider themselves runners. In fact, Eric Liddell, an Olympic winner from 1924 and more importantly, the reason for the movie Chariots of Fire, once quoted, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

I am here to admit I am not a runner. When I run, although I somewhat (on a very minuscule level) understand the “runners high”, I’m not sure I feel the pleasure of God. I sure wish I did, because if that was the case, I don’t think putting on my running shoes would be such a mountain of a task for me.

However, for the past two months I’ve been training to run a half-marathon in Dallas in six days. But before you label me completely insane, let me explain why I’ve been training to run 13.1 miles.

As Our Own is a “Christ-based, community-driven movement in India that rescues vulnerable children from certain enslavement and exploitation, caring for them as our own.” (I ripped that definition off their website.)

Recently, I feel like I can safely say, the awareness of human trafficking has gone from just a buzz, to a true cry. Through different ministries and stories we have become very aware and educated on all that is going on around us, even in our own backyard. I actually want to use the term “all” lightly because we don’t know all, we know pieces of the issues; But God does know all and He sees it all. However, being aware of it is one thing, acting on it is another.

That’s where As Our Own comes in. They have the ministry and people in place to do the work to free these girls, but they need our resources. God isn’t calling everyone to pick up and move to Nepal or India to open up an orphanage for kids who have been exploited, but He’s called us all to be a part of the solution by either going, giving or praying. The least we can do is give and pray.

As Our Own is doing a campaign called I Will Run. They’ve chosen 10 girls, 10 stories and 10 cities and are asking people to run for the freedom of these girls.

That alone is why I signed up to run the race. I want to be a part of the solution.

To be completely honest, training hasn’t been much of a joy for me this go around. It’s been slightly inconvenient and tiresome. Numerous times I’ve almost talked myself out of running for this excuse or that one. How embarrassing is that? I don’t tend to be the most competitive person, but I want to do things well and since I haven’t been able to do this well, I’ve wanted to duck out of the race. But the question isn’t really can I run, it’s will I?

No, I may not run all 13.1 miles. In fact, I can almost guarantee I will stop and walk a few times. Is that okay? Absolutely. I just keep reminding myself that whether it’s an eight minute mile or a 15 minute mile, it’s still a mile, and I’ll still cross that finish line to the glory of God and for the freedom and awareness of sweet Parul, the girl we’re running for.

I was telling my co-worker the other day that my Monday runs are always awful. I mean, really, just so bad. The reason for that is because I have no fuel for my run. If you spend a day fasting, then try and run four miles, it’s just going to be painful and pitiful. The same is true spiritually. How can we serve on an empty tank? The only way I can serve the Lord with excellence and love Him with my heart, soul, mind and strength is by giving my soul food, which is His Word. Otherwise I’ll come up dry and empty.

I want these girls to grow up loving and serving Jesus Christ with everything in them, but that can only happen if they’re being fed and taught the Word of God; As Our Own is doing just that, and then some.

My church, Bayou City Fellowship, has a team of runners and we have a goal to raise $15,000 for this race. We have six days left and we still have half of our goal left to raise. I need you to know that I hate asking for money. It's just not my thing and I don't want anyone to feel any pressure, but I also don't want this run to be in vain because I couldn't humble myself to ask for your support. The goal of this race isn't just for me to cross the finish line, it's both to make people aware of what As Our Own is currently doing and to support them financially to free to some girls.

With that said, I also want you to know that you can be a part of the story, friends. If you feel the Lord pressing upon you to give to our team (and please know As Our Own gets every last penny), you can go here to donate to our team, or click on my page to donate to my portion of the run. Either way, the team, myself and As Our Own appreciates and is thankful you might even consider giving.

The other day on Pinterest I saw a quote about not always seeing eye to eye with running, I laughed because I get that, we don’t always see eye to eye. It said, “Not everything that is good for you always feels good for you.” Amen. Running doesn’t always feel good, but it is good. Being challenged doesn’t always feel good, but it is good. Spending time alone with the Lord doesn’t always feel good, but it is good. Sacrifice doesn’t always feel good, but it is good.

Freedom, however, does feel good, and it is good, so let’s put or resources, bodies and minds (I say minds because half the battle is mental) to work and free some girls in Jesus’ name. Your support, whether through prayer or financially means the world to us! Thank you so much.

A portion of our group running from Bayou City Fellowship.

If I Were on Twitter...

Hypothetically speaking, if I hadn't of given up twitter for lent and was currently communicating on a more regular basis through social media, you may or may not have seen some of these tweets recently. But, you know, that's just hypothetical.

In no particular order...

@Lindsee_Lou I apparently have an easier time forming sentences in 140 character than I do forming an entire blog post. It's an art, y'all.

@Lindsee_Lou It’s really unfortunate when all you want is cereal and your refrigerator is milk-less.

@Lindsee_Lou (Regarding the Passion 2012 CD release day.) Today would be a really good day to purchase the new Passion CD: White Flag. It’s been on repeat since 9:30 last night. Seriously. I'm obsessed.

@Lindsee_ Lou Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman. Yes, yes it is. It’s also a really good Bible study. Enjoying every minute of digging into the life of Queen Esther.

@Lindsee_Lou Spring Break is really only spring break if you actually get a break. If not, it’s just another spring week. I miss spring break.

@Lindsee_Lou Dear Monday run, you are not my favorite. So today I will skip you and take a nap instead.

@Lindsee_Lou The countdown has begun: T-minus 10 days until my half-marathon for As Our Own. #IWillRun

@Lindsee_Lou Does anybody know what happened to winter in Houston? You know, the cold season? It skipped us.

@Lindsee_Lou The Houston Rodeo can’t be beat. Nor can Mutton Bustin’. I have no great joy than watching children hang on for dear life to a sheep.

@Lindsee_Lou Rain boots make my heart so happy. It’s the little things.

@Lindsee_Lou It is not in my best interest to stay up until 2:00 AM when I need to be fully functioning the next day. I’m just not in college anymore. But the college girls are worth it.

@Lindsee_Lou Australia is on my mind. And so is the Colour Conference. How neat would it be to be there? Ah! One day I will see a kangaroo live and in person.

@Lindsee_Lou My sweet neighbor just called and we had the most hilarious, awkward and slightly inappropriate conversation. I’m still laughing. #loveyourneighbors

@Lindsee_Lou Nick at Night has been airing “Friends” this week 24/7. I love it so much. Some might call that a “Friends” marathon.

@Lindsee_Lou I just bought a pair of wedding shoes for $13. Score! (Bridesmaids shoes that is.)

@Lindsee_Lou A Saturday that I never left my apartment is a good Saturday indeed. (Ten years ago I would have thought that was so lame.)

@Lindsee_Lou Sometimes I can’t wrap my mind around all the Lord has done in my little life since this time last year. God is good.

Happy Friday, y'all.

A Weekend in Nashville

A week ago I took a flight from Houston to Nashville along with my friends Kelsey and Megan, both juniors in high school, to the LifeWay Girls Conference. Here are a few reasons I was excited for the trip:

1) It was my first visit to Nashville ever. Not sure why it took me so long to get there but after hearing so much about it, I loved it.

2) I got to spend the weekend with some super fun high school girls.

3) My job at LPM is two-fold. Although I do media, my other focus, and for sure more important, is young girls. I've been learning all things media lately, so the other half has taken a back seat. To be neck deep in girls ministry all weekend was not only good for my heart, but has my mind spinning in all things girls ministry. Which is a very good thing.

LPM and LifeWay have a good relationship already so to hear from their staff and other girl's ministers was a total bonus. Why re-invent the wheel when we're all reaching for the same goal?

LifeWay has hosted this conference for three years now and I am so thankful to LPM for sending me. By the way, LifeWay was a wonderful host. Each and every staff member and the way they loved on the guests was so inviting and loving. It came at just the perfect time as I'm praying through and seeking what young girls ministry looks like at LPM. Young girls are a different in respect to the issues they deal with, but we all need the same Jesus.

Girls, just like women, need authentic relationships, vulnerability, honesty and some good, solid Bible teaching. They can smell a fake a mile away. But at the same time, they're so self-aware it's hard to sometimes crack the shell, but certainly not impossible.

My favorite aspect about the conference was the breakout sessions. They had separate sessions you were able to choose from for the leaders and the girls. I attended one called “The Secret Addiction”, which dealt with the issues on girls and pornography, which is another post for another day, but it was very powerful. Another one that really spoke to me was about pressing in and pressing on in ministry, which was all about taking care of yourself and your relationships in ministry. Can you say relevant? How often do people in ministry pour themselves out to the point of exhaustion or worse, burn-out, but never attend to their own soul? I walked away very encouraged, built up and much wiser.

Not only did I benefit from the conference, but the girls did as well. I know for a fact they enjoyed the different breakouts they got to choose from.

I'm not saying I have answers, but I have ideas. I'm asking the Lord to press in and reveal what the next step is. Where do we start? I'm so ready. Have I mentioned before that I dearly love me some young girls? Oh, I do.

The conference ended Saturday evening, so before taking off Sunday morning, we had Saturday night to explore Nashville's hot spots. After eating some authentic Tennessee BBQ, my friend Heather who lives in Nashville chauffeured us to visit the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. It was beautiful and we loved getting to walk around, explore and eat gelato. Plus, the fact that I got to lay my eyes on Heather and give her a hug made my weekend. I haven't seen her since she moved back to Nashville last summer, so that was a huge highlight. I'm so thankful for her sweet friendship!

It was an excellent weekend. It you're a girl’s minister, high school girl, or have a high school girl, I'd say it's worth sending her next year. Let's get these girls immersed in some Bible study and life-giving, life-saving truths.

One thing I know is true; this generation of girls certainly has my heart and my attention.

Friday night session with the girls!

Good morning!

It was a chilly, but beautiful weekend. And we walked everywhere!

Getting sleepy...

Tennessee BBQ! Can I gen an amen?

It looks like Heather and I are taking portraits with the white background, but I love it. Love her!

Kelsey, me and Megan at the Gaylord Opryland. I wanted to be sleeping there! Gorgeous!

I just need y'all to notice the photo-bomb in this picture. Ah! Love those girls.

Is this not the most appropriate ending to a great weekend? She was out!