Favorites.

These are my favorite things from December :)

 

Buy these for me? :)  I am in love with them.  Oxfords, saddle oxfords, i dont care, i looove them.

 

Nomads! They are rainboot flats... weird, yeah, but so comfortable.

 

Yeah, I just like this.  It's just really simple but pretty!

 

Lace.

 

I made this :)

 

My mom made this one, but i designed it.

 

I made this one, too.  Cutest little hair clips, ever...

 

The smell of Heaven...

 

Enough said.

 

My fuchsia tights.  I thought they were too bold for me, but I got them anyway.  I like them even though they make my legs look like crayons :)

 

2 Timothy 1:7

Sons of Sylvia ... and Maroon 5 but the album cover is a little iffy so.. yeah.

Baby, It's Cold Outside.

Isaiah 9:6 - For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

  

Matthew 1:23 - “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

 

Luke 1:14 - You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Luke 2:10 - but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.

Luke 2:11 - Today in the town of David the Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord. 

Matthew 1:21 - She shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins.

Matthew 2:2 - "We have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him."

Luke 1:35 - And the angel answered  her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy-the Son of God."

There You'll Be

There will always be that person, or few people, that stay with you through life as you go through different scenarios.  They may not always be there physically beside you, but what they taught you, and how you feel about them will always follow you.  Obviously you know how you feel about them.  But do they know how you feel?

Love.  It's not a word to throw around.  It's delicate.  You can love someone pretty easily, but when you love someone, you love all of them.  Not pieces of them, ALL of them -  the good and the bad.  If you don't love all of them, you're throwing the word around, end of story.  Being in love with someone and loving something are two totally different things.  I think the two are easily confused.  Take middle school - high school relationships for example...  Yeah, I completely agree that you can love a boy, or love a girl at this age.  Hands down.  But the other day I heard this girl on the phone in a store and she said, "Yeah, I'm soo in love with him, but he went out with that girl in Tennessee once, so I think he's cheating on me..."  I literally put down the adorable pair of shoes I was looking at and turned around to look at her.  All I could think was, "Are you serious? Like did I REALLY just hear that?"  I would have been ok if she said she loved him, but she said she was IN love with him.  So you're saying that you are in love with someone that you don't trust?  That can't be possible.  If God is love, and God is trust, and God is light... then love goes hand - in - hand with trust, and love can create an amazing light around your life.  If love has so much power, why is it thrown around?  I think loving people becomes a habit.  We are taught from childhood to love people and be sweet.  It is SO easy to be like "aw, I love her. She's really sweet," and then think inside, "oh my gosh, she's such a slut."  You'd be better of just not saying you love them in the first place instead of lying to yourself.  Just be honest.  Honesty opens room for change.  You can find love through change.  It's ok to change.  It's TOTALLY ok to change.  That's why I think it's hard to be "in love" when you're so young.  Think about the middle of middle school - mid to late years of high school.  Think about how much you have changed - spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally.  Everyone is looking for some type of person.  That type is guaranteed to change as your outlook changes through life.  I'll probably change types three or four more times until I find exactly what I want.  But, really, you don't need a type.  I think you'll know when you find what God intends for you to find.  I'm just saying that I'm tired of hearing the word thrown around.  Only use it when you really mean it, seriously.  Don't use it as a fake saying to make yourself seem like you like everybody, don't use it to lure people in, don't lie about it.  You either love someone, or you don't - it's simple.  But...  Love vs. IN love.  I'm not quite sure where the thin line is...  But I do know that when you are in love with someone, you would give everything to be with them, and you're in it forever.  Jesus could quite possibly be the only example of truly being in love.  "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8.  Of course, we should love... Just make sure you do it whole - heartedly.

The real point of this was to say that I hate trying to get through to people that you honestly do love.  You see through their faults and look at their intentions and potential.  THAT is love.  But what do you do when they won't believe you?  All I can do is be patient and wait for them to open their eyes are realize that love is all around them.  When you love someone, if you truly loved them, you always will love them, ALWAYS.

Vulnerable

When is it okay to break down your wall and follow someone?  When is the time to break down all emotional blocks and place complete trust in someone that is capable of betraying you?  Is it ever okay to be vulnerable with someone other than God?  Obviously, to open your life up to love you have to let go of a piece of control and be open to sacrifice.  But where is the fine line between the person who's serious and the person who will only fool you in the end?  People change, and people grow, and you can never be completely sure that anything will last forever.  Sometimes the only way to learn or experience anything is to take a risk and not be afraid of the end result.  Expect the best, even if there's a good chance that it will sting in the end.  "Never regret anything that once made you smile."  Sometimes I choose to skip out of situations just because I'm scared that I will end up with bad results.  When I look at what I'm doing, I need to think of the journey and what I can do to make the ending better than what I'm expecting.  Obviously things don't always go my way, but that doesn't mean that will happen forever.  Yes, bad things are inevitable, but so are good things.  If we spend too much time worrying about the bad things, when are we stopping to notice and appreciate the good things?  I'm not saying that I need to be completely care free and just live for fun, I'm just saying that it's time to relax and do what makes me happy, and be fearless.  If you're not open to taking risks and chances, blessings from God may pass you by and go unnoticed forever.  Who knows... Maybe God has something waiting right in front of you, but you're too busy worrying and focussing on other things to recognize it.  "When one door closes, another is opened."  So slam the door...  God provides.

Project 1:27

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27


Sitting in history class, I read that verse and it kickstarted my current service project...  


Around the middle of February, I started feeling like I was missing something.  I felt like there was something right in front of me, and I was totally oblivious to it.  My small group does a little serve project every other tuesday night, and this motivated me to lead something new.  I was still searching for something specific to do when the My Sister's Place website came up on my computer.  - My Sister's Place is a home open for struggling women who need help getting back on their feet with a job and a safe place to live.  My small group has also served there and I was amazed at how much progress can be made when you simply let people know that they are beautiful and loved.  -  I opened the website just to see what was going on or if anything had changed, and I saw the website had a wish-list.  The wish-list said they needed a computer with a monitor and a printer.  I stared at my screen for a couple seconds, in awe that I had stumbled across this so effortlessly.  I decided that was what I wanted to do, but prayed about it to ensure that it was indeed what God wanted me to do, as well.  This was obviously going to take a lot of time and planning, so I was taking it slow at first.  A couple weeks later, my school started the Forgotten God series by Francis Chan.  The first lesson was about applying emotions, thoughts and ideas to your actions and sticking to a plan.  This was like flashing lights in front of me telling me that this is what I need to do, and it's time to make a plan.  This is where James 1:27 comes in.  I was starting to brainstorm ideas of how to get money and support when I realized that my project needed a name!  My friend, Kalee, shared the verse with me -in history class, of all places!- and it was perfect.  When I first read it, I comprehended "widows and orphans" as people who are LOST.  Widows have been left, and orphans are lost until they find a home.  To me, this verse says that the lost ones are the ones that we need to reach out to.  There is no denying that there are lost people in our community, in our neighborhoods, and in our schools.  This verse spoke so clearly to me, and I decided on the name, "Project 1:27."   Soon after that, a lot of details fell into place almost perfectly. I found out that they were moving into a new building at the end of the summer, which lined up perfectly with my time goals.  After days of research, planning, stress, prayers, and fasting, I have a plan...  


I need approximately $2,000 by the end of August to buy an iMac for My Sister's Place.  Apple is having a back to school promotion during the month of August.  When you buy an iMac, they will give you a rebate for a printer, and an ipod Touch.  If everything plays out right, we will be able to purchase the iMac by August, get the printer, and ipod.  I plan to sell the ipod in order to buy Microsoft Office for the computer.  But I DO have a backup!  My parents have agreed to donate the printer if the promotion fails.  Also, if we end up with extra money, ALL of it is going towards extra supplies needed for My Sister's Place.  


So...  I need YOUR help!  I will be posting the dates of the fundraiser events as they are finalized.  Our first event:  Yard Sale at Chestnut Mountain Church on April 24th, from 8 AM - 1 PM.  We need items to be donated.  I am excepting boxes and small items starting now.  You can give them to me at church, bring them to my house, or I can come pick them up.  If you have a large household item, you can bring them to the church on the day of the yard sale, anywhere from 6:30 AM - 8 AM.  Also, if you would like to donate a baked good, we will possibly be selling those as well.   


If you would like to donate time or money, you can contact me on Facebook, or at souderolivia@yahoo.com.  If you join the Project 1:27 group on Facebook, you will also be updated on events and details.  Thanks for your help!


Oooh... LOOK!  A video!  

Slow down...

Life has a way of getting in the way...  Getting in the way of my spiritual walk with God, and my relationships with loved ones.  I have been so concerned about my future lately that my thoughts wander in circles in the back of my head.  I'm so interested in everything and I wish that I could go to college to major in everything.  My first priority is living life the way that God intends for me.  I want to do a lot of things, go a lot of places, meet a lot of people.  But is this what God wants for me?   

Coincidentally, a number of important people in my life have been called home to Heaven over the past year.  When these  people were still active in my life, I never stopped to notice how much of an influence they had on my life. Even now, parts of their lives linger with me and walk me through certain situations.  The death of each person has taught me to slow down and enjoy the little blessings God gives you because you might not have them on Earth for much longer.  Yes, most of us have a future that is mapped out by our Creator, but some of have a much shorter road to travel.  There is a purpose behind everything God brings us to; and it's unexplainable, yet completely undeniable.  Sometimes people don't understand why God does the things He does, but sooner than later the puzzle pieces fit together perfectly.  Throughout these experiences I've learned to stop worrying about my future and pause to look for the signs and mercy that God lays in front of me.  My beautiful God has created an infinite amount of  wonders and it's time that I stop to notice them.  God deserves our appreciation and worship every minute of our lives, and who am I to spend my life worrying about what will eventually lay itself out?  As of right now, I want my life to be a blazing offering and that all of my actions glorify God.  Every time that I find myself in a state of desperation and failure, I seek Him and pray for my heart to be softened to enable a change in my outlook and understanding.   

"Our praying, however, needs to be pressed and pursued with an energy that never tires, a persistency which will not be denied, and a courage which never fails."

Thomas Scott Messina

February 3, 1995 - March 21, 2010