Friday, January 13

{banana pudding} and burlap.

This weekend I'm going to:

1. Make a burlap pillow, with this quote stamped on it:
 If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together.. there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. but the most important thing is, even if we're apart.. i'll always be with you. 

2. Make banana pudding from here.

3. Watch and cry to this trailer as many times as I want to.

4. {Maybe} clean my apartment.

5. Paint.

6. Dance.

7. Soup.

8. make some of these.

9. Love my life and dream of living in a cottage on the east coast/sipping coffee to the sound of a seashore.


Love,

Lea

Friday, December 16

{wrestling}



First things first, the source of everything to follow comes from  Oswald Chambers's My Utmost for His Highest.


Pretty sure this book makes me want to paint buildings with its wisdom and shout to the world that there are no longer any valid excuses for not wanting to read the bible. It's text supports, colors, and enlivens God's word in a way that is easy to read and encouraging to live.


I think about life often. Who doesn't? From thinking, I think I've realized that I'm a fighter. Not the good kind- you know like Rocky? or someone that has overcome a huge hurdle in their life? Yeah, I wish. I'm the kind that will fight the dumb things, mostly things that I know are good for me, but they aren't what I waaaaaaaaant (whiney voice).


Can you picture a rock climber? okay good. The task is the wall of rock before you. The objective is to reach the top. You're life pretty much depends on a harness and the little spikey things you stick in the rock to clip into (I hope my knowledge impresses you....joke!).


Okay, here's the point: How much sense does it make to fight the one thing that's holding you together? "Okay God, I disagree with you, and I'm pretty sure I can manage on my own, my own way" is pretty much the same as tossing your little clippy things off the mountain and loosening up your harness. Okay, that's more comfortable... (joke again).


Why wrestle with God? We can wrestle God all day long, but afterwards- we'll find that we're crippled even more than before and we've wasted all of that time thinking about ourselves when we could have been "out there" tag-teaming it and wrecking havoc in the world of "human nature" and "pain and suffering" (in a good way). What is that phrase? And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. Mark 3:25. 


Rather than wrestling with God, l want to wrestle before God- with him cheering me on and giving me what I need to overcome the things that he puts in my way. Why am I wasting so much time with wrestling for things that I think I want? 


I'm silly. Thanks Oswald. You've humbled me once again with your inspiring words. 




Merrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas! only 8 more days... 

Thursday, November 17

{whispers of a well-lit way}


 Fall is my favorite. It’s like a fire has been lit inside of me that warms my being and calms me. Fall and I could be the kind of friends that may go a year without seeing each other, but in being reunited, we find that we were never too far apart. I would go as far to say that I’m in love with Fall. Sure, love. It works.

Love is round and it’s meant to be deep. And from what I’ve heard, love is hard. It’s sneaky, and it catches you off guard. It whispers “sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice.” What’s romantic about that? Not much. From what I know of deep feelings, I think they root themselves in the unreached places and light small fires in the corners that were once undiscovered. Once the corners have been warmed, and the roots have sunk in, we want it to stay that way forever. Because, it’s nice.

Shiny object.

Working close with charities, I hear a lot about the homeless population. I actually got to help out a time or two with a soup kitchen downtown Little Rock. I overheard the kitchen ladies chatting... “You know, they try to sneak the food out with them because, God forbid, they think it won’t be here tomorrow. They think the food will run out, and there won’t be enough for them.”

A person such as this, so afraid that the one thing they need to survive will eventually run out, is no different from me. They desire food. I desire love.  

What it comes down to- God is love. And time and time again, God reveals himself through Jesus. Who is said to be the “Bread.” Manna. The Lord’s Supper.

God warms me. He lights small fires in corners of my being that were dark before. He roots himself in my heart and won’t ever let go. That’s the sustenance I need, the fulfillment that can be matched by no other.

I just have to keep reminding myself...

DSC_3218-6punch out
Manna in my mind.
(it's snow...) 
credits: Pioneer Woman