Zumba

is ridiculous. I tried it for about 30 seconds tonight at the YMCA with my mom, my aunt, and my mom's friends. It's sad when 45-50 year old woman can shake it better than I can. So after the 30 seconds me and my aunt were like "NO WAY" and went running instead.

Taken

God's justice is something that I have the hardest time understanding. I don't think I'm alone in this confusion for if I were less people would be asking the question, "if God is good then why all the suffering?" I understand that in order for our love for God to be real we must all have a choice. And by allowing that choice we have also allowed evil. But what most confuses me is how God lets, or so it seems from my tiny view, horrific things occur every moment of every day. Where is the justice? I mean, how do we even begin to pray for something so large as human trafficking and abortion? Of course we must pray, but it all too often feels so helpless.

I just watched the movie Taken at Mason and Michelle's house. It was a great movie. The hero in it is probably my new favorite. But if you haven't seen it it's about a man whose daughter gets kidnapped by some Albanians involved in the slave trade. The story is about how this father goes after his daughter and saves her from the sex trade. It's an amazing movie but it got me to thinking about this stuff more and more.

I know God is good. He has proved it to time and again. But why does he move so readily in my life, in minute details and yet allows other women, who are probably much like myself, to be traded as some sort of subhuman tool for pleasure? And what of the men involved? Those who buy and sell. Or the children being bought and sold.

God is the only thing that will liberate us from this darkness.

I know that my being human leads me to these questions about God and his justice. But I also know that what He says is always true. If He says He just then He is. And there is hope in that... hope that my prayers are being answered, hope that restoration can be given, hope for Eden again. I guess the best option is to forget the confusion about God, ask for open eyes, and choose to compare Him to the heroic father in this movie, for that is who I know Him to truly be.

So if you haven't seen Taken, watch it. Besides the fact that it's thought-provoking, it's really entertaining and just all-together awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUxdQ4q-Lg

The Theif Comes to Steal

So I woke up this morning a little pessimistic. I didn't know why I wasn't particularly joyful because I had a great night last night. I ran into Phillip Mullins at a Charlotte Eagles soccer game and just had an overall great time. Today I'm working all day but I wasn't really dreading that. So I didn't know where these bad feelings were coming from. I am often faced with negative emotions when I wake up and when I feel this way in the morning it usually carries on, sometimes for days.

Then I thought about having my quiet time, a time that I usually look so forward to and gain so much from, but was not too keen on the idea. Then I realized that perhaps the negative feelings weren't coming from me at all. So I just, in the moment of my realization, said "I will not agree with these feelings. My day is not going to suck. I do want to be with Jesus." And from that point on everything was good. I had a lovely time with the Lord and work has been so super fun today. It's just like the Enemy to try to steal our Joy.

It's such a relief to be a Christian. To have God's grace offered to you all the time and to be a receiver of his love. There is such victory in Christ.

It's Time I Devoted Some Time

to this dear blog of mine. Since summer's hit, and boy has it hit, I have found less and less motivation, or maybe I should say inspiration, to blog. Writing is one of those things, that for me, can either be an exciting, energizing activity, or it can totally wipe me out. I know that when I am most inclined to write is when I am most at peace and am settled in who I am and who God is. When I'm frustrated and worried is when writing, or doing anything creative for that matter, feels like driving a knife into my skull.

[a bit extreme i know]

I wish I had more brilliant ideas to share with you all. I'm sitting in the Dress Shop, no calls, no customers. I'm here from 10 to 6 today and these 8 hours seem like an eternity. With all this time on my hands my heart feels free to create. That, however, is frustrating when I have nothing of particular importance to write about.

[there's two dresses here that I love and want to try on. that's not okay while I'm working, right?]

Psh... I'm getting paid just to sit my butt here for 8 hours and write the longest most discombobulated blog ever.

Happy Friday Everybody. I might be back for some more pointless blogging when I'm bored enough.

Michael Jackson

is dead today. I felt i needed to put it in my blog.

Also, Farrah Fawcett is dead too... which I'm sure you all know.

I'm being way to insensitive about their deaths.

Some lovely photos to commemorate:


a cute, not so satanic looking Michael.



and the lovely Farrah.

Don't read this boys

unless you want to be totally grossed out.

So I'm dogsitting right now. I've been keeping Mason's mother-in-law's dog since yesterday. It's cool because I get to stay at Mason's new and beautiful home all by myself. I cherish my alone time. But what I do not cherish so much is that this particular French bulldog is in heat. Gross. Me. Out.

I want to take a nap

but i can't because I'm in the role of Miss Lauren right now and have to play mommy. I love my job but I'm tired. Aren't you supposed to rest up during the summer?

Also, in the past week three different times someone's car broke down (two times it was the same woman) and I had to go bail them out of a given situation. So the third time I prayed for the woman's car to miraculously turn on and it did. Haha... I knew I was being opposed and I knew the enemy was up to something. So I prayed and Jesus came through. How easily I forget that he loves to offer a helping hand whenever we ask so that we might remain in him and rely on him more. He's still teaching me about remaining in him and in his love. I like it.