A Work in Progress....

Beethoven is known as one the greatest music composers to ever walk this earth. I think it's amazing that this man composed some of the most beautiful masterpieces known to music all while being deaf. The most interesting thing to me is the last piece of music he composed that is known as his "masterpiece".....critics even call it a "symphonic poem." but oh how it was a work in progress.

Throughout the original pages there is more than just sheet music on a blank page. If you viewed the 80 page music in person one would find a page full of notes, measures, and marks. This man's mind was so full of ideas and creativity that his finished projects often looked like a mess. He turned a white crisp blank page into a page full of marks, holes, and smudges from where he erased and edited his masterpiece over and over again until it was his perfect masterpiece.

2 Corinthians 5:17 " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

I can't help but think about how the page started out blank. Every day my sweet Jesus hands me a blank page and yet somehow everyday I manage to mess it up. Praise The Lord His grace is sufficent & even though I stand amazed at his grace it is so easy for me to stumble in it.

This causes me to start thinking about the page He's handed me in a word full of dirt and ink-all along wishing I could be more careful. I can't help but think of all the smudges and eraser marks that I have added to it. Some of them from lessons learned the hard way & others from bumping into life as I journey along.

Honestly life is far messier than we'd like it to be-but praise The Lord our precious Savior is faithful through the mess.....faithful to do something beautiful with His masterpeice which is a constant work in progress.

"For we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28

How to love...

After hearing from several people that know me pretty well...."you love big" I have really been wrestling with the thought of do I love others to a fault & almost viewing loving big as the thorn in my side.

I'm just being honest....this is where I have been this past week....

So starting today I am going to change my viewpoint on the whole thing. Loving big will no longer be looked at as a thorn in my side but a precious gift from The Lord. **Baby Steps**

Now I just need to reach the place of loving and expecting nothing in return. **Next baby step**

I know for me it's totally mental and boils down to controlling my mind. I mean I've even had people tell me that I am one of the most loved people they have ever met.

Who knows.... maybe that's why I love so much. And you know what-I've tried to fight it, I've tried to stop, but I've come to the realization that no matter how hard I try I keep coming to dead ends...I can't stop. Loving big and Joy Willoughby come hand in hand....sort of like a package deal.

So here is what I've decided....if I love others from the view of achieving something from them then what's the point of loving at all? Love is a constant self offering. My prayer is that I will reflect a Christ-like love that is selfless and blameless. I desire to show the precious people in my life a love that is contagious and overflowing. A love that is patent, kind, and all of the other ways 1 Corinthians describes it to be.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."
1 Corinthians 13:13

Enough....

Enough for those check lists that will never get checked off.....

Enough for hurting & broken relationships....

Enough for a void that won't go away....

Enough for the whirlwind of confusion....

Enough for the waiting.....and the waiting....and the waiting.....

Enough for the days when you want to run away and hide.....

(I confess I've had a few.....)

Enough to bring you joy in the hard times.....

He is Enough. His love is enough. His joy is enough.

"Thank you Jesus that you are enough...."

I hope you see zero perfection from me or from this blog! I am just a simple girl who is a constant work in progress, & desperately in love with her precious Savior.....just hoping to encourage someone along the way....

"The joy of The Lord is my strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

Failing Forward.....

I admit failure is a word that sends chills up my spine- I so often find myself wanting to be more like the people who use failure as motivation to try harder....but let's face it-failure is scary,it's painful, that often causes humility & refinment.

At times I find myself viewing failure as a major set back in life...that is until tonight.

Failure will no longer mean taking steps backwards, but falling forward.

Failure is one of the things that causes me to fall forward into my precious Saviors arms leading The Lord to work on my heart that is a constant work in progress.Praise The Lord that everytime I fail His mercy & love never does!!

"The steps of a [woman] are established by The Lord & He delights in [her] way. When [she] falls, [she] will not be hurled headlong, because The Lord is the one who holds her hand."
Psalm 37:23-24

By The Grace of God I am What I Am...

Just wanted to share something I read this morning during my quiet time....

"There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God's purposes and yours may be that life."
Oswald Chambers: My Utmost for His Highest

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28

A Sweet Reminder....

I am watching my friends kids for them while they are out of town for a wedding this weekend & The Lord used them to sweetly remind me that kids are NEVER too young to start being taught about worship.

As we loaded up into my car this morning the next song on the CD was The Dessert Song.The moment they heard it they both shouted out-Mommy has this song! I thought they just recognized but then from the backseat I started to hear the sweetest thing....a 2 & 4 year old singing every word to the worship song.A worship song we sing in "Big Church!"

This was such a precious reminder to me that they are never too young to start worshiping our sweet Jesus!

I am so thankful for that sweet reminder this morning!

Kennebunkport, Maine...

I am super excited about my summer vacation to Kennebunkport, Maine over July 4th! My sweet friend Amanda is the personal assistant to Barbra Bush so I am going to spend some sweet time with her over that weekend since we don't have GiGL!

Since Boston is so close by and I have never been there I am going to stay a night there too! I've always wanted to visit but just never had a reason! I simply can't wait for my summer vacation on the East Coast...it will be a great week of R&R before three weeks of Vacation Bible School starts!

Influence....

I read a devotional this morning titled influence. The author talked about how our culture defines influence by the fame of that person. However, if you take a look closer at the word-influence takes on a whole new meaning and idea. The author states that "influence is a force of substance flowing from someone or something, which moves the heart or actions of someone else--whether for good or evil."

Father make me a real influential person......

So what has our society done? It has distorted the meaning of influence. Think about the people that they deem influential....it is not about serving people but put simply it is all about themselves...and just like shooting stars their light is only visible for a second and then it fades away into the darkness.

Then she touched on Jesus' understanding of influence. Did you know He compared it to salt? Something so simple, something everyone has stored in their pantry, something that is almost essential to cooking a meal. In recipes, salt is the component that brings the other ingredients to their fullest expression and flavor!

Wow......

We are called to be like salt....to serve others and bring out their fullest expression and flavor!

Umm HELLO Joy!!! Can I just say that I feel like The Lord is pounding this lesson into my heart right now! That hello-it's so not about us and what we can get in return....but creating a real, authentic life change in the precious people He places into our lives. Who knows why...maybe that person has never experienced a Christ-like love. Maybe they have never heard the words you are special, valued, loved, created for a specific purpose and reason.

What a privilege...that our sweet Jesus uses us...people who mess up everyday....to touch those that we come into contact with on a daily basis. I pray that I don't miss it. That I don't miss a single opportunity to show someone His love, that my life is not about me but showing His love to those around me!

Matthew 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

Summer is Quickly Approaching!!

I can not believe that the "summer season" is quickly approaching here at Second Baptist! There are so many opportunities for your child no matter what age they are! Check out our website for more information! Here are some of the super fun events I will be participating in this summer-I can't wait to see how God works!

Vacation Bible School.....

JHigh Beach Retreat......

Mission Trip to love on children in Cambodia.....

Now and Then..

Last night when I got home I watched the movie Now and Then. It is an older movie that came out when I was in High school. The movie is about four friends and the journey the path they traveled during the duration of their sweet friendship....that no matter what happened along the way, no matter what location they were in, they where there for each other.

While watching this movie I couldn't help but think of my four best friends. I am very blessed to have four friends like this and I know that we could all tell story after story about the sweet memories we all share, and that no matter how many times we toast eachother it never seems to change....we are so blessed to have the special bond we share...it is truly special and unique!

Kim, Kara, Lauren, & Sarah.....I can not express to you how special and precious you are in my life. I am blessed beyond words by your loyalty, your wisdom, your compassion, and kindness! You are all such treasures in my life....I simply can not wait to see what our precious Savior does in our lives as he continues to knit together our sweet friendships. I love you girls!

Now and.....

Then....

Houston Rockets Game...

Yesterday I got to attend the Houston Rockets play-off game against the LA Lakers. I will be the first to admit that I don't really follow the Rockets that much throughout the season but after yesterday's game I am now a "real" fan and kind of obsessed!

I LOVE that they are the underdog in this play-off series and that yesterday with the Rockets two "star players" out they beat the Lakers! If you watched the game you witnessed heart, determination, and team work at it's finest.....I could now be President of the Shane Battier fan club!

Pictures will be posted once I get them from my friend Kim....and know knows.....Houston just might regain it's title as Clutch City again!

Do you Dream BIG?

I had an interesting conversation with a friend yesterday as we were working a baseball clinic at the church. We were talking about the different kinds of people that we come in contact with....about those that are really organized and those that are not....you know what I'm talking about...how uniquely different we all are but somehow it just seems to work. We all mesh together despite our differences and that fact that we are knitted together so differently-what makes us special and unique and how without those people (for me it's the super organized) we wouldn't be able to do it!

G then looked at me and said that she was a dreamer and that when she dreams she dreams BIG! This really struck a chord with me....yes, I think I'm a dreamer but somedays I dream big and on others my dreams are small.

Father make me a big dreamer.......

This reminder came at such a sweet time. This morning we are starting When I grow up in GiGL.....my prayer for these next four weeks? That every single precious preschooler that walks into my room would dream big! That they would know and trust that our God is a BIG God who can do BIG things....that they would know that even at 4 and 5 years old....and that myself and the JHigh students that serve along side of me would be a living example of how big our God is and the big things He can do....and that along with the preschoolers those JHigh students would dream big too.

So I challenge you today to step out of the box....to dream big dreams and not put limitations on what God can do!

Table Top Tapestry...

Last night here on the West Campus Women's Ministry hosted an event called Table Top Tapestry....the neat thing about this event is that every table is decorated by someone....let me just tell you there are some very creative women at this church! It was such a great and refreshing evening with sweet friends.....Jeanette Cilff George spoke and was just fabulous!

My Table that I decorated

Jen and I

Sarah and I

Loren and I....

RAIN...

This morning we started a Bible Study with the ladies that work in the Team Kid ministry....what a time of sweet fellowship and encouragement! Gena Warner is going to lead us through the book Experiencing the Heart of Jesus....knowing His Heart, feeling His love by Max Lucado...I am super excited about digging into this book weekly with the women I have the privilege to serve along side with every day at Second Baptist!

We are waiting on the books to come in so this morning Gena shared from Isaiah 55 during our time together. She referenced the rain that we had here in Katy last week and just how sometimes it feels like it is raining in over lives....I'm sure we can all relate....and most times when "the rain is falling" we are smack dab in the middle of our precious Saviors will for our lives...and we have the choice. The choice to get out of it or sit and be still and know that He is God. (vs. 8-10)

Then we looked at vs. 1-4 and the sweet invitation we are offered from our sweet Jesus...."Come all who are thirsty...." Here are the points she shared with us this morning.....

RAIN

• Recognize your thirst
• Acknowledge I have nothing to offer....lack of resource
• Identify your true source of satisfaction
• Never let go: We are offered the same mercies our Father showed David....Psalm 73:23-26

I was just encouraged and challenged and wanted to share! I thought about the flowers after the rain how they are just beautiful....refreshed and renewed! Praying that for you today!

When I Grow Up...

Yesterday we wrapped up our On The Farm theme in GiGL....this weekend we will start When I grow Up! I am very excited about this theme and can't wait for the last weekend when the kids get to come dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up!

Stay tuned for pictures.....