Staying In Love-Part 1

I recently found an awesome sermon since I began my quest to learn what the Bible says about love! It is a 4 part series entitled “Staying in Love” by Andy Stanley (awesome pastor). I actually attended his church for a while and I’m a huge fan! What a great topic for today’s times when the divorce rate is soo high. Here are my notes from Part 1…

Andy begins by saying that the only thing required for falling in love is a pulse! Sooo true and with tons of organizations out there today it has never been easier to fall in love. I mean it is not so hard to find someone who you connect with…both physically and emotionally , right? However, he states that it has never been more difficult to stay in love either, yet that is what we all strive for.

There are several reasons why it is so difficult to stay in love with someone. First, very few people have actually ever been around a healthy marriage or have been able to track one over the years. We might have seen certain qualities in marriages that are great, but our likelihood of observing a true Christ like union is rare. What has been modeled for us and the rule we have been given on relationships is all wrong and therefore it is impossible to know what is right. Think about it….the divorce rate is super high now days and the relationships we have tracked like our parents, friends’ parents…..Consequently, what we see leaves us with a false illusion of how relationships are supposed to be.

It takes a list of certain qualities for a child to grow up and be equipped for a healthy relationship with others. In other words, this is what we need to have received as a child to be prepared for a long term relationship. A child should have received…respect, encouragement, comfort, security, support, acceptance, approval, appreciation and affection. But here lies the problem; most of us don’t grow up receiving all of these. Either our dad didn’t come to all our games, our mom didn’t comfort us when we needed it, etc….you get the point. The second part is that most of us meet people who come from the same background. So, the odds to obtaining a long-term relationship become very slim. We tend to look for the qualities we didn’t receive as children from our partners, instead of looking for them from God (will get to this later). We as humans are equipped to fall in love, just not equipped to stay in love.

It is important to point out that our culture also has a really low threshold of relational pain…this means it doesn’t have to hurt or be too bad and we will decide to get out of the relationship. The days of “I do” and keep doing are long gone. This is because our culture sends us this horrible message that if we aren’t happy; we aren’t with the right person and need to re-choose, therefore sending us from relationship to relationship. But, if you talk to anyone who has been married 2o years they will tell you that they once wondered if they had the right person as well. They just made the decision that the person they chose would be the right person. Choosing the right person is easy, but staying with the person we choose is what we don’t get help with.
Jesus spoke and gave us the foundation for enduring relationships. His words were so simple yet so powerful! The problem is that both people must accept this basic teaching of Jesus. He said “A new command I give you, Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love another.” John 13:34 You might be saying well that is simple…love one another. Yet, we must look much deeper. Jesus took a word we normally use as a noun and turned it into a verb. He is telling us to go and “love” one another….actively love. Many people will say “I used to love X, or we were in love at one point but we aren’t in love anymore”. See …they are using love as a noun. Love starts off as a feeling and when we don’t feel it anymore, we decide not to love each other and instead think we need a new person to get that feeling back. This is the problem with our society today. If we look to the Bible, we can maintain love, stop treating it like a noun and treat it like a verb. The foundation for staying in love is to make love a verb!Don’t take your love cue from our culture or even your parents. Jesus says you when you think about what it means to love, take your cue from Him. Not how to be in love, but how to stay in love.

Apostle Paul uses a different word than love that relates to what Jesus meant. Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Mutual submission is the absolute starting block for people who will stay in love. Submission is basically making the other person your priority and placing yourself under them. Both people must do this in order for it to be effective, regardless of what each one brings to the relationship. People who mutually submit to one another place their faith in Christ and learn to accept and adopt Jesus’ way of thinking about love and what it means to receive and give love.

Instead of looking for the qualities we didn’t receive as children in our partners, we need to look for these things from God. He needs to be the rock we lean on! So learn to love each other the way God through Christ loves us, NOT the way we have seen things modeled. Take your submission cues from our savior! When you choose to actively love the other person and put them first every single day, love can be maintained. If you have already picked someone to fall in love with, now just chose to love them every day! If you haven’t found that person yet, my hope is that you can use this information so that you don’t go from one relationship to another, making you just another statistic in our non-Christian society(so sad but true)! Look for Part 2 soon:)

If you would like to listen to the full sermon…
http://www2.northpointministries.org/player/player.jsp?occurrenceID=3888

What is LOVE?

What is LOVE? The four letter word in our dictionary that has such a powerful meaning! I’m on a serious quest to find what love really means. From a young age our culture instills in our hearts that we are a princess and will marry a prince and live happily ever after. But realistically, love is so much deeper and complicated than that. Yes, we might marry our prince but his journey to get to us is not the casual and safe ride to the castle and our wait is definitely not as picture perfect as we would like! We encounter so many trials and sufferings on our way to a happy ending that we almost feel as if we will never get there. The general definition of love is an emotion that relates to a sense of strong attachment and affection. But we all know it can mean so much more. Love can make us extremely happy but it can also make us awfully sad. It can cause hurt, joy, laughter and tears. Love can make us feel needed and also want to meet someone else’s needs. We all have our own definition of love and most often times our experiences have shaped our beliefs and meaning. I have loved and been loved and sure you have as well. It is quite difficult to define though. So I plan to do some research and figure out what it really is….and the place I plan to look for it is ….The Bible! So here is to our quest on learning about love… I am extremely excited about educating myself on God’s word about this topic and hope you enjoy reading as well!

Thank You Lord for...life!

THANK YOU LORD for life! We've all heard it many times, but life is sooo very precious! We are all placed on this earth not knowing how long we will even be here. The thought of not knowing our last day is a little scary but knowing where I'm going helps quite a bit. I've always been told to live every day like it is your last. I realized that today when God spoke to me in a way that we don't always prefer to be spoken to, but boy He sure did get my attention!

I was on my way back from lunch today and crossing a busy intersection in Atlanta when I was in a three car accident. A lady ran the red light at full speed and hit me on the driver's side. Her speed caused my car to spin and knocked it further down the road. It all happened so fast I was in total shock. I wasn't wearing my seat belt and was therefore jarred really bad. Luckily, no one else was hurt. My only injuries were to my back and bruises to both my body and soul. Nothing a shot in the bottom, muscle relaxers or some ice couldn't take care of! I wasn't able to drive my car and it had to be towed but all that mattered was that everyone was okay. It could have been much worse and it was a miracle that no other cars were involved. God was watching over me today but also helped me to step back and take a look at things.

Today made me realize how precious life really is! Our days are numbered, our lives are limited and life passes extremely fast! We give little to the thought of the shortness of life! I searched the Bible for some scripture and found an amazing one below.

"Lord, make me to know my end,and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed you have made my days as handbreadths,and my age is as nothing before you;certainly every man at his best state is but vapor." Psalm 39:4-6

What a great definition of life! This scripture helped me to put things into focus today. When we as humans tend to understand that life is short we will become wiser individuals. We will not only view the issues of life more accurately but have such a better perspective. We will handle problems more wisely and invest our time better. It causes us to carefully choose how we are going to live and what we are going to live for.

So remembering that life is short can remind us of the preciousness of relationships that we most often times take for granted. It can help us to be less selfish, more loving and more forgiving.So take a second today and step back from your life. Try to be more loving and forgiving while letting your loved ones know you care! It might be your last chance. THANK YOU LORD for life!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Today, October 6th, is my anniversary at work! It has been a full year since I started with aim Marketing Solutions and yes we do celebrate anniversaries! Just one of the many reasons why I enjoy working for an agency! I can't believe it has been a whole year since I started my first big girl job and over 12 months that I have been a resident of Atlanta! Boy, time flies by! I have had such a wonderful first year living in the big city and am so very thankful for all the amazing opportunities God has blessed me with. I can't wait to see what else He has in store!

I absolutely love my job! For those who don't know, I work in the sports and entertainment industry as an account coordinator aka event planner. On a daily basis I plan a country music and NASCAR festival that takes place in Nashville every year! Look it up at http://www.soundandspeed.org/! You are probably wondering how it takes a full year to plan just one single event! Well, I do everything that is behind the scenes...book the hotels, create contracts for VIPs, order the food and every other tiny detail that people overlook. I thank the Lord everyday for allowing me to have a job in this economy and feel extremely honored to work for such a great company with awesome co-workers! Here is a look back at some things that have happened over the past year at aim! Happy 1 year anniversary to me!

Sometimes we get bored and love adventures....Rachel & I can even fit in the shipping boxes!

The whole office at our Christmas bowling party!

The guys in the office love to play games...here they "business carded" my desk!

Football...Southern Way of Life!

It's now fall and that means football season at its best! Football is the ultimate definition of the South! Southerners live and breathe football! As a young girl I grew up attending games at Paulson Stadium rooting on the Eagles and therefore, learned at an early age how important it was to our culture down here! I was blessed enough to cheer for one of the best high school teams in the state and then one of the best college teams in the nation! Go Devils and Tigers! I guess being on the sideline was the closest I could get to the field:) I even found myself intrigued at the team behind the team and decided to get my Masters in Sport Management! When that didn't satisfy my passion, I went on to work as a recruiting assistant for GSU football and then in football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars! It was clear that I loved football! Don't we all? What is it about waking up with the sun just to begin tailgating hours before the actual game or making sure that everything we have on is the color of our team? Or perhaps buying tickets a year in advance to make sure we get to see the rivalry game of the year? Something about those Saturdays in the fall define what it truly means to be Southern!

Well, I never thought I would say "Goooo Dawgs", but found myself doing so after my sister became a cheerleader at the University of Georgia. She decided not to try out again this year so I went over to Athens to go to a game with her! I had loads of fun and although I found myself yelling for the red and black,I know in my heart I will always bleed orange and blue. But for the time being it was a football game and that was all that mattered!

Me with Munson, cutest bulldog ever!

Jenn & I before the game!

Thank You Lord for...answered prayers!

THANK YOU LORD for answered prayers. I’ve always been told God answers prayers. He might not answer them during our requested time frame or exactly in every detail we like, but He does hear us when we speak to him. After I looked at one bedroom apartments last week I called my mother so upset. The thought of living alone left me feeling so empty. If you know me, you are aware that I’m a very bubbly and outgoing person who loves to be around others. I’m very talkative; enjoy company and an extrovert to the fullest extent. Yes, I do love my time alone but just couldn’t bring myself to the idea of not even having someone to discuss the day with. I’ve have always had a roommate and at times even more than one. To give you a better idea of how much I love roommates, here is a list of my former ones….Joanna, Caryn, Anna, Megan, Sarah, Maren, Emily, Erica, Katie T, Katie R, Ashley, Laura, Kaci, Evan, Lauren, Marvee and Susanne. And they all made my living experience 10x better!

So, I forgot to mention that Atlanta is not the safest area for a single female and one bedrooms can be pretty pricey. My mother suggested a roommate and I informed her that everyone I knew in the area was either married, living with their fiancé or has had the same roommate for years. I was so stressed and saddened about the situation. I had to find somewhere to move quickly because my storage unit would run up in October. So, I let go of the frustration and asked God to help me through this situation…all I could do was pray about it. And boy did he answer the prayer fast!

Only hours later I was at Barnes & Noble (my new home) when I heard someone from a distance call my name. I turned to see Julie, a girl I hadn’t seen in years! We both cheered together our freshman year at Georgia College and now here she was only feet away. We quickly began catching up on each other’s lives and I asked her to spread the word to her friends that I was looking for a roommate. Well, to my surprise Julie was actually experiencing some crazy times in her life as well. We both could relate to the fact that we felt like nomads living out of our Vera Bradley bags and were ready to settle down somewhere fast. We filled each other in on the past few years and visited apartments the very next morning.

Julie and I have now found a place to live and are super excited about moving in together. We have so much in common and are ready to embark on our new journey. Isn’t it amazing that the Lord works in such mysterious ways? Here He was bringing someone back into my life after 6 YEARS just at the right moment. And to make things even better Julie is such a wonderful Christian woman. I know He placed her back in my life to help encourage me on my new walk with GOD. My experience has helped me to realize that prayer is such a powerful thing. So, Thank you Lord for bringing Julie into my life and for watching over me. You never fail to amaze me! THANK YOU LORD for answered prayers!



" Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." Mark 11:24

What's Your Therapy?

What is your therapy? What is it you do to escape from things or make yourself feel happy? Dictionary.com has several definitions of therapy, but my favorite is... "Any act, task, program, etc...that relieves tension." Since my life has been rough lately, I have turned to many types of therapy including....praying, sleeping, reading and my biggest....SHOPPING. I admit I love to shop! What woman doesn't right? The only problem is that my budget limits me in how often I can use this type of therapy. I'm actually really great at budgeting but over the past two weeks I have found myself not even looking at prices. YIKES! I just seemed to be handing over my piece of plastic. For me it was a temporary fix. That is, until I begin to balance my checking account 3 days ago.

I've been blessed with a wonderful mother who calls almost everyday to check on my status. On Friday her phone call took me by surprise. She informed me to go shopping for myself and she would cover the expenses. I guess she was trying to lighten my spirits the best way she knew how. So, I took her advice and did so. Here is what my Saturday looked like.......Thanks Mom for your financial contributions that helped to make it so awesome! What would have been a typical day at Barnes & Noble turned into a magical day that made me feel special when I needed it the most.

I began the day by making a stop at Ulta for a makeover! Since I've been feeling kind of poopy(this is a word in my dictionary) and ugly I knew a makeover would be the remedy. I walked in and told my sweet friend Tori who works there, to make me feel pretty again. And boy did she do that! Her amazing talents made my green eyes that have been so hidden recently stand out. And her choice of lipstick made me want to smile to reveal its beautiful color. Several of the employees complimented her on her awesome transformation. Of course, I bought the products that made me feel like a princess. You know you would have done the same :) Please see above for this purchase. Yes, it was SMASHBOX products! They are oh so amazing but oh so pricey. Thank you mom for your contributions so that I was able to buy the princess makeup.

I then headed to my favorite... TJ Maxx. The employee that greeted me quickly complimented my eyes. See...it really was worth the money!!! (Atleast for the short time it made me feel better). Afterwards, I headed to the mall and was allured into the most feminine store on the block. I purchased 7 new pairs of panties (can I say that on here?). What is it about buying new undergarments that makes a woman feel so amazing? (See pink bag above). I ended the night over dinner at Cheesecake Bistro with my dear friend Laura, who was in town. We were able to catch up on each other's lives and I thank God for her friendship. The day was over after I crashed...I was exhaused after shopping and dinner. I try to not always resort to this type of therapy, but it does't hurt every once a while, right? The way it made me feel about myself was worth every penny! The next time I need therapy I will go back to "praying".

Laura & I enjoying our pastas!

****Actual amount of food on my fork was staged for the picture. My mouth is not big enough for a bite that large.

Side note....Thank you mom for helping to make my Saturday special!

Coffee anyone?

Okay so I’m about to release a huge secret that might make you stop what you are doing and cause you to put your hand over your mouth. I ask that you please don’t judge me for it but instead have an open mind and laugh with me about it. After all, God created us all different, right? Or maybe he just chose to make me the only person in the world who has this quality…or at least that’s the way I feel….I’m an outsider. So…… I DO NOT drink COFFEE. Take a few seconds and take it all in. You can call me crazy or just plain weird. I know you are probably freaking out at this point. Yes, I’m probably the ONLY person in Atlanta who has never had a full cup of it. My consumption of this black substance has only been about 5 ounces in my entire life! What is it about this black liquid that people are nuts about? I’m not sure why I don’t care for it since I grew up around my mom making a pot every morning and every night. I have even tried it with cream, sugar, etc….but it just doesn’t float my boat. It seems millions of people and all of Atlanta can’t function without it. Now, I might have to write a new post in about 5 years when I have 3 young children waking me up at 6:30am every day. But for now I’m perfectly okay with not having the bold and bitter taste in my mouth. Here are some quick facts about coffee…….

• Worldwide, more than 1400 million cups of coffee are consumed everyday


• Coffee has been used as a beverage for over 700 years


• It takes 40 coffee beans to make an expresso
  

What are your weird qualities? I know we all have them! I will embrace my rare quality of an Atlantian with a smile on my face. Thanks for accepting me for who I am. God sure does and I love him for it!

Thank You Lord for...children and faith!

THANK YOU LORD for children and faith! After I met Kian on Sunday, I decided to spend yesterday afternoon at the homeless shelter here in Atlanta. My sister’s house as it is called, houses around 50 kids! To see their faces you would never know they lived in a shelter or had experienced such a hard walk in their short lives. I approached the playground and within seconds 5 children came running up to me. I guess a new face must have been extremely exciting for those who live with around 100 plus. They hugged me, asked my name, told me theirs, grabbed hold of my hands and pulled me over to the monkey bars. I was a total stranger to these kids but they treated me like I was one of their own. I was pulled from one end of the playground to the other sliding down slides, running around and watching their songs and dances. One little girl even asked me to pick her up so that she could grab the monkey bars. I was in total disbelief that she allowed me to touch her and raise her up so high above my head. These children were putting their trust in me and welcoming me to their home. They loved me as God loved us. Did you know that human love is conditional and based on feelings or emotions? God’s love is the complete opposite. He doesn’t love us because we love him or make him feel good. He loves us unconditionally! I am so thankful for the children that day and their unconditional love towards me. It made me realize that I must love everyone as God loved us.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him"
1 John 4:16

After about an hour, I headed inside to tutor a teenager. Her mother sat on the computer next to us typing an email. I watched her patiently and slowly peck at the keyboard, one letter at a time. She had obviously never been taught how to type, a skill that we all take for granted. As I turned my head, a word from the screen seemed to jump up and catch my attention. If I hadn’t looked twice I would have thought it was in all bold, italicized and capital letters. But it wasn’t! At the bottom of her email she wrote the word GOD BLESS! Such a simple statement but such a large meaning. Here was a woman who was homeless, living in a shelter, had experienced more in her life than most of us ever will and she was sharing her faith with others. I left the shelter so thankful for having gone and with a challenge to share my faith with others. So thank you Lord for the children at the shelter and how they exemplified your love and for the mother whose faith in you impacted me. THANK YOU LORD for children and faith!

Thank You Lord for...courage

THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage. It is amazing to me how God can work so quickly in our lives. Only hours after re-accepting Christ into my life again I headed to Cheesecake Factory to grab lunch and then off to Barnes and Noble for the afternoon. By the way if you have never eaten there I highly recommend it, it is my favorite restaurant! J I bought the book my counselor recommended, “Changes that Heal” and headed upstairs to find a seat. The book is a spiritual one that helps us to understand our past to ensure a healthier future. Did you know that all your relationships as a child with your parents and friends will always have an effect on your current ones? I will have to blog about the book later.

I grabbed a big comfy chair in a group of 4 facing each other. After taking off my shoes (yes I did in Barnes & Noble) I glanced at my neighbors. One was obviously studying for a test, the other on her computer and well the third one caught my eye. She was dressed in mismatched clothes, shoes that were obviously too big for her feet and her arms and head were tucked inside her shirt. She lay there curled up sleeping with her plastic bag beside her. She was HOMELESS! It hit me that she had come where it was comfortable, safe and dry (despite Atlanta was flooding at the moment). While reading I caught myself glancing up at her after every couple of pages. This is when God began to tug at my heart. He was telling me to act, but I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to embarrass her in front of the others sitting so close. I continued to read ignoring my desires until they became so strong I had to make a move. I quietly walked over and whispered into her ear, “Do you need something to eat?” She simply nodded her head yes without saying a word. She followed me downstairs to the small café where she looked at me puzzled. I told her to order anything she wanted. Without a second of hesitation she pointed to the club sandwich. Isn’t it amazing that people who aren’t usually given options can make a decision so quickly? We ordered the sandwich along with some Cranberry juice. She introduced herself as Kian and I returned the introduction. I offered to sit with her but she informed me she wanted to go to the music section before leaving. She kept saying “Thank you” over and over and did so at least 5 times before we parted. As I turned to walk away she quietly said “You look like a movie star.” My face instantly lit up and a smile took over sending a warm sensation to my heart. You may be saying that was nice of me and I was able to touch a life, but I look at it completely different. Kian touched my heart that moment and brought life to me when I needed it the most. She was the angel that day! Without God’s courage I wouldn’t have been able to share my faith with a complete stranger or wouldn’t have been reminded of how truly fortunate I am. So ,THANK YOU LORD for giving me courage.

Thank You Lord for... a Second Chance

THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance. Recently, I have been dealing with one of the hardest things I have ever dealt with in my life. Last week I cried myself to sleep almost every night, had my first anxiety attack, lost 6 pounds in 5 days because I couldn’t eat, took time off from work because I couldn’t concentrate, saw a counselor, took depression medicine for the first time in my life and continually searched for answers to the point where it consumed over 85% of my daily thoughts. As the counselor diagnosed it, I was experiencing bereavement or aka grieving. On Sunday I realized I was only left with one place to turn….GOD. I knew I couldn’t get through this emotional time without Him and realized the lack of him in my life was probably one contributing factor to the situation in the first place. So, drum roll please….. I’m happy to announce that after spending 4 hours praying and crying, I re-accepted Christ into my life at Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta. A big thank you to Ms. Joann and Ms. Michelle for talking with me, praying with me and guiding me through the entire process. You were definitely angels sent from above.

If you know me at all you are probably confused at this point. You might be asking how I can re-accept him into my life. Or you might even react as my friend Mike did, “But you already had him in your life and you are already a religious person.” Well, the answer is yes I did re-accept him and Mike is right about him already being in my life. Christ has actually been a part of my life since childhood but let me explain…

We all drive down the road we call life. Christ has been in my car for quite a while now. I sometimes even let Him sit beside me in the front passenger seat. When I reach a destination point He is most usually praised for helping me navigate or for helping me make good time. When difficult conditions occur on the road I don’t have a problem handing the wheel right over. I mean who wants to drive in snow or rain when you aren’t familiar with those conditions. Occasionally, I even make Him sit in the back passenger seat, relying fully on the confidence that I know how to drive without His help at all. The fact of the matter is… Christ has never been the owner of the car. I have relied on my own experiences, confidence, and guidance to reach destinations and steer my way through life. After hitting a dead end road last week I turned off my car, unbuckled the seatbelt and slowly opened the door making way for Him. We can drive all day long on our road of life but what we fail to ask ourselves is where we are truly going. I have decided that without a map or clear path we continue to drive in circles, take dead end roads, try to cross bridges that aren’t stable and much more. So I am proud to say that God is now at the wheel of my car and will be my personal GPS from here on out. I know it won’t always be easy being a passenger in the back seat when I’ve been the driver for so long. And I’m sure at times I will even ask for it back, but I have made the decision to give it to Him and this is only the first step. I’m now ready to sit back, enjoy the scenery and His choice of stops along the way . If one thing is clear, I have never felt so much pressure and weight lifted off my shoulders. For once I am not in control, HE is. I’m looking forward to the ride to sharing my journey with you. So, THANK YOU LORD for giving me a second chance!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’' Isaiah 41:10

Britt's First Blog

So this is my first blog ever! Crazy right, since we now live in a time where technology and social networks have taken over. I admit I have yet to enter the Twitter world either, but have been an avid Facebook user for over 3 years now! Please bare with me as I take time to learn my way around the Blogging world. My first task is to make this Blog more colorful and a better reflection of who I am as a person. If you know how to do so, please lend your services:)

I have decided to begin blogging for many reasons..... 1) To help keep my family and friends updated on my life. Some live so far away and with everyone's busy schedules it is hard to always find time for an hour call to catch up. 2) Someone suggested I do so to keep track of the many things that occur in my life so one day I can look back on it. 3) To journal and write down my thoughts as I deal with life's challenges. After all, the best therapy is to journal.

So, I hope that you enjoy reading my blogs as I enjoy writing them. I can't promise that they will always be interesting or that they will keep you coming back for more. But, I can promise that I will always be myself and will share my thoughts openly. You may disagree with me at times or even totally find yourself on the same page. I also occasionally hope to make you laugh and cry as well! Welcome to my outlook of the world around us.....Welcome to

BRITTANY'S VIEW OF LIFE!