Passion Conference '07 went great! I had a lot of fun and was ministered to. I was inspired. Here are some pictures...

Brooke and I

Shawn McDonald! Brooke and I were the first ones in line standing by the door to get the front row, we were like little gitty teenieboppers. :)

Teen Mania peeps me, Brooke, Anthony, and Ben.

As soon as I got back from Alanta, GA I hopped on a suburban to drive our band all the way to Minnesota. This week we've been playing for Honor Academy North's Gaunlette (orientation). It's been so incredible here. It's so full of the spirit. This place is like a hidden treasure, there's so many great things here that no one knows about. HA connecting with Bethany College of Missions there are retired missionaries living here, the Holy Spirit is free to move, they are trying to become a 24/7 International House of Prayer, so many great people live here. I've been refreshed being here.
Tonight we lead worship and it was so freeing, just flowing with the Holy Spirit. My heart so longs to go deeper and take people to the deep places of God's heart. Tonight I saw a glimpse of that, singing new songs, prayers...It was beautiful. It's been so awesome to see God's molding with these new students. They are finally getting worship and diving into God. I love it! Praise God because He is so worthy!

"You are My King, enthroned to be my everything! I love you Jesus!"

So I'm home for the holiday. It really doesn't feel like Christmas... there's no snow, and I just haven't been able to get into the Christmas mood this year. This vacation I'm truely resting, letting go of the cares at Teen Mania and all the responsibilities... for a week anyway and it's great. Today I wrote a song. There's a lot God has been stirring in my heart lately, I want to express it through music.

Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone is getting engaged? I come home and I found out that 3 of my old close friends are engaged! I think I have more friends that are courting, engaged, or married and pragnant than those who are single. Crazy.  I'm happy for them. It's beautiful. Yet I'll wait and be patient, no need to rush. There's so much yet I feel I need to do while I'm single with the Lord before I get married.  Singleness is a gift, I'm going to sieze every moment of it, or try to. Thank you Lord. I was thinking one day about the many changes in myself recently and then the thought just hit me..."maybe these changes are the product of God's molding from my husband's prayers and desires."  I thought it was a cool thought.

Tomorrow I'm going Christmas shopping with my bro. I am so impressed with my brother, John. He's grown so much spiritually and maturity. I'm so proud of him. Here's a picture of this stud from his homecoming this fall.

Well if I don't post before Christmas....Have a wonderfully blessed Christmas!

 I'm leaving with the ministry team today to go to Madison, WI ATF! I'm excited to experience again the life that I miss so much. It's just a week yet I will savor it all. I loved and miss the traveling, truckstops, hosthomes, working the events, the cities, the team, ministry opportunities... it's a great life. I miss my team!! But this week I will be with my best friends, Cori and Jessica and be with some other loved ones from my team- Nate, Russ, Clark, Beth, Daniel, hopefully Tiff. And we're stopping in Minneapolis and I get to see RICHEE, an incredible friend and mentor in my life who was my manager on the road last year. I also get to hang out with Autumn and Bethany and the guys from the Autumn Ashley band this weekend celebrating Chris Trowbridge and Daniel Nelson's bdays! This week will be great!

Thanksgiving was amazing... and the Holy Spirit revealed so much to me this weekend. New depths is where I'm heading. A deeper intensity aches inside of me to go further, to cease the compromise. To manifest Christ Jesus.

 I'm at my best friend's house that I grew up with, Natalie Dennis, for Thanksgiving in Branson, MO.  She just got married in August and now she's pregnant! So crazy. I couldn't imagine myself in her place right now. It's a beautiful thing though, she's very happy. Here are a couple pictures from her wedding. I caught her boque...yet I don't plan on getting married any time soon. Even though sometimes I think it would be nice to meet my husband but I'm patiently waiting. God will bring him when the time is right.

This year has been quite an experience. I've been learning to juggle many things at once. I've realized though as life goes on, more is added and returning to the easy life from which you thought was challenging at the time is not a possibility. God just entrusts us with more to handle and gives us the grace to do it. A few months ago I became the Worship Coordinator at Teen Mania on top of the School of Worship Liaison and being a student in the School of Worship. I'm also leading the main worship band on campus also. Balancing time and priorities has been a learning experience. I love what I'm doing so very much. I feel very blessed that God has entrusted me with it all. God has been teaching me what He desires in worship. I'm learning to be more sensitive to His Spirit. Learning to discern people and meet them where they are at and bring them to the heart of God in worship. I've never felt so free in leading worship than I have been now. I'm so hungry for the knowledge of God. There is so much to learn. I read this quote recently and I've been meditating on it lately:

" To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God,
To feed the mind with the truth of God,
To purge the imagination with the beauty of God,
To open the heart to the love of God,
To devote the will to the purpose of God." - William Temple

Learning to lead worship with my lifestyle... the way I live needs to carry the presence of God and bring people closer to Him. 

God is so big, I want to go deeper... I want to climb higher... I want to live my life as a daughter of the Most High God. I want to know my Father and reflect Him, His many attributes, beauties, fruits, gifts. I want to say only what He says and do only what He does. I want my eyes to be soley gazed on my Heavenly Hero.

Yet so many times the world is destracting with its worries and desires. Smith Wigglesworth says, "Worldliness is anything that cools our affections toward God."  So I will press on hard after God. The more I'm running after Him, the less I will desire anything else. It's hard, denying the flesh, crucifying it, but that is what He's called us to. I know that if I want to go any further with Him, I have to lay down my life all the more.

Life is a blessing. Thank you God for who all that You are. Thank You for giving up Your life so I may have life and that I may know You.

Count your blessing today...
Happy Thanksgiving!