Update

It took a while but, I finally added a glimpse in pictures of my previous trips and the people and places who have captured my heart and enriched my life. The hope is that under each tab under the Travel page will not only have photos but the journal posts and retelling of my time and experience in those places. It’s been about 6 years of travel and a lifetime of memories made in the matter of moments and weeks. I love the people, adore the places but mostly cherish the opportunity I’ve been given and wanted to share it with you. So keep an eye out for my travel page as it is going to expand yet again because in 4 weeks I’ll be in Brazil and then hopefully and prayerfully next December I’ll be back in Korea to see my host family and teach new students about the beauty that is the grace of God and the purpose He has for them… Stay tuned this blog is about to be revamped and very transparent as to what has my heart and how I came to be..the woman that I am

-Striving to love and learning to pray with open hands

Round-house to My Face

 

 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”        Romans 5:6-8 NIV

#Foolishauthenticity

So this morning was supposed to be the great and wonderful beginning to me working out and being healthy. I did 3 miles, a full body toning routine and I was feeling pretty good. I stopped to get chai on my way back to campus ( it’s roughly 8:45am) when I pulled into the parking lot where my morning would take a nose dive. I parked and before I can roll my window all the way up a man is outside of my window asking me “ma’am does it make me a bad person if I ask you for a ride?” No it doesn’t but it does make me uncomfortable that you are trapping me in my car and making me very uncomfortable. He preceded to wait for me to exit and then continue to talk and walk extremely close to me. I had just worked out so I know I must have looked like an easy, tired target. I managed to get into the coffee shop and ask the owner to walk me to my car which he willingly did. Now, usually I’m pretty tough but for some reason this triggered a past memory where I couldn’t take care of myself… which caused me to panic and be overwhelmed. This isn’t a typical post about the goodness that is my life and how everything is falling into place and the rest of my usual fluffy disposition ( because truth be told I like the fluffy) but this morning was hard, and so will the rest of my day. Feeling like you can’t or that you’re not safe is one of the scariest things. Because you don’t know what the outcome is until it’s over.  The verse above brings me comfort and it reminds me that we all have sin, we just sin differently and it urges me to pray for those who prey on others out of a need to be feared, heard or justified. I’m not a victim, but it was like getting a round-house kick to the face.

(to be transparent is to be vulnerableand today that means I was scared…)

The rope, truth and love

“[Praise to the LORD] LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1 NIV

yesterday was a good day, work, quality time and a good amount of processing maybe not sleep but being at peace, that’s a yes. The day started well and ended well it only slightly lulled in the middle but I was so encouraged. Got to catch up with a good friend of mine at subway for a little while then off to campus and spent a uninterupted 3 hours with my amazingly awesome Boyfriend ( we’re trying to learn how to balance our lives aka our ministries and work + our relationship). It was a good time just to be and relax ( so perfect). Then I had training with some of the sweetest girls ever.

Transitioning now into whats been on my mind since I heard the phrase and my transparency in the fact that I’ve dropped the rope for people I should be supporting ( convicted and so sorry):

 

What does it mean to hold the rope for someone? to be an encouragement and keep them filled so that from the out poor of what we have received they might find courage to continue on. I’ve been learning what this looks like and the truth is it looks different on each person. Everyone needs help in some way we just need to identify in what areas and how we can be of any assistance.

This morning this verse was on the daily bible verse chart:

“[Praise to the God of All Comfort] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

And I believe it to be true for this situation we are to comfort others and do it with compassion.

“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

Because truth be told prayer changes our hearts, and when our hearts change we are more sensitive to the things that God would have us see and hear, even feel without having the bunk and gunk of distraction in front of us. My hope is that for the people we all love and care about that are farther than an arms reach away. We would learn to hold the rope and be encouragers.

Night of Nations

This is the Rap my team did, so proud its to the rhythm of teach me how to dougie ( oh yes we did)

Remix:

Aye! Aye!
Teach me how to praise Him

They be like Jon (what?)
Can you teach me how to praise Him?
You know why?
Cause we all need some savin

All I need is a God who’s super lovin
And for you you, you to back it up and raise it
Put your arms to the sky wave em side to side
God gonna listen when He see you hit that praise Him right
Ain’t no one messin with my peeps down in Riverside
They go by Lancers and they hit that dance like thunder
I ain’t from L.A. but the inland empire
I show my moves off and errbody tryna follow
I leave the church, and all the fellas keep it going
Now you just look up and keep on praisin’
People love to hate…..try to make us stop
But we keep praisin Him… all around the block
We make the service shine bright when it’s started boomin’
This beats legit, so I had to do it

Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Errbody love Him
Err, Errbody love Him
Errbody love Him
You ain’t messin with my Jesus
(Repeat)

His names J.C.
For all the dudes who don’t know Him
I know he from the east but he the one we be praisin’
Stand up in the church and all the kids start a lookin
All these Christians dancin’ only focused on Him
I hear some guy screamin’ like “Hallelulah Brotha!”
So I bow down and praise Him some more
They like “how you do that? He can praise Him on the floor!”
And when the music stop they like “praise him some more!”
I’m like dude I’m kinda tired, so I pass it to you bro
Hey John! show Cal Baptist how to worship
It don’t matter what your past just matter where your heart at
Walk onto campus and…got the whole church ask….

Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Errbody love Him
Err, Errbody love Him
Errbody love Him
You ain’t messin with my Jesus
(Repeat)
Here at CBU we be doin ISP.
Spreadin Jesus’ name in all sorts of countries
Brazil, Spain, Uganda reppin up his name
Students are our goals and we plan to make em stay
We’re spreading the Gospel in places that don’t know him
Leavin from the Kugel with Jesus as our omen
LAX we’ll see ya when we travel through your rooms
But don’t give a worry cause we gone real soon
Goin around the world without a single sting
Gonna be like Coke cause God’s the real thing
All Nations have disciples that Yahweh touched
His Great Commission as our guide so here’s the launch
Cali swag gonna help us as we comin to you
We gonna keep on doin what Jesus said, so shoot
Praise Him, Live Your Purpose and Go Fight Win!
Watch out all you darkness, we got the light within

Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Teach me how to praise Him
Teach me, teach me how to praise Him
Errbody love Him
Err, Errbody love Him
Errbody love Him
You ain’t messin with my Jesus
(Repeat)

Editing once again

The Rest of Taylors Senior Photos should be up on the photo blog soon :

 

Salad, Truth and Humilty

#FoolishAuthenticity

April 4, 2012

Salad Anyone?

Today I shared a salad with someone for lunch and as she described herself as being very African it would be considered rude if I didn’t partake and help her eat lunch. It was one of the first things we shared during our time together along with laughs, our hearts, fears and even some hurts. Let me pause and just reflect on how big and awesome God is that He allowed us to meet and now has set us on this journey where we will be entangled in each other’s lives for quite some time. She is sweet girl learning to embrace all that she has to offer and trying to daily live out the call of Christ to make time for one another and truly love everyone. Before we ended lunch we talked about prayer request for our day because a week is a long time and I like to look at specifics. She said “I want to be found doing my Father’s business, like it says in the bible they looked for him in all the usual places but he was not there…” and it just floored me. Because how often are we in the usually place but aren’t looking with new eyes to see people, to be found in not a usual place but to be found doing the Lords work what a humbling picture and challenge. She thought it was just salad and a conversation but she has refreshed a part of my heart in a way that I didn’t even know it was dry…. Being transparent on this blog more so than usual in April, my heart has been wrecked and I’m convicted to share that I have been found in the usual places and that is no longer acceptable.

Striving to be found about my Fathers work…

Foolish Authenticity: Day 2

#Foolish Authenticity

Transparency Take 1:

There are only 4 weeks in April and then I’ll be in Brazil!!!

This month is going to fly by and it is with transparency that I say it won’t be a good aside from the Resurrection… Or so it feels. I’m pinned against a wall with the title as the “good one” and I just want to have the time to process and make things count. This summer is going to be a whirl wind of trips to the airport, picking up and dropping off and vice versa. But before the travel plans in May, June and July (Brazil and Texas(hi Daniel, remember when we were friends..land  maybe Philadelphia…again because Hooray for Bernard he got a job with Fuge to do camp and theatre stuff) however I have to make it through April first. So much to do in the next 4 weeks it’s out of control but then again this is the life I chosen to live so do I have a right to feel overwhelmed or stressed when I willing enter into these situations and on a somewhat constant basis. I’ve come to terms that I like to be busy, like to be productive even (dare I be this transparent) like being needed. But and yes this is a true but statement, I should slow down and re-evaluate everything that I attempt to do and hold it up to the statues of Proverbs 31 in the since that do I things that are going to enrich other areas of my life or am I just spinning to be moving and slowly harming the areas of my life that were doing well before I decided to take on too much? Just some food for thought. Today is the second day in April and it is my honor to report there were no pranks pulled, no mental scarring took place and I am officially a member at Sandals Church whoo hoo. This is my spring break schedule of time 2 weeks off from one job so I will be posting, pinning ( yes, pinterest is something I do) editing photos and writing cards of encouragement. This month is going to fly by and I’m so very excited to see everything come together.