i was in the woods once

trees, believe me when i say,
you're more my home than here.

day dreaming of painting your face a midnight blue

in class today i kind of spaced out and started pondering painting and what a glorious thing it is that God has given us the ability to spread pigment onto pages and call it art. i miss painting, even though i was never particularly good at it. one day i want a house or apartment with massive illuminating windows, a place where i can create. i'm looking forward to when i can be arsty and expressive again.

grainy

places i'd rather be --
or maybe i wouldn't change a thing.

theological struggle bus

Why do I think that God bases His favor for me on what I do or don't do for Him? Why do I continue to struggle with thoughts of legalism and think that I could ever please God by what I myself do? Am I not already bathed in the blood of Christ upon trusting Him as my Savior? Why do I keep thinking that God is looking down on me in condemnation when that is the furthest thing from the truth?

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." ~ Romans 8:1

"When we were overwhelmed by sins, You forgave our transgressions." ~ Psalm 65:3

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." ~ Psalm 103:11-12

His love for me doesn't change because He doesn't change.
Ever.

morning & mumford & sons

Something about today is already adventure. Sleepy, hazy sun rays; the first Mumford & Sons album; writing music with my sister by the lake; worn-in flannel; dreaming of whatever God has in store for my future; waking before my alarm; praying for revival.

Do what You have planned today, Lord. Let me enjoy these days of opportunity.

"Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun." ~ Psalm 37:3-6

the earth is the Lord's & everything in it

Earth Day.
That's a thing.

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." ~ Isaiah 55:12

i see sunshine in the distance but it's nearly eclipsed

Just stopping by to say I wish I had more time I wish I had more time I WISH I had more time to blog, but I am so busy that I'm actually kind of paralyzed by the business and just end up staring at my dorm room wall which I just hung a photo of Bob Dylan on and that's about all I can muster in accomplishments nowadays and I don't even care that this is just one big long run on sentence because punctuation is a choice and so is stress I guess and I really need to give it to God but I feel like I need the woods more than ever and wished I would have appreciated it more than I did twelve days ago.

the quotable bob

-

"Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Bob, why are you resisting Me?' I said, 'I'm not resisting You!' He said, 'You gonna follow Me?' I said, 'I've never thought about that before!' He said, 'When you're not following Me, you're resisting Me." ~ Bob Dylan

mountains beyond mountains

dfs

 "God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars." ~ Author unknown 

Currently Spinning: "Vital" by Anberlin

vital on vinyl.

mountains beyond mountains

going to the mountains, yo.
gonna see some trees, child.

some people have a joy you can hear

 I apologize for the frightening photo, friends. But! It is warranted, as I will be returning to the mountains momentarily. This third hike finds me filled with both dread and excitement. I must admit that I'm not too encouraged by the weather forecast -- a ton of rain. Looks like that poncho is going to be my best bud! But I am happy to head back to the woods, far from the blips of empty red notifications and the air conditioned world.

In other news, I am more than obsessed with music right now. It's everywhere -- in the violent watercolor sky, in goofy grins, behind my rib cage, filling my lungs. And I've been finding a lot of new bands this spring break that I really enjoy! So glory, that's been pretty rad.

Current Classic Favorites:
-- "Spiderhead" -- Cage the Elephant
-- "Enjoy the Silence" -- Depeche Mode
-- "Naive" -- The Kooks

If you guys have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! :)

my taste in music is your face

can their new album just come out already or...?

He is risen

Sometimes I struggle with believing that such a Savior could love me, and that He would die and rise again just to save me, but this great and glorious Gospel is the only thing that gives my restless mind true peace. Happy Easter, friends. Enjoy spending time with family and loved ones, eating your weight in chocolate bunnies and deviled eggs, and relishing Jesus' gift of true life.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." ~ Galatians 2:20

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." ~ Luke 19:10

Not sure what any of this means? Click here.

genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood

Finding myself kind of (surprisingly) addicted to Pinterest right now. It's proven extremely useful in helping me pin down (pun entirely intended) exactly how I want my room to look, what I would like my personal style to be.... but it's also super helpful when looking for inspiring images to represent my novel. And I may have stayed up til 3 in the morning writing just because of it!

i miss when the light was soft and everything was st. augustine

Lately I miss the cobblestone streets of St. Augustine. I miss the beautiful and vibrant flowers, the musicians who play shows with open guitar cases, the hidden treasure store I love on a side street, and early mornings alone at the fort. This is the city my parents eloped to, the city I was made in, and where one day I hope to go with my husband.

i have these thoughts so often i ought

Being on Spring Break is kind of odd for me.

I enjoy it, yes, don't get me wrong. But I must admit that it leaves extra time for me to think. And I don't always want to be alone with my thoughts.

Something I have been feeling guilty about lately is my spiritual walk. At Bible college, I'm constantly in the Word and thinking about God and fixing my eyes on eternal things, because the structure and curriculum of the school allows for that. But here on break, it's harder. I have to make time or intentionally fix my thoughts on Christ. No one is telling me to do these things.

It's not that I've neglected the Lord entirely, but lately I've been afraid that if I'm not always constantly reading my Bible or thinking about/praying to God than I'm a "bad Christian". We're all sinners saved by grace, so what does that mean, anyway?!

The devil uses these ideas of legalism, aka the mindset of "what I can do for God" and my own failure to attain self-righteousness to make me feel bad when I should be enjoying such a wonderful time of rest. And really, my own inability to offer God anything at all (even when I feel spiritually strong and think I can) should point me back to the glorious Gospel of grace, which tells me that God has already attained all the righteousness for me. These are days of grace!

This verse is one of my favorites and definitely my prayer for my mindset today:

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." ~ Exodus 14:14

>> If you like your encouragement in musical form, click here.

i went to the beach by myself tonight

& there was a violent sunset.
the colors were a painter's perfect pink, oozing into deep reds.
there were even light streaks of yellow in there, too.
it reminded me of what a heart, the organ on the inside, looks like.
& it was Christ's love splashed up there on the canvas of the sky.

i kind of like that i didn't have my phone on me.
no phone = no photo = all the more reason to hold onto it in my mind's eye.