Lily's Blog of Random Thoughts

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Thirty-Two

2012-02-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

1051-1106

1051. my swim team- Makos are the best!
1052. super fun meets (regionals and state)
1053. spending my weekends with Makos
1054. our team getting 10th out of 131 registered HS teams in TN
1055. good chats with super cool and fun friends

1056. God's answering prayers
1057. that God cares about the little things
1058. hanging out with the fabulous Lydia
1059. LU Chickfila with my fam and some dear friends
1060. seeing friends around the campus center

1061. watching a previous WW coach break the national HS record on the 100 fly (four laps of butterfly in 46.64 seconds- wow!)
1062. cheering
1063. finding an online broadcast
1064. being able to go on the pool deck
1065. lots of laughter

1066. being able to be at State
1067. watching the Makos rock the pool
1068. my dear and beautiful sister taking lots of incredible pictures (coming soon!)
1069. being guards with Maddie and Julia
1070. hanging out M & J

1071. two fabulous coaches who love us and support us
1072. more laughing
1073. new friends
1074. Julia
1075. Cara

1076. an AMAZING women's retreat
1077. beautiful and encouraging women
1078. my wonderful mama teaching on prayer
1079. good chat time
1080. adventures on the mountain

1081. the three dear women + sweet baby in my breakout group
1082. being real and taking off any facades
1083. wisdom from the dear women at my church
1084. Ebenezer stories
1085. God's faithfulness and love for us

1086. lots of yummy food
1087. Sonic, Wendys, and McDonalds runs :)
1088. engagement stories :)
1089. show and tell
1090. super fun games

1091. very cute house for all of us to stay in
1092. finding three different overlooks
1093. self timer on the camera so we could all be in the picture
1094. lots of laughter and fun
1095. worshiping and praising our Creator together

1096. warm weather
1097. encouragement from my dear lit teacher
1098. grace when I took the ACT
1099. Makos pasta dinner before regionals
1100. fun and laid back swim practices

1101. encouragement at Grandview
1102. Annie and Bethany
1103. my Spanish class
1104. treats at swimming
1105. my amazing parents

1106. New song Amy taught us: "O Great God" by Sovereign Grace Music

P.S. Coming soon!!! Let's Talk College Stalker Mail, pictures from regionals and state, pictures from the retreat, and more!

I Love...

2012-02-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

These songs.

Outta Space Love- Group One Crew

Bring Us Home- Michael Tait, Blanca Callahan, Lecrae

I Am (Creation)- Music Inspired by the Story

What Makes You Beautiful- One Direction
(check out Cimorelli's cover here)

All This Time- Britt Nicole

Good Morning- Mandisa and TobyMac (my morning song!)

Seven Lies about Homeschoolers- BlimeyCow

Price Tag- cover by Cimorelli

It's Friday

2012-02-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!

Hope you are having a lovely week! We have had some beautiful weather here- 50s and 60s- in winter! Craziness! I'm not complaining, though! I would be totally fine without any snow :) Apparently the groundhog says we have six more weeks of winter... If this weather is winter I will take it! :)

I am SO excited- church's women's retreat this weekend! I can't wait!

Today I think I might make an appearance at swim team. One of my friends, "You should come visit!" School has been my top priority as of late.

Speaking of swim, last week was regionals! I am so very proud of our team- we got third overall in the region! Whoo hoo! Makos are rockin'! :) I did not personally do so great but overall we did well :) I love meets! Someone recently asked me if I was happy to be done with meets for a while. I'm actually sad! I love hanging out with my team at meets. It is especially sad since we will be losing 15 seniors :( That's a third of the team :( sadness abounds! I am so thankful for each and every person and the opportunity to be a part of such a great community!

More coming soon!

Love,

Lily

{side note: I meant to post this sooner... :) It was sitting in my drafts- oops!}

Verse of the Week

2012-02-01T07:34:00.001-08:00

from Keith Beauchemin, via JFarese

Psalm 84:1,2

How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD:
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Do you long for the presence of the LORD?  Do you cry out for the true and living God with your heart and body?

In the Old Testament there was only one place in the whole world where God promised His special presence.  First it was the tabernacle, then the temple in Jerusalem.  Now we have the privilege to enter into His special presence anywhere His people meet to worship Him.  We often forget what a privilege and blessing we have.  Maybe that's why we don't long for His presence like the psalmist.  When we go to church each week we are not just going to church for our benefit, but we are going to worship the holy, almighty God.  This holy God allows us to come into His presence through the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

The privilege to come into the presence of the LORD came at a high price.  So, let us long for it and never take it for granted or neglect it.

Keep Looking Unto Jesus:: J.C. Ryle

2012-02-01T07:33:00.000-08:00

Keep on looking unto Jesus. Faith shall soon be changed to sight, and hope to certainty. Looking to Jesus on earth by faith, you shall end with seeing Jesus eye to eye in heaven. Those eyes of yours shall look on the head that was crowned with thorns, the hands and feet that were pierced with nails, and the side that was pierced with a spear. You shall find that seeing is the blessed consequence of believing, and that looking at Jesus by faith, ends with seeing Jesus in glory, and living with Jesus for evermore. When you awake up after His likeness, you shall be satisfied.

~ J.C. Ryle

coming soon... One Thousand Gifts, Update, and more! Thanks for reading!

Spurgeon:: Saved through God's own blood

2012-01-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

If one man might suffer for another, yet one man’s sufferings could not avail for ten thousand times ten thousand men. What efficacy could there be in the death of one innocent person to put away the transgressions of a multitude? Nay, but because he who carried our sins up to the tree was God over all, blessed for ever; because he who suffered his feet to be fastened to the wood was none other than that same Word who was in the beginning with God, and who also was God; because he who bowed his head to death was none other than the Christ, who is immortality and life: — his dying had efficacy in it to take away the sins of all for whom he died.

As I think of my Redeemer and remember that he is God himself, I feel that if he took my nature and died, then indeed my sin is gone. I can rest on that. I am sure that if he who is infinite and omnipotent offered a satisfaction for my sins I need not enquire as to the sufficiency of the atonement, for who dares to suggest a limit to its power? What Jesus did and suffered must be equal to any emergency. Were my sins even greater than they are his blood could make them whiter than snow. If God incarnate died in my stead my iniquities are cleansed.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Jesus, The Substitute For His People." Image by Steve Garvie on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Thirty-One

2012-01-23T21:28:00.000-08:00

1001-1050

1001. lovely, drive-with-the-windows-down weather
1002. protection during bad storms
1003. not losing electricity
1004. good chat time with my dear sister Julia
1005. protection when out driving

1006. freedom and release in forgiveness
1007. joy in Christ
1008. seeing Him answer prayers
1009. that God knows my future, and knows His plans for me
1010. God's plans are better than mine

1011. quality time with Mom on the side of the road
1012. AAA
1013. finding a granola bar and Cheesitz {sp? :)} in the car
1014. protection while we were stuck
1015. my dear Momb :)

1016. Jesus time, my family, Chickfila, ice cream, and Pride and Prejudice after a really rough day
1017. science experiments with the fam
1018. the fam's excitement
1019. dinner with dear friends
1020. game night

1021. coffee with my Theophili sisters!
1022. Bible app on my iTouch
1023. finding parking spots
1024. excitement for the retreat!
1025. celebrating a dear friend

1026. precious babies and little people
1027. super fun time in nursery with four little munchkins and Cara
1028. the gift of life
1029. my church family
1030. Pride and Prejudice sheet music

1031. laughing with my fam
1032. homemade ice cream
1033. my LU Spanish class
1034. excitement for Grandview each Tuesday
1035. opportunity to tutor ESL

1036. fun LU friends
1037. looking forward to my class, even though it's at 8 am :)
1038. iMessaging
1039. Chickfila at LU
1040. spending time with my wonderful grandparents

1041. 88.7 WAY FM while I'm driving
1042. Skype
1043. precious notes in my school mailbox
1044. encouragement from Julia
1045. hanging out with new friends

1046. Dad
1047. Mom
1048. Julia
1049. Cara

1050. As Long As You Are Glorified (Sovereign Grace Music)

by Mark Altrogge

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings

Yet not welcome any pain

Shall I thank You for days of sunshine

Yet grumble in days of rain

Shall I love You in times of plenty

Then leave You in days of drought

Shall I trust when I reap a harvest

But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me

In Your love I will abide

Oh I long for nothing else as long

As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper

And true only when I'm filled

Are You King only when I'm carefree

And God only when I'm well

You are good when I'm poor and needy

You are true when I'm parched and dry

You still reign in the deepest valley

You're still God in the darkest night

So quiet my restless heart

Quiet my restless heart

Quiet my restless heart in you

Oh let Your will be done in me

In Your love I will abide

Oh I long for nothing else as long

As You are glorified

Sunday.

2012-01-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!

Hope you are having a good weekend! Hoping that we are all safe tonight with the bad weather coming in!

I hope you watched the 7 Lies about Homeschoolers video. It's kind of amazing.

I am loving this CD: The Story. "God's story of love and redemption from Genesis to Revelation told in 18 new songs." Some of Christian music's top artists have come together to create this fabulous CD! Check it out!

One of my favorites... Check out "Bring Us Home"- Michael Tate, Blanca Callahan, and Lecrae

Can't believe this week will be my last meet of the 2011-2012 season! I love my team. The Makos are the best! So thankful to be a part of it!

Yesterday I got to hang out with my dear Theophili sisters! I love them!

Thursday was kind of a rough day... But Jesus time, Chickfila, ice cream, and Pride and Prejudice made it much better :)

Check out MoneySavingMom's post on goal setting. "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time."

Check out my church's Vimeo channel in the next couple of days. Pastor Stephen had a really great sermon about spiritual gifts!

I really like Group 1 Crew's newest music video for "Outta Space Love."

Is today a big recruiting day for colleges? I have gotten 10-15 emails from colleges just today...

Favorite convo with Cara recently:

Cara: Here try this. *shoves a spoon of corn into my mouth* Cara: How is it? Me: Yuck!! What is wrong with it?! Gross! Cara: Oops I need to season it. You are my hamster. Me: Um I think you mean guinea pig...

Coming soon... finishing the photo challenge?, one thousand gifts, and more!

Thanks for reading!

peace to you,

lily

Spurgeon:: Believe with Confidence

2012-01-22T20:34:00.000-08:00

Surely the witness of Matthew and Mark, and Luke and John, and Peter and James and Paul, is as good as the witness of Julius Caesar or Tacitus, and it is rendered the more trustworthy from the fact that they died for adhering to it, which neither Caesar nor Tacitus were made to do. Besides, for the gospel narrative we have many witnesses, the number of names was about one hundred and twenty, and they all agreed and stood fast; and even the one who did for a time seem to forsake his testimony, bad as he was, returned to it, and threw down the money for which he had sold his Master, and said, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.” We have the witness of men as to the facts that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived and died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Faith, And The Witness Upon Which It Is Founded." Image by Vincent van der Pas on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

7 Lies about Homeschooling... Debunked

2012-01-18T09:22:00.001-08:00

This is hilarious. And very legit.

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Thirty :: #1000!

2012-01-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

962-1000!

962. a wonderful and relaxing Christmas break
963. going back to LU and Whitver this week
964. answer to prayer- feeling peace and readiness to get back to school
965. snow
966. hot tea and hot cocoa

967. my amazing swim team
968. dear coaches that love us and encourage us
969. feeling like I'm coming home after not being at swim practice for a while
970. swim meet and team dinner at SATCO with my Makos
971. taking over half the restaurant wherever we go:)

972. getting to see super talented friends in Beauty and the Beast- twice! (I totally could have gone every show!) :)
973. selling roses
974. hanging out with beautiful and fab Joelle!
975. oatmeal, juice, and good chat time at 11:30
976. my dear and wonderful family!

977. hanging out with the wonderful Lydia and three adorable kids!
978. my church family
979. Grandview!
980. "Thank you teachers" - ESL students :)
981. "Nice to meet you" - after we learned that

982. privilege of being part of Grandview
983. two adorable friends coming with me!
984. said cute girls coming for dinner
985. new friends
986. excitement for this semester

987. finding our memory card reader (now I can finally upload pictures!)
988. getting to see my friend Emily at the meet! :)
989. pinterest
990. Facetiming with the Hippensteels
991. hanging out with Jenny

992. photo shoots
993. trying to video chat with Mara :)
994. a fabulous Christmas
995. fresh starts in 2012
996. hanging out with Christina

997. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." ~ Matthew 11:28

998. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13

999. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

and...

1000! ~ In Christ Alone ~

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fulness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

30 Day Challenge:: green with a dash of an update.

2012-01-06T19:13:00.001-08:00

Day 4. Something green.

Taken with a macro lens. That lens is so fab.

Trees.

Here is me being a panda several years ago... :)

Last night I went to see some super cool and awesome friends in Beauty and the Beast. It was so incredible. We laughed and we cried. It was perfect. They were perfect. And I didn't even see the Beast's hand fall off. Quote of the evening from a little girl when Gaston stabbed the Prince: "I don't like that!!" too funny. And I got to help sell roses. So fun.

Tomorrow we have a dual swim meet! GO MAKOS!!!

I would just like to take a minute to share how much I love my team and coaches. They are amazing. I kind of slacked during the holiday season and maybe went once over three weeks. Oops. (I was definitely feeling it when I went back... haha) When I went back (finally) I was so happy to see everyone. I love those people! they are like family! My coaches are so wonderful. My team is so wonderful.

Posts coming soon: one thousand gifts!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Sarah Beth!! I love you!!

(here is a picture of Sarah Beth, me, and Mimi before SB went to CO for the summer)

30 Day Challenge:: Cloudy with a chance of... roses?

2012-01-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

Day 3.

Clouds.

An artsy picture taken by my artsy sister Julia.

30 Day Challenge: because I know I'll get behind.

2012-01-05T09:55:00.001-08:00

Day 2.

What you wore today. (or are wearing)

I am going to see some of my super cool friends in a play. And I will be selling roses.

$10 dress from Old Navy, thanks to Black Friday shopping.

30 Day Challenge:: Let's do this

2012-01-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

Day 1.

Self portrait.

PhotoBooth on Christmas!

New Challenge?

2012-01-05T09:13:00.001-08:00

2011 :: In Pictures :: Part 2

2012-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

Part 2!

Sisters!

Chickfila with my Mako girlies! (check out how we are all tan haha)

Cheesecake with the gals before SB headed out to CO!

Love these gals!

Pool!

Papa's birthday!

Mr. Popper's Penguins and Chickfila with these fun folks!

Wizard of Oz!

Cara, Dorothy (aka Annie), and Lily

Anna before she went to China!

Scotts+Anna!

Hannah's going away party

Roadtrippin with Dad to Falls Mill!

Selfie

Dad

Julia got her permit!

Cow Appreciation Day! (wow I basically lived at Chickfila over the summer... :)

Meet on the birthday!
Matthew!

Jenny!

Zach and Anna Rose! I had so much fun coaching with them and Caitlin! Go Gators!

9-10 girlies!

Crazy side of being a Gator!

Putting up the lane lines

Hannah graduated from PM!

Lunch!

Mz Dake got married!

Anna Lea!

Mom was super impressed with my driving of this... :)

I love this sweet little girl!

Dad's 50th! First family meal with all 7 of us! Thank you, Lord!

Mom and Dad on his 50th!

Sisters!

Joelle!

Super fun outing at Cheekwood with the fabulous and wonderful Ms. Kathy!

Sisters!

Matthew is falling...

Fun friends!

+Julia -Lily

With the dear parentals on Dad's big 5-0!

Sisters at the new Nordstrom!

Cute girls!

2011 :: In Pictures :: Part 1

2012-01-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

2011 :: in pictures!

Coming soon --- 2011 :: In Thanks and 2011 :: In Words

{Note: I made a folder on iPhoto with photos from 2011 I wanted to include. How many were there? 217= craziness! So since I don't have enough time to post all 217, you don't have time to look at 217 pictures, and the post probably can't hold that many, I'll post the highlights and maybe some links :)}

Rang in the 2011 New Year with these lovely ladies (+Jenny, Julia, and Elaina Joy)

Annual Mako HS Girls' Party at the Cheesecake Factory!

Mirror pic in Claire's!

Second home - ISC!

Regionals

Sweet and beloved sisters of mine!

Dear friend!

Hannah on her birthday! I miss having her as my roomie!

Pottery paintin' with my Mako girlies! (+Beth)

Valentine's Day watching Emma with my girlies- yes please!

Chem lab partners!

Annual BOTB!

Pretty sister

Picnic!

The dear Dad!

Sweet Ceces! (+Mom)

Pretending that I play harp... :)

MTHEA Teen Banquet! (here are soooo many fab pictures from this evening! Check out my posts here and the talented MadelinePhotography pics here)

Love them!

Theophili!

This is a picture of my room during the time we didn't have electricity for five days....

Tea with my dear Nana!

Chem class!

Fam night out at the Symphony

Easter!

Easter with Papa and Polly Jane!

Polly Jane and Lydia!

Crazy side of chem lab partners :)

Senior toast!

White Queen

Health class!

World lit!

Algebra 2!

Julia's 8th grade graduation!

Mom and Julia and the beautiful cake they made!

MTHEA 2011 Graduation!

Part 2... coming soon!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:00:00.000-08:00

I hope that you have had a fabulous day celebrating the birth of our Savior, surrounded by family, friends, and dear ones!

Jesus came as a little baby into our fallen world. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for OUR sins, and rose again. He is now seated at the right hand of the Most High King!

The best present we could ever receive is the gift of life that God offers to us. He offers us the FREE gift of salvation! Though ipods, trips, computers, cameras, and toys are wonderful, none compare to the gift of life God gives to us.

Thank you, Lord, for the best present of all. May we keep our eyes on You!

Love and blessings,

Lily

A few links...

~Luke 2

~Guy dancing in public with an iPod: Christmas Edition (filmed in Green Hills and Cool Springs!)

~My new blog: for such a time as this.

~my other tumblr: life with lily.

Isaiah 9:6

2011-12-24T19:26:00.001-08:00

For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty-Nine

2011-12-22T14:21:00.000-08:00

928-961

928. Christmas break!

929. fun Christmas parties

930. fun friends to celebrate with

931. dear friends in for the weekend

932. Apple's super impressive and very awesome customer service

933. finding parking spots in the crazy Christmas season

934. safety when I'm driving

935. shopping with the fam

936. a dear and wonderful friend and her mom visiting our church when I was having a rough day

937. hanging out with great friends

938. the dear and amazing friends that I have been blessed with

939. Advent

940. Pandora

941. spending three hours searching for a specific gift and finally finding it

942. my family's love

943. family game night

944. swim meets

945. precal at Starbucks

946. being DONE with exams!

947. a good first semester

948. a dear sister willing to edit 70+ pictures for me

949. that sister getting up at 5:30 one morning to decorate the tree

950. being proud of a sister in a performance

951. Pinterest :)

952. getting to see and hold a precious new baby girl (!!)
953. the gift of life
954. being able to go to prayer meeting
955. poinsettias, egg nog, and peppermint ice cream

956. our dear church family
957. playing every week with amazing musicians
958. fellowship
959. celebrating Christ's birth on a Sunday

960. that Jesus came as a baby to a fallen earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for MY sins, rose again, and is now seated at the right hand of God. Thank you, Lord, for such a gift!

961. "Silent Night"

Silent night! holy night!All is calm all is brightround yon virgin mother and childHoly infant so tender and mildsleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! holy night!Shepherds quake at the sightglories stream from heaven afarheavenly hosts sing HallelujahChrist the Saviour is born!
Silent night! holy night!Son of God love's pure lightradiant beams from thy holy facewith the dawn of redeeming grace,

Jesus, Lord at thy birth.

Be blessed!

Merry Christmas!

Lily

Where is my identity found?

2011-12-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

Lecrae:: "Identity"

I’m not the shoes I wear, I’m not the clothes I buy. I’m not the house I live in, I’m not the car I drive. I’m not the job I work. You you can’t define my worth.

My identity is found in CHRIST.

The past few days in numbers

2011-12-11T16:29:00.001-08:00

Taking a quick study break to write a post! I am sad to be missing Walk Thru Bethlehem :'( My Spanish final is 8-10 tomorrow.

Here are the past few days in numbers...

-16.5 hours of sleep from Wednesday night to Saturday morning
-2 fun friends hanging out
-2 exams
-2 Spanish study sessions
-0 meals at home (Mom is out of town :( - and I have been gone)
-3 meals at Chickfila
-1 celebration day of my dear friend Joelle!! (I love you!!)
-1 trip to Opryland- so pretty!
-1 dance recital- everyone was amazing!
-1 Mako HS party- so fun!
-2 swim meets- one HS and one MS
-1 trip to Murfreesboro for the HS swim meet (Makos won!)
-1 regional cut (!!)
-2 seconds dropped on my 100 breaststroke
-2 awesome coaches
-1 most stressful meet of my life (not even kidding)
-1 tank of gas
-2 stopwatches as head timer (magic words: "I was a swim coach" :)
-1 JB song stuck in my head all day yesterday
-4 more days of school
-2 weeks till Christmas
-1 dearly missed mama while she is in Miami for our cousin's wedding (so sad we couldn't go!) :(
-3 more exams (one tomorrow, one due Thursday, one on Thursday)
-0 presents I have bought... (I have a bunch of shopping to do!)
-1 very fun but crazy-busy weekend!
-Several good chats with Julia

-LOTS of dear and fun friends!

-1 tired girl who is ready for break!

Lily

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty-Eight

2011-12-06T11:13:00.001-08:00

901-

901. my wonderful church
902. our fabulous church family
903. a super spectacular Christmas Spectacular!
904. dear ones who put in a lot of work

905. poems, a play, songs, duets, piano, harp, guitar, and more
906. super cute costumes
907. spunky little sheep
908. adorable kids

909. worshipping the King together
910. Christmas music
911. Christmas sermons (can you tell I really get into the Christmas spirit? :)
912. dear friends

913. good chats with dear women
914. 41 people in our house, fed, in 24 hours
915. my AMAZING mom
916. lots of fun friends

917. my teacher leading a study session
918. yummy food
919. happy Christmas plates, mugs, and cups
920. fruit of lots of Spanish studying

921. celebrating the births of several dear, dear friends this week- I am so thankful for you all!

922. laughter
923. egg nog and peppermint ice cream
924. my Spanish class
925. peace that God has my future in His hands

926. peace and joy when I am thankful

927. Verse of the week from Keith Beauchemin:

Psalm 77:1

"I cried out to God with my voice --
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me."

God's ear is always ready to hear the cries of his children.  If you read verses 
2-10 you will see that the psalmist was in despair.  He questioned whether God's 
mercy had ceased, his promises had failed (vs 7) and whether God had forgotten 
to be gracious.  He believed that God had not heard his prayers.  


What changed?  What gave him hope again?  He remembered God's past works of 
redemption (vs 11-20).  Then he began to see that GoD was magnificent and 
glorious.

Our present circumstances can often warp our perception of God.  If we look at 
God's past works of redemption in the lives of his people and in our own life, 
then we will again start to marvel at the greatness of our God.  Then we realize 
that he does hear the cries of his people and so in faith I must believe that he 
hears my cries.

Peace and blessings to you,

Lily

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty-Seven

2011-12-02T09:52:00.001-08:00

854-900

854. my dear family! I love you!!

855. family outings

856. breakfast or lunch with Dad (he takes each girl out for lunch or breakfast on Saturdays!)

857. homeschooling

858. the Academy

859. amazing teachers who love us and want us to succeed

860. our wonderful Academy family

861. Thursdays

862. swing dances

863. much-needed chat time with dear friends

864. physics labs

865. long walk with Dad on Thanksgiving

866. wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family

867. midnight shopping with my favorite shopping buddy- Mom!

868. Black Friday shopping

869. my study hall clean-up crew

870. their willingness to get down on their hands and knees and scrub the muddy floor with me

871. cheerful and hard workers

872. class discussions

873. laughing all day

874. spanish studying with a sweet new friend

875. my spanish class!

876. last test before the spanish final= done!

877. "So where do you go to school?" "Umm... uhh actually I'm homeschooled..." and then the person tells me a ton of homeschoolers we both know

878. trying to explain the whole dual enrollment thing :)

879. an awesome Thanksgiving break

880. Christmas music!

881. Pandora

882. playing Christmas carols on the piano

883. the Christmas Spectacular tomorrow!

884. my Mako girlies

885. our awesome lane

886. FIST BUMP

887. lots of fun and laughter amidst hard practices

888. interviewing a sweet neighbor for a Spanish assignment
889. Christmas lights
890. lights up outside
891. pizza night when we go buy the tree
892. tree shopping
893. celebrating a dear friend

894. joy because of Christ
895. grace in difficult times
896. lessons the Lord is teaching me
897. peace that His plans are best
898. peace that He has a plan for my life and future

899. a new schedule that is changing my life (!!) called the Pomodoro technique! (ask me about it!)

900. Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

What are you thankful for this week?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, this week will be filled with lots of final studying... Only TWO MORE WEEKS OF SCHOOL TILL CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!!! (can you tell I'm excited?! :D)

Love,

Lily

Christmas Songs

2011-11-26T13:57:00.001-08:00

{Belated} Thanksgiving post coming soon!

I love Christmas music! So much! I can only listen to it around November-early January. I can't listen to it before. haha.

Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs!

~I just bought "Christmas in Diverse City" by TobyMac and friends during Black Friday shopping! It was $5 at LifeWay! I am LOVING it!

You can sample it here.

I especially love "Christmas This Year" (TobyMac and Leigh Nash), "The First Noel" (TobyMac and Owl City [!!]), and "O Come, All Ye Faithful" (TobyMac). Check it out!!

~"For Unto Us" by Point of Grace. You can see it performed here or sample it on iTunes here (#9).

~"The Christmas Song: Chestnuts" - Justin Bieber :) Hear it here.

~"Angels We Have Heard on High" - Charmaine. Listen to it here.

Enjoy! :)

What are your favorite Christmas songs?

Love,

Lily

Friday

2011-11-18T07:43:00.001-08:00

We are on Thanksgiving break!! Whoo hoo!! LU and Whitver have all of next week off :)

~Starbucks is doing the fabulous buy one get one free holiday drink deal again! November 17-20 ~ 2-5 pm.

~I am loving the new Coldplay album!

Here are my favorites:

(also check out the cute official music video here)

(check out the official music video here)

Here is Mike Tompkins' acapella version of Paradise:

I love Clocks:

What music are you currently enjoying?

~ Lily

Verse of the Week ~ from Keith Beauchemin

2011-11-14T15:49:00.001-08:00

I needed this today.

II Cor. 1:3,4

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

There are many reasons why God brings trials into our lives.  In this passage Paul reveals two of those reasons.  Last week we looked at the first reason which is so we can experience the comfort of our God who is the "Father of mercies and the God of all comfort."

The second purpose is so that we can comfort others who are experiencing trials.  This is God's pattern:  he brings trials into our lives, then he comforts us, then we see a brother or sister suffering and God uses us as his instrument to comfort them.  God brings trials into our lives not only so we can sympathize with the sufferings of our brethren, but also to equip us to reach out to them with the comfort of God.

You see God's most common way of comforting his people is by bringing other people to minister comfort to them.

How can I comfort my brother or sister?  Paul gives the answer, "comfort those in trouble with the same comfort with which we ourselves were comforted by God."  Maybe you were comforted by the verse a brother shared with you, a meal, the prayers of the brethren, a hug, a card or note, or a visit in the hospital. Whatever it may have been, the point is that most of the time God uses his people as his hands and feet to comfort others.

So, as we have been comforted by God, let us look for opportunities to comfort 
others.

11:11:11 on 11.11.11

2011-11-11T09:23:00.001-08:00

Random Thoughts

2011-11-11T07:54:00.001-08:00

~ It is fall! The leaves are falling, the weather is chilly, and scarves and coats are everywhere. This is the weather for hot chocolate and pumpkin spice lattes.

~ One more week till Thanksgiving break!! :)

~ Today was my fourth Spanish exam! I am loving LU and my Spanish class! I love my professor and have loved getting to know people in the my class and the class after mine.

~ Went to see Straight No Chaser at the Ryman with some dear friends last night! It was fabulous! They are such a fun group! Check out their "12 Days of Christmas" video below!

~ This picture made me laugh:

~ Quote:
"When I look at culture, I see we have so many gifts given to us that allow us to be lazy. I’ve heard it said that any culture that makes ease its goal has already begun its demise—I can’t think of any nation where this would be more relevant than my own. The United States has become the culture of comfort—growth, strength and beauty are not things that come from comfort. They are refined qualities that are brought to the surface often by pain or trial. … All of us, myself included, have a tendency to be caught up in hype. But the Gospel is about being humble to the point where you’re willing to pick up your cross and daily pursue a communion with this gracious God who loves the world."

— Switchfoot’s frontman Jon Foreman

~ Tonight is the Academy's swing dance... I am excited!

~ I love Whitver. It is the best.

~ This video is so cute:

~ We had a swim meet last Thursday- the Irish Relays! The Irish Relays meet is SO FUN. Everything is a relay! There's no pressure to make cuts and it's everyone's first meet. The Makos won :) Probably the most exciting races: the TSHIRT RELAYS!!! I helped with the transitions! We had a team in the first heat and a team in the last heat- and we got 1st and 2nd overall!! It was amazing!! Whoo hoo Go Makos!

~We had another swim meet on Monday- we lost by four points :( It was a super close and fun meet! It was fun to see our Wildwood/BHS friends :) I missed my breaststroke regional cut by .01. :p I went a 1:30:00 and the cut is 1:29:99. SO SAD! But I will hopefully make it next time :)

~HOMESCHOOL MAKO SHARK.

~Today I am thankful for all of the men and women who have sacrificed for our country!!

Love,

Lily

It Is Well With My Soul

2011-11-06T20:16:00.001-08:00

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
- Refrain:
  It is well, with my soul,
  It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

(lyrics from here)

Saturday

2011-10-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

~ This morning I had breakfast with three wonderful girlies! I went to Bongo Java for the first time (how have I never been there?!)- YUM!

~ I am kind of in love with these Disney Dream Portraits by Annie Leibovitz... Check them out! I am a huge Disney fan and love these pictures!!

Here's one of my favorites... Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella!

~ I made a pizza for dinner...

~ I love the Hipstamatic app!

~Played some Pride and Prejudice...

~Last night we had a family movie night and watched Chariots of Fire!

"I feel God's pleasure when I run."

Here's Dad and Cara enjoying a shake and some Boy Scout popcorn:

~Newest store coming to the Green Hills Mall: The Container Store!

~I love that LU has a Chickfila. It makes me happy.

~Reading Kisses from Katie!! Loving it! What an amazing story! Here is Katie's blog. Katie, from Nashville, is a 22 year old young woman who is a missionary in Uganda. She is mother to 13 girls (see picture below) Here is her ministry's website, Amazima. Here is her book on Amazon. Check out this article about her by NPR. Check out the links!

~The Gettys talking about one of their newest songs! What a cute family they are!

Happy Weekend!

Lily

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty Six

2011-10-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

My last One Thousand Gifts post was September 25th- too long ago! It is not Monday (the usual posting day for OTG) but I decided to do it anyway :)

799. mums on the front porch from a sweet friend
800. pumpkins and more fresh flowers
801. hot tea
802. my Mako sweatshirt when it's cold
803. Pandora

804. wonderful teachers who want us to succeed
805. physics labs
806. "I don't like crowded elevators"
807. lots of laughter
808. 12 people on one elevator

809. "They are literally rocking the minivan"
810. fun friends
811. holiday party
812. my dear sisters
813. my family's great sense of humor

814. book to read from the library
815. the library
816. game night with fun friends
817. sweet notes in my mailbox at school
818. snail mail

819. Spanish class
820. Grandview
821. pleased and relieved smiles when I say "¡Muy bien!" when their answers are right
822. using Spanish as a bridge (nuestra puente)
823. "?Comó se dice en español?"

824. getting to be a part of the ESL classes
825. learning the Spanish word while they learn the English (to chew, masticar; caracol, shell)
826. understanding it when someone speaks in Spanish
827. my lab partner Dee!
828. Chickfila for breakfast

829. yearbook staff
830. excitement about this year's yearbook
831. free screenings of new movies
832. getting to sub for my dear friend's swim lessons
833. my Makos

834. playing George Winston's "Joy"
835. practicing for the Christmas Spectacular choir song!
836. playing/singing with Julia, the creative one and improvista (I think I just made up a word...) :)
837. laughter throughout my Thursday
838. high and low chat time

839. "Oh wait... you're homeschooled."
840. homemade sugar free ice cream
841. family vacation to Charleston!
842. crazy adventures on the beach
843. time with my 4 fave people

844. photo booth
845. church picnic!
846. breakfasts at Fido
847. fun nights with dear girls
848. Emma

849. lunch with Jenny, Graham, Julia, Cara, and Rachel
850. Pei Wei, Publix, and Ironwood
851. last time to take the PSAT
852. catching up with dear friends
853. sweet munchkins

more coming soon!

~Lily (who is going to try and catch up on some much needed sleep :)

We must seek in God's way ~ from Spurgeon

2011-10-27T18:04:00.001-07:00

No good can result from efforts made apart from faith in Jesus. However earnest and sincere we may be, we must fail in our search if we do not seek in God’s way. Would it not be wise after so many bitter disappointments to leave your own inventions? If they have done you no good, depend upon it they never will. You had better humble yourself as a little child, and learn from God what the plan of salvation is, and then obediently accept it. Come, poor soul, in humble obedience, read the sacred roll of inspiration, and say, “O Lord, show me what thou wouldst have me to do;” then will light break in upon you, and peace shall follow. Faith in Jesus is God’s way; it will be the height of folly to set up a method of your own in competition therewith.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "I Thought," delivered May 17, 1874. Image by Ernst Vikne on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Thoughts on a Tuesday in Autumn

2011-10-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

Whoa I have not blogged in a while! Last week (Friday-Tuesday) we went on a lovely family vacation to Charleston! Once I upload the pictures I will make a blog post about our adventures :) One such adventure was walking on the beach in a horrible rainstorm- we were completely soaked! We also went on a carriage ride- so fun! So look for that post soon!

I am LOVING the Kindle app on my iTouch- it is awesome! They have lots of great books that you can get for free! I also use the Pandora app a lot. I recently joined Pinterest and am enjoying that app too!

Yesterday I subbed for my dear friend's swim lessons- I hadn't taught or coached any since July! I have really missed it! It was so nice to be back teaching for a bit :) Sadly since my year is so crazy I haven't been able to commit to teaching regularly. :(

It is so fun how the smallest things can be so exciting in swim lessons- blowing bubbles, putting their whole faces in, breathing to the side correctly- it is awesome. :)

Fall break was not long enough! We only have four more weeks till Thanksgiving break- and then four more weeks till CHRISTMAS!! Whoo hoo! This Friday is LU's fall break- very intense haha. They only get a three day weekend. We'll get a whole week off at Thanksgiving though!

Verse from Faithful Provisions:

“The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16)

Blessings to you,

Lily

Fall Break= pure joy

2011-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

(originally posted 10.7.11)

FALL BREAK!!!!!

Whoo hoo! Don't get me wrong- I dearly love school and Whitver but it's time for a break :) Very excited to have some time off to relax and spend time with my sweet family!

I am so thankful for my whitver family- my amazing friends and fabulous teachers!!!

Me encanta mi clase de español a Lipscomb. Me gusta mi profesora y mis amigos nuevos. ¡Estoy aprendiendo mucho! Me gusta Lipscomb también.

Verse of the day: "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on is; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19

Love,

Lily

From The Daily Spurgeon

2011-10-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

“Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

....What a glorious title is in the Hebrew - “The keeper of Israel,” and how delightful to think that no form of unconsciousness ever steals over him, neither the deep slumber nor the lighter sleep. He will never suffer the house to be broken up by the silent thief; he is ever on the watch, and speedily perceives every intruder. This is a subject of wonder, a theme for attentive consideration, therefore the word “Behold” is set up as a waymark. Israel fell asleep, but his God was awake. Jacob had neither walls, nor curtains, nor body - guard around him; but the Lord was in that place though Jacob knew it not, and therefore the defenceless man was safe as in a castle.

From The Treasury of David, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, exposition of Psalm 121:4. Image by Bert Kaufmann on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

The scepter belongs to Christ. All sceptres belong to him. He will come by-and-by and verify his title to them. Have you not seen the picture that represents Nelson on board a French man-of-war, receiving the swords of the various captains he has conquered, while there stands an old tar at his side putting all these swords underneath his arm as they are brought up. I have often pictured to myself our great Commander, the only King by divine right, coming back to this our earth, and gathering up the sceptres of the kings in sheaves, and putting them on one side, and collecting their crowns; for he alone shall reign King of kings and Lord of lords.

When the last and greatest of all monarchs shall come a second time, “without a sin-offering unto salvation” — oh, the glory of his triumph! He has a right to reign. If ever there was a king by nature, and by birth, it is the Son of David; if ever there was one who would be elected to the monarchy by the suffrages* of all his subjects, it is Jesus.

* - i.e., the votes

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Shiloh." Image by Paul Bica on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Thursday Thoughts

2011-09-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

~I love Thursdays. Why? One word- Whitver. :)

My rockin study hall clean up crew. Pow wow time. Chicks in seats. JB. Mt. Everest. Greased watermelons. Moose. "Muved." Chat times. Class pictures. Laughing a good chunk of my day. The fabulous people I am blessed to call my friends.

"One less screaming girl" ~ Jolene

~But y'all, we need to talk about Nashville's latest big news. It even made the front page of tennessean.com. There is still a special "Bieber Fever" section on the home page. I think you need to go appreciate the video on the Tennessean's website here. Here are the pictures courtesy of the Tennessean. What, might you ask, was the Biebs doing in Nashville? Downtown Franklin to be exact? Filming a music video for his new Christmas album! And of course gf Selena joined him in Music City. Last night 90% of my FB newsfeed was about JB. Facebook even went to the trouble to say so many of my friends "also posted about Justin Bieber." Selena went to the Cool Springs Chickfila (I think we would be friends ;) and a friend of ours that works there got to talk with her!

What was really great... The Tennessean: "Teen idol Bieber will prowl and swagger his way through historic downtown Franklin tonight as part of a music video shoot."

Let's appreciate this.

Merriam Webster's definition of prowl: to move about or wander stealthily in or as if in search of prey. Swagger: to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously pompous manner; especially: to walk with an air of overbearing self-confidence.

Very, uh, interesting verbs, there...

HOW DID I MISS JUSTIN BIEBER.

So tragic.

~Song on replay on my iTouch:

~I LOVE this blog. She is actually inspiring me to start sewing again! New Dress a Day!

~The blog of one of my favorite photographers!

~GO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! From the creators of Facing the Giants... Courageous!!

(Caution: rated PG-13. Check out PluggedIn's review, but know that it contains spoilers)

~ Umm... best college announcement ever?!

"If you’ve walked or driven around the campus in the past several months, you’ve probably noticed the large lake and new fountain—now known as Lake Lipscomb—located by the baseball field. While the lake may look like a good place for whitewater rafting, scuba diving and swimming, the fountain pump is fed by high voltage power lines and if you were to damage the electrical system by doing anything in the lake, it could create a potentially dangerous — or possibly deadly — water experience. We ask that you not swim, boat or participate in other water activity in Lake Lipscomb."

~How do you like this blog design? Is it just me or is the black bird on the right ------->

kinda creepy? It makes me think of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow... Time for a change I beliebe... :) (hehehe get it? ~;-) yeah I don't think I have had enough sleep recently... ;)

Have a lovely evening!

Lily :o)

Not Yet Attained! ~ from Spurgeon

2011-09-29T18:37:00.000-07:00

Any notion of our own attainments which could lead us for a moment to speak of what we are with any degree of complacency is only rubbish. For my own part, I desire constantly to stand at the foot of the cross, with no other testimony concerning myself than this-

“I the chief of sinners am,
But Jesus died for me.”

Personal holiness is to be sought for with all our hearts, and it can only be obtained by faith in Jesus Christ — by simple faith in him. He gives us power to overcome sin through his precious blood; but, depend upon it, the moment we conclude that we have overcome, and can say what Paul could not say — that he had attained and was already perfect — we are in an evil case. Our pride has overpowered our judgment, and we are fools.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Rubbish." Image by Bert Kaufmann on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Pride and Prejudice lovin.

2011-09-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

I love this soundtrack. So very much.

Pride and Prejudice as told by Facebook Updates:

See here. So good!!

Jane Austen inspired Etsy!

Deep Thoughts

2011-09-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

In this day and age everything is about “how can I get everything faster.” How can I get to my destination faster (speeding, running red lights), how can I make my food faster (microwave, take out), how can I check my email faster (smart phones), etc. Am I saying this is bad? No, well, except for speeding and running red lights! :) Having progress and improvement in media and such comes with pros and cons. We are constantly rushing and on the go. I am reminded of this especially when out driving. A woman pulled out in front of someone (they weren’t super close) and the second person laid on her horn. Seriously?! It really bothers me when people can’t wait five seconds. People run red lights because they don’t have time to sit there for approximately 90 seconds. When someone is waiting to turn on a two lane road, people drive around them so they can get to their destination faster. We are spoiled and it bothers us when we are inconvenienced, even for the smallest amount of time. I confess I am oftentimes bothered by inconveniences!

I was looking in my baby book the other day and was pretty shocked to see a printed email! The email services were random, obscure services I have never even heard of. Today everyone has email!

I was recently having a conversation with someone about communication and how it has changed over the past decade. We were talking about how people used to just randomly drop by to hang out. Nowadays we don’t want our schedules interrupted or messed up. Instead of face-to-face communication we send a text, email, or message via Facebook. It’s faster and easier for us.

We are so often self absorbed in our own worlds. In elevators no one talks. So many people just want someone to talk to! The other week I paid our waitress a compliment and soon she had basically told us her life story. People want to share!

Having improved media and communication can be a good thing and a bad thing! Don’t lose communication with those around you! For school the other week we read the short story called “Bartleby the Scrivener.” Basically this guy loses communication and connection with people and then dies. He gives up on life from lack of relationships. We were made for relationships— with God and others!

Take some time to be patient when inconvenienced! Send a relative a note in the mail! Talk to the person behind you in the checkout line! When inconvenienced, thank the Lord for the blessings in your day!

Just some things to think on this evening… :)

Lily

(originally posted Monday on my Tumblr)

Verse of the Week- from Keith Beauchemin

2011-09-27T17:55:00.001-07:00

Romans 1:7

"To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

How often do you meditate upon the reality that you are a saint? Paul commonly addressed Christians in the letters to various churches as saints. Even the believers in Corinth, with all the serious problems they had, Paul referred to as saints; not "sinners", but "saints."

Paul never addressed Christians as sinners. Paul taught about the great struggle Christians still have with sin in Romans 7, but our identity is no longer "sinners" but "saints." Paul recognizes that God has taken each believer and set him apart from sin and unto himself to be holy. The word saint means to be "set apart."

Yes, we still fall into sin. When we sin we need to quickly repent and seek forgiveness through Christ. But we shouldn't wallow in our sin. Rather, meditate upon this: "God has set me apart from sin and called me to be a holy one, living unto him." Think upon this startling truth, my brothers and sisters in Christ: you are the beloved of God, and called to be saints.

From Keith Beauchemin

Sent by Johnny Farese

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty Five

2011-09-25T17:12:00.002-07:00

733-798 (catching up :)

733. cool weather

734. rain

735. fellowship with the saints

736. great preaching of the Gospel

737. practicing Christmas songs

738. photo shoot with four beautiful and beloved ladies

739. perfect weather

740. sitting under umbrellas in the rain

741. new friends

742. old friends

743. lovely chats with amazing people

744. making JB party plans with Alydia :)

745. Thursdays

746. laughter

747. school pictures

748. my study hall clean up crew!

749. nice people to kill very large, scary, and most likely poisonous spiders

750. long chats

751. seeing God work in very cool ways (isn't He the coolest?!)

752. my Whitver family

753. super fun sister outings

754. really fun movie/dinner night!

755. spending a very long time trying to figure out riddles and jokes

756. lots of laughter

757. goofy pictures

758. Mom's amazing food

759. Rachel's willingness and cheerfulness to come help me clean

760. picnic lunch and note from Rachel and Julia

761. going to Grandview with the Grubbs and LU friends

762. holding cute babies

763. dinner with the fam, Maggie, and Hannah

764. awesome announcement from LU regarding the Lipscomb Lake :)

765. getting to see Celeste for the first time all summer!

766. Skype

767. going to see The Help with Julia and the very fun Mrs. Day!

768. free tickets to see Courageous (GO SEE IT THIS WEEKEND!!!)

769. going to see it with Mom and the Walkers!

770. Chickfila

771. Words with Friends

772. beating Mom... once... :)

773. my super fun Spanish class

774. fun new friends

775. a fabulous professor

776. being excited about my 8 am class M/W/F :)

777. first college exam- check!

778. my amazing swim team

779. lots of laughing and fun :) (and hard work of course)

780. our wonderful coaches

781. photo shoot with Julia

782. my Mako girlies

783. going to Cheekwood with Julia, Cara, and Ms. Kathy!

784. catching up during an hour long chat with my dear friend

785. long text messages

786. getting letters and freebies in the mail

787. the amazing friends and family God has blessed me with!

788. my amazing teachers- and how they want us to succeed

789. Mrs. Higgins's stick figures

790. physics labs

791. sweet baby falling asleep in my arms

792. our dear church family!

793. great discussions in lit class

794. hot tea

795. mums from a sweet friend

796. fresh flowers on the tables

797. quickly approaching autumn

798. ‎"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." Psalm 46:1-3

What are you thankful for this week?

Love,

Lily

We need fellowship with Jesus ~ Spurgeon

2011-09-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

The fittest condition of a believer is in communion with Christ. It ought not to be a privilege occasionally enjoyed, it should be the everyday life of the soul. We are to abide in Jesus, walk with him, and live in him. Paul did not say, “For me to specially rejoice is Christ, or for me to feast on holydays is Christ;” but, “For me to live is Christ.” Christ is the ordinary bread of the common meal as well as the fat things full of marrow for the banquet; he is water from the rock as well as wine on the lees well refined. To us his name is the watchword of earth as we expect it to be our passport into heaven. We need fellowship with Jesus not as a luxury for redletter days and Sabbaths, but as the necessary provision of every work day of our lives. “Abide in me” is his word to us for all seasons, and we ought to strive to realize it: so that always, by night and by day, on the Sabbath and equally on the week days, in our joys and in our cares, we should abide in him.

Christ is not merely a harbour of refuge, but a port for all weathers. Do not think, beloved, that I am setting up too high a standard when I say this. I am so sure I am not that I will repeat what I have said — the proper condition of a child of God at all times is that he should sit with Mary at the Master’s feet, or with John should lean his head upon the beloved Redeemer’s bosom.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "My Restorer," delivered December 28, 1873. Image by Nic McPhee on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Reasons Why I Love Fall

2011-09-17T19:32:00.000-07:00

My blog is now mobile-user friendly! And you can subscribe to my blog updates via email ----> Check out the subscription box on the top right! :)

Reasons I <3 Fall!

1. Bonfires- church bonfires, swim team bonfires, party bonfires, school bonfires- lovely.

2. Sweaters, jackets, and coats

3. Scarves

4. Hot tea and hot chocolate

5. S'mores

6. Pumpkins

7. Cold weather

8. Boots

9. Mums

10. Going to the pumpkin patch

11. Everything about leaves- color changes, falling... :)

12. Walking around DTF

13. Mako meets

14. Fall break :)

15. A greater appreciation for heating

16. Photo shoots

17. Leaf piles

18. Walking around Radnor Lake

19. Pumpkin socks

20. Hanging out with friends and family

What do you love about fall?

Songs I am enjoying

2011-09-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Here are several songs I have been enjoying recently!

Yahweh by Tal and Acacia (this video isn't very exciting but I love the song)

Clearview by Tal and Acacia

Let's Go by Group One Crew (I cannot get sick of this song... :)

Happy Never After by Megan and Liz (two Nashville girls! They are super cute)

1234 by Feist

More coming soon!

Friday thoughts

2011-09-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

I will be brief for now but hopefully will get to post again soon.

Here is a verse that I love:

From esther 4:14 ~“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Coming soon...

~things I love about fall

~songs I am enjoying

~Courageous - the movie (check out the trailer from my last post)

~and other cool stuff { TBD :) }

Bendigas,

Lily

Courageous

2011-09-13T06:21:00.001-07:00

From the makers of Facing the Giants, Flywheel, and Fireproof!

You have been my help! ~ from Spurgeon

2011-09-13T06:13:00.000-07:00

...I beg you, do not, for the glory of God and for the comfort of tried saints, keep back your testimony, but say, “I was brought low, and he helped me, and, therefore, blessed be his name.” We do not talk enough about our deliverances. When you get home this afternoon, after dinner, if a friend or two should call in, you will go over your bad times and your troubles, but you will not recapitulate your mercies. Have we not had enough of complaining? let us touch another string, and bless the Lord for all his lovingkindness.

What a tale some of us could tell of his mercies! No novel that was ever composed could possibly equal in interest my own experience of God’s goodness, and I think there are many here of whose lives the same could be said. Rich with incident, crowded with wonders, crammed full of miracles have our lives been, for God has dealt so well with us that we often stand astonished at what he has done. “Thou hast been my help.” Oh, yes, I will sum up the whole of my life in the one sentence, and, as we have seen a portrait sketched in a few lines, so will I give you my whole career in miniature: “Thou hast been my help.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "A Mighty Plea," delivered November 23, 1873. Image by itslegitx on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

http://www.thedailyspurgeon.com/

How to make accent marks on a Mac

2011-09-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have Googled this countless times and finally figured it out and thought I would share!

(Note: For Macs!)

~ Accent mark: Click OPTION/ALT then "E" and a yellow highlight should come up. Type in which letter you want to accent. Examples: ó é í ú á

~ For ñ: click OPTION/ALT then "N" and then "N" again to put the little squiggly over the n!

~ Upside down exclamation mark: Click OPTION/ALT and then the 1/! button = ¡

Play around with your OPTION/ALT button!

For example...

œ∑´®†¥¨ˆˆøπåß∂ƒ©˙∆˚¬Ω≈ç√∫˜µ˜≤≥÷≠–ºª•¶§∞¢£™¡ (cool, huh? :)

Questions? Leave a comment!

The Gulf is Bridged

2011-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

Beloved, many are a long while in distress of soul, because they do not remember that there is a Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus. God is thus glorious, but he is not far from any of us; for there is one who is God, and at the same time a man like ourselves, even Jesus, who has compassion on the ignorant, and on those that are out of the way. Cease ye then to fear, for the gulf is bridged. You may approach the Lord, for Jesus has paved the way.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Good News For The Destitute," delivered November 9, 1873. Image by Ernst Vikne on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Want to sign up for the Daily Spurgeon emails? Go here and look for this:

CONNECT AND SHARE

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty-Four

2011-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

674-732

674. wonderful Sundays

675. super fun leadership meetings

676. dance parties

677. Rhapsody

678. very fun games

679. being back in the pool with my Makos

680. rain

681. clean pool with new water

682. seeing my people

683. not having the almost-most-mortifying experience as church pianist... accidentally hitting the demo button on the piano and stopping it before the piano bust out some tunes... :)

684. my Spanish class

685. the Beaman Library

686. my absolutely wonderful Whitver family

687. dying laughing practically my whole day

688. Julia, "I can hear you laughing several rooms down..."

689. stick figures representing physics problems

690. Snow White songs, Aladdin, Abu falling off the carpet, "call me," lots of laughter... :)

691. Julia stealing my ring and random people giving it back to me... :)

692. much needed catch up time with my dear friend Jenny!

693. laughing so hard I cried

694. awkwardfamilyphotos.com

695. sketch pizza guys

696. catching up with dear friends

697. sugar free: cookies, ice cream, soda, caramel sauce, etc

698. sweet baby falling asleep while I'm holding her

699. "I'm going to tell you a funny story!"

700. celebrating the birthday of my dear Dad this Tuesday! He is the best dad in the whole wide world and my favorite guy! I love you Dad!

701. the highlight of my history Keynote project being the bouncing arrows/fire

702. discussions in lit class

703. my wonderful teachers

704. my amazing friends and family

705. "gazing" at the stars with Julia and Rachel and having deep discussions

706. playing piano for Cara to sing

707. game nights

708. very fun friends

709. new phone!!

710. games at the end of practice

711. letters to send to sweet friends at college

712. skype

713. snail mail

714. free Bath and Body Works stuff thanks to a coupon!

715. first college quiz

716. Pancake Pantry with dear friends

717. my adopted sisters and brothers :)

718. movie night at the Sherrys!

719. "I do not know this man"

720. Me: "My life might get so crazy this year I might run off and join the circus!" Riley: "Lily, what would you do in the circus?" Me: "Umm make cookies?"

721. study hall chats

722. my study hall clean up crew!

723. "I do not appreciate your tone right now"

724. "Time to make a grand exodus with all of your belongings!"

725. lab partners with the wonderful Joelle!

726. interviews for Spanish class

727. getting to do Spanish three days a week!

728. friends- old and new

729. excellent preaching and teaching- on the Holy Spirit (SS) and David (W)

730. mercy and forgiveness from our heavenly Father

731. Romans 8:28

732. Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

... and many more things- thank you Lord for so many blessings and things to be thankful for!!!

What are you thankful for this week?

Soli Deo Gloria!

Love,

Lily

Happy Videos Part 2.

2011-09-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some more videos that make me happy... and I hope they make you happy too :)

Yup, I like group dancing videos :)

Other things I like:

~sugar free cookies

~diet (sugar free) coke

~sugar free ice cream

~fun evenings with friends

~being back in the pool with my Makos

~feeling like I was coming home when I went to the ISC for the first time in months

~shopping with Mom

~my Spanish class

~laughing

~new phone

~dear friends

~playing games at the end of a hard (for someone who is really out of shape haha) practice

Love,

Lily

....more coming soon....

Happy videos.

2011-09-01T21:32:00.001-07:00

Sometimes we just need some happy videos of laughing babies, dancing babies, and sneezing baby pandas.

How can you not watch this and not laugh?!

...coming soon... more videos that make me happy... :) and maybe a real blog post... :)

I hope these made you smile because they made me laugh :)

Today was wonderful. I <3 my people.

~ "Don't wells make you think of Snow White?!"

Love,

Lily

Wednesday Love

2011-08-31T19:38:00.001-07:00

~ my Spanish class at Lipscomb

~ Lipscomb's Beaman Library, my new favorite place to do work

~ sugar free vanilla ice cream and Nutella

~ seeing God work in super cool ways and answer prayers

Verse of the Week- from Keith Beauchemin

2011-08-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Psalm 70:1

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
Make haste to help me, O LORD!

We can turn to God with any need and at any time. God is never too busy to listen to our prayers. Whether our needs are small or great our Father wants to hear all of our cares, because He cares for us.

We can come to the Lord with urgent requests. The Lord loves it when we spend our daily time in prayer with Him. But, He also loves the short urgent prayers throughout our day: "Give me wisdom", or "Deliver me from this temptation", or the shortest prayer of all, "Help!"

So, I encourage you, call upon the Lord any time, day or night, for He always has a listening ear.

Does sin trouble you? - from Spurgeon

2011-08-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Does sin trouble you? Then remember that it is written, “All manner of sin and of blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men.” Remember this again, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” And hear yet again this word, “Come now, and let us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Do you know, I feel right happy to have to talk to you about this, and yet I feel a dart going through me lest I should not speak of it as I ought to do; for, Oh, I would that poor troubled sinners would see that sin need not deter them from coming to a reconciled God. The blood of Jesus Christ has already removed from before the throne of justice all the transgressions of all those who come and rest in Jesus. If you believe in the Savior sent of God, your sin is already gone, and you are accepted in the Beloved.

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Clearing The Road To Heaven." Image by Leo-setä on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Posts coming soon... One Thousand Gifts, Lipscomb, a sugar free cookie recipe, and my new favorite app!

God will supply strength to us- from Spurgeon

2011-08-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Times of weakness will happen to us all: a great strain may be put upon us, and we may become exhausted, or, under severe depression of spirit, we may imagine ourselves to be ready to die; but at all such times God will supply strength to us: our extremity will be his opportunity; our time of famine will be his hour of plenty. Is not his strength made perfect in weakness? Is it not written that “he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength?”

David sung in the One Hundred and Third Psalm, “He satisfieth my mouth with good things; so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s,” and he expected it always to be so. “He restoreth my soul,” says he in the Twenty-third Psalm. Often do his psalms which commence in painful depression conclude with exultation, because heavenly love had poured fresh life into his swooning soul. From many a soul-sickness had the son of Jesse been recovered, from many a sinking had he been lifted up into holy joy.... Expect this, then, my brethren, that God will give you new strength as you shall require it. “As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Fresh Grace Confidently Expected," delivered July 20, 1873. Image by Earl Wilkerson on Flickr under Creative Commons License.

Saturday ~ Update

2011-08-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!

Whew this has been a busy week!

~Thursday was our first day of school!! It made me so happy to see my dear Whitver family! I had a really great first day- yay!

~Wednesday I had an interview with a Lipscomb Spanish professor! She is lovely and I am so excited about taking her class! Mom and I got super lost trying to find her office... I am officially registered to take Intermediate Spanish 1 at Lipscomb! My classes, which will be three days a week, start this Monday! I am very excited!!

~My deep thought of the day: why are the pie crusts/filo/puff pastries in different sections at Kroger? Why not all together? Like who thinks, "I need puff pastry! I bet it's by the frozen cakes!" umm what? I do not think that way. I think logically and go look in both pie crust sections... :)

~Our summer reading for lit was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne! I didn't think I would like it but I did. I loved watching Hester transform into such a wonderful woman! It was beautiful to watch that. Chillingworth was a CREEP. And Dimmesdale needed to be strong and own up to what he did. Pearl was crazy. :) I loved how it said that Hester named Pearl because she gave up all she had for her. Um presh?! If you haven't read it you should!

~Have I mentioned how fabulous my Whitver family is?!

~Whoa colleges are really amping up their advertising... I got FIVE letters/flyers from five different colleges the other day! Craziness! What's REALLY craziness is that I will have to start looking at colleges this year...

~On Thursday I "adopted" more sisters :) I like having lots of sisters :) (and I have one "adopted" brother :)

~I got a Google+ account several weeks ago. I am still as lost as I was when I got it. I have not spent great amounts of time trying to figure it out or anything... All that's happened is some creepy people have added me and I don't know how to block them from following me... help??? I might just delete it... What are the chances that Google+ is the next Facebook?!

~Julia, Mom, Rachel, Ms. Laura, Jenny, and I are not doing sugar for three months. Yes, you heard (read? haha) me right. Three very long months. I am having sugar withdrawls... Today is only day 6... We are working on having a healthier lifestyle! Devotions, exercise, etc every day. We can have one treat per week :) My treat this week was delicious Mocha Punch (tasted like a frosty!) made by Lydia today at Mandy's baby shower!

~Yesterday I was feeling kind of sad. I had a sad shock of reality- sugar free caramel sauce is nasty. It is nothing like real caramel sauce. SAD. So I decided to buy some Disney music with some iTunes gift cards from my birthday (thank you Mom and Dad, Cara, and Christina! :) and then go for a "run." (why is this in quotations, might you ask? I am not a runner. That is why...)

~So in my attempt to be healthy and get exercise I went for a run/walk yesterday. And what happens? I almost get hit by a car. A guy let me cross the street and so I ran across. But a guy coming up to the stop sign (and it was NOT his turn) was texting/looking at his phone and not focusing on braking at the stop sign. My body started screaming "get out of the way!" and the guy looked up just in time before he might have hit me. He wasn't going fast enough to kill me but I would definitely have been in the ER last night... It really shook me up. It is a weird thing to see your life flash before you.

~I was SO thankful that God protected me!! I am so thankful that He had His hand on me and protected me. Thank you, Lord!!

~I am also thinking maybe this is a sign I should quit the running thing... Anyway I am sticking to the Y from now on! (and swimming and walking.)

~After kind of a sad day, we had a super fun evening- Game Night at the Jacksons with the Graves and Adams! It was so much fun! I even won the game I played- which was funny since I was probably the least competitive of the group I played in :) Thank you guys so much for having us over! We had a blast! Love you all!

~I really want to see The Help!! Have you seen it?

~Today we went to the baby shower for Ava Kate! I cannot wait to meet her in a couple of months!

~‎Promise I am thankful for this week:

"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

~"How many times have you told yourself you were going to learn a foreign language?

How often have you wished for that job position, but there’s one catch – you have to speak Chinese! Are you a student and dreading taking the required foreign language? Have you already started studying a language and become discouraged? What if you were given some keys that unlocked the process?"

Check out this website! I highly recommend it and the e-book! Senor Durham is a tutor at Whitver and he is amazing!

Love,

Lily

One Year Anniversary of the Nashville DHT

2011-08-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wow- I cannot believe that this weekend is the one year anniversary of the Nashville Do Hard Things conference!!

Check out some of my posts from last year about the conference here...

Here is a very happy post from a few weeks before the conference.

In applying for Lipscomb, I had to write an essay. I decided to write it about the conference! As I wrote it, all of the memories were coming back. It was SO amazing to see God working on our behalf!! My friends, we serve a FAITHFUL God.

Here is a little recap of the days leading up to the conference and several days after!

A few weeks before the conference, only 300 people were registered.

July 27th- the count was 452.

August 9th- here is part of an email from Rich, the national conference coordinator.

"Awesome numbers came through the weekend!!

Over 300 registrations came in.

We are now at 1025 pre-registrations + Scholarships = over 1040.

Our estimate at this time could be 1400 to 1700."

I definitely remember screaming with joy when I read this on one of the Greystone Kitchen computers :) It was stressful being in North Carolina during the last two crunch weeks!

We had been praying and really pushing all of our publicity efforts. God heard our prayers!

August 13th- part of an email I sent to my publicity team:

Hey friends!

We are home! Whoo hoo! We had two very intense and amazing weeks at camp!

WOW!!! I cannot believe that tomorrow is the big day! Y'all- God is SO amazing! He has done so many mind-blowing things! The last registration count (this past Monday) was over 1040! WOW!

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING EMAILS!!

I am looking forward to seeing y'all tomorrow!!! (and p.s. I am exhausted... ~:-)

See you bright and early tomorrow!

If you have any questions/comments/problems/thoughts please let me know!

Blessings!!!!

Lily :o)

Three important emails about tomorrow:

From Christina- the prayer coordinator

Hey Everybody!

We are REALLY close! The finish line is in sight. God is on the move! To God be the glory!

Alright, now down to business. I have decided to volunteer all of you and all of your teams. :) We need volunteers to pray in the prayer room and I need to know when people are available. PLEASE let me know when you are going to have people to spare at various times in the day AND when you are available. We're hoping for even just 15 minutes of time - but we will take 5 if need be! Alot of the Captains are preparing schedules of their team's assignments. Feel free to pass those along. :)

Thank you,
Christina

From Meagan

Below is the updated plan for Friday and Saturday. Don't forget to pray at 6:00 today!

Please print this out and show it to your parents and your ride!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Side Note:

An interview went out on Channel 4 today at 1:15 and just to let y'all know how amazing God is: Less than an hour later Alex Harris got an email from a woman saying that she and her daughter saw me on Better Nashville and signed up for the conference!

Here's the link:

http://www.wsmv.com/video/24581389/index.html

Thank you for all y'alls prayers!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Revised in Red:

The Plan

FRIDAY:

Arrive at the church at 3:30; come into the main entrance -- building #2 (opposite side of the highway)

Work, work, work and pick out t-shirt. Caution: the pink shirts and the blue with the wheat are smaller than normal t-shirts. Get at least one size larger (I got two sizes larger).

Eat dinner: We'll be brown bagging this one. So bring your dinner and we'll have cookies and waters for y'all

Work till it's all set up!

Out by 9:00

SATURDAY: (wear DHT t-shirt)

Arrive at 7:30am (Yea! 1/2 hour more sleep!)

Doors open at 8:00

Conference starts at 9:00 (Y'all should be able to hear every talk, missing maybe the first and last 10 minutes.)

Lunch: You will have to eat as you can. The Bookstore, the Refreshments, the Touch Team, the Prayer, and the Hospitality Team will still be operating; most of the teams. Yea for shifts!

We have Bluecoast Burritos donating (hopefully 38; at least 25) meals and Chick-fil-a donating 38...be praying! Any meals we don't have donated will be provided for by Sholeen (my wonderful mother!)

Last lecture ends at 4:45

Sanctuary doors at 5:00

All doors close at 5:30

We break down

When everything is back to normal we can head out and go to bed! Should be out of the building by 6:30-7. It depends on how fast y'all move!

SUNDAY AND MONDAY:

SLEEP!!!!!! AND PRAISE GOD THAT EVERYTHING RAN SMOOTHLY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We did it! Set-up is tomorrow and we are going to have a conference!! Thank you all for all you help! There would be no conference (definitely no calm conference) with out each one of y'all.

~Meagan

August 14th- the big day! We had just gotten home from two weeks of hard work at camp the night before and I was SO EXHAUSTED. The day was kind of a blur! We got over to Two Rivers and I could not believe that after a year of planning and work, the conference was about to happen!! We had a team prayer and then it was time to start registration! It was AMAZING to see people start flooding in- we were praising the Lord! There were SO many people! We even had to open up the balcony!

Pictures!

Conference!

Sweet friends!

One of Jared's cool book displays
Tshirts! (I remember at one point I went under the tshirts table to find more tshirts in boxes. It was quiet under there, very unlike the madness in the church's foyer :)

Johnna, Brett, and Lily after dinner with the coordinators and Rebelution team

August 16th- email from Meagan:

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Y'all were amazing this weekend! The set up on Friday went smoothly and Saturday was astounding.

God is so good! Everything that had issues was resolved in a matter of minutes! We give Him all the glory!

We had so many complicates from Joseph, the speakers, the Two Rivers Facility, and the attendees. They all told us how wonderful the volunteers were!

It was such a blessing to be able to bless others and have God work through us! God was everywhere and people could tell!

May God bless you for your work,
~Meagan Wuest

Coordinator for "Do Hard Things" Nashville Conference

When we got the final count I could NOT believe it. Actually, I could! :) --> God is so good!

August 19th- here is part of an email from Meagan, the head Nashville coordinator:

"Rich said that the numbers at the conference were close to 1500! Can you believe that just 2 weeks before the conference there were only 360!

God is amazing!"

Some thoughts and thanks... :)

I was (and still am!) SO incredibly thankful for my AMAZING publicity team! They helped spread the word, came to meetings, helped find a facility, gave up their time, handed out brochures and posters, talked to churches, called restaurants, made PR statements, got us interviews, kept going when pastors and secretaries hung up on them, did not get discouraged, came from another state, worked on their birthday, prayed, and more. They were willing to do whatever! They helped with registration, the bookstore, refreshments on the day of the conference- guys, you were amazing. I could not have asked for a better publicity team! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

Ashley Rogers, with the Rebelution in Oregon! Ashley was WONDERFUL. She encouraged me and gave me great ideas for publicity! After every call I had with her I felt 100x better and ready to get back to publicizing :) She prayed for us and was always willing to help. Thank you so much, Ashley, for everything you did for us (and me)!!!

The whole Rebelution team from Oregon- thank you all so much for coming to Nashville!! It was such an awesome conference! I am so thankful that you guys came to Nashville!! Thank you!!

The other Nashville coordinators!! Guys- I am so blessed that I got to work with you all! You guys are FANTASTIC. Registration, bookstore, refreshments, prayer, facility, hospitality, and touch teams- you rocked!! I so enjoyed getting to know you guys and planning this conference together!! Thank you so much!!

To my dear family and friends- who always were cheerful and encouraging! Thanks to everyone who was supportive and positive when I was overwhelmed and stressed (sorry to the people I freaked out on... :). Thank you for praying for me, encouraging me when I was upset about negative responses from churches, getting excited with me, giving me ice cream... :) Thank you so much for helping me! I love you all!!

And, most importantly, a thousand thanks to God- our faithful, loving, and merciful King!!! Thank you for using us to bring this conference to Nashville!! To You be ALL the glory!!!

There is SO much more I could blog about!! I could go on and on! It was one of the best experiences of my life! This was something I will never forget! I am so blessed that I got to be part of the Nashville Do Hard Things Conference!!

I just want to remind you that God is FAITHFUL! He will provide! He is in full control of everything! He hears the cries and prayers of His people!

Be blessed today!

In awe of our King,

Lily

Wednesday Love

2011-08-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Wow- I am posting on time so far this week! :)

This week's Wednesday Lovin' is on a new movie coming out September 2nd!

Thanks to Grace Hill Media, the four Scott ladies saw a free screening of it last week! Check out Grace Hill Media here. Want to get in on the free screenings? Sign up here for their email updates!

Seven Days in Utopia- coming out September 2nd!

Story from the website:

SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA follows the story of Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black), a talented young golfer set on making the pro tour. When his first big shot turns out to be a very public disaster, Luke escapes the pressures of the game and finds himself unexpectedly stranded in Utopia, Texas, home to eccentric rancher Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall). But Johnny's more than meets the eye, and his profound ways of looking at life force Luke to question not only his past choices, but his direction for the future.

Based on David L. Cook's best-selling book Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA also stars Melissa Leo, Deborah Ann Woll, Brian Geraghty, Jerry Ferrera, Joseph Lyle Taylor, KJ Choi and Kathy Baker. The film is directed by Matthew Dean Russell from a script by Cook, Rob Levine, Russell and Sandra Thrift. The film was produced by Mark G. Mathis (Brick, Precious) and Jason M. Berman (The Dry Land).

Check out IMDB for more about who's who in the movie here.

Check out the blog here and here.

And here are some trailers!

We laughed and we cried. It is rated G - quite a rare find these days!

This was a fabulous movie and I highly recommend it! Go see it on September 2nd!

One Thousand Gifts:: Take Twenty Three

2011-08-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

631-673

631. sunshine

632. cooler weather

633. rain

634. a glorious, fun-filled, and fabulous summer

635. quality time with dear dear friends

636. lots of laughter

637. birthdays and celebrations

638. DTF and Pinkerton with my favorite Christina on her special day

639. photo shoots

640. fun times at leadership

641. watching the Incredibles

642. Haven pointing at my earrings: "Arrings!" Me: "Good job Haven! They're called pearls!" "Curls!"

643. long chats about college and nursing with the fabulous and super fun Lydia! (can I be you when I grow up? :)

644. great preaching and teaching

645. Skype- when we haven't seen Nana in too long and when Dad isn't feeling well

646. playing with the "worship band" at church :)

647. making lunch with Mom

648. homemade basil lemonade (with fresh basil from the garden!) like at The Silly Goose

649. wedding of one of my favorite teachers ever! What a gorgeous bride and beautiful wedding!

650. 42 colorful and bright umbrellas blocking the groom's view of the bride as she approached the aisle

651. seeing dear and old friends

652. free movie screening of a fabulous movie (more info to come!)- Seven Days in Utopia- thanks to Grace Hill Media

653. fun new neighbors

654. our first shrimp boil- YUM

655. precious baby we babysat

656. hanging out with my dear sister Riley!

657. being accepted to Lipscomb University for dual enrollment!!!!

658. having twelve sisters, two parents, two daughters, and one granddaughter- according to Facebook ;)

659. hanging out with the lovely Jenny and EJ!

660. artsy moods

661. cute and creative cards that come from said moods

662. awkward moments that make me laugh

663. going to Nana and Papa's

664. Disney music thanks to Pandora

665. long chats till 1:30 am with Julia

666. playing the "guess that Disney movie" game with Dad :)

667. Disney's SceneIt with Julia, Cara, and Riley

668. family movie night

669. Mom's great sense of humor

670. new school supplies

671. the "it's a small world" connections

672. excitement to see my Whitver family this Thursday!

673. Daily Verse from Faithful Provisions: ". . . I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (Philippians 3:13b-14)