When all you need is a little smile...

HEY SISTER!

So I've been thinking about you like crazy today... for no other reason than because I can :) I had to wake up super early for work this morning (something I don't usually love) so to get myself going and in a better mood about it all I reminisced our photoshoot with casey on the floor of your basement before going to bed, and the 80s workout video that next morning before getting ready for Adrianne's Iowa wedding. Like I said, it's random. But it definitely brought a smile to my face!

This week was a bit of a doozy for me - plenty of papers, tests, reading assignments, and a pretty demanding workload made for a not so loving-life me. Then I remembered how you chose to leave the country, the comfort of your community at home, your friends, and your American life, all to love on people every chance you get. You totally win on that one. Anyway, now that the week is behind me, I'm [finally] finding the time to put my feet up and relax tonight, I decided I'm well overdue for a little hello to you (yeah, that rhymed... :)

On the way home from work today I was listening to the radio and heard a little something about a study to find the most recognizable/happily addictive sounds. On the list were a few random things, like a sizzling steak (really?), the wedding song everybody but the fun people walk down the aisle to (no offense, but it's true.... it's also a classic), and the star spangled banner. But my favorite was the #1 most addicting sound to listen to: a baby's laughter. So, in honor of getting through my week, giving you a little extra lovin to spread around and because you just make me smile THIS MUCH, these are for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HttF5HVYtlQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfjFY5f-r_s&feature=related

[I really hope those links work... otherwise, I'll send them again darnit!]

Love you to the moon and back,
LB

Encourage

Dearest Kelsey,

Oh, how I miss you. I did a little move the other day with my arms switch back and forth and had my legs bent at the knees and moved my shoulders just a tad and I went, “Oh, Kelsey Keizer.” And Lauren agreed. :) I’m glad you’ve rubbed off on me…or at least some of your mannerisms. Also, I've loved the Olympics. I haven't had a chance to watch too much of it (that's probably good for me so it doesn't become an idol!) but I'm thankful for getting to see some of it! I wish you were here. I remember when, at School Street, we watched the 2008 Summer Olympics :)

Now on to more important things...

I’ve told some people this, but I recently read through Hebrews. God was really doing some work in my heart because what I read clearly transferred over to how I live my life. And maybe you can do the same!

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:12-13

The way I read it was, if I don’t encourage not only myself through God’s word but to encourage others, then the devil can really infiltrate our thought life. This obviously is disastrous. The sin that Satan so desperately wants us to listen to are the lies like “No one really loves you” or “That person is so much better than you” or “Why does that guy/girl have that thing that you want.” Such lies! Geez! And we deal with this everyday. But thank God that He sent Jesus to pay for those lies that I so easily listen to and separates me from a relationship with Him that is now restored. However, I can combat it by encouraging myself through putting on the armor of God and by reading and through prayer and by being in fellowship. So instead of listening to that sin, reverse it by doing a little Philippians 4:8 action. Think about things that are: true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.

And if we want to be the type of Christian that actually does what the Word says and not just be a hearer of the Word (James 1:22), we need to practice those objectives of thinking such things, not only of ourselves but of others.

Therefore, instead of the deceiving word of sin that the devil tempts us with, we need to know and believe and trust who each of us as brothers and sisters in Christ truly is and encourage one another by letting them know.

I’ve been trying to practice this once or twice every two or so weeks. Just write a little note of encouragement and exhortation to someone and let them know how they are appreciated and loved. It does wonders.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (ESV says ‘Outdo one another in showing honor.’) Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:9-12

I miss you and love you,

Katherine

Addiction

Seriously. This is an addiction.

I need an intervention.

My New Addiction

Thanks to you. I have a new addiction. Ellen. It's all your fault.

This is hilarious!

The Bachelor

The funniest blog on the bachelor. Ha!

CALLING ALL BACHELOR FANS

For those of you that watch the show we all love to hate, this list is for you. And for those even cooler people that read the Bachelor re-cap at www.ihategreenbeans.com, this is REALLY for you.

The Top Ten Most Memorable Moments from Monday night's show:

10. Jake saying, "This journey has been very lonely at times." Note to the pilot: YOU ARE DATING 25 WOMEN. You want lonely? Call Michelle.

9. Vienna being capable of reading. I don't even mean this mean, I just really was surprised that she read that Fantasy Suite invitation so clearly.

8. Ryan HIDING from the show. He was watching it with me for part of my Valentine's Day present lol and I kid you not, he was BURIED under the covers so many times because he said, "Erica- this is seriously PAINFUL to watch" in the most estranged voice ever lol.

7. Jake's necklace. Okay this is Week Two of Jake's Tribal Necklace. I'm not for sure it's his shout out to CBS that he could replace Jeff Probst or if he just really does think it's cool. This necklace serves as my own reminder that Jake really is a cheese ball and the kind of guy that I used to break up with and say, "You are just too nice for me... I need someone to make fun of me and you know... be clever."

6. "I HATE THIS SHOW I HATE THIS SHOW I HATE THIS SHOW" ...this what Ryan said every time Jake pulled a half naked girl in a hot tub and whispered, "I wanted this to be special just for you." The words "just for you" seem to lose some sentiment when your girl number 3 in the hot tub.

5. Did anyone else cringe at Jake's dance moves with Gia and the "accidental" touching of her chest lol? I hope Tenley didn't see that. I also wondered if Gia decided against NEVER taking off that necklace that became a bracelet?

4. I know ABC isn't calling me for episode titles, but if they were I would call this one: "Lays in Separate Bays." I guess Jake thought no one would care they were having sex with the same guy on the same island if he swooned each of them in a different bay. Classy, Jake.

3. The phone call from Ali. Please please please tell me ABC made her do that. That was so painful that I was literally getting embarrassed for her. As Jake clutched his forehead in despair, Ryan filled in Jake's thought process for me, "Oh man... what to do? Do I tell her to come back so I get some action from her too or will that seem too obvious and horrible of me? Is all of this even worth hearing her wailing again?"

2. JAKE POKING VIENNA WITH THAT SWORD. Okay, that is all I'm going to say about that moment and I will let your mind go wherever it wants with it. Ewwwwww.

1. The number one memorable moment from Monday night's Bachelor were these words that my boyfriend said to me before I went to bed: "I love you more than I hate The Bachelor." THIS MEANT MORE TO ME THAN HIM PROPOSING.

The Outrageous Love of God

Thought this was interesting. You can download it like a podcast.

Self Defense

I'm sending you this for your tram rides...

Kelsey, you have to go to youtube and type in Bon Qui Qui and watch the first video. It's really funny. Another good one to look up on youtube is malk. That one is strange.

While you wait for that to buffer...

"The love for equals is a human thing- of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles.

The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing-the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion and it touches the heart of the world.

The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing- to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints.

And then there is the love for the enemy-love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured's love for the torturer. This is God's love. It conquers the world." Frederick Buechner

And one more by Frederick Buechner:

"To be a saint is to live with courage and self-restraint... [but] it is more than that. TO be a saint is to live not with the hands clenched to grasp, to strike, to hold tight to a life that is always slipping away the more tightly we hold it; but it is to live with the hands stretched out both to give and to receive with gladness. To be a saint is to work and weep for the broken and suffering of the world, but it is also to be strangely light of heart in the knowledge that there is something greater than the world that mends and renews. Maybe more than anything else, to be a saint is to know joy. Not happiness that comes and goes with the moments that occasion it, but joy that is always there like an underground spring no matter how dark or terrible the night. It is to live a life that is always giving itself away and yet is always full."

Love you a lot,

Leigha

Abiding...

Hey KK!

Today I’ve been thinking about you, trying to put myself in your shoes and imagine what you must be feeling being in a new place, adjusting to the new daily rhythms…or maybe the lack of daily rhythm…learning to depend fully on Jesus and follow him where he leads you. I’m so excited about you being exactly where you are!

John 15

4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

----

May you know his love. Abide in it. Remain in it. And watch Jesus plant and water and grow new life in and through you!!

Praying and standing with you today.

Love,

Christine

Hey Kelsey, I really love this song right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYsGI6op7OU

I feel like that won't work. But go to youtube and type in Home by Dave Barnes and listen to the first video on there- it's live but good.

Love,
Leigha

Emmanuel--God with Us!

I think about what it must be like: Everywhere you go, everyone you see, everything you touch is new. You're walking where you've never walked before and spreading the Word in places and to people you don't know, and who don't know you. It must be thrilling ... and terrifying.

After I'd left my hometown for college, I realized what a sheltered life I had led. It seems so silly now, but I was afraid of black people. I guess, presented the opportunity to fear them, I would have felt the same about Asian, Indian, Cambodian, Mongolian ... any ethnic group I'd never before encountered. I didn't know they were ordinary people, just like me.

Since then, we've been blessed to travel the globe and get to know people of all races, religions, heritages and cultures. They've enriched my life beyond measure--as I know they will yours.

Knowing you, I doubt you fear like I once did. But this entire rambling reminds me how God is with us all the time, wherever we go. When we rely on Him, He takes away the fear. He gives us the perfect words. He USES us in ways we could never imagine possible. Emmanuel--God with us.

Kelsey, you are an amazing person doing an amazing thing (the first of many, no doubt). Know that we think about you, pray for you, and trust God to be with you every second of every day.

Go get 'em! God's there to help!

--BJ Towe

Superbowl Commercials

So we know you missed a monumental day for all Americans. Here's what you missed:

Doritos Dog

Doritos House Rules

Casual Friday

Brett Favre

Snickers

Denny's Chickens

Motorola Megan Fox

KGB Commercial

E Trade

Hey Kels,

I love you, I'm thinking about you and praying for you. Loved reading your last email; you write like you talk. We also got your postcard today- you are so funny.

Do you remember the talk we had in the kitchen... the one about the birds and the bees?

I know I told you, but I was so blessed by reading 2 Chronicles 20:12b on your profile. So timely. I have thought a lot about in Matthew where Jesus is praying in the garden of Gethsemane and he asks the disciples to go with him. It was always strange to me that he asked them to go... what could they do? They had nothing to really offer him- they didn't know how he felt, what was about to happen... and they couldn't fix anything... but he needed people to be around.. to have warm bodies there with him- their presence was comfort enough. I've thought a lot about that lately.

I'm sorry again for missing your call, I really wish I would have picked up. Love you a lot.

Leigha

In Response To Your Latest Update:

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. . . . There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors." CS Lewis Weight of Glory

“The glory of God, and, as our only means to glorifying Him, the salvation of human souls, is the real business of life.” CS Lewis God in the Dock

America's Best

If only N'Sync had known to use jump ropes! JC, you're just a little late.

KK! I didn't realize you were such a devout Elen fan! haha! Ok, so I was pullin up this blog in class and this girl I sat by was like, "OH My WORD! Do you have a friend living in Prauge?" And I was like, "HECK YES! Only the coolest person ever! She's sharin Jesus with that whole place and her basketball team!" And then she was like, "I used to live in that area and I want to talk to her! Can I have her email?" It was so neat! ....So you might be getting an email from someone you don't know...but we had a whole Jesus convo about you and how lost that area is and I think she might be a believer too...not sure...but she seemed to see the depravity of the place without Christ.

Also, I just wanted to fill you in that the superbowl is this weekend...not sure if you're a fan, but it's pretty big here in this country. I don't know if you've watched the Jesus videos, but if you have you'll laugh at this quote..."but it's the SUPERBOWL Jesus!" hahaa!

One more thing, these verses have been on my heart to share with you and pray over you this week - Isaiah 61:1-4:

"The Spirit of the SOverign Lord is upon me, because He has annointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengence of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. The will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations."

UHH! So good! He has annointed you sister, with His Spirit - what power is in you do reveal such an amazing God to the dark and broken hearts. May He plant in them salvation and may His Splendor pour out! And generations will be changed!

Anna W

Randomness

Hey KK!

I was just reading through some of the blogs on here, and when I saw yesterday's post, I thought I'd add to the Ellen list. Now, not many things are better than Shawn Johnson - I realize this. But I saw this on youtube and just had to add it on here. You'll thank me later.

Ellen Clip

On a side note, I found out that today is "Working Naked Day" according to one web site. I wouldn't recommend that, though. I don't know what kind of work you really do over there, but I'm guessing it would cause too many people to stumble. According to that same web site, it's also "Hula in the Coola Day," and while I don't really know what that means, I'm guessing it's safer than going to work naked.

Anyway, I hope things are going well for you! I'm sure you're busy being the basketball stud you always are! Enjoy every minute, and God bless!

Anna

Ephesians 3:16-21