I want to love like that

Hello friends!
Happy Monday.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I know I did! God blessed with some wonderful moments and the opportunity to spend time with some of the people that I love.

First of all, I have exciting news. I have made the decision to purchase the Canon EOS 60D DSLR for my new camera! I am so excited! I will be purchasing the 50mm f/1.8 II lens to go with my new camera. I just wanted to say thanks to the each of you for all of your help in this decision. You guys have provided me with so much wonderful information on discovering which camera is the best fit for me! So thank you to Cassie, Kellie, and everyone else for all of your help. I am so thankful for you guys!

{a random photo I found on the internet of a canon 60D that I thought was pretty. Can't wait to have my own!}

Saturday I had an event for Young Life, and it was so much fun. My heart becomes so happy when I look back on these last couple years and see how far middle school Young Life has come. We have grown as a group in so many ways. Our interactions with our middle school kids have become more intentional, and we have become more committed to creating and designing events that we know the middle-schoolers will look forward to coming too. When I first starting serving Young Life, I wasn't close with hardly any of the leaders. This year, I have been blessed with the opportunity to become close with both my middle school girls AND the leaders who are by my side in this amazing journey. To say the least, Young Life has been one of the biggest blessings in my life and also a ministry that I have become so very passionate about. Thanks Jesus!

Here is a picture from Saturday night, at Young Life club!
{From left: Julia, Jade, me, and Rachel.}

The next day after church, my good friend Talana was in town, so her, Julia, Julia's boyfriend Kevin and I decided to all go out to breakfast together. It was so much fun. We literally talked for two hours straight. We talked about our dreams, goals, and everything else that we were looking forward to coming up in our lives. I am thankful for all of the God-centered friendships that I have been blessed with so much in the past year and a half.

Here is a picture that Kevin took of us gals took after breakfast on Sunday! {From left: Talana, Julia, and me!}


I don't know about y'all but lately I have been feeling major love from the friends I have been making through my blog! I was so happy to hand out the "Liebster" award to some of my favorite bloggers. You guys are such an encouragement to me! I pray that God would only continue to bless me in my blogging community and that He would use me as a vessel for His kingdom through this blog and the friendships that I make!

How was your guys weekend? Do anything fun? Okay, so bear with me for a moment, I have a somewhat-corny yet hopefully encouraging story to share with you guys that happened to me yesterday. Today after I did my laundry, I was using some bleach to get the stain out of my new white pants that I just purchased from Old Navy. {super cute and affordable by the way ;)}

Anyways... as I was blotting out each stain, I was getting really frustrated with how long it was taking me to get out each one. Like dang, these stains were deep. I couldn't help as this was happening to reflect on the way in which Jesus has forgiven me. My sins were many. My hurt was knee-deep, my hope was lost. But God didn't give up on me, and He has continued to work on renewing me every day.

"Come now, let's settle this," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool."
Isaiah 1:18

Gosh, God is so good. I have had a few very specific moments in my life that I will never forget, where I was flooded with tears by understanding how much my savior loves me. Who dies for someone? It's just unfathomable. I am overwhelmed with the love my savior gives me on a daily basis, and there is nothing more I desire in my life than living for Him alone.

"Because your steadfast love is better than life itself, my lips will praise you."
Psalm 63:3

That is right friends, I am declaring to you in this post that God's love for me is truly better than life itself. It is better than a fancy car, a coach purse, and a limitless supply of chocolate. Some of that may sound cliche, but it is so true. If I don't have God's love, I have nothing.

"If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:2

God has been so patient with me, and has demonstrated His perfect love for me in so many ways. I am so unworthy of this love He gives me, yet He loves me the same.

I want to love like Jesus did. I want to love others unconditionally and without having a reason. God, help me to love like that.