Current Ear Candy.

As a lot of you may know, I love music. A lot.  Thought I would share some of my favorite current ear candy with you all.  Because, why not.  Enjoy.

"Choke" by King Charles

"When We Were Young" by Adele

"Old Pine" by Ben Howard

"Blame It On Me" by George Ezra

"The Stranger at my Door" by Brandi Carlile

"Parachute" by Chris Stapleton

"No Good" by Kaleo

"Juke Box Hero" by Foreigner

"Hold Back the River" by James Bay

"Heal" by Tom Odell

"Out of the Woods" by Taylor Swift

Why it is Important to Speak Life to Teens.

I have always had a passion to work with kids and teens and as I spend more and more time with them as an adult, the more I realize that less and less kids/teens are having life spoken into their lives.

They're in an environment where information is at their fingertips all hours of the day. They are completely entertained all the time which means as adults, we do not spend as much time getting to know them and pouring into their lives as we should. I sit at a restaurant and see teens eat while on their phone and communication and family bonding simply is not happening. This is just one example of many. 

There are consequences for these actions. Who is pouring into those kids lives? Social media and pop culture or loving and caring people in their lives? Most likely it is the first. We should not be shocked as to why the current generation is seen as entitled, lost, and lonely. It is becoming more and more evident that teens are crying out for connection and relationship that is authentic and genuine, and no one sees it. 

It doesn't matter if you're a parent, sibling, cousin, or just a friend,  speak life and hope into the lives of teens who are around you. Yes, it takes effort. Yes, it can be exhausting and tiring. But these kids need it so when they are faced with the evils of the world, they have the support needed to be successful.

Let's not let the culture dictate who is molding the current generation. That is our job. 

There is no better time than now to do something. 

Hello Dear Friend.

At the beginning of 2015, I decided to challenge myself with a list of goals I wanted to accomplish in the year. Some were easy to reach, while some were much harder to obtain. 

Regardless, I loved that I made a list of things I wanted to do and try. It grounded me. It pushed me to grow. It taught me the most important things in life are being in relationship with others and enjoying life with them. God made us relational beings and some of the best memories are shared with some of the best people on the planet. 

Last year was full of laughter, challenges, growing pains, learning curves, kindness, and spontaneity. I went out of my comfort zone and tried new avenues of art. I went to a couple rodeos. Saw some kickin' bands. I got to hug on family. See friends get married and others have babies. I got connected to one of the best small groups ever. Made new friends. Grew closer to old ones. Hugged on some I haven't seen in years. I dance and sang and fished. 

All these things I shared with some amazingly stellar people. I am excited to see what 2016 holds, and I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to reveal Himself even more each and every day. 

I encourage you to make a list. It may not get complete or even close to being complete but that doesn't matter. What matters is that you push yourself more and more out of your comfort zone and see how God uses it for the kingdom. It truly is amazing.

Love God and be kind to people. 

Six Ways to be a Top Notch Friend.

Being a friend is a blessing and a curse if we were all honest with ourselves.  It is a blessing because they bring life and joy to your life when we need them the most. But a curse, because it means we have to be vulnerable and allow someone into the deep crevices of the beautiful and ugly parts of our lives, which can sometimes be intimidating and scary.  Am I alone in this?

Everyone needs a friend and we all need one, and friends can come in all shapes and sizes.  It can come in the form of a sibling, parent, high school friend, or someone you met on an airplane.  I am by no means the perfect friend and won't claim to be one, but we can all use that refresh button to make sure we are striving to be the best friend to those around us and show that we appreciate what they bring to the table in our lives.

So, without further ado, here are six applicable ways we can make sure we are being the most top notch friend we can be.  Please read this and put your own personal twist on them because in all honesty, there is no better you than you.

1: Be Available.
There is nothing worse than being with someone who is either emotionally checked out or just can't make that coffee date.  Sometimes we are swept away with always thinking about tomorrow, when we should really sit down and be in the present.  No need to worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has its own worries.
-Matthew 6:25-34

2: Learn to Truly Listen.
I know I can get so busy with work and life that I never sit down and just listen to how my friends are doing.  And sometimes when we sit down to catch up with my friends, our phone is right there to distract us.  Try to practice being with people without having the phone out to pull you away from the conversation.  Sometimes all someone needs is to have your full attention and be listened to, nothing else.
-James 1:19

3: Meet Them Where They Are.
Our lives are always up and down in the various seasons we are in, and sometimes our friends need us to bring them out of the rough seasons.  It may take some extra effort on our end, but just know that they will return the favor when you are in a rough season in life.
-Ruth 1:16-18 / The whole book of Ruth is awesome.  Synopsis: She lost her husband and stayed with her mother-in-law Naomi (who also lost her husband and sons), not because she had to, but because she wanted to.  Read Ruth; it is powerful to see what a faithful friend looks like and the blessings that come from it.

4: Go Beyond the Like and Comment.
Sometimes our friendships seem to be strong via social media, when in reality you haven't seen that person in weeks.  Make sure that if you're within driving distance of that person, that you get some hang out time in.  If you're not in driving distance, a phone call, text, or letter are always great ways to give that personal touch to show you care.
-Romans 12:9-2

5: Encourage the Socks Off of Your Friend.
Sometimes we all need someone who believes in us and urges us to press on even if it does not make sense.  We all just need that little "you go girl" moment where we feel like we have our own little cheerleader section.  Every person has their own love language to show how they receive and give affection/appreciation to others.  Find out what yours and your friends' love language is.  It will really help put things into perspective and it is fun.
-If you have never taken the love language test, you can take a free online quiz here! http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/

6: Create Memories.
Don't forget that we are all in this crazy world together.  Go and create fun memories with those closest to you.  Go to that pumpkin patch.  Have that Twilight movie marathon!  Play on that flag football team.  Take that cooking class together.  Whatever you do, have fun doing it!  Never get too busy in life / work that you forget how to have fun with your friends.

Five Reasons Why It's Important to Hang With Your Parents.

There is this unspoken rule when becoming an adult, that in order to be considered a healthy adult, you must completely separate from your parents.  I heard it when I was approaching college graduation and I still hear it now.

The question I have is why must we remove ourselves from our parents' care and wisdom in order to become an adult?  Don't get me wrong, I am a firm believer in making choices / decisions and being a responsible adult, but I also don't think the absence of parents has to be done in order to mature.

This is why I think it is important to hang out with your parents.  Not only is it going to show appreciation and honor them, it will actually be great for you because your parents are the foundation to who you are.  So, we should make sure our foundation is healthy.  A happy family is a strong family.

So, here are 5 reasons why I think it is important as an adult to hang out with your parents:

1) They always give and give and give and give some more, and sometimes they need someone to pour into them.  
I am not a parent, but from what I have heard it is hard.  Many many sleepless nights.  The financial pressure of adding another mouth to feed.  No babysitter to go on date night.  They are always taking care of the kids, whether financially or emotionally.  Sometimes they need someone to treat them to something special.  Here is my challenge to you.  Take them out to the movies.  Pay for their dinner.  Buy their next coffee.  This will tell them that what they have done / do for you is noticed and appreciated.  

2) They may be older than you, but they still want to have fun too.
Time is now a precious thing.  They went to work everyday, then they took you to football practice, and your sister to choir rehearsal.  Don't forget the youth group you were a part of and the ice cream social afterwards.  Then squeeze in dinner and then it is about time to go to bed and do it all over again the next day.  Parents put their social calendar aside and put their focus on the calendar of their kids.  This just means, we as kids, need to put in that extra effort to show them they are worth the time to make sure they're having fun and enjoying life, not just going through the motions.

3) They will never stop being parents, even as you get older.  So, let them do their job and you do yours.
Just because we are getting older, doesn't mean they are going to stop being your parents.  Your dad is always going to care if your car is running well and your mom will always double check to make sure you are happy and hanging with good friends.  It comes with the territory.  So, let them be parents.  When they check in on you, let them know all is good, with details.  But go the next step further and ask them what is new in their life.  Show interest in them.  They are going through life just like you and are always learning new things.  You just may learn a thing or two about your parents.

4) They have walked through the time of life you are currently going through.
Your parents have already been where you are right now.  They will have some wisdom to share with you if you take the time to ask.  They have success stories as well as those times where they failed.  Let them teach you and share a part of their life and story with you.  This will allow them to impart their wisdom and you will get to know them beyond just being your dad and mom.

5) This will honor them and validate that even though they are human, we will always be there for them no matter what.
The people who spend time with their parents, are the people who are willing to continue to be corrected and humble.  They are people who do not think of themselves too highly to think they have it all together and no longer need instruction.  We all need those around us to cheer us on and always have our backs as well as smack us around every now and then.  Spending time with your parents will do just that.  It is exhibiting to them that even though they make mistakes, you still care and cherish what they have to say and they get to do what they love to do: be your parent.

I know not everyone has a good relationship with their parents.  Even with that said, it is never too late to make a difference and change your relationship with them.  In order to have a strong relationship, both sides must put in effort in order to see results.  I encourage you to try to put in that effort and see where it takes you.  I promise you won't regret it.

Go hug your dad and mom today.  I double dog dare you.

From Country Dancin' to Hockey Games.

Having some goals and tangible activities in the forefront of my mind keep me grounded in the train of thought there is more to life than going to work and coming home and then doing it all again the next day.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is important to work hard and to bring your absolute best everyday to the job, even when exhaustion and frustration hits.  I believe my generation needs to know what it looks like to do whatever it takes in order to survive, myself included.

But it is also just as important to remember we are not robots.  We are not beings that were made to slave the day away.  Hence, country dancing and hockey games.

I had some amazing friends come visit from California and I wanted them to experience Texas.  And I mean truly experience Texas.  So, one Saturday night we decided to go country dancing.  In a the middle of nowhere Texas.  And boy did we dance.

And we loved it.

It was something that I have never done before and it really pushed me out of my comfort zone.  If you know me, I usually always turn down any sort of dancing.  One, because I don't know how and two, I feel silly doing it.  But I think we all need to push ourselves outside of our norm and just go for it.  It is exhilarating and embarrassing and fantastically fun.

There just isn't anything like getting together in a group of people where everyone is gathered for a common goal.  Dancing.  Twirling.  Laughing.  Yelling.  Cheering.

It is wonderful.

Going to a hockey game with my younger sister was really an experience all in itself.  It is fast paced and always unpredictable.  When a player scores, everyone just stands and cheers and you can't help but join.  You get excited when they do.  You get mad when they do.  It is what is exciting about hockey and any other sport really.

Camaraderie is made both on the field and off.  As I sat there for just a moment, even just for a few minutes, everyone was on the same team.  No one was there judging one another.  No one was there telling the other person they are not good enough for this reason or that.  No one is there for any other reason than to be one big team.

I wish life was more like that.  One big team.  But we sit and we compare ourselves with one another and the hierarchy system is then put into place.  And yet we are all striving for acceptance and community.  There is rarely a sense of true community.

I am thankful that I am purposely putting myself in places where I normally don't tread.  It is constantly teaching me new things and I am reminded there is too much beauty in the world being taken for granted.

I ask that you go out of your comfort zone and try new things.  Tread into those adventures you always dreamed of going into.

Who knows.  You just might surprise yourself.

5 Reasons Why You Need to Take a Spontaneous Trip.

Hello Friends,

As some of you may know, a few weeks ago I wrote out a bucket list for things I want to try to accomplish this year.  One of the items on my list was to go on a spontaneous trip without making any plans.  And that is what we did.  My friend and I got in the car and hit the road.

We ended up driving down to Port Aransas, Texas for the weekend and had a blast at the beach (which was also on the list).  Part of why it was such a fun trip was living moment by moment without feeling pressure to move onto the next activity purely because it was "scheduled".

So, here are 5 reasons why I think everyone needs to go on one spontaneous trip where no plans are made:

1) You are able to fully embrace each moment for what it is.  The clock now really has no meaning.  If you wanted to sit in lawn chairs next to the beach for hours, you can do it.  The ticking of the clock to remind you it will end soon, is no longer a factor.  You can stay right at the shore all day if that's what you want to do.  What a beautiful feeling.

2) Expectations of how the trip is supposed to be like completely vanishes.  When plans aren't made and you choose what you do when you feel like it, it leaves you stress free with total freedom to change your mind at any point.  We have all been there when we make vacation plans months in advance and when the time comes to actually go, if those items do not come to pass, there is somehow a sense of frustration and disappointment.  Isn't the point of a vacation to relax and enjoy what you're doing with good company?  When expectations are gone, you really can only go up from there.

3) It helps us give up control.  We live in a world where we NEED to know what we are doing, when, where, and how.  Sometimes letting loose and giving up control helps remind us it is the simple things in life that matter. 

4) They create for some good memories.  Because plans and schedules are not made, it leaves room for the unthinkable to happen and those are the memories that will keep us talking for years to come.  Those are the stories worth telling.  You may be reminded of these times when someone starts a sentense with, "Remember that one time...".

5) It is not the trip that really counts, it is who you share life with.  Some of the most memorable trips I have taken have been with family and friends who hold a special place in my heart.  Of course the places and things we have seen and done are memories I cherish, but it is the people that really hold value to those memories.

I encourage you to let go of control and just go.  The sooner is always the better.  There is nothing more freeing than getting in a car with some good friends, popping in that mix cd, and get on the way to your next adventure.

There is no better time than now.