something a little different.

this morning i was really challenged through my devotion. as i've been reading, yet again, though the psalms i've been desiring to dig deeper. my new obsession is attempting to look into the translation of words in their hebrew form.

today i was reading psalms 37, which in and of itself is incredibly uplifting. i have circumstances in my life currently where i feel God calling me to show love, and not just my forced, flawed, and fake human love. NOPE. the love of christ. holy moly, talk about a challenge. in prayer this morning i really felt convicted about this, then the song by our love came on shuffle.

Brothers, let us come together

Walking in the Spirit, there's much to be done...

We will come reaching, out from our comforts

And they will know us by our love...

Sisters, we were made for kindness

We can pierce the darkness as He shines through us...

We will come reaching, with a song of healing...

And they will know us by our love!

The time is now

Come Church arise...

Love with His hands

See with His eyes...

Bind it around you,

Let it never leave you,

And they will know us by our love...

Children, You are hope for justice,

Stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above

You will be reaching, long after we’re gone,

And they will know you by your love!

then this morning reading through psalms 37 was the final confirmation that i needed.

³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

im called to show love even to those who are doing "evil". [evil:from the hebrew רשע transliterated is rasha – meaning the guilty.] i shouldnt even allow myself to worry about the situation where it seems the 'wicked' are succeeding. all i can do is be still and trust that what the Lord promises is verses 6-8 will, in fact, be carried out. but here's the thing, not only should i be still, i cant just sit and wait for God to do his thing while i just sit back and relax. i must not only show HIS love but delight myself in doing so, and be patient. my goodness, i am so thankful that i serve a faithful God who's word will never never ever be returned void.

so here i go, on my quest of love. not the kind of love the world see's with flowers and chocolate and romantic notes and other mushy stuff, although, that would be nice. but the LOVE of God; patient, kind, self-less and gentle.

also... i get to spend time with this lovely lady and the rest of her wonderful family who over the past twenty years of my life has been so influential and become part of my family.

formspring.me

well, i've done it. i think i may be crazy. we'll see. http://formspring.me/ohellodear

love actually.

girls night, with two sarahs, romantic movies, and gluten free cupcakes. if i learned one thing from my grandma, its the utter bliss found in peanut butter chocolate frosting. oh boy, what nights like this do to me.

these are a few of my favorite things

picnics

going for walks

good morning texts

kisses on the cheek

surprises

phone calls

serenades

getting butterflies

notes

"love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith"

1 tim 1:5

well, im waiting.

ever so patiently.

Psalms 119:33-40

Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees;

then I will keep them to the end.

Give me understanding, and I will keep your law

and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands,

for there I find delight.

Turn my heart toward your statutes

and not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

preserve my life according to your word.

Fulfill your promise to your servant,

so that you may be feared.

Take away the disgrace I dread,

for your laws are good.

How I long for your precepts!

Preserve my life in your righteousness.

the past few mornings i have been reading in psalms, which always seem to encourage me. however, i have a new goal; tackle chapter 119, and all of its 176 verses. this is one of those chapters that repeats over and over how great God is and in addition, each new singer continuously cries out for wisdom, justice, and mercy. i long to make this my constant prayer. well chapter 119, lets get this show on the road.

also...

today ROCKED. no really, way to go thursday. i cant wait to see what the rest of this weekend has in store. thats right, ladies and gentlemen, i did in fact just refer to thursday as part of my weekend. thats how great it was.

&& i need need need to go here. like pronto.

my dearest tuesday

you have been simply deeeelightful.

i'll be honest, i started off the day with frustrations that were carried over from the past week or so, and then this morning i had a unexpected, ugly, broken, little straw that just broke this poor little camel's back.

side note. sometimes i wish our society wasnt so into the whole 'instant gratification thing' you know, maybe if you didnt have the courage to say what was in a text in person instead, you shouldnt have said it at all. anyway, i digress.

i got to see em, the lovely pres to my vp this morning, which is always a spirit lifter. we successfully rolled 82 boxed lunches and water bottles all the way to the buses at the music building, in our sunday goin to meetin clothes and everything.

we had two high school concerts today, which are always a fun experience. while singing around the people at our second concert i noticed three girls snickering in the audience and then came the pointing, greeat. totally pointing at me, awkward. i hear the word 'pretty' then one girl shouts 'we think youre pretty' oh lordie. THEN after our song, one of the girls raises their hand and says to our director, 'those two girls sing really pretty' and then the pointing again, this time at me and the lovely jaquie, at least im not alone. ladies and gentlemen, hence the commencement of the jacquie and liz fan club.

and then began my evening with the lovely, the fantastic, the infamous, Miss Trout

boy did we share some adventures today

wearing shorts

lemonade and chips and salsa compliments of sarah

sharing my heart and screaming

-why wont they get out of my life!-

playing catch on the front lawn, with gloves and a REAL baseball

mini USP reunion kicking around a soccer ball

dinner in the caf caf

including another mini usp reunion

singing some oldies song over and over

making peanut butter popcorn

watching ten minutes of when harry met sally

then switching it to the sandlot

realizing i couldnt do my homework, darn

and

my present from sarah!!!!

a day of love, somewhat lacking thereof.

okay, so dont mistake me for someone who is bitter about valentines day or cynical about love by any means. on the contrary, i LOVE love. love love love it. its great. however, how i could i pass up this gem of a title. i mean, my goodness, it rhymes.

today.

my mom insisted on purchasing me a book titled "101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged". lovely little book, probably gonna come in handy someday, far off in my future. however i find it interesting, i feel like this is way my mothers way of saying, "Elizabeth, your taste in boys sucks". Lovely.

ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatever your hands find to do, verily, do it with all your might."

so today has been such a lazy day. getting over this oh so inconvenient sickness has been so draining on my poor little body. i allowed myself to catch up on sleep this morning, had a lovely morning devotion and some quiet time. then i did something i am quite good at, if i do say so myself. i made a little list, a to do list of sorts. and accomplished exactly one third of it. thats pathetic.

this week im bringin my a-game.

my nails are painted a lovely shade of turquoise and im ready to pursue some excellence.

also...

my darling friend ashley is getting married

this is us. we're spectacular.

all of us girls went dress shopping with ash and her momma. successful indeed.

also, this is paige. love her. i do.

lightbulb moment.

well, i've had one.

praise the lord.

relationship:an emotional or other connection between people

i've been seeking God and pursuing a new direction. when staying for so long in the same mediocre cycle its quite difficult to embrace a change, no matter how much you need it. my emotions have an awful reputaion for making themselves seem wise and most important, all the while my heart and head are trying so desperately to speak up, but cant seem to shout over those loud mouthed emotions. this is where prayer comes in, paired with that lovely thing called muscle memory. i knew that i needed a change so i turned to scripture, always, always a good idea.

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" 2 Corinthians 10:5

i've been diligent in this quest that i set out on. and let me tell you, it is an incredible feeling to reach a place where you realize you are no longer praying and pushing for a break through. in prayer the other moring i realized that i had truly and honestly LET GO, i had my break through. and bonus, since i had reliquished complete control to Christ, he had filled the emptiness and mended the hurt, without me even realizing it was happening. hence my light bulb moment.

also...

im moving to oregon this summer. i have an internship. i promise i'll blog soon about how God one up'ed me yet agian.

oh oh oh,

cutest love stories

totally prash

gotta love february

oh my word.

it has been far too long since i've ventured onto this little guy.

well hello blogging world, im back. yeeah.

it is far to late to actually post the thousands of thoughts floating around in my head, but if i didnt at least make an effort right now, at 12:54 am, i thought i might never ever.

so while i've taken a break from blogging myself i've kept up with these three lovely ladies on almost a daily basis.

darlings, meet

ashley ann [under the sycamore]

rachel [smile and wave]

&

meg [whatever]

love them.

i do.

also...

i WILL be on here for a real post tomorrow.

yes indeed.