I went tubing in Columbia, SC this past weekend for Memorial Day with my church group. Before tubing we, being the girls that we are, were huddled around the church van slathering on our sunscreen before heading out to the water, using the windows as mirrors. Pastor Paul asked if we were ready, since the boys were all ready and waiting. Sunscreen bottle half empty - almost ready. I’d just needed one bobby pin and I was good to go. Oh wait, my sunglasses. I got them out of my purse right before he was locking up the van. ‘Is that safe there? It should be fine,’ was my last thought. Off we go! It was my first time tubing.
Time of my life. The water was cold. We had to walk through a pathway between trees and bushes to get to the water - “This is already fun!” I yelled. Girls had blue tubes, the boys had yellow. The blue ones had coverings on the bottom so that our booties wouldn’t be exposed when we sat down in them. They were more expensive than the boys’ tubes, my pastor said. Self conscious about my oh so authentic tan rubbing off in the water, but a few hours in I no longer cared. Ended up tanning in the water anyway. Floating in the water was so peaceful. My sandals are worn out from having paddled with them.
We’d just had about two hours of a good time, tubing, tanning, riding the water and what not, without a care in the world. As I was walking back towards our car with a friend, I noticed commotion around our church van and a cop standing next to it talking to the boys. “Hey, check if your stuff is missing,” is the first thing I’d heard. Robbery. Broken window. I took a look inside - my backpack was still there, sigh of relief. My purse? Anywhere? Anywhere? Stolen. Purse, iPhone, camera, wallet, small pouch full of various “necessities.” All gone. Numbness. Denial. ‘It’ll turn up eventually,’ or ‘It’s not really gone,’ I think. I have issues with letting bad news sink in.
Police report. Multiple phone calls to banks and phone companies to cancel cards and disconnect phones. My iPhone. I’d clearly cared too much about it. Was it an idol? Maybe. “Do you have Track My Friends? I can track your phone.” Should have downloaded those apps while I could, should have hid my purse under the seat, should have done this, done that. Too late. Card’s been used for gas at two gas stations. Police said the location was out of their jurisdiction. Bull. You’re police for a reason. ‘Justice for all’, not ‘justice for my county.’ About a hundred photos I had in my camera - the first camera I bought with my own money at my first (and only) job in 2008. Goodbye my baby. See you never.
“Be angry! Think of all the inconvenience those thieves have caused you. Think of all the money you have to spend now that you’ve lost everything. Hold bitterness inside your heart,” said a voice. But “give it up to Him. Pray. He’s in control,” said another. Prayer and more prayer. I choose to let it go. It’s just stuff. It’s just money. Immense peace. Forgiveness. God is good, He is faithful.
My “new” phone is sexy, in an ancient kind of way.
And cameras are cheaper nowadays.
There’s a lesson to be learned in everything.
And every lesson leads to one thing - that he is faithful forever.
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T-shirts are in you guys :) YAY!
Once again a huge thank you to the amazing Esther Hae Jin Lee (http://www.youtube.com/thatsestherly) for designing the womens shirts <3
She’s amazing.
http://www.danielasings.com
Entirely my pleasure, Daniela :)) Thank you for the opportunity <3 I’m a huge fan. Super stoked about the EP!
“I’m young, I can make mistakes.”
No. You’re young but you’re wise and you know exactly what you’re doing.
Be strong, sit still. Be near, be filled. Seek wisdom. Be changed. Rejoice! Be fearless. Beloved.
Nothing more to say but that I honestly, honestly want to fall in love with You.
youtubeindie asked: Hey I love your voice. It is amazing. And thanks for reminding me to read my Word today! God Bless -Felicia
Thank you very much, Felicia :) Glad I could do that.
Anonymous asked: Will you PLEASE unlock your Q & A post pretty please?
WHY hahaha. Have you not seen it before?
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Peaceful, easy feeling // Romwe giveaway on blog!! (by Ashlei Louise)
The best things come when you least expect them to. (by Lina Tesch)
“
We have six-thousand manuscripts, or portions of manuscripts, just to the New Testament alone. If we pull in the Old Testament, we’d push over the twenty-thousand mark, but let’s just talk about the New Testament, because that’s what everybody’s attacking.
Six-thousand manuscripts, or portions of manuscripts, of the New Testament alone. Six-thousand. Now, you may not be impressed by that number. But, let me share with you: Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. We’ve got less than a dozen copies of Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. How do we know what we know about Julius Caesar? Through Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars. We’ve got less than a dozen copies.
New Testament? Six-thousand. Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars, less than a dozen.
How about Aristotle’s poetics? Aristotle’s poetics; that’s how we know about the writings of Aristotle! We’ve got less than ten copies of Aristotle’s poetics.
New Testament? Six-thousand manuscripts or portions of manuscripts. Aristotle’s poetics, less than ten.
How about the writings of Socrates? How many manuscripts do we have of the writings of Socrates? Answer: Zero. The only thing we know about Socrates is that which was written by Plato. There are no surviving writings of Socrates. None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada.
New Testament? Six-thousand manuscripts or portions of manuscripts. The writings of Socrates, none.
‘Yes, but I heard we don’t have any of the originals.’ You’re right, we don’t have any of the originals. You’re right. As a matter of fact, the earliest thing we can put our hands on was written down probably about A.D. 120. Which is around two and a half decades of the writings of the originals.
‘Ha! Gotcha!’ Yeah, you got me.
Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars; earliest thing we can touch: a thousand years after the original.
Aristotle’s poetics; earliest thing we can touch: fourteen hundred years after the originals.
Socrates; got nothing!
Homer’s Iliad; the earliest thing we can put our hands on: two-thousand one hundred years after the original.
New Testament? Within two and a half decades.
” — Voddie Baucham (via martelthechristianrapper)(via haironhisscalp)
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