thankful thursday.

a few things i've been thankful for in the last couple weeks:

1. the cowboy's last ride.
back in the day my cousin took me to country concerts to celebrate our february birthdays. we saw some good ones -- clay walker, clint black, tracy byrd... and george strait! so when she heard george strait was doing his last tour ever this year, she super thoughtfully decided we had to go! (her daughter had never seen him in concert, so really, they had to go and they were nice enough to invite me along!) it was so fun to have them in town, and even more fun to deck out in red lips and cowboy boots and sing every word with martina and george.

2. sunday morning church.
we thought moving our services to the morning would be such a tough transition, but after our first morning service a couple sundays ago, we went home and took a fat sunday afternoon nap... and the tough transition was officially over. seriously though, we're excited about the new time and location. we're expecting great things for this new season at prov road.

3. house shoes... to work.
the extrovert in me is having to adjust to working from home, but this, my friends, is a huge perk.

4. dan cathy.
if you haven't already seen this article, i really hope you'll take the time to read it. "Dan sought first to understand, not to be understood... We learned about each other as people with opposing views, not as opposing people." so great. i knew i loved that chicken... and those waffle fries... and those milkshakes... i mean, it's an addiction, but that's besides the point. read the article.

5. kid president.
last but most certainly not least is this little daymaker. there's a reason this video has gone viral -- it's awesome -- and true. "it is everyone's duty to give the world a reason to dance." YES.

what are you thankful for this week?

new girl.

the bristers are entering yet another new chapter.

{i'm beginning to wonder if we're ever not going to feel like we're in a new chapter. is that just real life? who knew?}

as of thursday, i'm the brand new "be a family program coordinator" at buckner international. i'm primarily doing family intake (serving as the primary contact for parents interested in fostering or adopting through buckner in order to point them in the right direction), but also some social media, recruitment, customer service, and whatever else they throw my way. by the end of my orientation, i wondered if they created this position as a "be a family" junk drawer to throw all the miscellaneous necessities in, but hey, the junk drawer is the go-to drawer in your house, right? i'm okay with it.

needless to say, i'm quite excited. i mean, in case you missed it, i'm getting paid to help parents adopt and foster through an organization i love. i'm getting paid to find parents for children who don't have them. Y'ALL. yes, i'm having to adjust to full time job life and having to adjust to working from home, but i'm pumped to be doing something i enjoy and pumped that it allows me to still be here doing stuff with prov road.

cheers to a new chapter!

"God sets the lonely in families..." -- psalm 68.6

remembering the basics.

i've recently been pretty disgusted by different "camps" in evangelical christianity lashing out at the other "camps"... not just disagreeing, but name-calling and such. it goes both ways, it's ugly, and it can't possibly fall under loving your enemies -- which if we're honest, it should appall us that any christ-follower would ever treat another christ-follower as an enemy -- and before we play the "i'm not sure 'those people' are christ-followers" card, let's remember it's really never ever ever our place to judge that. all of it puts a terrible taste in my mouth and makes me want to take a step back from whatever this thing is that we're doing -- so i can't even imagine what the world looking on thinks of it.

i came across a familiar verse this morning that was refreshingly simple to my soul:

"For the Lord is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations."

-- psalm 100.5

i'm not putting blinders on, i'm not plugging my ears, i'm not sticking my head in the sand, but i am saying that for my sanity, i have to step back from all the conversations sometimes and remember the basics.

God is good.

God loves with a steadfast, enduring love.

God is faithful... always.

a little happy in my morning spot this week... also refreshingly simple.

i have to remember these things on the daily and i have to remember that this is what it's all about. this is the god the world needs to know... and isn't interesting that the bible says the world will see god if we love one another (1 john 4.12)? that they will identify us as christ-followers if we love one another (john 13.35)? not if we are able to expound on perfect theology or have a stellar understanding of scripture or a private, intimate relationship with him, but if we love each other well?? quite a sobering thought.

i don't really have a pretty bow to tie on this post... i just needed to process some of these thoughts for myself, for my own heart and my own sanity. i want to be known as someone who is for something rather than against something... and what i'm for is knowing a god that is good, loving, and faithful, and helping others know him, too.

{barbed wire and cattle guard pics from christmas at the farm.}

recently added.

i just really love music. it makes everything better -- running, cleaning, cooking, working, and especially driving -- and certain music stirs my affections for jesus more than anything else can -- more than reading, more than sermons -- seriously more than anything else. on that note (pun intended?), i saw this tweet this week and couldn't agree more:

Truth set to song is powerful. More powerful than we even realize. Get your hands on some of that music today and sing it over your life.

— Christy Nockels (@christynockels) January 21, 2013

anyway, i realized this morning that the "recently added" section on my itunes is currently stacked with great music i should share with you so you can enjoy them, too. it's a little more worship music heavy than usual, but i needed something fresh in that department, so i'm okay with it. 

so now, for your listening pleasure, here's a peek into my "recently added" itunes:

rich & poor, robbie seay band

i'm starting with this one because it's what we like to call FREE. god bless you, noisetrade. i've always found robbie seay's voice soothing and his lyrics thoughtful. 

// fav songs: "slow me down" & "baptize me in the river"

she must & shall go free, derek webb

disclaimer: this one is certainly not in my "recently added" section (i can remember loving it in high school -- i'm old), but it's also currently being offered on noisetrade in honor of its 10-year anniversary, so while you're there for robbie seay's tunes, you must get this album if you don't already have it. 

// fav songs: "lover" & "awake my soul" (these are two of my fav songs ever, not just on this album... again, you must get it.)

here on earth, bryan & katie torwalt

i had never heard of these people until a couple months ago when a friend at syrup had this album on repeat in the kitchen. naturally, i learned to love it. this album is full of songs made for worship, and it has already led my heart in that direction several times. if you aren't familiar with them either, their style/sound is similar to jesus culture, bethel music, kim walker, etc.

// fav songs: "holy spirit," "i'm a lover of your presence" & "glorious"

burning lights, chris tomlin

apparently, my mom has been loving this album so much that she gifted it to me through itunes -- and i will never say no to free music. chris tomlin needs no introduction, so... it's good. the end. 

// fav songs: "awake my soul" (featuring lecrae... so... yeah.) & "crown him" (i'm a sucker for hymns.)

the lone bellow, the lone bellow

i think i saved the best for last. i can't turn this album off, y'all. incredible sound, great harmony... i mean, it's just so good. treat yo self... it's only $7.

// fav songs: "tree to grow" (do you know me?) & "green eyes and a heart of gold" ... but really, all of them.

enjoy!! 

nephews.

we just can't get enough of these two little guys.

i'm so thankful for phones that can send pics and do facetime. luke and katie, thanks for making our sunday night and monday morning with these gems:

whitley crowson, 20 months

ben hardy, 2 months

we sure miss you little cuties and hope to see you again soon!

love,
your favorite aunt and uncle

thankful thursday: happy 2013!

here are a few things i've been thankful for in these first few days of 2013:

1. bowl season.
if we didn't watch every single bowl game, i think we were pretty close. i have to admit most of the games were less than great this year, and maybe by the 17th game in only a handful of days i was ready for a chick flick, but bowl season really is fun. i mostly love that football games are such an easy way to get a group of people to hang out. exhibit a: tricia's fiesta bowl fiesta.

this girl LOVES her wildcats. #emaw

2. passion 2013 live stream.
i'm so thankful that passion allows those of us that can't actually be there to get a glimpse into the experience. i think i caught about 4 or 5 of the 7 sessions via live stream. good people, great teaching, incredible things happening toward ending slavery around the world.

beth moore blowing my mind with the passover & lord's supper.

3. yummy stocking stuffers.
mom is the BEST at stockings. she always finds the most unique and thoughtful little things. this stuff, for example, is one of the highlights of my stocking each year. i'm second-guessing my decision to share it with the husband this year. it's just SO good. thanks, santa!

4. super carter.
our friends, the mosiers (you may remember them from our tornado slumber party in the spring?), have a brand new adorable little girl, cambrie mae, which brings their kid count to 3 -- all under the age of 4. needless to say, they kinda have their hands full. we've been trying to help them out when we can -- i'm not sure how much help we've actually been, but we've sure enjoyed the extra mosier time. i mean, how could we not love hanging out with super carter??

chris is quite literally obsessed with this kid.

5. gratitude journal.
i know i just posted about the joy dare a couple days ago, so maybe this is redundant, but i really am loving it. it's forcing me to recognize the little things as gifts -- things that i probably would've never stopped to think about and be thankful for.

what are you thankful for this week??

joy dare.

i love the idea of resolutions, but let's be honest, i'm not always great at sticking to them -- but who is? (okay, except for sarah.) i think the only 2012 resolution we successfully stuck with was closing the toilet lid when we flush. not a joke. the bristers are lid-closers now. who wants to brush their teeth with toilet water? sick.

don't get me wrong, we've come up with some great ideas in the last week or so... 2013: the year of actually eating our leftovers. 2013: the year of calling our grandmothers more. 2013: the year i actually change my email address to my married name (it's been 15 months, y'all). 2013: the year we read more and watch tv less. 2013: the year i start remembering to take my reusable bags to the grocery store.

and then, of course, there are the spiritual ones... 2013: the year of praying more... or reading my bible more consistently... or being more intentional in my conversations with people... etc., etc., etc... but how do you measure "more"? it's totally unachievable.

i need something measurable, something achievable. i recently finished the book one thousand gifts. (i wrote a post about it a couple months ago when i started it, mostly because i had fallen in love with the little intro video. go back and check it out.)

i mean, i LOVED this book. it took me a while to get used to her writing style, but once i did, i was just so overwhelmed by it. by the time i finished, i was so ready, so desperate to make eucharisteo a part of me, for gratitude to be part of who i am, for my joy to come from my awareness of who HE is and all HE has done -- in the everyday, no matter the circumstance. because quite literally everything is a gift, whether i recognize it or not, so why not make an effort to notice?

so it was officially decided... 2013: the year of counting 1000 gifts. measurable: clearly. achievable: absolutely. then... it gets better... i was on ann voskamp's blog one day and found a little gem to help me in this gift counting. it's called the joy dare. she gives you three things to look for each day, and by the end of the year, you'll have counted over 1000 gifts. so for example, here's january:

i'm only 8 days in and i'm already loving it. admittedly, it can feel a little cheesy sometimes, but maybe that's okay? even good for me? it feels like a treasure hunt, which i don't hate even a little bit.

so here's to 2013: the year of counting 1000 gifts... and maybe eating a few more leftovers. who's with me??

2012.

i kind of love the natural rhythm that the end of the year brings. i love all the top 10 lists and year-in-review videos. i love reflecting on the fun memories made this year (thank you, road trips) and lessons learned (1st year of marriage = constant learning). i love the feeling of a new start and getting to put the not-so-fun memories behind us (we're looking at you, lonely days and flooded apartment).

last year on this day we had only been married for 3 months! there's quite a difference between 3 months of marriage and 15 months of marriage... and for sure a difference between living in a town for 3 months (still using my iphone map to find everything and not knowing anyone but my husband) and living in a town for 15 months (actually feeling like it's home!).

last year on this day i was 100% unemployed and chris was working a part-time job. (what!?!) raising support so that both of us could work part-time for the church was such a process, but such a way to watch the lord provide for us. we've loved serving and leading at prov road, and we're so pumped to see what 2013 has in store for our people.

last year on this day we had one little baby nephew, and now we have two nephews and one on the way! (we're slightly obsessed.)

i was scrolling through the pictures on my phone earlier today trying to remember everything about 2012... and clearly i had to make a fun collage. (let's be honest, people. we've basically been on the couch watching bowl games all day, so i had to find something to do.) so here you have it, some of our 2012 highlights in pictures:

january: OU basketball game with the now-married marshes.
(OU sports = major source of entertainment for us year-round.)
february: mamma mia! in okc for my birthday.
march: celebrating whitney's birthday. (i miss the good ol' days when she was only 20 min away.)
april: catching thunder fever.
may: celebrating whit's 1st birthday!
june: caribbean cruise with the brister family.
july: tour de south. meeting my bff's brand new baby.
august: katelyn came to visit!
september: syrup opened. thankful to work with a girl i've been friends with for a decade.
october: month o' weddings. 'nam reunion.
november: welcome to the world, ben hardy!
december: christmas shenaningans.

so here's to 2013... it will surely be filled with more highs and more lows... but i'm thankful to know in advance that the lord will be faithful. here's to a new year and the new mercies he gives, not just today but everyday.