Weekend Wrap-Up

Weekend Wrap-Up:

[Definition]: The period from Friday evening through Sunday evening, esp. regarded as a time for leisure.

Oh weekends!

It may not always be true when it comes to “time for leisure” but a combination of  work/homework + unexpected adventures + friends can make for an entertaining weekend. 

Here are some steps we took to spice up our weekend:

Step One:

Tune vocal cords and perfect dance moves.

{because for some reason this song pathetically is too catchy.}

Step Two:

Quote this video for hours of laughter
             {if you really enjoy it, make sure you check out the rest of the episodes}

Step Three:

Spend some time getting in touch with your crafty side and release some bottled up whatever is going on in your life.

     HB suggests these bits to be [cooler, smarter, craftier, wiser, funnier, trendier, insert awesome adjective here]

           

+Watch this short video tutorial to learn how to make a little book out of a file folder!

             + Be trendy and sew lace on your backpack.

Step Four:

            Check out this list of 25 series to read if you like the Hunger Games
             or re-read the Hunger Games

Step Five:

            Go to a talent show and enjoy how unique and awesome everyone is.
             Learn this rap and be reminded [not to us, not to us, but Your Name be the Glory]

[Bonus Step]:

            Take a [baby] sneak peak at our Sunday afternoon photo shoot... more to come [we promise!]

[Photo credit: The beautiful Andra Delores.]

Freedom Friday: Nefarious

For all you readers who live here in the EC, Nefarious is coming to town! 

There will be a screening on Friday, May 4, 7-9pm, in HHH 100. 

What is Nefarious?

Nefarious, Merchant of Souls, is a hard-hitting documentary that exposes the disturbing trends in modern sex slavery. From the very first scene, Nefarious ushers you into the nightmare of sex slavery that hundreds of thousands experience daily. You’ll see where slaves are sold (often in developed, affluent countries), where they work, and where they are confined. You’ll hear first-hand interviews with real victims and traffickers, along with expert analysis from international humanitarian leaders. 

From initial recruitment to victim liberation—and everything in between—the previously veiled underworld of sex slavery is uncovered in the groundbreaking, tell-all Nefarious, Merchant of Souls.

Watch the trailer:

This is going to be a hard, but good film to watch. Hope to see some of you there!

Reminder

God is faithful. He will provide. Even when I can't see it right now, even when I'm in this weird limbo, even when it seems like things are at a standstill, He is faithful. He is faithful in ALL He does. And knowing that makes all the worry and anxiety melt away.

For the word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.

[Psalm 33:4]

Truth Tuesday: Prayer

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you have know him better.  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…

{Ephesians 1:16-18}

Prayer:  

One night, confused and frustrated over life, I broke down, got off my high horses of stubbornness and pride, and went to ask for help and insight.  After word vomiting all over my dear friend, I was still hurt but seeing a little clearer. I realized Jesus still had a lot He wanted to process through with me.

but I was left with a lingering question. 

Why do I bother to continue to pray about it?  He already knows all my thoughts and what He is going to do…duh.

My dear wise friend threw this at me to chew on for a while…

“Prayer is not so that God may know our thoughts
but
that we might know out thoughts as God does.”

Talk about pretty cool.  I read back through my journal and realized God had not only been answering my prayers, but guiding my thoughts in my prayers to see Him in action.  I am telling you now it wasn’t easy to go through, but all the while He was showing me what He wanted me to look at and think about the situation. 

Lesson learned: I not only get to look back and see how He has worked in my life but also get to see Him working in my life.  Yeah for prayer!

And the universe was silent.

I saw this at church yesterday... please take the 6 1/2 minutes to watch it. It is a chillingly beautiful re-telling of Genesis 3. I don't even know what to say about it, other than you should just watch it! AND, I love me some good spoken word!

Freedom Friday

[On Fridays we will be providing you with facts, stats, scripture, resources, thoughts, links, etc. having to do with freedom and justice. We serve a just, loving God who has a HUGE heart for those oppressed and those in need. Our hope is that you can come away from Fridays here at "Things that make us tick" a little more educated about the injustice around us and with a bigger heart for those who are afflicted.] 

Lord, break out heart for what breaks yours.

Key word: HE.

HE (God) will deliver the needy and afflicted. How fortunate we are that He delivered US, and now chooses to include and use us in his redemptive plan for the world.

New Neighbor Series: Why we sign off with "live loved." [Part 4]

I have never been a big fan of [Good-byes] 

Reason # one: They seem to leave this air of permanent absence.

Reason # two: I have always loved the quote…

                      

“Do not cry because it is over.  Smile because it happened”

Reason # three: Saying “see you later gator” never ceases to make me laugh

This leads me to explain the choice of our sign-off….

Why { LIVE LOVED }?

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across a video by Mike Donehey from Tenth Avenue North.  It hit me hard as I realized I how much I didn’t believe or understand that [He] loved me.  I started looking back at my reactions to situations, people and events that proved my disbelief true.  Talk about eye opening. 

There is truth in the fact that knowing that Jesus loves me changes everything.

When we live as if we truly believed that we are deeply loved by the Creator of all things created, by the Savior of the world, by the Lord of all, we are free. Free to be who we were created to be, free to live without regret or plagued by guilt, without care of what others think of us, free to just be. We are no longer pulled down by our insecurities or the lies of the enemy. We are free to relate to others out of the depths of our heart, rather than the surface of what we allow them to see. We are free to think good thoughts [about ourselves, others, and God] because we know that God is a loving God and that He loves me and the people I interact with. Living in the knowledge that we are loved by the Father brings freedom to every area of our lives…

so how will it change your life if you LIVE LOVED ?

New Neighbor Series: Who is HB? [Part 3]

Who is HB?

For starters, I am forgiven and free! If I had to describe myself in one word it would be REDEEMED. When I think about where I've been and where I am, I am so incredibly thankful! 

My name is [Heather]
thanks to a teenage boy named Heath that my dad was friends with and helped on his paper route [the kid's, not my dad's]. My middle name is Leigh thanks to the fact that that is also the middle name of my grandpa and dad [both Lee]. I'm pretty sure my parents must have been hoping for a boy since both my first and middle name come from boys.


[I LOVE]
+ lions.
   Because they remind me of God- strong, powerful, and terrifying, but gentle and cuddly at the same time.
+ crafts/decorating/designing.
   Because they allow me to express myself creatively. Plus they're fun.
+ reading.
   Fiction, because it engages my imagination... one of my favorite things ever!
   Non-fiction, because I get to learn... another one of those favorites!

[MY STANCE ON]
+ colors.
   Like KC, I also like mismatched colors. I recently [yesterday] discovered this in my art class when
   everyone but me thought two colors looked horrible together. However, I will allow all colors of socks on my feet!
+ shoes.
   They are good to wear! Especially when it's cold out. Also, shoes make the outfit. Sometimes I will pick out my outfit based on what shoes I will be wearing that day. Tis true!

[I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT]
+ people.
   Especially the hurting kind. I love motivating and encouraging people, helping them solve their problems, and seeing them grow in their relationship with Jesus. I also love helping women find their identity in Christ, discover what they are passionate about, and heal from their past so they can have a greater impact for God's Kingdom in the future.
+ teaching and learning.
   I want to learn more. And I want people to know the things I have learned. A whole new world opens up when you learn something new. I have found that so much of the difficulties I've encountered could have been avoided had I only known something. But hindsight is 20/20... which is why I want to share as much of my hindsight as I can with others.

[RANDOM FACTS]

1. My parents currently live in Mongolia, but will be coming back this summer.
2. If I could wear a neutral pair of jeans and a Hanes men's white v-neck undershirt everyday I would.
3. My favorite thing to eat is sushi, or crab legs, because both are delicious and fun to eat! 

New Neighbor Series: Who is KC? [Part 2]

Who is KC?

Excellent question…I am learning that too!

The past year has been the most challenging
and amazing year        -because-

I have learned more in the last year about life
than I think I have in the last 20.

So who is KC?

I hope you are ready for an adventure because I am not only excited to share with you but take you along with me on this journey as I continue to discover who I was created to be.  

My prayer is that you might find something from my story to identify with and to encourage you on your own journey.  I love to smile & laugh, but I have shed a fair amount of tears from hard times and mistakes.  But [good news], even through I am broken; I am loved. I am forgiven because I have faith in someone greater.

            { My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
             in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
             my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power many rest on me. That
             is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in
             hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
                                                    For when I am weak, I am strong. }

                                                                                   -  2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

Let the journey continue.


--> --> -->

So for now, to skip all the awkwardness that can come along with meeting a new friend and I’ll start by sharing with you a small glimpse at ‘what makes [KC] tick’ as of April 2012!

My name is….[Casey] . 

            Thanks to my mom’s love for a country music song!

A small list of things I get excited about….

{Colors} everywhere and anywhere! It makes me so happy.
            I love decorating with color.

I love all the colors of nature!

I love wearing color (the more mismatched the better)
            *disclaimer: I only wear black socks. J

            {Crafts}

                        Modge Podge
                        Sewing…so far a have made a couple awesome bags!

            {Books}

Currently in my stack…

                        Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson  (the adventure of passionately pursuing God)

The Hunger Games 

            {Travel}
                   I want to see and go everywhere!

{8} Random Fun Facts for Casey Trivia…

           1- I can struggle to find the right words, but I probably have a noise that could explain more clearly 

           2- Recent discovery: the key ingredient in most coffee based drinks is eSpresso not eXpresso.

           3- I have an irrational fear of pink eye and birds.

           4- I know the secret to making a mighty tasty PB&J.
           5- Fashion goal: to bring back jean overalls.  

           6- I enjoy naming inanimate objects
           7- I lack depth perception, but I can be super lucky at catching flying objects
           8- Nervous twitch or/and mindless habit: playing with scotch tape

          

New Neighbor Series: What in the world is EDGE Corps? [Part 1]

We figured since we're new on the block, we'd do some introducing of ourselves. First off though, KC and I realize that we threw around some words that may be a bit foreign to you in our first post. Edge Corps. Yep.

First things first: pronunciation.
Edge Corps: ej kohr. 
Hmm.... I feel like that just made it way more confusing than necessary. Just think Edge Core. So basically ignore the p and the s. You get the picture.

Moving on... Edge Corps is a one to two year program for recent college grads to impact college students for His Kingdom. It equips and sends out people like KC and I onto college campuses to show people the love of Jesus. Pretty cool, huh?

How exactly will we be doing that, you ask? Just to name a few ways... discipling women, leading Bible studies, planning events, attending meetings, helping put on Nav Nites, doing intern-like work [coffee and donuts anyone? :)], and learning, growing, and being trained.

We just got back from our very FIRST Edge Corps experience this past weekend; a staff training/retreat that we got to take part in... so great! We are so blessed to get to work so closely with such godly men and women! [More coming soon on what we learned there, sneak peak: hermeneutics and spiritual gifts!] In just over a month we'll be headed out to Glen Eyrie in Colorado Springs for our 10 day training... then it's on to a summer of fund raising.

Welcome to the next two years of our life! 

Why, yes! This is where we'll get to hang out for a bit this summer! :)

[If you would like to learn more in depth about Edge Corps, click here.]

Hi. My name is______.

We are two [almost] college grads, starting out on a grand adventure! Our job is just to sit at Jesus' feet and obey Him. [However, our more official title is going on staff with Edge Corps through the Navigators!] 

So one day HB [Heather Leigh] looked at KC [Casey Lee] and said- "Hey! Let's start a blog! We're gonna have all kinds of crazy cool stuff to blog about now that we are starting our real lives!" [That was the gist of it anyhow!]

And out of that, "Things That Make Us Tick" was born. God has been blessing us like crazy; putting us together on the same campus, giving us the same heart for ministry, and even giving us a couple of the same interests to boot! [Not to mention our awesome (semi)matching middle names!]

Things That Make Us Tick is all about just that- what we are passionate about, interested in, and gifted for. We will be recording the journey of our next year or two with the Navigators and maybe throwing in some sweet DIY, inspiration, and more [lucky you!] :)

Here you will find the collision of two passionate, broken women, alive and made new in Christ. We will strive to speak the truth in love, and our hope is that through this blog you will be encouraged, inspired, and drawn ever closer to the feet of our savior.