Friday, April 30, 2010

What I'm Consuming

It's been a busy month and it's really not slowing down any time soon. I have a little less than a month to go until I graduate! Sorry to be neglecting the blog but you understand how it is. ;-)

Anyway, I wanted to pop in and share a few things that I'm consuming and highly recommend.

1. Gungor - Beautiful Things

I remember first hearing this band years ago at an Acquire the Fire event...probably in Miami, I can't remember for sure. Well, a couple days ago a friend let Alex borrow this CD, Beautiful Things, by the same band. We instantly fell in love with it and hopped on iTunes to buy our own copy. The music is incredible. I love seeing Christian artists who can make beautiful creative music. Lord knows there's enough cheesiness out there, but this band is truly talented. So get on iTunes and buy this record! You will love it. The best part is, they live in Denver! I told Alex he needs to get in touch with these people. They have a church called Bloom and I can't wait to visit when we're out there.
Here's an EPK for this record. They shot it in Denver...which makes my heart really happy for some reason.



2. Speaking Truth in Love - by: David Powlison

This book changed my life! hah. Okay, maybe that's a bit overly dramatic, but it seriously had a huge impact on me. I just finished it this week and I absolutely loved it. It's written more for those who want to get into biblical counseling, but I love the point that Powlison makes, that anyone who calls themself a Christian is called to be a biblical counselor. The chapters are short and to the point, which I really appreciate, and there is so much practical insight, which I really really appreciate. I think this book will be especially helpful when we move to Denver and start our church. Powlison has a lot of great points about the role of counseling ministry in the church. Read this book. It's full of hope and encouragement.

3. Advance the Church Conference 2010

This week my church hosted the Advance Conference. Alex and I were able to volunteer for the event and sat in on the teaching of some great preachers. Ed Stetzer, Johnny Hunt, JD Greear, David Platt, Jerome Gay, and more. They have posted the audio from the first day of the conference here. I'm sure they'll post the audio from the second day soon.



What are you consuming lately??? Please share if there is a book, band, song, verse...anything that you're consuming and loving right now.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Leslie's Maternity Photos

Thomas and Leslie are great friends to us here in North Carolina. We know them from church and school and are so thankful for their friendship.
When I found out Leslie was pregnant I was so excited! I can't wait for Baby Judah to come into the world. And I was so honored that Leslie actually trusted me to take some maternity photos for them. It was my first time shooting maternity photos and I just loved it. Leslie is gorgeous, I couldn't have taken a bad photo if I tried. I hope if any of my other friends get pregnant they will give me the opportunity to take some photos for them. ;-)

Here are a few of the images...I also posted some on flickr.

*special thanks to my amazing husband for helping me out so much. 

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

New Glasses

I believe I started wearing glasses at the age of 3. Yup, I was one of those cute little tykes with coke-bottle glasses (okay, maybe not that cute). 
For my 21st birthday I received the wonderful gift of sight! It was like a whole new world. I got lasik eye surgery, and it really is one of the best decisions I've ever made. Just to be able to see the world as it really is was such a blessing. 

Well, lately I've been having trouble reading things that are far away. I can't read the screen at church with the song lyrics, I can't see what the professor is writing on the board... So I made an appointment at the eye doctor. Turns out, my nearsightedness has returned. It's not too bad though. The doc gave me a light prescription and I ordered some cute Kate Spade glasses

I really only need them for school and driving at night. Other than that, I can see just fine. I had a good run with no glasses...considering how blind I used to be! I was kind of missing having frames adorn my face from time to time. 

So say hello to Kristel Classic:


Monday, April 05, 2010

Spring!

This season is gorgeous. I love the flower-filled trees.
Yesterday Alex and I were talking about how this will be our last spring in North Carolina. By this time next year, we'll be in Colorado. Crazy!

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Kindle Ads

I have to say that I adore the Kindle commercials they've been running on TV lately. They're creative and a great use of stop motion. I also love the music they chose. I'm an admirer of good advertising. It's simply brilliant.
Check out the two videos below, the second one is my favorite:





As good as these commercials are though, I'd rather have an iPad. ;-) It was released today and Alex is at work right now (he had to be there at 4am!) selling those babies. I can't imagine how busy it must be! My birthday is coming up in two months...so if you're looking for a good present to get me, well, you know...

Friday, April 02, 2010

Good Friday


Isaiah 53

1 Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
9 And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Check your statements!


If you follow my tweets (and if you don't, why the heck not?), you know that Alex and I are 100% out of debt. Thank God! It feels great not to have that burden on our shoulders. We're working now on building up our savings account and getting our budget in order.
The other night we were looking through our credit card statements and we noticed that we've been getting charged $17.95 every month for almost a year now for some place called "MVQ SHOPESSPLUS." Neither one of us recognized what this was for. I googled the name of the place and figured out it was a scam. So I called them up. I told them I had never signed up for any shopping program and had never authorized any charges to my credit card. They terminated my account and agreed to give me a refund on last month's charge...but I've been getting charged for almost a year! That's over $100. So I said that wasn't good enough and they eventually agreed to refund me for every charge they had made to my account since the beginning. I also called my credit card company and requested a different account number, just in case.

So the lesson of the story is, check your statements! Comb through every transaction and if something looks suspicious, ask questions. I'm not sure how these people got my credit card number, but I've heard they're somehow connected with restauarant.com, which I have used several times in the past.

Anyway, I hope they really refund all my money, I'll keep following up with them until they do!