20 Questions

Taking a break from writing my essay to play 20 questions. :-)

1. Show us the inside of something cute:

*I love the inside of this shop.

Red Velvet Art in Springfield, MO.

2. What's the last homecooking you had?

*Well, Megan made some yummy chicken roll ups on Sunday night. I wish I had a picture to show you all. It was delish!

3. What do you miss?

*Well, I definitely miss all these people...and then some:

4. What makes you laugh often?

*This handsome man right here:

5. What's your favorite word?

*VACATION! [ohhh yeah]

6. What are you trying to quit?

*Procrastinating. [whoops...fail]

7. What's your favorite commercial right now?

*It's kind of old, but I love this PUMA commericial:

PUMA from jimmysandoval on Vimeo.

8. Whose style do you dig?

*These lovely ladies:

*And of course, Jenny:

*And of course, Zooey:

9. Link to a great blog you've discovered lately:

*NancyRayPhoto

*CheapChicas

10. What's the last craft you made?

11. A photo of the last happy mail you got:

*I don't have a picture of it, but it's definitely the Delia's catalog I got today. Glory!

12. Something you've got lately:

*These lovely booties from Target.

13. What are you looking forward to?

*Sooo much... Our trip to Orlando at the end of October to see Lucci graduate... My parents coming to visit in November... Alex's mom visiting for Thanksgiving... Christmas vacation in Asheville... A trip out to Denver in January... And, someday, graduating from seminary! ;-)

14. Most recent snapshot of you:

15. Recent Favorite Movie:

*I guess it would have to be (500) Days of Summer.

It was a cute one.

16. Something you're working on right now:

*My ecclesiastical identity essay.

17. If a movie were made about you, who would play you?

*Hmm...I would say Zooey Deschanel...but let's face it, she's way too cool. ;-)

Any suggestions?? I'd want someone hispanic. :-P

18. What gives you goosebumps?

*the cold.

19. Share a new obsession:

*It's not new, but you all know I'm obsessed with owls...

20. What's the meaning of your life?

*To glorify Christ in all that I do.

I Corinthians 10:31

Pursuit of God

This weekend J.D. began a new sermon series called 'Presence.' (The podcast will probably be up soon)

Let me just say that it really hit home for me. The basic question that it all boiled down to was, "Does my response to God match His awesome immensity?" The truth is, God is to be sought more than anything else. Psalm 42:1 says, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." That's intense.

J.D. ended the sermon with a prayer taken from A.W. Tozer's "The Pursuit of God."

I really want this prayer to be true in my life and marriage and family.

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more... I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

Prayer.

Prayer isn't exactly my strong suit.

I'm not sure why exactly.

Maybe it's because my memory isn't all that great. I don't want to be one of those people that says, "I'll pray for you," and doesn't do it. So what I've been doing is praying right there on the spot about whatever it was I said I would pray about. That way, I'm not a liar. I prayed for you, just like I said I would.

But is that enough?

Sure, I prayed. I said a few words one your behalf, just as you requested. And I meant it too. But then I don't even think about it again until the next time you bring it up, if you do.

That just doesn't feel right to me. I've met people who are just prayer warriors. They will pray everyday for specific requests and they will ask for updates on how you're doing. That's awesome. I respect that.

So I guess what I'm saying is, how can I pray for you?

I've recently started journaling through my quiet time and I wanted to add prayers to my journal so I can remember to pray for you. I don't want it to be a one-time deal.

So leave a comment, let me know. I want to pray for you.

planting, part 2

If you read my blog regularly (there's got to be at least one of you, right??) you may recall a post I wrote last March about church planting. (you can click those words for a refresher)

Well, I'm happy to say that things have been progressing in that area. We haven't made it widely known, but Alex and I are preparing to plant a church within the next two years.

We are very excited and very humbled to be a part of such a great opportunity. I can hardly believe that we are where we are. God works in amazing ways.

We have teamed up with a great group.

Bryan is an M.Div student at SEBTS. We met him on our mission trip to Mexico. He's a great guy with a heart for gospel-centered community.

Megan is his lovely wife. She's a nursing student with a heart of gold (and great style). She's passionate about discipleship and she's half-Peruvian! (let's hear it for the hispanics!)

Andy is also an M.Div student at SEBTS. He's a manly man and we are grateful for his servant's heart and sense of humor. Not to mention that awesome red beard.

That's our team so far. We've been attending events held by SendRDU, a ministry of our church, the Summit. They equip people to go out and plant churches both in the US and overseas. It's been exciting to get the ball rolling on this thing. We're in the early planning stages. Even though we're still two years away from planting, we have a lot of work to get done! So I'm asking you to be in prayer for us.

You may be asking where exactly we are going...well, we're going to Denver!

I know what you're thinking (especially you Miamians), why Denver??? That's a whole other blog post in itself. I'll be updating everyone periodically about our Denver church plant. And if you have an specific questions feel free to leave a comment.

Again, please be in prayer for us, for our team, for Denver, for guidance, for focus... We would really appreciate it. We love you guys! And we praise God for being an amazing, sovereign, mighty God. It's all because of Him.

Baptist History

Out of all the classes I signed up for this semester I was probably the least excited about Baptist History.

I mean...just listen to the name...Baptist History. It just screams boring. History's never really been my bag. Who cares about a bunch of old dead white guys?

I was wrong. I absolutely love this class. I find it extremely fascinating. I think I've narrowed it down to two main reasons why I enjoy it so much.

First of all, I did not grow up a Baptist. I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church. I'm no expert on the RCC, but I know a lot more about it than I do about Southern Baptists. I've been learning a lot about how the Baptists came to be and their ecclesiology (fancy seminary word, here's the wiki explanation). I love it. I feel like I can articulate better why I have chosen the Baptist denomination to fellowship with.

Second, my professor is the man. Honestly, Southeastern is full of great professors. I've enjoyed them all (for the most part) and feel so blessed to learn from these guys. That being said, Dr. Finn says stuff like, "He was their Sugar Daddy," and references songs like, "Don't Stop Believin'." Plus, he wore an authentic Southern seersucker suit on the first day of class. First time I had ever seen one of those in real life. His proud wife posted this picture on her blog.

I'm looking forward to the rest of this semester. Not just for this class...I'm genuinely loving all my classes (Counseling Parents & Children, Old Testament 1, and Counseling Practicum 1).

Happy Fall Semester to all.

Personal Development Goals

As part of my Counseling Practicum, I have to come up with three personal development goals for the semester.

So since I'm trying to be more transparent yadda yadda yadda, I thought I'd share my goals here.

1. Interpersonal Goal. I want to be more open and engaging with people around me. I want to develop closer, more meaningful relationships with my friends/acquaintances from school, church, and the D-Group I will help lead (more on that later).
2. Devotional Goal. I want to have a steady/daily quiet time. My goal is to wake up every morning at 7am to have a personal devotional time before getting my day started.
3. Individual goal. Stewardship of money. We have not made wise choices with the money God has blessed us with and our now in a bit of a financial dilemma. We want to cut our spending, set up a budget within our means, and be out of debt by the end of December 2009.

So those are my goals. Now that you know you can keep my accountable. ;-)

Today...

(credit)

Confession

The other day I was getting all worked up about non-Christians saying negative things about Christians.

Obviously, being a Christian, I am a little sensitive and defensive about those things.  I really hate the way some non-Christians view Christians (stupid, naive, prejudiced, backwards, etc). I was reading some comments on-line (don't you just love the internet?) and with each comment I read my heart kept swelling up in anger and embarrassment. 

And then I realized something. 

I don't have very many non-Christian friends... They don't know me... I am terrible at building relationships with them (with people in general, but that's another story). Instead of becoming angry about what they say, I should just be their friend. I don't mean evangelize the snot out of them, I mean be their friend. Hang out. Talk. Listen.

I can't deny that there are many mistakes that Christians have committed in the past (myself included), and still continue to do so today. Many Christians spout hate and ignorance instead of love and acceptance. 

There's a chapter in Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller called "Confession: Coming Out of the Closet." Here's an excerpt of what he wrote:

"For so much of my life I had been defending Christianity because I thought to admit that we had done any wrong was to discredit the religious system as a whole, but it isn't a religious system, it is a people following Christ; and the important thing to do, the right thing to do, was to apologize for getting in the way of Jesus." 

Donald Miller and his friends at Reed College set up a confessional booth on campus and instead of taking confessions from non-Christians, the Christians did the confessing. They apologized for the pain and hurt Christianity had caused, and the shortcomings of the church.  

It's a powerful chapter and one that I greatly appreciate for its honesty and humility. 

I need to be more humble. I need to love others the way God loves them. I need to spend more time building meaningful relationships with all kinds of people. I need to share the gospel not only with my words but with my actions as well. 

Going to Dallas!

Tomorrow we are waking up early in the morning to catch the meteor shower and then Alex will be dropping me off at the RDU airport. 

Why you ask? (okay, maybe you're not...)

I'm going to Dallas!

What can I say? My mom and dad miss me too much. They're flying my sister and I over for the weekend before things get crazy with school/work again. I love Dallas. It's really one of my favorite cities in America. They have great restaurants, a cool artsy scene, and my mami & papi. What's not to love?

Of course, I'll miss my hubby while I'm gone, but I think he'll do okay without me for a few days. 

I can't wait to spend time with my family. I'll admit that I miss them and it will be nice to spend a few days with them...even Danibel. ;-)

PLCC

A couple weeks ago I had my first paid photo gig since moving to North Carolina.

I was thrilled!

Promised Land Community Church in Creedmoor, NC hired me to take pictures of their Sunday school and service to display on their newly renovated website (it's still in the works...).

It was great to have the opportunity to just take candid shots of a group of people who are doing what they can to serve God in their community. 

And the kids were adorable!

I'm not gonna lie though...the BEST part was getting to see a REAL LIVE OWL! Dan the Animal Man was there that day to show a variety of wild animals (gator...porcupine...babboon) and when he brought out that owl I was beyond ecstatic.

Check out that glorious creature.

I wish I could have gotten some better pictures but...ohhh well. At least I saw it with my very own eyes. :-)

owl love

Anyone who knows me knows my love for owls. 

So I just had to share this cute illustration by Tad Carpenter. 

I dedicate this one to my love, Alexander Acevedo. 

And now back to studying... Final exam tomorrow!

One Year in North Carolina

It's our one year North Carolina anniversary!

A year ago today we started this adventure of North Carolina living. This year has been nothing of what I expected it to be. It's definitely been a roller coaster ride of epic proportions. Honestly, it's been difficult for me to get adjusted. I still get feelings of homesickness. I still get feelings of not belonging. I still feel lonely sometimes. I have, however, come to love this place and the people we've come across.

I am thankful for my school. I've learned more than I could ever imagine, and I still have a ways to go. My professors are genuine, humble, and incredibly intelligent. The students are eager to live gospel-centered lives and soak up the wisdom the school has to offer.

I am thankful for my church. It's a bit difficult getting connected to people in such a big church, but I finally feel connected to this group of people. I love our pastors, staff, and volunteers [especially the evening campus, we're the best ;-)].

I love my small group. These people are amazing. I love being able to sit around and talk with them. I love playing 'four on a couch.' And I really love making the girls laugh because of the outlandish things that sometimes come out of my mouth. I won't repeat them here. ;-)

I also really love what God is doing in our lives and in our marriage. It's difficult at times. I sometimes wish I could just ignore God and do my own thing, but I am so glad He is in control. He truly is so much wiser than I am (as if there was any doubt). I see things happening...moving...clicking...and I know it would not be possible without the sovereignty and provision of God.

And in other news, today is the day that Kat and Lenny are making the big move from Miami to Wake Forest. I'm excited for my friends and the adventure they are about to begin. I can't wait until they get here and we can help them unpack and get settled. We love you, Goenagas.

just checking in...

I know I haven't blogged in a while.

Sorry!

It's been a busy summer. Right now I'm in the middle of my summer class - Counseling Individuals with Problematic Emotions. It's only two weeks long...so I have many books to read and homework assignments to complete in a short amount of time.

But I promise to post soon.

In the mean while, why don't you 'madmen yourself'?

Here's me and Alex. :-)

Gum & Guitar

I love being married to a creative man.

The other day I texted him while he was at work asking if he wanted to do a photo shoot later. He promptly agreed and as soon as he got home we were on our way.

I remembered this field in Franklinton that had some old abandoned cars on it. I always wanted to take photos there. And to make the shoot just a bit more fun I bought some Bubble Yum. Alex, of course, brought his guitar along and we were ready to rock 'n roll.

Here is the result.

If anyone ever wants to join us on a photo shoot adventure, let us know. We promise to make you look good. ;-)

Week of Hope Cook Out

I mentioned Week of Hope last week and wanted to update whoever reads this on how our service project went. 

In short, we had a blast! The turnout was pretty decent. The kids loved the balloon animals and face painting (which turned into body painting). Some adults came and some of our small group members were able to just talk about life with them. I'm really glad we were able to do this. We are hoping now that we have gotten to know this community that we will be able to continue to minister to them in any way we can. 

Here are two ComicLife comics I made with some pictures from the event. 

trusting God for who you are

I've been somewhat open about my jealousy issues in the past. 

It really is terrible how my mind works sometimes and I have to constantly stop myself and pray to God for forgiveness. Needless to say, it's a struggle.

I've been reading this book called "Trusting God" by Jerry Bridges. The whole book (so far, I'm only on chapter 12) has been a great lesson on the sovereignty of God and our proper response to the many different occurrences in our lives. Even though I've been reading so much incredible knowledge and wisdom, I can't say it's really hit home. I've never had to struggle with any major calamities or tragedies. I've been blessed so far to live a quiet and peaceful life. Of course, that doesn't mean everything has been perfect, but compared to the struggles many others face, my life has been just peachy. It is still good to know this information, though. We have to get it into our hearts and minds that God is in control of every situation before the tragedy strikes, so when it does we will be [somewhat] prepared to deal with it. 

Anyway, all that to say, when I read chapter 11, it really hit home. The title of the chapter is, "Trusting God for Who You Are." Bridges starts off the chapter by talking about Psalm 139:13-16.

13 For you created my inmost being; 

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you 

when I was made in the secret place. 

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body. 

All the days ordained for me 

were written in your book 

before one of them came to be.

These are beautiful verses that should remind us that God made us all with a specific purpose in mind. Nothing about us is a mistake. "He was directly involved in creating you and me."

Bridges quotes Rev. James Hufstetler, "You are the result of the attentive, careful, thoughtful, intimate, detailed, creative work of God...He made you the way He did because that is the way He wants you to be." God made us a certain way because He loves us and wants to glorify Himself in our lives. 

Bridges says, "This is the believer's foundation for self-acceptance. I am who I am and you are who you are because God sovereignly and directly created us to be who we are. Self-acceptance is basically trusting God for who I am."

And here's the quote that really got me. Again, James Hufstetler says, "You will never really enjoy other people, you will never have stable emotions, you will never lead a life of godly contentment, you will never conquer jealousy and love others as you should until you thank God for making you the way He did." 

Wow. I often sit around wishing I was this way or that way...wishing I could change one thing or another about myself...wishing my situation was different than it is. But the truth of the matter is, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Everything about myself is the way it is because that's how God wants it to be. Ultimately, I was made to glorify God and He has chosen this body, these talents, these skills, this mind...and I don't need to question it. 

The chapter goes on into more details and different aspects about our lives (such as our vocation and God's will), it's incredible. 

I just wanted to share this with you all because I feel I should be more transparent and honest with my struggles. God really opened my eyes through this one chapter and if anyone else out there struggles with these things, I pray this can be a blessing to you as well. And if you wanna talk about it, I'm here. :-)

Week of Hope

Hope for RDU is the community ministry of the Summit Church and is based on the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. Our desire is to serve our neighbors as an outward expression of the grace and humility we have received by being a part of the body of Christ.

That's pretty much it in a nut shell. :-) Every year, through this wonderful ministry, my church sponsors the Week of Hope. There are community service projects happening all over the RDU area (that's Raleigh-Durham if you're not in the know) that will hopefully make a big impact for our city. 

My small group specifically has organized a cook-out for a housing development in our little neck of the woods (Wake Forest). On Saturday we will have free food, games, cookie decorating, face painting, and music for the families in this housing development and I am praying that it will be a blessing for them. Leslie, Shannon, and I passed out flyers yesterday to spread the word, so we will see what kind of response we get! I'm really excited for the ministry opportunities that this will open up. 

My job for the cook out is face painting...eek! I've never done that before but it can't be THAT hard, right??? 

[I'll be looking up tutorials on-line]

Take some time to pray for our group to be bold and loving...and pray for these families that they will be open to the gospel...and pray that we don't run out of hot dogs. :-)

The iPhone Photographer

I was going to write about Alex's truly amazing iPhone photographing skills, but he beat me to it! Seriously, I'm not just saying this because he's my husband, Alex takes pictures on his iPhone that I can't even take with my Canon Rebel. 

It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter what kind of fancy equipment you have. It's all about creativity and perspective. 

Check out Alex's post about how he does what he does here. 

And check out his flickr account here. 

ModCloth.com

I'm back again with yet another website that I adore. 

This time I wanted to share modcloth.com.

I'm in love with everything on this site and would probably go broke if my wise husband didn't stop me from going 'charge it' crazy. 

All the clothes and accessories have a retro feel to it. Lately I'm obsessed with dresses (possibly because it's wicked hot out) so here are a few of my favorites:

They also have this beauty...but it's OUT OF STOCK. ::curses::

If they ever have it back in stock you better believe I'm buying it!

(yes, those are owls!)

Happy Fourth

Hope you all enjoy today with family and friends.

(and lotsa goodies too)

(photo credit)

Orlando Trip

We had a great weekend in Orlando. 

It was great to get away for a few days and see some family (Alex's mom, aunt, cousin, my sister, and my brother-in-law). It was also great to be able to explore more of Orlando besides just Disney World. It's a neat town!

Of course, Magic Kingdom was magical. And the Blue Man Group was phenomenal!

I posted an album on facebook so you can see many of the photos. 

I'm ready to go back and visit the great city of Orlando again. Vacations should be longer. 

P.S. We were not allowed to take pictures or video during the Blue Man Group Show, so for those of you who are curious about what exactly goes on at these shows here's a "megamix" video from youtube.