Prayer - Part 2

A few months ago I posted about prayer and my struggles with it.

Confession: I'm still struggling.

But God is faithful and has been teaching me a lot in this area.

One way the Lord has been teaching me is through my husband. The other day I was having a mini nervous breakdown because I had so much going on that day and didn't know how I was going to get through it all. I was starting to tear up and wallow in my misery when Alex stopped, held my hands, and prayed. Wow. What a shift in perspective. Instead of focusing on little ol' me and my problems I began to see who God is. He is faithful. He is sovereign. He is in control. After that, my day went smoothly. I often focus way too much on myself or others instead of on God. My immediate response to bad situations is not to pray or look to God for guidance, rather it is to freak out or get depressed. What am I communicating about God when I react like this? That He is small and incapable of helping me. That's wrong. My God is so much bigger than I am. My God is so much bigger than any problem that could come my way. And that day Alex reminded me that I should always turn to the Lord in any given situation. He is my strength.

Another way God has been teaching me about prayer is through a book I was reading last year, The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. There's one chapter where he talks about Nehemiah's prayer life. Nehemiah displayed two types of dependent prayer: planned periods of prayer and unplanned spontaneous prayer. Basically, we show our day-to-day dependence on God by daily praying to Him and we show our moment-to-moment dependence on Him by responding in prayer when unexpected events pop up. It all boils down to the fact that prayer is the tangible expression of our dependence on Him. We need to pray without ceasing.

This is what the Lord has been working on in my heart and I can only respond with gratitude in praise for His Spirit's work in my life. And then I need to pray some more for more understanding and wisdom.

Little Nuggets of Wisdom

I'm really busy today and don't really have time to be blogging, but I wanted to share these little nuggets of wisdom from the marriage conference this weekend. I would develop these points further, but like I said, I'm busy. :-) If you'd like to further discuss these statements with me at a later time please feel free to do so. The conference really was an amazing blessing. I'm really happy Alex and I were able to attend. Paul Tripp is a talented speaker. He is able to take these truths from the Scriptures and practically apply them in ways that are understandable.

Anyway, here are the nuggets:

• Romance is not a cause, it's a result.
• Biblical View of Marriage: A flawed person and a flawed person in a fallen world but with a faithful God.
• Worship is first your identity before it's ever your activity.
• Your words and behavior are more formed by what is inside of you than outside. The heart is the causal core of your personhood. (Luke 6:43-45)
• The DNA of sin is selfishness. Sin will cause me to dehumanize the people in my life. True righteousness begins when you quit living for yourself.
• The person you are married to is a broken person and will not fulfill you, only God can do that.
• There is no such things as love that doesn't require sacrifice. The call to love is to love even when the person hasn't deserved that love.
• True love is born out of gratitude, not duty.
• God is after something deeper than temporary personal happiness, He's after holiness.

There's really so much more that we learned this weekend. The conference was such a great reminder to what marriage is really all about and it also demonstrated how marriage is really a ministry. I loved it. Check out Paul Tripp's website and if you ever get the chance to attend this conference, please do!

Marriage Conference

Tonight and tomorrow morning Alex and I will be attending a marriage conference at our church, The Summit.

I'm really excited, especially because Paul Tripp will be the speaker. He is a pastor in Philadelphia and a talented author. I have read some of his books for my biblical counseling classes and have really enjoyed them. Also, he has a pretty impressive mustache.

Like I said, we're excited to attend this conference. We know that marriage can be difficult and we are constantly seeking to make sure our marriage is glorifying to God. We have a lot to learn! Check out this video to see what the conference is all about:

Miami Videos

Okay...I'm supposed to be working on three (yes, three!) papers that are due tomorrow (yes, tomorrow!)...but I just had to post the videos that Alex made of our trip to Miami this past week.

I honestly had an amazing time. I was reminded how blessed I am to have grown up in such a fun city with great friends and family. I enjoyed spending time with each and every one of you. We weren't able to capture all the memories via camera, but they remain in my heart forever (cheeeese). Seriously, I am so blessed. I miss all of my Miami friends and family like crazy and think about you often.

Hope you enjoy these videos that Alex worked on. They're fun.

(I love being married to a creative man)

Trip to Miami: Part 1 from Alexander Acevedo on Vimeo.

Miami Trip: Part 2 from Alexander Acevedo on Vimeo.

Coming to Miami!

We're getting ready to head out to the airport! So excited to see family and friends. I hope Miami is sunny and warm because I need to get away from this cold weather for a bit.

If you're in Miami and want to hang out, give us a call.

To all my SEBTS friends, hope you have a good spring break!

Sirens and Sealions

I have some really talented friends. I'm always amazed by the creative things my friends come up with. I try to highlight projects that friends are working on in order to raise support for them. They deserve it.

Today I wanted to talk about Sirens and Sealions, a local band in Miami, FL. I know some of their members and have always been impressed with their musical talent as well as other artistic endeavors.

Sirens and Sealions recently released one of their songs on iTunes (just search Sirens and Sealions), I bought it and haven't stopped listening to it! If I had any kind of musical/vocal/instrumental talent I would want to be in a band that sounds just like this. Johanna and Chanti have amazing voices and I am so proud of the guitar player and all-around awesome musician that Nick has become. And, um, Gerry has a cool haircut...I guess. ;-) This is really a great sounding band...so I am strongly encouraging you to buy this song! You will love it, I promise.

And if you want to keep up with Sirens and Sealions here are the links to their:

myspace

facebook

blog

Here's a video of them performing live:

Okay, now seriously, go buy their single and enjoy. :-)

Photo by: NBPhotographix (more talented friends...and they just had their first baby a couple days ago, congrats!)

Valentine Weekend

Alex and I celebrated Valentine's Day all weekend. It was fantastic. It all started with a delicious dinner at 42nd Street Oyster Bar.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was really SO good. My husband definitely knows what I like.

We also made cute little presents for each other.

(I made him a little notebook filled with ten reasons why I love him...I also got him a book all about logo design)

(he photoshopped these pictures of us with lyrics from love songs and hid them around the apartment for me to find)

(he also got me this cute owl necklace...and a reusable grocery bag with an owl on it that says 'owl love you forever,' he really really knows what I like)

While we were at the restaurant it started snowing! It was pretty. By the time we got home it was really coming down.

On Saturday we woke up to a winter wonderland. We went out to Falls Lake to enjoy the beauty of the snow. We saw some crazy people kayaking in the frigid weather! We took a walk and got lost...but thankfully we found our way.

(isn't he handsome?!)

Sunday we got up bright and early to attend church at the Summit's West Club campus. Their regular band was out on a retreat, so the Summit en Español band was asked to fill in. Alex played guitar for them. I loved it. They obviously had a very Latin sound and they got the congregation movin'.

They treated us to Cheesecake Factory afterwards. I love that place! I hadn't eaten there since we moved to Raleigh.

That night we had a Denver2011 dinner at Drew & Andy's place. They cooked up some mouth-watering venison. We ate, conversed, laughed, and heard from Bryan about the vision for our church plant. We had plenty of guests with us, checking out what we're all about and praying for us. It was fun getting to know new people.

Well, that's it in a nut shell. I hope everyone had a love-filled weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day

I know there is so much hate on this holiday...but just embrace it and love each other.

Take this day as an excuse to eat an entire box of chocolates, guilt-free!

And remember God's love for you surpasses anything you could imagine.

(Romans 5:8)

More Snow!

Here's a shot out of our window that I took with my iPhone this morning:

Crazy! More snow! Alex and I can't stay indoors, so we're off to explore.

Hope everyone is having a love-filled Valentine weekend.

Aiden

I don't know why I haven't blogged about this yet...but if you follow me on Twitter you already know that my sister, Reima, had a baby at the beginning of February. So that means, I am a TIA!

:-)

I've only seen him in pictures, but he is adorable as can be. I can't wait to meet him.

Congratulations to Reima and Alfie for this addition to their family.

Baby Aiden

Dreaming of Spring [Dresses]

The weather has been pretty nasty lately... Gray clouds, sleet, freezing rain... It's gross.

I'm kinda ready to say, "so long," to this winter season, but it seems I'll have to wait another month or two.

In the mean time I've been hanging out on the Antropologie web site and dreaming of owning one of their gorgeous dresses. If they weren't so expensive I would own all of them, I'm pretty sure.

Here are a few of my favorites for Spring/Summer:

How's the weather where you are? Ready for a change?

Denver Vision Trip Video.

Check out this video that Alex made of our Denver trip. I'm so thankful for my talented husband. Also, check out our Denver2011 site for the latest update on what's happening with our church planting team. Thanks for all your prayers!

Hello February!

We're already in month #2 in 2010! Time is just flying by.

Today is a snow day, no school or work, hoorah! Alex did have to go to work though. (boo...)

Anywhooo...if you're enjoying a snow day as I am (or even if you're not), check out the Ruche 'Be Our Valetine' Sweepstakes. I love this shop. So soft/feminine/vintage. Check out their website and enter their contest. Good luck!

Snow Day

I was beginning to doubt that we would see any snow this winter...but sure enough, we got our first snowfall this weekend. Alex and I had a great [lazy] day. We ventured out a couple times...we made snow angels, played in the playground, ate snow (well, Alex did). The rest of the day we watched movies, made brownie-cookies, and turned our living room into our own campsite with lots of blankets and pillows. I guess it's more like the inside of a genie bottle than a campsite.

Here are a few pictures of our snow day. Hope everyone else in Raleigh had a lovely day.

Last First Day

Spring semester started today. I had a looong day. 9am-6:20pm. And I'm with the same professor, in the same building all day long. Good thing, I like this professor!

I'm excited for my final semester at seminary. I'm taking six classes. (I know, crazy!)

• Old Testament II
• Counseling Individuals with Addictions
• Intro to the Great Commission
• Intro to the Cooperative Program
• Counseling Practicum II
• Case Conference

It sounds like a lot of work, but I'm really not too worried about it. I know that God will sustain me and I will be able to get all the work done. In just four months I'll be walking across the stage in Binkley Chapel wearing a funny hat and robe.

So just pray that I remain diligent with my school work, please! No procrastinating! Or at least not much of it. ;-)

Hope everyone else at SEBTS had a great start to the semester.

P.S. Actually I will have to take one more class over the summer to be officially done with my degree, but the point is I'm walking in May and one little 2-week course over the summer will be a cinch. ;-)

THIRTY YEARS!

My mom and dad have been married for THIRTY YEARS!

Nowadays that's a big deal. I am so proud of my parents. They have been through so many trials and have managed to remain married despite all the ups and downs. They have sacrificed so much for us. Coming to a new country, learning a new language, working hard to provide their daughters with a good future. I am forever thankful for all their love, sacrifice, advice...

I have been blessed with amazing parents, and even though we don't live in the same state I know they are only a phone call away and I can always count on them.

I love you, mami y papi! Happy anniversary!

P.S. Don't they look really adorable on their wedding day?! Gotta love 1980 fashion.

I Made You a Beard

I love this.

Looove it.

Beards are great...one of the main things that attracted me to my husband when we met was his facial hair. Call me crazy but I just love beards.

So if anyone wants to gift me my very own beard (!!!) I wouldn't be against it. ;-)

Check out the site and shop.

Denver

We had a whirlwind trip in Denver this past weekend. I am just amazed with this city. We all really enjoyed our time there and learned a lot. We've had a few discussions about what we learned while we were there but I'm sure we still have much more to unpack.

We're so thankful for Brad and Haley Hovis who took the time to show us around the city and let us stay in their home. Also, Joe Beckler gave us a tour and really took the time to minister to us. What a blessing!

Denver is such a unique city. It's really a place where the urban life meets the outdoors life. The weather was gorgeous. By the time the afternoon rolled around we were peeling off our coats and enjoying the warm sun.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. It truly was an amazing trip and I can hardly believe that we will be moving to this wonderful city in one year, Lord willing.

Continue to check out denver2011.org for all the updates. Also, sign up for the newsletter if you get the chance.

I have posted pictures on facebook and my mobile.me gallery. Check it out. :-)

Vision Trip 2010

Today is the day!

If all goes according to plan I'll be resting my head in Denver tonight. I'm finally going to see the city that we've been talking about for so long. I'm excited and nervous, but mostly excited.

Thank you to everyone participating in Project100. We appreciate your prayers so much. We'll be taking lots of pictures and video to share with everyone when we return to the RDU. Until then, keep praying!

Also, check out this post on our Denver2011 website.

Alphonse Mucha

I have always seen these paintings around different places and admired them, but never knew who the artist was. I've never taken any kind of art history class and didn't know who to ask about these magnificent paintings.

Well, thank God for the internet! I was going down the list of new blog posts in my Google Reader and someone had posted about this artist!

His name is Alphonse Mucha. Apparently his style was called Art Nouveau. I can't say I am very educated in the art world or art history, but I just love these paintings. They really catch my attention and I would looove to have one of these beautiful pieces hanging on my wall some day.

If any of you know more about this artist please feel free to educate me. :-)