selah.

'my sin weighted on me heavy but i am no longer bound. as sure as Christ wears the crown i know that grace will abound. and even when i feel lost i know in You i am found.'

vulnerable and free. ↘

this is written by one of the most beautiful people that i’ve ever met. if you’ve seen her, you might think i’m referring to the way she looks. if you know her, you know that that isn’t remotely to what i’m referring. this blog post brought me to tears and to the much needed reminder that to live life to the full, to live in this broken, messy, sometimes not so clear, what-should-i-even-do-next life, is to live life with your whole heart.

you are the most joyful person i know, jamie hooper fernandez. 

‘It is true that relationships are a whole lot messier than rules, but rules will never give you answers to the deep questions of the heart and they will never love you.’
some days i’d just rather have a rulebook. but everyday i’m thankful to have Love.


People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

mother teresa. i think she might rival solomon as the wisest person who ever lived. i want to grow up to be like her.


to try to put into words my joy and love for this couple would make me sound like a fool. if shakespeare grappled to capture the grandeur of love into words, who am i to try? it’s just not possible. and i think that’s how the best things in life were meant to be: indescribable. and that’s how i feel about this girl marrying this boy. she’s so lovely. and he only makes her loveliness more lovely. i love her with all my heart. and now i love him, too. and i love them. their story is filled with God’s intimacy and grace. from the moment they met to the moment brent proposed to the moment rachael will become his wife to the infinite moments that will make up their forever, God has written such an incredible story for these two. all because He loves them. what a beautiful story of Love. ______________________________ i see your smile and it’s sweeter, after all that i’ve been through. and when we laugh, i get a glimpse of forever and i praise God that i found you. and anytime someone asks me how it all unfolded,  i’ll tell them such incredible chances make for a marvelous love. just like the sun lights up the moon, this love is a reflection of more than just me and you. our lives were less than ordinary. and while i couldn’t see past tomorrow, God was making history. oh my, what a beautiful story of love. unexpected mercy is the greatest thing to find when you’ve been broken many times. my soul found joy and for the first time in a while i felt like singing. oh my, what a beautiful story of Love. -mandi mapes, story of love ______________________________ congrats, my sister. i am so honored to know you, and to be loved by you. you are beautiful beyond words. and loved fiercely with a never-stopping, never-ending, always and forever Love. always and forever.

to try to put into words my joy and love for this couple would make me sound like a fool.

if shakespeare grappled to capture the grandeur of love into words, who am i to try?

it’s just not possible.

and i think that’s how the best things in life were meant to be: indescribable.

and that’s how i feel about this girl marrying this boy.

she’s so lovely.

and he only makes her loveliness more lovely.

i love her with all my heart. and now i love him, too. and i love them.

their story is filled with God’s intimacy and grace.

from the moment they met to the moment brent proposed to the moment rachael will become his wife to the infinite moments that will make up their forever, God has written such an incredible story for these two.

all because He loves them.

what a beautiful story of Love.

______________________________

i see your smile and it’s sweeter, after all that i’ve been through.

and when we laugh, i get a glimpse of forever and i praise God that i found you.

and anytime someone asks me how it all unfolded, 

i’ll tell them such incredible chances make for a marvelous love.

just like the sun lights up the moon, this love is a reflection of more than just me and you.

our lives were less than ordinary.

and while i couldn’t see past tomorrow, God was making history.

oh my, what a beautiful story of love.

unexpected mercy is the greatest thing to find when you’ve been broken many times.

my soul found joy and for the first time in a while i felt like singing.

oh my, what a beautiful story of Love.

-mandi mapes, story of love

______________________________

congrats, my sister.

i am so honored to know you, and to be loved by you.

you are beautiful beyond words.

and loved fiercely with a never-stopping, never-ending, always and forever Love.

always and forever.

thumbs up for wearing matching shirts (i haven’t seen mine for a few weeks and i.am.panicking), thumbs up for taking engagement pictures this weekend, and thumbs up for mk + mark getting married on may 13! woo hoo love!

thumbs up for wearing matching shirts (i haven’t seen mine for a few weeks and i.am.panicking), thumbs up for taking engagement pictures this weekend, and thumbs up for mk + mark getting married on may 13!

woo hoo love!

i absolutely love this. i hope i love a boy like this one day. amelodyofhope: - the giving tree by shel silverstein.

i absolutely love this. i hope i love a boy like this one day.

amelodyofhope:

- the giving tree by shel silverstein.

(Source: leilockheart)

mission|athens: the felt love of Jesus. ↘

i love this so much. my roomie is beautiful. and more so is her God.

missionathens:

In a sermon from Luke 7:36-50 by Matt Adair a few weeks ago, he made this statement:

‘The greatest power to set you free from the addictions, afflictions and assorted troubles of this world is the felt love of Jesus.”

I think we can all say we know the difference between believing we are…

and in other couple related news… i once upon a time had a best friend named mary griffith. and now i have a best friend named mary davis. and in t-minus 16 days i will get to go visit her and her wonderful husband in their new home in virginia! oh. my. gosh. if i could put down in words how excited i am, you’d be reading this blog post for days and you’d still have no idea. this might be the most glorious reunion of my life. mary and jonathan got married a little over 2 months ago (and in case you’re wondering, are already pros at the whole marriage thing btdubs) and are literally the most joyful bundle of human being i’ve ever been around. mary was my roommate for 2 (or 3? really only 2?) years of college and her friendship is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. i miss mary more than i like to think about. i may or may not (answer: absolutely most definitely) have cried getting off the phone with her just now because it is just so good to hear her voice. everyone should have a mary in their lives. and if you’re not blessed enough to know the one and only mary (griffith) davis, well gosh, i’m not sure. i hope you’ll get to meet and know her one day. she is the definition of wonderful. 

and in other couple related news…

i once upon a time had a best friend named mary griffith. and now i have a best friend named mary davis. and in t-minus 16 days i will get to go visit her and her wonderful husband in their new home in virginia! oh. my. gosh. if i could put down in words how excited i am, you’d be reading this blog post for days and you’d still have no idea. this might be the most glorious reunion of my life. mary and jonathan got married a little over 2 months ago (and in case you’re wondering, are already pros at the whole marriage thing btdubs) and are literally the most joyful bundle of human being i’ve ever been around. mary was my roommate for 2 (or 3? really only 2?) years of college and her friendship is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. i miss mary more than i like to think about. i may or may not (answer: absolutely most definitely) have cried getting off the phone with her just now because it is just so good to hear her voice. everyone should have a mary in their lives. and if you’re not blessed enough to know the one and only mary (griffith) davis, well gosh, i’m not sure. i hope you’ll get to meet and know her one day. she is the definition of wonderful. 

some of my bestest and most dearest friends in the entire world love each other! and plan on doing so for forever:) this past sunday, mark proposed to mk and asked her to be his wife and live life with him all the days of their lives. and i could not be more excited. i’ve love, love, loved being a part of their relationship and getting to watch them fight to love each other the past year and a half. and i know you’re supposed to say this about all christian couples so it almost gets trite but i mean this with all my heart: these two love Jesus more than they love each other and anything else; and making much of Him is the chief end of both of their lives. i love them both so very much and am so excited for the day they become husband and wife. 

some of my bestest and most dearest friends in the entire world love each other! and plan on doing so for forever:) this past sunday, mark proposed to mk and asked her to be his wife and live life with him all the days of their lives. and i could not be more excited. i’ve love, love, loved being a part of their relationship and getting to watch them fight to love each other the past year and a half. and i know you’re supposed to say this about all christian couples so it almost gets trite but i mean this with all my heart: these two love Jesus more than they love each other and anything else; and making much of Him is the chief end of both of their lives. i love them both so very much and am so excited for the day they become husband and wife.