To Girls Like Me

A year and a half ago, my lovely mentor Heather started a blog for girls called A Girl Like Me. From the start, her heart has been to let young women know that they are not alone in their daily struggles and the ups and downs that life brings, to see them come to know and embrace a truth about themselves and about their Savior that they may have never recognized before or have struggled to believe. The blog quickly grew so much that she invited another beautiful woman of God, Kelly, to become the second half of AGLM. I have gotten to watch their passion for girls evolve into a beautiful ministry that touches and speaks to the hearts of so many readers, including myself. The posts they write contain an honesty that is hard to come by in today's society, but one that is wrapped in love and drenched with grace.

If it isn't obvious enough yet, I absolutely love this blog, admire these women, and believe in the message of life that fills their posts. After the way God has used their words and the way they share their lives to impact my life, needless to say I was recently quite honored to be asked to write a post for them as a guest blogger. I had no idea what to write, but the Lord definitely had something in mind. So I wrote what was on my heart (the only "prompt" I was given), and ended up learning a very important lesson through my own post - I am nothing more than human. So I invite you into my recent journey, to explore what it means to be A Girl Like Me.

Read here, at agirlikeme.com!

Be Still and Love

Love languages. You’ve probably heard of them. According to a book that I have never read (let’s be honest, I googled this out of sheer curiosity), there are five. They are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Though our thoughts often immediately jump to these languages being applied in the context of romantic relationships, they are not limited to this category. We see these in the way our love is expressed in our relationships with parents, siblings, friends, etc.

After taking the online assessment, I discovered that my personal love language is quality time. This makes perfect sense to me as I am definitely aware that I thrive on spending time in deep conversation with, doing something meaningful with, or simply being in the company of those I love. Once I started touring with Silver Ring Thing, I took my love of quality time to the next level, trying to spend as much time as possible with my family and friends before I left in the beginning and when I had breaks from the road. Every time the opportunity arose, I packed my schedule as tightly as possible to make sure I spent time with everyone on the rare occasion that I was home.

That had all been wonderfully satisfying…until I eventually hit a wall of conviction. Isn’t it equally as important that I spend quality time with God as well? Ouch. How much had I really been doing that? I mean, I kept up with a daily devo, but reading a few verses a day is hardly quality time, especially compared to the attention I had been giving everyone else important to me.

After tour ended and I came back home for the summer, I found myself in a rut. I spent nearly every day in a quiet house, alone for most of the day, and never once used that time to pick up my Bible or take a few minutes to talk about life with the big man upstairs. Though my social life has taken a breather for the past few months, I have found plenty of ways to occupy myself while pretty much doing nothing. I have watched movies and way too much tv. I have read several books and visited the social media realm more times than I can count. I have attempted to busy myself with house-cleaning, laundry and dishes. And I have spent hours of my life engrossed in solitaire and Sudoku on my phone.

Though I have had plenty of time on my hands this summer, I have not use it wisely, which has left me with an uncomfortable distance between me and my Heavenly Father. Cue once more that painfully familiar conviction. Sure, I have stepped out of the chaos and kept my calendar pretty empty. I have created a lot more time and space for the most important relationship in my life. I have continued to follow along with each day of my Jesus Calling devotional. Then why have I felt strangely hollow? Where is that fulfillment I so desired back when this conviction hit the first time? It’s not here. Because when I thought I had removed myself from the noise of life, I had really only turned down the volume.

It is in times like these, when my spiritual light bulb starts to flicker, that God really breaks through, speaking to me in a love language not listed in a book. I am forever finding conviction, calling, encouragement, and comfort in music. So of course, as soon as I began to realize how keeping myself wrapped up in a busy social life was causing me to neglect the Lord, and how taking “me” time was distracting me from much needed “we” time, lyrics to a beautiful song reminded me what I need to do.


Young Oceans "I Will Be Still"

I will be still
I will be still
And know
And know
And know You

Though the earth give way
Though the mountains fall to the sea
Though its waters roar
I will cling to Thee

Though the nations rage
And creation yearns for the Lord
Though the earth may melt
I'm forever Yours

There is no fear
As I look upon You

I will be still
I will be still
And know
And know
And know You are God

Forever my Refuge
Forever my Strength
Forever my Helper
Forever my Friend

I will be still
I will be still
And know
And know
And know You are God


Being still is not something I am used to. It’s kind of out of my comfort zone, really. I’m most comfortable being constantly on the move, especially after living the majority of the past year of my life on the road. Even when I think I am taking a break from the continuous motion, my mind is always racing. But that doesn’t allow me to just stop. Listen. Clear my head. Seek the Lord. Watch Him move. Be reminded of His will. Dwell in His Word. How much of a difference can that make in my daily life if I just take 10…20…30 minutes a day and invite Him into the silence…and stillness? I don’t know, and that is why I have recently challenged myself to start being still with God every day. Whether that means reading my Bible, praying, journaling, worshipping, or just resting and listening, I am going to focus on a new love language – being still – and I invite you to join me. Give Him your undivided attention. You never know what God will use that quality time for.

Let's Be Honest...

So I'm lazy.

Let's just get that out of the way.

If there is one thing I've learned being engulfed in tour chaos, it's that when I have free time, the last thing I want to do is talk about how little time I have.

Don't get me wrong. I love what I do. I thrive on a fast-paced lifestyle. Racing from city to city, all over the country, night after night, and working hard all day to bring a crazy show to life for a bunch of teens is an experience I can only describe as exhilarating. But of course I'd be lying if I said I don't crash once the adrenaline stops (bet you can't guess who's passed out on the bus in the top right...).

I mean, let's be honest - I'm downright exhausted. Hence the lack of blog updates since January.

Yeah...about that...

So to bring you up to speed on my past 5 months, the Spring half of tour was way busier than I ever imagined. Despite warnings from the "been-there-done-that's" of the team, I was still shocked when we traveled from Florida to South Carolina to Georgia in a matter of three days...having a show each day and getting 3(ish) hours of sleep in between. And that was only one of several such circumstances. Our schedule was packed, to say the least. But looking back, I don't think I would have it any other way.

We ended the Rewind Tour season having done 80+ shows, 70+ of which I was blessed to have had the opportunity to speak at, and visiting somewhere around 40 states (I lost track after 36, so 40 is just a guess. Haha). We did the very first outdoor event (and learned the to-dos and not-to-dos for future reference). We even got to bring some Jesus to Sin City!

Our team got to see the this ministry reach the 100,000 mark for people who have committed their lives to Christ at an SRT show. We have witnessed both the Kingdom and the abstinence movement growing in such huge ways!

All of that being said, after all I have seen and taken part in, I can't see myself walking away from this just yet. In August I will be heading back to Pittsburgh to do it all over again for the One Night Stand tour!

I absolutely can't wait to learn more, grow more, laugh more, cry more, and do more for the Lord's glory with some of my greatest friends from this past year and a handful of new faces I'll grow to love and adore the same.

Oh - and I promise to try to blog more and share more of my crazy journey along the way ;)

WARNING: This Is Cliche. And I Don't Care.

I told myself that, when the time came, I would NOT blog, tweet or post a Facebook status involving the lyrics to the most over-quoted Willie Nelson song. (You know which one. Don't pretend you're not singing it in your head right now.) I refused to be "that person."

Well.
Here I am.
Preparing to end my month-and-a-half break at home.
Preparing to leave for Pittsburgh once again on Thursday.
Preparing to embark on the last five-month stretch of tour.
And the song that I've resisted is the only thing playing in my mind (edited slightly to accurately describe my life)...


On the road again -
Just can't wait to get on the road again.
The life I love is (spreading the love of Jesus and traveling the country) with my friends
And I can't wait to get on the road again.

On the road again
Goin' places that I've never been.
Seein' things that I may never see again
And I can't wait to get on the road again.

On the road again -
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends.
Insisting that the world keep turning our way
And our way
is on the road again.

Come on. Too perfect, right? I just couldn't ignore it. (What's funny is that my family has been calling me a gypsy since I started in August. How appropriate then that this song would refer to a band of gypsies!)

I've been home since Thanksgiving, and while I've absolutely loved every second I've gotten to spend with my family, I am ready to get back out on the road with my SRT family. This stir God's placed in my heart doesn't take a break for the holidays just because I do. I've had plenty of time to rest. Now I'm refreshed and excited to return to life on the road. It's time for more states, more cities, more shows, more laughs, more memories, and ultimately more opportunities to see God move as we joyfully work to further His Kingdom.

And so, at the risk of sounding incredibly cliche...
I just can't wait to get on the road again.