Things I Wish Someone, ANYONE, Had Told Me

This past weekend I had the opportunity to re-connect with a group of friends from home. Some I had kept in contact with, others I hadn’t laid eyes on in almost 10 years. Moments like those are rare. I’m so glad we took the time to hangout and catch up. Life is dramatically different now for all of us. Most of us are married or in serious relationships now. Several of us even have children on the way. The entire evening was great! During the night, we took out a box of old photos and passed them around. It was fun to relive fun moments and to make fun of ourselves as the years progressed picture by picture. As I looked through the box full of memories that traced back as far as middle school, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why did NOBODY tell me!?” The hair, the clothing, everything… WHY? So today I’d like to issue an apology to the Amanda that existed from 1997-2002, and tell her what someone…ANYONE… should have said no matter how bad it may have hurt.

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O Come Let Us Adore Him

I know what you are thinking...  Christmas music already?!? I know.  But if you knew me, you would be cracking up because I CANNOT stand Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving.  Yeah, it just should not be.  However, I also know that these lyrics are really powerful if you are to stop and think about them.  

This week, I have been at a conference with fellow servants in the ministry, most of whom work with youth.  While at the conference, I heard some INCREDIBLE preaching and walked away with a ton of new knowledge and a renewed spirit. While the preaching was awesome, the best moment was during worship on the first night.  Matt Papa was leading worship, and he opened with a melody of random worship songs that just worked together.  What was the song in the middle?  "O Come All Ye Faithful."  Now it wasn’t the full song, it was just parts of it. 

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A Perfectionist's Prison (Part 4): Your Relationships

Welcome back to Perfectionists Anonymous! Now we all know that admitting you have a problem is the first step, so let's think about the next way that perfectionism can overrun your life: Relationships. [Catch up on  Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3] Perfectionism can play into ANY relationship, but I think we should focus on the high-stakes, romantic relationships. (Because let's face it... that's what all of you care the most about, right?)  So let's self-assess... Have you spent more than one night this week on your pinterest wedding board? Do you have a 3 page checklist for "My Future Husband"? Do any of those items include "must play guitar" or "must play a professional sport"? Ok, I saw a lot of guilty faces at "pinterest board" so I'll move on... 

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