He will come to us like winter rains

Wishing for some snow this week! Praying that God will fill me and guide me each day. Really depending on Him to humble me and to show Himself in some situations in my life, asking Him to be near to me...
"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3

A New Book

I just ordered a new trilogy of books that I am very excited about... the series is called The Reluctant Prophet. It's about a woman who is nudged by God to go into the darkest parts of St. Augustine, FL and be Jesus to the prostitutes in that community. Like getting down and washing their feet type of service... The comments I have read about these books thus far seem to be fitting along with what I am wrestling with in my own life. One question asked in the book (when her definition of "Christian" is challenged) "Is it only those who have answered an altar call and prayed the Sinner’s Prayer and have agreed to follow the plan for salvation? Could people who unintentionally live as Jesus did, perhaps without being able to put it into words, be included under the category of “Christian?” Lately, I have found myself asking questions similar to this one, I am excited to start reading these books and following her journey.

I know I haven't written much on the blog about my clothing hiatus but I think it's been almost 4 months and God has been teaching me so much. I never thought that just giving up shopping would make me start to see Jesus in a whole new way, that it would re-define Christianity for me and draw me so much closer to my Savior. I am continuing to re-mix my wardrobe and think about the kind of style and clothes that I will buy once this is over BUT the challenge has really just put my emphasis on other things in life that are more important and I am super grateful for that!

Another thought from the book....

Pondering...

It's been a while since I have posted, I have been so busy and just not in the mood to write. We have been keeping busy with work and life...  I have been working on finding those still, small moments to spend in silence and reflection. I try to wake up a few minutes earlier or instead of watching TV; I read and meditate. I find that if I am able to have these moments in communion with Jesus then I stay much more focused on Him throughout the day...constantly longing for His presence. This urge to be more like Jesus is the strongest that it has ever been for me. It's like all the sudden I am able to see the kind of person that Jesus was and the amazing God that He is...His compassion, understanding, selflessness, empathy, love, forgiveness...He leaves me in awe. My purpose here on this earth is to glorify God and to be Jesus to those around me; giving up my selfish desires everyday. I certainly DON'T do this all the time and it's a constant battle but lately I feel like my turn-around time is getting shorter; I am feeling convicted almost immediately and am able to direct my eyes back to Him. I have SO far to go but these are just some random thoughts that I have been having lately. Praying for all the change that still needs to be done in my heart but thanking Him for what He has done for me (and will do) ...to God be the glory, great things He has done!


Smith Mountain Lake (where I have spent countless still, small moments)

One of my post's disappeared?

A few days ago I posted another blog that I have been following... I don't know what happened to that post? So I will just re-type it! I have been wanting to read this book called Kisses From Katie and while searching for it online I found that the author of the book has a personal blog, http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. This blog is amazing. Katie is such an inspiration and is living her life full out for Jesus. You should check it out! I was reading Matthew this morning and came across these 2 verses, "Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matt. 10:39. These verses are very convicting for me... life isn't about things that I want, pursuing the things that I want will leave me with nothing; it's about surrenduring my life to Jesus and living full out for Him. It's about being His hands and feet and loving others the way Jesus loves me. I am learning so much right now...Jesus is teaching me a lot. I am thinking and contemplating big things...I don't want to waste time living for myself, I want to live for Jesus and lose my life for His sake. There is so much that I want to say but I am not sure how to put it into words yet...It's like I am all the sudden realizing what Christianity is all about and God and His plan for me is much bigger than I ever thought.

Love This Blog!

Found an AWESOME blog today, Hayley writes "31 days to a no brainer wardrobe" on her blog thetinytwig.com! She also has an ebook called The No Brainer Wardrobe (I will be purchasing this soon). She has so many tips on minimizing your wardrobe and just sticking to the essentials! I thought this was great and will be so helpful in identifying essential pieces once I get back into the shopping world (yes, I know I still have 11 more months!) I think I will definitely buy clothes differently once this is all over....

Loved this quote from her blog!

“If she can’t afford it, she won’t buy it. If it doesn’t fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she’s got), she won’t wear it. If she can’t find it, she won’t compromise. If she loves it, she won’t toss it. She reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age."

Exactly ONE month...

I've made it one month without buying clothes! 11 more to go! Today was actually the first day that I really had the desire to buy something, I have an event tomorrow night that I need to dress up for and I just don't feel like wearing any of the dresses that I have. I just keep thinking how much easier it would be to buy one...BUT I will not give in to it :) I have borrowed some shoes from a friend and plan on wearing a dress that I have already worn! I quickly squelched my thoughts and realized that I am more than the clothes that I wear and I will enjoy time with people I love no matter what I have on. Excited for the next 11 months and to see how God is going to continue to change and mold me!

Remembering this...

Fall :)

Things in the no new clothing world have been going very well! I even went into Target this week and made it past the clothes and accessories without stopping, I knew if I stopped it would be a lot worse. It has all really helped me focus on more important things and it's just one less distraction, so far I am honestly enjoying it! I am so ready for Fall and I can already start to feel it in the air :) I can't wait to start wearing Fall clothes and move past the summer wardrobe!
I have been reading the book "Radical, Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream" by David Platt, it is an awesome book that has really helped me to see the gospel in a whole new light. One point I really liked in the book was that God doesn't bless us just because he loves us, He does it to show His glory so that when other's see His blessings in our lives they glorify Him. It doesn't stop with us, He's using us to show His work and to bring the focus back to Himself.

I found this picture on Pinterest and loved it! Can't wait for Fall and bonfires! :)

random thoughts

I saw this on Pinterest and absolutely loved it! Reminding myself today to be truly thankful for what I have and realizing that it's not about WHAT I have but WHO I have... and He is enough for me.

Feeling a little out of it today after being away over the weekend. I feel like my attention was shifting in so many directions ( I am so glad that I don't live in a big city, it's hard to focus and hear yourself think!) Grateful to have spent some wonderful time with a friend :) Getting back into the swing of things this week...happy to report that I went to NYC and did not shop! And trust me...we didn't run out of things to do!

A New Day

It’s funny how you start to view your closet differently once you know you won’t be adding anything to it! I feel like I have become so creative and have found so many different ways to wear things! It’s amazing that one decision can make things look so different…I even ironed this week! Haha I have NEVER ironed before! Now I feel the need to make my things look nice and to make sure that I am taking the best care of them so that I don’t ruin them or shrink them! It’s already such a freeing project! I know that it won’t be easy for me but that’s okay, those moments are when growth takes place and I’m good with that. We are so blessed aren’t we? The fact that I have hundreds of outfit options is just crazy! Some people literally have the clothes on their back and that’s it. For me, I’ve gotten to the point where I just don’t want to add excess to the already excessive. I want to stop, look and be entirely grateful for what I have been given-not taking any of it for granted. Ultimately none of it belongs to me; if I were asked to give it all up; I only hope that my answer would be “Yes” with a humble heart. It’s an everyday battle to put my selfishness behind me and I can’t do it without God’s grace and understanding.

Fun picture for the day! I am heading to NYC this weekend to visit a great friend and thought this was a really neat packing guide! J

End of Week One!

 

It’s been one week! It has been a great week, I have so much motivation to go through my closet and make everything look spick and span (?)! I went through all my drawers and then made it to my shoes (which were previously lying all over my closet floor) I started brainstorming about a better place to store them. I looked on pinterest and googled some options! I finally saw this old piece of furniture on google which happened to look exactly like one we found in our basement when we moved! It was tons of separate cubby holes-perfect for storing shoes. We have it in our office room but this sparked an idea! I could make part of the office kind of like a dressing room! I put all my shoes in the cubbies and moved my full length mirror in there, moved all my jewelry and found a lamp in my parents garage! I used a huge wire bird cage to store all my scarves and used some baskets to hold belts! It’s perfect! I get dressed in my room and then go in there and have all my accessories in one place! I am also thinking about having a peg to hang one outfit at a time in there… So far there is only excitement for this journey! Some things below I found on a blog and really wanted to remember them throughout this year. I plan to write or print them out and hang them in my new “dressing room” as a reminder of the purpose of this journey! Here’s to another great week! I have been documenting a few outfits but the pictures are not good quality because I have been using my iphone!

 Oh, God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a warm home,
help me to remember the homeless;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer;
And, remembering, help me
to destroy my complacency
and bestir my compassion.
Make me concerned enough
to help, by word and deed,
those who cry out.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

“Use the project as a way to grow and understand that the hard parts are the ones that are doing the best work in your soul…”

“This project isn’t just about clothes, it’s about engendering thoughtful dialogue, introspection, a better way of life, and, hopefully, a growing community of people who are interested in what it might look like to move a little away from our consumeristic mindset towards the way we dress, and in a larger sense, the way we live.” -The Twenty Pieces Project

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

IDEA OF THE WEEK: DYE MY TOMS!

This picture was inspiration for my outfit today! I wore a floral top with a striped cardigan and belt. Patterns can be worn together!

One Year Adventure! Starts...NOW!

August 20, 2012

And so it begins…

I have officially started my ONE YEAR of NO shopping!! No new clothes, no accessories, no shoes for an entire year! The start date is 8-20-2012 so obviously the end date is 8-20-2013. I am very excited about this journey J There are quite a few reasons for embarking on this endeavor: I want to free myself from what the media and society tells us we need to look like or the way that we need to dress, I want to prove to that we don’t NEED to shop or fit in with all the trends, I want to utilize the clothing that I already have and be creative with them. Basically, I am trying to rid my life of distractions and things that get in the way of what really matters to me.  I started thinking about all the times in my life when I was the happiest, the most fulfilling moments, none of those times ever involved clothes or things and typically it was when I was lacking both and was pushed out of my comfort zone. I am not sure yet what I will do with the money that I would have used for shopping, I want to increase my savings but also want to be able to donate more, tithe, give money to other organizations or those in need. I plan to document my journey through blogging or journaling. There are only a few exceptions to the rules: If I ruin something, like get a huge hole in my camisole or the sole of my shoe wears off then I will replace those items, and I will be allowed to accept gifts of clothing but will not ask for any gift cards. One of the things that inspired me was a girl’s blog that is called “Greater Than Rubies”. She has given up clothes for a year and is on her 8^th month, she is such an inspiration! She makes the challenge seem possible! So, I plan to update my blog with my progress, things I am learning and maybe a picture or two of my creative outfit ideas J