Grace Unmeasured

Almost there...

2008-08-28T02:34:53Z

Well, it's painfully obvious, but there is SO much we have to catch up on here! :-) This time, and I really do mean this time, I WILL get this place going again! Be patient, and I'll try to get my review of Alex and Brett Harris's Rebelution conference up...be back VERY soon!! :-)

1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

I'm still alive

2008-06-02T00:50:07Z

How many of my entries have that title? Well, I'm not gonna pretend like I didn't abandon this place for the last few months, so I will say that I'm VERY sorry about that! I've figured out how to "recover" my site, and I've still got a few things to get fixed, but other than that, I'm getting things back on their feet. Oh, and I hope you like the new layout! Yes, I do realize that it is incredibly random compared to my normal layouts...but I hope you like it :-) I promise I really will be back soon and get everything fixed/finished! Until then...

Things will be back to normal soon...

2008-02-18T13:20:00Z

Okay, obviously things have changed, but don't worry, it's only temporary (there was a big update thing and it changed the layout automatically, but everything's backed up). See you soon! :-)

First post of the new year

2008-01-17T02:06:30Z

Okay, so the new year isn't really that new anymore, but here I am now, with my first post and first new layout of 2008 :-) Yes, as you can see, the layout is very, very different from what I normally do. But I recently found an old coke machine and just had to take a picture of it ;-) Oh, that reminds me! I got a nice camera in December, for which I am EXTREMELY grateful. It take pretty good photos and I'm having loads of fun with it! Oh, and of course, you can see all of the photos I've taken with it on Flickr ;-)

Oh, and speaking of Flickr, it seems that my picture of a half-eaten oreo has gotten unexpectedly popular since I posted it on Sunday night. It's already gotten a little over 100 views just in a few days, and normally, it takes months for one of my photos to even get near that. What can I say, I'm flattered to have my first "claim to fame" on Flickr ;-D

Of course, I couldn't forget to mention that the new Stellar Kart album, Expect The Impossible, is less than two months away! It officially releases on February 26th, and it's already available for pre-order (I already took care of that for myself, of course ;-). On top of that, you'll get to hear a new song from the album every Tuesday (starting at 10:00 AM EST, 9:00 AM WST). As for my thoughts on the new album...well, the JFH has song clips available in their Album PReview section, and judging by what I've heard, I think the previous work of Stellar Kart is far better (especially the amazing "pink and black album," We Can't Stand Sitting Down). The only complaint I have about E.T.I. is that it tends to be a little over-produced at times (in other words, it sounds a little more run of the mill and "not Stellar Kart," if you know what I mean), but aside from that, I definitely do like it and plan to enjoy it! So far, my favorite songs are "Innocent," "Shine Like The Stars," and "Letters." Ah, and here's a link to the graphic I made in honor of the up-coming album...

As my mind is a bit empty/drained right now, I plan to be back soon with more important things to talk about :-) TTYL!

Funny: It seems that my niece, Emma got a little confused about how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors. She said, "Let's play Rock, Paper, Scissors. Okay, I'll be the rock, you (Juliet) be the scissors, and you (Jordan) be the paper."

Verse: "...walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16 (ESV)

Happy new year!

2008-01-01T04:59:01Z

It's only one minute 'till the year 2007 is over and we say hello to 2008. What an amazing year, full of ups and downs, trials and mountain-tops, but ultimately, God's grace and faithfulness has been undeniably evident. Before the ball drops, let me share this verse with you...

"Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

Let's trust in the Lord with all our hearts and look forward to his best for us this year!

A Christ-centered Christmas

2007-12-25T16:44:01Z

First of all, merry Christmas to all of you! I hope you all have had a wonderful season and a great day! In the midst of all the presents, Christmas dinners and family visits, I'd like to cut in and share with you guys the climax of Christmas, the real reason I'm making this post in the first place. While I don't have any special words of my own, God's word does have a lot to say...

...Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool...

...The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined...

...For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace...

...an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord"...

...he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed...

...For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die - but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation...

...and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised...

...Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Now, I'd like to close with a lyric from the song "Audience Of One" (by Sovereign Grace Music)...

"With all my heart and soul and strength
In every word and thought and deed
I’ll live for Him who died for me
To please the Audience of One
How can I not pledge all my love
In light of all that He has done?
There is one glory that I seek
To please the Audience of One"

Merry Christmas!

(PS: Updated the random song page.)

(scripture quotations from Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 9:6, Luke 2:9-11, Isaiah 53:2-5, Romans 5:6-11, 2 Corinthians 5:15, and 2 Corinthians 5:17)

They are so NOT your average girls!

2007-12-19T03:03:12Z

Here's an awesome video of the ever-wonderful sisters in BarlowGirl performing their song "Average Girl" that I just had to show you guys!...

To see what else I have to say, click "Continue reading"...

]]> Well, I finally found a nice place to (at least temporarily) store the avatars that I love to make for you guys. Putting them in my gallery wasn't very convenient, so I got a LiveJournal page for them, which you can view HERE. I don't have everything on there yet, but I'll be updating it periodically with avatars of TV shows, movies, and Christian artists that I enjoy...and of course, they're meant for your usage on whatever message board / forum you're apart of, so feel free to take what you need! :-)

I also updated the "Internet" page here, which, of course, is actually just a links page. It pretty much looked the same since 2005, so I decided I'd clean it up a bit and re-organize. I hope you enjoy that as well!

Well, I need to get off of my computer to watch White Christmas with my mom...so merry Christmas you all, and have a wonderful week!

No, I haven't forgotten what time of year it is ;-)

2007-12-15T04:52:17Z

Five things...

1: I'm back!
2: I put up my first ever Christmas layout! Hope you all like it!
3: I'll post a real entry very soon!
4: I can't believe it's 11 days 'til Christmas!...which means I'm sorely late for updating.
5: Isaiah 53:3-5 :-)

12 things I'm thankful for

2007-11-23T00:40:37Z

A lot of people like to say what they're thankful for every Thanksgiving. I, unfortunately, have never bothered to follow that tradition, but this year, a lot of things have changed in my heart and life, and I have a lot to be thankful for...

• A nice parade to watch.
• A delicious meal to enjoy with my family.
• Flickr ;-)
• The fact that God gave me a passion for music / songwriting.
• Christian artists who have been serious about living what they believe and striving to pass that desire on to others (the Newsboys, Rebecca St. James, BarlowGirl, etc.)
• A wonderful, amazing church with wonderful, amazing people.
• The strong friendships God has blessed me with in (and outside of) my church.
• The husband God has blessed my sister with this month and the life they have together!
• My sweet, hilarious nieces!
• My amazing parents and the relationships I have with them.
• The Bible...God's instruction book for our lives, without which I would be lost.
• My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who died for me and set me free. Lord, I strive every day to live my life for you and to be more like you. Thank you for saving me.

PS: Click HERE to see my Thanksgiving picture ;-)

Just felt like posting...

2007-11-16T01:06:19Z

How are you all doing? It's been about two weeks since my last post, and I felt the need to come back. Let's see...where do I start?

Well, I've updated my Flickr a good bit. I also added a sample of my yet-to-be-completed remix of "The Mission" by the Newsboys to the mixes section here. What else has happened?

Well, as expected, I miss Spencer very much. I have to say, now that I'm the only child left in the house, it's actually been very quiet since she got married. Well, it's not just because I'm the only child in the house but more because Spence was always the one with the outgoing, fun personality. I've always been a lot more quiet and a bit shy, so I always look forward to seeing her so my fun side can "wake up" a bit ;-) Of course, whenever she's not available, I can go visit or call my nieces, in which case I'm bound to get at least one good laugh ;-) Anyway, Spencer is enjoying her married life immensely, for which I'm extremely grateful! To borrow something my dad said, I'm more happy for her than I ever was sad for myself.

I also got to see the musical Annie on stage! That was an extremely enjoyable experience. I've grown up loving the movie (the 80's version), so I was very excited to see the stage version! In my opinion, the most exciting performances were of the songs "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "Easy Street" and "I Don't Need Anything But You." Also, a friend of our's was playing Daddy Warbucks, which added to the excitement! He did an amazing job, too! Anyway, I'm very glad I got to see the play! It reminded me how much I've always loved that musical.

So, I admit I don't have much else to say. But, one thing. I'm thinking of signing off all my future blog entries with one funny thing (picture, quote, etc.), and one verse from the Bible. Does that sound like a good idea to you? I guess I'll start here...

Funny: Here's something Juliet (my niece) said when she was praying recently: "Lord Jesus, please help God to give me good sleep."

Verse: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." - Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

Flickr update

2007-11-07T20:19:33Z

HERE :-)

The wedding

2007-11-03T22:56:55Z

Spencer's wedding was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I'm so glad I got to be apart of it! As expected, I cried a couple times throughout the ceremony, but when it really hit me was when Spencer and John kissed...of course I was happy, but it was just another one of those "It's really happening here and now!" moments. I have to say, Spencer looked absolutely GORGEOUS. I can't believe I got to see my sister in her wedding dress. All my life, I always knew that she looked forward to her wedding, and I often had the pleasure of listening to her plan it, even long before there was a man in her life ;-) And now, I finally got to see her living the happiest day of her life. She looked so happy when she was walking down the isle, and her eyes immediately went to John, of course ;-)

So many wonderful things happened today, I couldn't begin to list them all. I loved getting to see / talk to so many wonderful people during the reception. I loved hanging out with my sisters, mom and the women helping the wedding while getting ready. More than anything, I loved seeing my sister so happy. Thank you, God, for blessing my sister with such a lovely wedding and such a godly man!

Spencer and John, congratulations!!! I'm SO excited that you guys are walking through the rest of your lives together! I love you guys so much, and may God bless you in your marriage!!

Mark 10:8-9: "...they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

(I must give thanks to the many girls who were so sweet and caring to me, including my good friend Abbie, who has been ready and willing to give me comfort and a shoulder to cry on :-) Thank you, God, for blessing me with such wonderful friends!)

I miss my sister already...

2007-11-02T01:50:08Z

My sister, Spencer, is going to be married very soon. I just got back from the rehearsal, which started to bring a bit of emotion to me (though I know all the emotion is really going to come on the actual wedding day). I just can't believe it's really happening already. Last year, it didn't even come to my mind that Spence would be getting married anytime soon (simply because she's my sister, and it's often hard to picture your siblings in those situations). Yet here she is already. I'm expecting that things are probably going to feel a bit lonely and empty for me once the wedding's past, but I hope to make it a chance to start something new. What exactly that "something" will be, I don't know, but I'm excited to see what God will do in my life. And of course, I can't forget...Spencer, I especially can't wait to see what God will do in your life. I can't wait to see things unfold as you and John spend the rest of your lives together. I wish you the best for every minute of it. Your friendship (or sistership? ;-) has meant so much to me as time has gone on. I hope our friendship will continue to strengthen and grow as we both enter these new parts of our lives. I love you so much!

Deuteronomy 31:8: "It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you..."

I'm still alive...

2007-10-18T03:01:44Z

Here's a funny conversation about my sister's soon-to-come wedding that took place last night between me and my young niece, Emma...

Me: Emma, you're going to be a good flower girl!
Emma: Thanks...you're going to be a good groom. I mean, uh...
Me: ...I'm not going to be the groom, I'm going to be the maid of honor...
Emma: Oh, okay...well, I hope you'll be the great, cool graid of honor.

I can understand how the all those titles can get confusing when you're learning about them...my nieces never fail to make me laugh!

]]> Oh gosh...will you guys please, please forgive me? I don't know why I never got around to writing a review for Awakening Fest. I'd hope that I could get one done sometime soon, but it seems it's been too long for me to recall anything properly. Then again, it took me about a month and a half to finish my review for the Newsboys' GO tour back in March, so maybe I could fix something up for Awakening :-) I'll do my best! Do go easy on me though, because on this Saturday, I'm actually going to see Steven Curtis Chapman, Sanctus Real and Bethany Dillon, so I might be having my hands full as far as writing goes. Oh, and incase you were wondering, I don't normally go to concerts this often (you probably noticed that last month I went to AF, and one month later I'm going to this)...my Aunt B won the tickets, and as I love going to Christian concerts (and spending time with my family, of course ;-), I couldn't pass up the opportunity. God has also blessed me (and my family) with these occasions, and I'm very thankful for that. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the concert and sharing my experience with you! A big thanks goes to my Aunt B for thinking of me, and of course, for taking me to the concert ;-) Oh, and in the meantime, would you like to see the Awakening Fest setlists of BarlowGirl and TobyMac? I wrote them down as they were playing, so here you go...

BarlowGirl -
Psalm 73
Let Go
Mirror
I Need You To Love Me
Give You My Heart (chorus, a cappella) / Enough
No One Like You
Here's My Life
Never Alone
Average Girl
Million Voices
How Great Is Our God (chorus / bridge, a cappella)

TobyMac -
Burn For You
Get This Party Started
Catchafire (Whoopsi-Daisy)
No Ordinary Love
J-Train
Gone
Boomin'
I'm For You
Irene
In The Light
Slam
Love Is In The House
Lose My Soul / I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever (chorus)
Feelin' So Fly
Diverse City
Band solos
Old-school medley
Jesus Freak
*ENCORE*
Made To Love
Extreme Days / Na Na Hey Hey (Goodbye) (chorus) / Where My Freaks?

So anyway...I obviously haven't updated in a long, long time. I've got a bit to cover! Let's see...where do I start?

About two weeks ago, my dad took me to an awesome restaurant called The Lebanese Taverna...it was really, really amazing! Definitely the best restaurant experience I've had in a long time. Most of their food had the "different, but good" quality...for example, they serve their french fries with garlic sauce rather than ketchup. It was actually really good! It took a while for my breath to recover, but it was worth it ;-) So, I had a wonderful day with my dad...I took some pictures inside and outside of the restaurant, which you can see HERE.

Last week, I got to have a lovely visit with my grandparents, who I call Grammy and Papa. Since we live far apart, we don't get to see eachother too often, so the visit was lovely. I enjoyed spending time with them, and also enjoyed their sweet cat, Tigger ;-) We went out to a great lunch and afterwards enjoyed a bit of ice cream (big thanks to my grandparents for treating us to both of those!). I'm very glad I got to spend time with them and have a lovely day! I managed to get some good pictures while I was out there, so you can check those out HERE!

On Sunday, I also got to go bowling for the first time, which was extremely fun! Some people from my church's youth group all went bowling together. I'd actually never gone bowling until then, so as you can imagine, my first game was all gutters, and I never knocked down more than three bowling pins. But with the help of instructions from my dad, my youth pastor and others, I managed to get my score to 89 on the second game. I had a very fun time bowling, but even more than that I loved spending time with my friends. There have been times when I've had these feelings of loneliness, or when I've felt "on the outside," if you know what I mean. But recently, I realized that God has blessed me SO much with kind, godly friends. I think that rather than being sad because I don't have more friends, I should be thanking God for the ones he's already given me. And I am. Thank you, God, for giving me such a strong relationship with my mom. Thank you for giving me new, caring friends in church and for the old friends you've kept in my life, for giving me courage to exchange stories with all of them about how you've worked in our lives.

So...I'm glad to have finally updated! My Flickr has been updated lots (more than the times mentioned above) and continues to be updated :-) See you sometime next week, hopefully! :-)

- Isaiah 49:13

Awakening Fest rocked!

2007-09-17T01:44:23Z

So, I got to hear some awesome music and see some awesome bands yesterday at Awakening Fest! Headlined by TobyMac and co-headlined by BarlowGirl, it was a wonderful day! Before I say anymore, I'd like give a HUGE thank-you to my dad, without whom I could not have made it to Awakening Fest! Thank you, Daddy, for enduring the cold wind and pain and making it from early morning to late night. I enjoyed the time with you and I'm glad you enjoyed it too!

So, moving on, BarlowGirl put on an awesome show and sang just about every song I hoped for. As for TobyMac...well...let's just say that he and his band put on the most amazing concert ever! I was completely blown away the first time I saw him back in 2005, but last night, he was even better, which I didn't think could be possible! Overall, it was an amazing day, and the best parts were the moments where the crowds settled down and simply worshiped and sang to the Lord. If you've ever been to a large concert/event, it's chilling and beautiful to hear hundreds of different people coming together to worship the same God.
I won't say anymore now, because I'll be working on the review, which I hope will come along okay, because I'm actually having a lot of trouble remembering everything right now. Hopefully it'll all come back to me, though! But anyway, to tide you over 'til the review is done, I'll let you see my pictures and videos!

Pictures
Videos

Btw, please excuse the lack of TobyMac pictures and videos. My camera ran out of space before his show, so I took my dad's camera, which had only enough space left for two videos. Sorry! Hopefully there'll be a next time, though :-)

Oh, and I hope you like the new layout! Obviously, it's themed with TobyMac, as it has lyrics from one of his songs and the logo of his latest album ;-) I figured it was time for a change and I thought this new one fit :-)

Be back soon! :-)