Chels in Progress

Rain. Hikes with my coworkers. (and having to climb down hillsides and brush to get back on the right trails) Coffee Bean's hot chocolate . This Mexican blanket that's been in my family for 20 years. (which I stole for my bed) Sweet new friends . My hair being the longest it's been in 7 years . My life group , and our intentional conversations. My ISP teammate moving to East Asia . A little Vietnamese restaurant opening down the street... they have BOBA. My quiet time park.

" Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks : for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 It's so easy to dedicate one single day to giving thanks.  If we even do it on that day.  But it's difficult to give thanks to the Lord unceasingly .  To thank Him for absolutely everything .  But it's also one of the most freeing things we could learn to do. Last night started out beautifully.  My shift ended with a huge compliment from my manager, a free turkey, the turkey fitting perfectly in my freezer, my dad making me a delicious burrito for dinner, and a tea party and Christmasy crafts with two very dear friends.  I was really excited for everything, and ready to go to sleep peacefully.  And then I got home.  The night completely shifted into something less than beautiful, the least of our problems being how very colorful my language turned in response to the ch...

" I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh ." Psalm 116:17 "Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God's glory ." 2 Corinthians 4:15 Top Ten (er, more than ten) Things I'm Thankful For This Year (so far) : 1. My family in Christ. 2. Learning humility , grace , and what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit . 3. East Asia + my summer family . 4. Michy + Jake's beautiful wedding. ( tylerbranchphoto.com ) 5. My new Canon (what is this auto-focus thing? Oh, right, only non-broken lenses have that). 6. Transferring back to store #46 . 7. Belly laughs. 8. Boba , so much boba. 9. Worship music. 10. The most ugly moments in life (because God always uses them for His glory). 11. Things that have come as a result of mom's MS (sweet friends, finding Jesus, and staying a family). ...

I work at Trader Joe's and lately during the mornings, we've been sampling our seasonal Cranberry Walnut Loaf .  Every time I try it, I think what a delicious grilled cheese it would make.  Well, normally I wouldn't go above and beyond on a grilled cheese , but the bread is only here for the holidays, so I went for it.  I had one little honeycrisp apple left from our church retreat in Oak Glen, so I decided to add that in with an extra-sharp white cheddar.  I grilled the insides of the bread before putting the sandwich all together, just to make sure it would be crunchy. Behold, the fanciest grilled cheese I have ever made: It's super easy, and so good!

" Thanksgiving after all, is a word of action ." - W.J. Cameron Last week, I didn't "feel very thankful". Well, this quote just completely humbles me. Giving thanks to the Lord is not a feeling. It is an action. So, last week's Top Ten : { 1 } My sisters in Christ. { 2 } My job. { 3 } Boot weather. { 4 } The gym. { 5 } My family. { 6 } Chia seeds. { 7 } My brothers in Christ. { 8 } Jesus Calling . { 9 } Flannel sheets. { 10 } Forgiveness. Thank You, Lord. For all of this. And everything.

Yes You Have by Leeland on Grooveshark You've stolen my heart, yes You have . My God,  the ultimate healer of my heart, provider of every good thing, and the epitome of Love , is Faithful , Sovereign , Holy, sweet , near, Joy, Peace, Mercy , Grace . and no created thing will ever shake His truth.

"When was the last time you were convicted , not condemned ?" I love these little prayer/coffee dates with my sweet sister.  Though I've really only known her about a month, I feel like I've known her much longer.  I know I can share my thoughts and struggles with her and not be judged, but rather shown kindness and love and be led back to the Lord's Word, and it's amazing that He put her in my life. Yesterday, we were talking about imposing condemnation on ourselves because we lose sight of grace and begin to try to  measure our worth, beauty, and fruit based on how we feel we performed.  She asked me, "when was the last time you were convicted, not condemned?" and I didn't have an answer.  The only distinct conviction I remembered was a year prior, and I knew instantly that answer should've had a more recent date stamped on it.  I began to wonder about why I wasn't feeling convicted towards anything.  Then I shoved it aside, bec...