let’s not forget haiti

nashville is doing it’s part! now, you can too! click this link to see how –>

http://www.facebook.com/pages/For-Nashville-For-Haiti

http://www.facebook.com/pages/GLOW-Ministries-International/

gratitude

i wrote this post a long time ago… and then today, i ran across this quote…

You see, gratitude carves a grand canyon in a heart made tender by pain. The depth can’t be adequately described. It is something that has to be experienced. Who can explain how it feels to be handed hope when you were sure your chance had passed? Who can describe what it is like to look into the eyes of the giver and see a glimmer of understanding and not a hint of judgment? That is friendship!

so, naturally, i had to look up the definition of gratitude to find it’s real meaning.

a feeling of DEEP appreciation. a DESIRE to thank.

WOW! a desire to thank? how many times do we say thank you? how many times do we say thank you and truly mean it? i think i’m going to have to disagree with this definition. gratitude is more than saying, “thank you,” when someone gives you something. gratitude is more than an action which we decide to do by an act of will power. you can say the words, “thank you,” when there is not gratitude in your heart at all. it’s customary to say thank you, especially in the south. it’s the hospitality in us!what it takes to turn the words, “thank you,” into gratitude is the real genuine feeling of gratitude. it’s a feeling that arises uncoerced in the heart. it can’t be willed into existence, especially if it is not there.

gratitude is a form of delight

more than delighting in a gift. it is more than feeling happy that you got something you wanted. it’s a feeling of happiness directed toward a person for giving you something good. gratitude is a happy feeling you have about a giver because of his giving something good to you or doing something good for you.

It is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 2 Cor 4:15

gratitude flourishes in the sphere of grace.

gratitude flows out of the hearts of those who “receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17). this gratitude to Christ is more than saying, “thank you,” or trying to return some service; it is more than being glad you are free from condemnation; it is being glad toward Jesus for the riches of salvation and the way he made it ours. when the grace of Jesus penetrates the human heart, it rebounds back to God as gratitude. christian gratitude is grace reflected back to God in the happiness we feel toward Jesus.

and for HIS sake, not ours!

so, i pray that you can have gratitude towards your friends just as your Savior has grace upon you.

compassion

Haiti Earthquake

coffee anyone?

i, by no means, take credit for any of the of the following. it is solely written by the lovely Shari Braendel

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

As I tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep, my husband leaned over and whispered that he was going to the pool. We were on a Florida vacation so going to the pool would be a normal activity for many people, just not my husband. He is not someone who “goes to the pool.” Ever. The beach, maybe, but usually only when I go with him for a walk.

So, when he kissed me and headed out the hotel door alone I was curious, although not curious enough to miss a little more shut eye! As I rolled over thirty minutes later, I realized he hadn’t come back yet, so I did a little snooping.

I went onto our balcony to see if I could get a glimpse of him, wondering what he might be doing. As I scanned the pool area, I caught sight of a homeless man sitting on the side of the road leading to the public beach entrance. I remembered passing him the day before as he was sleeping in the grass. Today, however, he was sitting with his legs crossed, coffee in hand, talking to someone. I leaned a little further over the edge of the balcony and my heart skipped as I realized it was my husband. The two of them were sitting on rocks, drinking cups of coffee, engaged in conversation.

I watched them from a distance for about twenty minutes until they parted ways. My husband looked so comfortable talking to this man. They were laughing, smiling and having a nice time. I learned he offered to do the guy’s laundry, and then sent him on his way with a little cash.
I had to pause a moment and ask myself if I would have been gutsy enough to do the same. Would I approach a complete stranger just to sit and talk? Would I offer someone hungry a coffee and a breakfast bar as my husband did?

As I pondered their encounter I thought about the kind of man my husband is. You see, he’s not the type to get up early and read his Bible every single day, and he’s not on any committees at church. What you will see him do though, is talk to homeless men, give money to needy strangers, and be kind to people. You know, “be Jesus” to others.

I believe God asks each one of us to step out and “be Jesus.” Sometimes, though, we get so consumed with everyday life we just don’t do it, or we say we’ll do it later because we don’t have time now.

I also believe that God doesn’t ask us to do anything that He hasn’t already prepared us for. You see, my husband was homeless as a teenager. He was forced to live on his own from the time he was 15 years old. He learned to find shelter in snowdrifts, basements, and abandoned cars. He has a heart for the unlovely, the runaways, and those whose clothes aren’t so clean.

We each have gifts, talents and past experiences that allow us to reach out and touch others in ways that will be meaningful to them. It often doesn’t cost us more than a cup of coffee to do so. What experiences or passions do you have that would make you a perfect candidate to reach out to someone today?

Dear God, open my eyes to the people around me so I can make a difference to someone else. I know the circumstances of my life are not left in vain when I offer myself to You and Your service. Provide a way for me to “be Jesus” to someone today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

what do you need?

Do you think there are times when God gives us exactly what we need yet, we are too foolish to realize it? Then, the times we do realize it, why are we too scared to reach out and take what it is we need? We’ve therefore missed His gift.

What do you need? Do you think God has tried giving it to you? Do you think it’s right in front of you now? Are you scared? What’s keeping you from reaching out and taking His gift? Do you care more about what others will think than you do about His plan for your life? Is it too hard to take the step? Oh ye… Where’s your faith?

He IS with you. Trust in Him. Acknowledge Him. He will direct you. He WILL provide.

Get ready and expect the unexpected! His gift may come in a form you don’t anticipate…

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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord… Jeremiah 29:11

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father… James 1:17

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed… Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20

4:44

that’s a pretty significant time in the life of rebecca. how significant? funny you should ask! and thank you for doing so. that’s very kind of you. aaaaaaannnyyyway… it’s the time of my  birth. simple as that. i was born at 4:44pm. oh wait… maybe it was am… errr…. now that bit of detail i don’t know. but what i DO know is that at 4:44 morning or night i came boldly and beautifully into this world. my poor mother.

but there’s something else behind this number. what that is, i have no clue. it’s befuddling to me (isn’t that a great word?!) but it must be pretty darn significant in some way. enough so that somehow i end up looking at the clock at least once a week at that time. so why is this REALLY so significant? you tell me… anybody?

here are a few pictures from the past month proving my connection with this time…

the espresso experience

there’s no need to go to your local coffee shop anymore for a fine espresso beverage and in a second, i will tell you why. but first, i must promote all the wonderful local places i support wholeheartedly and love to visit:

bongo java east – located on my street, this is a lovely place to really get the full coffee experience. this is the place they roast all the beans for both bongo’s and fido’s. they also have a mean bagel with peanut butter. yum yum! don’t forget to try to homemade granola too.  http://www.bongojava.com/bongo_east.php

fido’s – also owned and operated by bongo java. not only do they have fun espresso drinks like the pink poodle but their food is outstanding! best fish taco’s i’ve ever had, and that’s coming from someone who used to live in TX & CA. http://www.bongojava.com/fido.php

crema – if you’re looking for a FINE cup then this is your place. they pride themselves on quality and that’s exactly what you’ll get. my drink of choice: the cuban.  http://crema-coffee.com/

ugly mugs – if you’re a night owl, this is the place to go. they are open late, good for you laptop users since they haven’t plenty of outlets, and just a great place to hang. they frequently have live music here and lift the garage doors to bring the outside in. jason love’s their iced coffee. http://www.uglymugsnashville.com

sweet 16th bakery – my fav place to get a cup of coffee (drew’s brews to be exact). they don’t serve espresso there folks but their baked items are out of this world! you won’t want to pass this place up, which you’ll do if you blink. it’s located on the corner of 16th street in the historic lockland springs neighborhood. http://www.sweet16th.com/

——

so what is this amazing espresso i am talking about? it’s simply called NESPRESSO. jason stumbled upon this while he was in korea, just to find out that they are also sold here in the US. sure, you can go to william sonoma and buy one for $400, but why would you do that when ebay is selling them for $150? so that’s what we did. $150 and a week later we staring at this…

now that, is the le cube espresso machine from nespresso and those little multi colored things are the capsules, filled with espresso. this machine comes with cup holders and warmers on the side too! all you do is fill the water compartment, press on, and go and you’ve got one of the best cups of espresso you’ll ever be able to make at home. and… when you get adventurous enough, you can buy all kinds of roasts like we did… they even come with their own display case! fancy

rain boots

ok… with all the bucket-loads of rain we’ve been having, i now have many pairs of very wet, soggy shoes. i’m a little bit behind in this but i have decided that it is due time to find some rain boots. however, most stores THINK that they are out of season so my search has resulted to a online bonanza of 100 billion rain boots to choose from… oi vay… so, i’m calling all you bored people who have nothing better to than to place your opinion on random blog polls to help me choose which boots to buy. here are your choices…

the crucifixion

what are you wearing?

re-visiting

i feel the need to share and re-visit this post again…

to my dear friends…

Love vs. Hate

today is a sad day… i experienced something quite tragic in the simple life of rebecca. something that is so dear to me (enough to say that i love it with a capital OBSESSION) has joined hands with something that i passionately hate… i mean HAAAAATE!!!

okay, okay, so i know hate is a harsh word to say about anything, but honestly… i can say that i hate this particular thing so very much that i try to avoid it at all costs!

alright, enough already… i’ll stop with the guessing game… are you ready? i’m so sorry to all you health-conscience people out there… but i HATE, loath, despise, and refuse to eat… BANANAS… yuckie yuckie yuck! they not only taste gross but they make everything around them take on their taste and smell. if you eat one, the rest of the day you have it on your breath, you burp it and no matter what you eat, it has a slight banana taste to it…  and to me, that’s just plain gross. frankly, it gives me the heebie jeebies!

so what is this thing that i love so much? ah yes… the magical sign of life… it breathes energy and open-eyedness into me just about every day… you got it – the bucks of stars! better known as

today, i ventured to my local spot… and i walked in through a door plastered with clings talking about a new banana smoothie. yipee! NO. no yipee… but yuckie! i entered extremely hesitant to find what was on the other side. and much to my utter disgust, it wreaked of the unbeloved yellow contaminator. it seeped into my pours upon immediate contact and i actually believe that i could taste the air. it was all i could do to order my coffee.

so please please please mr. bucks, i plead to you with every fiber of my ever loving heart… cut out the ‘nanners! you just might have lost an extremely loyal customer…

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i just can’t help but wonder… is GOD in this detail too? maybe this is HIS attempt to get me to stop with my consumption of the ever-so-wonderful dehydrating beverage that i love so… you know, HE does give and take away… oh LORD but PUHLEEEEAAAASSSEEEE not this!

where am i?

howdy!

i would like to take this time to apologize for my utter neglect to blog… life is crazy busy! but i’m here, i’m alive, doing well (just in case you wondered).

and since that’s about all the time i have… i’ll have to write more later…

until then…

Deeper Still

Would wouldn’t want to go?! Anyone want to meet me in Vegas?

http://www.vimeo.com/1258528

 

 

True Friends

I get made fun of for all the friends that I have on Facebook… I think I’m over the 500 mark at this point. (And in all honesty, I actually DO personally know 95% of them. It’s true! The other 5% of course are a few bands & musicians I will probably never meet.) I will have to tell you though, the good ‘ole F’book has helped me rekindle friendships that I never would have otherwise, I’ve learned of marriages, births, engagements, happy times, sad times, and all those in between moments in life. I don’t really consider myself a socialite although I do like to remain social; Facebook has certainly allowed me to do that, much more than I ever have, in fact. I know, it’s not face to face contact, but when you have friends that live in Nashville and D.C. this is about as good as it gets! I boldly confess that I spend way to much time at the computer but it has certainly benefited me for the better. I know who my true friends are.

Here are a few highlights from the past year, attributed 100% to Facebook:

One of my best friends from high school, who has grown up to be quite a lovely lady of God, got married and moved off to D.C. a couple years ago. I NEVER would have known this if we hadn’t connected through Facebook! Last September, she and her hubby came to the Bay Area for business and again, thanks to Facebook, we got to meet up and hang out for the evening. She continues to be one of my closest friends and is a constant source of love and encouragement for me! I know that if I ever need her, she’s only an poke away. Thanks Heather for being one of the best friends I’ll ever have! I’ll send you a drink later

I have taken on the exciting yet difficult task of planning my high school reunion. Next year, will be 10 years. First of all, I am now officially a grown-up… 10 years already?! Whoa… Secondly, without Facebook, I certainly would not have been able to gather contact info and catch up with the majority of my classmates. I am now looking at an 85% completion of my contact list for my graduating class! Now if I could only just hunt down the remaining 15%…

Facebook is also a fantastic way to shamelessly promote music and business. So, we have done exactly that with Otterball. It’s a really laid back way to introduce and update your product and keep your fans enticed. Thanks F’book for thinking about the business owners out there! We have loved the interaction that it has provided us thus far with the www. Are you a fan?

Another really great friend of mine from high school and I met up on Facebook just before I left Houstonin 2007. Come to find out, she had been living 30 minutes down the road from me for the past year and half and I had no idea… until Facebook. How awesome and yet somewhat sad is that all at the same time?! So, when her hubby had to come to the Bay Area for a job interview, she came along and you got it, we spent the day together! Lisa, hope to see you around these parts again soon! Or, maybe I’ll catch ya in H-town.

Last but not least, a great friend of mine from many years ago has made a gold mine for himself! He recently placed 3rd on a little show with a big name called “The Next Great American Band.” His band is amazingly talented and you should all go out and buy their cd right now! Thanks to F’book (and his wife for setting up the account for him), we’re gonna be hanging with my cool cat Denver and the Mile High Orchestra next month in Napa (and that’s spelled with one ‘P’). All I need now is the t-shirt!

Sooooo…. how has Facebook helped you rekindle friendships once lost?