Whimsical Country: the music

I have decided that I want to have the best wedding playlist of all time. Full of pretty, catchy, fun folk tunes. I want to squeeze in everything from M&S to The Beatles. Music has been a big part of our relationship so far. We can ride down the down and sing as loud as possible and not be embarrassed. Last August we traveled to see Mumford and Sons and that was probably my favorite memory with him! Miles from the hotel we got super restless and excited and ended up singing every track on "Sigh No More" & "I Will Wait" for the thousandth time.

We have discussed wanting to see them again before we start having children. There's just something so adventurous about taking a road trip with someone you adore to a place you've never been. I remember us walking in downtown Bristol the night before the concert and feeling on top of the world. The environment was so much fun. Everywhere you looked were Mumford fans and Apache Relay fans. Everyone just wanted to have a good weekend and we were all there for our love of fun tunes that we couldn't wait to scream at the top of our lungs.

Sigh. This wedding post ended up more of a reminiscing post. That was just an incredible trip. We came back with $0 in our bank accounts and only ate Burger King the whole time, but we still count that as the best time of our relationship.

In just a few short months, we will start a life together. It is unreal to think that I will get to spend everyday with my best friend who understands my silliness and joins in. We always say we are going to have the funnest life. We already do, but building a life - a home, a family - it is going to be a dream for the both of us.

This was definitely a ramble, wasn't it?

Until my next one,
Lindsey

To sum it all up...

To sum it all up...

Those words, to me, mean: "I've said all I've said before now to say this:"

It's kind of a last ditch effort to get some kind of point in. So, when someone is ready to sum it all up, I listen. To sum it all up means, if you didn't hear anything before now, hear this. I feel like there should be a big, blinking arrow pointing to the final point. Especially in this case: 

1 Peter 3:8

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;

I learned about love when I got saved 8 years ago and was welcomed into a church family. My family had been given a fresh start so our ability to love came a little easier. Our hard shells fell off and we begun to figure out how to be more of a family that loved. The four of us had been so hurt and angry, we needed compassion, and we needed people to just look past what the four of us had to offer. We were strange, bitter, awkward, and we were traveling through life with no direction or Roadmap. 

And then we found Jesus. And it was like we were awakened to a whole new life. I feel like we had literally been walking through life in a fog. But the moment we found the peace of a loving God and the warmth of a family, we sprung alive and we had a place to belong. We had a place where it was safe to figure things out. A place to figure ourselves out. 

That was eight years ago. Now, one of us is a Pastor, a mighty musician, a heart as compassionate as Jesus', and then me. I'm just not a scared little person anymore. I'm a woman who I feel, understands the love of God. Who understands the grace of God. In these past months, I have wanted to take on the mission to spread the good news. To share that there is light after darkness and life doesn't always have to be a confusing puzzle. There is a thing called mercy and there is a thing called grace that follows us all the days of our lives. We don't have to be timid humans with no sight, we don't have to be judgmental Christians with a pile of stones, we can can just be people who love. Because at one point in this life, we have all needed that love. The love of Jesus that eases all hurt and cleanses our past. 

I guess the point of this ramble is to remind us all to be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit. Remember the time before you encountered God and his grace for the first time. Think about who you were and now rejoice that you aren't that person anymore. Rejoice in the fact that you're a new creation. 

And now share, share, share. Don't hold back with God's love, grace, compassion, or mercy. It's new every day, and we have the chance to grab hold of it and walk with a humble heart and an uplifting word, not a heavy stone or hurtful judgement.