fellowship and good times!

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!" -Psalm 133:1

"...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you may also have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." -1 John 1:3

"Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."-1 Thessalonians 5:11

"...and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake."-Philemon 1:6

Oh my gouda-ness! This has been a great summer. One of my favorite summers ever, actually. I actually struggled a lot with feeling guilty and insecure after I graduated from UCSB because I didn't have a career, and I would beat myself up and my mom had to rebuke me! She said, "Leigh Ann, why are you worrying so much about the future? I thought you were godly. Why are you worrying? Don't you know God is going to take care of you?" OHHH SNAP! OUCHIEZ!! I GOT REBUKED FROM MY MOMMMAA!!! love it! LOL so I got over myself, and remembered Matthew 6:33 "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." CHEW DAT! I can't believe how much my worrying affected my witness of Jesus Christ...lesson learned!

But yeah, it's been great being back at home because I've been having great fellowship with other believers. It's so great to be back with my partner-in-crime James, I mean, where would I be without her? She knows me! and I became more well-acquainted with other members of South Bay Christian Alliance Church in Carson and Friday night bible study for College and Career, and I'm just so thankful that the leaders are so faithful to teaching the Word of God, and that the other members appreciate and love Scripture as well. I really feel like I am growing so much, especially through conversations and examples of others, and it's nice to see and listen to others talk about what they are learning and how they are applying what they learn into their daily lives, asking for prayer and guidance. I've also been discipled by Ate Rona these past few weeks, and words can't express how much I look up to her. She is just a huge encouragement, and a loving mommy and a godly wife. Of course, she has told me she is human so she is not perfect, but I love that she is transparent enough to know her weaknesses so that when she is guiding me, her transparency lets me see Christ through her and He is really using her as an instrument to teach me what it means to be a godly woman. We're going through a Fundamentals of Faith workbook by John MacArthur and I love it! I was going through it by myself before I met up with her, but it's nice to just really dive deep into these lessons about the Bible. I've got great brothers and sisters within that church and bible study, and it's nice, because I have the family of believers to be there for me, through good times and bad.

It's also really encouraging to be with friends and meet other believers from other churches as well. I visited my friend Elijah's bible study with Kevin a few days ago, and a few of them afterward would freestyle about Jesus! Probably one of my favorite memories ever. LOVED IT!!! It's so encouraging to see and know that there are others out there who have a passion for spreading the Gospel and talking about how good Jesus is.

The Christian life was never meant to happen alone! We need fellowship to be encouraged and to share the painful and joyful moments of life. And sometimes we're so blinded by our sins, and that's where godly brothers and sisters come in to rebuke and to correct through Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16), which has happened to me a few times in the past, and I can't say how thankful I am for being corrected. All part of the process of sanctification. I'm so thankful for fellowship. God is good!

Day 2-meaning behind username/Day 3-pic with friends

So I'm kinda behind on doing this 30 day challenge...but that's okay. Lots of things have been overtaking my mind (in a good way...actually, in a marvelous/wonderful/at-times-very-frustrating/refreshing way)
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Day 2: meaning behind username "leigh"

Leigh is my nickname, and I actually prefer being called "Leigh" more than "Leigh Ann" because it's what my family calls me. My mom and dad and brothers call me "Leigh" and I have a few close friends (like Jamie) who call me "Leigh"...It's personal, and it makes me feel at home. Also, I met a woman who was asking me how to spell my name and she told me it was a beautiful way to spell it, that every woman should spell 'Lee' like that. I usually get people making fun of it saying it's "LAY ANN" which causes me to cringe, so this random woman's compliment made me feel special and not like a weirdo haha

Day 3: pic with friends

These are UCSB my gal pals: Jamie, Jenn, Carrie, Tori, & Amanda. I spent a lot of hours laughing, crying, praying, talking or bonding with these beautiful women.



The funny thing is, all these women are all very different from one another. And I know that being separated by miles can do things to alter relationships, whether it be in a good way or bad way. But for the season that God placed them in my life in a close physical proximity, I was blessed by each of them and they have a special place in my heart. Being at UCSB wouldn't have been the same without them :] Aww!!! Thankfully, I still keep in touch with each of them on a regular basis.