Proverbs 27:17 says...

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Amen!

So Jamie has been a huge encouragement to me throughout our whole 5 years of friendship, and I can't thank God enough for a best friend as godly and beautiful (inside and out) as her. Really, I am so blessed by her.

She's so sweet and funny! Here's one of the ways she's exhorted/rebuked me recently, regarding sin and holiness:

Jamie: Read Romans about living in the flesh and Matthew when Jesus talks about stumbling other believers

girl, Jesus is gonna put a heavy necklace on you and drown you in the ocean if you continue with the stumbling!

lol im totally misquoting right now

but it's in matthew i think

Me: WHAT!!! LOL! i love your misquoting. it's funny but i know it's true....I don't want that necklace around my neck girl!

Jamie: well that's how much Jesus hates sin and how we as believers should too

remember, he'd rather have our limbs cut off then go to hell

I honestly believe a lot of friends are too caught up in offending one another, rather than caring for the state of their soul with Jesus. I praise God that I have a best friend who calls me out, in a blunt yet silly (if that's even possible...i'm pretty sure only Jamie can pull it off ) kinda way. When I am even straying just slightly, thank God she's there to help me by pointing me to Christ. God is so good, giving us fellow believers. It's amazing to think that the same Holy Spirit which dwells within me, is also within her. We're united because of our common ground in Christ.

Praise God!

on point

And I don't want no one if I cant have you
a world of illusion
But baby you're true
I know I deceived you I once told you lies
If you don't believe me
Just look in my eyes

(lyrics from "Mother just can't get enough" by New Radicals)

changes.

and lots of it.

it's comforting to know that God is sovereign. What a week!

as Jamie likes to put it, "Gahhhh!!! God, why are you so crazy?!??!" lolll

Jonathan Edwards' perspective on his future wife, Sarah

Clearly smitten, he was. And she was only 13 while he was 20 when he wrote this!

"They say there is a young lady in [New Haven] who is beloved of that almighty Being, who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this great Being, in some way or other invisible, comes to her and fills her mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything, except to meditate on him--that she expects after a while to be received up where he is, to be raised out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that he loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from him always. There she is to dwell with him, and to be ravished with his love, favor and delight, forever. Therefore, if you present all the world before her, with the richest of its treasures, she disregards it and cares not for it, and is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has a strange sweetness in her mind, and sweetness of temper, uncommon purity in her affections; is most just and praiseworthy in all her actions; and you could not persuade her to do anything thought wrong or sinful, if you would give her all the world, lest she should offend this great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness and universal benevolence of mind; especially after those times in which this great God has manifested himself to her mind. She will sometimes go about, singing sweetly, from place to [place]; and seems to be always full of joy and pleasure, and no one knows for what. She loves to be alone, and to wander in the fields and on the mountains, and seems to have someone invisible always conversing with her."

birthday girl...22 years-old!!!!!!!!! YEAAAAA!!!!

Another year of life has been granted to me, and I am just so thankful to God for the ways He's provided and the lessons He's taught...I am so immensely blessed! Goodness. I spent some quiet time today just reminiscing on all the work God has done, and these past 4 years since I was saved have been really...eventful! It's almost as if life before becoming a believer is a blur. And I really look forward to the next few decades, if God wills I live that long. Pruning is really tough to go through (John 15) but extremely necessary, and I am really just going through some stuff that makes me grit my teeth and wince, but I praise God bc I know that He is faithful and I just need to really apply the Word to my daily life...good times and bad. It's really humbling, especially during times of confession, coming to the reality that I am just so sinful and that I really need to completely depend on God, which is really difficult because my nature and pride really make me want to be self-sufficient. Praise God too, some stuff from my past is being resolved and reconciliation is occurring...man, it's been a crazy year!

I absolutely love this poem by Blair Wingo, and the link is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjO9NCkTsF8

My favorite lines within her poem include these words:

"All of that was bound to decay, and you took my breath away...When the world's tryin to holla at me, im like pleeease...because i'm happily in a relationship with the King of Kings!...I wanna love your Word so much that I finish your sentences, well, or at least remember the Scripture references. I want to know you so intimately that my friends get nervous, because they think i'm looking too much like you too fast! ...I'm gonna think about him all day long...You deserve that and so much more...See you didn't just say that you love me, but you clearly made it known, left your throne...But because you so loved the world, you gave so that whosoever would believe would not perish, you willingly took my place so i could have a spiritual marriage. Love is an interesting word we throw around so casually, but God is love! ...help us that we would love you with an outward expression, help us to see that your love is so much more than just a confession"

Oh, love! How can my heart not beat faster and my breath be taken away by the God of the Universe? Amazing. (I feel like such a girl when I say stuff like this, but hey, it's the way we process things okay lol ....but seriously, this poem is pretty legit and just grasps the way girls fall for guys when really their hearts should be devoted to the lover of our souls)...

Praise God for another year of life! My past is interesting and my future is hopeful, so I'll continue striving toward the goal of life...

"Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude..." -Philippians 3:13-15

I AM SO EXCITED!

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)
_____________________


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.