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Love never fails…

Love Never Fails

It was about 6 months ago and about 2 in the morning. I could hear the words escaping my mouth before I had the chance reel them back in, “So when did ignoring the word of God become ok for you?”

Wow, had I really just asked that? And to a friend who was going through a hard time and needed some advice? She was looking for compassion and instead I gave her a sermon.

I admit I’ve never really been the kind of person who hides how I feel, but in that moment I had to stop, take a deep breath, and honestly ask myself an even harder question…”When did judging someone else’s actions become more important than loving them?”

I immediately asked for forgiveness and started my journey to figure out when and why loving unconditionally became so difficult for me. And the answer I found was incredibly difficult to admit to myself…..I stopped offering grace and mercy when everything started becoming about me.

God calls us to freely and sacrificially love His people without holding anything back. What do I gain if I give everything I have to my job, to my church, to this world, but I don’t love people in the process? God does not ask us to make sure everyone around us is following the “rules” perfectly, He simply asks us to love until our hearts overflow. He knows it’s not easy, He knows it will be difficult, but He also tells us we don’t EVER have to do it alone.

“Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps NO record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but REJOICES with the truth. It ALWAYS protects, ALWAYS trusts, ALWAYS hopes, ALWAYS perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

- Amanda



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“Trust in the Lord with All your heart and lean Not on your own understanding…
  ”I wish I could rescue these precious girls from the heartache, pain, disappointment, and grief this world has to offer.” This thought crossed my mind as I looked over the sea of sweet teenage girls a few weeks ago at It’s a Girl Thing conference. I am not so disillusioned to think they have not already experienced some “life let downs”. Emphatically I expressed, the best I could, that they are loved by a gracious Heavenly Father who adores them more than life itself (even the life of His son). I pray I drilled in that He longs to protect their hearts, spirits and bodies and that, come what may, He will never, ever, ever leave them. “Was this enough?” I wondered. “Could I have done more, said more, shared more?” I wanted them to be spared the worries of this cold world; to embrace the joys of life and push aside the sufferings. Then, as gently as my Father always does, He reminded me, “I’m holding these girls close by my side, Brianna, just like I have held you all these years. I will love them, protect them, and never leave them, never.”
Lesson of the day,
“Trust in the Lord with All your heart and lean Not on your own understanding.”

— 
Brianna


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Letter to the 16 year old me…

I was on a flight a little bit ago and I forgot to bring something to read to pass the time. Since the options were limited, I picked up the little free magazine they place in the back pocket of the chair that sits in front of you (you know the one where they keep those little baggies for people that get air sick…eww ;o). Anyhow, in it was an article with an excerpt of a book filled with letters from famous people to their 16 yr old selves. It was FASCINATING! So, I thought, what a cool idea! 

There is soooo much that I would say to the 16 year old me. But, since this is a blog entry and not a book manuscript, I fizzled it down to this…

Dear 16 year old me,
Hi! This is you. Or me. In the future. Weird, I know! Dude, guess what??? You finally get your dream of living in the USA! It’s not what you expect it will be. Might want to limit your 90210 addiction cause it’s giving you all the wrong ideas. Haha! Nah, no worries! But you still love watching those re-runs when you get a chance! ;o) So, I don’t want to ruin a lot of the fun surprises that God has in store for you in the next ump-teen years. But I do want you to know something. God DOES have super cool plans for your life. Stuff that you don’t even realize you are capable of! It’s gonna be one heck of a ride! So you better be ready! 
First thing I wanna say to you: Stop obsessing about boys! I know they are cute! I remember. But I will fill you in on a little secret… your future husband is way hotter than any one the guys you’ve ever had a crush on. Just wait! That’s one of the cool surprises. I’ll tell you something else. That’s not even the best part about him. The best part… oh, you wanna know??? Ok, I’ll fill you in. He LOVES THE LORD more than he loves you. And that’s what makes him amazing! 
A few other things… Don’t give up on music! Remember, SURPRISES!! Believe in yourself! I do! I know it can be a struggle. But there is an amazing, strong, smart, beautiful and confident woman inside of you dying to get out! You’re gonna make mistakes. Some I wish I could convince you not to! But, the thing is, they’ll make you become the person you are today. Me! And I’m pretty ok with that person! 
Lastly, remember that the most important thing is your relationship with Jesus! In the years to come He is going to become so real that you’re going to be able to rest in Him. Really rest. Even in the middle of the craziest storms life will bring. He will be your provider, your shelter, your peace, your friend! 
I love you and I wish I could see your face as you continue to unravel all the sweet surprises God has in store for us in this life! 
In Him,
Me - Emille

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Our FIRST blog post!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited to be writing our first blog! The girls and I were talking and we thought, how great would it be if we could connect with our FB fans, twitter followers and all our friends and family out there to share with them what’s going on in our lives individually and as a group?! The stuff that drives us, challenges us, molds us and ultimately, makes us who we are!

And so, our blog adventure begins! You’ll be able to hear (or read ;o) about the sweet things that God is doing in our lives, hear about our crazy fun and sometimes plain CRAZY road adventures, learn about some of the things we love in fashion, entertainment and life in general and we’ll also give you all an opportunity to chime in and ask US the questions that YOU want to know! 

That’s it for now! I’ll be writing back soon! 

In Him,

Emille


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