Being a Christian with Teal Hair

I wish I had time to just sit and type out a well thought out blog. I probably do. But I haven't done it yet. And this is no exception. But it will be a jumble of thoughts from my brain that I have been thinking for  a while. Or maybe just for a second.

I've been learning a lot lately, and a lot of it comes from changing my hair color (and cutting it short). The stereotype of people with crazy colored hair is that they are a no-good, irresponsible punk. It's amazing how changing the color of my hair changed me from responsible to irresponsible -- not externally judged (too much, I hope) to judged instantly. What really shocked me, though, was the people I got the responses from. ****

Most of them were people who knew me well. Most of them were people who knew that I was capable of making good choices (for the most part). But because I had colored my hair teal, the first thing they saw was a punk. It was hard to see past it. This teaches me a lot about first impressions. They are important, sure. But it also teaches me a lot about how we as people have short comings, and once we get a certain idea or misconception etched into our brains, its hard to think differently.

(I was more accepted by non-Christians than I was to people within the Church. While this is not at all what the Love of Christ looks like, it was a great ministry opportunity....)

The reason for my drastic change? Because I too fell prisoner to the cookie cutter ideas and the stereotypes Christians -- or maybe churches -- seem to have. We are supposed to love everyone, and leave the judging to Christ, but how well do we do that? I was judging a man who had dread-locks and smoked cigarettes, wondering why anyone who called themselves a Christian would dress the way he dressed or would smoke. The plank became noticeable in my eye when, at the conference we were attending, he was one of the speakers. He was not only a passionate speaker, but he was passionate and in love with the One True God. I started to re-evaluate myself after this, and especially after I got to sit down with him personally and listen to him talk of the bible and Christ.

This started a war within myself. What had I become? Over the past seven years of being a Christian, I had become fake. A cut-out of what 'church people' tend to think is best, especially in a leader position. This would make sense, of course, because Josh and I had found ourselves in leadership positions for most of our married lives. But that still didn't cut it for me. I became angry with God, because I couldn't figure out what was going on. And then I realized that I just needed to start over. Its not about fitting the bill, or 'fitting in' to what the Church expects. Jesus hung out with the lepers and the tax collectors. The Church is supposed to welcome all people through its doors, no matter what we look like.

I had teal hair, and instead of turning me into a rebel that disobeyed the rules and sought myself above everything else, it did the opposite. It has helped me to seek the Lord in a new, exciting way. It has opened my eyes to what it feels like to be judged before uttering a word. It has helped me to truly know the love of a Savior that never leaves me side, even when it feels like I am alone.


So are we going to believe all the ideas about different types of people? Are we going to let ourselves judge people before knowing them? God said 'judge not lest ye be judged'... Its our job to love people regardless of hair color, skin color, clothing, or tattoos/piercings. Let's start being the Church that God intended us to be.

Rockin' out for Jesus at Faith Fest 2013

****This blog is in no way written about a single person that I encountered, and in no way represents all Christians. While I am basing this off of MOST of the accounts I had while sporting teal hair, I also had some positive reactions from loving, devoted Christians within the church.

Life Update: Where We Are Headed Next

      As this season of life is wrapping up, we feel excited about the next one headed our way. I am going to be graduating (finally!) with my Associate of Arts degree in the end of June, and Josh's job wraps up here in Harbor Beach in the beginning of June. As many of you know, we have been living with Josh's parents since we moved out of our friends' house in Kingston. While it has been a great time of growth and learning, we are excited to finally have a destination for our family during whatever adventures await us. I never thought I would find myself living in the thumb, but it has been a great experience. We have made some awesome friendships that will last forever, and I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life since we moved back to Michigan in 2010.
      I am excited to announce that we will be moving back to the wonderful city of Mt. Pleasant, MI sometime this summer as we work on our music and our relationships with God. We are excited to be going back to the church where we met (His House!) to serve with them in the Central Michigan area. I am also excited that many of our friends from college still live in Mt. Pleasant, and we will get to do life with them again!
      Obviously, you can tell I am excited. I know that there will be challenges, as there always is in life, but we will take them as they come, and we will be able to have some great support from the people around us. On that note, we really always have had great support from the people around us, in all sorts of ways, and I couldn't be more thankful and blessed for that. Its amazing just how much love everyone has shown us, from supporting us financially, or praying for us, or even taking us in when we needed a place to live, and feeding us! It's awesome to see God's family actually acting like a family, so thank you to every single person who has blessed us in some way or another (there are WAY too many people to list, but you know who you are!)

Anyway, get ready Mt. Pleasant: We're coming home!

Aurelia Update

Just a quick update on the last week, and Aurelia's health :)

First of all, thank you all so much for the continued prayer for Aurelia! I know that above all else, God is the best medicine, for He is the one in control.

Aurelia got sick on Monday night, and after two restless, almost sleepless nights, I decided to see if this was more than just a cold. She was already on her breathing treatments because of her brittle asthma diagnosis (this causes asthma to flare up during any sickness, causing her to need treatments).

On Wednesday, the doctor told us that we were doing the right thing for the asthma, but her lungs were still too closed off. So we left the offer with an oral steroid plus an antibiotic for an ear infection. The next couple nights Aurelia seemed to sleep much better, and seemed to be getting better in general.

We went back to the doctor today, and I could tell right away that something wasn't quite right when the nurse was taking Aurelia's stats. They ended up admitting Aurelia because her oxygen level was still too low, especially after having a few days of treatments in her. Once to the hospital, Aurelia seemed to be completely fine to me, and her numbers were staying where they needed to be. The doctor came in and told us that when Aurelia was sleeping and her oxygen stayed above a certain number, than she would be able to go home. Praise God! Her numbers stayed up, and we were home by 6pm.

Please continue to pray, as Aurelia is still on her breathing treatments as well as an antibiotic, and still in pain. Also, the doctor is ordering some extra tests, as a precaution, because many of the symptoms she has had throughout her life have been similar to symptoms of some other diseases out there. On Tuesday, we will be going to see the doctor and talk about the next steps in making sure Aurelia is as healthy as she can be.
We know that God has a plan for everything, and we are putting all of our trust  in Him. Again, we thank you for your continued prayer for our family! God Bless!

The 5 Money Personalites

It seems like there are 5 different personality types for everything these days... or maybe just love and money... this book was all about the five different money personality types. Written by a married couple, this book talks about how we all have a different type of relationship with money, and we all deal with it differently. The authors help us to understand our money personality, and learn how to work with our spouse and their own money personality.

I enjoyed the insight I gained from this book. It helped me to really understand not only why I might handle money the way I do, but also how to take control of spending. It was also helpful in understanding my husband's relationship with money. I grew up in a household that spent money, whereas he grew up in a household that saved money, leaving us on opposite ends of the spectrum. I feel like the authors of this book really hit home in helping us to bring our experiences together and work as a team on our finances.

I would recommend this book to new couples, old couples, couples who are engaged, and even singles who want to gain more knowledge of where they might be at in dealing with money. It was full of insight, and it was also understandable for someone like myself, who really has no background in accounting and is horrible at math.

A New Look

The thought of changing the look of my blog was appealing, so I started today. I'm not sure if it's to the point of perfection yet, but I'm liking it. It has a 'health' feel to it, or at least that's what it makes me think of. I'm trying to surround myself with positive reinforcements and thoughts/ideas that will encourage me to continue making the choices that are best for my health. I have found that this is not an easy task, and its only the first day I've really tried it.

The world is so full of JUNK: Not just food-wise, but activities (or lack there-of), music, games, movies, TV.... All the things that encourage a lazy life are energy consuming, and leaves you feeling even more 'dead', or gross than before. When we are using our bodies and minds for positive things, it is much easier to be motivated, and also to KEEP GOING. Today, for example, I just wanted to sit on the couch and do nothing. But, as I was looking at some workouts that I could do to target belly fat (not planning on doing them.... just finding them for tomorrow.), I realized how ridiculous it was to NOT do it today! So, I did it. Right then. And then, after I started using my energy instead of just letting it seep away, I became motivated to do things that actually needed to be done.

Not to mention, all of this leads to a healthy lifestyle. Its not about just being healthy for a week, or two months, or just until summer so you can have that bikini body you've always wanted. Its about changing your life, and adding a couple years to it. For your kids, your husband, your friends....yourself (YES! You can workout at make healthy choices for YOU!!! Crazy, I know :P)

I'm thinking of starting a new blog specifically about healthy habits for a healthy lifestyle. I guess this is just practice for that. I want to actually have organized posts that aren't so scatter-brained.

The Stuff Inside

The stuff inside my mind seems to take control of my heart. Its not enough to try and get rid of it once, because it just comes back again and again. A broken record going off in my head, or something like that. The fact that its there proves that so much seems to be going on, and a grain of salt isn't enough to tackle it. These ideas, they roll around, over and over, and consume me at times, unforgiving of their ability to control and discourage.

This may come from a lack of sleep and a very busy yesterday, but its been needing a release. Trying to learn from each adventure, or experience, or whatever I decide to call them, is what my goal is, yet for each step forward I take three steps back, leaving me dancing with these thoughts and fumbling around. This blog kind of shows my train of thought - not that organized, struggling to put thoughts down on the paper.

The accident was taxing enough, both mentally and physically. I wasn't prepared for the mental part, though. It kind of came out of nowhere... I wasn't ready to feel the panic rise up in my chest every time I see another car coming up to a stop sign, or subconsciously grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white every time I'm driving down a road with deep ditches. Even the sight of a gray SUV can bring back the memory. By the time I've made it to my destination, I am mentally drained.

Josh and I together found a new route to school. It's about ten minutes longer, but it doesn't require as much energy, and the attacks of panic and confusion have no room to strike.

These are the things that still occur, but I know that God is bigger than these thoughts, and is maybe trying to use them to help teach me and mold me into the person He knows me to be. I have enjoyed being at school, meeting new people, and seeing the people in my life really support me and show love to me. I have gained confidence in myself since I've been taking my piano class. I really enjoy playing, and now that I am playing keys for The Following:, I can sing, which I am finding I also enjoy doing. Josh and I can practice together at home pretty easily, and I can practice while Aurelia is sleeping, which makes band practices less stressful.

This is a lot of random stuff, and its how my brain has been functioning. I think the not sleeping so well is catching up with me. There are so many decisions to make, and so many thoughts to think, and so many places to go...so much depended on the gray SUV. I want to be back in a place where I can do all those things without these underlying issues to play a part. But I know that healing takes time, and I still have miles to go before I sleep.

I know that God has plans for my life, and all things that have happened in it. I continually try to give this ALL up to Him. Its just good to get it out of my head once in a while. I really enjoyed yesterday -- being at school and making friends, and then practicing with the band. I am not trying to be negative, just real about what happens in my brain sometimes. I think that this whole experience is drawing me closer to God, which I need right now. I know that He is the ONLY one that I truly need, and He places people in my life to guide me in my walk with Him.

I think I'm done being random and confusing. I am very excited for Aurelia's nap time today. For today, it will be mom's nap time as well :)

Every Woman's Battle

Upon receiving this book to review, I wasn't quite sure what I had gotten myself into. I had also decided, upon reading the overview, that I wouldn't get much out of it, since I had never struggled with what this book was about. Or so I thought. The title of the book, "Every Woman's Battle", is true in that the material can apply to every woman at some point in their lives, whether they are single or married. Ethridge really opens herself up and uses personal stories, as well as stories from other women, to talk about the unhealthy desires/thoughts/actions that women face every day.

The book breaks these down into four unique categories/components of feminine sexuality as well as talks about common myths that women and the world believe. It then gives you the necessary tools to help fight the specific battle you may be fighting.

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would -- it helped me understand myself more, as well as made me realize that I am not alone, and that we, as women, shouldn't be ashamed to admit things we might be keeping secret. I would recommend this book for any woman who wants to open herself up to the truth about the woman's sexual battle.