Art of Love

it's not perfect
but it's worth it
and its always getting better
its gonna some time to get it right...

I'm still learning the art of love
I'm still trying to not mess up
So whenever I stumble let me know.
you need to spell it out
cause i'm still trying to learn the art of love

Sailing Admist Storms

We're adrift on a sailboat
My love is the sea
Yours is the horizon
Constant and steady

You set my limbs locked hard afloat
Lifted my lonesome sails
The tide is out, the moon is high
We're sailing

Darling, your love is healing
It makes the bitter sweet
Warms the winter to spring again
Secures the colds defeat

We're cutting anchor
Casting out into the glorious deep
The tide is out, the moon is high
We're sailing

When we've succumb to decrepitude
Still our love will remain in its youth

The tide is out, the moon is high
We're sailing



-Brooke Fraser-

Cutting Back to the Essentials

I'm beginning to frustrate myself -- too many things that I get involve in that stretch me too far... don't get me wrong ... getting out of your comfort zone is good.. but that's not the kind of stretching that I'm talking about. I'm talking about trying to do everything that you think might be a good idea and then leaving yourself dry and empty by the end of the day with nothing accomplished.  Lately, I've tended to be a bit spastic. just ask Jar, he'll tell you. Some days I don't feel like myself-- like I'm in a funk.  It's so funny how matter of fact Jared is... totally balances me out. I have to have a drawn out explanation for why I do every single thing and he's like "just do it" or "don't do it--bad idea"

I get frustrated with myself because I need nothing more right now then to sit down (preferably at Starbucks with a grande hot Peppermint Mocha) and finish clients photos and hone down my vision for Jared & Julie Morr Photography and my worship team... But alas, other obligations are calling me and I never have enough time in one day to finish everything that I need to get done. Help! How do you cut back and get down to the essentials? Knowing that God has allotted you this certain amount of time and do what we can with it? Any ideas and suggestions are welcome... my sanity and future husband thanks you.

Can I ask you to pray with us?

Jared and I are praying hard. We have an opportunity to purchase an amazing, beautiful little house in Tremont that is going up for auction this Saturday, between 10a-12p. After going through the open house last weekend, it is so incredibly perfect for Jared & I. However, we do know that the Lord may have other plans for us, but we believe that this. could. be. it.

It could be our home for the next 10 years, if the Lord allows. The basement is perfect for an in-home studio for our photography business.

So, anyways, I write this to ask those of you who are reading this (if any lol) to partner with Jared and I in prayer this last week before the auction -- we would love your support!!

God is good. All the Time.

I fought it, yesterday. It was a day of many tears. You can plan and plan and plan and sometimes things still won't turn out the way you envisioned it to. I lost my potential job with Caterpillar. I had had my interview already, and things were looking so promising. I had to pass this certain assessment test as a standard procedure before being employed there-- I viewed it as nothing, as simple 45 question test where you knew the answer 90% of the time.  That is exactly how this test was. Simple questions about customer service that I was almost positive I answered correctly to the best of my ability. I raised my hand to show that I had completed the test. The test administrators went up to the front computer to gather my grade which I had the most confidence that I passed. An older lady came and got me to escort me to the door and tell me my grade. I remember trying to look at the sheet of paper in her hand, and much to my dismay and shock, I saw an "F" with a big circle around it. I failed. Somehow, someway, I failed. I don't know what I did wrong, what I answered wrong. I questioned the grade, it was checked again and indeed I failed. Not sure what to do, I began to walk out the door, knowing I couldn't walk back in for another year according to Caterpillar policy. I sat in my car and cried until I couldn't cry anymore, called Jared and cried more. This potential job was so detrimental to us starting out that with not having it, I wasn't sure what was going to get us through the first year... but my Jared reminded me of this: in the midst of all that I can't understand, I need to understand this: God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good. He alone makes my joy complete, he knows just what I need. He knows the bizarre reason I somehow failed that test -- and His hand is in it. To teach me not to have a prideful attitude? That was probably one of them, but also to trust Him, more and more and more. 

Nic & Jessica Beachy

This past Saturday, my beautiful sister got married. It was a beautiful day with perfect weather and God-honoring in all ways possible.

Love you two!

A Proud Proud Weekend

This weekend I had the awesome opportunity to support my future husband in one of society's greatest endeavors: the Chicago Marathon.

I don't think that the word "proud" could even come close to what I was feeling inside as I watched him come around the corner for the finish line. So, so SO happy, joyful, proud, jubilant I was. He did it. After all his training, all his shoe-buying, everything -- he did it.

He had his goal, set his heart and mind to do it, and did it-- in 4:04.

Oh was I praying and praying in the Spirit for him. God, give him strength. Give him strength to do this. The Lord honored our prayers.

Hmm, I've also come to this conclusion:

Someday, Lord-willing, I just might live in Chicago? :)

Good Morning!

Good morning. It is very much so just that. A beautiful morning. I'm sitting in my kitchen with the windows on all sides with the morning sun warming up my back. With coffee in hand, of course. Contemplating skipping my classes, in fact, I think I just made my decision to do so.

This week has been my "mid-life crisis" of my Fall 2010 semester. It's been full of copping out and giving in. I've completed 7 weeks of my senior year in college, and getting to the point where I want to just take a break from all my classes. So I did, but not officially of course.  I need refreshment. Hopefully this weekend will bring that --

Chicago!! Downtown... Fall. Perfect. My dear fiance is running the Chicago marathon this Sunday at 7:30am. Oh how I will be lifting him up in prayer. I'm excited to spend a weekend with him and enjoy the city. I haven't been in the heart of the city for awhile and it's been on my mind a lot. Every time I go up there I wonder if I could ever live there for a period of time. I think it would be great, but you know what? I've always had this fear in the back of my head: terrorists... bombing... being separated from Jared and not being able to find him. Sorry for the Debby downer, but it's true... but then this verse comes to mind, especially this morning:

" ¹¹ One thing God has spoken,
       two things have I heard:
       that you, O God, are strong,
 ¹² and that you, O Lord, are loving.
       Surely you will reward each person
       according to what he has done. "
Psalm 62:11&12

Nothing is out of the hands of my God.  Fear is crippling but oh to have faith that moves out of the shadow of fear and into the sunny rays of our loving God! This is a daily struggle for me to be honest. I'm a very fearful person... a doubting person. And I often doubt the sovereignty of God. I know that this brings me out of a place of trusting in and taking refuge in the Lord and trying to find solutions of my own willpower. It is SO frustrating that it is in my nature to do so. I just want to whole-heartedly trust the Lord is EVERYTHING and move out of fear into peace.

Hmm, that shall be my goal this upcoming week. Moving out of fear, into peace. Fear governs so many areas of my life. If I had no fear in death, what could I set myself out there to do for the Kingdom?

"No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is power of CHRST is ME
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus COMMANDs my DESTINY
No POWER of hell, NO scheme of MAN
can EVER pluck me from HIS Hand
Til He returns or calls me home,
Here in the POWER of Christ I'll stand "
-In Christ Alone-

Amen. Soak on that.

A Hard Day of Learning

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness, with EVER-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Yesterday was a hard day. Stubborness, selfishness and pride all played a part.  I'm learning that life is all about what I am doing with this second, this minute, this hour, and eventually onto this day. I'm finding that I shouldn't go much past today. It's then I start to get overwhelmed--when I see what I have left in front of me is almost quite intimidating. It's also the other end of the spectrum, when I look around me to see my circumstances and what I can do about them, rather than what God can do. I don't think that I'm talking about an absolute "hands-off" mentality-- but I am to a point. Once discussed and hashed out with God--let. it. go. and look up. Let it rest, lay it at the Cross -- as my mom would say. But it. is. so. hard. I want control. I want every single finger of mine holding on for dear life so know that I am in complete control.

God knew me when he gave me Jared. He knew that he and I would go through situations and circumstances that would cause me to fully take refuge under his shadows--the times I have no control. And honestly, I haven't understood that part about myself until Jared-- how much that I WANT to be in control, when I should really submit. My fight for control has brought me pain and trials... But you know what? I think it's my new prayer request. Because when God takes me through circumstances where I really have no control, I know then that I am at the safest place I could ever be -- under his wing, his shadow, and in his Hand.  Since the fall of Adam and Eve, we as women have fought for control in our marriage/relationships. I'm not married yet -- (8 months to go!!!) but I'm thankful God is teaching me how to come under Jared's headship by hiding in Christ!  What a great promise that HE will take care of us!! The Lord is good and ever-loving. EVER-loving.

My God is a great big God -- who still loves me after seeing and knowing this wretched soul. I serve a BIG God.