THIS IS IMPORTANT

all of creation is made to point beyond itself. don’t get caught up in the creation (seasons, places, people) but instead in the midst of these things, allow them to point to the Creator of all things. he has truly blessed us with far more than we deserve—so worship him in these blessings. don’t let the Lord’s blessings be the center of our existence on earth. for the Lord is the center of everything, the purpose behind every good thing, and deserves all the glory. as his children, we do get good good gifts from our Father but don’t ever get to a point where we long for them more than Jesus, himself. praise him in the blessings. praise him in the loss. praise him in all things. 

“the Lord giveth, and he taketh away.” Job 1:21

may i live this life with open hands, ready in all times to praise my heavenly father who cares for me. 

IN DEED & IN TRUTH

It's always so cool to see the Lord's hand evident in your life and in the life of your friends. To see their passions and delights align with His own, is such a beautiful thing to observe and take part in. But even more so, to see the desires of your own heart change to fit perfectly into His will, is faith assuring.

I am learning to live in deed and in truth, alongside of the revelations the Lord has shown me by His mouth, pertaining the knowledge of who He is. It is one thing to see and abide in His truth and it is another to trust that He who speaks is trustworthy, with the life He has given.

In the book of Revelation, Jesus' name is "Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation." He is faithful. He is the beginning and the end. This is who we confide in and place our trust. By His name we live, we move, we act. This beautiful mystery that has been revealed to us, should be played out in the way we live. In will not come out as void. He is faithful and He who calls is able to complete what He has began. As I begin to sort through what this next season entails, I am learning to trust He who has called me into Himself, to complete the work He has started.

Whether He wills for me to stay in the small, mountainous town of Andrews, North Carolina, or if this next season is a whole-uprooting of my life to the western, urbanized city of San Fransisco. One thing is for sure, the roots that He has planted will be sustained by Jesus Christ, my faithful shepherd.

TWENTY FIFTEEN

twenty fourteen has come and gone... and just like that, in dances twenty fifteen.

what a beautiful, adventure-filled, marvelous year 2014 has been (full of many adjectives). i love looking back at past seasons and dwelling on the faithfulness of the Lord. this past year has been one of many changes: departing from my homestead, making a home up in the Appalachian mountains, and the rents' moving up to the blistering-cold, northern country, that is North Dakota.

but with many changes came many great things.
new friendships.
new normals.
new passions.
new favorites.

the Lord has been so steadfast and faithful in growing me this year in the knowledge and wisdom of His truth. how faithful is He who calls us into His divine inheritance. He who calls is faithful.

i am thankful for the many dance-parties, drives down old mountain roads, trips down the river, travelings to Honduras, steady growth, re-visitng old snl sketches, learning how to be bold with the proclamation of the gospel, and the cultivation of many godly friendships that will last into eternity.

here is a compilation of my favorite things this past year.

music:



rediscovered loves :

- wood stoves
- black coffee
- the opportunities in the city
- whales
- spoken word
- anne of green gables
- asking questions
- disposable cameras


as i look back at this past year, i look forward to the life left to live in the upcoming year.

(i never know how to end these posts, so)

my mountain home

L I F E    U P D A T E :

Hello everyone! 

I just wanted to share what I've been up to this year, where the Lord has me, how I spend my days and who I spend them with. Soooo ready, set, and go! 

I live and work at an outdoor wilderness camp, placed right in the middle of the North Carolina mountains, where kids come and are able to sit under faithful, gospel-preaching while participating in adventurous recreation such as white water rafting on the Nantahala river (absolutely frigid cold), rock climbing, mountain biking, and many on-campus recs. It's been such an awesome opportunity to learn how to guide a river, belay, and relationally minister to the kids that the Lord ordains to come and hear the truth! 

The people that I get to live and do life with are the bomb. Seriously, it's been such an encouragement to do life with people who are all pursuing the Lord together. Deitrich Bonhoeffer's book Life Together, is such a beautiful picture of what biblical community looks and acts like and it's been such a blessing to see that cultivated here amongst some of the people that I hold so dearly. I am in no way saying that there is no conflict or struggles---again I say: I am in no way saying that there is no conflict or struggles but when people who truly love the Lord and are learning to love others with that same kind of love, conflict and struggle just seem to unify us more and more, which is only by the blood of Jesus. 

What a beautiful, beautiful season! 

P R A Y E R :

- pray that as the months go on up here on the mountain me and my camp family will be faithful and diligent in our study of the Word so that we may learn more about our Savior and so that the words of scripture will abide in us 

- pray for the relationships among the staff, that we will love with the love that Christ has shown us

- pray that I will trust in the sovereignty of the Lord and learn to rest in His covenant promises

- pray that I will remain faithful to the commands of the Lord and will be faithful in the handling of the truth

- pray that I will be faithful in the putting to death my flesh and all of its corrupt desires and ways 

D A Y  T O  D A Y :

1. some of the best people you could ever do life with 

2. this. is. where. i. live. I still can't comprehend how beautiful it is here! 

3. life up on the mountain means many, many fires (and even more marshmallows)

4. we made pancakes late at night (leah + chelsa)

5. front porch relaxing 

Well folks, that's all I got for now.

As always stay fresh and listen to good music (mainly this right here.)

Cheers!

-tdm <3

Life in the Mid-West

This Thanksgiving, I was given the chance to visit my sweet parents in their new home. 

North Dakota. It gives a whole new meaning to "home is wherever I'm with you." Family and friends truly define what home means to me---no matter what state or country we live in. Even in the flat lands of the upper mid-west that has frozen ground and only a Walmart to its name, has become home. Even though it is not where I live, it is not where I long to live... it holds my roots. It holds two things that will always be dear to me. And I'm thankful that where we live is not what defines us, it is the people that surround us with love and endearment. 

I'm thankful this year for the providence of my heavenly Father. I'm thankful for a family that loves the Lord and that raised me up to love Him, as well. I'm thankful for the ability to see my family in new lands and broaden my horizons as the horizons broaden before me. I'm thankful for my family that I live with back in the North Carolina mountains, who may not be unified by biological blood but are unified by the blood of Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the unknown, unending possibilities of the future. I am thankful for the Lord choosing to love me, to call me His. 

We always have so much to be thankful for! Let's make this a daily practice; let's learn to cultivate a daily heart of gratitude. 

Can't wait to see what these next few weeks in 2014 has in store! 

1. me, mama bear, sav, and gabby all snuggled up on the couch our first night together
2. old faithful dog 
3. snowy days in north dakota 
4. our family on our way up to our sister-nation in the north
5. o, canada 
6. papa bear and i keeping warm in a wintry blizzard 

that which is unseen

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." Proverbs 19:21

What a humbling passage of scripture. What a relief. 

The Lord is eternal. He was here before the beginning---before all things, He was. He is. 

His plans for redemption and reconciliation have not changed since day one. The Lord has entered into a covenant with Himself, in three persons to make us "His people" and to be "our God." He knit us together in our mother's womb and before time set us apart for His good purpose. What a glorious promise of truth! 

Into the sovereign hand of the Lord we are commanded to commit our ways. This is peace. 

To know the One who is orchestrating all things together, for His good purpose, since the beginning of time, intimately cares for and is orchestrating our steps is such a wonderful thing to behold. He is our God. He is outside of time and knows what is and what is to come---for He wrote it. He shall never forsake us. This is His promise. 

I rest, amongst the anxieties of the unknown future, on the promises of scripture. Although I am called to plan and be intentional with the time I have on this earth for the glory of the Lord, I find comfort in knowing that in the end, it is the Lord who establishes my steps. Woe to me if it were up to me. What a great thing it is to rest in the hand of the Lord, to submit to His ways, to be obedient to that which He wills. 

This does not mean that the life of a believer who holds to this truth will be free from suffering and hurt---in fact, most of the time the Lord calls us out of that which is comfortable into frightening, uncomfortable situations. But this is where we trust in the goodness of the Lord and His almighty plans. This is where the glory of the Lord is most evident. This is where we become like His son. Through the struggle and the pain. Through the chaos and the suffering. We cling to Jesus. 

His son is our righteous example of this. He submitted His will to the Father and obediently came down to die for us, the wicked of the most. He was mocked. He was brutally beaten. He was nailed to the cross and took all of our sin onto Himself and died a sinner's death on the tree. All in correlation to the will of God. This was God's sovereign will. 

May we continually look to Jesus in every season. May we conform to His being. May we trust in the sovereignty of our God---who gave His Son so we may be His people. 

where is thy sting

May the Lord be glorified in my life. And may He be ever more glorified in my death. 

// Lord, use this life as a vessel for Your gospel. You came and died. May I be willing to do the same. May I live in such a way, under the grace and love of Your hand, that Your gospel is proclaimed fully in this life that You have redeemed---both in life here on earth and in death. May I trust in Your full-sovereignty and live a life that reflects that truth. You brought this life out of the dirt and one day I shall return. You are more than my life. So use it. All for the glory of Your name. 

You have defeated death once and for all, no more does it have its grip on me. 

There is no sting in death, there is only sting in a life not surrendered to You. 

May my short life on this earth proclaim You in its full capacity. My life is Yours. In life and in death. 

Build me up to reflect this truth. //

"The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, ‘Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’  Thus shall you say to him, Thus says theLord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.” Jeremiah 45