My friends are here!!

Tara, Melissa, and Bart have come to visit and I can't even tell you how thrilled I am! They arrived last night expecting not to see us until they arrived at my house, because they had arranged to get a rental car. But we surprised them! Meredith, Marie and I drove down to LAX to meet them as they got into LA. It was amazing... because it was no ordinary greeting.

I felt that the best way to greet them was to do it in the true, authentic, Los Angeles spirit....

so of course we dressed up in crazy, tacky outfits, wore high heels, fake boobs, WAYYY too much makeup and an overload of accessories... and I made sure to have a stuffed dog in my purse as we strutted through the airport looking for our friends.

When I first saw Tara coming down the stairs into the baggage claim area I screamed (think Legally Blonde) and jumped up and down, fully acting like the stereotypical LA babe that I am. Haha... Tara cried. Melissa died laughing when she realized it was us, because at first she didn't understand who Tara was hugging. It was perfection.

All of that glory began what is going to be one of the best weekends of my year. I am SO grateful for my friends being here. It is such a gift to my heart.

More photos will come but for now you can enjoy this little delight.

An encouragement for this Friday:

Be faithful in the little things.

It is right for you to have a desire to affect big things. It is normal to be concerned about things that are larger than yourself. You may be a dreamer that has a vision to see a city transformed, or a family reconciled, or a heart healed. You may want to influence a person of great authority, so that they can use their influences to help people. I have a friend who is passionate about using her music to change Hollywood. These things are all good. They are all Godly. But what do you do now? What do you do when all you have is a 9-5 job, or a broke-down car, or the opportunities that you hope for just don't seem to happen. What then? 

I am learning that it is at that point when you commit to being faithful with the little things.

You want to use your gift of baseball to one day play professional ball & influence young athletes? Perfect. Why don't you start now by being a good influence on the other guys on your team. Pray for those that are already professionals. Be respectful to your coaches. Be a good older sibling & take time to care for the people that are already in your life. If you do that, God can trust you with larger things. 

You are a business person, wanting to start a booming company that will bring in great wealth & provide jobs for people. Awesome. Be generous with what you have now. Have integrity in your life. Tell the truth. Pray for other businesses. Read about how to do business & study successful companies. Do the possible. Trust God for the impossible.

You want to influence girls, reaching thousands with a message of beauty. Showing them how God sees them, and helping them get free of disorders & addictions? Yes. I love that so much. Then start small. Find a girl today & encourage her. Pray for her. Invite her to coffee & listen to her heart. Invest in one person, trusting God to multiply what you are doing. 

You are creative. You want God to use your artistic abilities to bless the world? Excellent. Develop your skill. Encourage others in theirs too. Pray for people. Be bold to give what you create away, acting in little ways to bless people with your art. Be faithful.

God wants to use you for His glory. He loves that. But He wants your character to line up with your calling. You may have incredible abilities but if you have a weak character it is likely you won't get far before falling from God & getting caught up in craziness that you weren't designed for. 

Don't reject times of sharpening your character. Embrace them, by faith believe Christ to make you exactly who He created you to be. In His timing He will you put you places you never dreamed of, "better than you asked for or imagined". It's okay to start small. It doesn't mean you are failing.

Photo of my last visit with my friends, during a fake scavenger hunt that I made up on the spot. Convinced this guy to put a shoe on his head for a photo. Can't wait for new memories!!

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."

 Luke 16:10 (NIV)