2015...

2015 had it's ups and downs, for sure, but all in all, It was a pretty good year.. In no particular order, here's my 2015..

I turned 16 and got my driver's license! (And yes, freedom is so, so sweet)

I took a trip to Pennsylvania and shopped at a 2 story Target!!

aka Heaven

I went to one of the most haunted places in America, Eastern State Penitentiary.

I decided that peaches are my favorite fruit, and green beans are my favorite vegetable.

I saw NeedToBreathe at the Ryman! They easily have some of the best voices I've ever heard.

I read Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury and cried to a fiction book for the first time. Well done, Mrs. Kingsbury

I got my first Chaco tan (insert heart eye emoji).

I watched the entire Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl series...

I saw Alan Jackson, who is i n c r e d i b l e. 

I bought my first pair of Jacks and Hunters!

I started taking up calligraphy, It's harder than it seems.

I went to Chicago, again, and got to tell some kiddos how much their Creator loves them.

I started taking Zumba classes and definitely now call myself a Zumba lover.

 I went hiking for the first time! I didn't hate it, but I don't think I'll go out hiking on my own..

I bought my first Lilly dress...LOVE.

and while I was discovering just how much I love Lilly, I went to their headquarters in King of Prussia.

I relearned that roller coasters are not really my thing. Too fast and too many chances of getting hurt.

I consistently held the B spot on my golf team, behind a senior.

I only got sunburned 6 times!!

I lead my first Bible study with some middle school girls.

I lost my hearing at Jason Aldean's Nashville stop.

I went to Vancouver and drank waaaay too much Tim Hortons.

I got the chance to work with Nashville's Lunch Box, a nonprofit ministry that feeds underpriviledged families in the metro-Nashville area.

I learned to play chess.

I got to hug this girl's neck after her OPRY DEBUT and album release.

I got to hear Taya Kyle (nd Marcus Luttrell) speak.

A lot happened in 2015. Lots of concerts, lots of conversations, and lots of coffee. 2015 had its ups and down, but most importantly, I really learned that it's okay to be me, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. 

It's okay that I like purple more than blue and 1 cream in my coffee. It's okay that I'd rather strength train than run. It's okay that I prefer mysteries to love stories.

It's okay to be me, and 2015 taught me that. 

May 2016 be YOUR year to discover who you are and to embrace all that comes with. Make a difference in 2016. Life is only what you make it after all.

love,

lauren

"'Maybe I don't want a happy new year,' she said. 'Maybe I want an intense new year with a lot of growth experiences,'" 

-StoryPeople

Christmas Eve 2015

It's Christmas Eve, ladies and gents!! How exciting!!

I may be 16, but I feel as though I'm 6. 

There's something about these few days of the year that set themselves apart from the rest. Maybe it's the family coming all together. Maybe it's the food. Maybe it's the refocus on the beauty of the Gospel.

Like each and every year before, my family attends our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service (yes, we all go to the same church, both Mom and Dad's side). And like every year, we sung Christmas carols and heard our pastor say "this is my favorite picture of the year," but like I've said a hundred other times, this year was different to me. 

As we lit the candles throughout the congregation, we sang "All Is Well" by Michael W. Smith. 

"For tonight darkness fell

Into the dawn of love's light"

When that baby was born in Bethlehem among donkeys and hay and dirty shepherds, love came down and the darkness that was there was taken over by this little bundle of joy.

When Pastor Mike lit the candle to that first deacon, the darkness that was there was taken over by this little light.

Light always overcomes the darkness In a little sanctuary. In a little barn. In the halls of your school. In the world. 

Light always overcomes the darkness. And that's worth celebrating, even if it is 70 and sunny.

Celebrate! The Light has come!

Merry Christmas,

Lauren

Little Drummer Boy

18 days until Christmas. I can not wait. As we've come into this Advent season, for the first time really, I've understood what this season is all about.

Yes, for the past 16 years of my life, I've known that Jesus was "born on Christmas" and that it's important because He offers us hope and redemption, but for the first time, I'm beginning to understand how great of a sinner I am and how badly I need Him. 

“Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.”

-Acts 17:25, HCSB

The song "Little Drummer Boy" came on the radio as I was driving to school this morning. This time, the words stuck out to me more than the "rum-pum-pum"s did, and I heard a beautiful story that we all can identify with. 

"'Come,' they told me...A newborn King to see"

There is a new King that everyone says I need to see.

"Our finest gifts we bring...to lay before the king."

We bring our best things to give Him.

"Little baby...I am a poor boy, too...I have no gift to bring...that is fit to give our King"

I do not have much. I don't even have a worthy gift to bring You.

Isn't that all of our stories?

I've been told of a king who has come to save me, and once I got there, I realized I didn't have anything to offer Him?

"Shall I play for you...on my drum?"

My drum is the best I have, so I am offering that to you.

Once we understand our inadequacies and begin to acknowledge just how little we are compared to Jesus, don't we all try to bring our best to the table? 

For this little boy, it was his drum, and later in the song, we learn that Mary lets him play his drum, and Jesus smiles and is pleased by it, even though it was just a song on a drum.

Jesus wants our best, no matter what it looks (or sounds) like.

 "He is neither served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and all things breath," but He wants us. He doesn't need us by any stretch of the imagination, but He, the maker of the universe, wants us despite what little we bring to the table.

I need Jesus daily. I need Jesus hourly. I need Jesus minutely. I need Jesus every second of every day of my entire life because I am so unworthy. Even though I am so unworthy, He still loves me unconditionally, so that is why I wait for His arrival.

-Lauren

Christmas

December,

I am SO happy to see you.

You bring my favorite weather, my favorite drinks, and my favorite music (not to forget my favorite holiday).

You're just totally lovely.

December brings many wonderful things, but really, December means it is now socially acceptable to play Christmas music. Since so many artists have Christmas albums and there's really only about 15 different Christmas songs, it makes it a little tricky to have a solid playlist without hearing the same song 3 times in a row by a different artist...So I decided to help you out. 

Here is my Christmas playlist for this year! 
(I had a little fancy widget on here, but I'm still trying to figure out this whole "HTML" thing.)

It's a tie between Shane and Shane's "A Worship Initiative Christmas," "Christmas With Scotty (McCreery)" and "On This Winter's Night" by Lady Antebellum for my favorite Christmas album, but "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" by Matt Maher is easily my favorite Christmas song. 

Considering this is me since December started, this is only fitting.

And remember, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

-Lauren