JULIA MARIE

JULIA MARIE | a special one.

1 T I M O T H Y 4:12 

Let no one look down on your youthfulness, 

but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, 

show yourself an example of those who believe.

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I cannot tell you how many times I have been left standing in straight awe of her. 

Not only does she know how to have a good time, let me tell ya she does, but when she speaks there comes an outpour of wisdom and truth that most people are not lucky enough to understand or boldly proclaim at an old age let alone at age fifteen. Yet ever since she was a youngling these truths dwelled in her being and continue to do so. 
Yes, I look up to my little sister. 

She is a beautifully woven individual and it has been the utmost blessings to see the way she has blossomed into this young lady who leaves people awestruck. Julia is wholeheartedly dedicated to her Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is evident to all that know her - her faith and love for Him is one of great passion and fervor. 

I have the privilege of watching my Julia grow up from afar, though it is not easy being far away from her for long periods of time, I am able to see things only visible to a far off eye - I see the growth. I see where she is, how she got there, and where she is going. I am so excited for her life to continue to unfold before our eyes. What a blessing this girl is - I adore her with my all.  

Thank you for deeply blessing me with fifteen years of your sweet life. 

I love you, my nugget. 

my voice you shall hear

P S A L M S  5:3 

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; 

In the morning I will direct it to You, 

And I will look up 

When was the last time you read Scripture aloud? 

This is something I am so passionate about and I encourage you all to give it a try. 

Start out in Psalms, let the words ring in your ears and as you speak them let them become your words and your praise. I believe that God's Word is alive and active - let us not limit it to words on a page but let us proclaim and adopt His Word as our own. It will enrich our souls and will crush the lies of the enemy that too often ring in our ears. 

photo credit: highonflowers.tumblr.com

you will find rest.

Pain & sorrow is a very very real thing.
That reality should never go unnoticed.
For some, these pains & aches are all they know.
For some, these are new wounds
and for others, sorrows are quickly approaching on the horizon.

I've seen so many suffering brothers and sisters. I've sat with them, I've listened to their stories of tragedy and it pains my soul. It is a discomforting reality to experience for oneself and especially to watch someone experiencing it.

I've experienced it & you've experienced it too.
To us all, we are being called:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." | Matthew 11:28-29 

The Almighty God who reigns over all things, is beckoning you to come. Listen, go to Jesus as you are - whatever that is at the moment. He wants you to simply show up and lay all your brokenness, all your burdens, all your anxiousness, and all your mess at his feet. Jesus desires to come alongside you and bear your heaviness and deep sufferings with you. And we are promised to find rest with him.

His gaze is upon you and it will not leave. His love is fixated on you and He is patiently waiting to win your heart and heal your wounds. 

hope & prayers sent to you. 

risky business

Then the time came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom | Anais Nin 

Is this not so beautifully and accurately articulated?!

Something stirred within my being as I read this through and through - My heart moved me to respond. 

There is something so very real about this – risk.

It takes RISK in both remaining stagnant and RISK in causing movement.

Risk is risky – there’s not much else to it. One must choose which risk is most worth it.

God risked his only Son, Jesus. This was a risky move on God’s part, however He knew that it was for the betterment of all mankind – it was a risk worthy of taking. Not risking His Son would be a risk as well. He knew that this would cause more pain and more devastation than it would do well for all whom He loves and created. And so, He chose the Greater Risk.

We must follow suit. 

One | weigh the risks

Two | RISK

Three | watch beauty blossom

Everything beautiful requires risk. It takes risk to love someone. It takes risk to follow Jesus. It takes risk to speak in front of people. It takes risk to get out of bed everyday. It takes risk to speak truth. 

There is beauty in risk and “every experience of beauty points to eternity” | Hans Urs von Balthasar

It is my prayer that we risk more but not merely for the sake of risking; instead, may we risk on behalf of the greater good, for the greater purpose. May we not risk in vain but with great consideration and with purpose. And may we always risk with love written on our hearts, always remembering the Great Risk that God made because of His love for us all.

| no relevance whatsoever just a whole lot of cute | 

| c o n t e n t m e n t |

This year is a strange one - not in a bad way, just in a unique way. 

Each day he is teaching me & sometimes most times I fail but I am learning that what God cares about the most is that we are willing to follow him and to learn from him even if we do fail. He loves us still. 

His love is steadfast for us - unchanging and unwavering. 

This summer, God revealed to me so much about myself and what it means to have a steadfast heart for Christ. I am learning what it means to give up ALL control and when I say "all" i mean ALL. It's kind of crazy how God works sometimes, I am still unsure as to what he is doing in my life but i see that it is good. 

| be okay with the stillness because it possesses much beauty |

natalie summer jasmine

natalie summer jasmine alvarez

{thats right TWO middle names}

a girl with whit & lots of it, let me tell ya. goodness.

she is quite an extraordinary young woman.

she's beautifuly unique in the way she views people and this world.

judgement is not in her vocabulary -- she sees people not for what they seem to be but for who they are. & that right there is a divine gift from God. She loves people with such passion and vigor and somehow makes each person feel like a prized possession and she does this with such ease. simply because that is how God created her innately.

So what will you find natalie summer jasmine alvarez doing on the day to day?

l a u g h i n g at something or other.

when you get her and I together, you best believe you will see us literally gasping for air between the heavy duty laughter that occurs and banging our fists on the wall, table, or carpet in need to physically express our happiness. gosh, i laugh just thinking of what we might look like to the outside world when this happens on the daily.

shes just a fun, happy-go-lucky lady.

If you are so lucky to come across this gem, you just hit the JACKPOT because you just inherited a loyal friend for life. I am SO blessed to have her as my big sis. Her love for God is deeply contagious and her joy in Jesus is rich.

Like a fine wine, she just gets better with age. {i've always wanted to use that one day}

happy 24th, woman! 

{just your casual face swap} 

you shall seek, you shall find me

In life we are constantly seeking.
In whatever we do, we do it all to be found and to be known.
And sometimes most times what we seek, we do not find.
This is a discouraging time because we have been designed to be known and to be understood.
We are made to know our Maker.
This Maker of our being tells us:
"He loves those who love Him, and those who seek Him find Him" (Proverbs 8:17)
no doubt about it.
If you seek, you will surely find.
Not only will you find but you will be known by the One who so purposefully wove you together.
By the one who has plans for you.
But not just any ole plan, BIGGER than LIFE itself plans.
Grand plans and purposes for your life that are unique to your specific passions and gifts.
Plans that can & will change the world if you allow God to do so with your life.

Do you believe that God can CHANGE THE WORLD using YOU?!

It is so easy to view God through this world's lens - limiting Him to human capabilities.

I have f a i t h  that my life is going to help change the world through the glorious workings of Jesus Christ through the willingness of a vessel such as myself.

do you truly believe? 

believe & be amazed.