Monday, July 22, 2013

Tattoo!!! In BB Land it ain't that little teeny dude in Fantasy Island!



Hey peeps!


This is your blonde BB, Jenny, speaking about…what else?  Our TATTOOS!


We BB’s LOVE us a tattoo… Bear with us... this is NOT a campaign for running out to your local tattoo parlor.

We’re talking if we could be TATTED OUT, we would be! We have often thought about buying fake sleeves and wearing them everywhere for the sheer pleasure of flipping some peeps OUT. We can just see the people-watching fun this could create!!

In all seriousness, we do love our tattoos. Not because its cool, not because we like the way it looks, and definitely not because we've had too many glasses of chardonnay and thought a meaningless anchor or infinity sign was a necessity while visiting the beaches of Panama City. (Insert apologies here to anyone who has either one of those tats or loves them some PCB. BB’s are not haters) ;)


We love our tattoos because

a.     We delight daily in their meanings

b.     We LOVE the curious looks and the soon to follow, “What does your tattoo say?”   which leads to the inevitable sharing of the name, JESUS

c:     The beautiful, amazing, wonderfully spiritual, and magical “HOLY SPIRIT     
        WITH US" experience that became our first tattoo: Beautifully Broken.



Anna and I have matching tattoos, but our stories behind this beautiful symbol that we carefully chose to etch into our skin is dramatically different. Different in the roads we have traveled, but completely hand in hand in WHERE we were in our journey: we were totally, unabashedly BROKEN.

And it was beautiful....

Beautiful to SHARE, beautiful to walk through, and beautiful because our unfailing God brought us to this point...together. 

"Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." Mark 5:17 ESV

The Holy Spirit had been whispering to me the word “broken” for some time. I was FINALLY, after a long period of struggle at a point where I could actually THANK GOD for all the bumps, bruises, scars, and shame that life, whether of my own control or passed on to me from others, had endured. (Hold please, we will go into our stories more in the future).

I had just finished reading Captivating for the second time and God had graciously filled my heart with the peace that surpasses all understanding and I had the understanding that all the CRAP of my life was NAILED TO THE CROSS…and therefore, my brokenness, as ugly as it was, was made beautiful.

Then you will experience God’s Peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7

Beautifully broken...the words resonated in my head and heart and as I shared this with Anna, she LIT UP with songs and scripture (as she does) that laid truth to these words. We were on FIRE (or firah…if you are a true BB ;). We decided on the Hebrew symbols and did our homework and within a week, WE WERE READY! What we wanted was a tangible daily reminder of God’s abundant, all consuming, completely covering, amazing grace. We chose our left wrist, the same as our ring finger, to symbolize our bond with our savior.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.  Ecclesiastes 3:11

By word of mouth we came upon a Christian tattoo artist in Alabaster named Alley. We were NERVOUS.... Nervous it would hurt... Nervous about the permanence.... Nervous about everything...this was so out of our box! But so, so perfect! I actually remember Anna and I praying over this process...praying we would be able to use it tell others our story and more importantly our Creator's story…praying it would be a daily reminder for each of us… praying it would be a way we could remind each other to stand strong…praying we wouldn’t get hepatitis…praying Jay (my husband) wouldn’t kill us.  We just PRAYED!



It was the start of something beautiful...

Enter Alley… Alley is the most professional, kind, open, honest, talented and beautiful soul. She has an absolutely amazing gift of just calming your heart. Anna and I were in love.

I won't go into too much detail of us sharing of stories. It wasn't something planned... It was truly a time where the Holy Spirit completely took over, held our hearts in his healing hands, and SPOKE...we both took our turns in the chair, both unabashedly sharing God’s grace in our lives, completely comfortable and willing to allow Jesus to unburden our little hearts. We hardly felt a thing. We spoke and shared things that had never been said, hurts that had never been let go of, tears that needed to be spilled, and victories in our sweet Jesus.

We can both say when we left there we felt ALIVE... We were like children laughing and squealing with sheer joy. For at least that moment we felt completely free, completely broken, and absolutely beautiful.

Now we aren’t saying go run out and get a tattoo! We are saying be creative in your walk with God!  And give him glory when He is ever faithful… be He IS ever faithful!  He IS Jehovah Jireh.  We’ve all been through something.  Brokenness is relative.  What brings you to your knees may make me jump for joy because it’s not as bad is the last pain I endured.  Just like Samuel (in I Samuel 7:12) placed a stone as a marker to proclaim “up to this point the LORD has helped us”, Anna and I place a tattoo on our arm as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and grace up to THIS point in our lives!



(From “Come Thou Fount”)

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I come
Oh, and I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home


Our BB prayer to you is to listen to the voice of Jesus and what he is whispering to you. Don’t be afraid to raise your Ebenezer, as the song says, and be proud of the road you’ve traveled.  This verse says it all!  Remember we are all in this together!

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.  For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.  Hebrews 11:39-40

We can be certain of this: He is always calling us to His everlasting arms, to His grace, His forgiveness, and His redeeming love.

Holla-lujah!



XOXO,

Jenny (and Anna)


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Listening to God's voice and other Facebook randomness

Stop and fall on your knees and listen to God's voice today!

"I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me." -C.S. Lewis


 

"Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God's voice is its most essential part. Listening to God's voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine." - Andrew Murray

 

BB's gotsta keep the feelings in check!
 Feelings per se are not sinful, but they can be temptations to sin. -Sarah Young

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 ESV)

An afternoon Jesus Calling moment because BBs love love love Sarah Young!!!


We are in this together!

We love this verse in Hebrews after the descriptions of the trials that Christians have been through. It takes the brokenness of all us to make His story perfectly beautiful. We are reminded yet again that we were not made for this world! We are one big ole BB army fighting for His Kingdom!

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39, 40 ESV)


Jenni Scott on Hearing God's Voice

Jenni Scott on Hearing God's Voice

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:14 ESV)

Jenni Scott honestly shares about how God speaks to us.

"I have been that one that when I have heard someone say " God told me..." I have been that one to question..how in the world do you hear? I can honestly say that I don't believe I have heard that whisper, or voice. For me I have had to learn that God speaks to me in my own unique way where only I can hear Him...sometimes through a song, a friend, a quote, in a conversation...and yes, sometimes a sledgehammer. Yes I have had those times where God has allowed the most difficult situations to affect me so much that it feels like a sledgehammer has hit me in the head in order to get me attention. God knows exactly how to get my attention. I am so thankful He knows me that well. But I have learned more importantly that when I stop DOING and be STILL...that I do "hear" Him...Favorite verse...". Exodus14:14---The Lord is fighting for you..all you have to do is be still.

Sally Wesley On Hearing God's Voice

Sally Wesley On Hearing God's Voice

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalms 139:16 NLT)

Sally Wesley has an amazing story of perseverance and knowing God's voice! The last line says it all peeps!!

She writes, "God speaks to me loudly and forcefully because I am one of his children that he made hard-headed and strong-willed, desiring to be in control. In general, my life has been wonderful! Never too much to deal with. In fact, too good to be true! When I desired a child, a beautiful, strong-willed daughter was born. When I desired another, 2 wonderful boys were received. That was the first "bump" in the road: 7 weeks pre-mature. One was very sick, but through it all, God gave me a PEACE about the whole experience. I never doubted that HE would take care of this baby and he did. Next bump came when my daughter was 12 years old and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. FEAR did cross my mind but again the LORD put a wonderful doctor in our lives who told us that she would be fine. She went through a lot but she was fine. Again, PEACE through the storm! The latest bump, well, it's on my head or in it! I had symptoms (disorientation, dizziness) for about 4 weeks when I finally decided to see a doctor. An entire week passed without any results. Then one day, I had what I called an "episode" which was a seizure, blacked out, and fell down 5 brick steps and into a natural area. I should have hit the sidewalk head first but "SOMEONE" lifted me up and over to safe ground. WAKE UP CALL!! This is where God said, "I've tried to make you aware and you're not paying close attention!" Now, do I think God wanted me to fall? Absolutely not! BUT I do think he allowed me to fall so that I could see that this was serious. Next day brought all kinds of tests including an MRI which showed a BENIGN tumor on my brain. Did you get that? BENIGN! Again PEACE! It must come out because it is causing the seizures and will continue to grow. Thank you Jesus for being a loving, forceful Father who takes care of me and I KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN CONTROL! These "bumps" may have seemed bad (bad is different for everyone) however I have confidence that my Lord will take care of me. He's knows the story...he wrote it."

Ashley Dawson on Hearing God's Voice

Ashley Dawson on Hearing God's Voice

Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. (Psalms 143:8 NLT)

Ashley Dawson shares with us this morning!! Read this strong momma's words about how she hears God's voice!!

"I would love to sound poetic and say that I hear God's voice in the stillness of the morning while I am having my coffee and quiet time...(this is where you hear the scratching sound of the record coming to a complete stop) ... truth be told, it is in all the hustle and bustle of daily life, the busy schedules, the constant moving around me that I hear God's voice. It is when I least expect to find it in a verse of a song on the radio, words on a billboard, or thru the words spoken to me by one of my children.... it is during my "busyness" when my eyes and ears aren't focused on Him, that he reminds me He is always there leading me thru my day!"

Marc Phillips on PBB's

Marc Phillips on PBB's
Point your kids in the right direction— when they’re old they won’t be lost. (Proverbs 22:6 MSG)

(No typo, this verse bears repeating!!)

Marc Phillips is our last to share this week with regards to our little ones and how they are a reminder of Gods's unbelievable love for us as His children.

"I am a single Dad with 3 beautiful daughters.  It's very interesting how time and maturity changes your way of looking at life and yourself. When I was younger I can remember thinking, "I never want children".  It was all about me and my career and I didn't have time for kids. Now I don't know what I would do without them.

There are two very distinct times in life when I feel like the presence of God is nearby. One is in death and the other is at the time of birth. The memory of each of my children being born will forever be in my mind . It is embedded.  It is something that I will never forget. The way they smelled, the shape of their hands, feet, ears, the color of their eyes, the softness of their skin,  the sound of their voices crying out for life, I could go on an on an on!!!! 

I can also remember, that I had an immediate bond with my girls from the moment I laid eyes on them. I had never known a love like this before. It was a different kind of love than I had ever experienced.  It was love at first sight! It was the first time that I saw a small glimpse of the kind of love that maybe God has for me...... and for that matter, all of us. Unfailing, unconditional, never ending, nothing can separate you....kind of love. It was indeed a miracle!!!! I feel incredibly blessed to have had three of them.

Don't get me wrong the years have not always been a bed of roses. Having kids (having girls) can be a challenge. They will hurt you, lie to you, break your heart, and even make you wonder why did I ever want these people in the first place? Sometimes they will force you to ask the question, who is this person standing in front of me calling me Dad and asking for money and in the same breath telling me how uncool I really am? (Are you kidding me!!) Surely they don't belong to me. My children would never talk to me like this or act this way in public.....EVER!!!  Boy was I wrong!

One thing I know for sure is that I am a product of Proverbs 22:6  and I love the way The Message Bible translates this verse.  "Point your kids in the right direction-when they're old they won't be lost" Or if your a KJV type of person, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it".

I pray this for my children and I stand on this as a parent because I know first hand that it is the truth, and my parents stood on that same truth when I was young and thought that I knew all that there was to know! Often times I hurt my mother and father, lied to them and broke their hearts into a thousand pieces but they never gave up on me.

So, no matter what age your child is, you can always be an influence in their life. Love them no matter how they act, what they say, or what they do.

Thank you Lord for my parents. Thank you Lord for letting me be a parent and thank you Lord for letting me take care of Your children for the little time that I  have here on this earth. What an honor it is to be a father.

When ever I think to myself life is too busy and I don't have time for my kids, I begin to wonder what would I ever do without them!!

Shirley Welch on PBB's

Shirley Welch on PBB's

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22: 6. 

Today Shirley Welch, aka Bubbles to all her many grandkids (Jenny and I included) shares her heart with us.

"It was a joy to watch my grown daughter with her children this past week at the beach.  I was raised in church.  She was raised in a Christian home and church. Now she is raising her children the same way. I'm very proud of them all. We all need unconditional love from many. I love pouring love and time into our children at church & in the community because I know there are peoole doing the same to mine in another state. I love giving and getting hugs . It helps me not miss mine so much."
-Bubbles

Brenda Oakley on PBB's

Brenda Oakley on PBB's

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14 NIV)

Brenda Oakley, retired school teacher, shares about ministering to our kiddos.

Teach your children to be IN the world but not OF the world.  
Teach them that it's better to be kind than to be popular. 
It's better to be honest than to be rich. 
It's better to be a giver than a taker. 
It's better to be loved than be admired. 
 It's better to be happy than successful. 
It's better to follow God than the world.
Don't just believe Jesus, but follow him. 
This road is very hard but the rewards are priceless!

James Spann on PBB's

James Spann on PBB's

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

From the words of one James to another… James Spann, a remarkable leader, dad, husband, servant of Christ, and man unabashedly willing to wear a Robin Hood outfit in the streets of Montgomery, gives us these words today about our PBBs.

“Children are a gift from God. There are days for parents they might seem like a curse from God, but if you have kids, you are blessed.

When it comes to raising children, the days are long, but the years are short. You have them for 18 years, and then they are turned back to God. Those 18 years roll by like a meteor streaking through the night; enjoy the days, hours, and minutes. Make time for your
children, and make memories. Let them know that you will always love them, you will never leave them, and if they screw up, you are going to get them.

And, let your kids be a reminder that sometimes, as adults, we take life too seriously!”

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Sandy Stephenson on PBB's

Sandy Stephenson on PBB's


Our first guest post was from a remarkable BB, Sandy Stephenson. She is the Children's Minister at Double Oak Community Church. She tells us, “Take advantage of the daily routines to connect with your children.  Encourage them as they go out the door in the mornings.  Teach them as you eat your meals together.  Chat with them in the car as they tell you about their day.  Listen to their heart as you tuck them into bed at night.  So often I overlooked these opportunities with my own children!”




PBB's

PBB's


"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:10-11 NIV

Don't forget about your PBBs today (that's Petite BBs for all you newB's). Even if you don't have children, you are crucial in the lives of kids around you! Put the cell phone down and listen, sing, play, blow those fuzzy things off dandelions, teach them how to lick a honeysuckle, ENJOY summer!! They would much rather have time with you than that silly xbox thingy.

Friday, July 12, 2013

BB Vocab 101

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BB Vocab 101
Alright (aw-riiiite) class is now in session!

We realize that if any of you have ever walked into one of our conversations, while we are in full BB Fabulous mode, you may have thought we were speaking in tongues or had possibly taken up a strange foreign language that contained an extinct dialect.  We call this silliness the BB voice.  It is truly a mystery how this strange and addictive language began, but it has become a staple to our friendship.  And in respect for anyone that has to endure this strange little language, we felt that it was only fair to let you guys in on the meaning behind the nonsense.  (Definitions and examples to follow).

Our words are silly and drive people completely crazy, because soon they begin to use these words (or the accent) in every day conversation, which causes them to be stared at like the BB aliens have taken over their brain.  They start shortening words and replying with simply "whatevs."  They start mixing words and all of a sudden a cute dress is now described as "fairy-liscous".  They stop a dramatic and seemingly over the top conversation by telling the other person "shut it down, I ain't got no time fo that".  And when describing the way someone erratically came through the house cracked out on caffeine, they'd say the person was "spider monkey crazy".  They then stop and blink in amazement that they just used such foolish language in everyday life.

What we started realizing is that there are two major threads that run through our little language.  Just like agape means way more than just love, our silly words, like the weird pronunciation of alright, means much more than just simply “alright”.  We are able to talk about serious topics while keeping things light and joyful.  It has never taken away from the gravity of the situation, but instead kept us grounded in knowing that our journey is way larger than the darkness we have to endure here on earth… a reminder that we were created for much more.  It’s a way to keep the child like faith and view of the Kingdom of God that Jesus describes.  And it’s a way to keep a thread of joy in all we BB’s do! 

The second thing we discovered is that just like we all have different voices, this was our little love language in our friendship.  It’s how a kid can yell “mom” in a crowd of 100 moms, and only one mom answers.  And it’s a reminder that God speaks to each of us in His own way; through His own words made especially for us individually.  We love how Jesus says is John chapter 10 that not only do the sheep know the shepherd’s voice, but they RUN from a stranger’s voice.

John 10:3-5
He calls his sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.

The thing to remember is that eventually we ALL (read every single person ever created) are going to hear God’s voice and ALL bow down before Him, but we will NOT ALL be going to His Kingdom.  We pray you listen to his voice! Sarah Young in Jesus Calling writes, “Stop worrying long enough to hear my voice… Ask My Spirit to quiet your mind so that you can think My thoughts… Do not be deafened by the noise of the world or that of your own thinking.  Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” 

Deuteronomy 30:20
That you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.  For the LORD is your life, and He will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Isaac, and Jacob.

Now in an attempt to continue to keep you feeling welcome and in the BB loop, here’s a look at the definitions of just some of our silly words.  Remember that these were originally designed to give a broad sense of how we were dealing with the day-to-day darkness that each of us face each day.  And quite honestly, all that darkness does NOT do a BB good.  It makes our coloring ALL wrong.  And yes, we completely realize that they are nonsensical in nature... that's what keeps up laughing at the days to come!

  • BB- Beautifully Broken- that’s ALL of us! 
  • PBB- La Petite BB or the little people in our lives (not just our own children)
  •  Alright (pronounced aw-riiite)- term for things be truly ok on a larger scale.  Maybe we don’t like the situation, but just confirming with an “alright” means our hearts are ok. 
  • Sousa- This is for all things crazy.  Spellcheck is our ever present enemy and this was spellcheck correction for who knows what! Similar to the made up character Towanda in Fried Green Tomatoes. 
  • Flomaton (pronounced Flo-ma-tion)- Random city in Alabama that we mispronounce.  Means that someone is WAY off track literally or figuratively. 
  • Spider monkey- spastic, goofy, crazy behavior out of an individual.  Usually quick and maybe even a tad elusive… like a rabid little spidermoney jumping out of the bushes. 
  • Holla-lujah- When we see God at work on any level in our lives, we give our own version of Hallejujah… HOLLAlujah. 
  • Shut it down/Simmer/Turn it off- This comes up when anyone is headed down an illogical or overly dramatic bunny trail.  We request to “shut it down” before the crazy goes any further.  A simple way of setting up boundaries. 
  •  Whatevs/I don’t have no time for that-  Again, usually in reference to drama because we; in fact, don’t have time for that. 
  • Fabulous- anything that is gleaming with God’s glory and grace. 
  • Blink Blink- (think Spongebob and his big silly eyelashes)  This is when there are literally no words to respond and in sheer amazement we stand in a dumb stupor blinking helplessly. 
  • I love you so hard- We tell peeps this when we are overcome with BB love for someone. 
  • Lost my/your brain- This would be in reference to those events in which poor decisions are made it seems that someone has truly lost their brain. 
  • I ain’t got no pants on- No worries.  This is less literal than figurative, so need to tell our deacon.  Similar to the term “being caught with your pants down” meaning that we are unprepared for a situation. 
  • Dum-Dums- this happens when we are tired physically or emotionally and can’t seem to think straight.  Overall dumbness as opposed to losing our brain in a single situation. 
  • Fairy- “very” or “exceedingly”.  Usually put before a word.  i.e. fairy fabulous, fairyliscious.  More on the Fairy silliness later.

We pray that you will take the time to find your voice in this world.  We are made for so much more fabulousness than we can see.  Our hearts would burst if ever given just a glimpse of God’s BIG plans.

XOXO,
Jenny and Anna 

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Welcome to BB land!!


 People ask us constantly, “what is a BB?”  They see our BB comments on Facebook and think we are both just nuts that flitter through life with fairy wings and tutus and throw glitter on people to make them laugh… or in their eyes if they cross us.  They think we have had a glass too many of chardonnay and assume we are just giggly fools that take too many pictures and are consumed with fashion and, well, ourselves in general.

People, it is time you join the BB movement.  You have us all wrong.  We confess to occasionally wearing fairy wings and tutus and perhaps a little glitter (although we won’t throw it in your eyes… most of the time anyway).  And we do confess to an occasional glass of wine, and too many pictures, and loving fashion, and loving ourselves… but all in moderation.  And the thing, to which we proudly confess, is ridiculous laughter.  God gave us laughter.  He created the silly giggle that uncontrollably pours out of your heart when overjoyed.  We just happen to have a lot of the joy stuff.  
Little do you know, however, we have truly learned to embrace and foster joy through trial and harsh circumstances.  We are a hot mess.  Our joy bubbles over.  We can’t help it.  God has brought us through sheer brokenness and made things beautiful!  We are Beautifully Broken (get it?  …“BB”).

We completely understand, first hand, that we live in a broken, disgusting, sinful, dark place.  We know more brokenness is down the road, but we have learned to live in the beauty of the brokenness because this world is temporary.  This world is not our home.

Many times this joy can be mistaken for apathy.  Please don’t misunderstand.  This excerpt from Jesus Calling speaks so clearly of how, as Christians, we must learned to release ourselves from the darkness of this world and trust the only One that can complete us and make things beautiful.  “Learn to laugh at yourself more freely. Don’t take yourself or your circumstances so seriously. Relax and know that I am God with you. When you desire My will above all else, life becomes much less threatening. Stop trying to monitor My responsibilities—things that are beyond your control. Find freedom by accepting the boundaries of your domain.”

We hope you enjoy our blog and our posts.  You’ll be hearing from us as well as many guest bloggers.  Our hope is that you will get to see some realness through these testimonies.  Some wounds.  Some healing.  No rose colored glasses allowed.  This is a place of community and acceptance.  We pray that each of you will learn to laugh and be joyful in all things.  ALL things people!! 

So, follow us here and on Twitter (@GodsBBs) and on Facebook (Beautifully Broken)!  And spread the word!!  

XOXO,
Jenny and Anna