day 31: core story

core story. what central story is at the core of you, and how do you share it with the world?

my core story revolves around a man who gave His life for me. without Him, i wouldn't breathe. i wouldn't dream. i wouldn't have a purpose. my "about me" section expresses my mindset when i wake up each morning.


"i'm just a 24 year old on a mission. a mission to serve my King and offer my life as one continuous act of worship that honors Him. i am part of a bigger story unfolding around me and i want the world to know and encounter the joy i've found in serving my King. God does not exist to make a big deal out of me. i exist to make a big deal out of Him. my life is a broken sacrifice and i am ready and willing to follow wherever He leads me."


Christ died to give me the very life i live. His dying breath was my breath of life. i pray i never lose sight of His beautiful sacrifice and my disgusting need of His grace. i'm a sinner in need of a Savior. nothing i do is beautiful. or praiseworthy. or true. or right. or noble. or generous. or kind. i am a prideful, selfish, manipulative, self-seeking woman. but i'm saved by grace. and it's only by His grace that i can make a difference in this world. He invades my being and i become His hands, His voice, His feet, and His love to a world of filthy sinners just like me.


as i recognize my filth before my Maker, my only response is to humbly come into his holy presence with a renewed desire to make His name known among the nations. Christ and His work on the cross are at the center of all i do. without Him, i am nothing. and i do nothing.


bekah

live unashamedly :: laugh uncontrollably :: love unconditionally.

day 30: gift

gift. this month, gifts and gift-giving can seem inescapable. what's the most memorable gift, tangible or emotional, you received this year?

i'm jumping the gun on this one, but i'm going to go ahead and say that my trip to Passion in a few days was the best gift of 2010. Technically i got the gift in 2010 when i bought my ticket and mom and dad paid me back as part of my Christmas this year. but i realize that's semi-cheating.

that being said: i loved my trip to Cabo with Tracy in May. little did we know that was one of her final hurrahs as a single woman. we both desperately needed a break from communication, emails, offices, and work. and we got it. we bought our tickets and started our Cabo countdown. i loved having that time with her and will treasure that trip for a long time.

(what trip is complete without a jumping pic?)

i always prefer experiences over things anyway. things break and get old. but the memories from the trips last a lifetime. we'll see where 2011 takes me!!

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 29: defining moment

defining moment. describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year.

hmmm...once again, i can't pinpoint a single moment. but i can look back and see the Lord's hand at work in numerous ways. both big and small. He is preparing me for what's next. i have no idea what or where that is, but i know this is a season of preparation. a time for me to pursue Him. a time for me to trust. to grow. to glean wisdom and insight from those He places in my life.

this year He has rekindled old friendships, begun new ones, and graciously maintained so many. i'm blessed. i know that some people come into my life for a season and some are here for the long haul. but either way, i know that each person carries the opportunity for me to learn something more about my Creator God. a new truth. a gentle reminder. an encouragement to press on. a challenge to heed. i pray that my eyes and heart would always be open to the Lord working through each person He puts in my path. however long or short that may be.

2010 was a year of growth. a year of taking chances, making changes, and walking forward in obedience. (and i can't imagine that 2011 will be an exception.) i'm taking these lessons with me as i walk into a new year with unseen challenges and difficult decisions that inevitably lie ahead.

may my eyes continue to be open to the ways the Lord is working in my life daily to draw me into a deeper understanding of Him and desire to pursue Him above all else.

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 28: achieve

achieve. what's the thing you most want to achieve next year? how do you imagine you'll feel when you get it? free? happy? complete? blissful? write that feeling down. then, brainstorm 10 things you can do, or 10 new thoughts you can think, in order to experience that feeling today.

discipline. discipline in every area of my life. i'm not completely undisciplined, but i've come to realize in the past few months just how much i need a bigger dose of it in my life. i look at my constant exhaustion, poor diet, and neglected relationships as three strong pieces of evidence not in my favor.

2011 will bring changes for me. i'm stubborn. and i've set my mind to it. stubbornness is only a character flaw when you're wrong. and in this case, i know i'm not wrong in saying i need to step up my game. a quote that i came across years ago has been ringing in my head non-stop since i decided that discipline was going to be my theme for 2011.

"the pain of self-discipline is far less than the pain of regret."

i know that my discipline will bring a host of feelings for me. freedom. peace. rest. confidence. intimacy. passion. strength. trust. determination. honor.

i'm ready for the challenges that lie ahead in the new year and i'm ready to celebrate the victories that i know will come. but not by any of my doing. my disciplined approach is well-intentioned, but the glory will still be only His when i succeed.

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 27: ordinary joy

ordinary joy. our most profound joy is often experienced during ordinary moments. what was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year?

again, i think i'm copping out, but oh well. i'm sitting here racking my brain trying to think of one moment that stands out, but all i come up with is a flood of moments. all of them revolve around a note, a card, a phone call, a text, an email, or some form of communication that contained a word of encouragement. the author may not have intended to speak my love language, but they did. short. long. well-crafted. jotted down. intentional. unintentional. either way, the words still echo in my mind.

receiving written or spoken words of encouragement (or affirmation) is one of life's greatest joys for me. this is not a shameless plug for everyone to go around tooting my horn by telling me i'm awesome. but it is a thank you to those of you who did speak or write encouraging words to me at some point this past year. it wasn't an easy one. and, if i did my math right, 2011 won't be any easier.

it's funny how i can recall specific comments and words well after they've been spoken. words are powerful. their echoes are endless. and i'm grateful to be surrounded by people who ephesians 4:29 me.

so, i think i owe a big fat thank you to all my friends, family members, teammates, players, roommates, co-workers, mentors, bosses, team parents, and strangers who blessed me with words of encouragement this year in one way or another.

ephesians 4:29,

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 26: soul food

soul food. what did you eat this year that you will never forget? what went into your mouth & touched your soul?

if you know me at all, you know how much i love food. i know it's not a joking matter, but i've always said the Lord somehow protected me from every type of eating disorder. i love food too much to not eat on purpose. i hate to throw up and can't imagine doing it daily. and i'm too innately lazy to over-exercise myself into oblivion. that being said, i typically plan social gatherings around food. everyone has to eat, so why not kill two birds with one stone? (maybe that's just my pride in being as efficient as possible speaking up)

all that aside, i had some fabulous food in 2010. because i love food so much it's hard to pinpoint one meal as taste buds and swallows above the rest. but here are the few that come to mind first:

• fresh organic salads from Whole Foods & Earthfare are always a treat.
• mom's home-cooking is delicious.
• Melissa's wedding cake was smack my mama good.
• chips and salsa in Cabo was out of this world.
• homemade beignets with Kat was priceless.
• hummus and grilled pita bread at Bleu Olive is unmatched.
• icky at K-Wet is special.
• and free food always tastes good!!

my soul food from 2010 is the reservoir of memories and conversations i shared with people over the aforementioned meals (and numerous others). relationships are important to me and food has a way of bringing people together. i'm hoping for many more great meals in 2011, but i'm even more excited for the conversations and memories that will come as a result.

munching on my honey sesame sticks,

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 25: photo

photo. a present to yourself. sift through all the photos of you from the past year. choose one that best captures you, either who you are, or who you strive to be. find the shot of you that is worth a thousand words. share the image. who shot it, where, and what it best reveals about you.

well, since i'm a picture nazi and have more than my fair share of photos to "sift" through, i'm going to cheat on this prompt and use an old photo. i could be here all day if i wanted to "sift through all the photos of me from the past year." yeesh!!

i'm going back to one of my all-time favorite pics. being Christmas and all, family is at the forefront of my mind. yes, i'm incredibly incredibly blessed by the men and women i call my friends (and who choose to still be associated with me), but right now i can't help but think of how blessed i am to come from such a godly heritage. two parents and two sets of grandparents who love the Lord deeply and have lived purposeful lives that point to the gospel of His grace.

all that to say, i'm especially grateful for my pops. he sets the pace for the fam. the bar is high. he is a man of integrity, passion, commitment, intentionality, wisdom, and is just plain fun. but that's just a few.

the pic below is one of my favorites of dad because it was taken in Asheville at the base of Pisgah Mountain just before we made the fun hike to the top. not a long hike, but a fun one that makes you break a sweat. my beautiful NC mountains are in the background and my pops is next to me. God is good. (props to mom who managed to snap a pic that wasn't blurry or terribly off-centered...thanks to her for capturing such a fun moment!!). i wish our faces weren't so shadowed, but eh, life isn't perfect. and neither is this pic. love you dad!! i'm following your example as you follow the example of Christ (1 cor 11:1).

merry christmas from the mountains of western north carolina!!

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 24: everything's ok

everything's ok. what was the best moment that could serve as proof that everything is going to be alright? and how will you incorporate that discovery into the year ahead?

my first response to this prompt is condescending. as if the prompter is waiting for me to award some "chance" encounter the "life-changing moment of the year award". maybe that's just my critical spirit seeping through. but that's how i felt when i first read it.

truth be told, i don't have a single moment i can recall from this year that made me feel like everything would be okay. i had numerous moments. big ones. small ones. defining ones. seemingly insignificant ones. yet each one was an encounter with my God. with the One who made me. who called me. who loves me. who pursues me. who waits for me. who leads me.

i continue to doubt and run. i try things my way. and i fail. yet He is faithful. He calms my anxious heart. He runs to me when all i can do is take a single step. He brings peace. i can rest. i know He is sovereign. every moment is under His control. not mine. everything will be more than okay. it will be far greater than i could ever ask or imagine.

"now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! amen." (ephesians 3:20)

merry christmas eve to everyone!

bekah

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.

day 23: new name

new name. let's meet again, for the first time. if you could introduce yourself to strangers by another name for just one day, what would it be and why?

there are lots of fun names out there, but i think i'd still stick with mine for the day. it's unique. i can't buy pencils at Wal-Mart or keychains at the beach with my name on it. [for the record, my children won't be able to either. i'm going unique for them as well. however, they will not have names that are seasons, fruits, or other hollywood-esque trends.]

selfishly, i just like my name. and the way i spell it. i always get weird looks when i begin to correct someone as they misspell it on my coffee, receipt, name tag, etc. i enjoy telling people that my name is Rebekah...R-E-B-E-K-A-H & that it's the Biblical spelling. usually starts up a good convo or creates a fabulously awkward moment. love it. and i always tip extra if someone spells it correctly without my help (or by cheating off my credit card). so, given the chance to change for a day, i'd stick with what mom and pops gave me 24 years and some odd days ago.

Rebekah (variant of Rebecca)

origin: Hebrew

"captivating; servant of God; peacemaker; trustworthy; to tie or bind"

live unashamedly. laugh uncontrollably. love unconditionally.