Sermon Notes - Rise Up

I always take notes during a sermon, but most of the time that's as far as it goes. I was really convicted over the past two weeks sermons, so I'm going to summarized them on here. This way, they don't sit on my notes app, never to be looked at again. I can study them, pray over them, and allow my friends and family to help keep me accountable. Also, I think it's good to practice humility and acknowledge your areas of weakness. That way, they don't stay in the dark. By bringing them to light, you conqueror them. So that's what I'm attempting to do. My husband and I are far from perfect, but we are hoping to grow closer to God and His calling for our life.

Let me just start with saying a few things. I have longed to be a part of a church home since I graduated high school. First Baptist Inola was where I was spiritually fed and invested. I went there for 10 years and knew EVERYONE! I was in choir, all the drama skits, piano solos, vocal solos, youth outreach, VBS volunteer, went to Falls Creek, Super Summer, etc. It was great and I looked forward to going every week. But when college happens, it is very difficult to get plugged into a church, because none of them feel like your old church home. And you're busy studying for school. And then you're gone for the summer. And then you move. And then you graduate. And then you plan a wedding. And then you get married. And then you're busy being married. And then..... The list goes on of excuses you have to keep yourself from getting involved.

Needless to say, Nathan and I have struggled with going to church consistently. We travel often and work a lot. Most of the time when we are at home, we're trying to clean up everything from the last time we were gone. We've been able to go on some awesome trips this past year, but it has really made it hard for our home life to thrive. Don't get me wrong; we're blessed and thankful for the opportunities we've had. But we also realize we need more balance!

We've been going to Frontline Church for almost 2 years now. And we LOVE it. We love the vision, the pastor, the people, the location, the worship. It's great. Even though a lot has happened in those past two years, we're not as involved as we would like to be. And I may be being a little hard on myself, but if I keep believing lies and making excuse, my spiritual life is just going to keep swimming in circles.

Now finally to the sermon notes. These messages are delivered by Rex Barrett.
3 Excuses of why we aren't being God's hands and feet.

1. I'm not worthy. We've messed up too much in the past and God can't use us. 
False.   2 Peter 1:8-9 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Forgiveness allows us to be joyful and our hearts to be moved to do missional works for God's glory. God restores us and makes us worthy to be apart of his plans. 

2. I'm waiting for God's will.  "Oh yeah, once God reveals His will for my life audibly, then I'll start doing it." or "I was on my way to church and got a flat tire, and I know I missed hearing God's will  for my life." God is a big God, and His plans for you won't be screwed up because of a flat tire. We should be in the word, asking for God to reveal it to us there! 

3. I am too busy.   This may be true, but business will steal your joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. And your lack of joy is cancerous. In busy seasons, you have to fight for joy and plan for rest. When we are busy, we're more likely to make bad decisions, ie not going to C group. And being busy with church things doesn't mean you're more spiritual. Spending quiet, alone time with the Holy Spirit means you're more spiritual. Always searching for the next exciting thing is not of The Lord. We need Jesus to prune the unnecessary things away so we can be fruitful and grow in Him. 

In summary: Rise up. Be a leader. Get involved in your church, in your community. Love your family, your co-workers, and your neighbors. 

My hope and prayer is that God would continue to stir in our hearts and that we would continue to get involved in our church. And be consistent. I signed up to work the nursery a few weeks ago and I am waiting to hear back. Today at church, Nathan signed up with me. :) 

XOXO 
Mrs. Phelps

365 Days of Love.

July 8th, 2012. That was the day I married my very best friend. Sounds cliche, I know. But really, we are besties. Sometimes we want to punch each other in the mouth.  (We never do, of course. But what best friend have you never gotten mad at?) Sometimes, we can communicate without speaking a word to each other; a simple look will say it all. And other times, we just roll around the floor in laughter because we have the same sense of humor.

This week is our 1 year anniversary. 1 whole year has passed since we said our vows. 365 days. Cray. You know they say the 1st year is the hardest. I can see that being true, and I hope it is!  I have to say it's definitely been challenging. Nathan travels a lot and it's been hard being at home so much when he's away. But, its also been nice to have a lot of girlfriend time!  And I always have my other boyfriend to keep me company when he's gone. His name is Harvey, and he's a 7lb toy poodle. He's presh.

Just to highlight the past year with some pictures (bc you should know by now that's how I communicate). A year in review:
From July 2012 to July 2013!

We were blessed to take a 1 year anniversary photo shoot by our dear friend, Molly Gates! She did a fantastic job. Here's a few more from our 1 year anniversary shoot. And our cake was YUMMY!

This year has gone by ridiculously fast. But its been very eventful, and we've been fortunate to travel a LOT. Hopefully next year will much just as much to offer, if not more. :) 

XOXO Mrs. Phelps

My Sister.

I've been reminded a lot of our wedding lately. The 8th was our sixth month anniversary and my wedding was also featured in a really prestigious wedding blog! Super cool! Check it out after you read the post at The Every Last Detail - Lauren did an awesome job!!

Our wedding such so. much. fun. It really is the best day of your life. You get to celebrate with all of your friends, family, and your new family. Everyone is there for one reason - to support you in your marriage. I have been truly blessed with some awesome friends and family. I just wanted to share something about one special lady who stood beside me and celebrated with me on the best day ever.

Kathryn, aka Sister, aka MOH, aka ROCKSTAR
Kathryn was my backbone on my wedding day. I was a stress ball before the ceremony started and she kept my calm and collected and helped everything run smoothly. I literally do not know what I would've done with out her zealous attitude and eagerness to help out where was needed. The list is too long to go through everything she did for me, and I don't even know all of it either! She helped make the day be as perfect as humanly possible and helped me enjoy it to the fullest. She was an unrivaled example of what a servant should look like. And I don't mean literal servant; I'm referring to a spiritual servant, how Christ instructs us to serve one another. My heart is still heavy and humbled when I think about how much peace and confidence she helped bring me on the most important day of my life.

Kathryn and I were very close when we were little girls. I looked up to her SO MUCH (and still do of course). I remember watching her color and draw. I would just sit there and stare for hours at how talented she was and perfectly she stayed in the lines. As we got older, that progressed to how cool and popular she was at school and church. And I wanted to be cool and popular like her too. She was always a better pianist player than me - naturally! So unfair. :) But I always enjoyed watching/listening to her play and sing thinking, "Ill be that good one day" (still waiting on that one...).

Note: Yes, that's me on the right, not Harrison. The little mermaid shirt is proof. 

Then there were the up and downs of teenage years.. and she moved off to college and I was a heinous troll to everyone around me haha. But I got through it by God's saving grace and we started becoming friends again on a more mature level. I remember visiting her at OBU and I had a blast! It was so fun and I thought college was awesome and couldn't wait to get there. I even got to sit in one of her classes with her.

Fun fact: Kathryn was Miss America Riverwalk 2007!! She competed in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. So legit! Its fine, I was Miss Hay Day Queen Inola the same year! Partttyyyy.

See how pretty? Famous to all of Oklahoma. She should've won!!

Yeah... at least my entourage had crowns/hats too. Pardon the bales of hay in the background.

She came and visited me a few times when I was in college (still feels like I have to go back...) and she went to one of my Phi Lamb date parties with me. We were CLEARLY the hottest people there.

Clearly.

And then SHE got married. She looked stunning and her wedding was a blast. I had a moment on stage as the ring bearer woo! She married a legit guy too! :) Hooray Mark!

Fun fact: Our birthdays are a week apart (and 4 years). They fall on the same day every year - hers is one week after mine!

She threw me the most amazing shower... and SO many people came it was a little nerve racking haha! It was SO cute and everything was perfect. Loved it!!!! She and Tiff and my mom and Ruth and April  and Karen and Nathan's mom and sisters and (everyone sorry if I missed you) worked really hard making it such a special day. :)

 Lastly...here are some cool pics of us at my wedding. She's the best sister in the whole wide world! I'm glad I only have one (blood) sister because if I had more I would have to lie to the others about loving them the same. :)

She gave The. Most. Touching. MOH speech/toast at the wedding.  It had me in streams of tears and double over in laughter!

Our fam!

All in all I am blessed beyond measure to live the life with the people I do. Thank you for all you have done and do for me, Kathryn! I love you dearly. :) XOXO

This has been such a fun post! Hope you've enjoy reading it.

RAWR!

XOXO
Bekah Boo

Life Insurance

Nathan and I recently got signed up for life insurance. It was pretty easy signing up for it since my mother works for Mass Mutual Co.

I'm all for us being covered in the event of an unlikely tragedy. That Nathan won't be left with my ungodly amount of student loans I acquired after 5 years of college (Thanks, Dental Hygiene school) if I unfortunately kick the bucket in my 20's. Nor will I be left with a mortgage, car payment, and other small debts to take care of on my own if Nathan bites the bullet too soon.

So that being said, I don't know which would've been worse. Me living in a big house, alone, paying for everything... or having to get my blood drawn for their sinister medical tests.

I almost would prefer the first option. That way, my innocent veins and arteries stay nicely intact with out any perforations and no blood being sucked out of them like Dracula after a 30 day fast.

I knew Nurse Ratchet was coming to our house on Friday to conduct the exam. I was dreading it ALL week. One of the worst parts was that we couldn't eat or drink anything besides water for 8 hours prior to the procedure! She walks in to our house like the witch from Hansel and Gretel whispering "come here my pretties".

She sets down a black bag like Mary Poppins, pulling out a weight scale - I broke triple digits people - 100.4 and Nathan weighing in a whopping 90 pounds more than me. After the weighing session, she kept pulling items out of her diabolical duffle-bag.

After going over health history and such, she starts to retrieve some empty viles from her heinous handbag. Exit stage right. 

I was shortly summoned back into the room and I knew what was about to happen. A tight band is going to be wrapped around my arm. She's going to ask me to squeeze a ball. An enormous needle with a gallon sized container at the end is going to be drawing the life giving fluid out of my body. Dear. God. 

Naturally, I started crying. And hyperventilating. Although I knew it had to be done, it didn't help me get through it. It was HORRIFIC. Epic tragedy. Traumatizing nightmare. I sat there, with one arm being sawed in half, while the other was covering my eyes and catching a river of tears.

Nathan held me until the operation was over. I barely survived.

Well, I have now fully recovered after a day or so of random out bursts of tears and rolling around on the floor with my arm in the air. I know, you're thinking, how can I give people shots in the mouth on a weekly basis. Its the whole blood removing part that freaks me out.

So glad I made it through to share my story with you. It was a close call.
Do you hate getting your blood drawn too?

XOXO
Bekah Boo

The Liebster Award

Fun post today! I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Fanny at Pinstriped Penguin blog! 

Here is a little bit of info about the award:
Rules This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers...the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.
1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, then create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the award to.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5. No tag backs.

Questions from Fanny:

1. Read any good books lately? Tell us about them.

I recently finished the Hunger Games series... I enjoyed the first two books. Other than that I read my Bible!! I wish I read more, but its all or nothing for me when it comes to books. 

2. Do you have any pets?

Yes!! I have a toy poodle named Harvey. We have a love/hate relationship lol. He's such a sweet boy, but when he's winey and has an accident in the house... I want to ship him off to Timbuktu! 

3. Where was your last vacation?

The BAHAMAS! For our honeymoon we cruised to the Bahamas. It was SO beautiful, and we got to 

swim with dolphins.  

4. What's your favorite number and why?

Ummm I would have to go with 17 - because it was the day I was born. April 17th.

5. If you could be any animal what would you be?

A dolphin. Play all day and be able to see so much of the ocean! 

6. What is your favorite show of all time?

Of all time?! I've never really been addicted long term to TV shows... but I have a feeling its going to be Downton Abbey!! Finished with season 1 woo!

7. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

LA. I love love love the high fashion city. And I'm obsessed with the beach. If I keel over in Oklahoma, just drag my body to LA! 

8. Favorite guilty pleasure show?

Oh.... Keeping up with the Kardashians for sure. Really any show on E! 

9. How long have you been blogging for? 

Almost 2 years, I believe! 

10. What's something you've learned recently?

To do what's right in every situation, even if you've been wronged.

11. What's your favorite season?

Summer! Rawr! I'm a sun lovin babe all the way.

Questions for those tagged:

1. Share one of your most embarrassing moments

2. How many brothers and/or sisters do you have?

3. What is your favorite physical feature?

4. What is your favorite Bible verse?

5. What was your favorite vacation?

6. If  you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

7. Who do you respect/look up to?

8. If you won the lottery tomorrow, what are the top 3 things you would splurge on?

9. Do you have any pets?

10. Can you play any musical instruments?

11. What are you passionate about?

Well, hope you enjoyed getting to know some random facts about me! 

XOXO

Bekah

The small things in life.

So this post is totally random, and just for fun. But I'm inspired to post and that doesn't happen often so here it goes!

My sweet brother and sister-in-law Harry and Tiff are always helping us out. They've helped us paint our house (enough times to be part owners), helped us hang christmas lights, rearranged our rooms/given lots of decor advice, and the list goes on. One thing that's been super fun to have the Copes so close is that we share things. A LOT of things. Dogs, decorations, vehicles, food, cleaning utensils, you name it - we share it (apart from spouses).

One thing we've been permanently borrowing is their old vacuum since they have a super fancy irobot roomba. Clearly they won't be needing their manual 20 lb Eureka any longer. So we were kind enough to take it off their hands.  As I was using it last week, I noticed a piece of fuzz kept circulating around me. The vacuum was just blowing the dust behind it! Yikes!

Most of our house is hard wood floors, so I would sweep the dirt into piles and then shop-vac the mounds. This was SUPER time consuming, but effective. I would use their vacuum for the rugs and sunroom.  Once I saw that their vacuum was no longer working, I saw my golden ticket to a new machine. Sure we could probably fix it, but I am SO over the pain staking method of floor cleaning I've been doing for 6 months.

We did a little research and ended up at target to play with the models. We ended up purchasing this beauty!!

Its pretty freaking cool. The handle comes off and is the extender to clean up high/stairs/etc. Or you can use it as a gun as Nathan is doing.

Im SUPER pumped! You know you're a housewife when.......

Of course, I vacuumed the whole downstairs when we got it home. HOLY MOTHER OF DUST! It looks like we cremated a small village! GUH-ROSS! Don't judge us.

Anyway, super pumped to have the new vacuum, even if its just a small thing in life. And now we will find more things to share with Harry and Tiff. :) I'm sure they'll be borrowing our new Hoover!

XOXO
Mrs. Phelps

The Kempt Kitchen

   This post is long awaited. My kitchen is finally to a point to where I am unashamed to share it with the rest of the world. :-P It's been a long, constant changing process, but I love where it's ended (for now). And I can't wait to see how it will look in another 6 months.  Here is a preview of the finished product. 

Red is a great color for a kitchen. The red that was in our kitchen, was not. It was just way too harsh of a color for such a big room.  

BEFORE 

My sweet cousin Pam came over to help me tape everything and paint. It was a looonng project! Full day of work for sure. After about 3 hours my kindergarten bestie Rachel came to join the party and helped too! 

I went with a very light "Ice Blue" by Valspar Signiture. I brought in one of my Anthropologie oven mits to match the color to, and also to match my Kitchen Aid. 

So excited to be painting, painting, painting...

Okay.. here is the AFTER

                             

Hooray! 

I just love the way it turned out. It looks sooo much better! And it flows with the rest of the house. Fits the 1930's (the year the house was built) much better than the previous. 

Here are some Details....

  

And last but not least, the Nook

I hope you've enjoyed seeing the progress my kempt kitchen has made much as I do. And it really is the most kempt room in the house, surprisingly! There's nothing better than having a clean kitchen. :) 

XOXO
Mrs. Phelps