Fridayyy yeee!
28 August, 2015
Happy Friday Pumpkins!
Here's a new Biebz song to kick off your weekend (just nod your head and join the fan club)
Today, we have the pleasure of hearing from not one, not two, but THREE FANTASTIC beautiful women! They are all beautiful INSIDE AND OUT and see Christ as their Lord! They are great role models for me, and I'm honored to know them. Kaylee served with me in Guatemala, Erin went to my alma mater, and Alessandra was my sorority sister!
Kaylee Hennessey
Favorite song: Ache (live) by Kings Kaleidoscope
Favorite food: Definitely this Khmer dish that I don’t know the name of, but its cooked fish that you eat with rice, of course, lettuce, sprouts, and the best sweet fish sauce I’ve ever eaten…I’m craving it incredibly right now
Favorite book: “The Pursuit of God” by A.W. Tozer
Favorite Bible verse: “I would have lost heart, unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” {Ps. 27:13}
Favorite Quote: “I ride the undulating wave of grace, this lifting higher and higher in grace, the surging crest of joy, and this plunging lower and lower in humble thankfulness only to rise yet higher in grace and this eucharisteo {giving thanks}, it offers the ultimate joy ride, and I don’t think I ever want to get off” {Ann Voskamp}.
Favorite memory: Living fully, completely, totally for the Lord in those “100% life” moments. I can’t quite describe them in any other way besides the overwhelming consciousness of Him and His glory, and the instantaneous disbelief mixed with joy at the realization that He chose me to be eternally a part of it all. These are my favorite memories.
My favorite “God” moments: When He stoops to my level, and lifts my head to see Him for who He is. Then everything makes sense.
My favorite place: where He is.
My favorite movie: Pride and Prejudice.
My favorite future dream: to serve the Lord with all of my heart in a country and with a family that has stolen my heart forever.
Erin McConlogue
Favorite food: I love mexican food and am having intense withdrawals right now by living in Israel. The best meal ever is a bean burrito with applesauce
Favorite book: The Mark of the Lion Series by Francine Rivers. She writes so beautifully about a woman named Hadassah who embodies a level of selflessness often untouched by people on earth. It’s a fictional book but an incredible example of the woman I hope to be.
Favorite bible verse: Right now Zechariah 4 speaks to me and reminds me that God lives in our dream world and promises us that there will be a day when the people of God report to him that the earth is filled with peace (4:14).
Most impactful moments: When I have felt the presence of God occur at the heart of worship. God represents more than a creator and explanation to our purpose on earth — He is a spirit, a depth of being that lives on Earth to help us walk this path with grace and love. The presence of God is always acknowledgeable but we don’t always feel it because we don’t like to pause and ask for it….I find it often felt, however, when I am worshipping in a community of others doing the same. One specific moment was in Spain when my good friend was singing and playing guitar in the plaza de espana. Not many people where there but I felt this desire to dance as she sang these beautiful lyrics of praise. I do not consider myself a dancer but at the moment I truly believe I took on a new form of human and was able to dance like never before in front of perfect strangers knowing that I was worshipping the One who gave us everything we have and are. It is a hard moment to describe but I think thats the point — God moments are indescribable snippets of what we were created to feel and do, they are accessible to everyone and reminders that He is with us.
My favorite place: Lausanne, Switzerland, specifically a little quaint nursing home I would frequent. It is stunning as it overlooks the alps, but it was the people there who touched me most.
One of my random future dreams:
To start a coffee shop in a tree house. I think it would be so inspiring to sit and write in a tree with a beautifully done latte.
(editors note: I don't know Erin well, but I watched this amazing video featuring her and HAD to ask for an interview! Talk about inspiring!)
Alessandra McDowell
Favorite Song: Right now it’s “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon! But I am a huge country fan ~ anything by Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, or Luke Bryan is music to my ears!
Favorite Food: Anything chocolate! I have a major sweet tooth :)
Favorite Colors: Fuchsia, teal, and radiant orchid.
Favorite Book: The Poisonwood Bible. But I’m in the middle of “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis right now, and I think it’s a close contender!!
Favorite Movie: The Sound of Music - and yes, I can pretty much recite the entire movie.
Favorite Country: Austria! When I studied abroad I was able to travel to Salzburg & Vienna…both were staggeringly beautiful (and of course I had to do the Sound of Music tour ;)
Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy since Day 1!
Favorite Place: The Happiest Place on Earth of course ~ Disneyland! :)
Favorite Things to Do in My Free Time: Reading, hiking, going to musical theater (Wicked!!), hanging out with my family, and my newfound love…wine tasting!!
Favorite Bible Verse: Romans 8:37-39 (NIV version)
Favorite God moment: When, after struggling with deciding where I would attend college, I suddenly felt a huge sense of relief & I realized that I was meant to go to Pepperdine for my undergrad. I can’t deny that God had a say in that one. ;) It ended up being the best decision (and best 4 years) of my life!!
Favorite Memory: Well that’s easy - when I got engaged a few weeks ago to my wonderful fiance John!! It was the sweetest, most romantic & perfect proposal…I was under the impression my parents and I were meeting family friends for dinner, when we veered off the road to a local park and John was standing there! He led me to a beautiful heart made out of rose petals, and proposed to me in it while my sisters were in the background holding a sign that said “Marry Me?” The cutest part was, the letters of the sign were photo collages of all the pictures we have together from the past 3 years! It truly was a memory that I will cherish forever!!
Favorite Future Dream: Looking forward to getting married to my sweetheart next year and starting a family together!! But that part won’t come until we are both finished with grad school ~ so we have a good 4-5 years to go before kiddos :)
(editors note: the very top picture with the shoes is when her and John got engaged!)
