Why would you want to smell like a skunk?

Right. You probably wouldn't. Skunks do stink. "Stink" though, is just an interpretation of a really strong smell. In fact, the very definition of "stink" is that something is offensive in odor. So offensive that it lingers....for weeks. People try to wash it off, dogs roll around in the dirt to mask the smell; nothing can take strong stench of skunk away.

And walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2

Basically, we want to smell. Katherine, Allie, and I have each made a lifelong commitment to SMELL. We want to smell like God. Just like Christ loves us, we want to love others. The way we choose to live in our home as roommates and women who love the Lord is the way we choose to show Christ's love to others. I'm not saying we are perfect, EVER. Sometimes people don't wash dishes, sometimes people push jokes a little far, we are sometimes always human by nature. But, we are also redeemed and saved by grace, which are both very beautiful scents indeed.


I read a great book when I was in high school, and, even though it is written for teens, I still really love the way Steven James describes the smell that the three of us desire to have:

"The fragrance of their lives was different from the stench of the world. You could tell when you were with them. Their attitudes and priorities and lifestyles were different. They smelled like they didn't belong on this planet, like they were made for a better place. It was the fragrance of heaven. Strong. Powerful. Life-changing." Steven James - How to Smell Like God

Just think about all of the smells you've experienced in life! Fajitas at a mexican restaurant, smoke from birthday candles after they've been wished on, the fresh air after a sunshine rain, banana bread baking in the oven......You can recognize each of these smells from your life experiences. If someone placed a pot of coffee in front of your nose after blindfolding you, you would most likely recognize the scent immediately, maybe even the specific Starbucks blend! God created us to recognize different smells; He gave us different senses so that we could distinguish the differences we experience in the world. How crazy is that!?!?

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 

God asks us to spread our smell around, to spread "the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere". I want to be a pleasing aroma to God! I want to smell good before my Lord! And I want others to smell me and say, "WHAT in the WORLD are you wearing, girl?! It smells gooooooood!". Not only do I want to smell like Christ, but I love the promise that other's will recognize us by our smell. Scripture tells us that others will know we follow Christ's example by our love. By our LOVE!

May you experience the fragrance of Christ in a new way today. May you never forget to use your sense of smell. May you never be able to wash the scent of Christ's love out of your life. And may you smell so strongly of the Lord's presence in your life, that people you encounter can't help but wonder why you smell so good.

Sometimes we make a big deal...

out of things that are a BIG DEAL!

About a month ago, a BIG thing happened in our little Kansas town.

Dillons, the local grocery store, moved to a new location this spring. To celebrate the grand opening, we decided to host a formal affair. This wasn't a spur of the moment event. In fact, we've been planning the black tie formal since they began construction several months ago. In anticipation of the big day, we weekly asked the cashiers at the old Dillons location across the parking lot when the new store would be revealed to the public. Finally, in the middle of April, we put on our formal wear, grabbed our shopping lists, and caravanned on over to the new Dillons to celebrate the splendor of a brand spanking new place to buy our groceries. Only one person wore a black tie, but we were all pretty spiffed up.

Following the grocery shopping extraveganza, we heated up some Totino's pizza rolls and popped in a RedBox flick. Really classy...

Weston in his formal wear.

Don't worry, they have maps to help us find our treasure!

The whole group with all of our groceries!

If we don't make a big deal out of the small joys in life, who else is going to? 

Some people say we're a handful........

others say "look at those extremely blessed individuals!!!!!!"

8 month old balloon stuffed with a skunk toy and Ben's breath.
One of those things is preserving this balloon........we don't want to know which.

Inside of this balloon lives the tail end of a stuffed skunk dog toy. Last fall, 4 friends (Katherine, Allie, Katie, and Jed) spent an entire Sunday afternoon and evening filling over 500 balloons with air and stuffing them in giant trash bags. The next day, while a certain someone (Paul) worked a long shift at his perfectly respectable job, these friends filled this someone's bedroom with balloons. They may have also strategically placed video cameras throughout the room to record his reaction to the surprise.

Our home filled with balloons.....4 chick flicks later.

Let's just say that moving 25+ bags of balloons across town in the Kansas wind
is kind of like herding cats in a tornado.  Also, this took about 4 trips in 4 cars.

Stuffing Paul's room full of balloons.

Paul's room - FULL OF BALLOONS!
(Note the sneaky camer a in the window on the right.)

Paul gets home....

the balloons spill out.....

fill the living room.....

and Paul takes balloon pictures.

Unfortunately, I don't have the video footage of Paul's reaction to share with you, but let me sum it up: disappointing. Maybe not so much disappointing, I suppose, but rather not at all what we expected.

If Allie, Katherine, Kang, and I had come home to one of our rooms full of balloons, it would have sounded like this: "AHHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! No freaking way! What?!?!?!?! Who did...?!?!?! No way, guys, really!?!??! THIS IS AWESOME! AHHHHH!" Basically, a ton of screaming, laughing, and "I'm gonna pee my pants!" kind of reactions.

Paul was all like: "Oh....wow. Look what you guys did........huh.......yep..........those are balloons........oh, yep.....loook.........a camera.......Funny, guys, really funny."

Needless to say, not the reaction we were expecting.

I think we were mostly expecting more because of the amount of excitement, time, and energy that went in to pulling this thing off. I think it's a lot like the plans that God has been making for our lives. Since the very beginning, God has been laying out a plan, setting things in motion for our walk with Him. When he threw those stars in the sky, he was thinking of the joy it would bring you, of how we would look up at the night sky with wonder and marvel at His awesome creation. The specific plans that he has for YOU. And then I can't help but think about His holy anticipation for your reaction. Just like we wanted Paul to react a certain way with the balloons, how does the Lord want us to react to the hiccups, surprises, and winding roads of life?

Scripture tells us to lean not on our own understanding of life, but to trust God with everything and He will make our paths straight. We should be "transformed by the renewing of our minds" so that we may "attest and approve God's good, pleasing, and perfect will" Romans 12:2. He guides us in truth, and leads us through His perfect will! How awesome is that? I'm not comparing God's will for our life to a silly prank, but I am saying that the way we react to what God is walking with us through is SO IMPORTANT.

I want to glorify God for the great things that happen, and the devastating ones. In heart break or when my heart is overflowing with JOY I want to praise Him. I want to seek His understanding with all of my life, that I might see even a glimpse of His master plan. I desire that my reactions to how God is working in my life would bring others closer to an understanding of His character.

May the next prank you pull be out of extreme love and friendship. May you begin to recognize how God is moving in your life. May you glorify the Lord for His plans, and may your reactions to those plans be pleasing to the Father who loves you more than you can imagine.

We ALWAYS have a reason to celebrate.......

At our house, there is always a reason to celebrate. We celebrate birthdays, tornado watches, Tuesdays, and happy endings. In the month of April, we celebrated 4 birthdays and then ended the month with an epic birthday celebration weekend. The Friday night birthday party was a surprise, the Saturday night birthday party was pre-planned many months in advance, and the joyful Sunday celebration just came naturally. An entire weekend of unicorns, toddlers, dance moves, and tons of delicious foods! The birthday celebration was for Allie (22 y/o), Ezra (23 y/o), Wesley (23 y/o), and Sichaya (24 y/o). Take those ages into account as you absorb the photographic splendor that follows.

Yeah, that's right. You'll notice the Candy Mountain birthday cake and the homemade unicorn piñata. Our mothers think we have too much free time, our schoolwork is lacking, and our dance skills are rapidly increasing in awesome.