Prayer Requests

I loved STATUS!!! I will be going back with Savannah next week, for sure!

So fun; and I left with more affirmation about the tug on my heart.

It's funny - because for most of the 25 minute ride to the worship service tonight, Sav and

I talked about signs, prayer, purpose, and direction.  We had one of those very mature and humbling talks that you know you can only have with people who share the same compassion, faith, and belief that you do.  I told her about the tugging on my heart that I have been experiencing.  The tug that has made this transition phase of moving back home and rebuilding my bridge over troubled waters that much easier and understandable. 

This Fall, God planted a seed in me that seemed to have been harvesting in my heart for a long while.  As I struggled with some areas of my life this year and received some wicked curveballs along the way, I continued to find refuge in serving others and feeling the need to share my story, my faith, and my skills with people who willl gain something positive from me doing so.  I've been reverant in my prayer for continued direction in where my heart is.

Even though my heart still seeks direction and guidance in some aspects, other areas of my life have matured tremendously in finding passion and purpose.  Serving others.

It wasn't weird that the message tonight was on being a doer and not just a hearer.  In being active according to God's will.  To say "yes, Lord" when he calls us to do something.  To be just as reverant to those 'signs' as we are in our daily prayer.  My spiritual life is where it has needed to be for a long time.  I know I am becoming the woman that I was created to be and I am humble in handing my life and my heart back over to Him. 

I ask for prayer for further guidance and direction in this area of my life. 

As my mom so lovingly put it tonight, "God is opening up some doors in your life for something amazing."  I know that she is right, and I thank Him for her and all the other many awesome blessings He has given me.

What are your prayer requests?

Comment below so I can be praying for you!

peace and love

b a i l y

Church Shopping!!

This morning my parents and I visited First Baptist Orlando for the second weekend in a row.  We are in the process of looking for a new church home and we really love the Pastor, David Uth.  We keep finding ourselves reminding each other that each church is different - especially the music!!  Of course, I am the music-head of the family but we all know where our roots are no matter what genre we prefer nowadays.  Those roots are Southern Gospel and down home country.

So when the fancy, high-pitched voices start asingin' we have to start reminding! Haha.  Mom and Dad don't really like the fast-paced "rock 'n roll" services a.k.a. 'Contemporary Worship' and I don't really like the opera sounding stuff.  Our old church and the church we LOVE visiting with my sister and Tyler in Trussville have a perfect balance of the two - but we are finding that it is not always that way.

Nonetheless, the service was AWESOME.  It was titled 'When God Interrupts Your Life' and we learned about the Christmas story through the eyes of Joseph.  In real-world terms, when an angel tells your virgin fiance that she's carrying a baby who is God in the flesh, Joseph must have thought she was craaaazy.  I can only imagine that these days! Haha...

I really enjoyed the sermon, even though I was yawning and freezing the entire time.  I didn't get to finish my coffee this morning and Central Florida looked a lot like wintertime Alabama with the cold, grey, and rainy atmosphere that was provided this morning.  And apparently, the air conditioning in that place was set to the 4th of July, not Christmas.  SO COLD!

Tonight I am going to Status at Downtown Baptist Church with my good friend Savannah.  I just absolutely LOVE her and she has really reached out to me during my hard times.  It was definitely a 'God thing' to have run into her at the neighborhood grocery store last week.  I wasn't really in a high-spirited mood but running into her and being able to share my latest heartache with her was exactly what I needed.  And proving what a wonderful and Godly woman she is, she immediately text-messaged me and asked me to go with her to Status on Sunday nights.  I am so pumped - I definitely seek refuge in the Lord and the friends He has blessed me with.

I can't wait to share with you how much I enjoy Status!  This will be a great chance for some much-needed quality time with one of the best galfriends I've ever had!  (Thanks, Sav!)

Because of friends like her, and a family that wakes me up and goes with me to church, and a Lord that feeds me truth and wisdom - I can stand on my two feet with such a positive and healthy outlook on life.  And frankly, that's all I need!

peace and love

baily

Proverbs 17:17

A friend loves at all times.

querida amante

dear mr. crutchfield,

thank you for making me feel...

...so loved

 ...like a free-bird

...those butterflies in my stomach

...like I've been found

...youthful & silly

...and so so connected to you!!!

I love you.

Eres mi todo.

peace and love

'Bailygirl'

p.s. Little Miss Millie-Pig loves you too!

((all images via))

My Funny Dogs

Ever since I have been home our family's dog, Lola, has been acting SO funny!

I don't know if she is jealous that Millie is home and getting spoiled by "Granna" and "Big Butch" or if she is going through one of those female dog "nesting" stages that some of them experience.  She's always been that way, and she's definitely being a nester right now!!

So much that it is beginning to drive my mom and I crazy...

and now Millie.

Except Millie is a lot more patient with being snugged up on now that she is outgrowing the

very rambunctious stage of being a puppy.  She's learning her adult moods, I believe.

They both like to snuggle up to "Granna" at night, and since Lola is in one of her moods and Millie is calming down a bit (at night at least) they have begun to snug up to one another, too.

Here's a some funny/cute pictures of the two of them!

peace and love

bai

christmas craft

Yesterday, after a doctor's appointment in Orlando, I spent the rest of the day shopping!

'Tis the season for that.

Plus, it has only been 2 months since I got that fat insurance check and just like

'Rome wasn't built in a day', either was my closet and 'stuff' built in 2 months.

So, there is a lot of shopping to be done.

But today - my parents are going shopping (for me, perhaps?!?)...

 and I am going to the craft store. 

I'm making ornaments for a DIY tutorial that I will be posting on a guest blog!

I hope they turn out great... but knowing me - a MESS will be made!

I'll give you a hint at how I'm making them...

sweaters are involved!

Wish me luck! I'll post the end results as soon as I can!

xoxo

peace and love

BAI

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

Hopefully the Word of God is something that brightens your day - like it does me.

I have been spending so much time in reading the Bible here in recent months. 

The Lord has definitely been at work in my heart, even though the tribulations I find myself in may seem to

lead people to believe that I bear no fruit.  I do, though.  My life is fruitful with many blessings from God.

As Christmas swings into full force I can't help but be filled with celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Maybe my trials & tribulations are there to remind me just how enormous God's love for me is.  

God came to this world as human in the flesh and lived a life full of love and without sin.

Knowing that, along with His unselfish death on the cross, is a testimony to my faith in Him.

And my faith in Him is exactly what has carried me through past trial and tribulation and what I cling to at this very moment.  I can feel God at work in my life and all around me. 

That is why my fears about everything else in life are subsided when I hand them over to Him.

Hebrews 13:8 is one of the most comforting verses, in my opinion.

It tells me that Jesus is the one man that will stay the same and always love me. 

No heartache, no abandonment, no anxiety and worry, and no changing.

Sounds like the perfect guy - huh?!?

The same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Full of FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE.

I am eager to tell you all about the work that the Lord is doing in my life.

I am very much clay, and He is very much the potter.

BUT FIRST...

Will you puh-lease leave your favorite Bible verse for me?

Pretty, pretty please???

peace AND love

baily jordan

To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present.

- 1 Corinthians 12:9-10a



c h a n g e

Every once in a while we find ourselves a little lost.  Sometimes we lose faith, we lose someone we love, or we misread our directions in life.  We make wrong turns, we take bad advice, and we go against our better judgement.  When these things happen, we experience the realness of life.  These experiences make us realize that dreams are merely dreams if we don't face the reality of what it takes to make them come true.  Once again, I find myself at this point.

After a number of 'wrong turns' and a list of bad decisions, I find myself a victim of my own mistakes. 

Being a victim of your own mistakes is the worst of all - because, after all, you play the role of both perpetrator and the one being victimized.  When someone hurts us, we are angry at them, want revenge on them, or want nothing to do with them at all.  But when you hurt yourself, what do you do?  Do you dwell in self-pity? Are you supposed to lash out at yourself?  You can't avoid this person that harmed you because it's you.  Therefore, it comes down to your only two options:  continue to make the same mistakes OR, simply change. 

I have decided to choose the latter option.  I'm going to change.

Except this time, it is not a "cold turkey" change.  It isn't something that I decided to do one day out of the blue.  I have been changing.  The inner-most depths of my heart and soul have endured heartache and pain and learned lessons the hard way.  Therefore, I can take what I learned from my past darkest hours and use it to shine some light on the gloom that creeps around me.  As for the people I have hurt along the way, I am sorry.  I can only hope that the ones who know me best know that I want to do whatever it takes to make it better, no matter how long that may take.  I find glimpses of joy in knowing that I am prayed for, supported, worried for, concerned for, cared for, and most of all - loved. 

I have a strong & loving family, a supportive boyfriend who loves me as well, and a multitude of well-wishing friends.  I am surrounded by love, which brings me peace as well as happiness.  I have past mistakes that serve as a reminder that no matter how tough life may get, it goes on.  I have a certain amount of jadedness that edged me and shaped me into knowing that it isn't about how many times you fall down in life as long as you get back up.  There is an understanding inside of me that knows that suffering is a part of life, but enough knowledge in me, too, that assures me that there are plenty of things to rejoice in at the same time.  I have faith in a Lord that never leaves me, provides for me, and gives me a fortress and refuge.  I have a book that is filled with the truth and is a lamp unto my feet.  I have love, guidance, and new direction in so many ways.

That is why I know that it doesn't end here.  As a victim of my own mistakes, I am in control of fixing those mistakes.  I have a choice to hate myself or love myself or abandon myself.  The love vs. hate - this I struggle with but I always come to the conclusion that I will find a way to love myself no matter what.  That was one of the lessons learned the hard way - if I love myself, others will love me as well.  If I hate me, hate will linger and ruin much more than just the soul that dwells inside of me.  If I abandon myself, I will waste the ambition, perserverance, and self-actualization that is still a part of me.  Although darkened by shadows of my past mistakes, those things are still very much there and are the sails that will carry me back out to sea when my ship is repaired.

So, as I prepared to be worked on - nurtured, loved, supported, and cared for by the family and friends I mentioned above, I just want to say thank you for those that love me despite my self-circumstance.  We all live in this world together but experience LiFe in such different ways... even though I expect very few people or no one at all to understand me and this transition I find myself in, I still hope that I am allowed to prove myself again and regain the respect and admiration that I once had of so many people.  I've let some people down - mostly that strong and loving family I hold so dearly, but I am confidant in this very moment because of the confidance they continue to instill in me - even in my darkest hour.

Great distances are covered one step at a time. -Anonymous

Thank you to those that support me and love me.  And for those that don't, I understand your disappointment.  I have disappointed myself but have also made myself proud by doing what is best for me at this particular point in life.  I hope I can gain the chance to overcome these disappointments - this is my very prayer. 

After all, it is a winding road when you're in the lost and found. Even more, I'm turning around and changing my life.  I will never give up.

Peace and Love

Glory to God

b a i l y

I dislike the Scam

I come to my beloved blog today with a very heated demeanor.  I just got done watching the SEC championship game that was pretty lacking in the entertainment department - compared to last year and the year before.  I'm not being partial to Alabama or anything (sike!) but honestly, seeing #1 and #2 in the nation play for the same conference title, it brings a lot of good football.  This year, it was #1 Auburn (my arch-nemesis) vs. South Carolina (boyfriend and brother-in-law's team!), which is ranked #19. 

The first half looked sort of promising - well, besides the last second hail mary that was deflected and fell into the arms of an Auburn receiver for a touchdown.  But I would be writing on my sports blog (Just Jones It) to give an analysis of the game.  I came here to talk about how much I dislike Cam Newton.  In this case, I want to say the word 'hate' but I am trying my hardest to knock it from my vocab.

He's just arrogant, full of himself, and seemingly unaware of the horrendous scandal that looms around him.  The media has a giant crush on him, which is way worse than the romance they had with Tim Tebow the last 4 years.  I used to say some pretty mean things about Tim Tebow - mostly out of jealousy, I will admit - but I have to take back all the ugliness I had toward him and the Gators.  No, just toward him - I still hate dislike the Gators and Urban Meyer, but I have to apologize to the legendary Timmy T everytime I look at Cam Newton and his ambiance of unsportsmanlike arrogance.

Tebow, he had class.  That's why I take back all the negativity I would portray when the media wouldn't get over him.  He wasn't a scandal.  He wasn't a cheater.  And he was a very Godly man and an excellent role-model for the younger generations.  I find CN absolutely unworthy of being called a role-model.  At Alabama, the QB went undefeated, won a BCS Title, and recently interviewed for the Rhodes Scholar.  He was made from the same mold as Tebow in a way - class, pride, and sportsmanship.  Cam Newton?? Absolute trash!!!!

I don't even think I will be pulling for the SEC in the BCS Title game this year.  Nope... QUACK QUACK.... Go Oregon Ducks!!!

Why? Because Cam Newton got carried off the field by his teammates like he was God.  His coaches didn't intervene and tell him to get down or to lift up his O-line and the rest of the team, and he made snow-angels in the confetti - acting like the 2 year old that he is.  He's a scam, nonetheless... I'm not even going to go there because I'm so nauseated from hearing about it.  UGGGGGHHHHH it makes my blood boil!!

I'm going to have to get off of here before I type so hard my keys fall off!

Peace, Love, Go Ducks!

Bai

random thoughts

Here are a few things on my mind:

I got to drive a Hyundai Sonata around town the past couple of days while my friends in the service department fixed buster.  I actually really loved driving this car!  It brought me back to the good ol' days when I thought I owned those Florida and Alabama roads in my Honda Accord Coupe.  I loooved that little black car.  I think I just might be a car girl, at least until I can afford to drive some sweet Yukon or Jeep Commander.  Maybe one day! 

I'm going absolutely haywire with an excessive intake of this stuff since it is cold, rainy, and lonely here this week. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate! Yummy :)

and for those of you who aren't sure... Abuelita means Grandmother. 

(I have the best abuelitas in the world: Mamaw and Nana)

I'm beginning to get anxious, as much as I have tried to subside it, about where I am going to be in the near future, far future, and all the inbetweens.  I am fortunate for everything I have learned so far, and I am ready to learn the many things that await me somewhere else.  I have a good idea about who I am going to share this next part of my journey with and that alone is an incredible peace of mind.  I consider it one of the richest blessings because it makes the uncertainty of a lot of things okay to handle.  So, again - like I always say, thanks to the family and friends and the extraordinary love that I have found with my new best friend because without them nothing is really possible and I stand firm in that belief always.

I was a pretty good vet earlier today!  I guessed right (well my iGoogle homepage helped me out) but we are going to get little Millie taken care of and back to feeling better.  Bless her heart, she was such a doll in the vet clinic.  Here are a couple of pics!



She's going to be ok!

I hope everyone has a good night, stays out of the rain, and stays warm - I have a feeling that the Alabama winter is creeping in!

Ready for Florida.... my home sweet home.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those that love Him.

peace and love

baily

piggie goes to the doctor

As we all have learned over Millie Jean's 19-month life, thus far, is that she was bought at a discount price but that in no way mirrored what was in store for us.  She's had her fair share of vet-visits but her delightful behavior and cute little face just make it all worth it. 

But this time it isn't just her seasonal allergies that are under attack (and mine too!) but, just like any other dog that has those precious floppy-ears - - she gets ear infections!!  So, what was an inner ear-infection that she scratched at, it is my un-veterinarianly trained butt that thinks she has an aural hematoma.

Thanks, Google!  We are all so smart (or dumb!) because of Google! Genious though.

I'm off to take her to the doctor to see if my diagnosis was correct.  The aural hematoma is like a little bubble of blood that forms because of her scratching and hurting her blood vessels in the cartlidge of the ear.  It sounds dead-on to the little bubble in her cutesy ear! I feel so bad for her! She is a tough cookie to say the leat - she's pouncing the floor with her leash dragging from her neck.  Her green leash on her blue collar - we're tomboys!

peace & love

get well soon, millie :)

b a i l y