Love Endures

To the woman getting up with a child...

To the woman digging in to the Word...

To the woman growing old with her husband...

To the woman who is overwhelmed...

To the woman crying over heart break...

To the woman searching for comfort...

To the woman worrying about her career...

To the woman wearing makeup for the first time...

To the woman caring for a family...

To the woman looking for love...

To the woman who never stops moving...

To the woman who feels alone...

To the woman sitting with Jesus...

To the woman who feels like she's on top of the world...

To the woman who's striving,

creating,

hoping,

enduring,

understanding,

hurting...

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. To him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. Who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. Who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. Who made the great lights - His love endures forever. The sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. The moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, His love endures forever. And brought Israel out from among them, His love endures forever. With a mighty hand and outstretched arm; His love endures forever. To him who divided the Red Sea asunder, His love endures forever…To him who led his people through the desert, His love endures forever…To the One who remembered us in our low estate, His love endures forever. And freed us from our enemies, His love endures forever. And who gives food to every creature. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever. 

-Psalm 136

What's in a Name

If you know me well or read my blog you know that my name is obviously Abbey Grace. Lately, a lot of people have asked me about why it means so much to me and I start this long, drawn out story. Instead of doing that over and over, it seems like a good thing to share. After all, it has made me who I am today.

It all started with this woman:

Grace Brent, my grandmother.

She was the best grandmother ever. I was named after her and I am grateful for that gift. I have many fond memories of growing up with her always being there. I can remember so many good times of sleepovers, shopping trips, and her being the only godly woman in my life. I didn't realize it until the last few years but she truly was an incredible woman of God. She loved the Lord and her family unconditionally. When she passed, it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure, but I know she's in heaven worshiping our God and frankly I'm jealous...but I am happy I have a daily reminder of her and what she meant to me. 

Even though I have her name, there's another daily reminder:

Yes, I have a tattoo. I never thought I'd be someone who got a tattoo but I've had the idea for years, and after a bad break up and a long year of being 20, I thought a tattoo was the perfect idea. I'm not sure that it was, but I definitely don't regret getting it. Having my name and my grandmother's name is a constant reminder of her, but more importantly, every time I see it I think of the absolutely amazing grace that God gives me every moment of my life. He gives us grace, we are saved by grace and we are to all show grace. It shows me what my life is truly about and I'm thankful that it gives me the opportunity to share my life and my faith.

Amazing Grace.

Abbey Grace.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."

-Ephesians 2:8

Farmer's Fresh

There's not much better than Saturdays. It's my Sabbath day and it's usually spent relaxing, watching a movie, being outdoors or writing. This Saturday morning I was with one of my dear friends, Meredith, and after brunch we headed to the busiest place in Murfreesboro on Saturday morning:

I love going to any farmer market. You're surrounded with fresh everything- fruits, veggies, sweets, floweers- and there's so much to look at, sample and buy. Murfreesboro Saturday Market is a great place to shop. We had a list of things we wanted but made time to check out each and every booth to make sure we didn't miss anything. I loved seeing all the different fruits, veggies, and especially how people placed their items. Everything from baskets, to bowls, to crates. I could look at the signs and colors all day. 

We started to shop and mark off our list. The tomatoes, peppers, squash and peaches were definitely a good buy.

One thing I didn't expect to find was coffee from Just Love Coffee. They're a organization that helps raise funds for orphans and their families. It's a great cause that is definitely worth contributing to.

I grabbed a cup of homemade lemonade and kept shopping with these lovely ladies. 

Murfreesboro's farmer market is truly awesome and it was great getting to spend the morning these with friends. 

And we went home with some amazing fruit and vegetables...

 ...minus the peaches that fell in the street!

Winshape Camp C3

Words can't even express this week....I don't even know where to being. 

This has been one of the best weeks. If you've never heard of Winshape, it's a day camp that comes into a community and travels to a different location every week for an entire summer. C3 is camps connecting communities. They create an opportunity to bring kids and families into a fun, exciting and Christ-centered environment. I was really looking forward to this past week, but I would have never imagined that we would have been blessed with such an amazing staff.

I would name them all but all 23 of them are amazing. They all did a wonderful job this week and everyone who gets to work with them this summer is truly blessed.

Winshape is such a great atmosphere for kids to learn about Christ. Through worship, crafts, games and activities they choose for themselves, they create relationships with people in our community that they can continue. God is doing some amazing things in out community and it's awesome to be a part of His plan.

For more information on Winshape, click here.

Photos courtesy of Harris Clayton.

Tomorrow's Envy

Tomorrow a group from our church will head to La Represa, Dominican Republic. I can't tell you what I'd give to be going. Not a day goes by where I don't think about my family there. 

It may sound crazy, but I am jealous of what people who have been get to reconnect with and of what newcomers will experience and fall in love with.

I want to spend my days working in the community. I want to be centered around the most Christ-driven place I've ever felt so strongly. I want to walk down the streets of La Represa and just sit in amazement at what my Creator has done and is continuing to do through the body of Christ.

So, until I return...

I'll pray for those who go on trips and serve in La Represa.

I'll pray for my family there and that they come to know and strengthen in their relationship with God.

I'll pray that the Lord sends me back very soon.

"But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the world."

-Acts 6:4

Mario Badescu

I don't think I've ever shared products on my blog but here's to starting!

I have ALWAYS had trouble with my skin. It's always, and still is, a huge insecurity for me and I've never found anything that worked. Since fifth grade I've gone from product to product, store bought to prescription and to the dermatologist. And had decided that I was just going to have to deal with acne forever... 

until...

a friend of mine gave me this product.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion.

She also has acne prone skin and had bought this and now swear by it. So she thoughtfully bought me a bottle to try. It is a calamine, drying mixture and is made to be a spot treatment and literally shrink or remove any type of acne overnight. I have used it for years now and when I was recently looking for a new product (that worked) I thought of trying more items from Mario Badescu. 

My type of acne has been diagnosed so I knew what to look for and to my delight, Mario Badescu has numerous lines and recommendations for different types of acne. I pulled up the suggestions online and went to the nearest Ulta to buy them. 

They suggested the following products:

After two months of using the products I am happy to report that they all work amazingly! I would recommend these to anyone and if you or anyone you know has troubled skin, 

please check out Mario Badescu.

Way of Love

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 

Love never gives up. 

Love cares more for others than for self. 

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. 

Love doesn't strut, 

Doesn't have a swelled head, 

Doesn't force itself on others, 

Isn't always "me first," 

Doesn't fly off the handle, 

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, 

Doesn't revel when others grovel, 

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, 

Puts up with anything, 

Trusts God always, 

Always looks for the best, 

Never looks back, 

But keeps going to the end.

1 Corinthians 13.1-7 (The Message)