Author: lesabrackbill

An incredible week…

· Leave a comment ·

To recap my week with my best friend:

Sunday: Dinner party with 11 of my friends. I made my “creation” and it was (again) a hit! 🙂 YAY!

Monday: Wisdom teeth extracted. Spent day in recliner, sleeping and trying to get anesthesia out of my system.

Tuesday: Slept. Still no significant swelling. 🙂

Wednesday: Went to the Getty Center and viewed art collections and the beautiful gardens. Worship team practice (Yes, I sang, though my jaw got really tired and sore after that!)

Thursday: Went to The Huntington (Library and Gardens) and spent a few hours strolling through beautiful gardens…absolutely an incredible place! Such intricate patterns and detailed designs. I love that place! The Library also has many extremely rare pieces of art and various manuscripts that are displayed.

We then went to Huntington Beach and spent a few hours on the beach. My friend got in the water, but I tried not to! 🙂 We found many beautiful shells, including sand-dollars–which I have never seen in Southern California! We then had dinner at Ruby’s on the pier, which is a great place…but the best part was that we were seated in the best booth in the restaurant for sunset view! It was awesome!

Friday: We just relaxed all day–since I wasn’t feeling very well. We watched EVERY Strong Bad Email (112 of them), which was a first for me (watching them all in one day). It was SO fun to just laugh and relax with my friend. And then, the best part of the week, probably…

We saw Nickel Creek!!!

We went to the Hollywood Bowl for an evening with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Nickel Creek, and it was incredible. That place is amazing! Basically everyone brings a picnic dinner, and there are several spots to eat that are lovely. The Bowl is in the hills, so you are in a natural amphitheatre that has incredible sound, and you forget that you are in Los Angeles. It was incredible. It was actually chilly last night, but we decided that was better than being hot.

It was such a great week…I am totally fine as far as wisdom teeth go. I was only slightly swollen for 2 days, and I’m healing just fine. The Lord is SO good! I had a wonderful week with my best friend, who I don’t get to see very often at all…and it was a wonderful week before the craziness of my Senior Year begins (next Wednesday)…

Thank you, my dear friend, for coming down this week! It was so awesome!

Real Quick…

· Leave a comment ·

Just wanted to let you guys know that I am doing wonderfully. I have not had to take vicodin yet, and am only taking mega doses of Motrin. I can talk, I’m not bleeding anymore, and I’M NOT SWOLLEN!

I have been praying about this for six weeks, and so have many people in my church and my family…thank you! I think I will recover well!

Something gross: they gave me my two wisdom teeth to keep…WHY?! That’s gross! 🙂

Anyway, I’m doing well…be back next week!

One more thing…

· Leave a comment ·

I check my site stats each day, and I am always amazed at how new visitors find me.

But lately, it has made me laugh. At least 15 a day come to my site with the google search “How to beat Peasant’s Quest.”

Amazing how many people are (1) playing that game and (2) can’t beat it on their own! 🙂

I played it again today and it took me 30 minutes to beat the game. 🙂 First time took 3 hours!

Anyway, just thought it was funny…hopefully these people keep reading my blog! 🙂

Some thoughts…

· Leave a comment ·

I have begun to notice how much I cherish the few moments of solitude my busy life permits…and even though I hate feeling “alone”, I really do enjoy being “alone” every once in awhile (yes, there is a difference)…

I am really drained right now, emotionally, physically, spiritually…I have this sense of being very “dry” in many aspects of my life, and it leaves me desiring to be alone, to have time to myself, and time with my Lord. I’m not depressed, by any means. I’m just…worn out. It’s been a long summer, with many occurrences that took me by surprise, and often wore me out…many situations that I have not yet resolved, because I don’t know how…and God hasn’t yet shown me which way to go.

He has definitely taught me a lot about the perfect implementation of His timing…and I need to just trust that….

School starts in 11 days, and I pray that my entire being will be renewed…I am not really looking forward to my classes, at all…I just want to be done. But I must remember that God’s will for me, right now, is to be at Azusa Pacific University, learning the things which will be presented to me. I am looking forward to chapel starting again, because that will help me to keep my mind focused on God, continually. What a great school I attend! If only we didn’t have to go to class, LOL…

Next week will be another break, of sorts. My wisdom teeth are coming out Monday at 1pm, and I will be hanging out with my best-friend for the remainder of the week. It will be a wonderful time of fellowship, and it will be interesting to be taken care of (I’m very independent!)…Nickel Creek concert next Friday! 🙂

Have a fabulous week! Give me a call next week, if you want to know how I’m doing (I’ll be swollen, but I’ll try to talk! My best-friend will probably answer my phone for me, though.)…I’ll be back eventually. If you have any tips about wisdom teeth after-care, let me know! I’m prepared to eat lots of jell-o, pudding, pasta and mashed potatoes! 🙂 Ice packs are ready…too bad I’m not! Oh well…I just have to–

“Be still, and know that I am God…”

–Psalm 46:10


Beautiful picture…

· Leave a comment ·

I want to go to South Africa, now, after seeing these pictures. I am absolutely amazed at the beauty–particularly of the second picture…

So many places I want to go…however, if I indeed am being called into the youth ministry, I know that I won’t be doing much world traveling! The Lord will provide, though, so I’m not worried. If I get to go to all 50 states, I’ll be content! 🙂 (27 more to go)

Becoming…

· Leave a comment ·

“This life therefore, is not righteousness,

but growth in righteousness,

not health but healing,

not being but becoming,

not rest but exercise.

We are not yet what we shall be,

but we are growing toward it;

the process is not yet finished but it is going on.

This is not the end but it is the road;

all does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified.”

–Martin Luther

This morning, as I was reading a passage from “The Glorious Pursuit” by Gary Thomas (a WONDERFUL book, by the way), the quote above caught my eye…and I thought I’d share it.

Not much more to share today…my health has gone back to where it was a few weeks ago–and my ability to think clearly and really ponder things has been inhibited again. I don’t know what I’m doing differently, but I am praying that the Lord will show me how to remedy this situation!

May the Lord fill my mind with thoughts of Him today…

What I’ve Been Learning…

· Leave a comment ·
Warning: This is a “novel” of a post.



After reading this, some may decide that I am a “fundamentalist”, or that I am being “judgmental” and “prideful”, etc. (as has happened in the past). I am only writing about what I know and what I have been called to be. So if you are somehow offended by this post, I am deeply sorry…but I cannot, and will not, hide what the Lord is doing in my life.
Over the past few weeks, I have been prayerfully considering who God is calling me to be…and as I have read, as I have spoken with others, I have come to realize a few things for certain about who I am called to be. Amazingly enough, who I am called to be is also who I long with all my heart to be—which doesn’t make it easier by any means, but makes the journey more enjoyable. Seeking the Lord has been an incredibly humbling experience for me, because I have realized just how far I have to go…but I also know that He is walking right next to me, guiding my every step.

I want to be like the woman described in Proverbs 31…

—Wife of noble character

–Diligent

–Hard-working

–Respected

–Fears the Lord

–Speaks with wisdom

–Faithful

–Praised by her husband



I want to be like Ruth…

–Willing to go wherever God leads

–Compassionate

–Heart of a servant

–Bold when necessary



I want to have the mind of Christ…(1 Cor. 2:16).

I want to smell like Christ…

2 Cor. 2:15-16—“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are

being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death;

to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?”


I want to possess the fruits of the Spirit… (Gal. 5:22-23).
—Love, joy, peace, patience…
–Kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
–Gentleness and self-control.



I want to be holy, as God is holy… (1 Peter 1:14-16).

My “theme song” for the summer was/is “Crazy” by MercyMe (Click to read lyrics).

That song completely fits my situation and my outlook on life right now.

The things that I have begun to value increasingly are considered to be “crazy” by those who are in the world. They cannot understand why I choose to do the things I am doing/not doing.
For example, my stance on visual entertainment (i.e. movies and television)…I cannot tell you how many people have told me that they cannot understand why I would choose to abstain from watching these things (for the most part).
I want to make it clear that it’s okay if you don’t choose to do what I have been called to do…my convictions are personal, and I do not hold others to my personal standards.

Here are my reasons for my decision:

I ask myself, does this movie/show help me spiritually? Or does it hinder my walk?

Here are just a few of the verses that I have as guidelines for my life, now more than ever…

Phil. 2:5: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”



Eph. 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Colossians 4:6: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 3:2-3: “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”



Col. 3:12-14: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”



Phil. 2:14-16: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.”



We are called to be holy, to be set-apart. I believe that it is possible to do so without completely disconnecting oneself from the world and that is what I am attempting to do.

Bottom line:

I Peter 1:14-16: ‘As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”’

Am I “crazy”? Perhaps. However, I don’t see it that way.

The only things that are of any value to me right now are those things of ETERNAL value. If my spiritual walk is not strengthened by a movie, show, etc., but rather hindered by the content, what’s the point? If it is not helping me to be more like Christ, then I would rather not watch it.

This is not an easy task, nor a quick one…in fact, I’m only beginning to embark on this journey.

It will take a lifetime to work towards these goals…and I’m ready for it.