I Love You Twelve

I’m working on changing the blog around. The banner is sort of plain right now, but I’ll probably leave it like that for a little while. But it is Valentine’s Day and I really don’t have all that much to say except thank you to everyone who loves me unconditionally. I appreciate and love you with my entire heart.

I am taking down pages (you’ll notice that the only two left right now are About and FAQ) and redoing some and retiring some. I’m also retiring my little signature. I’m just tired of it, I suppose.

I’ve kind of been procrastinating changing some things on here for awhile, but the truth is things are changing in my life and I just feel it’s time to change this around a bit as well. I took down my bucket list, but I have it saved somewhere else and I will still add on to it and subtract from it.

Within the next month, I’m going to be cleaning out the blog in a sense– deleting entries that I don’t need and such. I just feel like it’s time to do that since I never have. Maybe I’ll bring back some super old posts or make a really fun one about awesome typos I have made or something. We’ll see.

The “Beauty Is…” page is being taken down as well. I have left it up for two years. It was a very important part of this blog and I still go back to read it, so I am not completely erasing it from here, I’m just moving it to it’s own entry.

In honor of Valentine’s Day and the contest that greatly changed my life in so many ways, here are the entries that were sent in for my Gungor CD contest two years ago. If you have never read it, I hope it touches your heart like it did mine. If you have or if you participated in it– THANK YOU! Because you were a huge part of getting me to The Dove Awards last year…and to concerts I never would have gone to…and you’re a huge reason why I still get CDs in the mail and email. Thank you for being a part of something that was life-changing for me.

Happy Valentine’s Day! :)

Oh! And Audrey Assad’s album, Heart, is available right now! Go get it!

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In 2010 I had the opportunity to host a CD Giveaway for Gungor. It was a really great experience and all of the entries touched my heart so deeply. Here are all the entries I received for “Beauty Is…”

Rachel Bryce: What is beauty? When I first thought about this question, I thought of flowers, sunshine, music. After thinking about it more thoroughly, I realized that beauty is happiness—in all shapes and forms. I looked online for videos and pictures, and found nothing that fit exactly what I feel is “beauty”. Suddenly, I got to thinking that I have experienced so much of what I consider “beauty” in my own, personal life. The video I found, which I consider beautiful, is one of my family—my mother, MaryJean, my sister, Christen, and my beautiful four-year-old niece, Kelcey (who was not quite 24 months in the video). Our family has been through a lot, but we try to stay strong, and know, deep down, that there have been many blessings throughout this lifetime. This video will always be close to my heart.

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Eric “Ace” Anderson:

Beauty is…
My best friend is Kallie,
she’s as beautiful as can be..
All throughout history,
friendship’s been no mystery.
When I am with her,
it’s always fun, that’s for sure.
Even if to her, I remain just a friend,
knowing her, I hope will never end.
She’s funny, and she’s sweet,
her personality can’t be beat.
She’s my best friend,
and I’ll care about her until my life’s end.

To Me, Beauty is my best friend.

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Luke Arsenault: This picture was taken in Vancouver during the Olympics! I think that everything that God creates in the world is beautiful, that is why I feel this picture shows true beauty!

_______________________

Alysse Reynolds:

Skin

Today I stepped out of the shower and began
to towel-dry in the same pattern as each
day before.
Left arm, right arm
right leg, left leg
shoulders downward.
I made half a pass down the left limb
when I discovered my skin wasn’t nearly
as covered in droplets as usual. My skin, freckled sporadically
and milky white, was absorbing the
water, drinking before the fluff so much as
touched it. My body, thirsty for purpose,
was baptizing itself, coveting holy water
for the sheer taste of refreshment.

On a sticky summer day the daylight faded
slowly
and the stars trickled in rivulets through
the velvet blue of the midnight sky.
And dawn, in all her glory, stepped out of
dayclothes and dreamt the constellations,
specks of light that she would towel off
come morning dew’s last moments.

And today, my ankles were not forgotten
in the expanse of refreshed skin.

Now, if you didn’t already, I recommend reading it aloud. The beauty is the liquid sound of the words on the tongue. That’s what I love about poetry: the way it tastes.

The overall idea of this poem for myself was the concept of being content. I felt comfortable in my own skin. I felt clean, refreshed, and made anew into a person who was beautiful where she often felt uncomfortable. Being content and confident in your our body, as well as being comfortable with yourself in general, is the greatest form of beauty. And I am that girl.

My name is Alysse Reynolds. I’m 21 years old. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with my life, or where I am going. But I can guarantee that as long as I’m comfortable with myself, everyone around me will be comfortable with me too, and I’ll find my way with confidence and faith.

_______________________

Lindsey Brock: Beauty can have many different meanings. When I think of “Beauty”, I think of Keiko the Killer Whale. Killer Whales are my favorite animals, and I am especially fond of Keiko. He taught the world that anything is possible if you put your heart into it. People from all over the world came together to return him to his natural habitat after spending most of his life in captivity. After moving to Oregon in 1995, trainers worked with him on how to catch live fish and help strengthen his body so he would be able to survive in the wild. From 1998 til his death in 2003, Keiko lived in his natural habitat in the waters of Iceland; He communicated with wild Orcas and swam in the open water. He was home again. Keiko’s story is very powerful and hits my heart everytime. I only wish we can all believe in our dreams and put our hearts into making them come true!

_______________________

Kristen Rupert: Beauty is the heart of South Africa. A nation that was oppressed for so many years has since come out of this persecution to grow a generation with no boundaries. They worship with no hindrance and love with no condition. Their pain and suffering is unimaginable to us as Americans, but their God is the God of impossible. The beauty does not just shine from the gorgeous collage of faces you might encounter, but it shines from deep within. A place that only God knows, and a place you can only feel in your soul. Beauty is 850 African youth all worshipping together in one Spirit and in one Truth… without air conditioning.

I also wrote a song after I got back from Africa. You might like this:

Surprising ways I feel
A thousand miles from home, I see their faces
More familiar than my own
Expectations were left in the air
And I can’t help but judge
I can’t help but know

In humility, I can see
What You want me to be
All of You is all of me

My heart is on the line
Why must I search so hard to find
That still small voice inside my mind
You tell me to rest my soul
But restless feet want to go
Where they dared not tread

In humility, I can see
What You want me to be
All of You is all of me

We are trying to find our place
Like a grain of sand
As it falls through the hourglass
Searching hearts will follow anything
If we promise truth
If we promise grace

In humility, I can see
What You want me to be
All of You is all of me

_______________________

Kelli Scott: Beauty is like a door. Every time someone opens it whatever is on the other side changes. For me my horse is beautiful. She is pure muscle yet elegant in the way she runs. She has the same color as many horses but her personality out shines them all. When i open my door she is there.

_______________________

 

Rufo Sanchez: To me, beauty is the sunset at Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

_______________________

Wendell Sones: If you can look at this and say that there isn’t a God then something is wrong. That’s why this is beautiful.

_______________________

Janet Love: Beauty is real. Beauty is something simple, yet magnificent. It is in us. It is all around us.

The wildflowers that surround us daily show us such beauty. All the parts in which God created to make such stunning flowers, from the seeds to the sun and the insects that pollinate them are radiant. How all the pieces fit together to form an extravagant picture of God’s power and majesty is mind-blowing.

 

Beauty is always there, sometimes in the simplest looking things. Look for it and treasure it.

_______________________

James Saint Juste: Beauty is .. to me is a picture of a person sitting at the top of a cliff staring into the sun as it is coming down.

_______________________

Stephanie Parker: Beauty is life. Everywhere you go, you can find something that inspires you. Whether it be a sunset, or a lake. Maybe a person. Beauty is everywhere, it is life. Beauty is inspiration. Beauty is perception, it is the graceful and ungraceful. It is in everyone and in everything. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

_______________________

John Foarde: Beauty is more than what the world makes it to be. Beauty is more than fashion, more than attraction. Beauty transcends the material. Beauty is love, compassion, selflessness. Beauty is seeing beyond what your eyes see. Beauty is seeing people through God’s eyes. Beauty is the difference between seeing a homeless person on the street and buying that homeless person lunch. Beauty is the difference between feeling sorry for the naked child and giving them your shirt. Beauty is the differnce between saying “I love you” and actually loving them. Beauty is love in action. Beauty is a word, an idea, a thought. It’s description changes from person to person, but it’s essence remains the same. Beauty is love, God is love, God is beauty, we are made in God’s image, we are all beautiful.

_______________________

Katie Taylor: Everything is beautiful. It’s impossible to pick just one thing. Everything was created in the image of our God. People, flowers, sunsets, landscape… they are all beautiful. So, how can I pick one thing that I think is beautiful? I can’t. But, I feel as though memories are beautiful are the most beautiful gift God has given us. This picture is the view from the house I grew up in, and while I didn’t have a picture of all the memories I had of my childhood and that house, this is one beautiful memory I have. I remember walking down the hill through the trees; I remember the storms blowing in across the valley; I remember the beauty of the glistening, untouched snow on the ground and trees. These are all beautiful, and I see God in these memories.

_______________________

Candice Phillips: Beauty is sisterly love.

_______________________

Rebekah Pino: This poem was written over several months in which i had to face many trials, losses and low moments of my life.This poem really expresses true beauty. God created us all beautiful and although we may face storms, and in our heartships we sometime struggle to see how beautiful we truely are. Beauty is…knowing that you have a purpose, that God created you and is with you. Beauty is finding yourself in the mess of this world.

Through it all life must go on
As I struggle and face battles of war,
Confront confusion and the numerous casualties,
Speed through bumps and along the way, get lost on a detour
Embrace unexpected miracle and unbelievable tragedies,
Through it all life must go on,
Through trials of pain and suffering; as I reap and pay,
As I confront complicated circumstances and out of hand situations,
When my paths wind and twist together and I loose my way,
Experiencing highs and lows of pain and joy,
I wonder why life must go on, do I have a say?
When it feels like everything is going to give in, fall, crash and crumble,
When the pain is so excruciating and I’m are ready to give in, fall, crash and crumble,
The reminder of something greater creates a hunger,
To no longer let fear roll over me like thunder,
But to step out and be the change that this world needs greater.
The love I have found in you, shared through you, and experienced because of you,
Through the hardest of trials, still you have brought forth joy,
As I search for life, I slow down and find that it has been here, for its you,
This new knowledge has brought me excitement like a young boy.
You are my life and I don’t deserve you.
Time stands still, yet life continues to pass me by,
Words begin to fail, love overflows, and fear fled,
Never ending joy is makes me feel as if I could fly,
Forgiveness is offered through the blood that was shed,
The pain and suffering inflected upon you for me, but why?

As the pain leaves, no longer will my tears flood my life,
Suddenly I find understanding, relief at last.
The time has come for me to move my pone to the next open space,
In my time of surrender, peace and joy overwhelms me;
Finally the point of contentment in life has arrived, but I must keep moving forward.
This eternal change deep within me,
This new passion I desire,
The ease you’ve given me,
To move on to rise higher,
The desire to achieve life, not just to be.
Simply to live is no longer suffices ,
Simply to breath is too little to ask of me,
Settling for second best, no longer elapses.
To strive and drive farther than the eye can see,
Simply to be your hands and feet, to reach this lost world in need barely meets expectations.
The impossible has lost its reign,
Victory triumphs the strong,
My weakness has become my gain,
Your sword has shown me the life I long.
Through you, my strength, the blind can see and the dead can live again.
So as I face battles and struggles,
Confront confusion and chaos and casualties,
Through the bumps and sharp turns I speed,
Embrace unexpected miracles and unbelievable tragedies,
Through it all life will continue to flourish because I have now found everything I need.

_______________________

Jannah Bentley:

What is beauty?
These were the words said to me,
As I sit here and think what beauty is worlds of possibilities’ come to me,
Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder so a definition simply won’t do,
So it’s not what is beauty but what beauty means to you?
Beauty can be seen anywhere,
In the clouds,
In the sun setting,
In a lake,
Beauty surrounds us so let us intake all the beauty of this marvelous world.
There’s beauty in the air, the soft blowing wind.
Beauty in the bright dancing stars.
Beauty in your friends’.
Beauty can be found anywhere it’s not just one thing,
It’s found in simply everything.
So let your beauty shine,
Let your heart of gold grow,
Let the world know that beauty is found in you.