2. a good book is like a great friend. i am in love with many characters from books i have read and often try to think of people i know who could function in my life the same way the characters have in the book. (my favorite character right now is sadie from sophie kinsella's twenties girl). 
3. running: nothing clears my mind and body like a good run. and living so close to the ocean and downtown la jolla equals beautiful scenery regardless of the direction i run. 
4. chimes ginger chews: this brand makes the most delicious candy! and it's still "healthy" (at least that's what i tell myself!). my favorite are the mango ginger chews that look much like the container above... but this one is peanut butter (a flavor i haven't seen before!) 
5. mama bird's sun tea: nope mama bird is not a brand. my mom makes the most delicious sun tea during the sunshiney summer months. sun tea is one of the things i miss most about being home all summer long... and i tried to make the same recipe down here, but something is so much more delicious about mama's. 
6. taylor swift greeting cards: i mean look how precious they are! all of the ones i've seen have glitter and they are so precious. they're my favorite to pick out (though i tend to just buy all of the ones in sight) and send home to my mom... (she appreciates them so much more than my dear boyfriend, father, and brother - maybe it's the glitter?). with move-in upon my parents and bubba, i had the honor of spending two days being adventurous with my adventurous seven-year-old brother, miah. he is just such a sweet boy with quite the personality and sense of humor.
we went fishing at the local lake… and though we did not catch anything but some weeds growing on the bottom of the water, we had so much fun being attacked by ants, finding a good fishing spot that was shaded, and going through jason’s collection of bait in his tackle box.
and, on top of all that, my favorite (all be it new and not the original) rainbows joined for the adventure!
oh, how i hope you watched my dear little buddy marcell the shell with shoes on (if not scroll down and catch up on your reading!). i truly admire so many things about the precious little shell with shoes on that marcell is, but most of all, i love the attitude that his little body possesses. what i would do to be able to contain that much of a personality in every square inch of my body.
after watching the video probably near 50 times, i have realized i love it so much because i can learn from marcell… hopefully you can too!
marcell makes the best of his small shell situation throughout the video, but when he talks about regretting to not be able to have a dog my heart just feels so sad. then he goes on to be absolutely adorable by improvising with hair and a lint ball. oh my gosh, if i could improvise like that my life would be full of so much more joy and a lot less time spent dwelling on what i’m lacking.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. –proverbs 17:22
i think God would smile down on me if i channeled my energy in the same way marcell does. rather than sit around throwing a pity party for myself, i should find some lint, tie it to a hair, and love my little “fluffy” named allen. so, yes God, i will try my hardest to be more like marcel and less like amber.
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. - proverbs 15:13
and, as marcell goes on to describe his little allen,
“well, you know what they say… lint is a shell’s best friend”
… maybe a dog is not the only best friend a person has. what can you improvise this week? maybe at work, maybe at home, or maybe just for fun… best of luck to all with their improvisations.
dear all who read synchronicite,
here is my official apology for being absent for so long. i am sooooo incredibly sorry for being a slacker. i just returned from the vacation in idaho and have been enjoying my time away from responsibility way too much!
please, pretty please accept my lack of motivation and forgive me for being a slacker. i promise to make it up to you!
sincerely,
amber
p.s. take this little video as a token of my appreciation for your commitment to reading my blog. it will not disappoint! (and if you’re anything like my family you will be repeating the lines all the time)
p.p.s. this is apology is also my official statement that i am going to try to blog twice a week rather than just once. i am going to challenge myself to realize that even the mundane can be influential!
song of the day:
apologize
by: luke bryan
hopefully it's not too late for me to apologize... but, once again, i am sorry!
it's funny how we have a little saying to get out of talking about a bad day.
her: "how are you amber?"
me: "oh you know, it's just one of those days."
somehow there is a solace or comfort found in being able to label a down on your luck day, as "one of those days". it's almost as though by saying "it's one of those days" i can lay it to rest. i no longer need to seek the goodness out in the day or be hopeful for a change in fate... instead i can just spend my precious day counting down the moments until i have the chance to lay in my bed and sleep off the ickyness. (i made that spelling up for sure!)
but why? why do we have to pretend like it's a day to be categorized? every day brings something new, adventurous, different into our lives... even if it's something as mundane as parking in a different spot in the work parking lot.
however, i realize i have a "just one of those people" attitude.
her: "amber, this is my friend, billy."
me: "oh you, you're just one of those people."
somehow, it doesn't flow as nicely off the tongue as "just one of those days". but it's the same attitude in my heart... i am ready to lay them to rest for whatever lame reason seems to be enough in my narrow mind. i decide i don't like the people billy hangs out with, the things i have
heard about him, or the way that he dresses (whatever it may be) and i decide he's "just one of those people".
but why? what a horrible injustice i am doing to skip out on the chance to make a new friend and have my mind expanded by their wisdom! one of my closest friends in high school was the atheist boy that sat next to me during my art history class. he was intelligent beyond comprehension and
admitted to being "too smart to believe in God". initially i was freaked out by him because of his strong stance on all things political, religious, academic - just on all things i suppose. but, he expanded my mind and tested my faith through his many questions and discussions... and
i like to think i pushed him to think too.
so, who are you writing off as "just one of those people"? or who is writing you off as "just one of those people"? my challenge to you (and to myself) is to open your mind and your heart to experience a new kind of friendship with a new kind of person... and if you are "just one of those
people" to someone, show them you're not.
"...great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve." -Jeremiah 32:19
let your eyes be opened to the greatness of Him in His creation, the people that fill your lives.
song of the day:
give me your eyes
by: brandon heath
let's find God in the people we interact with. He is there, though sometimes it can be so hard to find.
this is one of the questions i have heard from believers and non-believers alike. i have spent months pondering this after the alzheimer’s diagnosis of my father, after the loss of baby hallee, after watching members of the church come down with fatal illnesses, after corruption plagues church leadership, after having good intentions and still messing up… how does this happen with the righteous right hand of God protecting us, His children, from danger?
the book of job seems to speak directly to this, but not in a fast and simple way. it takes a little bit of digging and a prayer for God’s word to speak directly into your heart. i have read through Job before, but suddenly, in this new light that the Spirit has shed on it, it is extraordinarily enlightening.
God does not stop bad things from happening for three reasons (that i have come up with and by no means is this list exhaustive or right):
1. you, as God’s child, underestimate your strength and/or abilities.
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” – Romans 5:3-5
in the book of job, God hands job to satan while bragging that job is one of His most faithful servants and will remain strong despite the devil’s temptations. does job do so? yes! but not on his own. God provides friends to serve as encouragement during the most difficult of times. He is allowing for us to realize the insane muscle He has blessed us with, faith. realize that through your suffering you are growing into a better, stronger, more Hulk-like christian.
2. He wants you to realize the condition of your heart.
“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. . So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.” John 16:20, 22
friedrich nietzsche once said, “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” the same goes for the matters of the heart: what doesn’t kill our desires only makes them stronger. God calls us to serve His greater purpose and He provides us with talents in order to ensure our chance to participate in bringing glory to His righteous kingdom.
i have realized that all good things are worth working for; however, it’s not easy to run into tests and trials. are you truly dedicated to your convictions, your talents, His purpose? the flame will dwindle and, at times, you may fear it’s complete extinguish. but, just as nietzche says, if it doesn’t blow out that little fire will come back a full-blown, unstoppable blaze. there is a time of trial, but He will bring us into a time of rejoicing in His undeniable purpose in our lives.
3. He has faith in you, but He longs for you to grow your faith in Him.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21
God has created you. He knows your greatest potential and has great faith in your ability to accomplish His goodness. but do you have enough faith in Him to endure the trials and tough times? i believe that in the face of persecution and trials you realize your (a) heart and (b) dedication. how much do you want to help others in His name? how badly do you desire to reflect Him in everything that you do?
putting yourself out there every day is difficult and being met with anything less than praise makes the task that much more daunting; however, He is rejoicing your perseverance up in heaven and will reward you (beyond anything you can fathom) for being faithful to Him. receiving criticism and negativity when you feel like you are doing what God has created you to do can breed doubt in your heart, but have faith. know that He designed you with a specific purpose for you life.
rather than think in the negative, consider tough times the ultimate compliment. God, the creator of all things, is up in Heaven wishing for you to pull close to Him and lean into the promise He has made to give a greater purpose to your life. He longs to do things in your life that are more than you would ever ask for… i’m in, how about you?
"My life is an example to many, because you have been my strength and protection. That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.” –Psalm 71:7-8
remember that in everything you do people are watching. a person’s true character shows when they are staring adversity in the face, make sure you’re someone worth paying attention to (during good times and bad).
song of the day:
meant to live
by: switchfoot
"fumbling his confidence and wondering why the world has passed him by...
hoping that he's meant for more than arguments and failed attempts to fly...
we were meant to live for so much more, have we lost ourselves?"
i've lost myself several times, but leave it up to God to bring me right back to where i need to be. it's a confusing world, but He can serve as the ultimate GPS. just ask and believe.
jason, the above mentioned garbage disposal, is a natural helper. he longs to be in the kitchen assisting in making dinner and often says he wants to be in charge of meals. i have learned that jason's ideal meal is a grilled lean chicken breast (because it's packed with protein), a side of spinach splashed with a little (emphasis on little) splash of italian dressing, and possibly some brown rice (though carbs are not high on his priority list, unlike mine). taking a risk at being captain obvious, jason is not into flavor so much as practicality. he is focused on putting what's best into his body ensuring it's running at high efficiency. i, on the other hand, want to enjoy my culinary experience which requires a little bit of extra caloric intake.
these dinner experiences serve as an amazing illustration of God and his faithfulness. like jason's meal, Christ's sacrifice was enough for us. it covers all of our sin and allows us to work at full efficiency knowing that we can enter into the kingdom of heaven simply by knowing God as our personal savior. we could simply enjoy the bare bones without further pursuing greater culinary treats.
however, much like the way top chefs do in the culinary world, God has provided us with a recipe book (aka: the Bible) that not only provides us with instructions on the basics of cooking but it also has suggestions for spicing up our lives (not like the girl group from the mid-90s as great as
they were...). you see, there are many ways to make things "better" though it often requires a more complicated cooking process and sometimes a bit of thinking ahead.
"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" -Matthew 4:4
even Jesus himself says, man cannot live on his own, but needs the word of God. i think he was saying that the words that come from God are what make life more than just a grilled lean chicken breast, let's think of them as the marinade of life. and what is the rule about marinating... the longer you let meat sit in a marinade, the better it tastes. well, marinade away my dear friends.
"Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate (sounds much like marinate) on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." -Romans 1:8
don't take this as an action-based faith lesson... marinating does not change the completeness we have achieved through Christ's death. nothing we do will ever change how healthy the lean chicken breast is, just like nothing we ever do will add to or take away from the price paid by Christ on the cross. however, with a little bit of thinking ahead and a greater cooking process, we can work to transform ourselves to be more like Him. is it easy? nope. but more importantly, it's possible with Him on our side.
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13
song of the day:
from the inside out
by: hillsong united
"in my heart and my soul, Lord i give You control consume me from the inside out"
... if you need some marinade, listen to some worship and pray. He will give you some flavor.
i had a dear friend ripped from my life recently. it was a heart wrenching experience. i’m sure you will all commiserate and come to have a greater respect for dear friends at the close of this post.
my family and i took a trip to the water park and the day was fantastic… until my favorite-lovely-from my mama bird-just starting to form to my feet rainbow sandals were viciously stolen from their place hidden under my boyfriends water ski-sized flip flops. Someone was on the hunt for my sweet sandals and i was left high and dry (and burning my feet on the hot palm springs concrete!). this is such a sad day.
to add to the sadness, i purchased another pair of sandals to make up for the lost pair in the gift shop on my way out just to ensure my survival over the molten asphalt parking lot. it’s a lie, kids, new friends are not silver, they are cheap, plastic, uncomfortable, too big, twenty dollar flippy floppies that i loathe! what a travesty. and my golden girls, the sweet rainbows, are now being squished, sweated upon, molded by some thief’s nasty, toe-jam infested feet. poor babies.
i pray her feet rot off. i pray her toe nails become ingrown. i pray no one compliments her because her feet look fat. i pray she gets mad blisters. but, wherever you are, i pray for you.
DISCLAIMER: i know as you read this you are thinking, "gee, this girl is a cuckoo!"... well just put yourself in my sandals and realize that... oh, wait, my sandals are missing and someone else is already in them...
house rules
by: jodi picoult
any book she writes is bound to have you addicted, but this one has a sense of humor about it… something she hasn’t tried before but it’s amazing! and you will be laughing out loud which is always refreshing when reading a book. (i always attribute a good lol to movies and tv!)
twenties girl
by: sophie kinsella
i am just so happy to be out of school and reading like crazy (at my own will!). it’s so fun to read books that don’t have a 100% in the educational value rating (evr). (no the evr is not real i just made it up!) happy summer readings to all and if you come upon one you love… please share!
song of the day:
chai tea latte
by: angel taylor
and with all this gloomy weather what better reading buddy than a warm quilt and chai tea latter (yes, in the middle of summer!)
creating is one of my favorite things to do. i love to paint and see everything hanging on walls (whether they are mine or walls of people i love most!) today i was looking through some of the art on etsy and this caught my eye. 
growing up in the church i, like many other kids, came to know the "big" bible stories as well as the nursery rhymes that i learned at school. noah and his ark, moses parting the red sea, david and goliath, joseph and his technicolor coat, and the list goes on. one of my favorites was jonah and the whale because, well, what child doesn't love the story of a man being swallowed by a whale and living to tell the story? (plus, disney got a hold of this one and used it in pinocchio which only adds to the excitement!) all of the excitement about these stories while i was a child did not remain as i grew older in my faith. i guess i just regarded them as elementary bible stories for those early in their faith. however, last night at church God changed my preconceived notions about jonah and the whale. He, in fact, made me forget the whale completely!
at the end of chapter 4 in the book of Jonah there is the story of jonah and the vine,
"Jonah went out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the LORD God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the vine so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, "It would be better for me to die than to live."
But God said to Jonah, "Do you have a right to be angry about the vine?"
"I do," he said. "I am angry enough to die."
But the LORD said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" -Jonah 4: 5-11
after throwing a major fit and telling God he'd rather be dead than do God's will, jonah storms out of the city he was called to preach to and sits, pouting, in the desert. God, despite jonah's anger, provides for him: first a vine to shade, then a worm to wither the vine, and finally a hot wind from the east. in God's provisions, jonah finds himself miserable and, once again, grows angry with God crying out the he would like to die. rather than working to placate a spoiled brat of a believer, God speaks the world back into perspective in saying to jonah, "you had no hand in growing this vine or in the worm's appetite or the wind blowing from a hot land, yet you are concerned. you have a hand in the city of Nineveh, yet you are not concerned. I, the Lord of Lords, have a hand in it all and because of this, I am concerned."
why is it that it's so easy to be just like jonah? when God calls us to do something that would bring glory to Him, we get all huffy and puffy and disinterested. when God provides something great for us that we did nothing to deserve and it dies away, we throw a fit and grow angry with Him because why would you do this to me God? why, oh why? woe is me!
no, no, no get it straight guys. i don't deserve the wonderful life i have here in america more than any other u.s. citizen or any immigrant that longs to live in such a great land as ours. i am (by His grace and not my earning!) extremely blessed to be living in such a wealthy country that allows me to worship freely. so what if i don't have the coolest clothes like lady gaga (just kidding!) or the athletic ability of kobe bryant or the beauty of miss america... i have more than i could ever deserve because Jesus Christ died on the cross for me to appease his Father who should be unleashing His rage on me for the sin that wreaks havoc on my life.
but, just as the vines come and provide shade, there are worms that God places in our lives to give us a little sun. (He must like sun-kissed skin too!) all jokes aside, be thankful for sun. He is exposing us because He knows that we will not burn to a crisp under the heat of His greatest star. so, although you may not want to sit out and feel the heat, realize He will not let you burn, He will provide some water and some shade until the time has come for you to feel the coolness of night. and while that hot eastern wind blows, be thankful for the air that fills your lungs. be thankful you are alive to feel the breeze against your skin and realize that, just like in the bible, one feels most alive when life is reminding you it's not an easy thing.
remember the words of a very tried man, job, "...the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away." -Job 1:21. that was written in the first chapter of a 42 chapter book. what chapter would you write that in yours?
make a list of the vines, the worms, the winds that God brings to develop your perspective into one that focuses on the immense blessings showered on us by Him. don't just count your blessings, but attribute them to the Almighty King that deserves much more than we could ever bring to Him. and just remember His sweet blessings on your life the next time you are grouchy about the calling He has for you.
song of the day:
who am I
by: casting crowns
who am i to deserve the things He gives to me? i'm not. He is.
i have suddenly fallen in love with the art of letter writing again. there is something about a handwritten note that comes in the mail that is just so amazing. i’m not sure what part of it i love the most, the fact that someone thought of me and took time to write or that the mailman realizes i’m a big deal in someone’s life because they sent me a letter.
i remember in middle school - before email, instant messaging, and texts were all the rage – a close friend and i would write notes back and forth several times throughout the day. we would draw cute little borders and pictures that would make each other laugh on the edges and fill the page with lots of thoughts that were meant only for the other to see. now, just eight short years later it’s about the communications that are much more convenient than letters. emails, texts, and instant messages are the new way to let someone know you care in a much simpler, quicker way. you can type them, there’s no charge to send, and they arrive within seconds. however, these digital communications don’t have the beautiful scrawl of your loved ones or the scribbled out mess-ups of a younger sibling. a handwritten note is the diamond of written communication.
now, a journal has never been the thing for me. i have no desire to write to a book about my days. but there is something so cathartic about writing a letter to God every once in a while to let Him know your heart and to create a little reminder to you about the big moments in your faith. i never liked feeling like i had to write every day… or every other day (something my mom is soooo good at!), but instead have found it helpful to my faith to look at my notebook and realize there are bimonthly letters to God. some are sad and pleading for His help, others are reminders to myself about my lacking in some area while strong in others, and still more talk about my loved ones. but the one thing that’s the same in all of them, i’m speaking, very honestly, with my God.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” –Philippians 4:8
what do you have to bring to God? it doesn’t have to be a letter like Paul wrote to Galatians with all kinds of biblical knowledge, but rather a note of honesty, of pure heart. show God you long to be thinking on the things of Him despite the fact that you haven’t in the past. you don’t have to worry about impressing God with everything that you know about His word… why? because compared to Him you know nothing!
“Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed. -1 Samuel 2:3
God speaks about the vastness of His own knowledge throughout the bible, but in 1 Samuel 2:3 he lays it out straight, “the Lord is a God of knowledge”. boom. we get it…. or do we?
my favorite passage to look at in my notes talks about the amazing faith of the people in my life – the immeasurable strength of my father’s, the curiosity and longing of my mother’s, the ever worshipping faith of my brother’s, the child’s faith of my baby brother’s, the new, yet intellectual faith of my boyfriend’s – and then i refer to my faith… i say to God it’s dried up and hungry, but I’m letting it stay that way, God. i don’t feel like i even have the energy to fix it. God read those words too, and He fixed it. He took the cup of life and filled my little heart until i sought out His word like a traveler in the desert seeking water.
verbal or silent mental prayer is much like email. it is soooo much more efficient and easier to use than writing things out. but when you handwrite a letter to God, when you put your thoughts and words on paper, you create a permanent record of your prayers rather than a fleeting thought. use a letter to God to renew your communications with Him. write your prayer out on a paper and keep it somewhere safe. then, in a couple months, look back and enjoy the answers to those written prayers.
song of the day:
you give me hope - between the trees
this song is on the movie letters to God soundtrack. it reminds me that He is here to give hope and i need to be keeping my eyes open and concentrated on all of the little rays of hope shining down from Him above. rays that could so easily be missed but are sent specifically me by my Father in heaven who loves me most.
the singer says, "you give me hope in spite of everything. you show me love even with so much pain. so i'll take this life and live like i was given another try." amen. He gives us hope. He love us. so, we will take our lives and live like He has given us another try.
