...Glee's version of "Forget You" by Cee Lo.

I've been obsessed with this song for two days now. CANNOT get it out of my head!

...fashionABLE.

For a few years, I thought for sure that God was calling me to be a missionary by vocation. However, last semester He showed me that He was merely cultivating a heart for missions within me. My true calling was to fashion journalism.

So here I am, awkward ol' Rivers... with a heart for missions, an talent for writing, an obsession with graphic design, and an eye for fashion. THIS is who I am, and THIS is why companies like fashionABLE catch my eye!

Let these wonderful scarves draw you to the website. Learn about them, the women, the mission. And get one!

Oh, and don't sweat it, homeboy. They've got you covered too!

They even give you tips on how to wear the scarves: http://livefashionable.com/category/style-your-scarf/ How cool is THAT?!

...a gospel filled funeral.

We preach our own funerals.

This is another quote from Louie Giglio's first message at the Passion 2011 conference. Though I unfortunately did not get to go, I am blessed enough to watch the sessions every Monday night at my college. After only one session, I have begun to save up in order to pay my way to Passion 2012.

So, back to the quote...

I sometimes wonder what people would do if I died - not in a morbid kind of way, but rather a "I wonder if I'm making a difference" sense. I wonder what my parents would do. I wonder how my brothers would handle it - that one really hurts me. I wonder how my friends would take the news. I wonder how the people who wronged me and hurt me would react. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of funerals is tears and utter sadness.

Is that how I want my funeral to be? Of course not. But then, is that how anyone wants their funeral to be? I've never heard anyone sincerely say, "I want everyone to be upset when I die." That's the type of person that will have a no-tear funeral if you know what I mean...

If the statement "We preach our own funerals" is correct, then I want the gospel of Jesus Christ preached at my funeral. I must, therefore live the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is that? With every word that leaves my mouth, with every deed performed with my hand, with every thought that scrolls across my mind, and with every feeling that flashes through my heart, I should declare that "for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain," (Philippians 1:21).

Just like Paul, each day of life would equal at least one more soul hearing the gospel. Death would mean my prize, eternal paradise, perpetual pleasure magnifying my Savior.

Christ, be my life, so that others may see that death is gain.

...being full of God.

Lord, let Your Spirit so fill my life that You drown out every desire that does not matter in the end.

That prayer is one that I just heard a few moments ago, as I watched the first session of Passion 2011 in my college's student center. Louie Giglio was God's mouth-piece. However, this was not the first time this concept has slapped me upside the head.

This weekend I was a family group leader at Ekklesia, a youth camp for the churches of Selma. At the final session on Sunday morning, Chris Terrell (God's vessel for the weekend) spoke of Stephen. Ya know, the guy who was "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," (Acts 6:5). Doesn't ring a bell? Maybe you've heard him referred to as "a man full of God's grace and power," (Acts 6:8)? Yeahh, the first martyr... he was "full of the Holy Spirit," (Acts 7:55). If nothing else could be said about that guy, no one can deny that he was full - to the brim, that is. His definition - said three different ways - all boil down to the simple fact that there was no room in Stephen's life for anything BUT God.

Chris explained it this way... Dr. Pepper. He's a lover of it. (As am I, so this illustration totally got my attention.) He gets it every time he goes out to eat somewhere. Every now and then, however, the waiter/waitress will try to go all stealthy and resourceful on him. Rather than giving him an appropriate amount of his favored soda, he/she would fill the cup completely with ice before dripping in the Dr. Pepper. Therefore, because of the amount of ice in the container, there was very little room for the drink... which of course is a major disappointment.

Now, imagine if Stephen had more ice in his cup than Dr. Pepper (life and Holy Spirit, respectively). How would the story in Acts chapters 6 through 8 have gone differently? He probably would not have died at that time. Some would consider that a good thing... but Paul says in Philippians that for him, "to live is Christ and to die is gain," (1:21). Stephen obviously felt the same way. Had Stephen's cup been arranged any way but full of God, Paul may not have written that letter to the church at Philippi. I believe that if Stephen had more ice in his cup, Saul would not have seen such a bold witness. That would have been one less gospel hearing experience that would place him on the road to Damascus where he would become Paul, and later write encouragement and boldness to the churches of Jesus Christ.

All I can say is God has a big plan for full people; and I kinda like the sound of that.

So...

Lord, let Your Spirit so fill my life that You drown out every desire that does not matter in the end.