Be still....

This morning I read Mark 4:35-40

"And the same day, when the evening was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

I feel as though we can definitely apply this truth to our lives daily.  God can take every situation, every sea and every season and calm it. And He can work all things out for the good!

 It is so awesome to know that Our God is so Mighty and Powerful! There is nothing He can't do! He can remove every burden, cleanse every heart, fulfill every desire and calm every storm! We serve the Most High God!

Do you have any burdens tonight? Do you have a heart that needs to be made whole? Do you need healing? Do you need waters to be calmed in your life?

Cast all your cares to Jesus. Because He loves you more then you can even imagine! It doesn't matter where you have been, and what you are doing, He wants to help.


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30

Life lately according to my camera.

The Name.

I was the type of teenage girl that had pages in her journals filled with names and meanings I liked. I had clearly over forty names.. Now obviously I wasn't planning on having that many kids but I just loved those names and going through "Baby Names Dictionary" and writing down names was one of my favorite hobbies but oddly enough "Evelynne" was not in those name choices. I actually had nothing to do with the name and neither did Leon.. He's has always loved the name "Ivory" and I've always been a major fan of the name Scarlett or Rachel.. It's very rare when Leon and I can agree on "girl names"  

This is the story of how Evelynne's name came about.

The name came into our lives one night right after Leon dropped me off. When I was about to get some sleep Leon texted me saying    "I just saw you calling our daughter by her full name! It was Evelynne Lorain Riley. It sounds right!"  At first we really didn't know what to think of it. I loved the name and it fit perfectly but because we were no where near close to having kids I didn't put much thought into it. Until that April or May of 2011 I had a dream/vision I will never forget. It was so real.  

Leon and I were both young like we are now and I was holding our daughter and went to give her to Leon and he was in a brown uniform ( like the one he wears now)  holding her and I said her name "Evelynne."

When I woke up I actually thought I had a daughter.. It was one of those moments when I thought "Why did I have to wake up?"  But it was that moment when I came to realization that our daughter will be named "Evelynne".  A name I have grown to love along with the little person who carries that name.

While I was pregnant with her I suddenly decided to look her name up. Why I didn't do that before I have no idea! It's better later than never anyway right?  

The English origin of Evelynne is "A beautiful bird" and the Hebrew origin is "Life"

I love this because what comes to me when I see that is "A beautiful bird who brings life" 

And because she has been prophesied to be a worship leader while I was still pregnant with her I can't help but know that she will be a beautiful bird who brings life into worship.   

This is how Evelynne got her name.. Obviously it was not in our minds to name her Evelynne but God's mind. And that's how we want to live our lives by dedicating our lives to God and let His thoughts be more precious in our sight than our own.. He obviously knows us better than we know ourselves.

Evelynne has been such a blessing since well, the day I found out about her.  She's such a precious girl that LOVES to be held, loves to smile,  knows what she wants, and gets her point across even if it involves a tantrum or two.. At such a young age too! I guess she's just preparing those lungs ;)

"Moments like these" Over Coffee {Link Up}

 If I were having coffee with you, I would tell you that I cherish each and every moment with you. And that moments like this gives me pure joy and I thank God for each and every one of you that I am honored to have coffee with. Whether we've had coffee in the past, in the future or having coffee in the blog world. I cherish each and every one of you to the moon and back. Xoxo

If I were having coffee with you right now on this beautiful early spring day. I would tell you how I hope the whether stays nice like it has been the last day or so.  Weather can be so bi polar sometimes.. One day it's shorts and the next stay we gotta bring our coats back out. But may I say with honesty that I'm ready for my spring! My sunshine, sunhats, sun dresses (Did I mention sun?) Open toe sandals so I can show off my painted toe nails, bathing suits, beaches, Frappes, Ice cream, water. Oh spring yes I think know I'm ready for you!

I think what truly made me thirsty for Spring was not only it's my favorite season but yesterday's teaser. It was a high 62 yesterday so I took Evelynne on a little walk.. We both have been fighting a small cold the past two days so some fresh air did us both good! I took her to a very special and dear place to my heart. A place I went to the day after I found out I was pregnant with her to just ease my mind and talk to the Lord and His plan for this dear precious girl, And many times after that while being pregnant with her talking to the Lord, watching mommy ducks looking after their many babies, and feeling the newness of Evelynne many kicks. I would day dream about bringing Evelynne to this special place that Jesus has brought to my attention with His beautiful paintings. And now that I am holding her in the very place I used to day dream and think about her the whole time.. I've come to a deeper realization that dreams really do come true. And when you rely on God for your dreams. He can make them happen a lot quicker.. Sitting here with Evelynne watching the ducks and small waves by the bay.. It is moments like these I thank God for big dreams. It's moments like these I will treasure always, moments like these that often fills my journal pages faster, and moments like these I never want to take for granted but instead  enjoy every moment!

This is what I would tell you if I were having coffee with you. What would you tell me?