It is amazing to me how quickly time is flying... Anyone else feeling this way?

Thinking back to two years ago on this day and realizing it's been two whole years since Megan and I left for Europe. Twenty-four months since I had that final early morning Starbucks and quiet moment with my dad before boarding the plane with a one way ticket, tiny suitcase, and  map & best friend to explore across Europe with.

It's been two years since moving out of college life & moving into post-grad life - and, honestly, I still feel as though I'm trying to figure myself and my life out as much now as I was then.

It's now been 9 months since I moved back to California from Ireland and I'd still consider myself settling in. I've been able to work remotely and travel more than I ever expected to be able too in this year of rebuilding. But I've come to recognize this year for what it is - and what it is not - this year is more about connections than roots. It's about visiting and going to my people than building a tribe of new ones. And I love it. I might fight it, curse it, and wish it away sometimes while I'm stuck in LA traffic or dealing with flight delays, but overall, I've been able to reach across borders to visit my people more than I even expected and I can honestly say this has only been possible by the provision of the Lord alone.

I'm learning a new rhythm for this season of life.  This year hasn't been about life epiphanies  - it's been about stillness. About silence. About learning to be okay when there's not three other roommates (or even one other roommate) to occupy all my free & quiet time. I'm learning how to build a company, learning (or trying to learn) what I even like doing & how to do that best. I'm learning to juggle a long-distance relationship with a special guy and my best of friends on top of trying to build some-what of a life with where I'm at.  Learning that this life now is FAR different than I ever would have expected two years ago when I stepped off American soil for 15 months, but I'm excited for this. I'm getting past the stage of fear & worry for what now means for the future and releasing my grip to plan, schedule, and organize to the Mighty King who laid all these plans out far longer than my monthly planner did.

It's been two years since since "if money was no object" was born and life was embraced around that motto. And as I sit here today taking in the quickness of time passing, I'm refreshed by that perspective we once held & fought for - the perspective to grab life and go. To not always be ready but to jump in anyways, taking advantage of every opportunity and embrace the unknown. I want more of that in my life for this season & this two year mark was just the reminder I needed to bring it back.

XO,
Jordyn

BY: MEGAN DRAKE

This past week I was thinking about a blog post, and what I felt like the Lord wanted me to write. I was searching long and hard to try and find something meaningful to write, some sort of advice I can give you. Turns out, I’m fresh out of advice and what The Lord wanted me to write down and post is really simple if we don’t over complicate it…. What is your life about?
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Last week Jordy posted about letting your song be about God, a metaphor for living a life pointing to Jesus. I want to piggyback off that topic.

We walk through life wanting to be recognized for different things, for success in our job, relationships, and financially. But what happens when that day comes when you are taken from this side of heaven and on to the next? How will people really remember you?

Recently, one of my close friend’s mom went to be with The Lord. I attended the service to celebrate her life this week and I left with an overwhelming feeling to focus in on the important things in life.

Often when life gets out of control, I frantically panic like as if I am drowning to try and find something in my life that I can control. For me, that’s my  body image. Not even how others perceive me, but how I see myself. I try and control everything about the way I look and I start to quickly form some unhealthy habits. But, when I die people aren’t going to say, “Megan was a great girl with a killer bod.” And, even if they do, that is not what I want to be remembered by. I want to leave a legacy so ingrained in the life of Christ that it is impossible to separate memories of me from Him.

This is how Betty Porter is remembered. She radiated the light of Christ so brightly that she brought whoever she came in contact with closer to Him. It is impossible to remember Betty without thinking of the One who created her.
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I want to be like that. I want my legacy not to be about me at all, but about how I fiercely loved others with the overwhelmingly powerful love of Christ.

No matter how hard I try to control my circumstances or my appearance, Christ is in control. And ultimately, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Trying to keep up with the world is exhausting, but being held in the arm of your Father is life sustaining for eternity.

What do you want to be remembered for? What will your legacy be?
                                                                         
                                                                        XX
​                                                                     Megan

Don't let the song go out of your life.

I read that simple statement one morning and the sweetness of this reminder struck a cord with me. 
It's been a season of waiting, transitioning, seeing God move in unbelievable ways and provide like only He can. But with every drop in the roller coaster of life, we're faced with a challenge and a choice - one I feel like I've come to know well in these last few months - to inward focus on outward circumstances or to praise. Simple as that. Will you dwell or will you praise?

I've never been good particularly at quieting my mind, maybe it's how this girls brain works in that it runs around thinking about five thousand things and never quite finding its space to be still, to simply listen and reflect. Stillness has always been a struggle for me, and yet I constantly find myself looking upon verse after verse saying to be still, to wait and see, to live with expectant hope- and its those kinds of moments I'm really leaning into learning through cause clearly God is pointing to something there. There is something in the stillness that I need to learn, that I need to grow in.

 And because of that, I'm finding myself questioning what if those thousands of thoughts instead of running through expectations, what ifs, dreams, plans, todo lists, and the countless other tangents swirling around my mind - what if it goes to praise? What if the song of my life isn't a song about me at all?

That's what I want & desire in this season and in my life more than anything. To let my song ring of His praise in every morning, evening, season, and storm. To wait with hope to see the great thing the Lord will do before me (1 Samuel 12:26) and to let my heart take courage to keep moving, keep making steps on faith that as I move I'm stepping into where He already is.

So whatever the song of your life is right now, my prayer is that it becomes a song of praise to a good, good Father who gives the most generous and extravagant love.

And remember, where ever you are in life and whatever season you may be in - don't let the song go out of your life.

xx
Jordyn

By: MEGAN DRAKE

This week I turned 25, or a quarter of a century as I like to call it, it sounds much cooler that way, but with turning 25 I have found myself in a quarter life crisis. I know we always talk about how to go against the status quo and live the big life God has intended for you on here, but the truth is, I struggle with it more than I like to admit, and way more than I write about.

In my crisis I have two trains of thought, on one hand I feel like I should have a career and my own house with a dog and a husband (I am going to be 25 after all and that is when everyone has their lives together, right?!) Or on the other hand I feel like I’m so young and I should do something crazy while I’m single and I don’t have a mortgage to pay or mouths to feed and go teach english in Africa or Tokyo or abandon any saving account I have and travel again. I don't know where $100 will get me, but I'll try and stretch it. In my mind there is no in between and all rationality goes out the window when I’m looking back on my life and looking ahead to the future.

Traveling and living in Ireland seems like it was so long ago that it didn’t even happen, I feel like I have done nothing with my education or my passions because the experience of those being tangibly put into practice seems so far off. Currently, I am a nanny for a four month old boy. I have always enjoyed nannying and I don’t know why I now feel like it’s not good enough.

On my way to the job I love but don’t want to stay at forever, I heard a song on the radio that I have never heard before, and one I can’t stop listening to since. Thy Will by Hilary Scott. In the song she sings her soul out to God. That she, in the midst of confusion and heartbreak and can’t seem to place a prayer together and all that she is able to pray is Thy will be done.

I want that to be the soundtrack of my life. I want God’s will for my life above all else, it is sometimes so hard to see clearly and hear soundly when there is so much noise in life. And to be honest, I am terrible for canceling it out. I love background noise. When I am working out, doing the dishes, cleaning my room, driving. And I love, love, love watching TV. Seeing that as I type I feel a bit lazy, but what the heck I’ll admit it. I love it. I watch every TV show there is, I have a Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime account just to keep up with them all. There are few moments in the day when I am silent. When I tune my ear to try and discern what God is telling me. But, now I hear myself uttering those three words when I get frustrated that I can’t seem to see past my current situations. Even amidst the noise I say:

Thy will be done.

Thy will be done.

Above all else that is what I want. And who am I to say it isn’t being a nanny for right now. Heck, Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, promoted to a high position with Potiphar, thrown into prison because of a rumor, and waited 2 years for God to do as He said He would to raise him up to second in command to Pharaoh. And all along Joseph believed God would do just as He promised. It is all there for us to read in Genesis. I want to be more like Joseph and believe God when He says that He is with me and working all things together for my good.

So, instead of having a quarter life crisis, I am going to have a quarter life celebration and look back and see how God has been faithful and look ahead saying Thy will be done.

                                                                             xx
​                                                                         Megan