Upside Down and Inside Out

{ i’m back! / baby-wars} / august 6. 2012

By VeronicaRogers August 6, 2012 LA VIE {reflections}, STORIES {of grace} 1 Comment

.baby.wars. // yes, there is a war going on inside me. i eat, and then it comes back up. this process has repeated itself about 2-3x/day for the last 12 weeks. baby is not taking after mama in his/her love for food, i’ll tell you that much. i am now 18 weeks prego and growing! and i am finally starting to hold {some} food down. i am sure i will make up for lost time in gaining the weight that i lost, considering that my meal plan yesterday consisted of chef boyardee, popcorn, and rocky road ice cream. baby apparently has no problem with junk food!

being sick and unable to do much has been a drag. i have really struggled with feeling totally useless and helpless at times– which is not a great feeling for a self-sufficient girl like myself. God has been near and His Word has been my helper through this frustrating season. embarrassingly enough, here are what my thoughts have consistently looked like these past few months:

The Word then met me in my self-aggrandizing thoughts and grumbling, and spoke a humbling Truth:

i, somehow, was under the impression that God needed me these past few months. i never would have said that out loud, but my actions and my thoughts pointed directly to my living under the weight of that lie. i have been super-dependent on my husband to care for me during this time, being unable to prepare meals, take care of our budget, and perform many other important household tasks- and in general, i’ve been hard to deal with. this dependence has made me feel guilty, like i owe my husband something when he cares for me. and i don’t like the feeling of being in debt {who does?}.

it dawned on me how much i live under that same weight with God. i know God is NOT dependent on me and that I am FULLY dependent on him for “life and breath and everything”, but i sure do think that if i am useful enough, it’ll help pay off my debt to Him. today, my Father wants me to rest. rest in knowing that He is out accomplishing all that He desires and does not need my help to do so. best of all, He already HAS accomplished the most important thing we could ever hope for- giving me complete favor in His eyes fully through the blood shed on my behalf through Christ. He is not served by my hands. instead, i get to rejoice from where i am in all that He is doing and has done. right now, i am rejoicing in the little life wreaking havoc inside my body, knowing that as i am made weak, His strength is more than sufficient. i let myself forget that being in a place of need is a very blessed place to be, indeed. glad to be back & writing again.

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{ revelation 21:6 } / may 8. 2012

By VeronicaRogers May 8, 2012 DECOR {for sale}, LA VIE {reflections} 2 Comments

sometimes i think when we, as Christians, display scripture on the walls of our homes, we can do so for the wrong reasons. sometimes we do it for decorative purposes– which is weird, considering some of the most popular verses we post around our home taken in context are actually talking about God reigning down gory justice on a rebellious people who turned away from Him and worshiped other Gods {not super for setting the happy mood you were going for}. sometimes we  do it to make a statement to those who walk into our home to say to them “hey look at me! i’m a Christian, and i ‘aint afraid to say it loud and proud by displaying my sewing circle with Phil 4:13 right in the center!”. it’s not like i think that phil 4:13 is a bad verse- please don’t get me wrong. all scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching {2 tim 3:16}. i just want to challenge our tendencies, specifically in our Christian culture, to think about why we do what we do.

don’t get me wrong- i LOVE displaying scripture in my home. i probably do it for some of the wrong reasons just like you, but i have to say, after much thought about the subject- the main reason i display scripture in my home is because i NEED to remember. i NEED scripture to remind me that Jesus says IT IS FINISHED. there is no more work to be done, veronica. stop striving. when i am rushing around my apartment, frustrated that i didn’t have enough time to do what i needed to do, i look over and remember- it is FINISHED.

no more seeking desperately the approval of God or man. Jesus said that he who is thirsty will receive from the spring of the water of LIFE without payment. i NEED to remember to come thirsty. to remember i am weak. when i see this verse displayed in my home, it sends my heart to praise. i display scripture because i know i am so prone to forget who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for me and for you. even if you don’t go buy this particular poster, i would encourage you to think about why you display scripture in your home. and after re-evaluating, reconsider putting up scripture that will encourage your soul to praise the God who brought you from death to Life.

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{old to new} / apr 30. 2012

By VeronicaRogers April 30, 2012 LA VIE {reflections} 1 Comment

i just launched the {veronica rogers design project} here on my blog! click on DESIGN on the menu at the top of this page to learn more information about my vision.

i have had a few inquiries from friends and new friends over the past few months, asking if i could help design their wedding. i love love loved designing my wedding a year ago, and it is a joy to do it for friends {and soon to be friends!}. i thought i should have an official place to direct people to if they wanted to learn more about my personal style when it comes to design.

on the page, i explain that i am a big fan of the up-cycle. taking something old and seemingly useless and redeeming it and making it into something beautiful. i think i love the whole concept of up-cycling because it is such a perfect mirror of the redeeming effects of grace. that is, when i was at my most broken, Jesus sought me out and showed me that He came to make what was broken in me, new once again. ultimately, through my design work, my chief desire is to bring a big glowing arrow pointed to the Christ, who takes the old and, behold, makes ALL things new. my prayer is that i would have more opportunities to do this, so please pray with me if you think of it!

grateful for you all.

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{ the good life } / apr 23. 2012

By VeronicaRogers April 25, 2012 LA VIE {reflections} 2 Comments

i love all different types of music– from 80′s rock to 90′s alternative, from michael jackson to mumford & sons. i especially {love} listening to songs that remind me of God– usually in the form of hymns, christian rap, and christian worship songs. unfortunately, there are some really bad “christian” “music” artists/songs out there. note that both are in quotes. separately. sometimes the bad music comes in the form of uncreative & boring melodies, and sometimes it comes in the form of horrible lyrics that make me ashamed that they exist under the name “christian music”.  and then sometimes, for those poor few, they have the worst of both worlds. enter in scott stapp {sorry, creed.}. that’s usually when i begin to convulse.

isn’t it amazing that music can have that strong of an effect on us? we are so influenced by what we listen to. it can make my day when i wake up in the morning and turn on { good, creative, edifying, gospel-centered, Jesus-exalting, God-glorifying } music and listen to it as i drink my morning coffee. it stays with me the whole day, and i end up being reminded over and over again, as i repeat the song in my head, just how much i have been given through life in Jesus.

i want to introduce you to some amazing music. last week i bought on iTunes trip lee’s new album called “the good life”. trip lee is part of this amazing record company, {REACH RECORDS}- home to other rap artists such as {lecrae, andy mineo, kb, tedashi, & pro}. this record is doing insanely well on the charts. it debuted at no. 3 on the top rap album charts, and no. 17 on the top 200. the most awesome thing about trip’s album making it big in the secular music world, is that the message he speaks is a call to repentance for all from the ‘good life’ we have culturally been indoctrinated into following {ie: our joy is found in money, cars, big house, career, etc.}, and he boldly calls us to turn to the TRUE Good Life– the ONLY Good Life– found in living for a God who has shown His love for us through our Savior, Jesus Christ, despite our rebellion against Him.

a year ago when i worked in the inner city of washington d.c. in the foster care system, i would have kid after kid come into my car as i would transport them to different medical appointments. their favorite escape while in the car was listening to rap on the radio. i got so sick of the disgusting, degrading music that would play day after day, i finally made copies of my lecrae, tripp lee, & tedashi albums to give to each child as they came into my car. i would play the music for them and they all loved it. it would spark conversations up about who God is. i gave 30 cds out in 6 months. what an awesome ministry these men have in the lives of so many they don’t even know. so grateful that God has given these gifts to these men. praying that they continue to use them for the glory of God. here is a quote from one of the songs on the album, ‘love on display’:

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{:mad for: mondays} / apr 16. 2012

By VeronicaRogers April 17, 2012 CHEZ MOI {inspirations} 1 Comment

no 1- oh joy! labels & stickers: so living in an 800 sq ft apartment requires some creativity when trying to find a place for all of our stuff. our kitchen is especially trying in that the cabinets are tiny, so there really is not much room for anything. in light of this predicament, i bought a lot of stack-able tupperware to put all of my baking accoutrements in. to add some {flavor} to my tupperware, i decided to buy these wonderfully cute labels/stickers from oh joy!. i love.

no 2- camelback waterbottle: my sweet friend ali bought me a camelback waterbottle on amazon two weeks ago, and i have never been so hydrated in my life! i never get thirsty, so i found myself constantly dehydrated and low on energy. ali said that this waterbottle will do the trick, and she was right. i don’t know what it is exactly, but it makes me want to drink more water!

no 3- gourmet popsicles: so these fun-flavored popsicles are apparently the new ‘thing’. being so up on the trends {ha} i finally gave in and bought a popsicle holder and i am loving it! i will do a post on my cocktail-pops, but for now– i would suggest in light of the amazing weather we are having, go out and make yourself some homemade popsicles. {photo cred}

no 4- poppy king j.crew lipstick: ok, i get that this color is way similar to the last one i posted by maybelline, but i am into this color {clearly}. like way into it. what a fun pop of color to add to your summer wardrobe!

no 5- white truffle oil: for those of you who have not joined the truffle bandwagon yet, i think it’s about time you hop on. seriously, i add this stuff to so many of my dishes and it adds a rich, amazing flavor that everyone loves. try it on popcorn with parmesean cheese sprinkled over, or in your homemade mac & cheese! yummmm.

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{ keller on marriage } / apr 9. 2012

By VeronicaRogers April 9, 2012 LA VIE {reflections} 1 Comment

i was just reading an interview on tim keller’s book on marriage, and i was struck by this concept of how we define ‘freedom’ in society today versus how the definition of freedom is played out in the Bible. i love the example he gives, and i am so excited to read this book! here is a part of the interview:

One of the paradoxes you talk about is how the commitment of marriage actually produces freedom: the freedom to be truly ourselves, the freedom to be fully known, the freedom to be there in the future for those we love and who love us. Why do you believe that the commitment of marriage is viewed as largely anything but freeing today?

Our culture pits the two against each other. The culture says you have to be free from any obligation to really be free. The modern view of freedom is freedom from. It’s negative: freedom from any obligation, freedom from anybody telling me how I have to live my life. The biblical view is a richer view of freedom. It’s the freedom of—the freedom of joy, the freedom of realizing what I was designed to be.

If you don’t bind yourself to practice the piano for eight hours a day for ten years, you’ll never know the freedom of being able to sit down and express yourself through playing beautiful music. I don’t have that freedom. It’s very clear that to be able to do so is a freeing thing for people, with the diminishment of choice. And since freedom now is defined as all options, the power of choice, that’s freedom from. I don’t think ancient people saw these things as contradictions, but modern people do.

{if you’d like to read the whole interview from Christianity Today, click here}

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