He is faithful.

Tonight I was driving home. I was tired, frustrated, and exhausted. I was praying to a real God, who at the moment didn't feel very real. I was telling Him, "I know you are faithful. It just doesn't feel like it. I feels like You forgot about me. I know You love me, but I don't feel it."

And then, I saw it.

The prettiest rainbow in the world. It was a full, across the road, double rainbow. The clearest and largest rainbow I have ever seen. Ever.

At the exact second I needed to be reminded of His faithfulness. He showed Himself to be faithful.

The rainbow in the Bible represents God's faithfulness, His love, and His promises.

Genesis 9:8-17 (amplified version)
8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,
9 Behold, I establish My covenant or pledge with you and with your descendants after you
10 And with every living creature that is with you —whether the birds, the livestock, or the wild beasts of the earth along with you, as many as came out of the ark—every animal of the earth.
11 I will establish My covenant or pledge with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood; neither shall there ever again be a flood to destroy the earth and make it corrupt.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant (solemn pledge) which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13 I set My bow [rainbow] in the cloud, and it shall be a token or sign of a covenant or solemn pledge between Me and the earth.
14 And it shall be that when I bring clouds over the earth and the bow [rainbow] is seen in the clouds,
15 I will [earnestly] remember My covenant or solemn pledge which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy and make all flesh corrupt.
16 When the bow [rainbow] is in the clouds and I look upon it, I will [earnestly] remember the everlasting covenant or pledge between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said to Noah, This [rainbow] is the token or sign of the covenant or solemn pledge which I have established between Me and all flesh
That was my rainbow. It was for me. God reminded me right in my exact moment of need to show up.

He is faithful.

He is love.

He is truth.

He is real.

He is overwhelmingly everything I don't understand or ever could.

He cares about me.

He is faithful. So faithful.

I pulled over in a parking lot to take pictures. I stood, crying, worshiping a real God.

He is worthy.

He thinks of me dearly.

Great is thy faithfulness.

His thoughts toward me are precious and many.

Psalms 139:17-18a How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;

Blessed. Loved. Daughter of the King.

Love, M

He hears the whispers of my heart, even in the kitchen.

I love to bake.


I have since I was a little girl. My easy bake oven was one of my favorite toys growing up. One year in high school, for my mom's birthday, I made a triple layer cake. I remember how proud I was of that lopsided, delicious thing.


When I moved out, on my own, two and half years ago, I rediscovered my love for baking.

The idea of taking different items and mixing them together, and baking them to create a bite of paradise was pure joy to me. I love to create my own recipes. Finding new ways to make desserts from scratch became a passion. The aroma of a sweet treat filling my home was good for my soul. I love to bake to relax, to show someone how much I love them, because I'm happy, to get anger out, because I'm bored, because I found a new recipe. I just love it. I'm nothing too special. Baking is just something I love dearly. It is what helps make me, me.


While baking the past few years, I have used a fork to mix. I don't own a mixer. I realize I could go to the store and get a cheap mixer, but I know they don't last long. And really, I have always wanted a kitchenaid stand mixer. Always. But they are crazy expensive, and I have never been able to justify spending the money. So I use a fork, knowing I will have sore wrists and arms before the oven heats up. I am not complaining, I enjoy it, and it is just a fact.


I was on a mini vacation down south a couple weeks ago visiting my friend. She is getting married this summer, and I am a bridesmaid. I flew down for a long weekend to help her with all things wedding. (I love weddings. I love planning them. I love being in them. I need a separate closet for all my bridesmaid dresses. I just love them. Ah!) We were registering for gifts at a store for her.


And then, I saw it.


The most beautiful kitchenaid mixer ever. So much potential in its little self. My daydreaming kicked in. Brownies with caramel, banana breakfast bread, moist chocolate chip cookies, lemon pie, apple crumb muffins, pasta sauces, oh the possibilities were endless. 






I looked at the price tag and laughed. Reality set back in. I told my friend jokingly, I just want to get married just so I register for a kitchenaid. (Totally joking. I would love to be married one day. Kitchen appliances included or not.) She laughed. But really in my mind thinking I will not own one until there is a certain ring on a certain finger.


Owning a kitchenaid has always been on my heart. I told a friend if I ever owned one while still single (not given at a wedding shower), it was going to be a really cool God story, I just knew it.

Back home after my trip, I wanted to try out a new recipe for homemade red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting for our young adult Bible study. I knew I really needed a mixer to get my frosting right.


I called up on of my dear friends and asked to borrow her kitchenaid. She said of course! I could borrow it for a week. I then made my first batch of cupcakes. I fell in love with this silly machine that made life in the kitchen so easy and quick.


A week later was yesterday. My friend called me. We made small talk at first, and then she brought up the mixer. She told me that God had put it on her heart not to just let me borrow it, but to give it to me. She talked it over with her husband, and  they were in agreement, and just wanted to bless me.



They didn't know that for years I had been wanting one. They knew I wanted to borrow it for a few days. But the Creator of the Universe put it in my friend's heart to give it to me. My friend was obedient. And I was blessed beyond measure. I own a kitchenaid!!!!!!


My friend told me she knew I would use it to bake to bless people and for ministry. I instantly thought of when I went to Bolivia a few months ago. I baked cookies and goodies and sold them to pay for my shots to go to Bolivia. I also thought of how often when I bake just to bake, and give it all away, He uses that to bless other people. I cannot wait to get in my kitchen and bake away. I plan on baking to go to Haiti, I plan on baking to love people. I am so excited.


Goodness. I am such a blessed girl. I have a God who cares about my mixing needs in the kitchen. He hears the little whispers of my heart. He doesn't want to be involved in just the big-life is falling apart things. He desires an intimate relationship with us. He wants to be apart of the things that seem so tiny, we don't share with others. He is not a God who just sits in heaven looking down occasionally.


He is active in our lives, if we allow Him to.





God's word says in James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." He longs and desires to be close with us.


He is a good God. He wants to bless us. " If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! " 


Life is hard. But God is good. And sometimes He uses an obedient friend to bless the socks off of me. 


So I really encourage you, are you supposed to be blessing someone with what you have? You never know how it will effect someone when you are just obedient and give in faith. Or, do you need to be more open and aware  and thankful of His blessings? He is our daddy, He  wants to give us good things and love us. We just need to be in tune to His voice and following Him. 


Have a wonderful, sunny Sunday. I am looking forward to being outside today. Soak up the sun, with a good spf! 


Can't wait to share the other amazing things He is working out, and teaching me. Love, M 

there's nothing like a cup of coffee

I love coffee.

I love the inviting aroma, the bittersweet taste, the warmth from a fresh cup, the jolt of energy I feel I feel on sip number five. I just love it. (Maybe not quite to the Gilmore Girls extreme...)

I remember my first taste of coffee. One of my dearest friends and I have breakfast at Panera Bread every Thanksgiving morning. It's tradition. Last month was our 7th year. Yay for bagels on turkey day! Anyways, when I was 18, my birthday fell on Thanksgiving, so we were out to breakfast. I decided to "become a grown up", so I ordered my first cup of coffee. I fell in love first sip, drank it too fast, and burnt my taste buds so bad I couldn't taste any of the wonderful Thanksgiving or birthday fixings.

Since then, coffee and I have a better understanding of each other.

The other day about three weeks ago, I did a photo shoot for a friend just for fun. The theme was 40/50's glamour. I loved getting dressed up and having a break from reality for a bit. I did not love being cold. Outdoor photo shoot in December in Michigan?!?! We were nuts.

The plan was to get coffee after we were done with pictures to warm up. That plan went south when we realized how late it was. So I began the thirty minute trek home. I was frustrated. I wanted coffee. So I debated stopping and popping in a shop to grab a cup. But in that moment, wearing sweat pants was winning in my mind over drinking coffee. Plus, I was trying to be frugal with money, since I really do want Bolivia to become reality. So I decided I would just make coffee at home.

 About 10 minutes away from home, I remembered I was out of coffee. I had brewed the last bit the day before. Now home is within reach and I have become cranky. So I decided to just head home and settle on hot chocolate. So I went up stairs to my apartment.

On the welcome mat was a small brown package, I kicked it inside and made a beeline to the sweat pants drawer. After putting on fuzzy reindeer socks, I walked into the kitchen to prepare hot chocolate. I stumbled over the small brown package. I opened it up. There was no card.

Inside was a pound of the most delightful smelling coffee, and a very cute mug. I looked at the return address, it was from my friend as a late birthday present. You had better believe there were tears.

The God if this universe heard my secret whisper in my heart about how I wanted coffee, and how I didn't want to spend money. He cared enough to put a package on my doorstep the exact moment I needed it. Had it come a day before or after, I wouldn't have been so thankful.

His timing is perfect.

He wants to give us those secret heart whispers, those desires and dreams in our hearts. That's my God. Psalm 37:4 - Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

If you would like to purchase some amazing coffee and have 100% of the funds to love some orphans in Bolivia (win-win, right?) Check out  http://boliviasbestcoffee.com/ I ordered some French Vanilla coffee this morning.

As for now, I am going to relax with my lovely cup of Joe. -Michelle.