// Beyond the Mask teaser trailer //

Oh my goodness, it's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember the movie I worked on last year, Beyond the Mask?? (costumes/extra) Welll. . .we have a demo trailer, folks! I am so crazy excited I could scream! Best.Christmas.present.EVER!!!!

Don't forget to check out the newly updated website and become a fan on Facebook. Please spread the word! You won't regret supporting the awesome world of Independent Christian filmmaking. 

"mid pleasures and palaces. . .

 . . .though we may roam, be it ever so humble there's no place like home."

Hello hello beautiful blogger family! :) WHEW, Michaela is still alive and kickn'! Yes it's been awhile, but as always you amazing people are patient and I love you for that. ;) Happy day-late Thanksgiving. I am back from California after spending FIVE (yes, over a month,) weeks surrounded by palm trees, sea breezes, and, well, enough awesomeness to make me jealous of myself.  THAT good. B) Getting back into the groove at home has been interesting. For one, the weather is very different (though, surprise surprise, Cali DOES have it's autumn,) and I no longer have an apartment to myself all day. Yeah. I've learned the joys and trials of being independent. For those of you who may not know, I visited my uncle, and since he works, spent the majority of my time alone. I was homesick at first, naturally. After awhile I got into the routine of getting up to total quiet, making coffee at my leisure, deep cleaning or biking when I felt like it, and window shopping in the adorable village (within walking distance,) nearly every day. And I learned to enjoy the, er, loneliness. It gives one ample time to reflect and grow. :) The entire trip was truly an experience I'll never forget--a chance to really stretch my faith,  refocus, reevaluate, and draw closer to Jesus. :)

// discoveries //

• one never gets too old for bouncy houses.
• one can turn 16 twice. wearing an elephant balloon hat while being serenaded by drums. just don't ask, ok? ;)
• metal chopsticks are slippery. . .and humbling.
• girlhood dreams (San Diego Zoo--bucket list item!) CAN come true.
• never underestimate Disneyland on a Saturday. Anyone with any knowledge of that PLACE should forbid small, unsuspecting girls in maxi skirts and backpacks from visiting alone. ride lines are anywhere from 60-90 minutes long, and while I love people. . .there were just so.many.
• skyping with sisters means lots of giggling and strange faces.
• chihuahuas are rather nice little rats--I mean, dogs.
• even non-athletic people can bike up to 18 miles a day.
• there is nothing in the world like a fresh, piping hot, buttery tortilla bought from a roadside stand.
• the beach on a brisk, overcast day is a thing of romance.
• pelicans are really dear, chubby, waddling old men.
• there IS such thing as too much coffee.
• you can never be too friendly on an airline flight. You never know if that grumpy old lady sharing your seat may need a smile in her life.
• jaywalking in California is a crime. 
• one is at high risk of falling in love with macaroons.   
• sometimes, when homesickness sets in, you are surprised with a care package and a fuzzy pink gorilla named Cali. 
• not everyone has delivered coffee to restaurants in Studio City.
• i adore Mexican pottery.
• my mom and i can facebook chat entirely in stickers.
• there are no words expressible for the weirdness of Venice Beach. 
• the cure-all for boredom: (1. buy uncle betta fish. (2. name him Freddo. (3. talk to him on a daily basis.
• there is an art to crossing streets.  
• sometimes you just need a cappuccino topped with chocolate-Eiffel-tower-coffee-art.
• "diet" is an non-existent word in the vocabulary of vacation.  
• Jane Eyre. . .is not my favorite novel. yes, i said that.
• There is a mission field right here in America.
• Nectar is my newest favorite clothing store. Ladies, if you are looking for basic tee shirts that fit PERFECTLY, look no further. 
• Celtic music sounds "pirate-y" to untrained ears.
• Anna's camera hates me.

// on the home front //

• after almost seven years, this gal is no longer a nanny. ready to scout fresh horizons! please pray with me as i discover God's new plan for my life.
• i have a new appreciation for the slower, more laid-back pace of the Midwest.
• nothing soothes a cozy, in-the-house mood like a wintery-white world.
• current obsession: clean eating. 'The Makers Diet' is highly recomended! 
• countless youtube tutorial's later, i have successfully learned to use hot rollers.
• the greatest sacrifice in life. . .is giving up coffee. try not to read that more than once.
• have began a regular exercise/workout routine. Anyone else do Pilates? But then, I'm slightly addicted to the good old 80's-style workout videos with Jan Fonda. stop laughing.
• i think i lost most of my tan. #wailinganggnashingofteeth
• it's possible to give an unknown future to a known God.

"Life is too deep for words, so don't try to describe it, just live it." 

C.S.Lewis

Pictures forthcoming. But in the meantime, lets catch up! Leave a comment telling me what you've been up to, what God has taught you, and what plans you have for 2014. :)

Wrestling.

"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." 

It's a story we've read a thousand times. Today while praying, I got an illustration from God, as I sometimes do when I am communing deeply with him. Recently I read a comparison of Jacob's wrestling the angel to our  wrestling God through prayer. Interesting. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it. I mean, it's sinful to "fight" God! Unsubmissive, discontented, blasphemous. However, as God has revealed certain things to my heart, I understand this passage in a new way. Jacob's wrestling is a picture of something very, very significant to the Christian life. Think of it like this--God reveals His Will--His promise, His "yes" and "no," through prayer. The more consistent we are in our walk, the closer Christ draws, the more blessing we receive. Yes my friend, it is possible to know the Will of God. Sure, the enemy will bring disillusions, doubt, fear--but "teach me to know thy will," is a very possible thing. That is where the secret behind Jacob's wrestling is so exciting.

The Christian life is all about "waiting." Its all about trusting in faith a God we can't see, hear, or touch. Yet "waiting" doesn't always mean "humble," or superficial contentment. 

Sound selfish? Absolutely not! This isn't about "claiming" or forcing an answer. This isn't about banging on locked doors. This isn't about changing God's mind or expecting Him to give us fulfillment. This isn't about our plans. It's "waiting" in a very spiritual sense--working, hanging on to Jesus, worshiping while we wait. It's wrestling through prayer, giving our lives over to Him as we tumble through darkness into Light. 

If you are waiting on God--keep in perspective that NOTHING can alter God's plan. All things must be fulfilled in His timing, and remember, even God waits. (Isaiah 30:18)  It's really neat to imagine waiting as a wrestling match to determine how hard we will fight. . .how many times we will drop to our knees in struggling, tormented, life-giving prayer. God keeps us waiting for many reasons, whether that's maturity, experience, or a fuller purpose. But don't give up wrestling. There is a spiritual battle raging all around us, and it's up to YOU, fellow Christian, to fight off the enemy. Prayer is an experience so deep, so rich, something that not even the wisest scholars can explain. Remember, as we wait, we MUST stay focused on Christ. He hasn't let you down, and He never will. Don't stop praying. If there is unanswered prayer in your life, GOD  may be waiting for YOU--waiting to see, wrestling to discover--how much you really love Him. Think about the idols in your life. Go ahead, admit it, we all have them. If Jesus looked at you today and asked, "lovest thou me more than these?" Could you honestly say yes? That is the beauty of testing. In fact, it's an honor.

Sometimes we are restless for a reason, and face it, we are all humans with human emotion. If you aren't 

 being tested as a Christian, the best thing you can do is bury your nose in His Word. Only when we are at the end of the rope--when there is nothing left but the Creator and the Created--can we grow. And that. . .is why we pray. Lightbulb! With that perspective, I now understand the intensity of "wrestling God." It's saying--

"Lord, I'm not fighting in rebellion. I WANT to do Your Will. I AM obeying You. There is a blessing here, a promise from You, a prayer with a "caution sign" dangling overhead. Lord, I am wrestling not in spite, but because  I know you can do this thing. In essence, I am saying with Mary, "But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee" I am wrestling in faith. God, as it pertains to Your Will for my life, give me Your blessing."

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

While I'm Waiting, John Waller

"Wrestling" brings waiting to a whole new level. 

"His mess."

Yes I am a Christian.

Yes I can be the biggest hypocrite ever. 

I backslide. 

I stumble.

 I fall. 

I stray into the wrong path. 

But God is working in me. 

I may be a mess, but I'm His mess.

 And He is slowly straightening me out.

And the day will come when I will be at His side, His work in me completed. And until that day I will take His hand, and let Him do in me whatever needs to be done, no matter how painful it will be for me.

When He is finished, it will all be worth it.

--Unknown