Exodus Road staffer, Kelley J. Leigh, is an ordinary, middle-aged mom to four sons and recently wrote an article over at Burnside Writers Collective about the paralyzation we ‘regular’ people feel about what to do when it comes to sex trade.  She describes her friendship with the founders of The Exodus Road candidly: “ … frankly, having social justice superheroes as friends comes with issues; like, the constant nagging feeling that I am in reality, a total social justice slacker — like Lois Lane standing outside the empty telephone booth wondering where Superman went.”

But she offers us an accessible way to begin our own journey into social justice: ‘I decided it doesn’t matter who gets to be Batman or who is Alfred. We are all in this together.’

My former social justice slackitude stemmed from my belief in super heroes. “Those people” do this stuff, not me. “I’ll just leave them to their supernatural business and check in on them every once in awhile.”  However, I now see them simply as ordinary people who have followed God, one harrowing step at a time.  They didn’t start out as superheroes.  Back alley brothels and hidden cameras only entered the story after a long  series of small choices stepped them toward the bat cave.  It’s the same for all of us.  After the smallest pause and question, “What now?”  What Next?” is always an invitation.  It’s a Jesus invitation. “Follow me.”  Steps which obediently follow inevitably lead us to love God or love people in powerful and unimaginable ways.

And what does the LORD require of you? 

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8

My friends’ journey to empower rescue started out as a tangled ball of wire, unwound one turn at a time, until it stretched around the globe.  I have been in a similar tangle, wondering what to do next.  I don’t get to fly to the places where children are freed, but I do get to support people who unlock the prisons. And I can’t speak to US diplomats about prosecution and legislation, but I can write for change. I can redirect my weekly “skinny cinnamon dolce latte” money to the purchase of needed investigative equipment. It starts in the little things toward God’s heart.

One turn at a time. One seed of holy unrest, watered. One humble step. One choice to say “Yes” to the One true God who has a heart to rescue us all, one soul at a time.

Start small. Water the seed. Let it grow. Be a hero in this larger story. Join the rescue.”

 Kelley J. Leigh lives in a quirky little mountain town in Colorado.  At mid-life she decided to leave behind full-time marketing and consulting work to focus on writing.  The rest of her time goes to her husband, four sons, and the recovery of lost car keys. Someday she hopes to own an old scooter and embarrass her sons by wearing the very dorky helmet around town. Read the rest of the article, HERE.

I also wanted to share with you guys this powerful video, shot covertly in a brothel in India. I cannot even begin to imagine what these women must feel on a daily basis.

May God continue to soften our hearts toward the helpless and voiceless, and may He give us the courage to do our part – not as superhumans or superheros, but as regular, everyday, ordinary people empowered by passion, compassion and great love.

Ta-da!! Cookie-in-a-Jar!!

Granted, the idea is not new, but the concept is pretty much perfect, and yields blissful smiles and sighs of contentment every time. 

My hubby and I volunteer in our children’s ministry at our local church, and we all did “Secret Servers” for the month of April and May. We had to draw names, keep our person a secret, and find some little special way to bless them each week. Really fun, and a great idea, although sometimes quite challenging. My secret server is a teacher, loves to cook and bake, and spend time with her family, so I thought that this would fit the bill just perfectly!

I did not have a cute Mason jar on hand, but I found this jar at the store, and it worked just fine. 

I also found this yummy cookie recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and tweaked it a little to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand.

Make sure you thoroughly clean and dry the jar/container, then carefully layer each (dry) ingredient, considering which ingredients to put next to each other.

I combined the flour, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch, and used that as my first layer. 

Next, I layered the chocolate chips, toffee bits, and pretzels. I covered that with the white sugar, then topped it all with brown sugar, and packed it down lightly.

Tie a pretty bow, attach the final ingredients and directions, (and maybe a cute wooden spoon!) and you have a good-for-every-occasion gift that is sure to satisfy! 

We are under construction right now! I am finally making the move to WordPress, and getting that little makeover I’ve been promising for ages! I am super-excited, and am looking forward to all that is in the future for us, but it may take a little time to work out all the kinks.

Thanks for your patience in this process! I am still learning what-in-the-heck I’m doing, but eventually, it’s going to be great, I promise!!

Stay tuned…

The Julep Maven collection for April’s box was ” Turn on The Brights.” How could I resist??

If you aren’t familiar with Julep, or their monthly Maven subscription program, you can visit their website, or read my review here.

This month I chose the “Classic with a Twist” box, plus I purchased Ally and Eden as add-ons.

Let’s get to the swatches, then I’ll give you my opinion on the formulas and colors this month. (Again, due to the fact that my hand models are under six years old, these polish swatches are only one coat. I suggest at least two coats for full, even coverage.)

This is Julep Avery. She is a bright, hot pink, with a slight blue undertone. Super-girly!

I would have to say that Julep Jackie is my favorite color from this collection. The perfect red to spice up any outfit!!

I actually really liked Julep Ally, but this polish was the strongest-smelling polish I have ever used. (More about that below.)

Julep Eden is a pretty, bright, deep, violet purple color. (This one definitely needs at least two coats for full coverage.)

I have to be honest with you guys. This month’s box was not a total winner for me. I loved the concept/theme this month, and the colors themselves are very bright and pretty. The formula was pretty smooth and easy-to-apply. Ally and Jackie provided almost complete coverage with just one coat. Here are my three cons for this month’s box. 

• Because of the super-bright colors, the polishes smell very strongly – Ally especially. I contacted the company to question the strong smell, and they assured me that a natural ingredient is added to bright colors to make them so bright and to help stabilize them. (I’m not sure how I feel about that.) “Natural ingredient” could mean just about anything.  
• Issue #2 is that two of the colors, Eden and Avery both dry pretty matte. For some, that’s not really a big deal – just add a shiny topcoat, but I really like to just paint my nails and go. (With twins, you do your primping really fast!) 
• Lastly, this month’s beauty product was a Nail and Cuticle Serum. To be honest, I used it twice, and it felt a lot like water. I didn’t notice any improvement to my cuticles or nails, and while it did not smell bad or have any unpleasant effects, I personally would not spend the money to purchase it on a regular basis. 

So, with all of that said, this month’s box had a few pretties, and I’m sure I can find a few outfits to pair them with.

Again, you can read all about the Julep Maven monthly subscription program and how to get started here.

Thanks for reading! Looking forward to sharing next month’s box with you guys!

It’s hard to actually believe that she is married and expecting her firstborn any day now. Wow, time flies.

Today I had the total pleasure of photographing my sis, (her little one,) her hubby, and their adorable dog, Delia. 

They are not finding out the sex of the baby in advance, so the entire family is going nuts trying to guess what it is!

They are a lovely couple, and they are going to make the best parents. (And I’ll make an AMAZING aunt!) 

Can’t wait to meet you, little one.