Jon Foreman. One of the greatest people alive.

Hola amigos!

Can you believe I'm actually blogging? Yeah, I can't either. (I'm taking a break from Instagram today.. hence I'm blogging.) Anyways, this is one of my favorite shots I got at the Switchfoot show recently. Of Jon Foreman. Lead singer. Harmonica player. Guitar shredder. Lover of awkward moments. Over all, amazing dude. :) Gonna post more pics either here, or I'll post a link of wherever I post them so y'all can see them. Have a great one!

love and switchfoot,

-Allie.

HAPPY 3 YEARS TO MEEEE!

Hey guys!
Guess what?! I've been blogging for over 3 YEARS!!!! HUZZAHHHHH!!!!! I know I missed my actual blog birthday by a month, but hey, I ain't perfect. Anywho... I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for coming along with me on this blogging journey. I was reading my first couple posts a little bit ago, and honestly, it's kind of crazy how much I've changed in the last three years.. I mean, going from 12 to 15 is a pretty big step. Back in the day, I'd talk about Webkinz, Duggar Skirts and just flat out dorky things. Now I post, probably more mature posts, Switchfoot, and Switchfoot. So huzzah. I've definitely progressed. :) Again, thank you all for joining me on this journey. Definitely not ending this journey any time soon... just the beginning. ;)
Btw.. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM!!! Haha. I'm AlabamaLove. For real. Go do it.
BYEEEE!

Faith, Love and Switchfoot,
-Allie.

"Music is what I do; Christ is why I do it."

Hi peoples!
Today, I will be talking about 5 of my borthers in Christ, (and 5 of my favorite people, pretty much.) Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamilllas and Drew Shirley.

Yep, Switchfoot.

Why does this come as a surprise to you? ;)

Anyways. Onto my ramble.

To be 100% honest with you, I really don’t feel like I talk about Switchfoot enough. (Yes, I know you’re laughing.) But seriously, people! These guys don’t get enough credit for what they do.

Ever since the release of Switchfoot’s new album, “Vice Verses”, I feel like I’m almost closer to Switchfoot as people. (Not in a creepy way.. I dunno. Does that sound weird? Do you know what I mean??) I feel like some of the lines on the songs were written for me. (If you don’t have Vice Verses, I will personally stalk you down and make you buy it. No, this is not threat. Just a warning. :))

ANYWAYS.

I’m sure you’re wondering, “Why are you writng a blog about Switchfoot, rather than some life lesson or something?” Well, I’m getting to that.

The other day, I decided to work on, “100 reasons why I love Switchfoot”. Would you like to know what #1 was?

“Because all 5 of them are deep in their Christian Faith”.

Let’s dig a little deeper into this, shall we?

I was talking to a friend about various bands, and how they use their way of Praising God as their ministry. (As in, kind of being secular, but sorta not. You catching on?) Anyways, Switchfoot was one of the artists, and I’ve really been thinking about like, their ministry.

Obviously, they ARE in the Alternative genre. They don’t label themselves as a “Christian” band. They ARE, Christians, but from my point of view (I can’t speak for them, but from reading quotes and watching interviews and stalking them and what not, this is what I’ve gathered-) they want to be Alternative, so they can sing Christian messages to those who wouldn’t otherwise listen to Christian music. They’re songs aren’t ONLY Christian, but they can be translated Christian or not. Switchfoot is honestly a REALLY popular band, and they could totally choose to write songs about drugs and girls and crap. BUT THEY DON’T. They made the desicion to write their songs, how they write their songs.

So, this is THE NUMBER ONE REASON I LOVE SWITCHFOOT:

Their hair!!! Haha, just kidding. That’s a close 2nd. ;)

Because they are such WONDERFUL CHRISTIAN PEOPLE!

Honestly, if I ever used music as my career in life, Switchfoot would by far by my biggest inspiration. I really don’t know if I can describe, how much I seriously respect them for what they do.

Wrapping up my squirrely fan girl blog, I leave you with my favorite quote by Mr. Jon Foreman himself -

“Music is what I do; Christ is why I do it.”

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,

-Allie.

God's not dead.

Hey friends! (I wrote this blog around Christmas.. but forgot to post it... go figure.)
I know it's Christmas, but WHY do we celebrate Christmas? We celebrate Jesus' birth. But, WHY did Jesus come to earth? To die for our sins.
For the past couple months, my Uncle and I have been trying to read the New Testament by the end of the year. So, I've really learned a lot about Jesus, and His life here on earth.
Now, I'm going to put you in a little scenario here:
You're about 20 years old (weather that ages you, or discreases your actual age), and you fish for a living. But you hear about this guy, named John. People are saying he is paving the way for the Christ. You follow this John guy, because you think what he's saying may be legit.
So, one day, along comes, Jesus. The Savior. The Christ. The Messiah. And He asks YOU to follow Him. I don't know about you, but that just BLOWS my mind! That Jesus would ask ME to follow HIM?! I mean, He could have picked anyone! But He picked ME. Woah. So of course, you're gonna follow Him! You leave your father, your fish, and your life behind, and follow Jesus.
Jumping forward a little, you've been following Jesus for a while, and you see Him perform all these miracles. And every once in a while, He'll talk about Him dying for everyone in the world, but you don't really have a clue as to what He's talking about.
So, the night came. Jesus was REALLY going to die. The one you dropped your entire LIFE for, that you put all your hope into, is going to DIE. But, not only that, but He tells you that that very night, you are going to reject even KNOWING Him, 3 TIMES! I'm sure you would say that you would never do such a thing - but then, you actually do it.
What. Happened.
The Bible says, that Peter wept.Man alive, would I sure weep! Can you imagine, being a follower of Jesus, and not only are you a follower of Jesus, but you're one of His chosen disciples. I'm sure there great friends, as well. And as soon as persicuation rolls around, you deny Him 3 times.
Okay, so Jesus is dead. I think saying, "You are crushed" is an understatement.
BUT.
Here comes my favorite part.
You hear from fellow followers of Jesus, a few of the women, and they say that He is risen.
SAY WHAT?!?! I would totally FREAK OUT!!!

Alright, lets step out of the scenario for a minute.

And now, time for my Newsboys refrence.
As most of you probably know, the newsboys just came out with a worship album, titled "God's not Dead".
If you haven't listened to this slabum yet, I'll be personally insulted. Haha. Yeah. But that's not the point of this blog.
Here's the chorus to the title track, "God's Not Dead":

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's livin on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Pretty epic, no? I love the way those lyrics are written.
Let's jump back into our scenario, here, while I wrap things up:
If I was one of those disciples, you know what I would say?
"MY GOD'S NOT DEAD".

Thanks for reading! Blessings to y'all during the holidays and such. :)




Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control,
Allie.

Fame.

Hi friends!

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about fame. How much we value fame, and all that.
I got on the topic when I was talking about it to a friend the other day, when I was talking about a few celebrities who have kind of.. gone down hill. I suppose I shan't spit out any names, just so I don't get sued, but there are certain celebrities who have chosen fame above God.
That.
Is.
Not.
Okay.
At all.
.......
For some reason, society values fame.. well, really high. If you're famous, everyone knows who you are. I mean, if I say, George Clooney or Oprah, you're most likely going to know exactly who I'm talking about. When you're famous, you become a household name. A lot of people love you. (And think you're hot, if you're George Clooney.. But he's not my type. But we won't get into that.) Anyways. This question has been floating around in my head for days now..

"Why choose fame over God?"

Hmm.

Good question there. Time to come up with my best answer. When we care more about fame, we are putting ourselves VERY FIRST. Above all else, you HAVE to keep your reputation amazing. Can't screw up. Gotta look great. Me. me. me. me. me.
You get the point.
A personal motto for myself, since I was a kid in AWANA, has been JOY:
J-esus
O-thers
Y-ourself.

And I hate to break it to you, but YOJ isn't a word. Putting yourself first is not how it should be. Life is not about fame.

Since I'm legit and what-not, I started writing a song about this whole subject. And one line, the first line in the chorus, fits perfectly here:
Fame is temporary gain.
Fame IS temporary. It doesn't last. Fame is kind of like climbing a tree - it's fun while you climb, and when you reach the top, you feel like you rule the whole world.
But.
You gotta get down from that tree. Whether you get down, or fall off, you won't stay on it forever.
Mark 8:36, I believe, is perfectly appropriate:
"And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?"
I know, you're probably thinking: "HEY! THAT'S A TOBYMAC SONG! OHSNAPCRACKLEPOP". But it came from the Bible first, right? Right. Onto what I was saying.

Do you want to lose your SOUL for FAME? A temporary high?

I wouldn't.

Since I'm looking pretty prissy and perfect at the moment, time to humble myself a little bit. I can't say I wouldn't want to be famous. Wait, don't jump to conclusions yet, please.
If I were famous, I would want to do it for God's glory, not mine. I mean, I want to be NOT famous for God's glory!

Fame is temporary gain. In the long run, it could matter less.
At the end, when I stand face-to-face with God, I want to be filled with JOY.

Strive to be Joyful.

J-esus
O-thers
Y-ourself.

thanks for reading. :)

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,

-Allie.

Beloved.

Hello friends! Hope y'all are well. :)

The band Tenth Avenue North has been recently uploading “video journals” to their YouTube, and it’s basically Mike (the lead singer) talking about Christianity.
Anyways, I was watching them last night, and one of them I’ve been thinking about a lot today. He was talking about their song “Beloved”, which talks about how in The Bible, Christ says we are His “bride”.
To be brutally honest, for my 15 years of living, I had NO idea what the flip that meant. Even recently, I didn’t understand what it meant. When I would read that reference in The Bible, I would just wonder like.. How guys felt about this? Why are we a bride? Wut?!?!
Time to break down the meaning, according to Mr. Donehey.
When a Jewish guy would want to marry a girl, back in Bible times, this is how it went down: The guy tells his dad. The guy’s dad, goes to the girls dad, and hashes all the “You trade camels for daughter”, yada yada yada. So when the guy asks the girl to marry him, there’s this big dinner, where all of the relatives come and blah blah blah. The guy sits the girl down, at the dinner, takes the special glass of wine, and says: “This is my covenant. Take and drink it.” and the girl can obviously say yes or no, so don’t think this whole hoopla is set up. So if the girls says yes, she drinks the wine, then the following happens: the guy and girl, between the time of the engagement and when they get married, they’re not allowed to see each other. So the best man, goes back and forth sending messages to either person. It’s like texting, with a dude. Anyways, so during this whole process, the guy and both families are building a house. Which is supposedly a “mansion”, but the Jewish translation of that is “apartment”. So yeah. Pretty small. And to boot, they add on to the guy’s house, so over the generations they would keep adding on. And while Extreme Makeover: Jewish Edition is going on, the girl, hears nothing about it. She doesn’t know when the house will be done. So every day, day in and out, the girl is thinking “today could be the day”. But the thing is, the guy doesn’t decide when the house is done. The father has to say when it’s cool. Then he says to go get’cha girl, and move on in. So when that day comes, the guy and his groomsmen come down the street with their ran’s horns and all that, making a big hoopla, so then they move in, and they’re married. Huzzah!
So…
This ringing any spiritual bells?
Let’s back up a little:
When Mike was explaining all this, he was talking about how Jesus, the night of the last supper, had been talking about this. He had taken the glass of wine, and He says: “This is my covenant. Take and drink it.” And for a bunch of Jewish guys, this is basically Jesus saying, “Will you marry me?”. And that was probably pretty confusing at the time. But now, time to make it a little less confusing:
We take the drink from His cup, we’re basically saying, “I do”.
So then He’s saying, “Look. I’m gonna go away for a while, but, I’m leaving my ‘best man’, the Holy Spirt, so we can keep in touch. I’m building this awesome mansion. It’s an expansion of My house, and it’s gonna be sweet. You don’t know when it’s gonna happen, but my Father does. And He knows when it’s cool to move in. And when we do, I’m gonna bring my possy, all the angels, and we’ll be playing those horns, then we’re going home.”
Take His cup. Drink from it. Wait. Then, He’s gonna come take you home.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,
-Allie.

Hardships.

Hi friends! So sorry it's been so long.. gonna try to blog more. For real.

For the record: this may or may not make sense. So bear with me here.
God allows us to feel pain. And honestly.. That doesn't make too much sense to me.

A friend of mine has been facing some hardships lately. And that's been really pressing on me lately. My friend has just had some out-of-their-control things happen, so I just feel SO bad for them. Like.. why would God let that happen?
So let's go for a little Biblical journey for a minute here, shall we?

There was this guy named Job. He was seriously a rad dude, y'all. In Job 1:1, it says he was blameless, and a man of complete integrity. He feared God, stayed away from evil. Totally legit guy. I mean.. That's a pretty big deal, in my opinion, to say that was so such a rad dude.. and in the first verse, no less. Anyway.

He had seven sons, three daughters, and a whole bunch of sheep and oxen and all them good animals of that sort. So really, Job had the ideal life. Big family, lots of animals (which were a big deal back then)... so he pretty much had it made. But. (there's always a but.) Things started to go dowwwwwwn hill.

In Job 1:6-12, it reads:

One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.”

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!”

“All right, you may test him,” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence.

So. From here, Job's life got all sorts of crazy. His animals, were all killed/stolen, along with all of his servants. And all of his children died, aswell.

So.. How would you react to this situation?
Personally, I don't know what I would do, honestly. I could see myself questioning God, even being angry at God. Why would He allow all that to happen? Why would He allow Satan himself, to personally KILL EVERYTHING that Job loved? EVERYTHING! Why would He allow that?!?!?!?!

Job 1:21 says..
He (Job) said,
" I came naked from my mother's womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away.
Praise the name of the LORD!"

Wow. Like.. wow. God took away EVERYTHING he had. But he said, "Praise the name of the LORD!" That takes some serious guts, y'all. For real. I mean, for that, I really look up to Job. He seems to be almost the defenition of a godly person.

So..

This is the part of the blog where I ask,
"How does this apply to YOU?"

Well then.

Hard things are gonna happen in life. We live in a world full of sin. It's impossible to avoid. I think the tricky part about hard things that happen our lives, is, how we react to them.

The easy thing to do would to question God. Get angry at Him. Maybe even turn away from Him. Why should you love a God that would allow bad things to happen to you?

Hmm.

Good question there.

Why should we love a God who allows bad things happen to us?

Because He works everything, at the end, for good. He LOVES us. SO MUCH. He only wants whats BEST for us. And if that involves going through some temporary pain, so be it. Even if we suffered for every day of our lives, He is giving us the gift of an eternal, perfect life.

In wrapping things up, I'm gonna leave you with this..

When bad things happen to you, how do you react?
Do you get angry, or resent God, or will you praise God?


"The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away.
Praise the name of the LORD!"


Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,
-Allie.