I knew I was going on tour with Jeremy Camp. I didn’t know I’d be joining his boot camp! Ok, it’s not really boot camp, but dude is serious about staying in shape on the road. And it’s actually kind-of inspiring. But i had no idea what i was getting myself into. i survived day 1. I even made it to day 2. can i make the whole 9 weeks of the tour???
Do you work out? Love it? Hate it?
Hoping to be healthier….
xo,
natalie
P.S. i do think it’s funny that Jeremy bought his workout from an infomercial. but hey, it works……
The word ‘mob’ could sound slightly scary, but it is exceptionally awesome! Who doesn’t love M&M’s?! Well, i now have an M&M….a Mobile Mob! and I want you to join. You’ll get great updates and the latest news. And of course we won’t be obnoxious and bombard you. We’ll just let you in on the good stuff. so…. if you want a chance to win an ipod shuffle, do the following:
Text ‘ngfans’ to 66937
Reply back with Y
You’ll be entered to win!
“An apple a day keeps the Dr away?” Ever heard that saying? Well, from what I’ve been reading recently, it’s pretty true. Especially if you take it in the form of organic, natural, unfiltered and unpasteurized apple cider vinegar. ‘The crud’ is making it’s way through our household. Of course I posted about it on Twitter and thanks to a Tweet Tip from @sarahtolson, yesterday I went to our local grocer and picked up some of the vinegar and a jar of raw honey. then mixed it up with 8oz of water, drank it down….and gagged. But, I began research on the internet only to find the concoction is supposedly good for about anything that ails you.
so, i took it again this morning. If it even does half the things that are promised, i’ll be good to go.
Do you have any natural remedies that you swear by?
I have met many of you on The Revolve Tour. I was a part of the very first one that Women Of Faith launched in 2005. An incredible event for teenage girls 7th-12th grade, it was my privilege to be a part of it for the past 4 years. I know that many of you are aware, but I’m touring with Jeremy Camp this fall instead of with The Revolve Tour. I continue to get questions everyday as to why, so i thought I would address it on my blog.
Let me start by saying this: GO. Whether you are a teen girl, a mom of a teen girl or a friend of one, do not let them miss this life-changing event. Okay, so why won’t I be there this year? This was such a difficult decision for me. To be truthful, I feel it’s going to be super beneficial for Revolve to get some fresh faces this year and allow the attendees the opportunity to make new friends. As much as it has been a career highlight for me, I felt like it was also necessary to allow some young women in Christian music and ministry the opportunity to have that platform. I’m so excited that Britt Nicole has joined the tour this year. If you don’t know her yet, you will love her music. But even more than that, you will adore her heart. It is very obvious that Britt is in love with Jesus and I think it is imperative for this generation of young women to continue to discover new, positive role models.
I will be cheering louder than ever, just from a different place. I can’t stress enough how important this event is. This generation is desperate for something real. And that’s exactly what they will see: a real faith in a real God that will bring the significance and love they are searching for. And when we impact this generation, we will change the generations to come.
I’m excited for the ways I will continue to be involved with Women of Faith in the future. And I am so grateful to them for providing an event that will affect the environment and culture in which my daughters will grow up in. Don’t miss The Revolve Tour.
So… I don’t know a girl who doesn’t like a make-over. And i decided my site needed a little freshening-up! I hope you like it. We’ve worked hard to make the site very easy to navigate and as always, give you the information that you want.
Have you ever seen anyone with too much make-up on? Oooh, I will so NOT show my pictures from the 9th grade, but I was guilty of piling make-up on top of make-up, orange line under the chin and all. Through the years I’ve hopefully learned to peel some of that off and only highlight the “good stuff” (*wink*) but that’s often how I feel when I’m surfing the web. TOO much. I’m not sure about you, but I get annoyed at the busy, flashy, pop-up, long-intros on the many sites I visit. so, there’s not a whole lot of bells and whistles. just clean, fresh, simple. hopefully highlighting all of the “good stuff”! all of this courtesy of my friend, the web-king, Brody Harper from SkörInc.
I will continue to blog as often as i can, as this is the most important part of the site to me. I love the opportunity to connect with all of you. I often read your comments and smile, and some of your stories bring me to tears, as I whisper a prayer on your behalf. please comment and let me know what you think. tell me what you like and what you don’t like. tell me what’s missing. I promise, i can take it after all, this site is for you.
enjoy.
with love,
natalie
p.s. look for my all-new store to launch in the coming weeks. we’re designing new merchandise now
I have one of the best tour managers around, Mr Chris Farnsworth. He’s the nuts and bolts of my touring operation. Chris is smart and talented, and an all around great guy to tour with. But one of the things I know he didn’t expect to be a part of his job description was the madness of having twin toddlers on the road. I’m hard enough to take care of (*wink*), but it’s a whole ‘notha level with kids on the bus. But he doesn’t complain. He carts the extra luggage around and has even taken out a poopy diaper. Haven’t gotten him to change one yet, but I’m working on it – haha! Seriously, this guy has worked with some of the biggest names in Christian music, but he’ll still call around to see if there’s a playround at the local McDonald’s.
What about you? When you’re asked to serve, what is your response? Do you say yes, even when it’s below your “pay grade” and requires you to clean up somebody else’s…poop? (for lack of a better word-teehee) Believe me, this is not something I have mastered. Especially given the nature of my job, people are doing things for me all of the time. It’s very easy to get used to someone serving me. But we are called to serve others.
Ouch. That’s a tough one. Oh sure, it’s easy to give lip service to helping the needy and being an advocate for the down-trodden. But what about serving those who are not easy to serve? What about helping someone else get ahead, even if it keeps us from advancing? What about serving in secret, even when it means getting no credit or recognition? Read how Paul puts it in Philippians 2:
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” (The Message)
Serving can sometimes be adventurous and exciting. Often times serving can be monotonous, mundane and may even feel like what we’re doing is “beneath” us. But in the end, it’s always fulfilling, because we’re doing what we were created to do. The above video, as silly as it may be, illustrates my point. My sweet tour manager does whatever he can to make my life easier, even if it’s not in his job description. And his simple little phone call brought a dance of joy out of my daughter, Gracie. And bringing that joy to her, brought joy to him. That’s one of the many benefits of being a servant. Bringing joy to other’s is quite rewarding. It may even make someone feel like dancing. Careful, it may make you feel like dancing.
Pray this with me: Help me, Lord. Help me to serve, expecting nothing in return. Help me to find opportunities to promote others, even if it keeps me in the shadows and puts the spotlight on someone else. Because ultimately, when I choose to live this way, it puts the spotlight on You. Remind us all that’s it’s about making YOU famous.Amen.
Recently, Focus On The Family, with Dr James Dobson, aired a portion of a talk I gave on The Revolve Tour about my struggle with an eating disorder. Honestly, I never listen to myself speaking. So, I went to the website and listened to the podcast. To hear myself recount my past struggles was more difficult than I had imagined. Immediately I was transported back to that place of brokenness and desperation. I didn’t realize that hearing the truth I was sharing would still hurt so deeply and make me realize that many of those insecurities still haunt me.
I am so grateful that I no longer struggle with an eating disorder and have found healing from that. But I still battle many insecurities, some that plague me everyday. That’s why it is so important to continually renew my mind with God’s truth. It’s His truth, and only that truth, that sets us free. While listening, I was also reminded how easy it is to begin to rely on our own strength. When in the desperate place, it’s easy for me to realize my need for God. It’s in the not-so-desperate place that the danger of self-reliance creeps in. Hearing my own story reminded me that in brokenness, Jesus does his best work.
What is your brokenness? What is your fear? What are you working so hard to camouflage? Embrace it and watch Jesus take the pieces and make an incredible work of art. And as you do, and the things that weigh you down become lighter, never forget the great Artist who did the work.
I didn’t know it would hurt to listen to this podcast today. But the hurt was so worth it, because it reminded me of the healing.
So it’s Memorial Day and I’m home with my family. It feels great to not be traveling. God Bless all of our heroic Veterans for their incredible service to our country.
Why else do I love Memorial Day? Because it seems about everyone I know has a cook-out or picnic of some sort which means there will be some good eating going on! After I twittered that I would be making my pretzel salad for a cookout with our friends, I got an incredible amount of @replies asking for the recipe. So…. You asked. So here it is. I’ve also included the other thing I made which is yummy-for-your-tummy onion dip. Both recipes are courtesy of my sweet sister, Jennifer. Happy cooking and happier eating
Pretzel Jello Salad 2 c. crushed pretzel sticks
3/4 c. melted butter
3 tbsp. sugar
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry or raspberry Jello
2 c. boiling water
1 to 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries or raspberries, partially thawed (depending on how much fruit you like)
Mix first three ingredients and press in bottom of a 9″x13″ pan. Bake at 350 degrees (metal pan) or 325 degrees (glass pan) 8 minutes. Let cool completely. Beat 1 cup sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzels. Mix Jello and water until dissolved. Add fruit. Stir into Jello, then set aside for 10 minutes. Pour over cheese mixture. Chill.
Onion Dip
2 sweet onions, chopped
4 tbsp butter
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepperSaute’ over medium heat for about 20 min, allowing onions to brown and completely soften
let cool.
stir the following:
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayo
add onions to mixture and stir well. be sure the onions are completely cool before adding to cream mixture.
refrigerate.
Well, the make it matter tour has come to an end. we had such a blast! i don’t know if you had a chance to see it or not, but i feel like it was a great success. here’s a little recap:
I made 2 new friends – Chris Sligh and Meredith Andrews. Chris is a hilarious human being. I love witty people with a dry sense of humor and he is all that and then some. Granted, he’s got a serious addiction to Dr Pepper, but that just makes me love him all the more! his talent is pretty obvious, but I was pleasantly shocked by his amazing knowledge of music. I mean, all types of music. I would never beat him in name that tune. He would be the all-time champ, for sure.
Meredith is an itty-bitty, with a huge voice and even bigger heart. I knew within 5 seconds of meeting her that we would be friends. I LOVE her voice but it’s her genuine love for Christ and her desire to serve people that is most contagious about her. She’s got all the goods to be around for a long time and we’ll all be better for it.
Of-course we had an amazing crew led by Chris Farnsworth. He really is awesome at what he does and every artist-type needs a Chris Farnsworth in their life and the concert experience wouldn’t be much without my awesome band. We really are a family and it makes all the difference in the world.
Speaking of making a difference in the world, the most exciting thing for me was the response of all of you to the Home Foundation. We raised thousands of dollars, joined hands with hundreds of monthly partners and sold tons of tote bags that were hand-made by rescued victims. Because of your generosity, we will see faith-based shelters in the united states, offering a place of hope and freedom to many. I can’t thank you enough.
I pray we motivated thousands of people to make a difference in their world. Remember, it’s not always about going across the world. It’s most often just about going across the street. We only have one life to live. Make it matter. Love on somebody today.
after all, this site is for you.
