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🖤 #blackouttuesday ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 To the majority of my followers from Asia, if you don’t understand the Black Lives Matter movement, how important this is and why your voice right now also matters — please visit the link in my bio to better understand what’s happening in my country and around the world and how you can help.

There comes a point when not knowing what to say certainly doesn’t do anything to create something better. Encourage people to use their voice because it will fuel change for the better - not simply to create controversy and discourage people from having a voice. — I’m going to be super honest in saying that I don’t feel like I completely know how or where to begin with what needs to be said. Based on what I’ve seen, it feels like so many voices are being fueled by anger, entirely righteous anger. We should be outraged, I’m outraged that this is what’s still happening to poc in this world today and it’s gone ignored for far too long. I also see anger where people are looking at one another under a microscope. Fueling controversy in any which way and silencing voices before they even get a chance to think before they speak. Assuming anything about anyone is prejudice in itself and if something that’s rooted in prejudice is what created the problem to begin with, it surely isn’t going to be the thing to end it. Injustice will not bring peace, period, and there will be no peace as long as there’s only peace for some. All that to say, there comes a point where not knowing what to say in circumstances of oppression ENABLES it, says it’s okay and certainly did nothing to benefit or create anything better for the people we’re called to love and protect. I’m heart broken and absolutely horrified by the racial injustice poc face in this world still every single day, seen or unseen. These people are my friends and my family members, to have to even say that their lives matter to make a point AND it being something that actually creates controversy - actually blows my mind. We need to speak up but more importantly we need to DO what we can and take action whenever presented with the opportunity to stand for and protect people, to work toward change and to let people know that racial oppression is not to be tolerated or ignored, under ANY reason or circumstance. I’m STILL working on educating myself, still finding ways to better understand how I can stand with and for black lives and I sincerely hope you do too because all lives can’t matter until black lives matter.

Been doing a lot of thinking. A lot of prayerful seeking. A lot of crying, a lot of celebrating, a lot of conversing. A lot of keeping quiet, attempting to be still and a lot of listening. Here’s some things I’m finding these days 💭 One thing I can say that I’ve been learning in a much more real way than ever before is that I’ve been closer to the light in my hardship and uncertainties than I’ve been when all was smooth sailing. I’ve been more creative, curious and free from anxiety in the confines of limitation than I have in the false promise of options and freedom without boundary. I have so much more life in full when I walk a confrontational life, eyes looking forward from my current place of standing, making my best bet - sure or unsure. I want to live un-enslaved to any thing, even good things that I once wanted. Freedom from what I’ve been taught I should want or even taught myself I should want. Personally examining my wondering’s and why’s in conversation with God who speaks to me whether clear or unclear, being lead by peace rather than looking for something outside of me to interpret peace and his language in my life. Not confining something as immeasurable and big as God into a box of tradition, political correctness or whats most popularly accepted, and not confining myself to that either. There is room for your unique story and perspective and you can make space for it. Sometimes it means you have to let go of the tight grip on your ideas and Marie-Kondo your head and heart space for what serves greater purpose. You don’t need to continue down a path that once made you happy when or if it no longer does, and you don’t need to capture it in its best light for the internet for it to be valuable and worthwhile. Last, for now, you do not need to prove yourself to a single soul who does not believe in you, even those you love and respect and if proving anything at all is what ignites or fuels your way to fullness, it might be wise to re-examine what fullness really means to you. Das all, for now :) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬ 🦋

A year ago today I was driving around the mountains with my family when I opened Twitter and learned one of my favorite truth-tellers had unexpectedly passed. I was in disbelief that it was real. Rachel Held Evans was brilliant, she had a way of bringing people closer to the truth with both compassion and a sword all in the same sentence. I loved her most because she was an honest, doubt-filled believer herself and spoke to people on ALL journeys — from conservative evangelical Christianity to progressive Christianity, those beginning to doubt and ask hard questions of faith to those who had walked away from church years ago and were made to feel unwelcome there never looking back. She never compromised truth to make it pretty or easy to swallow, yet she never once stopped extending empathy. She reminded me a lot of myself in the way she didn’t seem to “fit” your average nice Christian church go-er, I think she made a number of people feel uncomfortable and I think Jesus loved her so much for that. In the words of her husband, she was “emotionally empathetic, ferociously determined, an unreasonably kind soul that had the impulse to to speak up for others, fearlessness to speak out against injustice and judgement to be kind.” ⠀ ———– ⠀❐⠀ ———– ⠀ These are some of my favorite things she’s said. Hearing that she had to go hurt my heart. She was a good one. I still look up to her so much. She gave the world so much. One year gone but her impact is timeless, RIP

Wanting to encourage the best in people should always be an outward heart posture more than it should even be about the kind of people we want to be. It recognizes that you may or may not have more influence on others than you might know and if you can be a safe place for people to be, it can spark creativity, innovation and change. If you can effect one person, they can effect another. It has a ripple effect on the people they know in ways we may never even see, it adds to the movement that creates the future. Collectively, what’s brought in to a room is part of what creates the culture. It can be one simple thing that makes the difference between strengthening and bringing hope for someone to hold on just one more day, just as much as it can be one simple thing that pushes someone further from it. I think if we want the world to understand the fullness of what (and who) love is, though we won’t always do it perfectly, we’d do well to not undermine our influence just as much as we’d do well to not overrate it - Simply put, just look at what Jesus did. We don’t need to add or subtract to it to fit all our best ideas, no cap it’s over as soon as it becomes about us. Just love people well as best as you can. We won’t always do it perfectly but if we try, we can do it well - What aspects of your culture are currently influencing you? Whether it be directly or indirectly, how might it be effecting people in your circle? What kind of culture are you creating? #sundaythoughts #freedomwriters

hi totally unrelated but I just ate a ton of mashed potatoes from Roscoe’s and the carbs are HITTING me and I can’t think of a caption bc I’m likely about to knock out so here’s this 🥴

@woodland_kevin @bad_yoyo @rockchaeeun @amyparkmakeup @yiicandy

Wait.. you DIDN’T wait til the day after to post allll ur earth day pics? 🙄 honestly though in the last couple months I’ve found myself surrounded by more nature than I have the last few years, this isn’t even half of what we’ve been exploring. I don’t have all the words to describe how it feels to bask and just be completely surrounded by the immeasurable beauty of creation. I’ve also seen so much more wildlife wandering my area since people have been distancing, a bear (that looked me dead in the eyes as he was eating out of my neighbors trash), deer and lotsss of peacocks and parrots 🥺😭 #happyearthday 🌍

SWIPE FOR BABIESSS 🤍Happy national minion day to my favorite tiny day one ninja’s. I adore you both more than any thing that’s ever existed and I’m so sad I keep having to postpone seeing you, enjoy your quarantine time bc you know once it’s over I’m going to squish you and leaving me will absolutely not be permitted 🙂 love u @xjathaiyang @malysmallss #beansprout #maltoidthealtoid

iykyk ~

perfect is the enemy of simple

Happy as can be in all the nature adventures I’ve found myself on as of late 😊 If you need me I’ll be social distancing in a yurt.. or a tree 🙃 not actually, but like actually. I found this spot the other day and leaving was notttt a thing I wanted to do soo 🙃