Those without vision will perish...

“Those without vision will perish…”

Proverbs 29:18

I am going to be super honest and open, I am not the visionary type. In the Christian community I sometimes feel like this is a sin. My personality is the doer nature not the dreamer type. This can be super discouraging and frustrating, especially when being surrounded by people who have big dreams. I want to be able to easily come up with visions and dreams for my life, but it is hard. I am not saying that I don’t have any; it’s just a struggle to create them. This may seem funny but I would rather set goals that I can accomplish than have a dream that may never come true. But I have recently realized that when I do this, I am taking God out of the picture and am only relying on my own strength. I have been really challenging myself to have a dream. I want to do something with my life that when I talk about it I can only give credit to God. There are many things in my past and present that have happened that I do and can only give God the glory. I just want to envision a future that does the same. I have really been pressing into God to help me do that. I do not want to put in Him in a box. I want to be willing and ready to do whatever He asks no matter how impossible it may seem. I want to dream big with Him. That sentence coming out of my mouth makes me laugh a little because its something I have never said before. Dreams have always seemed silly and like a waste of time. Why not just set practical goals and achieve them. Why not? Because like I said before that is only let God do so much. In reality, for me personally, it comes down to a matter of fear. I am fearful that I will fail, I am fearful that it will be too big, that it will be impossible. A quote by Pastor Don Wilson really demonstrates how fear can damage your future: “Fear dreads the future and glamorizes the past. When a person looses their vision for the future they will return to the past.” I have the power to do it not because of me but because of He who lives in me that is clearly stated in Philippians 4:13. And another thing is that God wants us to succeed. He doesn’t want us to feel like failures. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” He is on our side 100%. So why does it still feel so hard, because it is not in my natural nature. I want to do, I want to see things get accomplished, I do not want to wait, and I have very little patience. But I know at this stage of my life it is what I need to do. I need to dream and create a vision for my future that is undeniably focused on Christ. It is still a huge learning process for me. I have talked to people who I admire, that have big dreams. They have come along side me and have given me very helpful tips. One big thing that I learned through them is that God wants to use my passions and personality type.  He knows that I am a doer and has created me like that. So I can rest assured that He will use the gifts that He has given me. In my current stage, I feel like a passion in me is to come alongside people with a vision and help them carry it out. That doesn’t let me off the hook of discovering my future vision and dreaming big with Him, but I do think that will always be a part of my life. I believe dreaming with God should be a part of every Christian’s life. For some it is easy and they have notebooks full of visions and dreams, for others, like me, its very difficult and rather frustrating. Either way it is imperative for growing closer with Christ. I hope this encourages you to dream big especially if you have a personality like me. My last closing thought for you is: “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20

Be the beautiful God created you to be,

Alissa

I am nothing...

Sorry for the delay in posting. Fashion Week ended the 8^th of October and I wanted to write a blog about it but just wasn’t sure what to write. If you read my last blog, you would know that a theme I felt like God was saying for me for Fashion Week was refreshment. 

Lets just say after day 1 I was not feeling so refreshed. I was frustrated and confused for most the day. The designer I was helping with was very intense. She had elegant gowns with massive headpieces and on top of that had 72 looks. Most shows average 25. Each model had at least 2 changes most had 4 and a couple had 5. The backstage was very tight and rather hot. We were dressing in a kitchen. The designer was not happy. I went out of my way to try and make her happy but there wasn’t a lot of pleasing her. Thank God for my sister she stepped in and helped tremendously. Which brings me to the first cool thing that happened! My sister came!! That was super fun and such a blessing. After the day ended and all the designers had packed up we left exhausted. I felt rather discouraged things didn’t go as smoothly as I wanted and I felt a bit out of place. However Deja and Ramie really encouraged me on the way and actually gave me a refreshing view on what my job was. I knew I needed to step up the next day and be a true light and leader. 

Day 2 started out fun and frustrating! We came early to help set up a Betsey Johnson installment. This was fun because I love Betsey Johnson! Little did we know that dressing a mannequin was one of the most difficult things. They don’t move or bend and they fall apart! By the end lets just say we were so thankful that we dress real people! There were 2 shows that night with 8 designers total. I was in charge of the 9 pm show that had 4 designers. All of the designers only had one look per model and extra helpers. The only chaotic situations were shared models. That means they are in multiple designers shows which doesn’t seem like a big deal until you realize that, if the model is in the first and third show she has about 15 minutes once she gets off the runway to change her hair make up and clothes.  There was a lot of yelling for models and tons of encouragement going out to the models who were stressed. Day 2 went much smoother! A lot more prayer happened and I was able to talk with encourage a lot more models and designers than the day before. 

Now day 3 starts, I was not feeling very refreshed.  I had a headache in the morning and was just praying it would go away. When we got there, the place was busier than usual. Everywhere you looked there were tons of little kids running around screaming and playing. Today was the big day.  Make a wish foundation girl was showing her collection that she had created while in recover. She was the cutest sweetest little girl. But it wasn’t just her it was 4 other children’s designers. Each designer had huge collection so that meant tons of high-energy munchkins everywhere and I was in charge. Even though we had 5 designers, Noa, the make a wish girl was main priority. Overall everything went fine once again my sister really stepped up and so did her sister in law, Marissa. They were super awesome with the kids both being moms themselves. During the show I was able to encourage Noa and a lot of the little girls and just speak true identity over them. Seeing young innocent girls already being pressured into this industry caused me to pray a lot. After that show I was extremely sick so I found a quiet place to rest. Unable to get rid of my migraine I had to leave for the night and miss the last two shows. I heard they went well so that was a relief. 

The next morning I woke up even sicker and was unable to participate in the last day. I was super disappointed and very mad at myself. I tried multiple times to get ready and go but just couldn’t. So I spent the day praying for the team and sleeping. After looking back at the week, it wasn’t my favorite fashion week it was actually a very stretching one. It feels weird to say that because I felt strongly that the theme was refreshment so I felt like big break through was going to happen. However now that its been over a week I realize that personally break through did happen.  I was reminded that without God in all of this, it wouldn’t exist. The only reason we are backstage and able to volunteer is because of Jesus and I think God really needed to remind me of this because I started to think it was my abilities. But I am not qualified to do any of this I had no prior experience, schooling or any type of training before the first time I helped in 2011. I am not qualified by my own abilities I am qualified through the Holy Spirit. So even though that week didn’t go as I planned, I think it went it exactly as God had planned. And one of the biggest things that happened for me was that I was able to work side by side with my sister and saw fist hand what a blessing she is in my life. So let me leave you with this verse:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

Here are some fun photos from the week:

Be the Beautiful God Created You to be <3

Alissa

||ｒｅｆｒｅｓｈｍｅｎｔ||

||ｒｅｆｒｅｓｈｍｅｎｔ||

I have been praying for a theme for fashion week this time around and the word refreshment keeps coming up. It seems like a strange theme for a stressful time but it's clear that this is what the Lord wants to bring this time around. Not just for the models and designers but especially for me and the other Christians involved. || Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. Proverbs‬ ‭3:7-8‬ ‭||

Changing Seasons

When I got to Alaska the trees looked dead and cold, when we got back from southeast they were full of bright green leaves it went from a scene in a haunted movie to a jungle and now leaving today everything is a bright orange and yellow. Seeing the seasons change up here is so fun. It reminds me how in life we go through seasons. This year I went from a season of being single to married, but even more than that every year is split into seasons for me; it's the carnival season, the offseason and the Christmas season! The carnival is full of work and long days that are usually colder than I wish for summer time, the off season is full of school and volunteering with Beauty Arise and the Christmas season is obviously when we leave Cali and head to AZ for Christmas vacation. Each season comes with its obstacles and blessings. Just like earth’s seasons. I have to prepare and plan for what is up next. It makes it hard to live in the moment when I feel like every moment goes by so fast. I am struggling to be all there when I feel like right around the corner I have to be in a totally different place doing something extremely different than what I was just doing. I am working hard at trying to live in the present and yet still use my time wisely and not feel overwhelmed. Why is there only 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year? Why can't there be more? I thought time was only suppose to move at the speed of light when you are old not when your 22!? How does one slow down and take time to be in the moment when it feels like you blink your eyes and the year is gone? I don't like that it is already September, it feels more like I just got married a month ago not 7! Even though it feels like everything is going so fast I have no time to enjoy it, I found this great little devotion on how to slow down and be present, it may not actually make time go slower but it did help me realize how to make every moment count. Hope you enjoy:

Living in the Present

Exodus 16:11–21

Recommended Reading: Deuteronomy 8:16–18; Matthew 6:31–34; John 6:48–51

When you were a kid, did you ever wish you could see into the future? Most kids wonder what will happen to them as the years pass by and they grow older. Where will they go to school? Will they go to college? What about a career? Will they get married and have a family?

This kind of thinking doesn’t end when a person reaches adulthood. Singles wonder whether there’s a spouse for them out there somewhere. Parents dream about what their kids will grow up to be. College freshmen wonder about their eventual career path; older workers prepare for—or worry about—their retirement years.

Human nature compels us to look ahead with wonder. Dreams of the future make the drudgery of work today worthwhile. Anticipation of future events gets us up in the morning and forces us to plan for tomorrow. It’s what separates a man from his best friend, his dog.

The Israelites in today’s story were no different from us today. Faced with an uncertain future and an immediate need for food and water, they started grumbling. While they’d labored hard during their years of slavery, at least in Egypt they’d always had plenty of food and water. Now here they were, out in the desert, and they and their kids were hungry and thirsty. Put yourself in their place, and try to look at the situation from their perspective. Chances are you’d have had a few pointed questions for Moses as well.

God heard them, and responded by promising to provide for them. Those of us who attended Sunday school know the story well—each morning, flakes of bread appeared on the ground; in the evening, quail covered the camp. But they couldn’t hoard what they gathered, and they couldn’t store it. Moses instructed the Israelites to gather only what they needed for the day—no more, no less. Tough to do when you’re thinking about what the kids will eat for breakfast!

Why was limiting what they gathered important to God? Because the Israelites needed to understand what we all need to learn—that we can sustain a relationship with God only in the present.

Our past is nothing more than the story of how we got to where we are, and dwelling on it causes us to become stagnant and unsatisfied. We can’t find God by worrying or dreaming about the future, either, because that just makes us want to control whatever lies ahead.

Yes, we have concerns and hopes and dreams for the future. But this story tells us that we can live out our relationship with God only in the here and now. God longs for us to trust him every hour and every minute of today.

Be the Beautiful God Created You to Be

<3 Alissa 

6 Tips Since It's Been 6 Months...

First I want to start off saying this is a huge step for me. I am going to commit to blogging. My goal is to blog weekly or at least bi weekly. Why this is such a big step for me? Because I am so self-conscious about my blogs. I read people’s blogs all the time and love them but that triggers embarrassment about mine. But I am stepping out and committing to this because I feel like this is something that God is challenging me to do. With that being said here we go…

6 Tips Since It’s Been 6 Months (Holy smokes its already been six months?!):

1. Always Make Time For Quiet Time

            This has always been a challenge for me honestly. I have a hard time being motivated in the morning and I work until late at night. However that is not an excuse. Quiet time is a must and in an extremely stressful time in life with major decisions being made I am learning how vital it is to spend extra time with God. I have always had a very quick daily reading but lately I have been buckling down and committing time and it’s been such a blessing!

2. Having A Husband Doesn’t Mean I No Longer Have A View

            I have always been a very independent person. I started working with family and friends at a very young age. This formed me into a self-reliant person. Adding a second person (my husband) to my life made me an indecisive person. I was always so concerned with hat he wanted. I am learning, as we are having to make decisions together, that I do need to state my opinion because it does matter and is important in life choices.  That in most cases it is actually appreciated and accepted by my husband. This leads to my next point…

3. It Is Okay To Disagree

            Just because you are married doesn’t mean you have to agree on everything. This scared me a great deal at first. I was terrified when we disagreed on things even if it was as small as where we should eat. It instantly gave me doubts. What if we are not meant for each other? What is getting married was a bad idea? But disagreements do not mean incompatible. Disputes are going to happen and it is a way that God uses to strengthen your marriage in a huge way. However the only way that conflicts work out are by communication and understanding.

4. Your Confidant Will Need To Change

            When it comes to making decisions I used to get most of my advice from my mom. She is a very Godly mentor and I value her opinion dearly. However God is really showing me that I need to bring my problems to my husband first.  I still value my mom’s advice deeply and still go to her for help but I have now become one with another person (Ephesians 5:31) and he should be my confidant.

5. Reading Is A Must

            I hated reading. I did the most minim amount possible all my life. When it came to high school I barely read a full book. I just would skim or read notes. However my life is changing drastically. Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely not a person who reads a book a day or even in a week in most cases, but I am reading. I decided to challenge myself with this at the beginning of the summer and I LOVE it. I am learning new things and even better than that it is helping me relax.

6. Having A Husband Is Fun!

            Finally I just want to say having a husband is so fun!  Being single was great but having someone to share your accomplishments with, your emotions, your decisions and your enjoyments is just so wonderful! We don’t see eye on everything and actually have very different hobbies but that just makes it such a more enjoyable journey. We learn from each and grow with each other in such incredible ways.

Be the beautiful God created you to be!

<3 Alissa Leavitt

A couple photos of our marriage journey :)

He's pretty cool

A breakfast date to the Red Chair Cafe

Some late night slacklining

A double date night to Bingo