weddings!

so i'm in my friends nick and beth's wedding in may and her shower/bachelorette party was this weekend! it was a a blast. the party was pretty low key (exactly my style of party! haha) and the shower was a lot of fun. i made these really fun sunflower cupcakes. nick was jordan's roommate in college and that's how beth and i became friends. they are super awesome and are both very eco-friendly centered people. so i was pretty pumped when i found these perfect recycled glass wine glasses for them. oh and J and i got them the perfect wedding present for may!! do you get excited when you find the perfect present for someone? i sure do! i do like getting presents (can't wait for my own wedding shower!), but i love giving perfect presents. i get frustrated when i can't think of a good present for someone because i don't like to give gifts just to give them. im so incredibly excited to be in this wedding and see two of my best friends get married. its been amazing to see them come this far; i love being involved in this part of people's lives. i'm pretty emotional too (ambs, i lost it at your wedding!!)


here's my little rant session-at dinner tonight my sister said that they passed a billboard coming home from florida in alabama that said "if you don't go to church, the devil will find you". and was telling us about some students down there (i'm assuming on some mission spring break trip) who were giving students rides back from the bars at night. this is all well and good, except one of them one night attempted to "save" my sister, bf and a group of her friends while taking them back to the hotel. he grabbed two girls hands and started praying for them without asking them. i have a problem with this type of thing. YES i love the Lord, yes i want people to be able to experience Him and have a relationship with Him. but i get angry at people (even with good intentions) who try to force it on people. it's what turns people off. it ruins what the heart of the Lord truly is and who He is. i'm not perfect and i have made plenty of mistakes in the past, many of which i still struggle with. but i want to spread truth, not force my beliefs on someone. it's about a relationship, not a set of rules to follow or just going to church every sunday (which yes, i do think church is important of course).

i do believe the Lord changes people's heart, even those you may think will not ever change. i do believe we should spread His message, however, i do not think it is our place to change people's minds for them by trying to spread His message through desperation, with force or through threats (i.e. you're going to hell). this only gives the enemy more of a foot in the door in turning people away from Him. any thoughts?