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sorry friends. lost a load of links/posts/comments/work/code/ etc when my site was hacked this week. i posted yesterday but i’m not sure it went live in all formats… running this as a test to view last post, go here http://paigeknudsen.com/lets-try-this-again-redeemed/
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      okay. so take 2. i posted this yesterday and at some point my website was hacked. after speaking to my host provider i heard that wordpress has been hit a large amount this week. now, over 24 hours later i’m hoping i’m back up and running smoothly after “being restored” . unfortunately the restore took out my last couple posts and a large amount of work/images i had laboriously added to my portfolio. sadly, i had received some of THE sweetest, most tender comments on this post & the one prior and now they’re all lost. thank you hacker. i cruised through reader & did a quick little copy/paste and planted this one back up again.anyways….enough complaining….enjoy…. Seems like all I could see was the struggle I am redeemed, You set me free All my life I have been called unworthy Because I’ve got a new name, a new life, I’m not the same i’ll be honest, the past week or so has been a tough time for me spiritually. i’d share the details of the recurrent situation but it’s not really important to the story. suffice to say, it’s a big huge chapter in my little book of issues where i can allow fear to literally eat me alive. ”I’m not who i used to be, cause i am redeemed” i believe this is true. but sometimes my mind, my spirit & my heart don’t all line up in a neat little marching row and allow me to act as a believer of this promise should act. we all have consequences for our sins. or for this particular situation, i’ll use the word “decisions”. that’s a less in- your- face term. so, we all have consequences for our decisions. both good & bad decisions. however, i think for those of us who have tangible consequences that are repetitive or ongoing, trying to move on past those sins of the past, or poor decisions is almost impossible. well that’s the situation for me. it’s as if i have an ongoing reminder of a poor decision from years ago. just fear and shame and ugliness always rises to the surface when i think about the situation. it’s easy for me to accept jesus loves me. primarily because i have a loving earthly father & married two loving men, i don’t doubt His love. jesus came that we may have life & a full life. free from bondage, free from chains that bind us up. chains like shame and regret. chains like fear and worry. that’s where i struggle. i sometimes wonder if i will always need to make the, sometimes daily, choice to lay these issues down. it’s honestly a reminder to me that i’m not all that. i’m in need of grace. every single day. there’s a place in my heart that only Jesus can fill. that’s honestly how we were made. i believe, anyway. several times this week, as i would lay my head down at night i felt He would impress on my heart the following~~ don’t be afraid, i have redeemed you. i have called you by name. you’re mine. i’ll never leave you. i’ve healed you. your sins are forgiven & i’ve removed all of them ( poor decisions too) as far apart as the east is from the west. they are remembered no more. now rise up & forgive yourself. and rest in me. i heard that in my heart night after night. furthermore, as corny as it may seem, during the dolphin show at the Georgia Aquarium, there was a part in the show where a large magnificent image up on the screen ( yes it was related to the dolphins, okay?) said confidently and loudly, “fear not”. tears just spilled down my cheeks. it was another reminder, amidst dozens all week long, to lay down the fear. ( and yes, the dolphins were brave too) so, back to the song. to hear the words “I’m not who i used to be, cause i am redeemed” is a balm to my soul. i encourage you to push play on the video ( after you X out the little ad along the bottom). close your eyes and let these lyrics marinate in your heart. let the truth that you are a new person in christ just flow through your spirit like a river. because He has already paid the price for all of it. and it’s wiped away, as far as the east is from the west. we’re the ones that choose to tote our past around. when i carry around all the yuck or “stupid me” or the regret or the whatever it’s as if i’m saying the cross wasn’t enough. “child lift up your head”, He loves you & He’s not through with you yet. now i’m off to do the same. i am redeemed. He’s set me free & He’s not through with me yet. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/redeemed/id515814055?i=515814062 scriptures above from isaiah 43, psalm 103.12, & john 10.10.
April 18, 2013 - 10:21 pm
Amen sweetest friend! Isn’t it amazing that a stronghold of sin if given sway over your life can lead only to death & destruction…but that same stronghold if laid at the feet of our Savior (sometimes time and frustrating time again) He turns into a closer,more intimate relationship with Him. Thanks for your precious thoughts & for sharing our unbelievable savior! Xoxo
April 18, 2013 - 10:24 pm
I’m not who I used to be. Cause I am redeemed. Thank God redeemed. This. One of my all time favorite songs. Ever. Love you and your beautiful heart precious friend. Dreaming about the day we can all be in our favorite place together. Soon. Love you so, Sibi
April 19, 2013 - 6:43 am
[...] to view last post, go here [...]
April 19, 2013 - 7:27 am
You really have absolutely no idea how much I needed to read that this morning. I love that song, it’s life changing. Thank you for always being authentic and sharing your heart.
April 19, 2013 - 7:34 am
So sorry your site was hacked! Geez – don’t people have anything better to do. This was a great post – read it yesterday and again just now – maybe I needed it twice. Love you sweet friend. xo
April 19, 2013 - 8:11 am
Loveliest!! Thanks for this, P.
April 19, 2013 - 9:01 am
Thanks so much for sharing this….it is a daily struggle for me also. I read something this week that said fear is an intangible cage and on Good Friday Jesus got in that cage for me and on Sunday He busted out of the cage destroying the bars. I really have to think about that daily!
April 19, 2013 - 9:47 am
So sorry you got hacked. It’s such a God-thing that your post is centered on this song…it’s been in my head all week and I find myself humming it in every silence. I do think you are “all that” (at least it appears so from my little corner of Texas) and I am sorry for your struggles. Know that you are loved and prayed for by someone who’s never met you!
April 19, 2013 - 11:07 am
This song is what I have adopted as the theme song of my life. Satan so often hits the “play” button on the slide-show of what I term the “non-Kodak moments of my life.” God has let me know that I can unplug that with His power! Thanks for your honest revelations that lives that look picture perfect and people who are photogenic have inner struggles too!
April 19, 2013 - 11:59 am
Oh, Paige-y. I’m so sorry for your hacking troubles. My site has been hacked so much, I need to create a welcome page for the hackers. I found more evidence of ‘compromise’ this past weekend and am still trying to clean up the mess. I hope you are able to recover anything lost. It’s so disheartening. Love you and thinking of you lots these days.
April 19, 2013 - 2:05 pm
That’s awful somebody hacked you! This is such a beautiful post it just needed to be put out twice! The funny thing is that I made an usually personal comment about myself and had kind of fretted about it. Now come to find out it was gone anyway. Still loving that song…need to put it on my phone!
April 19, 2013 - 5:47 pm
Amazing song. Thanks for the reminder I often forget. Praise God, I am Redeemed!
April 20, 2013 - 4:16 pm
I am so sorry for your site getting hacked. That would make me so mad! What a beautiful post and a beautiful song; I listened to it several times. thinking of you! xo…jodi
can you see the little tiny baby bunny in the photo below? far left corner? yes. for spring break, i’ve watched brinkley watch out the front windows at the tiny baby bunnies living out in a large plant in our front yard. all.day.long. we’re not spring breakers that head to the beach. well let me rephrase that. as the girls have gotten older, they sometimes head to the beach for a few days with friends. so dan and i, brinkley and caroline have been holding down the fort and watching the pollen count rise to 8,000. for folks that have no reference for what on earth the pollen count is, think sinus armageddon. don’t let me fool you. we’ve had a great week. i’ve had a few photo shoots & am actually heading to birhmingham tomorrow to be a second shooter with a very gifted photographer to photograph a wedding!
lucky me, when madison doesn’t have to work, she’ll head off to photo sessions with me. we had a blast photographing some super cute little girls here in atlanta, actually from birmingham, to see Mary Poppins at the Fox theatre. i’ll share some of those soon. we headed down to Passion City church to hear, yet another, fabulous lesson from louie and kick off a week of raising awareness that slavery still exists. ( see previous post)
tuesday we took madison to visit the Georgia Tech campus. GT is an incredible institution right in the heart of the city. big rivals with our beloved UGA. both schools very competitive not only against each other in sports, but in their admission process. at our little tour, they told us this year’s freshman class gpa average 3.99 and sat score 2100. whoa. madison has not applied yet but is very interested. GT has a gorgeous campus and we were there on a spectacular spring day, making it all the more beautiful. emi was down in cocoa beach with her friends. she’s home now. burnt and peeling. i know. i know. but she had a blast. she’s sporting the very popular and will surely sell out again this year, noonday perfect sunhat. while sissies were packing their beach bags, ( madison is now down at navarre beach) caroline mentioned that if we’d simply take her shopping one day she’d be happy. she has gift cards from her birthday party. let me throw in right here a little shout out to little bit. dan & i were discussing the other day what an easy child she is. always pleasant. easy to please. cheerful. never complains. never wakes on the wrong side of the bed. like ever. so wednesday morning dan asked her if she’d rather have some extra cash to add to her giftcard loot or go somewhere on a little adventure. without hesitation she replied that she’d rather do something with us. so off to the georgai aquarium we went. despite that awful photo of me, we had a fantastic time. the dolphin show was worth its weight in gold to me. i cried. no like i really cried during the show. it was beautiful. i’ve always had a special place in my heart for dolphins…anyways. it was wonderful. for those of you visiting atlanta, just down from the world of coke & the aquarium is west side urban market. one of my favorite shopping areas. kayce hughes just opened a new boutique a few weeks ago. there’s also lululemon, jack spade and free people, just to name a few. then on to flip burger boutique. love flip burger. the milkshakes are amazing…..so i hear, wink. the one shown below is the nutella burnt marshmallow. forgot to mention in my last post, i’m reading Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions
oh & ps. all tiny baby bunnies are still safe!!
April 12, 2013 - 10:14 am
That store looks amazing as does the food! Love how they framed the TVs
April 12, 2013 - 10:36 am
Dear Paige. You always do such nice pics. I was looking for the rabbit in the pic with the flag….at first. I finally found it….so cute. I never found the bad pic of you though! Glad you had a good time and a special moment seeing the dolphins!
April 12, 2013 - 10:51 am
I love the Westside Urban Market…especially Star Provisions! I was in Birmingham last weekend for a girl’s trip. We go every year… such a fun place to shop and hop around. Here is my post about our trip… http://alisalamb.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-cup-overflows.html Where’s the wedding?? Have fun!
April 12, 2013 - 12:55 pm
Alright missy… as if I didn’t have enough reason to covet your sweet self and life, let’s throw in being close to Atlanta and all the fun shopping!! Heavens! Looks like a good time was had by all. The picture of you is darling and I would love to knowwhere you found the super-cute, springy top. Do tell.
April 12, 2013 - 1:08 pm
Hey Paige, i noticed that you said that was an awful picture of you. Please do not put yourself down, you are fearfully and wonderfully made and you are very pretty, cool and talented:) i heard a pastor on the radio say that we should never put ourselves down and should just praise God! on the day i heard this i had just been looking in the mirror thinking of all the things wrong with my face and hair!!!! what was i thinking our Jesus loves us and that should be enough.
April 12, 2013 - 3:11 pm
Where in the world do your girls find such great clothes? I am so tired of the same mall stores for my teen daughters!
April 12, 2013 - 6:15 pm
I have been commenting less and less on blogs since I became a mom in the fall, but I am still enjoying reading yours on my phone when I’m feeding my baby! I love following along with your family and seeing your girls grow. You are such wonderful model of motherhood! Also…we have some good friends down in ATL, and if we manage to come down and visit, I so want to book you to take some family photos for us
April 13, 2013 - 9:20 am
Good Morning! If I ever make it down to GA, will you take me on a shopping trip?
April 14, 2013 - 7:37 pm
I feel like I had so much to say all through this post so that when I got to the comment box I hardly knew where to begin. I LOVE that sunhat. LOVE. (I also love those darling little figures of the cuties wearing those hats. Oh those days are so long gone for me, it’s not even funny… ) I love that you guys went to aquarium and those dolphins looked so happy. They just cheer you up, don’t they?
April 14, 2013 - 9:51 pm
we were at the aquarium last week…loved it. so love that little bit chose time with you guys…no surprise.
April 14, 2013 - 9:52 pm
ps. love the picture of you.
April 14, 2013 - 10:09 pm
lookin good paige! i love that caroline chose time with you guys. our boys are teenagers, and we have so much fun with them.i love that they actually want to hangout with us.and i love the aquarium pics! so beautiful! and i def. have to read this book!
i’m finally getting caught up on some good books. dan has been reading off the required reading list savannah has for one of her UGA religion classes. so he’s been hanging out with the likes of c.s. lewis and timothy keller. the jury is still out on whether caroline will love reading. she’s always been a gadget girl but lately she’s found some books that interest her. having read the lightning thief series for school, she fell in love with those! she just finished shawn johnson’s book, Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned So Far about Love, Faith, and Living Your Dreams she needed to chose a book for another school project that could fall into any genre. fiction, biography, etc. i was so tickled to see that she chose Perfectly Unique: Praising God from Head to Foot it was also so cute to see her read one of my all time favorites from my childhood, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
loving ben ashby’s FOLK magazines. a work of art i tell ya!
i’m a fan of christine caine & enjoyed her book, Undaunted: Daring to do what God calls you to do
i’m usually only able to focus my attention on one book at a time. and i often times love a mindless fiction to carry me away before i turn in each night. however at an attempt to broaden my world view i’m enjoying reading ( usually along with a mindless fiction) books such as christines and now, The Big Truck That Went By: How the World Came to Save Haiti and Left Behind a Disaster
i’ve enjoyed angie smith’s blog since she began writing. her ability to weave humor and truth is really like none other. Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table with Recipes i ordered several goodies from amazon, including Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life
we were at barnes & noble earlier this week where i purchased the entire ( well almost the entire) c.s. lewis collection. clearly i have some great reads ahead of me. would love to know what you’re reading & what you love. ps. the first image of books is a collection that was a gifted by my hubby. they can each be purchased at anthropologie
April 11, 2013 - 10:43 am
Thanks for sharing your book list! I always enjoy a good book recommendation. My friend is writing an article on favorite Christian books, so I just made a list too : )
April 11, 2013 - 11:21 am
Ah, some new books to check out! So cute seeing your daughter reading Judy Blume. I think that book is a rite of passage. I remember reading it when I was growing up.
April 11, 2013 - 2:06 pm
Hi Paige!! I am currently reading Daring Greatly – so good! I also have a hardtime reading more than one book at a time and there are so many I want to read, I need to figure out a way. Some of the ones you listed,I have also wanted to read. I also like the idea of a “real” book rather than on my kindle but buying a book with one or two clicks, sure is nice Thanks for the inspiration and ideas! xoTiffany
April 11, 2013 - 3:32 pm
I am so impressed with your list of books…SMK and I were talking about her religion class last week at lunch….so cool that Dan is reading those books along with her. Could we think he’s any more awesome? I think not. I need to get a reading plan and stick to it. Way to go! Keep it up…tell us about them when you’re done..I love a great book review.
April 11, 2013 - 4:54 pm
I just started reading Love Does and the first chapter made me cry so I have high hopes!
April 11, 2013 - 6:03 pm
hi Paige! I miss you andyour blog! We have been without internet for almost two months now at the school where I teach and my laptop isn’t working! So I have been without it and I am going crazy! I was just thinking today that I want to put together a list of must reads since I will be home with the girls for the summer and they love playing outdoors. All I need is my big brimmed hat, big sunglasses, lots of sunscreen, and a great book! When I back online officially I am going to write down some of your suggestions! XOXO
April 12, 2013 - 12:33 am
I love seeing what others are reading – thank you for sharing. It looks like we have similar tastes in books:) I just finished “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh – I highly recommend it! Also, “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” by Maria Semple would be a great summer read – it had me laughing out loud. Happy Reading!
April 12, 2013 - 2:55 am
You kinda know the books I would like! Haha! I’ve been meaning to read Angie Smith’s Mended and Christine Caine’s Undaunted since they were released but I’m waiting till I can get a hardcopy at my local bookstore. I’m not a huge fan of ebooks. I only turn to them as a last resort. I just read Michelle Mckinney Hammond’s Sassy, Single and Satisfied. I’m currently reading Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. I’ll do a review over at my blog today in case you’re thinking of reading it.
April 12, 2013 - 9:55 am
I just finished rereading Harry Potter for about the 14th time because my daughter is finally reading it with me! I also read a freebie from amazon for my Kindle, Johnny Cornflakes, which was a sweet, quick read about loving the least among us.
April 13, 2013 - 8:43 am
I so love your blog…we were at Passion last Sunday morning and my 14 year old daughter and I were noticing y’all were there too and were a little excited…promise we are not stalkers! I am currently reading Cold Tangerines which I love, just finished What Women Fear by Angie Smith which I also loved and needed…. Trying to fear and worry less and trust God more!
April 18, 2013 - 9:14 am
Oooh…that Haiti book looks so up my alley. i’m just a regular person. living in suburbia. driving a SUV and eating pizza on friday nights. in the midst of all that regularity, a couple years ago i found out that slavery still exists. turns out it didn’t end with Lincoln. over 27 million people, half of which are children are still enslaved. right now. on our watch. now that i know. i can’t unknow. while the easier, much easier thing to do is just turn away. like i do when i hear a sad animal story. just turn it off. it’s too sad to think about. or refuse to believe it’s real. but my friends it is. while the fact that there are still people enslaved, some right here in atlanta, and the number, 27 million, are both incomprehensible and seem an impossible beast, we can do something. even if only for one. which is exactly why i came on board with Noonday Collection. many of our pieces are made in india. right now in india it is estimated that there are 20 to 65 million bonded laborers. mere children working for debts- generations old, that will never be re-paid. Noonday Collection partners with many different jewelry-making groups in India whose goal is to build long term equitable trading relationships that ensure low-income artisans are truly being helped out of poverty and will not become a bonded laborer. artisans are paid a livable wage and have safe working conditions, access to healthcare and childcare, and on-going training and education. sex trafficking also victimizes massive numbers of vulnerable people in South Asia: In 2009, the head of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation estimated that there are more than 1 million children in the commercial sexual exploitation industry in the country. (stats from international justice mission) while i’m not breaking into brothels this week or helping put a man behind bars that’s selling children in the sex trade industry, i can raise awareness . i can be a voice for those without a voice. and i can be educated and intentional in my shopping. and so you can you my friend. we can do this together. we can end this thing called slavery. if you’re interested , here are a few links for you–
isaiah 58.10 if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry something as simple as wearing a piece of jewelry is a way to shine a light. a way to make a stand. here are a few pieces i thought you may enjoy… you may click on each image for more information on each piece
let’s all shine a light!!
April 9, 2013 - 1:17 pm
I know… it breaks my heart. When my man went to India he visited the red light district with his group and sat down and talked to some of these girls… heart breaking. He also saw the brickyards where children and women are forced to carry the most ridiculously heavy loads all day long. Love Noonday. Love what they stand for.
April 9, 2013 - 9:07 pm
Oh Paige, this is so inconceivable but I know it is true. You are right. It has to be stopped. And you are right. We can be intentional in how we shop to help end it. It may be one purchase at a time, one item at a time, but it’s something. THANK YOU for shining this light in this dark area. It’s a brave courageous and very loving thing to do. I love that you take that risk to help others and appreciate it so much!
April 10, 2013 - 8:34 am
Love their stuff. Love your heart for the hurting.
April 10, 2013 - 8:49 am
Thank you for sharing this, Paige. It makes me want to do more. To find ways to help…Love this and love the jewelry!
April 11, 2013 - 3:39 pm
When we went to India for the first time, our eyes were opened not just to the poverty but to the pain that children face. One of the girls, who we fell in LOVE with, went missing a few months after we visited with her and her family. I was devastated when our missionary friend told us that she was missing. She feels SURE she is in the sex slave trade. I pray for her …begging God to rescue her. I wish you could see her smile….her eyes…Lord Jesus, rescue her!!!! Praying for the Lord to open my eyes further….show me the difference that we can make. |
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