The LORD Yahweh is on the move. SO LOOK OUT.
People. I just want to be wearing all this right now to distract myself.
this delicate top.
beautiful love and pink bracelets.
this hair.
these nails.
these pants.
Praying THIS
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
just whatever!
This entire week and a half has been a crazy roller coaster. I'm exhausted but at peace.
The LORD Yahweh is on the move. SO LOOK OUT.
People. I just want to be wearing all this right now to distract myself.
The LORD Yahweh is on the move. SO LOOK OUT.
People. I just want to be wearing all this right now to distract myself.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
And we pray.
It has been a whirlwind of a week. We have been told that my mother in law has pancreatic cancer. We do not know enough yet and are waiting for more results from tests about whether or not it is operable and where it stands. So we pray. We give it all up to the Lord of all creation. To the mighty one, Healer. We give him glory and praise for all that he has given us, and ask that his mighty hand would bring healing. Miraculous healing. Pray with me friends. Pray with me.
These songs are my prayer right now.
These songs are my prayer right now.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday Summary
So I'm thinking, depending on whether or not people will like this.... that just like I am trying to do a "Worship Wednesday" that maybe I will do a "Sunday Sermon Summary" or something less cheesy and painful to write. An easy way to track and share what I am learning during the week/at church with ya'll. Maybe I will, maybe I won't but for today- I will. It seemed important.
Today Kevin and I decided we were going to go to church in the evening because he had some stuff he wanted to do that cut too close to when we usually go to church [a glorious 10:45 service]. And since we have been wanting to start looking for a church to go to [besides John Knox where I work- which we do like, but it a bit more focused on young families or older] that we can get more connected with, so we figured that would happen tonight.
The morning started off well, I got to sleep in which was glorious since I have been battling a NASTY head cold [I have literally gone through an entire box of tissues myself this week]. I met up with my Aunt and two cousins at the also glorious 50 acre dog park not too far away for some fun. [I've become one of them. I've become a dog person.] Came home, relaxed, and stumbled upon a blog post about "Counting the hours" that a friend posted about. I wanted to check it out, and although it turned out to be a post about the very real and daunting task of motherhood, it was a really important message about how God can and wants to meet us exactly where we are at, and provide exactly what we need. It may not be what we think is enough, it may not be how or when we want, but it will always be enough. HE is enough for us.
So as we went on our first "church hunt" [even though the term annoys me], I was wondering what God was going to teach me about today. There were many things that were distracting us before the sermon even started, and I knew the enemy wanted all these little things to bother us and keep us from hearing the message. Kevin and I have a little bit of opposite taste in what we personally look for in a church. Kevin is entirely anti mega-church and tends to feel most comfortable in a traditional Presbyterian church, while I am more open to large churches with different worship styles or what not as long as there is strong Biblical teaching and theology. Immediately we felt a little out of place, since it was filled with entirely too many hipsters [or SPU students] and lots of trendy stuff [which makes Kevin want to leave/crack 1000 jokes], so we were not sure what we were in for. However, it was recommended by our friend who said it could be a good fit for both of us so we wanted to really give it a shot. And then they told us the pastor wouldn't be there, and we would be watching the recording from earlier since he had flew in really late the night before. We looked at each other, and I think both were thinking "this is going to be so lame, and this isn't a good fit anyways, so lets just go"- but we didn't. And I am so glad.
To keep it to the point [since I've already written so much without getting anywhere!] the sermon was on Psalm 107- in the desert- and the point the Psalmist was trying to get across: Bad things happen and is God still good even when this happens? The obvious answer to believers is "Yes, of course!" But he wanted us to think about why? And what the Psalmist was trying to point out, through the various happenings within the Psalm [please go read it] was that God is good, even when bad things happen, because although he can fix any and all bad things that come our way in life, because they will for various reasons, he listed three [1. we live in a fallen world so bad things happen 2. we act out our and turn from God choosing our own ways 3. other peoples do bad things against us intentionally] and even though he may not fix everything that is not the point, the point is that His goal is to fix us. Fix our hearts to turn and cry out to Him instead of trying to do it all on our own.
"Life" is going to happen, guaranteed, but the Psalmist encourages us, in whatever of the three reasons, to TURN TO GOD and CRY OUT TO HIM because HE is ENOUGH. He is good, and he wants to change our hearts into new people. He cares most about the quality and state of our hearts than our immediate comfort. Will he provide what we need? Yes. He says even the birds of the air have enough, so why do we worry?! Will it be how much we think we may need? Probably not. But the more we are in relationship with Him, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, we will have enough.
He is enough.
I needed that reminder today. Do you? God wants relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him above all else. He wants to change our hearts and mold us closer to His image. Isn't that amazing? So please know, whether you are a mother who doesn't get enough sleep, or a father who doesn't get enough recognition for your work, or a teenager who feels misunderstood, or a single man or woman who feels alone, or anyone who feels like what they have is not enough, you are right. On our own we do not. We cannot do it alone. But God, He loves you. He wants to provide for you. Seek Him. Read the Bible. Pray to Him and ask Him for new strength, new joy, new words, new meaning and see how you grow and change, and simply, have ENOUGH to get through today.
Today Kevin and I decided we were going to go to church in the evening because he had some stuff he wanted to do that cut too close to when we usually go to church [a glorious 10:45 service]. And since we have been wanting to start looking for a church to go to [besides John Knox where I work- which we do like, but it a bit more focused on young families or older] that we can get more connected with, so we figured that would happen tonight.
The morning started off well, I got to sleep in which was glorious since I have been battling a NASTY head cold [I have literally gone through an entire box of tissues myself this week]. I met up with my Aunt and two cousins at the also glorious 50 acre dog park not too far away for some fun. [I've become one of them. I've become a dog person.] Came home, relaxed, and stumbled upon a blog post about "Counting the hours" that a friend posted about. I wanted to check it out, and although it turned out to be a post about the very real and daunting task of motherhood, it was a really important message about how God can and wants to meet us exactly where we are at, and provide exactly what we need. It may not be what we think is enough, it may not be how or when we want, but it will always be enough. HE is enough for us.
So as we went on our first "church hunt" [even though the term annoys me], I was wondering what God was going to teach me about today. There were many things that were distracting us before the sermon even started, and I knew the enemy wanted all these little things to bother us and keep us from hearing the message. Kevin and I have a little bit of opposite taste in what we personally look for in a church. Kevin is entirely anti mega-church and tends to feel most comfortable in a traditional Presbyterian church, while I am more open to large churches with different worship styles or what not as long as there is strong Biblical teaching and theology. Immediately we felt a little out of place, since it was filled with entirely too many hipsters [or SPU students] and lots of trendy stuff [which makes Kevin want to leave/crack 1000 jokes], so we were not sure what we were in for. However, it was recommended by our friend who said it could be a good fit for both of us so we wanted to really give it a shot. And then they told us the pastor wouldn't be there, and we would be watching the recording from earlier since he had flew in really late the night before. We looked at each other, and I think both were thinking "this is going to be so lame, and this isn't a good fit anyways, so lets just go"- but we didn't. And I am so glad.
To keep it to the point [since I've already written so much without getting anywhere!] the sermon was on Psalm 107- in the desert- and the point the Psalmist was trying to get across: Bad things happen and is God still good even when this happens? The obvious answer to believers is "Yes, of course!" But he wanted us to think about why? And what the Psalmist was trying to point out, through the various happenings within the Psalm [please go read it] was that God is good, even when bad things happen, because although he can fix any and all bad things that come our way in life, because they will for various reasons, he listed three [1. we live in a fallen world so bad things happen 2. we act out our and turn from God choosing our own ways 3. other peoples do bad things against us intentionally] and even though he may not fix everything that is not the point, the point is that His goal is to fix us. Fix our hearts to turn and cry out to Him instead of trying to do it all on our own.
"Life" is going to happen, guaranteed, but the Psalmist encourages us, in whatever of the three reasons, to TURN TO GOD and CRY OUT TO HIM because HE is ENOUGH. He is good, and he wants to change our hearts into new people. He cares most about the quality and state of our hearts than our immediate comfort. Will he provide what we need? Yes. He says even the birds of the air have enough, so why do we worry?! Will it be how much we think we may need? Probably not. But the more we are in relationship with Him, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, we will have enough.
He is enough.
I needed that reminder today. Do you? God wants relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him above all else. He wants to change our hearts and mold us closer to His image. Isn't that amazing? So please know, whether you are a mother who doesn't get enough sleep, or a father who doesn't get enough recognition for your work, or a teenager who feels misunderstood, or a single man or woman who feels alone, or anyone who feels like what they have is not enough, you are right. On our own we do not. We cannot do it alone. But God, He loves you. He wants to provide for you. Seek Him. Read the Bible. Pray to Him and ask Him for new strength, new joy, new words, new meaning and see how you grow and change, and simply, have ENOUGH to get through today.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Worship Wednesday: Poetry & Song
[Beautiful. inspiring. encouraging. honest. truth. Written by my best friend. Read and enjoy.]
There was a day when worry would bring fears to me at night.
I would toss and turn and wonder
“Is what I’m doing right?”
Faced with the decisions and details of the day,
I would wait
I would wonder
I would hold my breath and pray…
But no longer will I worry that somehow I’ll let Him down
That I’ll choose the wrong direction
That I’ll somehow get me lost
That I’m failing
That I’m falling
That I can’t afford the cost
I’ve been freed from that prison
And I will not step back in
The details do not matter
As long as I’m with Him
When the question comes around again
As I know it’s bound to do,
“Where, Lord, should I go?”
And “What, Lord, shall I do?”
I hope my heart remembers
I hope my mind will know
I SERVE THE LORD WITH EVERY STEP
That is where I go.
I will never live for nothing
I will never be alone
The doors I close, I won’t regret
The ones I choose will be my own
When I step in a direction
I will find a victory
Every corner that I turn, an adventure there for me
My life will not be nothing
Won’t be small
Won’t be trite
I will live for something
Lord of GLORY; Lord of might!
My life is not my own now
It is yours
You breathe in me
I’ll let Jesus be ambitious
He will find the victory!!
Left alone, I might have squandered
Might mismanage or delay
But I am not in charge now
The Lord now has the say
He will not be conquered
He will not be made a fool
The Lord my God is Yahweh!!
My life is just the tool.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
That sweet love of God.
If you need a pick me up. Watch this video.
Nothing cuter than my two little nephews singing away.
I. Love. it.
Check them out!
Nothing cuter than my two little nephews singing away.
I. Love. it.
Check them out!
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Just plain random.
I want about 6 kids. In my world I'd have carry four in my belly and two in my heart [i.e. adopt].
I wish I could dress like most of the girls in my preschool class. They make seriously such fun and colorful clothes for kids. And the only place that does that for adults is JCrew and that place is about my weeks pay check for two sweaters. sigh.
I had to seriously talk with my friend about whether or not to get a data plan on my new phone. For like 30 minutes. And when I went to the store (still torn) he made the decision easy for me. "You want your phone to represent you, ya know?" my response "actually no, there are lots of other things I want to represent me... (in an awkward laugh voice combo while looking at the ground)"And there it was. decided for me. crystal clear. the exact reason I didn't want to pay for a data plan and a schnazy (thats how i spell it) phone. I dont want to be obsessed with my phone. I dont want to be synced in with all my outlets at once all day long. I dont want to be someone who puts their freaking phone on the table when I'm out with friends or getting coffee with someone. I don't want to have my phone always in my back pocket so I can check it every. time. something. irrelevant. happens. on. twitter. or facebook. or pinterest. or wherever. I want to be p.r.e.s.e.n.t with whoever I am with whenever it is all the time. I hate sitting in a room with people and every pulls out their phone and zones out. I hate it. So that is my decision and my odd conviction about data plans and fancy cell phones.
I have all my folders from college categorized by year and semester. Some special classes are even bound in a new notebook version.
I own a pair of crocs for the sole purpose of showering at the gym. Guilty.
Daily I have to fight the urge of cleaning and organizing my house until perfection. I will do this until 4 am if left to my own desires. I have to verbally will myself to leave something out or messy so that I won't go into cleaning overload. [once I start cleaning I h.a.t.e. leaving it "unfinished" every room has to be done].
I wish I was more techy and knew how to make my blog look cool and glitzy and such. I am a computer lame-o.
Sometimes I watch movies that I know will make me cry on purpose. Crying can feel good sometimes.
I dont know which I want more. To have my masters already or to have babies. [I know that by saying that people will flip out about these things 1. youre not old enough yet, just wait 2. you dont have enough money yet, just wait 3. you guys should travel more, just wait 4. babies change everything, just wait. and on and on.] AND just because I say that, doesn't mean I'm trying to have one. Can't I feel something without actually doing that!? Yes. That doesn't mean I'm trying to make it happen okay! It amazes me what people say to me about having kids without me even talking about it [more on that later]. Everyone relax! Ha! I'm just sayin!
I made my F.I.R.S.T batch of chocolate chip cookies O.F. M.Y. L.I.F.E. yesterday on my own. Well with my little cousin as my assistant (she was spending the night). And I didn't burn a single one.
Penny from "Happy Endings" is my favorite character on tv. I love her spunk and off humor and just overall attitude. Love it. Such a funny show.
I talk about my nephews as if they were my own kids. I love them. I cannot wait for the two that are due in May! AH! Heart. Exploding.
I secretly want to write a devotional for high school girls. Specifically about making their faith their own without the "camp high" or "mountain top experience" driving them. About learning how to change their lives in a way that enables them to be present in their walk with God. [I've told a few people about it, and now the blog-o-sphere so it's not really a secret...] what do you think friends?
Today I bought a homeless man Taco Bell because he asked. He said, "I'm just really hungry. Can you help me?" And so I happened to have just sold an old useless watch to a gold for cash man [random I know- but I'm on this purging spree so I'll tell you about it later]. I said sure, lets go in. When we got in, he asked how much was okay for him to get? I told him to get whatever he wanted [fearfully afraid after saying it that he might order like 40 things and I'd have to explain to Kevin why I spent 80 dollars at Taco Bell... But you know what he ordered? Two chicken chalupas. That's it. I offered for him to get a drink too, thinking he must be thirsty, and he only asked for a cup of water. The total came to $8.12. He also asked if I had any money for his bus back to the shelter. It was $2.00. What do you know I sold the broken watch for $10.00. Two other stores wouldn't buy the watch. But this last one I tried paid just enough for this man to get food and on the bus. [Sure maybe the two bucks went somewhere else we could speculate, but I'm trusting God on his provision in this moment]. And as I looked in his eyes, before I could say God bless him, he met my gaze and said it to me. Isn't it amazing when you do things for others because God is telling you to in your heart, that they feel it on the other side? If you don't know what I'm talking about, go do something that makes you uncomfortable, but that you know is right. And I promise you will experience what I am talking about.
I wish I could dress like most of the girls in my preschool class. They make seriously such fun and colorful clothes for kids. And the only place that does that for adults is JCrew and that place is about my weeks pay check for two sweaters. sigh.
I had to seriously talk with my friend about whether or not to get a data plan on my new phone. For like 30 minutes. And when I went to the store (still torn) he made the decision easy for me. "You want your phone to represent you, ya know?" my response "actually no, there are lots of other things I want to represent me... (in an awkward laugh voice combo while looking at the ground)"And there it was. decided for me. crystal clear. the exact reason I didn't want to pay for a data plan and a schnazy (thats how i spell it) phone. I dont want to be obsessed with my phone. I dont want to be synced in with all my outlets at once all day long. I dont want to be someone who puts their freaking phone on the table when I'm out with friends or getting coffee with someone. I don't want to have my phone always in my back pocket so I can check it every. time. something. irrelevant. happens. on. twitter. or facebook. or pinterest. or wherever. I want to be p.r.e.s.e.n.t with whoever I am with whenever it is all the time. I hate sitting in a room with people and every pulls out their phone and zones out. I hate it. So that is my decision and my odd conviction about data plans and fancy cell phones.
I have all my folders from college categorized by year and semester. Some special classes are even bound in a new notebook version.
I own a pair of crocs for the sole purpose of showering at the gym. Guilty.
Daily I have to fight the urge of cleaning and organizing my house until perfection. I will do this until 4 am if left to my own desires. I have to verbally will myself to leave something out or messy so that I won't go into cleaning overload. [once I start cleaning I h.a.t.e. leaving it "unfinished" every room has to be done].
I wish I was more techy and knew how to make my blog look cool and glitzy and such. I am a computer lame-o.
Sometimes I watch movies that I know will make me cry on purpose. Crying can feel good sometimes.
I dont know which I want more. To have my masters already or to have babies. [I know that by saying that people will flip out about these things 1. youre not old enough yet, just wait 2. you dont have enough money yet, just wait 3. you guys should travel more, just wait 4. babies change everything, just wait. and on and on.] AND just because I say that, doesn't mean I'm trying to have one. Can't I feel something without actually doing that!? Yes. That doesn't mean I'm trying to make it happen okay! It amazes me what people say to me about having kids without me even talking about it [more on that later]. Everyone relax! Ha! I'm just sayin!
I made my F.I.R.S.T batch of chocolate chip cookies O.F. M.Y. L.I.F.E. yesterday on my own. Well with my little cousin as my assistant (she was spending the night). And I didn't burn a single one.
Penny from "Happy Endings" is my favorite character on tv. I love her spunk and off humor and just overall attitude. Love it. Such a funny show.
I talk about my nephews as if they were my own kids. I love them. I cannot wait for the two that are due in May! AH! Heart. Exploding.
I secretly want to write a devotional for high school girls. Specifically about making their faith their own without the "camp high" or "mountain top experience" driving them. About learning how to change their lives in a way that enables them to be present in their walk with God. [I've told a few people about it, and now the blog-o-sphere so it's not really a secret...] what do you think friends?
Today I bought a homeless man Taco Bell because he asked. He said, "I'm just really hungry. Can you help me?" And so I happened to have just sold an old useless watch to a gold for cash man [random I know- but I'm on this purging spree so I'll tell you about it later]. I said sure, lets go in. When we got in, he asked how much was okay for him to get? I told him to get whatever he wanted [fearfully afraid after saying it that he might order like 40 things and I'd have to explain to Kevin why I spent 80 dollars at Taco Bell... But you know what he ordered? Two chicken chalupas. That's it. I offered for him to get a drink too, thinking he must be thirsty, and he only asked for a cup of water. The total came to $8.12. He also asked if I had any money for his bus back to the shelter. It was $2.00. What do you know I sold the broken watch for $10.00. Two other stores wouldn't buy the watch. But this last one I tried paid just enough for this man to get food and on the bus. [Sure maybe the two bucks went somewhere else we could speculate, but I'm trusting God on his provision in this moment]. And as I looked in his eyes, before I could say God bless him, he met my gaze and said it to me. Isn't it amazing when you do things for others because God is telling you to in your heart, that they feel it on the other side? If you don't know what I'm talking about, go do something that makes you uncomfortable, but that you know is right. And I promise you will experience what I am talking about.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Worship Wednesday
So from now on, I am going to do my best to post a few videos of worship songs that I love or that God is speaking to me through on Wednesdays. I hope to encourage you as you surf the web into Pinterest bliss... Or whatever you have to accomplish online. I hope that God will use this music to minister to you. To reach you mid week and remind you that He loves you. To remind you that He desires your praise. To remind you that He is a good God. A gracious and loving God who longs to be close to our hearts. So I pray that it will refresh you. Enjoy.
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