Thursday, December 18, 2008

Redecorating 1600 Pennsylvania Ave

I find it quite funny that the redecoration of the White House causes such a stir every four or eight years. Rumors abound about exactly what color schemes and patterns Michelle Obama will choose for their new home. Others speculate that she might utilize a strategy similar to her husband's:

"The comedian Andy Borowitz suggested on the phone last week, they will follow the template the president-elect has laid out for his cabinet appointments. “That whole team-of-rivals approach,” Mr. Borowitz said, “so instead of one decorator there will be eight: four Republicans and four Democrats, none of whom can stand each other, and he’ll make them each do a room.”

That has reality TV written all over it. HGTV execs must be drooling at the very thought. Check out the whole
NY Times article.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Cardboard Testimonies

A dear friend sent me this a while back, and I found it tucked away in some saved emails today. It's a powerful video of testimonies of changed lives put together by Hillside Christian Church in Amarillo, TX.

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=9vs13ty1cl

What's your cardboard testimony?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Let Me Tell You What He Has Done for Me

I came across Psalm 66 this week. It's a song of victory over struggles through God and a reminder that God never wastes pain. We rarely understand why God allows us or our loved ones to go through painful circumstances, but this passage hints that one reason is so that we may tell of the amazing way God helped us through it, taking the emphasis off us and onto the glorious God who heals in His time.

The psalmist pleads with the reader to "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" (v. 5). He doesn't diminish the degree of the pain but instead focuses on the victorious outcome only through God..."We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance" (v. 12b). What's our responsibility once we're standing in that place of abundance? To share with others how God got us there and offer encouragement to see them through, as the psalmist says in verse 16, "Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me"...not let me tell you how I did this but let me tell you how God did this miraculous thing for me.

This psalm is the basis for David Crowder's "Come and Listen." Check out the lyrics, and hit play on my playlist if you'd like...

Come and listen, come to the water's edge, all you who know and fear the Lord.

Come and listen, come to the water's edge all you who are thirsty, come.

Let me tell you what He has done for me.
Let me tell you what He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen,
come and listen to what He's done.
Come and listen,
come and listen to what He's done.

Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.
Praise our God for He is good.

He has done for me,
He has done for you,
He has done for us.

Come and listen,
come and listen to what He's done.
Come and listen,
come and listen to what He's done.

Remember that any pain you experience does not come from God; it comes out of this broken world. He allows us to go through things so we might grow closer to Him, learn more about who He is, and tell others about our encounter with the Almighty. You can bet that for any major hurt you experience, there will be a person in your future who'll need to hear the way God fathered you through a similar struggle. I hope to develop this come-and-listen type of faith, and I hope you do too. Grace and peace to you, readers. :)

Friday, December 12, 2008

Oh, What a Beautiful Day!

Yes, that title would be an Oklahoma reference; I'm a musical nerd like that, but today I have reason to be. My semester is finished (only three more to go!!!), we got three inches of snow, I have time to read for fun (finally finished that C.S. Lewis book and the new H.P.!), and Christmas is just around the corner...all is right in the world. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it really was a spectacularly beautiful day, and I just love when God drops days like that into my life.

Here are a few pics from my early morning snow romp..





Then I went on a pre-last-final-exam adventure with Rachel (after having the best cappuccino of my life at Highland Coffees!). We had a mini snowball fight and made a teeny, tiny snowman because we had no gloves and our hands were FREEZING! I like to call him "Frosty the Snow Midget."


It was a great way to cap off a summer and a semester full of Stefanie and Rachel adventures! I'm gonna miss ya, Rach! Bring me something cool from Spain! ;)


And just in case you're still having trouble believing it actually snowed this much in Baton Rouge, LOUISIANA, here's video evidence to prove it: (Warning for the Motion-Sickness Proned: It's a bit shaky because I was just so excited that it was snowing!!!)



P.S.: Check out these pics of Mike VI playing in the snow like a good half-Siberian tiger should.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland

IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING, IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!! I can't think of a more beautiful thing to wake up to than soft, white flakes falling outside my window. It's such a peaceful thing to watch...I could sit here just watching it snow for hours, but I think I might go play in it instead... :)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

An Interview with Yours Truly

Dr. Lisa Lundy, my fabulous former mass comm prof, also writes for Missions Interchange. She asked me to do an interview for their student spotlight, and we came up with this: http://missionsinterchange.com/studentspot.asp. Check it out if you're interested in my thoughts on missions and other random things like whom I'd most like to have lunch with. :)

Friday, December 5, 2008

Iris to Iris

I came across this song by Building 429 recently, and it really spoke to where I am right now and thus inspired a redesign of the ol' blog. Click the play button on my playlist widget, and check out the lyrics:

"God I’ve always wondered what You look like
Lord I’ve always waited staring at the sky
But the heavens remained quiet
As they drift along in peace
Sometimes they’ve turned to thunder
Still the echoes always cease
How I long to get home
Lord I hope it won’t be long
Till You

Let the skies open wide
Let Your child see Your eyes
Iris to iris
I will be waiting
Let the skies open wide
Let Your children be like
Diamonds reflecting
We will be waiting to shine
Waiting to shine

Chasing after vapors left me cold
Cause obscurity befalls me like a diamond cased in coal
But Your hand has been upon me and Your workmanship is true
And years I’ve spent in darkness made me long to shine for You
All I want is to see Your face
All I’m praying for today
Is that You’d

Let the skies open wide
Let Your child see Your eyes
Iris to iris
I will be waiting
Let the skies open wide
Let Your children be like
Diamonds reflecting
We will be waiting to shine
Waiting to shine

Sing Hallelujah to our God
Sing Hallelujah we are found
Sing Hallelujah for the Savior has come down
Let the skies open wide
Let Your child see Your eyes
Iris to iris
I will be waiting

Let the skies open wide
Let Your children be like
Diamonds reflecting
We will be waiting
Sunset to sunset we will be waiting
Sunset to sunset we will be waiting
Waiting to shine
Still waiting to shine"

I know I can't wait to be iris to iris with the Creator of those sunsets.

A Time for Everything

I do love a good dose of exquisite Biblical poetry. Here's one of my favorites...Eccelesiastes 3:1-15 (emphasis mine):

1
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;


3
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;


6
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;


8
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.


9
What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.

15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.