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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.
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.
Well, ladies and gentlemen...as you all know, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Far too often, I let Thanksgiving pass me by without really taking the time to reflect on what God's blessed me with in the past year, but this year, Thanksgiving's just a little more meaningful. God's been so good since last Thanksgiving, and I'm so honored that He's my Provider. So in old-school first-grade style, here's a list of things I'm thanking God for this week:- For all the incredible friends and family God has allowed to journey through life with me and for the encouragement and joy they bring
- For a comfy place to call my own
- For a beautiful group of 7th grade girls that has brightened my world and taught me new ways to think of God
- For giving...and taking away...and knowing when it's right to do both
- For His perfect timing and protection
- For continuing to stick by me no matter what life throws at me
- For amazing role models and mentors who treat me like family
- For Love that has changed who I am
- For being my Healer and for curing cancer!
- For showing me what it really means to grow up
- For the opportunity to go back to school and study to become a professional nerd (a.k.a. librarian)...something I know I'm going to adore
- For revealing a little more of Himself each day
- For helping me realize I'm right where He wants me to be
- For the cross and the freedom it brings
- For the power of the resurrection in daily life
- For His strength
- For hope for the future
I pray that you can find a few minutes amidst the hectic holiday hassles to thank Him. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and God bless you all. :) Now, go pig out, but save some cranberry sauce for me!
Since I was a little girl, I have always loved stories. Any kind of stories, really...mysteries, fairytales, romances, adventures...anything that could whisk me away into another world and open my imagination to ideas I'd never considered before.
Here recently, I've started reading Allen Jackson's TEACH, a book for youth ministry leaders, and he touches on the concept of the Bible as a metanarrative, which in non-English major/philosophy major terms is simply a story about stories. I'm fascinated by this idea that the Bible, which was written by hundreds of separate God-inspired scribes, is such a beautifully-woven collection of these intertwined stories, each of which tells a little more of the larger story of the unfailing love of God and His plan for mankind's redemption. Only one Author could pull that off, and He's written the all-time bestseller (literally).
And the cool thing is...He continues to craft new stories every single day. Every moment of every human life is in His perfect hands, and He's using these miraculous stories of love, joy, peace, pain, and suffering to draw His children, His characters closer and closer to Him. I haven't stopped loving stories, but now that I've grown up, I have more of an affinity for the stories God writes...mysteries, fairytales, romances, adventures...there is no shortage of them. I'm exhilarated by my own story and find each new page more thrilling than the last even if the conflicts seem to have no discernable solution. It's in those times that it's too comforting for words to know that I know the Author of my story and that He knows my perfect ending...and every page and chapter before that perfect ending.
Sure there are times when I want to grab the pen from His hand and write my own version of my story, and He lets me do that every now and then, but He soons let me realize my misgivings and realize that His way is always the best way.
The best part is that I'm not the main character in this story...He is. I'm just a teeny short story in an anthology of God-written stories of every man, woman, and child who ever lived or will live. Each one having love as their recurring theme...the only true Love...one that makes you want to share your story and listen to others' tales of how they found it too. It's exciting to feel a tiny part of a bigger picture, a grand masterpiece. I'm amazed at the way so many of our stories are inter-connected with incredible people coming in and out of your life the way a cool breeze swirls through a damp summer night. He plans every chance meeting, every deep friendship, every love interest, every hurt, every desire, every blessing...all to bring glory to Himself, the Author. We're His creations, His characters, and we should desire to praise our Creator, our Author.
Take a moment to just step back and wonder at the unbelievable way He's written this grand scheme, and I'll leave you with this...a verse from John that's one of my favorites:
"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25)
You and I are those books...those stories. Jesus continues to do miraculous things in our lives every day (small and enormous) so that we might have new stories to tell about His great Love. So take some time to praise the Author of it all today.
I haven't been a little girl for some time now, but the stories of God never cease to whisk me away while simultaneously opening my eyes to things I've never seen before. Those of you who know me know that I love books...ok adore books, but there's only one that's changed my life. I hope that one day its power and beauty will change yours too.
What a wild and crazy night. I've got mixed emotions about the results of this election, but I still don't really understand why so many people are thinking this is the end of the world. There's one thing I do know: God is in control no matter who runs our country, and in case you forgot, God allows those leaders to come into power, and He's never surprised by election outcomes.
And what a beautiful picture of how far America has come since the days of the civil rights movement. I may not totally agree with many of Obama's plans, but I'm so proud that our country has continued to set an example of equality and hard work. I can't wait to tell my kids and grandkids about the night we elected our first African American president. Watching history being written is just nifty. And that John McCain went out with class by giving that inspiring and unifying concession speech.
God is still God, and America is still a democracy, and I'm sleeping soundly tonight...
...although I'm probably dreaming of Bobby Jindal 2012. ;)
You bet I'll be practicing my right to vote the lesser of two evils into the Presidency tomorrow! And you better too! Too many people have died to and fought hard to protect and/or establish our right to let our voices be heard, so get out there and be heard!
And just remember, no matter how down things may seem in America right now...we're still blessed to be a democracy. Now, go render unto Caesar's what is Caesar's! ;)
Please accept my sincerest apologies, loyal readers (all 3 of you), for going so long between posts. This semester is turning out to be crazier than I'd expected, but I'm falling in love with autumn all over again. There's just nothing like that crisp, cool scent of football and crunchy leaves in the air. (Yeah, yeah...I'm a nerd.)
I've been thinking a lot about changing seasons lately. Recently I had the joyous privilege of being Jenn Sloane (Carter!)'s maid of honor, and there's nothing like a wedding to make you think about seasons of life. My best friend is embarking on a new chapter in her journey through life, and that's wonderfully exciting. It's a time of spring for her, full of newness and freshness and beginning, and I couldn't be happier for her and Chris.
I feel like spring is right around the corner for me too...not necessarily in the boy department, but in the new life chapter department. With each day that passes, I get closer and closer to December 2009 and graduation and the opportunity to start afresh in a new town, a new church, and a new life. Don't get me wrong...I'll miss Baton Rouge and Istrouma and all the wonderful people in my life here, but there's this little butterfly in my chest who is very much looking forward to flying away and the freedom that comes with starting over.
Until then...I'm just trusting and growing and enjoying autumn. :)
