Over the years, I have done several studies covering the names of God used in the Bible, and their relevance to us today. The past few days, I have been really struggling to keep my heart and mind focused on Jesus, so I decided to re-visit some of these studies, and simply say the names of my Savior in worship for who He is.
One interesting things about these names of God: in the Bible, people would often take the name of God, whether "El" or "Yahweh", and pair the name with a descriptive word that explained a certain characteristic of God. The following is the list that I have compiled from my studies, but I'm sure there are many more names of God listed. I have also listed the scriptural reference to the name, if possible:
Elohim= Triune God
El-Shaddai= God is enough; God is all powerful
El-Emet= God is true and dependable (Psalm 31:5)
El-Gibbon= Mighty God; heroic God (Isaiah 10:21)
El-De'a= God who knows (1 Samuel 2:3)
El-Kabod= God of glory (heaviness, weightiness) (Psalm 29:3)
El-Olam= God beyond what we can see
Yahweh= everlasting God (Genesis 21:33)
El Qanna= Jealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24)
El-Hay= Living God (Joshua 3:10)
El-Sela= God is my Rock (Psalm 42:9)
El-Nasa= God who forgives (Psalm 99:8)
El-Hayya= God of my life (Psalm 42:8)
El-Elyon= God most high (Genesis 14:22)
El-el= God above all gods (Daniel 11:36)
Adonai= God as authority/master
Immanuel= God with us (Isaiah 7:14)
Yahweh-jireh= the Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14)
Yahweh-rapha= the Lord who heals (Exodus 15:26)
Yahweh-tsedeq= the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
Yahweh-nissi= the Lord our banner (Exodus 17:15)
Yahweh- qadesh= the Lord who sanctifies (Leviticus 20:8)
Yahweh-shalom= the Lord is peace (Judges 6:24)
Yahweh-rohi= the Lord is shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
Yahweh-ori= the Lord is my light (Psalm 27:1)
Yahweh-bara= the everlasting God (Isaiah 40:28)
Yahweh-sebaot= the Lord of hosts/armies (Jeremiah 11:20)
Yahweh-shamma= the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35)
Which name do you use to address God? Are there any good ones I missed? Let me know!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
San Diego Express 2012
Hey, everyone.
Once upon a time, I was really good at keeping blogs. For the past year or so, I have turned to journaling as my main outlet of expression, so a lot of times this blog gets put by the wayside. For those of you who follow me, thank you for caring and reading, even when I don't update as much as the average blog-writer.
Today, though, I am writing on here as a way of sharing some really important things that have happened in my life these past two weeks. I just returned from a 2-week stint in San Diego with Campus Crusade for Christ on a project entitled "San Diego Express". Finding this project was a bit of a journey. Long story short, I had a month of free time this summer, and I asked God to let me give that time back to Him. This project's goals were to work in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, sharing our faith and growing with other believers. Even though I attend Navigators at KU, I was accepted on this CRU trip and found myself on a plane really early in the morning on June 14 heading for California to meet up with a group of about 30 students that I had never met before.
When I first arrived in San Diego, I had a mild moment of heart failure. The airport was so big, and I had never flown alone. I had received a text from one of the staff regarding getting picked up, but that was also a daunting thought, of finding a stranger in the chaos and then riding along with them for the fifteen minute drive to our hotel. After a few moments of pep-talk, I found my ride, accompanied by a fellow music student who had flown in from Slippery Rock, PA (yes, that is a real place, apparently!). We got to chat on the ride to the Bahia, and my fears were erased. We checked in and found several other students waiting for our project to begin. One of the girls was from Oklahoma, and actually knew my friend, Tyler; I hoped we would be roommates so I would have at least something to talk about with someone else. The rooms were assigned, and I was not with this girl, but rather with 5 other girls that I had not previously met from so many different places.
God was working that out, too, purposefully placing me with those who would help me most to grow, and over the course of two-weeks, each of those 5 girls truly became soul-sisters, changing my life forever and letting my heart expand to include more friends in my "people place". I could go off on a tangent listing all of our inside jokes and what each and every one of these ladies means to me, but that's not the point of this blog. The point that they have in the story is just adding to how amazing God was to put us in a room together, and to allow us to grow together. Even though we only spent 2 weeks together, I feel as though I know and love my project roommate soul-sisters just as much as I know and love my heart-sisters, whom I have known for the better part of my life. There were several times when the 6 of us did not really get to interact with the rest of the students as much, but even in those times staying alone together, we bonded and got to glorify God through our budding friendships. Allison, Brittnie, Chelsea, Danielle, Maggie....seriously, my heart aches a little writing this, already missing our awesome room, yet I am excited to see our friendships continue.
Anyways, continuing with the story of project...
The first evening of project brought our first experience of learning about the Spirit, demonstrated by all project attendees learning to line-dance. I don't really know what's crazier, the fact that a huge group of people was learning how to dance to country music behind a hotel, or the fact that a girl from Oklahoma-Kansas had to go to San Diego to acquire such a skill. Either way, we learned and had a really fun time doing it! The Spirit-filled life is more like line-dancing than just getting instructions on what line-dancing is: I can tell you how to dance, but until you actually experience it and try it, the words will mean nothing. That experience was the first of many geared towards thinking about and experiencing the Spirit-filled life; every morning we would have worship followed by lessons on the Spirit; in the evenings we would have more experiential learning opportunities paired with guest speakers or small group processing time. It still boggles my mind how much I learned in just two weeks. I grew up in church, and have always heard about the Spirit as a member of the Trinity, but I had never really realized just how important His role is in our lives as believers. Before Jesus died on the cross, He told the disciples that His departure was for their benefit. After all, when He left, He would send a Comforter to them. That Comforter is the Holy Spirit, and He is essentially God, living in us, to work through us for His glory and to guide our steps to align with His. What an amazing thought!
As we learned about the Spirit and how to share our faith with others, we would pair up and go out to meet people and, well, share! The first day going out, I had NO idea what I was doing. I had tried to share my faith before, but it was largely unsuccessful. I paired up with Matt, and off we went! To my surprise, we didn't get any flat out rejections to talk with people on the beach. Our first discussion was with a husband and wife, and we talked to them about spiritual things for an hour and a half. It was a really amazing experience, and I could feel the Spirit working through Matt and I: whenever I would be at a loss for words, Matt would speak up, and later I learned that he felt the same way with me. Even if nothing came from it, we got to meet two new people and spark up some really interesting thoughts. After we left them, we decided to go up and down the beach to find someone else to talk with. We walked everywhere and found nobody, so we stopped and prayed for guidance, specifically, that the Spirit would lead us to the person we were supposed to talk to, and that we would know because both of us would be convicted. Said amen, turned around, and there was a guy in a beach chair we must have walked right past but never seen. Talked to him for a little bit, he was...eccentric, to say the least. But I think it was an experience that God used to show us both how the Spirit could and would work in our lives if we let Him lead.
After that first day, sharing became easier, and almost essential to my life. There was one day in which my new partner and I didn't get to talk to anybody except one fellow Christian. At the end of that day, I was so frustrated and upset that I hadn't shared the name of my sweet Savior. But then I thought about all the days of my life that have gone by in which I haven't spoken the name of Jesus...and it was a humbling moment. I realized that, with the Spirit in control of my life, I truly wanted to share, more than anything in the world.
Some days, I'm pretty sure that the people God sent us to were more for our benefit that theirs. One such day came when we were sharing at San Diego State University. I was with my dear friend Maggie, and we decided to follow the sound of drums coming from a building, which happened to be the music building, which seemed to make perfect sense since I am a music student. We circled multiple times before finally deciding to stop and talk to a guy and girl sitting on a bench...who told us we were the third group to come by and try to share Jesus with them that day. To our joy, they were both believers, and we enjoyed conversation with each other. The guy was a Messianic Jew, and hearing his perspective and love for God really opened both Maggie's and mine eyes. What I'm about to say is completely wrong; I realize that now and am grateful that God has been opening my eyes to bigger pictures. But a lot of the times, when we imagine heaven, we see it as including a lot of people very much like us, with similar backgrounds and customs. Not only is this ignorant, it's unbiblical as well. God loves the nations, and when we get to heaven, it will be full of people of all nations and tongues, worshiping together before the throne of God. How refreshing for us to stumble upon two fellow Christians with different perspectives and backgrounds, but still in love with and in relationship with God!
This was just one of many experiences in which God expanded my view of His heart for people. One afternoon, I was with my friend, Amy, walking through the park looking for people to talk with. As we were walking, Amy spotted a homeless man standing in the field. We headed over to talk with him, and he shared that he was 24 days sober, and that yesterday had been his birthday and the first time in 30 years where he had been sober on his birthday. As we were talking, I couldn't help but wonder why we were there. Then Amy asked if there was anything we could pray with him about, and his face lit up in a smile. He basically told us that he has been having terrible withdrawal symptoms, but the only time that they go away is when he is talking with God. He professed a faith in God, and we prayed with this brother in Christ that his shakes would go away, and that he would have the strength to stay sober. We gave him a hug, wished him a good day. Did I really think I would ever be standing in a park hugging a homeless man? No. But the fact is, as a fellow follower of Jesus, He is my brother. God has placed no limits on people based on socioeconomic status, and neither should I. Another really neat reminder of God's heart for the nations came on our last Sunday, worshiping at Harbor Church Mid-City. This body of worshipers meets at a local high school, located between the rich and the poor neighborhoods of this area of San Diego. Not sure of the exact details, but basically, this church is located right in the middle of a huge mix of different cultures and socioeconomic statuses amongst it's members. We spent all day Saturday doing community service around the building, and then returned on Sunday for worship. I have never been to a multicultural church, but it was probably one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. There we were, so many believers gathered together, singing "You're Beautiful" to God in different languages. It took my breath away, and made me homesick for heaven, and the chance to someday sing of God's glory with people of every nation and language and color and background. If I didn't have a worldview before this trip, I definitely did now.
Just one more sharing story that really influenced my time in San Diego...One day, our mission was to get on the trains in groups, take the rail all the way down to the border of Mexico, then return, with the purpose being to talk with people we met on the train. For the first few stops, my group had little luck in finding people to talk to. Then, a girl who looked like Rebecca St. James boarded the train carrying a gigantic surfboard in a bag on her back. She told us that her name was Camilla, her religion was surfing, and that her goal was to go as far south as she possibly could until she found a beach with waves to ride. She was spirited, optimistic...and completely alone. I talked to her for awhile, and she said that our group was the first encounter she had on her journey with kind people. I tried to go deeper in spiritual conversations, but she was very focused on her journey, looking ahead while still politely talking with me. As we parted, I gave her one of our "Knowing God Personally" booklets with my email on it, and watched as she headed to the border check to enter Mexico. I know it sounds crazy, and I don't really understand it myself, but meeting Camilla for that brief encounter absolutely broke my heart. I thought about how alone she was, how much hurt she must have encountered in her life to get her to this point, and the fact that, even as she walked away, she did not know of the love of Jesus and how much He desires her heart. That was almost two weeks ago, and I still find myself at times feeling burdened for my surfer friend, and have to lift her up before God. I don't know where her life will take her, or if we will ever meet again, but I rest in knowing that the same God with me now also sees and loves her. After that experience, and the expansion of my knowledge of God's heart for the nations, I realized that I had no excuse not to follow what God is calling me to do.
I've mentioned it before, and if you have been in my life the past 6 months, you have probably heard me blabbering about my future plans. The fact is, about a year ago, God began changing my stubborn, stony heart, and making me realize that the story He is writing for me is so much better than anything I could ever write on my own. And, to make a long story short, I realized that, while I love my major of music therapy and hope to someday work in a children's hospital, those plans are not exactly what God wants for me right now. I believe that, instead, God is calling me to some kind of ministry. When I first started asking God to replace my dreams with His dreams for me, this was the result. I was wrestling with my future, and couldn't deny that the life I had imagined for myself just was not in align with these bigger dreams from God, but I still could not totally surrender to this calling. I would say things like, "I mean, I'd like to do ministry, but I will probably just end up in OKC doing therapy" or "Maybe I can just do something at the church I end up attending instead". While on project, I wrestled with so many different things: Feelings of awkwardness and self-consciousness, realizations of inadequacy, fears about telling my family of my plans, uncertainty about which paths to take. Through it all, God whispered to my heart, reminding me that my adequacy came from Him alone, that He called me beautiful and called me to follow, that fear was just an excuse to not obey, and that, no matter what may befall, He would never leave or forsake me. With all these lessons, and the loving support of my project family, I can now say that I have surrendered to a year of ministry after college, and am beyond excited to see where God will take me and use me for His glory. That may be anything from working in a campus ministry in America, or taking an I-Edge or STINT year to France. I don't have all the answers yet, but I trust that as I continue walking in the Spirit, He will lead me where I need to be. God told me to follow, and so I will. In the meantime, I plan on sharing my faith with any that I may encounter, and trusting the Spirit to guide and control my life. As I have often said before, I am beyond excited about this "bend in the road", and seeing where my life will end up as I continue the journey.
Well, I'm not really sure how to end this novel, so I will just express my gratitude for each and every one of you for caring enough to take a peek into my life. I will try to be better about writing more often for updates. I covet your prayers in this next season of my life, and I would love to join you in prayer if there is anything I can help with. Have a blessed and beautiful day :)
Katie
Once upon a time, I was really good at keeping blogs. For the past year or so, I have turned to journaling as my main outlet of expression, so a lot of times this blog gets put by the wayside. For those of you who follow me, thank you for caring and reading, even when I don't update as much as the average blog-writer.
Today, though, I am writing on here as a way of sharing some really important things that have happened in my life these past two weeks. I just returned from a 2-week stint in San Diego with Campus Crusade for Christ on a project entitled "San Diego Express". Finding this project was a bit of a journey. Long story short, I had a month of free time this summer, and I asked God to let me give that time back to Him. This project's goals were to work in the Mission Bay area of San Diego, sharing our faith and growing with other believers. Even though I attend Navigators at KU, I was accepted on this CRU trip and found myself on a plane really early in the morning on June 14 heading for California to meet up with a group of about 30 students that I had never met before.
When I first arrived in San Diego, I had a mild moment of heart failure. The airport was so big, and I had never flown alone. I had received a text from one of the staff regarding getting picked up, but that was also a daunting thought, of finding a stranger in the chaos and then riding along with them for the fifteen minute drive to our hotel. After a few moments of pep-talk, I found my ride, accompanied by a fellow music student who had flown in from Slippery Rock, PA (yes, that is a real place, apparently!). We got to chat on the ride to the Bahia, and my fears were erased. We checked in and found several other students waiting for our project to begin. One of the girls was from Oklahoma, and actually knew my friend, Tyler; I hoped we would be roommates so I would have at least something to talk about with someone else. The rooms were assigned, and I was not with this girl, but rather with 5 other girls that I had not previously met from so many different places.
God was working that out, too, purposefully placing me with those who would help me most to grow, and over the course of two-weeks, each of those 5 girls truly became soul-sisters, changing my life forever and letting my heart expand to include more friends in my "people place". I could go off on a tangent listing all of our inside jokes and what each and every one of these ladies means to me, but that's not the point of this blog. The point that they have in the story is just adding to how amazing God was to put us in a room together, and to allow us to grow together. Even though we only spent 2 weeks together, I feel as though I know and love my project roommate soul-sisters just as much as I know and love my heart-sisters, whom I have known for the better part of my life. There were several times when the 6 of us did not really get to interact with the rest of the students as much, but even in those times staying alone together, we bonded and got to glorify God through our budding friendships. Allison, Brittnie, Chelsea, Danielle, Maggie....seriously, my heart aches a little writing this, already missing our awesome room, yet I am excited to see our friendships continue.
Anyways, continuing with the story of project...
The first evening of project brought our first experience of learning about the Spirit, demonstrated by all project attendees learning to line-dance. I don't really know what's crazier, the fact that a huge group of people was learning how to dance to country music behind a hotel, or the fact that a girl from Oklahoma-Kansas had to go to San Diego to acquire such a skill. Either way, we learned and had a really fun time doing it! The Spirit-filled life is more like line-dancing than just getting instructions on what line-dancing is: I can tell you how to dance, but until you actually experience it and try it, the words will mean nothing. That experience was the first of many geared towards thinking about and experiencing the Spirit-filled life; every morning we would have worship followed by lessons on the Spirit; in the evenings we would have more experiential learning opportunities paired with guest speakers or small group processing time. It still boggles my mind how much I learned in just two weeks. I grew up in church, and have always heard about the Spirit as a member of the Trinity, but I had never really realized just how important His role is in our lives as believers. Before Jesus died on the cross, He told the disciples that His departure was for their benefit. After all, when He left, He would send a Comforter to them. That Comforter is the Holy Spirit, and He is essentially God, living in us, to work through us for His glory and to guide our steps to align with His. What an amazing thought!
As we learned about the Spirit and how to share our faith with others, we would pair up and go out to meet people and, well, share! The first day going out, I had NO idea what I was doing. I had tried to share my faith before, but it was largely unsuccessful. I paired up with Matt, and off we went! To my surprise, we didn't get any flat out rejections to talk with people on the beach. Our first discussion was with a husband and wife, and we talked to them about spiritual things for an hour and a half. It was a really amazing experience, and I could feel the Spirit working through Matt and I: whenever I would be at a loss for words, Matt would speak up, and later I learned that he felt the same way with me. Even if nothing came from it, we got to meet two new people and spark up some really interesting thoughts. After we left them, we decided to go up and down the beach to find someone else to talk with. We walked everywhere and found nobody, so we stopped and prayed for guidance, specifically, that the Spirit would lead us to the person we were supposed to talk to, and that we would know because both of us would be convicted. Said amen, turned around, and there was a guy in a beach chair we must have walked right past but never seen. Talked to him for a little bit, he was...eccentric, to say the least. But I think it was an experience that God used to show us both how the Spirit could and would work in our lives if we let Him lead.
After that first day, sharing became easier, and almost essential to my life. There was one day in which my new partner and I didn't get to talk to anybody except one fellow Christian. At the end of that day, I was so frustrated and upset that I hadn't shared the name of my sweet Savior. But then I thought about all the days of my life that have gone by in which I haven't spoken the name of Jesus...and it was a humbling moment. I realized that, with the Spirit in control of my life, I truly wanted to share, more than anything in the world.
Some days, I'm pretty sure that the people God sent us to were more for our benefit that theirs. One such day came when we were sharing at San Diego State University. I was with my dear friend Maggie, and we decided to follow the sound of drums coming from a building, which happened to be the music building, which seemed to make perfect sense since I am a music student. We circled multiple times before finally deciding to stop and talk to a guy and girl sitting on a bench...who told us we were the third group to come by and try to share Jesus with them that day. To our joy, they were both believers, and we enjoyed conversation with each other. The guy was a Messianic Jew, and hearing his perspective and love for God really opened both Maggie's and mine eyes. What I'm about to say is completely wrong; I realize that now and am grateful that God has been opening my eyes to bigger pictures. But a lot of the times, when we imagine heaven, we see it as including a lot of people very much like us, with similar backgrounds and customs. Not only is this ignorant, it's unbiblical as well. God loves the nations, and when we get to heaven, it will be full of people of all nations and tongues, worshiping together before the throne of God. How refreshing for us to stumble upon two fellow Christians with different perspectives and backgrounds, but still in love with and in relationship with God!
This was just one of many experiences in which God expanded my view of His heart for people. One afternoon, I was with my friend, Amy, walking through the park looking for people to talk with. As we were walking, Amy spotted a homeless man standing in the field. We headed over to talk with him, and he shared that he was 24 days sober, and that yesterday had been his birthday and the first time in 30 years where he had been sober on his birthday. As we were talking, I couldn't help but wonder why we were there. Then Amy asked if there was anything we could pray with him about, and his face lit up in a smile. He basically told us that he has been having terrible withdrawal symptoms, but the only time that they go away is when he is talking with God. He professed a faith in God, and we prayed with this brother in Christ that his shakes would go away, and that he would have the strength to stay sober. We gave him a hug, wished him a good day. Did I really think I would ever be standing in a park hugging a homeless man? No. But the fact is, as a fellow follower of Jesus, He is my brother. God has placed no limits on people based on socioeconomic status, and neither should I. Another really neat reminder of God's heart for the nations came on our last Sunday, worshiping at Harbor Church Mid-City. This body of worshipers meets at a local high school, located between the rich and the poor neighborhoods of this area of San Diego. Not sure of the exact details, but basically, this church is located right in the middle of a huge mix of different cultures and socioeconomic statuses amongst it's members. We spent all day Saturday doing community service around the building, and then returned on Sunday for worship. I have never been to a multicultural church, but it was probably one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed. There we were, so many believers gathered together, singing "You're Beautiful" to God in different languages. It took my breath away, and made me homesick for heaven, and the chance to someday sing of God's glory with people of every nation and language and color and background. If I didn't have a worldview before this trip, I definitely did now.
Just one more sharing story that really influenced my time in San Diego...One day, our mission was to get on the trains in groups, take the rail all the way down to the border of Mexico, then return, with the purpose being to talk with people we met on the train. For the first few stops, my group had little luck in finding people to talk to. Then, a girl who looked like Rebecca St. James boarded the train carrying a gigantic surfboard in a bag on her back. She told us that her name was Camilla, her religion was surfing, and that her goal was to go as far south as she possibly could until she found a beach with waves to ride. She was spirited, optimistic...and completely alone. I talked to her for awhile, and she said that our group was the first encounter she had on her journey with kind people. I tried to go deeper in spiritual conversations, but she was very focused on her journey, looking ahead while still politely talking with me. As we parted, I gave her one of our "Knowing God Personally" booklets with my email on it, and watched as she headed to the border check to enter Mexico. I know it sounds crazy, and I don't really understand it myself, but meeting Camilla for that brief encounter absolutely broke my heart. I thought about how alone she was, how much hurt she must have encountered in her life to get her to this point, and the fact that, even as she walked away, she did not know of the love of Jesus and how much He desires her heart. That was almost two weeks ago, and I still find myself at times feeling burdened for my surfer friend, and have to lift her up before God. I don't know where her life will take her, or if we will ever meet again, but I rest in knowing that the same God with me now also sees and loves her. After that experience, and the expansion of my knowledge of God's heart for the nations, I realized that I had no excuse not to follow what God is calling me to do.
I've mentioned it before, and if you have been in my life the past 6 months, you have probably heard me blabbering about my future plans. The fact is, about a year ago, God began changing my stubborn, stony heart, and making me realize that the story He is writing for me is so much better than anything I could ever write on my own. And, to make a long story short, I realized that, while I love my major of music therapy and hope to someday work in a children's hospital, those plans are not exactly what God wants for me right now. I believe that, instead, God is calling me to some kind of ministry. When I first started asking God to replace my dreams with His dreams for me, this was the result. I was wrestling with my future, and couldn't deny that the life I had imagined for myself just was not in align with these bigger dreams from God, but I still could not totally surrender to this calling. I would say things like, "I mean, I'd like to do ministry, but I will probably just end up in OKC doing therapy" or "Maybe I can just do something at the church I end up attending instead". While on project, I wrestled with so many different things: Feelings of awkwardness and self-consciousness, realizations of inadequacy, fears about telling my family of my plans, uncertainty about which paths to take. Through it all, God whispered to my heart, reminding me that my adequacy came from Him alone, that He called me beautiful and called me to follow, that fear was just an excuse to not obey, and that, no matter what may befall, He would never leave or forsake me. With all these lessons, and the loving support of my project family, I can now say that I have surrendered to a year of ministry after college, and am beyond excited to see where God will take me and use me for His glory. That may be anything from working in a campus ministry in America, or taking an I-Edge or STINT year to France. I don't have all the answers yet, but I trust that as I continue walking in the Spirit, He will lead me where I need to be. God told me to follow, and so I will. In the meantime, I plan on sharing my faith with any that I may encounter, and trusting the Spirit to guide and control my life. As I have often said before, I am beyond excited about this "bend in the road", and seeing where my life will end up as I continue the journey.
Well, I'm not really sure how to end this novel, so I will just express my gratitude for each and every one of you for caring enough to take a peek into my life. I will try to be better about writing more often for updates. I covet your prayers in this next season of my life, and I would love to join you in prayer if there is anything I can help with. Have a blessed and beautiful day :)
Katie
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The Story
This is a blog meant to be a shameless plug for something I just discovered that I think you should also discover and LOVE.
We've all heard from people who have said that the Bible is just "too hard to understand". Maybe you're even one of those people who have expressed this belief.
Well....good news! Randy Frazee and Max Lucado have written a book called "The Story". Basically, they realized that the Gospel is being overlooked by people all over the world due to a belief in lack of accessibility. In response, these authors took 31 "chapters" of the history of the story of God-and-man and put the scriptures together to create a seamless story of the Bible. It's the Bible in a compact, concise, straightforward fashion. In addition to telling the story, each chapter has vocabulary words and maps at the end of the chapters to better explain the story in order to make it come to life. I'm not saying that this is an excuse to not read your Bible--after all, this book does not have every detail, and every word of scripture is inspired by God and for His glory. However, this is a good place to return to the basics, fall back in love with the Word, and learn how to effectively share this story with others.
Another fun aspect of this is an album entitled "Music Inspired by The Story". I downloaded it today and cannot help but be amazed at how beautiful it is. Nichole Nordeman wrote the lyrics, and the album spans the Bible, giving voice to individual characters who sing their stories through song. From Adam and Eve to David to Esther to Job to Mary to Jesus to Paul.....characters we have heard about from Sunday School are given a voice. The lyrics are breathtaking and portray so many facets of a greater story, the Story of God-and-man.
Check it out. Be amazed.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Why We Need More Skydivers.
I really, really, REALLY hate segregation.
I hate partiality. I hate in-groups/out-groups, the "you can't sit with us" concept that seems to appear so often in social settings.
I hate it the most, though, when these attitudes occur among Christians.
There have been so many times in my college career in which I have gone to events hosted by Christian groups, attempted to join other members in conversation, and have been completely blocked out from the "in-group" of "accepting Christians". It's true, I am quite different from the average 21-year old, Christian college student. Though I am a female, I am not an elementary education major, I will not get married right out of college (or anytime soon, or maybe ever), I am seriously considering doing overseas missions or service before actually starting my career, and I am friends with a broad group of people from different races and religions, atheists, and even (gasp) members of the LGBT community. My life has not exactly conformed to the dreams of those in the in-group. Maybe this is the reason that I often leave Christian group gatherings feeling frustrated and awkward, unsure of how to break through the invisible barriers of iciness present.
So often, I will get on Facebook or Twitter or any other site and see people bashing Christianity. It makes me really upset, because even though this post has been in a more pessimistic feel to it so far, I am proud to say that I am a follower of Christ. I believe that every word in the Bible is true. I believe that Jesus died so that I could be redeemed. I believe in a God of grace and love. The older I get and the more I learn, the more I realize that Paul's words "to live is Christ and to die is gain" are pretty accurate reflections of my own thoughts and dreams: I must live my life for Christ, and if living for Christ means giving my life, I know that I will see my Creator in glory with my next breath. My relationship with Christ defines who I am, and so it does offend me when Christianity gets bashed. But then I look at my own struggles with the Christian "in-groups", and I can understand why Christians are viewed in a negative light, why so many people have stated offense at the name of Jesus.
The problem can be explained through a demonstration I read from Charlie Peacock. Imagine that Christianity is an airplane that can go around the world forever without needing fuel or anything. All your life, you have been on this plane, and the people riding the plane with you are quick to tell you how the world outside the airplane is evil, corrupt, and nothing you should ever desire to see. Granted, the people riding on this airplane have never seen beyond their tiny window portal. But they know exactly what they are talking about. They are experts at safety, and they have their aisle-seat friends to back up all that they contribute to the conversation.
As you grow up, though, you begin wondering more and more about the world seen from your window portal.
At first you keep your thoughts to yourself. No need to upset the balance of happiness and safety. But, look! Wayyyy down there. Is that water? Is that land? Your breath is captured with beauty, and you realize you have to jump. You pray, and realize that God is actually encouraging you to take the plunge.
You run down the aisle of the airplane, grab a parachute, fling open the door, and leap.
And you know what? The people on the airplane were right....on some things. There is pain and sin and sadness in the world. But now that you are outside of the airplane, you can see that the people on the airplane also got a lot of things wrong. There are people here in the real world, and they are there for you to interact with, get to know, love, serve. The world is full of beauty and unique things and places that could not be viewed from the airplane. The times in which fear or danger are present really aren't so bad--after all, in those moments of panic or extreme faith, you are knowing God on a deeper level than you ever could have from the plane's security.
So with this story in mind.........I propose that what Christianity needs are more skydivers. More people who are willing to step outside of their comfort zones to go out, see the world, and love people outside of their select safety net of friends. More people who will join with other members of humanity without being afraid of getting dirty or corrupted. Christianity needs more love, more grace, more action than it needs words. After all, we claim to serve Jesus, and the Jesus of the Bible is not a "holier-than-thou" white man who ministered to those people sporting His t-shirts.
No, the Jesus of the Bible is a radical who reached out to the poor, the destitute, the sinners, the downtrodden, etc. and loved them all with an everlasting love through compassion, service, and grace.
Which Jesus do you follow? The Jesus created by the strict laws of man in order to create webs of safety, or the Jesus who gave His life for ALL people of ALL nations and ALL backgrounds? Ask yourself this question the next time you are hanging out with your exclusively Christian in-group friends.
And maybe take a leap of faith to go talk to the quiet girl sitting by herself instead of leaving her behind the icy barrier.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Live It Like a Song
Tonight at Navs, I heard a story. It was a romantic story, so girls, hold on tight, and guys, take notes.
Rich and Christy met when they were 13. Rich thought Christy was beautiful, Christy thought Rich was annoying, but thankfully Rich grew up, and the two became best friends. In their senior year of high school, their friendship turned romantic. They started dating, and soon discussed getting married. The only problem was that, at the end of their senior year, they were both going to college...in two different areas of the country. Both of them agreed that they couldn't pursue a relationship without the approval of their parents, and Christy's Dad explained to them why he believed they were too young to be speaking about marriage. The couple decided to break up but "remain friends". For the first year of college, they kept talking to each other and "secretly dating" as they would hand-write letters to each other almost daily. After awhile, they realized that, although their feelings hadn't changed, they were not honoring the wishes of Christy's father. So Rich asked Christy for every letter he had ever written her and they completely broke off contact. Rich took all of the love letters they had shared, placed them in a box, and buried them in Christy's parents' front yard, all the while feeling as though he was burying any hope of ever being with the girl he loved. For two full years, Rich and Christy were out of contact--no talking, letters, visits, anything. But during their junior year of college, Christy went back home, and was talking with her parents, telling them that, even though all the time had passed, she still had feelings for her old best friend. Her parents prayed about it, and realized that the timing was right, and that the couple could and should be together. Christy's dad called Rich and told him that, if he so desired, he had their blessing to pursue Christy's heart once again. They started dating again, and for Christmas during their senior year of college, Rich celebrated the holidays with Christy and her family. For her Christmas present, he gave her a small maple tree to plant. She wasn't too excited about the gift, but when everyone convinced her to go plant the tree, she went along with it. Rich picked the place for her to plant the tree, and when she began digging up the earth, she struck the surface of the box containing all of their love letters from years before. When she opened the box, though, a brand new letter was at the top. Because when Rich buried the box, he added one letter to the mix, a letter that told her of his love and asked if she would marry him. He placed it in the box not knowing if she would ever read his proposal, but trusting that, someday, God would bring them together again. So 3 years after burying his proposal in uncertainty, Christy read his words of love, accepted his proposal, and the two married and lived happily ever after.
Being a girl, this story made me feel all mushy and happy inside. If you're a guy, you can never understand this. If you are a girl, you know where I'm coming from. We are hardwired to desire romance, to be touched by sweet things, to believe and hope and dream. When I made my bucket list, getting married was placed as my number one dream. It still is top of the list. But lately, I've been thinking...what if that isn't God's plan for my life? What if my number one dream isn't God's dream for me?
Before people start with the typical comments of "Oh, of COURSE you will get married! You love kids! You're pretty! You're fun!" etc etc etc...this train of thought doesn't just apply to the dream of marriage. I feel like a lot of times, we plan our lives from the beginning, and don't even seek God's desire for our dreams. We are content to stay with our easy path, going straight from school to career to love to retirement to death. Staying inside the box. Living the dream. But are our dreams really enough?
I've been thinking a lot lately about Amy Carmichael. I need a refresher on her story, but basically, she was born into a typical, run-of-the-mill Irish family in a time period where her goals in life probably were to marry, have babies, be a housewife, and dream about having blue eyes. Instead, she followed God' calling and became a missionary to India. She dedicated her life to serving the desolate people in a far away country, and her life left a lasting legacy on thousands of lives. Her life clearly broke the mold and changed the world. And it all started when she traded her typical dreams to follow God's dreams for her heart.
This may be a ramble, am I making sense? I've been realizing how adamently I do not want to fit the mold. I don't want to live the suburban typical average life of safety. I want to trade my dreams for God's dreams. If those dreams intersect, fine: if my dreams intersect His desires, He can use my dreams for His glory as well. But I don't want to fit my life into the pursuit of my dreams, and miss out on the dangerous, yet rewarding dreams that God wants to write into my life story. When I die, I want to stand before the throne and hear Him tell me "Well done, good and faithful servant." I want Him to tell me that I lived it like a song.
So will that song include marriage? Service in a place of safety? Being a mom and music therapist? Doing something completely outside of the box? All of the above? I'm not sure. But I will trust, and I will obey, and I will continue praying that He will fill my heart with His desires until there's nothing left of me. Because at the end of the day, His love song will be sung over me through eternity, and I know that nothing else will really matter.
Rich and Christy met when they were 13. Rich thought Christy was beautiful, Christy thought Rich was annoying, but thankfully Rich grew up, and the two became best friends. In their senior year of high school, their friendship turned romantic. They started dating, and soon discussed getting married. The only problem was that, at the end of their senior year, they were both going to college...in two different areas of the country. Both of them agreed that they couldn't pursue a relationship without the approval of their parents, and Christy's Dad explained to them why he believed they were too young to be speaking about marriage. The couple decided to break up but "remain friends". For the first year of college, they kept talking to each other and "secretly dating" as they would hand-write letters to each other almost daily. After awhile, they realized that, although their feelings hadn't changed, they were not honoring the wishes of Christy's father. So Rich asked Christy for every letter he had ever written her and they completely broke off contact. Rich took all of the love letters they had shared, placed them in a box, and buried them in Christy's parents' front yard, all the while feeling as though he was burying any hope of ever being with the girl he loved. For two full years, Rich and Christy were out of contact--no talking, letters, visits, anything. But during their junior year of college, Christy went back home, and was talking with her parents, telling them that, even though all the time had passed, she still had feelings for her old best friend. Her parents prayed about it, and realized that the timing was right, and that the couple could and should be together. Christy's dad called Rich and told him that, if he so desired, he had their blessing to pursue Christy's heart once again. They started dating again, and for Christmas during their senior year of college, Rich celebrated the holidays with Christy and her family. For her Christmas present, he gave her a small maple tree to plant. She wasn't too excited about the gift, but when everyone convinced her to go plant the tree, she went along with it. Rich picked the place for her to plant the tree, and when she began digging up the earth, she struck the surface of the box containing all of their love letters from years before. When she opened the box, though, a brand new letter was at the top. Because when Rich buried the box, he added one letter to the mix, a letter that told her of his love and asked if she would marry him. He placed it in the box not knowing if she would ever read his proposal, but trusting that, someday, God would bring them together again. So 3 years after burying his proposal in uncertainty, Christy read his words of love, accepted his proposal, and the two married and lived happily ever after.
Being a girl, this story made me feel all mushy and happy inside. If you're a guy, you can never understand this. If you are a girl, you know where I'm coming from. We are hardwired to desire romance, to be touched by sweet things, to believe and hope and dream. When I made my bucket list, getting married was placed as my number one dream. It still is top of the list. But lately, I've been thinking...what if that isn't God's plan for my life? What if my number one dream isn't God's dream for me?
Before people start with the typical comments of "Oh, of COURSE you will get married! You love kids! You're pretty! You're fun!" etc etc etc...this train of thought doesn't just apply to the dream of marriage. I feel like a lot of times, we plan our lives from the beginning, and don't even seek God's desire for our dreams. We are content to stay with our easy path, going straight from school to career to love to retirement to death. Staying inside the box. Living the dream. But are our dreams really enough?
I've been thinking a lot lately about Amy Carmichael. I need a refresher on her story, but basically, she was born into a typical, run-of-the-mill Irish family in a time period where her goals in life probably were to marry, have babies, be a housewife, and dream about having blue eyes. Instead, she followed God' calling and became a missionary to India. She dedicated her life to serving the desolate people in a far away country, and her life left a lasting legacy on thousands of lives. Her life clearly broke the mold and changed the world. And it all started when she traded her typical dreams to follow God's dreams for her heart.
This may be a ramble, am I making sense? I've been realizing how adamently I do not want to fit the mold. I don't want to live the suburban typical average life of safety. I want to trade my dreams for God's dreams. If those dreams intersect, fine: if my dreams intersect His desires, He can use my dreams for His glory as well. But I don't want to fit my life into the pursuit of my dreams, and miss out on the dangerous, yet rewarding dreams that God wants to write into my life story. When I die, I want to stand before the throne and hear Him tell me "Well done, good and faithful servant." I want Him to tell me that I lived it like a song.
So will that song include marriage? Service in a place of safety? Being a mom and music therapist? Doing something completely outside of the box? All of the above? I'm not sure. But I will trust, and I will obey, and I will continue praying that He will fill my heart with His desires until there's nothing left of me. Because at the end of the day, His love song will be sung over me through eternity, and I know that nothing else will really matter.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
One Year of Gratitude: August
August 1:
Love and faith of my parents
Phone call with Savannah
Daydreams about the "bend in the road"
Chris Rice's songs
August 2:
Dinner with the whole family
August 3:
Studying Philippians
The blessing of heart-sisters
Conviction to attempt peace
August 4:
Thoughts over Ecclesiastes
Peace at my attempt of peace
Time with both parents
August 5:
Morning with Mom
Blessings of SummerSing
A long night drive under a blanket of stars
August 6:
The joy and blessing of heart-sisters
Laughing till you feel sick
Beauty of nature
2 hours of quiet time
August 7:
Signing with Donna
Talking with Megan
Hearing Doug and Laverne sing together
Kent's testimony about Tammy's mom
Having the words to share my heart with my spiritual family
The feeling of coming home, and the beauty of storm clouds on the drive
August 8:
Seeing things fall into place with Tyler
Spending the day remembering old times with a dear friend
Walking under a huge pastel sky that feels like a hug from God
Lightning across the northern sky
August 9:
Worship day with some beautiful sisters-in-Christ
Holly's steadfast faithfulness
Kelsey's heart and willingness to serve
Whitney's giving spirit and heart for God
August 10:
Taking the first step in becoming a mentor, and seeing how beautifully God equips His children to follow His convictions
Receiving the pure love of a child
Thoughts on how humans are wired
August 11:
A night with my sisters
Day of RAIN
Feeling the earth turn like autumn and not feeling feverish for once
Chance to have lunch with Meemaw
August 12:
Spending the evening with Mom
Tearless goodbye with Alyssa and Shannon, knowing our friendship is far from over
Witnessing an AMAZING lightning storm and falling asleep to thunder
Peace at having to return to Kansas
August 13:
Blessing of family
Crazy thoughts on the drive
Being at peace with Lawrence but still remembering home
Nicole, and our friendship/roommateness and her caring heart
August 14:
Sharing a day of worship with Nicole :)
Fresh perspectives in a modern worship setting
The feeling of hope and excitement for the "bend in the road"
August 15:
Excitement for the coming year and all it will bring
Beautiful thoughts in Isaiah concerning God's great love
August 16:
The joy of friend reunions
Beautiful autumn-esque days
August 17:
Getting to work with the freshmen
Sweet sleep :)
August 18:
Extreme mellove
Random roomie times covered in love
Purple sky to close the day...hallelujahs
August 19:
Song: "Take Another Step"
Joy at accomplishing goals with friends
Desire to try to learn this semester with all my heart
August 20:
Grocery talk with Dad
Baking brownies +God-talk with Kristin
August 21:
God talks and sunset watching with Kelsie
Vision for the upcoming semester
August 22:
Running as the day ends
Reflections on God's gift of music in nature
God's gift of His word to recall in times of need
August 23:
Lesson with Dr. Paul
"As much as possible, live peaceably with others"
Having Rachel's guidance on practicum
August 24:
"Do not be conformed by this world, but be transformed"
Vision of service with SAI this year
August 25:
Further vision for God's purposes in my life this semester
Worshipping at Navs
Small group of Bandies reunited!
August 26:
Feeling progress on horn
Worship on the drive
The love felt when reuniting with camp family
August 27:
Getting to work with Holly
Talks with Jenn and Holly
The heart and passion surrounding camp events
The beauty of harmony
August 28:
Peace and love and needed warmth of a short homecoming
The love given to me by my church family far away
Seeing how God worked in the Bandies this summer
August 29:
God-talks with Bethany
Realizing how God created humans to need each other
Continuing productivity
Gorgeous sunset to close the day
August 30:
Talking with Kristi in between classes
Thoughts on the soul in Abnormal Psych
The beginnings of a love for horn, lessons with Dr. Paul, and the joy of making music
Productivity and the chance to rest
Blessing of college friends to join me on the journey
August 31:
Silly times with my SAI sisters
Singing hymns while making pancakes with Lauren Hammond :)
Finishing another prayer journal, and seeing how far God brought me in eight months
Love and faith of my parents
Phone call with Savannah
Daydreams about the "bend in the road"
Chris Rice's songs
August 2:
Dinner with the whole family
August 3:
Studying Philippians
The blessing of heart-sisters
Conviction to attempt peace
August 4:
Thoughts over Ecclesiastes
Peace at my attempt of peace
Time with both parents
August 5:
Morning with Mom
Blessings of SummerSing
A long night drive under a blanket of stars
August 6:
The joy and blessing of heart-sisters
Laughing till you feel sick
Beauty of nature
2 hours of quiet time
August 7:
Signing with Donna
Talking with Megan
Hearing Doug and Laverne sing together
Kent's testimony about Tammy's mom
Having the words to share my heart with my spiritual family
The feeling of coming home, and the beauty of storm clouds on the drive
August 8:
Seeing things fall into place with Tyler
Spending the day remembering old times with a dear friend
Walking under a huge pastel sky that feels like a hug from God
Lightning across the northern sky
August 9:
Worship day with some beautiful sisters-in-Christ
Holly's steadfast faithfulness
Kelsey's heart and willingness to serve
Whitney's giving spirit and heart for God
August 10:
Taking the first step in becoming a mentor, and seeing how beautifully God equips His children to follow His convictions
Receiving the pure love of a child
Thoughts on how humans are wired
August 11:
A night with my sisters
Day of RAIN
Feeling the earth turn like autumn and not feeling feverish for once
Chance to have lunch with Meemaw
August 12:
Spending the evening with Mom
Tearless goodbye with Alyssa and Shannon, knowing our friendship is far from over
Witnessing an AMAZING lightning storm and falling asleep to thunder
Peace at having to return to Kansas
August 13:
Blessing of family
Crazy thoughts on the drive
Being at peace with Lawrence but still remembering home
Nicole, and our friendship/roommateness and her caring heart
August 14:
Sharing a day of worship with Nicole :)
Fresh perspectives in a modern worship setting
The feeling of hope and excitement for the "bend in the road"
August 15:
Excitement for the coming year and all it will bring
Beautiful thoughts in Isaiah concerning God's great love
August 16:
The joy of friend reunions
Beautiful autumn-esque days
August 17:
Getting to work with the freshmen
Sweet sleep :)
August 18:
Extreme mellove
Random roomie times covered in love
Purple sky to close the day...hallelujahs
August 19:
Song: "Take Another Step"
Joy at accomplishing goals with friends
Desire to try to learn this semester with all my heart
August 20:
Grocery talk with Dad
Baking brownies +God-talk with Kristin
August 21:
God talks and sunset watching with Kelsie
Vision for the upcoming semester
August 22:
Running as the day ends
Reflections on God's gift of music in nature
God's gift of His word to recall in times of need
August 23:
Lesson with Dr. Paul
"As much as possible, live peaceably with others"
Having Rachel's guidance on practicum
August 24:
"Do not be conformed by this world, but be transformed"
Vision of service with SAI this year
August 25:
Further vision for God's purposes in my life this semester
Worshipping at Navs
Small group of Bandies reunited!
August 26:
Feeling progress on horn
Worship on the drive
The love felt when reuniting with camp family
August 27:
Getting to work with Holly
Talks with Jenn and Holly
The heart and passion surrounding camp events
The beauty of harmony
August 28:
Peace and love and needed warmth of a short homecoming
The love given to me by my church family far away
Seeing how God worked in the Bandies this summer
August 29:
God-talks with Bethany
Realizing how God created humans to need each other
Continuing productivity
Gorgeous sunset to close the day
August 30:
Talking with Kristi in between classes
Thoughts on the soul in Abnormal Psych
The beginnings of a love for horn, lessons with Dr. Paul, and the joy of making music
Productivity and the chance to rest
Blessing of college friends to join me on the journey
August 31:
Silly times with my SAI sisters
Singing hymns while making pancakes with Lauren Hammond :)
Finishing another prayer journal, and seeing how far God brought me in eight months
Monday, August 1, 2011
One Year of Gratitude--July
July 1:
Meemaw and Donna are okay!
Making cookies with Dad
Sharing family memories
Singing bluegrass with Dad
Finishing a worship song on mandolin
Purple sky to close the day, whil praising God
Short rain to cool the earth
July 2:
Love of my extended family
Connecting with cousins
Road trip talks and shared love of music with Dad
July 3:
The pride of our veterans at church
Knowing God is protecting my heart
Mrs. Jordan's hugs
July 4:
Silly times with my best friend
Job 19:25-27
July 5:
Days when chords and words jus come to you
Lake runs with Kristin, and our easygoing conversations
July 6:
Blessing of music
Getting lost in God's word
The influence of "spiritual mothers"
Silly times with heart-sisters
July 7:
Singing for Wanda Stockton
July 8:
An afternoon of quiet-time and in-depth study
Worship service in the car
Spending an evening selling art with my parents
Falling asleep with a joyful heart
July 9:
Time to chat with Conklin and Hilger
July 10:
Conviction through the sermon and Bible KeyPoints
Feeding the geese, and God's creativity in nature
July 11:
Heartfely mailfrom loved ones
Beautiful evening run
Fun mini-session at Westbrook
July 12:
RAIN!
Feeling the earth cool
Lunch with Mom
More superhero movie time with Dad
Worshipful lyrics from Third Day
July 13:
The love of my earthly father and having so much in common with him
July 14:
Random music roadtrips wih Dad
Finding beautiful, simplistic music
July 15:
Freedom in Christ's love
Heart-sisters, and the gift of laughter
The feel of napping
July 16:
Emily and Dea's smiles
Getting to invest in their ^ lives
God-chats on Facebook
July 17:
Afternoon of music and worship
The eager anticipation to go to church
Beautiful old hymns
July 18:
God-talks with Kent
Arriving safely at camp
Mike Mobly's sermon on aloneness
July 19:
Thoughts on freedom in the book of Galatians
Gift of music
Chatting with old camp friends
July 20:
Dinner wih 2 precious children, and hearing their chatter
Finding out my practicum site
God-talks after Afterglow
Spending an afternoon meditating on Ephesians
July 21:
Guitar-time
Accepting that I will love again
More God-talk with Kent and Will
People you only see once a year and can still call "friend"
July 22:
Joy of new books
Blessings of a summer at Westbrook
Morning out with Mom
July 23:
Seeing adopted family
Unxpected friendships
July 24:
Being surrounded by love
Seeing imperfect people more perfectly
Realizing the depth of love/friendships from camp
Inspiration from Whitney's spirit to be more joyful
Tree dedications to celebrate life
Surrounded by so many of my favorite people
Stormy weather and cooling breeze
July 25:
Holly's graceful spirit and love for God
Seeing Happy/Jamie in a different light than before
Worshipful trip to town
Kelley's friendship and stories
Counting it all joy
Owning Erika's trust
Michelle's friendship and mothering
July 26:
Holly's faith and beauty that shines
Accepting that being separate is okay
The silly girls of Cabin C
"Sound of Your Voice" by Third Day
Thomas Knowlton's happiness
Talking with the Hellams brothers
Hebrews: 12:1-2
July 27:
Getting to share in Happy and Jamie's engagement
Seeing so much hope in the campers
The genuine goodness and love of so many volunteers
Bonding time in Rainbow
Holly telling me to "get down with my bad self" ;)
The beautiul voices shared at the talent show :)
The joyous feeling of laughter
Contentment
Kelley's heart and beautiful friendship
Earning the love of Jennifer Baker and Erika Ochoa
July 28:
Holly and Jennifer got on horses!
Chatting with Thomas
Michelle, her friendship, and her willingness to just listen when I needed an ear
Kelley's beautiful heart
Speaking in accents with Tyler Clark
Happy and Jamie and the work they put into this camp
Facing my fears by dancing with Jeremy...and using music therapy techniques the whole time ;)
Acceptance of human flaws, and love in spite of flaws
Seeing a big black sky full of stars and letting God fill my lungs again
Imagination, and suddenly seeing people--truly, as fascinating immortals--during the dance
Chance to be more inroverted and more thought-oriented throughout the week
The beautiful, refreshing, and freeing blessing of laughter
Getting to talk with Adrian Cruz, and actually getting him to joke with me
Forgiveness, grace, and calmness of spirit
July 29:
Whitney's tender heart and willingness to spread God's love
Spending the afternoon with Jamie
The beauty of strong bonds within the MDA/MPH family
The hope given to the campers in the promise of camp next year
Finishing a job (and knowing I gave my all)
Gorgeous sunset and flashes of lightning on the drive home
Amazing joy from being a peacemaker and keeping my mouth shut!
July 30:
Stargazing, and the accompanying meditative thoughts on the unexplainable glory of God
Saving up questions for heaven
The comfort of heart-sisters
Getting time with Conklin this morning
Joy in the face of delirious exhaustion
July 31:
The beauty of worship with your church family
Lunch wih Meemaw and Wanda Ward
Joyful, overflowing heart
Cat-naps, and awakening to refreshment
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