Thankful in the Storms

I got up this morning with the intention to mow the back yard (at my grandparents' house... we've been housesitting for them for a week but they're coming home today!).  Then, when we were finishing breakfast, I heard thunder.  It's stormed nearly every morning for the last week!

I have Pandora on (it's kind of become an obsession... I love all the fun/inspiring music playing while I'm writing at home or working at the library), and a little while ago the song "Praise You in the Storm" came on. My life isn't really a "storm" right now, but it just made me smile because of the thunderstorm that was going on at the time.  (It's since quit... now I have no excuse to not go mow the lawn!)

The point is, it was little reminder that I can always be thankful, even when it might not make sense (thank you, God, for [insert really difficult thing here]).  It's been easy to be thankful for a lot of things-- the fact that my grandparents basically let us eat whatever we wanted out of the fridge and freezer, so I didn't have to buy groceries this week.  The wonderful friends and fantastic coworkers I have.  Time to rest and relax with my husband in the evenings.  The opportunity to witness and enjoy an incredibly beautiful wedding last weekend.

But I know that life isn't always made up of things for which it's easy to say "thank you."  We experience loss.  Grief.  Depression.  Financial difficulty.  The day-to-day stress which, when it piles up, seems too much to bear.  The sick child.  The loss of a job.  The death of a parent.  The move of a dear friend.

In those times, it's hard to be thankful.  I've had experiences of my own when I wondered, what good can possibly come from this?

Sometimes I've seen the good that has come from those times.  A lot of the time I don't... but I know that God always brings good even out of the worst things.  He promises that he will, so I can trust that.

It's not easy to trust in that, but that's why faith is a gift from God, not something I can produce on my own.

If you're in a valley right now, I just want you to know that God is there, too.  He has a plan--even if you don't know what it is--and he will bring about blessing through those trials, whether for you or someone else.

Evil has already lost in this world: Satan has been vanquished and Jesus has conquered.  Even the most horrible things are temporary.  Christ has died and risen, and is in heaven waiting to bring us to be with him in paradise for eternity.

When I can't see the good that could come from a situation, that's why I take comfort in: knowing that it's temporary, and ultimately, I have victory in Jesus.

I pray that you are encouraged by that knowledge today!

(P.S. The song that's playing now?  "Grace Like Rain.")

Linking today with: The Fontenot Four, black tag diaries, Uplifting Love, There's Just One Mommy, Graced Simplicity

"Take Every Song Captive": "Hallelujah"

Marvin Olasky wrote an article in the December 29 issue of WORLD magazine about Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."  You know, the familiar song with the haunting, beautiful melody--but terrible words--made popular in the movie Shrek?

Olasky decided to write his own version of the song.  I think it's fantastic, and he recommended a beautiful instrumental version of the song that you can listen to while you read Olasky's lyrics.

(and if you can't click on the video, here's the link to the video on YouTube)

I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, it pleased the Lord.
But You don't love us for our music, do You?
Sin goes like this: The fourth, the fifth,
Adam's fall, the major rift,
The baffled king neglecting Hallelujah.
Chorus: Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Nathan said, "I see your lust.
You violate a solider's trust.
Your pride, your pomp, at night they over threw you.
You steal, you will, you get your way,
But God has said, your child will pay,
And from your lips He'll draw the Hallelujah."
Chorus: 4X Hallelujah

David prayed, "Have mercy, Lord,
You saved me from Goliath's sword.
Yes, I lived for self before I knew you.
Now, more evil in your sight,
So I give up, I cannot fight.
Mine's a cold and broken Hallelujah."
Chorus

"Blood your hyssop, I'll be clean.
Wash me so my sin's not seen.
Give me of your Holy Spirit, will you?
Create in me a new, clean heart.
Give me now a strong, fresh start,
So every breath I draw is Hallelujah."
Chorus

"You don't delight in sacrifice.
You don't excuse our secret vice.
You want from us a broken spirit, do you?
You've shown me what I did was wrong.
I'll stand before You, Lord of song,
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah."
Chorus


I really love the tune to this song, and I'm thrilled that now there's a God-praising version I can get stuck in my head!  Olasky wrote in his article, "Great tunes should not be wasted.  Second Corinthians 10:5 says, 'We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.'  My corollary: Take every song captive."

Let's take our thoughts, words, actions, and songs captive for Christ!

Of school and cooler weather...blessings abound

The seasons are changing...schedules are changing...routines will change.  It's that time of year, and it gives me so much to thank and praise God for!  It's good to be thankful...but it's essential to know to Who those thanks and praises go.  I am thankful to God my Father, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, for all the blessings He gives me every day, and in this new season of school and cooler weather.

Today's post is really late...but I am so thankful for that because it means that today is the first day of our four-day weekend. :)  Joshua has two extra days off between his summer job, and school starting on Monday.

I am thankful for cooler weather!  We've had the windows open every night.  It's so wonderful.  I'm very ready for fall!

I am thankful that my friends are coming back to campus this weekend!  It's been a quiet summer...I'm so excited to see some very special people.

I'm so thankful for work.  I LOVE the people whose houses I clean.  I enjoy working catering at school.  And I'm so excited to get back to working at the library on Monday!!!

I'm thankful for financial blessings.  The bill for our schoolbooks this year was terrifying, but thanks to financial aid it's all covered!  We were even able to help out my brother-in-law with buying books for his freshman year.

I'm thankful for family!  In the last week my parents have celebrated their anniversary and both their birthdays, and my brother's birthday is tomorrow.  Plus we spent last weekend at Joshua's parents.  Our family is amazing.  I love them so much. <3

I am so thankful for the school we go to.  We have amazing professors, and it's such a blessing to be on a Christian campus.  I get to go to chapel every day this semester, and I am looking forward to that so much.  I'm also in three classes with Joshua and three with my best girlfriend, and that is an incredible blessing!

I am thankful that I get to be in "advance" hand bells, and choir, this semester.  I love music, I love the directors, and I can't wait to be involved in our annual Christmas concert in December.  It's also one of my favorite ways to praise Jesus--through music!

I love all the new things that come with this new season.  It's a reminder of how good and great our God really is!!


Linking up to these lovely ladies:
black tag diaries; The Fontenot Four; Kate Says Stuff; First Day of My Life; Lovely Little Whimsy; Passionate and Creative Homemaking

God Gets Me {and speaks to my heart in so many ways}

"I get you," my husband told me last night.  "I understand how you're feeling."

This was after I'd started crying again, that time because of the wise and grace-filled words of a friend (the first time yesterday was in the car listening to Laura Story's Blessings).

It was one of those days.  Those days when worry and doubt seemed to overwhelm me.  When I felt full of guilt for not being in the Word or in prayer nearly as much as I know I should be.

So, knowing my heart, and my doubts, God spoke to me in a few ways.  Convicted my heart...and then encouraged and comforted it.

"We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
as if every promise from Your Word is not enough..."

Those were the words from Blessings that convicted me.  Yep.  That's exactly what I was doing...forgetting all of God's promises from his Word, that he would provide, that he would bless me beyond anything I deserve, that he would not forsake me.

Then, my friend wrote these words to me on Facebook:
"I've noticed that when I run into some funks [I had said that I felt like I was in a "spiritual funk"] I tend to feel guilty for not feeling repentant or loving or whatever the case may be.  But I don't want to force the feeling either.  I mean, God knows as well as I that it wouldn't be genuine.  And I'm coming to realize more what Jesus meant when he said that where a man's treasure is, there his heart will be also.  Like, my heart may not be feeling those things, but I can't change my heart's mind by willpower.  Instead, I think feelings follow actions in most cases, and that where I invest my "treasure" - time, effort, energy, talents, materials - that then my heart is going to be invested over time as well...and the more I practice that, the more I am certain it is true.
And so when it comes to those funks, all I can do is be intentional about investment in the Word, etc...and then everything falls into place.
Of course, the lovely Holy Spirit is behind all of that."

"Lead your heart," Joshua told me after I read the above message from my friend.

Then later, when I was sitting on his lap and trying to explain why I'd been feeling the way I had all day, he said to me, "I get you."  I realized that I hadn't been giving him enough credit...of course my husband understands me.  He might not all the time, but he knows me better than anyone.  I was glad to be woken up to the fact that he really did understand how I was feeling...and then it hit me.

I had, perhaps unintentionally, been assuming the same things of God--that he didn't understand what I was going through, that I had to try to carry the burden by myself, that worrying and fretting was the only way to accomplish anything... that talking to him wouldn't do any good.

It was as if God, in his immeasurable grace, said to me, "I get you.  Do you think I don't understand, child?  I understand exactly what you're feeling in your heart...I know what you're doing and why.  And I'm still in control.  You don't have to worry.  You don't have to do it on your own.  That's why you have friends, family and a husband who all love you.  That's what I'm for.  I'm taking care of you.  That's not your job."
That's the message I got from everything yesterday.

And God has the same message for you.  Even when it might not feel like it, God understands you.  He gets you.  He knows your heart even better than you know yourself!

Our Father is just wonderful.  When we sin, he not only helps us realize what we're doing wrong, but he immediately reminds us that we're forgiven, and he's taking care of everything.  He speaks to us through music, through the words of others, through the love of those around us.  His words to us might even be audible, a "little voice" in our heads (although that's not how it was for me yesterday).  But God still speaks to us.  He knows what we need to hear.

He gets us.

(and just as a little reminder and encouragement for you today...the song that spoke to me yesterday and many times before...)

Linking up today:
The Better Mom; What Joy is Mine; lowercase letters; Raising Arrows; The Alabaster Jar; To Love, Honor and Vacuum

the lies Satan tells {and then there's the Truth}

You can never get anything right.


You will never be good enough.


You are a failure...as a wife, a homemaker, a daughter, a sister, a friend.


You are miserable.  You are pathetic.  You are weak.


You don't deserve any good thing.  You don't deserve to be loved.


These are the lies Satan tells me.
These are the words that sometimes fill my head.
This is how Satan gets past the truth.
This is how he twists reality.

Yes, I am a sinner...
but I am also a child of God, saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.


No, I will never be good enough--on my own--
but that's why Jesus was good enough--PERFECT--in my place.
So that I wouldn't have to be.


No, I can't do everything right--by myself--
but that's why the Holy Spirit lives in my heart.
So He can help me live a life that honors God.


Yes, I will mess up.  A lot.
But I am forgiven because of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again
so that I could have eternal life.


No one is perfect.  No one can, on their own power, live a life that pleases God.
That's why we need Jesus.
That's why God sent Jesus, his only Son, into our sinful world--
to save us from Satan, from sin, from death, and from our own sinful natures.
Now, because of Christ, we are new creations.  We are pure, holy, redeemed.
And we have the promise of eternal life.


Jesus said to the people who did not believe in him,

"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lied, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."  -John 8:44

Jesus said to those who did believe in him,

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  -John 8:31-32

Later, Jesus said to his disciples,

"I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

Satan is the father of lies.  Jesus is the Truth.

Who shall I believe?
Who will you believe? 

 (Growing up, I had an old portable tape player on which I listened to cassette tapes--I'm just old enough to have not heard of CD's when I was really little.  My favorite tape was an old "Best of Amy Grant," and this was my favorite song on it.  That tape is so worn-out now that it hardly plays properly--but the song is as great now as it was then.  Also of note is the pianist in this video.  Do you recognize him?  It's a very young Michael W. Smith!)

a few favorite things

A friend shared this on facebook in the midst of a ferocious thunderstorm last night.  I haven't seen such rain, lightning, and hail in a while.  And there was SO much rain that our window leaked...poured rain in like it hasn't yet.  Luckily, most of the water is contained in a small area...in nearly-full buckets and sopping towels and rags.  Not looking forward to cleaning that up.


Joshua played this song this morning, and I realized something: our favorite things are also our favorite blessings.  When I think of all that God has given me, "then I don't feel so bad!"

So, a few favorite things on this Friday...

cuddling with my husband while we watch a movie


taking turns reading a book aloud in bed before we go to sleep ("The Silmarillion," by J. R. R. Tolkien)

talks on the phone with my mom and with my best friend


quietly reading and writing in the cool, dim house in the mornings

lunch with Joshua on the sunny deck outside the campus center at school


the excitement of a new project taking root in mind and words

waking up knowing that tonight starts the weekend


These are a few of my favorite things...

Holy Night

So often I am weighed down by thoughts, worries, ordinary things.  Money.  Grocery shopping.  Homework.  Housework.  Jobs.  School.  Those are the things that fill my mind the most.

Sometime, just for a while, I want to be completely filled with thoughts of God, of his acts in history and in my life, of the future he has in store.  I know, I could just spend time in meditation, contemplation.  I've been out of my habit of regular Bible reading for a while now.  All those earthly things I listed have crowded that out of my schedule.  That needs to change, and I know it.

But I wonder, what Mary and Joseph experienced on that night that Jesus was born.  Did any earthly cares fill their minds?  Joseph's, perhaps, unless that's just my opinion of men.  He was probably thinking angry thoughts directed toward a variety of innkeepers, worry about his wife having a baby in a barn, of all places, and, I hope, wonder at the thought that the baby she was bearing was the Son of God.

And maybe he wasn't.  Maybe all his thoughts had to do with the extraordinary, world-changing event that was taking place before his very eyes.

As a woman, I can almost guarantee that Mary wasn't distracted by much of anything, except her pain.  I have yet to give birth, but as far as I've been told it's not a comfortable experience.  I wonder if the fact that Mary was giving birth to God made any difference in that.  Probably not: Jesus is just as much human as he is God.  But holding that baby in her arms, when it was all over...the only thoughts in my head would be those of awe, wonder, delight, and joy.  Not only was she a mother, holding her firstborn in her arms, but she had just given birth to the Savior of the world.

I don't think that the full meaning of that would have occurred to her all at once.  Not on that night.  What was to come was probably not what Mary would have ever imagined.

But for that one night...that precious, holy night...she held her baby in her arms and rejoiced, her thoughts only those of God.

May I be as Mary.

late nights and Advent wonder

This last week or so I've had more of them than usual.  Oddly enough, it's twelve thirty and I'm not remotely sleepy.  I'm also in denial about the fact that I have to be up at seven for work.  Eh, six and a half hours, no problem.  I'll get to sleep in on Friday. :)

The main reasons I've been up so late are homework, and...oh.  Homework.  Yeah, that's it.  Mostly it's self-inflicted (coughprocrastinationcough) but I'm pretty okay with that.  Honestly, if I didn't have to get up as early as I do tomorrow I'd just stay up and write my very last paper and be done with it.  I might have been able to anyway if I hadn't spent so much time playing dumb games on facebook  chatting with my husband who was playing a computer game  procrastinating.  Ugh.

Anyway, being up this late tonight makes me wonder...it's Advent.  Eleven days before the birth of Jesus, was Mary sitting up, looking out her window, wondering what the future held?  A young, very pregnant girl, probably about to set out on the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  What was she feeling?  Fear?  Excitement?  Anticipation?  Nervousness?  All of the above?

Was she feeling hope?  She knew that the baby in her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

She was carrying, inside her body, God made Man.

Did she feel wonder?  Awe?  Amazement?

Hope?

Some days I fret, not knowing what the future will hold.  I mean, yes, tomorrow I'm getting up and going to work and coming home and going back to work.  We'll celebrate Christmas soon, the next semester will start, in a year and a half we'll finish college.

But will we?  We have no idea what will happen between now and then.  I don't even know what's going to occur in the next hour, the next minute.

But I have hope.  Because although my future might not be certain to me, it's certain to God--that God-made-flesh who was born from Mary, born in a stable, born into a sinful, dark world.

It's still a sinful world.  But Christ, the Light, was born into it, and now a Light shines in the darkness.

There is hope for the future, because that Light has already been there.  God knows what will happen tomorrow, next week, next year.  Nothing will happen in my life without his knowing about it.

And everything that happens to me, God will work for good.

Did Mary know that?  Did she know how eternity-changing her Son's birth would be?  Did she know, anticipating the pains of childbirth, that her baby would experience hell-- for her?  For the world?

I do.  I know what that baby experienced when he became a man.

He did it for me.

Things I'm liking right now.

Several blogs I follow post a list of links on the weekend, which gives me a lot of things to read and peruse and discover.  I've also been busy this weekend and I have things to share!!

First, Hubby and I went to see Celtic Thunder last night.  If you haven't heard of them, it's like Celtic Women except they're men, and if you haven't heard of Celtic Women then you need to look up both groups on YouTube!!  Joshua introduced me to Celtic Thunder when we were dating and I've loved them ever since.  Yesterday was the first concert of theirs that we've ever been to.  We ended up sitting next to a family with two teenage girls who had been to at least two Celtic Thunder concerts each!  The concert itself was amazing, everything we were hoping and more, especially since one of our favorite singers sang one of Joshua's favorite songs. (That's the best version of it that I could find, but gosh it's still amazing!)  So anyway, it was an incredible night.

Today we went to see Courageous, the newest movie by Sherwood Pictures, makers of Fireproof, Facing the Giants and Flywheel.  If you haven't seen this yet, please find the nearest theater that's showing it and go before it's gone!!  The movie is such a witness to the life-changing power of the love of Jesus, and such an encouragement to men to be Godly fathers and husbands.  Joshua and I went with his parents and brothers, and my mother-in-law and I were both crying.  We all laughed a lot!  And the movie made me more thankful than ever for the amazing dad, father-in-law and grandfather I have, who have all been such amazing examples of what it means to be a Christian, and who have all shown such love to their families.

One more thing, just for fun.  I found a different Myers-Briggs personality test, much better than the one on Facebook, I think--easier and simpler.  And it gave me the same results with links to other information.  I think it's interesting to know what people's personality types are.  Joshua's and mine are nicely compatible. :)  (So if you take the test, let me know what your results were and if you think they're accurate for you. :) )

So there you have it: my weekend, with four bonus links! :)

Undeserved Grace

This is my husband.

Saying that still makes me go Whoa.  We're really married.  I guess we've only been married three and a half weeks, but it still hits me every now and then just how amazing it is.

Circumstances the last few days have provided my husband opportunity to show me how amazing he is.  He doesn't go around saying, "Hey, hon, look how great I am."  Quite the contrary.  He's been humbly serving me, caring for me, doing dishes without being asked, cooking for me even (which is a great change of pace! :) ), all without looking for praise or reward.  (Oh, and he brought me flowers.  They're gorgeous.)  He is so very good to me.

When we were dating, sometimes when one of us would do something to hurt the other and be forgiven, the one doing the hurting would say "I don't deserve you."  We would then remind each other and ourselves that our relationship, our love, has nothing to do with deserving.  One such occasion when this happened, I played a song by Don Wharton entitled "Saved By Grace."  We had the honor of Don singing at our wedding, and he in fact sang this song.  The refrain goes,

"I've been saved by grace,

saved by grace.

Despite my faults, grace still calls me a winner just the same.

I'll never be worthy of

this kind of faith and love.

But I will still thank God each time I pray

that I've been saved by grace."

The bridge reads,

"Only a fool believes

He can earn the love that he receives.

But one who's wise

Will daily rise

To recognize

I've been saved by grace..."

The love God has for us is entirely undeserved.  The love he has given us for each other is also entirely undeserved.  God has blessed my husband and me with each other not because we deserve it at all.  We don't deserve what Christ has done for us.  Nor do we deserve the blessings God pours out on us every day. He does it all out of love.  My husband loves me not because I deserve it, but because I am his wife and he pledged to love me for the rest of our lives, no matter what.  I am God's child and because he made me he loves me, for eternity, no matter what.

All I can do is "thank God each time I pray, that I've been saved by grace."

In Christ Alone

This is one of my favorite contemporary hymns, and a beautiful video to go with it!

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTic5anwNA8zIt6x82x9NYZJ4Z8NeX2o7JDtg4LBC_iDmgZ_jZQ

Singing.

Standing there, surrounded by people
music swelling around me
gazing down at the hearers below,
the arms of the conductor moving
in sync with the music,
fingers flying over organ keys,
voices raising.

Song, music, melody,
in harmony, in unison, deep and high
rich and warm
the words, the old hymn,
"When I survey..."

Smiling across at him, that man,
who holds my heart in his hands,
who is my life.
We sing together.
We sing with friends, old and new
and people whose names we don't know
but with whom, for this moment,
we are united in purpose:
praise.

Praise of the One Who created music
Who gave us our voices
Who alone deserves our honor, our all.
So I sing, with all that is in me, for Him.

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were a present far too small.
Love, so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all!"