The Lord has been teaching me some great things as of late. Namely, He has given me a joy in.... (look out, you post-modernists!) the great hymns of old. I recently travelled with the Moody Chorale down to Texas where we sung over 20 concerts in the span of two weeks. God really spoke to me through the various testimonies of how our songs spoke to others. We sang a variety of types of music, spanning from classical to gospel to ultra-modern. There is so much truth in songs such as "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "Jesus I am Resting". We sung an arrangement of both songs, written by our director, Gerald Edmonds. Both are so beautifully woven together and richly harmonized. I get shivers every time we proclaim, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God almighty" in a beautifully dissonant 8-part chord. Music has such an affect on people. It speaks the language of the soul. When put to scripture, it speaks truth in a way so powerful even the hardest of hearts is softened. I have seen the Holy Spirit work in miraculous ways through music.

Jesus I am Resting, Resting has quickly become one of my favorite hymns.


Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart;
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its ev'ry need,
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father's glory,
Sunshine of my Father's face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art,
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

Fruits of My Shutter

I love this picture. It reminds me of how we are pearls of great price and we must guard our hearts. The box is not the prize. It's what is inside.

Resolutions

Happy 2009!

New Year's is a time of new beginnings and resolutions. Although we tend to make a futile attempt at keeping these resolutions and there are many skeptics who refuse to even make resolutions for fear of breaking them... But I would beg to differ. Even if we end up breaking these new resolutions, isn't it better if we tried? If we hold on for a month, or two months, or even half a year, haven't we made ourselves a better person, even if it was short lived?

So I have decided to become a more disciplined person. I want to eat healthier, do better in school, exercise more regularly, and have a consistent time with God. Don and I are going through Romans together and I hope that this will help my personal devotion time. I know this may come as a shock to some people, (ha!) but I have never been consistent in my personal time with God. I pray this will change this year as I start planning out what my future will look like... internship, graduation looming...

May you look to find a resolution that will make you a better person, even if it is only for a month or two... trying is better than sitting.

Thanksgiving time is rolling around... and then Christmas. Let us all strive to seek Him wholeheartedly and surrender with utter abandon. Give thanks every day for the blessings we have in this life and in the life to come.


more later...

Cycles...

So I have decided that it is really hard to be a Christian. Day after day I feel like I fail. I feel as if I am sliding down this slope toward utter abandon. And then Something reaches down out of the miry depths and picks be back up again. He picks me up, brushes me off, and breathes new hope into my soul. He gently reminds me of the reason for life.

I wonder sometimes why life is so hard. I wonder why I struggle to keep on top of things at school. I wonder why I seem to loose connections with the ones I love the most. I wonder why I struggle to keep my integrity in tact... and then... when I feel as though I cannot try any longer, a gentle tug at my heart tells me to reach. Reach toward Him- the one who sustains, comforts, controls, loves. Reach toward Him and He will entange your heart with His love. As I read through old diary entries, I see myself in a cycle, like the children of Israel. I struggle in sin, I look to anywhere else but to Him, I cry out to Him, He saves me, I praise Him for a time, and then fall right back into my old habits again. Each cycle gets worse and worse. The sin gets more entrapping, the desire to seek to fulfill my need in anything but God gets all the more desirable, but His presence is all the more astounding. When times are the toughest, the Lord is the strongest.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Is Life Sacred Anymore?

Look at this: A key issue on the sanctity of life....

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/08/voters_should_be_trouble.html

His Word Graven on My Heart

God has changed me in some extraordinary ways this summer. I have been stretched and grown into more of a godly woman. And I am not saying that to be boastful of myself, but to be boastful of my God! God has convicted me of many things and has incited desires in my heart that were not there two months ago.

I have recently taken on the task of memorizing the book of James. Through the prodding of the Spirit, I have realized that scripture memorization is utterly important to a Christian'sk with Christ. I found this verse to be rather persuasive: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward." Psalm 19:7-11 NIV

His precepts are RIGHT, His commands are RADIANT, His ordinances are SURE and RIGHTEOUS, more precious than gold, more sweeter than honey....

How can we not meditate on His law? How can we not take his word and hide it in our hearts??

While I was in Northern Ireland last fall, Gracia Burnham came to the college I was studing at. She, along with her husband, Martin Burnham, were missionaries in the Philippines. In 2001, they were kidnapped and held hostage by Al-Kida linked terrorists. Due to their native country (the US) they were held for a year and a half in hopes of reaching a ransom agreement with the US. They were held for a YEAR AND A HALF! That is over 550 days! They were held as hostages, running from village to village with these terrorists who were fighting against the people trying to save the hostages. Long story short, Martin was killed a day before they were rescued. Gracia now travels the world telling their story and bringing others to the saving knowledge of Christ. She wrote a book of their story and I have read it. The thing that really has been on my mind lately, as it refers to scripture memorization is that this couple had no Bible during their year and a half of imprisonment. All they had was what they had commited to memory. Gracia talked about how they sat down and wrote every verse that they could remember out on little scraps of paper, candy wrappers, toilet paper... anything. That was their Bible.

What if we ended up in a place where we had no Bible? I have gotten so used to carrying a Bible right in my purse, wherever I go , i have the Word. I keep thinking... I am going on the mission field, and if that word gets taken from me, do I have it in my heart and mind? Stored up to use?

That is why I am memorizing James. Not just to be encouraged strengthened by the words, but also to prepare myself for the possibility of an unaccessible Bible. I know it may sound crazy, but hiding the Word in your heart, for any reason, is reason enough. :)

well, that is all for now. i will write more on what God has been teaching me at a later date....

God Bless.