Always

I always love this song.

If You Want Me To

There are times for me when a song is just so much better than all the words I could put here. This is one of those times.
But this song...
Just listen.
and pray.
and walk, one step at a time.

Sunday Song

This song has been on my mind for a couple weeks.




Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Destitute, despised, forsaken,
Thou from hence my all shall be.
Perish every fond ambition,
All I’ve sought or hoped or known.
Yet how rich is my condition!
God and heaven are still my own.

Let the world despise and leave me,
They have left my Savior, too.
Human hearts and looks deceive me;
Thou art not, like them, untrue.
O while Thou dost smile upon me,
God of wisdom, love, and might,
Foes may hate and friends disown me,
Show Thy face and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me,
’Twill but drive me to Thy breast.
Life with trials hard may press me;
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.
Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me
While Thy love is left to me;
Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me,
Were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go, then, earthly fame and treasure,
Come disaster, scorn and pain
In Thy service, pain is pleasure,
With Thy favor, loss is gain
I have called Thee Abba Father,
I have stayed my heart on Thee
Storms may howl, and clouds may gather;
All must work for good to me.

Soul, then know thy full salvation
Rise o’er sin and fear and care
Joy to find in every station,
Something still to do or bear.
Think what Spirit dwells within thee,
Think what Father’s smiles are thine,
Think that Jesus died to win thee,
Child of heaven, canst thou repine.

Haste thee on from grace to glory,
Armed by faith, and winged by prayer.
Heaven’s eternal days before thee,
God’s own hand shall guide us there.
Soon shall close thy earthly mission,
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days,
Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Feel the Night

This song is exquisite.

Love

The theme lately seems to be love.
What is it? What does it look like? What does one expect?


What am i learning? Well, I am not ready to share all that here right now.
But i have been thinking. a lot.

There was an excellent sermon Sunday about 1 Corinthians 13:1-3.

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

It was so good.
Then, we attended our Sunday School class, which is on marriage. The sermon was a perfect pairing with the session we watched in Paul Tripp's What Did You Expect video series.

All that has led to a lot of introspection. A lot of kneeling at the cross. A lot of processing in the best way.

And today i thought of this song...

Glitch

My apologies to everyone who gets an email notification of posts from here. Apparently Blogger and Google thought we all needed to re-read the post from last year on Gratitude! It was actually good for me to re-read right now!!

Make it Right

There are some days that I lose sight.
okay,
There are more days than not that i forget
That God's timing and plan
is very different than mine.

I forget that
here
in this fallen, broken world
things will not make sense.
things will hurt.
a lot.
and sometimes the pain
doesn't stop.
maybe,
just maybe,
it gets worse.

And so i cling to Christ
and He holds me fast.
He keeps me.
even when my grip
slips.


This song reminded me, once again, that in God's time, He will "take all that is wrong and make it right." It may not be until i reach heaven, but He WILL make all that is wrong right.
ALL of it.

quiet

it has been quiet here.
for sure.

but, it has NOT been quiet in life.
for sure.

so often i long for space.
time.
quiet.

to sit.
think.
write.
process.

but i have to do those things
surrounded by noise.

it is mostly a good noise.
the noise of a busy home.
children learning.
growing.
changing.

and so,
it may be quiet here.
at least for longer periods of time
than i may desire.

but know that
i, too, am thinking.
learning.
growing.
processing.

and some day
it may spill over
here.
some day.

Yes

Just, yes, is all i can say to this song.

High Falls

Last week we had the privilege of seeing the High Falls of the Pigeon River on the Minnesota-Canada border. They were just thundering down! There was mist no matter where you stood. It was absolutely breathtaking there. We enjoyed a week up North with another family, seeing the sights and exploring God's amazing creation.

Changes

pic credit

Ch, Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes....

I have to admit, i don't like change very much. It gets harder the older i get.

I DO like change when it comes to:
*the seasons
*moving furniture around
*going from dirty to clean (house, yard, room, dogs, kids, people!)
*a seed growing into a fruit, vegetable, flower

But in general, i kick at change.

Why?
Because it catapults me into the unknown.
It takes me out of my comfort zone.
It forces me to bend a little here, bend a little there.
Really,
it causes me to see my own weakness and lack of control over anything. 

And right now, i have a number of changes occurring.

and i am learning to lean in.
Lean in to CHRIST, my hiding place.
The One who NEVER changes. (Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.)
The One who isn't ashamed of me, of my flailings and my stumblings.
The One who picks me up, brushes off the dirt, and sets me back on the path.

So, i guess in a way,
i am thankful for change.
Why?
Because it causes me to draw ever nearer to my Beloved Lord.

Why Write?

photo credit

To Write, or Not to Write? THAT is the question!

I love writing. I have my own way of doing it. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, yet it is a place for me to process the world. I write mostly in my journals. Sometimes it spills over here. I find writing privately certainly helps me figure out what i should and /or should NOT say publicly! Not every detail of life needs to be put here for the world to see. 

Suffice it to say that i have my fair share of trials and challenges. I also know that i have a Saviour who is faithful and who will never leave me or forsake me...ever.  I also have a deep well of joy that is not based on my circumstances, but is based on every promise of God's Word. 

I would like to write here more. I try to carve out time, yet it gets taken up with something else. My hope is to be able to write more of my thoughts here, as i think on and apply the Word to life in the here-and-now.  

for now, i end up quoting other people or posting songs that are encouraging and challenging to me. 

hopefully i will be able to have some more time to write as school winds down. 

(:

A Song and a Prayer

This song by Fernando Ortega has long been a favorite of mine. I first heard it back in the mid-90's and remember being struck by the simple beauty of it. It quickly became the cry of my heart.

1 Peter 1:13-16 says:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 

This song is a prayer to be more like Jesus, to be more holy. By His grace, He will do that work in our hearts and lives by the power of His Spirit. What a beautiful song to sing and offer as a prayer to our Great Savior and our Glorious God. May we ever be growing more and more like our beautiful Jesus. May He grow more precious to us day by day.

Trusting in Jesus

One night i had been reflecting on The End, what it means to stand before Holy God... on and on. I think you get it. I can get a bit unnerved at times when thinking about it.

The next morning after my alarm went off, this song came on that had encouraged me so many other times before. How sweet and tender of my heavenly Father to orchestrate it to play that morning. I was, once again, put at complete peace, being able to completely trust in Jesus when that Day comes.

Help for Parents

Who of us doesn't need some encouragement, conviction, and practical help in the area of raising our children? I am one who definitely does.

Right now my husband is reading a great book by Voddie Baucham called Family Shepherds. I, being a bit nosy about what was being said in the book about children, read a fantastic chapter on formative discipline. Mr. Baucham quotes extensively from puritan Cotton Mather's book from 1699 entitiled "A Family Well-Ordered". Let me tell you, it is worth reading that chapter! I found so much practical, scriptural advice. And all of his quotes from Mather? Totally spot on! I don't want to say too much about it, as it would be great for you to discover the beauty of what is written on your own. 

This morning I decided to try to find Mr. Mather's book to purchase. Joy of joys, i found it for FREE online. It is only 31 pages (16 pieces of paper if you print two-sided), and includes and address to parents, AND an address to children. It is my intent to spend time studying and reading, with my Bible right by my side. 

One more thing: Brian and I will also be doing a study on that chapter on formative discipline together, so that we can be on the same page, working in the same direction, using the Scripture to train, teach, and correct our four beautiful children. 

{note: We do use the Bible in our parenting, often! The way Mr. Baucham writes about how to use it has given me new ideas and ways to incorporate it in our day.} 

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for

 teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in 

righteousness;

2 Timothy 3:16

These Are Written So You May Believe

{UPDATE: thanks to a friend, i realized that the video somehow was deleted as i was inserting the lyrics! Now the video is there :) }

This song caught my attention one morning on the radio. I looked them up and saw this beautiful animation to go with their song. The group is a husband/wife duo called The Lockwood's.

Here is what they say about this song on their site: In April 2013, we had the privilege of sharing our music with Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. We wanted to gift them with a song written especially for them, and so we trusted God for the inspiration that was needed. God ended up giving us “These are Written” after many hours of pressing in to not only the gospel accounts of what Jesus has done, but also pressing into how those stories help us understand what He is doing in our lives in this present moment. We want this song to be a great comfort especially to believers who are suffering, and we know that as they behold this Jesus who suffered and died willingly in their place, they will indeed be comforted.

“These are Written” by Patrick and Molly Lockwood

Lyrics:

Jesus calmed the waters on the Sea of Galilee

And today He spoke peace to the fears in me

Jesus turned water at a wedding into wine

Just today He turned my worry into peace of mind

Jesus broke bread with the whores and thieves

He bent down to wash His friend Peter’s feet

When I felt so dirty, so beyond love’s reach

He called out to say that He was not ashamed of me

These are written so may believe

And that by believing you may have life in His name

Jesus healed a man who spent his whole life lame

Well He cleansed my past; I’ve got a brand new name

He told a woman at a well all she’d ever done

Yea He knows me better than anyone

Where guilt ran deep, where shame flowed wide

Jesus opened all the parts of me I tried to hide

He gave me water to drink that won’t run dry

He died my death and gave me life

These are written so you may believe

And that by believing you may have life in His name

Jesus, Immanuel, Savior, Messiah, Son of man, Son of God, Holy and Anointed One, Good Shepherd, Great High Priest, Servant King, Prince of Peace, Bread of Life, Living Water, He is the Way, the Truth, the Life, Light of the World, Beginning and the End, Lily of the Valley, My Truest Friend, Mighty Lion, Humble Lamb, Risen Lord, The Great “I AM”

These are written so you may believe

And that by believing you may have life in His name

Morning may bring a brand new pain

With suffering I’m afraid to face

Confronted by things I cannot change

I’ll remember how Jesus calmed the crashing waves!

I’ll remember how Jesus healed a woman who had bled twelve years

He showed mercy to the thief who confessed through tears

He blessed the widow at the temple for the penny she gave

Jesus called Lazarus out of the grave!

And He suffered and died on a Roman tree

But He laid His life down willingly

In three days He rose as He had said

And now in Christ, death is dead

These are written so you may believe