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

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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?

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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.