Daddy's Girl

Today is Father's Day, and it wouldn't be appropriate to let the day pass without giving some kind of acknowledgement to the man who has so shaped my life...my dad. In looks, everyone tells me I take after my mother, but in personality, I am my father's daughter. We share so much in common; the desire to learn, understand, and question until we get things right, a love for reading, writing, and occasionally waxing poetic, a love for people, a stubborn streak, the tendency to be slightly distracted, and a dry, if not slightly ridiculous sense of humor. ;-)

I have learned so much from my dad. He showed me by example what it means to be faithful in the tasks of everyday life, through ups and downs, and times of drought and blessing. He taught me how to ride a bike, how to drive, and how to balance a checkbook. He supported and helped me through minor car accidents, boy problems, and spiritual struggles. He constantly challenged me to be reading God's Word, applying it to my life, and to keep looking to Jesus. To this day, he continues to support, listen, and challenge me and help me through each new phase of life.

I'm thankful for the incredible influence he's had in my life...and today I want him to know. I love you, Dad!

A page from my highschool scrapbook

Playing baseball in the yard

(If you look closely you'll see my stylin' green jellies!)

Oh the nineties...

Still enjoying baseball together!

Just bein' ourselves! :-)

Six Flags and Suffering

The title of this post might leave you a little puzzled....hang on a minute and I'll explain. I've learned two things related to these topics this week and I wanted to alliterate the title so thats how it came about. :-)

Six Flags. On Tuesday of this week, I learned that I am getting old. After spending the day riding in a van and running around an amusement park with a group of mostly seventh and eighth graders I realized that, at last, the aging process has begun! The first hint at aging came in the surprised look on the face of one of the seventh graders when she found out that I had graduated from high school in 2004. However, I am not about to let a little thing like my age ruin a good time...we spent the day riding every roller coaster possible, looking for change on the ground, daring to ride the "Big Kahuna" water slide, and in general, having a great time. I only feared for my life once. ;-)
The second clue to my aging was my utter exhaustion at the end of the day. While the kids bounced around the van on a sugar high after supper...I was ready for bed. So ended my day at Six Flags.

Suffering. Believe it or not, the suffering is not related to my trip with the Youth Group. I just finished reading the book Jesus Freaks: Martyrs by DC Talk. Basically, its a modernized Foxe's Book of Martyrs, including stories of Christian persecution from ancient history up until modern times. This was a challenging book to read, simply because it made me realize that I have suffered nothing for my faith in comparision with what countless others have been willing to suffer for Jesus Christ. The horrors some people have faced in order to pass from this life to eternity are nearly unbearable...yet their firm faith brought them through even the worst torture and enabled them to claim Christ until the very end. I pray that my faith would be that strong. One particular quote brought tears to my eyes,

"My dear Jesus, my Savior, is so deeply written in my heart, that I feel confident, that if my heart were to be cut open and chopped to pieces, the name of Jesus would be found written on every piece."
-- Ignatius (a student of the Apostle John, devoured by wild animals in Rome, 111 AD)

If you are interested in being informed about or praying for current Christian persecution, check out this web site...
www.persecution.com

Change: The Rhythm of Life

Hello, blogging world! Once again, after only a five month absence I am returning to this cyber-existence where I can pour out my thoughts.... Actually, I am quite excited about writing again; it has been far too long. So, here I am again to share my ponderings about things serious and trivial. Maybe I will entertain a few of you who stumble across my writings, and maybe, hopefully, I will provoke some of you to sit and think a little longer about some of the deeper meanings of life. And if no one really cares to read at all...thats ok with me.

Change. In music, rhythm is the element that brings a beat; it adds a pulse, creates varying patterns and provides an element of surprise...rhythm is what keeps music interesting, allowing every song to differ in style and presentation. Granted, many other elements are equally important, but without rhythm, nothing would drive the song forward.

I've decided that change is 'the rhythm of life'; it keeps life from becoming dull, always bringing movement, surprise, and a 'recurring pattern.' Once in a while, I start to wish that life didn't bring so many changes. Change is difficult to cope with at times; it gets us out of our comfort zones, it forces us to explore new places and ideas, it moves us from the familiar out into the unknown. Now, more than ever, I feel the effects of change. Here I stand, a recent college grad (yay!), up-rooted from my 'home' for four of the past five years, separated from friends and my dear boyfriend, pursuing a full-time job, and feeling slightly at a loss as to how to go about establishing myself in the 'adult' world. Sometimes, the rhythms of life are complex.

At times like this, I am thankful for a God who does not change. He has the 'rhythm of life' all figured out and I can trust Him to direct it in His 'perfect timing'. (Yes, that was an intentional pun). I am ready to face whatever is to come in this new stage of life...my world will continue to change, but my God will not. Because of that I will joyfully move ahead into what He has orchestrated for me.

Proverbs 3:5-6 " Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."

Is it too late?

I'm a bit hesitant to post on here for fear that I leave this blog desolate for yet another year. But I am feeling inspired today...and maybe this year's resolution should be to start writing more frequently to get some practice.
The real truth about why I am writing is that I am procrastinating...imagine that...and I feel absolutely inspired by an amazing quote I read in The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer. So with that confession, I leave you with a quote to contemplate...

"No one need be poor, because, if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. No one need be downcast, for Jesus is the joy of heaven, and it is His joy to enter into sorrowful hearts...eternity will not be long enough to learn all He is, or to praise Him for all He has done, but then, that matters not; for we shall be always with Him, and we desire nothing more."

Until next time...

The Best Gift

Of all the gifts God has blessed us with in our time on earth, none is so beautiful, so touching, as the gift of friendship. There is a saying that goes...¨Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.¨How true it is. True friends know each others weaknesses, they know what makes the other one laugh, they understand the quirks, and may even shake their heads in disbelief at the others´ hairbrained ideas. But true friends accept the whole package and choose to love you for who you are. They know when to overlook faults, and when to confront. They may offer you a hug one minute and then turn around and shake some sense into you the next minute. And that is the beauty of a true friend...someone you can relax with and never have to question their loyalty.
God has blessed me, in the past few years especially, with people that I can honestly call ´true friends.´ They have jumped the boundary from casual acuaintances to being sisters and brothers. So to my true friends out there...and you know who you are...I thank you...for your patience, for telling it to me straight, for your hugs, for the memories, and for the love. And I´ll always be here for you. Because the best part of our friendships is...that they will last forever.
What a good God we have, to allow something as precious as friendship to continue into eternity. Because the Man who died to save us is our Friend...the Friend of sinners.

My Heart is Filled

Sometimes the things we want to say have already been said better by someone else...this is one of those times...

My Heart Is Filled

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who bore my pain

Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace

And gave me life again

Who crushed my curse of sinfulness

And clothed me in His light

And wrote His law of righteousness

With power upon my heart

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who walks beside

Who floods my weaknesses and strengths

And causes fear to fly

Whose every promise is enough

For every step I take

Sustaining me with arms of love

And crowning me with grace

My heart is filled with thankfulness

To Him who reigns above;

Whose wisdom is my perfect peace;

Whose every thought is love.

For every day I have on earth

Is given by then King.

So I will give my life, my all,

To love and follow Him.

Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music/MCPS

Radical Obedience

My devotions this month have been taking me through the book of Ezekiel. I´m ashamed to admit that my knowledge of the major and minor prophets is quite lacking. It has been challenging to read about these men, the ministries that God gave to them, and the difficulties that they faced. It wasn´t until the other day when I came to chapter 24 of Ezekiel that I was floored by three verses.



¨Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with one stroke; yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh in silence, make no mourning for the dead; bind your turban on your head, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips, and do not eat man´s bread of sorrow.¨

´So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died; and the next morning I did as I was commanded.´ Ezekiel 24:17-18

Here we have the prophet Ezekiel, faithfully serving God as His prophet, given the job of relaying messages from God to the children of Israel, and suddenly he finds out that his life is about to become an object lesson. God tells Ezekiel, ¨I am about to take away from you the one you delight in...your wife...but you are not to go into mourning, cry, or even show sorrow.¨
My mind cannot even comprehend the horror and grief that must have ripped through the heart of Ezekiel. The woman he loved was to be taken from him, and it was all because of a lesson to the Children of Israel?
But what I find even more incomprehensible is his recorded response in the Word of God...he obeyed. There was no questioning of God, no bitterness, he says himself ¨I spoke to the people in the morning and at evening my wife died, and the next day I did as I was commanded.¨

That is what I would call radical obedience. The kind of obedience that is ready, simply waiting to follow its Master´s direction.
The Bible doesn´t really tell us any more about this incident in the life of Ezekiel; I wish it did...
What it does tell us is that Ezekiel was a person who radically obeyed his Lord...what kind of person will I be?