i've had questions without answers
i've known sorrow, i have known pain
but there's one thing that i cling to
You are faithful, Jesus, You're true
when hope is lost
i'll call You Savior
when pain surrounds
i'll call You Healer
when silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart
in the lone hour of my sorrow
through the darkest night of my soul
You surround me, You sustain me
my defender forever more
when hope is lost
i'll call You Savior
when pain surrounds
i'll call You Healer
when silence falls
You'll be the song within my heart
and i will praise You
i will Praise You
when the tears fall
still I will sing to You
i will praise You
Jesus, praise You
through the suffering
still I will sing to You
when the laughter fails to comfort
when my heart aches, Lord, are you there?
when confusion is all around me
and the darkness is my closest friend
still I'll praise You
Jesus, praise You...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
barley and blessings.
"You make everything glorious - and i am Yours - what does that make me?"
sometimes you just need some david crowder band to speak some Truth, ya know?
i have to say, friends...life is pretty A-OK these days. it's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but i have been more cognizant of the Lord's hand upon my life. i've been better able to recognize His blessings (tangible and not) and i find myself praising Him with more regularity. it does wonders for the body and soul.
i recently finished a Bible study book with some of my JMU girls called "no other gods" by kelly minter. it was fantastic for many, many reasons - chiefly, it gave me a broader perspective on the things that i constantly put before the Lord. they are more numerous than i care to delineate here.
i've been walking in conviction and clarity.
along with realizing my own sin, i have come to a greater understanding and depth when it comes to His presence in my life and the blessings that He wishes to bestow.
in the Book of Ruth, it speaks of God's PERFECT timing (far better than any human could orchestrate). ruth and naomi arrive in bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. if they had arrived a mere 1 week prior to this, ruth would not have had her encounter with boaz in his field. he wouldn't have been harvesting and she wouldn't have had the opportunity to glean. God's perfect timing lead to a beautiful love story and ultimately, the lineage of Jesus.
i know this "beginning of the barley harvest" seems like a small detail, but it rang as incredibly profound for me.
His timing is best. He clearly knows what He is doing (and 99% of the time, i don't). He has it all planned out (again, i don't even know what i am doing tomorrow). why don't i trust His plan? why do i question His timing? why do i walk forward, thinking that i know the best possible scenario? (i cringe with the vanity of it all.)
the Bible is full of testimony after testimony of God's perfect provision at the perfect moment. oh, how i wish to add to those testimonies with my own life. and oh, how my sin stops me from truly walking in His will.
i would love for my constant prayer to be "yet, not as a i will...but as You will." (matthew 26:39)
it's incredibly convicting. He has proven His credibility in this arena since the beginning of time, literally. it's all in His hands anyway, right?
when i really meditate on this Truth, i am free to take a deep breath and realize that His plan and His time will win out.
it always does. it's always best.
may i ever claim this.
sometimes you just need some david crowder band to speak some Truth, ya know?
i have to say, friends...life is pretty A-OK these days. it's not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but i have been more cognizant of the Lord's hand upon my life. i've been better able to recognize His blessings (tangible and not) and i find myself praising Him with more regularity. it does wonders for the body and soul.
i recently finished a Bible study book with some of my JMU girls called "no other gods" by kelly minter. it was fantastic for many, many reasons - chiefly, it gave me a broader perspective on the things that i constantly put before the Lord. they are more numerous than i care to delineate here.
i've been walking in conviction and clarity.
along with realizing my own sin, i have come to a greater understanding and depth when it comes to His presence in my life and the blessings that He wishes to bestow.
in the Book of Ruth, it speaks of God's PERFECT timing (far better than any human could orchestrate). ruth and naomi arrive in bethlehem just as the barley harvest was beginning. if they had arrived a mere 1 week prior to this, ruth would not have had her encounter with boaz in his field. he wouldn't have been harvesting and she wouldn't have had the opportunity to glean. God's perfect timing lead to a beautiful love story and ultimately, the lineage of Jesus.
i know this "beginning of the barley harvest" seems like a small detail, but it rang as incredibly profound for me.
His timing is best. He clearly knows what He is doing (and 99% of the time, i don't). He has it all planned out (again, i don't even know what i am doing tomorrow). why don't i trust His plan? why do i question His timing? why do i walk forward, thinking that i know the best possible scenario? (i cringe with the vanity of it all.)
the Bible is full of testimony after testimony of God's perfect provision at the perfect moment. oh, how i wish to add to those testimonies with my own life. and oh, how my sin stops me from truly walking in His will.
i would love for my constant prayer to be "yet, not as a i will...but as You will." (matthew 26:39)
it's incredibly convicting. He has proven His credibility in this arena since the beginning of time, literally. it's all in His hands anyway, right?
when i really meditate on this Truth, i am free to take a deep breath and realize that His plan and His time will win out.
it always does. it's always best.
may i ever claim this.
Friday, August 21, 2009
ebbs and flows.
i've had too much confirmation over the past few weeks that a return to my blog would be a good thing. so, here i am. truth be told, i've missed it.
so much has happened in the past YEAR that it's difficult to know where to begin. the nitty-gritty details: i survived my first official year of teaching! i believe it went well - it was damn hard (sorry, there's no other way to describe it) - but i finished the year strong. ultimately, i do love what i do. i'm not so sure i love the paperwork involved with exceptional education, but a quick hug from a "tough" 8th grade boy makes all of that wonderfully melt away.
charlie and i are still rockin' it out in our apartment. i look around sometimes and praise God for His tangible blessings, especially charlie. his presence has been absolutely perfect, particularly when i am not feeling well...which leads to the next detail...
my gastroparesis has calmed down quite a bit (hallelujah!). this summer has produced many "am i on my way to healing?" thoughts - there are still bumps in the road, but i haven't been so gentle with it - my bad, yo (sometimes a girl just wants some fresh vegetables/fruit!). all in all, i feel good. i've committed to working out regularly (and while that has been a challenge, too) i feel/see the fruits of my labor and i thank God that i am able to rock out the treadmill. my next physical challenge: the Ukrops 8K in november - walking, not running. i'm not THAT crazy. wooohooooo.
this has been a spiritually challenging year. it would be fair to say that my heart has taken a beating. it is healing, though - it's just a slower, longer process than i would have guessed. God has done a great work to show me my worth. i am learning to walk in His words/promises/love. i have taken some fairly drastic steps to fight for my worth. i recently began a study on believing God - we are all very quick to say that we believe IN God, but do we really believe HIM - do we believe His Word, what He says to us, even what He shows us? why do we so often dismiss His work just because there is no tangible evidence?
Hebrews says that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (11:1). so, why do i beg God for evidence of His work in my life? as my dear friend said recently, "if there were evidence, there would be no faith." and truly, His work is made manifest everyday - but do i open my eyes to see it?
i am learning that the testing of my faith develops perseverance. i want to be unwaivering in what i believe - in the good i believe has been promised to me.
one of my favorite musicians is the folk artist, william fitzsimmons. i stumbled across his song "goodmorning" and delighted in the following lyrics:
moonlight will fall
winter will end
harvest will come
your heart will mend
goodmorning
goodmorning
you will find love...
it was a fantastic reminder that God gives us seasons for a specific purpose - and that seasons will end - and there is ultimately something good on the other side.
so, while my heart may hurt while this season's sun sets and rises, i am confident that not-too-long-from-now, it will be bursting with joy.
and that, my friends, is a great promise of faith.
so much has happened in the past YEAR that it's difficult to know where to begin. the nitty-gritty details: i survived my first official year of teaching! i believe it went well - it was damn hard (sorry, there's no other way to describe it) - but i finished the year strong. ultimately, i do love what i do. i'm not so sure i love the paperwork involved with exceptional education, but a quick hug from a "tough" 8th grade boy makes all of that wonderfully melt away.
charlie and i are still rockin' it out in our apartment. i look around sometimes and praise God for His tangible blessings, especially charlie. his presence has been absolutely perfect, particularly when i am not feeling well...which leads to the next detail...
my gastroparesis has calmed down quite a bit (hallelujah!). this summer has produced many "am i on my way to healing?" thoughts - there are still bumps in the road, but i haven't been so gentle with it - my bad, yo (sometimes a girl just wants some fresh vegetables/fruit!). all in all, i feel good. i've committed to working out regularly (and while that has been a challenge, too) i feel/see the fruits of my labor and i thank God that i am able to rock out the treadmill. my next physical challenge: the Ukrops 8K in november - walking, not running. i'm not THAT crazy. wooohooooo.
this has been a spiritually challenging year. it would be fair to say that my heart has taken a beating. it is healing, though - it's just a slower, longer process than i would have guessed. God has done a great work to show me my worth. i am learning to walk in His words/promises/love. i have taken some fairly drastic steps to fight for my worth. i recently began a study on believing God - we are all very quick to say that we believe IN God, but do we really believe HIM - do we believe His Word, what He says to us, even what He shows us? why do we so often dismiss His work just because there is no tangible evidence?
Hebrews says that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see (11:1). so, why do i beg God for evidence of His work in my life? as my dear friend said recently, "if there were evidence, there would be no faith." and truly, His work is made manifest everyday - but do i open my eyes to see it?
i am learning that the testing of my faith develops perseverance. i want to be unwaivering in what i believe - in the good i believe has been promised to me.
one of my favorite musicians is the folk artist, william fitzsimmons. i stumbled across his song "goodmorning" and delighted in the following lyrics:
moonlight will fall
winter will end
harvest will come
your heart will mend
goodmorning
goodmorning
you will find love...
it was a fantastic reminder that God gives us seasons for a specific purpose - and that seasons will end - and there is ultimately something good on the other side.
so, while my heart may hurt while this season's sun sets and rises, i am confident that not-too-long-from-now, it will be bursting with joy.
and that, my friends, is a great promise of faith.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
dang, gina.
has it really been since june that i last made a few declarations?
geeeeeez.
quite a bit has happened...actually, nothing too major, but a few ramblings are forthcoming.
for now, i need to go prepare myself for my triumphant return to work tomorrow after two glorious weeks off.
i *heart* being a teacher. for many, many reasons.
stay tuned. stay cool.
geeeeeez.
quite a bit has happened...actually, nothing too major, but a few ramblings are forthcoming.
for now, i need to go prepare myself for my triumphant return to work tomorrow after two glorious weeks off.
i *heart* being a teacher. for many, many reasons.
stay tuned. stay cool.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)