Women in Ministry or Women who Minister?

Hello Loved Ones...

I thought you might enjoy reading this refreshing take on women in ministry. Considering it's such a controversial subject, I love the way that Jamie defines the difference between women in ministry and women who minister. Thanks Jamie!


http://inamirrordimly.com/2012/01/20/women-in-ministry-series-from-woman-in-ministry-to-woman-who-ministers/

Space and God's Greatness

Need a humbling reminder of the greatness of our God? Take a look at these spectacular images by Nasa.
http://twistedsifter.com/2011/11/15-mind-blowing-featured-images-by-nasa/
http://vimeo.com/32001208

Enjoy!

My Father...

Top 11 Gourmet Albums of 2011

The top 11 Gourmet Albums of 2011 as listed by Under the Radar:
http://ht.ly/8d3mu

Two of my absolute favorite albums made this list! Make sure to check out Josh Garrel's Love and War,  and the Sea Inbetween, and also The Civil Wars Barton Hollow.

My Upmost For His Highest

How many times in a day do you hear someone say, "Do you know Oswald Chamber's My Upmost For His Highest? You have to read 12/27... So powerful!"

Pretty much never.

However, today must be a different sort of day, because two completely different people in two completely different situations said the exact same words to me. Sometimes, the Lord is pretty blunt when He wants me to hear something.

"Our battles are first won or lost in the secret places of our will in God’s presence, never in full view of the world. The Spirit of God seizes me and I am compelled to get alone with God and fight the battle before Him. Until I do this, I will lose every time. The battle may take one minute or one year, but that will depend on me, not God. However long it takes, I must wrestle with it alone before God, and I must resolve to go through the hell of renunciation or rejection before Him. Nothing has any power over someone who has fought the battle before God and won there.
I should never say, “I will wait until I get into difficult circumstances and then I’ll put God to the test.” Trying to do that will not work. I must first get the issue settled between God and myself in the secret places of my soul, where no one else can interfere. Then I can go ahead, knowing with certainty that the battle is won. Lose it there, and calamity, disaster, and defeat before the world are as sure as the laws of God. The reason the battle is lost is that I fight it first in the external world. Get alone with God, do battle before Him, and settle the matter once and for all.
In dealing with other people, our stance should always be to drive them toward making a decision of their will. That is how surrendering to God begins. Not often, but every once in a while, God brings us to a major turning point— a great crossroads in our life. From that point we either go toward a more and more slow, lazy, and useless Christian life, or we become more and more on fire, giving our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory."


There is a specific area of my life that I need to do battle before the Lord. Its fruits have been confusion and fear. I can easily admit that I know this, and that in order to move forward at all, I need to settle this matter once and for all.

Lord, I surrender to you... because my greatest desire and burning passion is to give my upmost for Your glory and praise. I know that with You, victory and peace are possible. You have shown it to be true in every area I have surrendered to You, and you will continue to show it to be true in every aspect of my future. To You be all Glory.

Lifehouse's Everything Skit - Upper Room (Updated)

I have been looking for this video ever since I saw it a couple of years ago at an Easter service. It finally surfaced on fb!

So powerful!

Genesis... The Beginning.

Genesis 1 & Psalm 19

  

It is where the foundations are built. It is where we first learn about God- who He is and what He has done. It is where the building blocks to our faith can be found.

How interesting that the author did not see fit to include philosophic arguments for the existence of God or how He created the universe. How interesting that instead, simple truths are found.

It begins with the Creator. I love the picture C.S. Lewis paints of the creation of Narnia in The Magician’s Nephew. The Lion breathes life into His creation; He speaks life into His creation. You can feel the energy and youthful radiance from this newly created world. It comes from a rumbling in the deep places of the earth, and it can’t help but burst forth in the sweet fragrance and colors of new life. All creation sings and dances with radiant energy. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” (Ps 19:1-4)

God speaks Creation. Creation speaks God. (Chiasm... ahem!)

From what we know of studying Hebrew literature… the story finds it’s entire purpose at the first point of dialogue. From there, the entire depiction of a person’s character is determined by what they say. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw the light was good…” (Ge 1:3)

The entire character of God is brought forth in these two sentences. He is the Creator. He speaks and there is light. He is the one who brings light to the darkness. He is the one who determines what is good.

Now, I should know better than to take a historical fact and read more meaning into it than what is there. However, how curious is it that God’s first words would be “Let there be light” when darkness was about to enter into mankind’s hearts?

Granted, Genesis 1 does not deal with Original Sin. However, it does mention the First Dispensation: Innocence. Man, created by God, was entrusted with the stewardship of innocence right from the beginning. Ever since we lost our innocence there has been a fight over the souls of mankind for it. The Psalmist says, “Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” (Ps 19:13)

... recognizing that I cannot fully embrace my destiny as a daughter of God Almighty, without fully embracing my spiritual history, what does this mean?

It means that God is God and I am not. 

Easy words are so elementary and basic… but more difficult to comprehend and truly let sink into my soul. It is much easier to think in terms of me, mine, and my. I would be lying if I tried to say that I wasn’t painfully aware of the decisions I make in this self-absorbed mindset. Instead, if I am to fully embrace my destiny, I must realize that in my beginnings there must be a deeply rooted humility and respect, with eyes fixed upon the Creator. I truly desire to know the fullness of His grace, I want to know every aspect of His character that He desires to reveal to me. This means going back to basics... working it out each overly used statement and cliche, and letting it truly sink into my heart and soul. 

Date a Girl Who Reads

"If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She'll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are. Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you're better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads."

I don't know if I even want to admit from which celebrity I snatched this quote from, but......well.......      

I read! *grin*

Ulysses-Love and War and the Sea In Between

Hello Loved Ones.
Recently I have been listening to Josh Garrel's latest album Love and War and the Sea In Between. I highly recommend listening to his album from start to finish, as it is beautifully written, and assembled with thoughtfulness and consideration for the story it strives to tell.

One song, Ulysses, stands out to me in particular. Although there are clearly multiple layers of meaning in the lyrics, I would like to mention just one:

Do not lose hope in love.

Hope in love whether you have ever loved before, whether you've had your heart broken, or whether you've never experienced it. It is so easy to lose hope that someday love will bring you home when these things make the journey seem like an eternity.

I love talking about God and how He has revealed Himself to me. I love spending time in His presence and I love sharing this with other people. It has not always been so. There was a season in my life where I was very far from home. A broken heart was what kept me from sailing there. Spiritually, God has carried me home, filled my heart with joy and contentment, and restored what was broken... but there is something less metaphorical in this song that I think many, myself included, can relate to.

I am not talking about sappy romance... I am talking about a longing for the intimacy that comes from knowing someone in and out, loving them, and knowing that they see you the same way. This is something that I hear captured in this song. It is a beautiful description of the voyage of opening one's heart and in making the conscious choice to believe that love does exist... that it is beautiful, and that it is worth the difficulties.

For those of us who have had our hearts broken, this song is a prayer that those bonds of brokenness will not keep us from finding love again. I love how the music crescendos into a striking release of any bitterness, anger, or sadness. It is a stunning demonstration of what needs to happen in order for broken hearts to be carried home. I fully believe that this determination... this outpouring... this releasing... it is in these moments that broken hearts are carried home.

Oh... and I would also like to mention... having had a broken heart at some point in time doesn't make you less lovable or less capable of loving... in fact it is quite the opposite. The heart is truly unique.

This song has quickly become a favorite... one that I can listen to over and over again.

Flight Of The Conchords - Jenny

Telephone - Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce - Classical Cover by Aston

Ummm... YES please!

Faithful One

Hello Loved Ones.

This last month seems like a blur of absolute insanity.

I’m coming to understand the harsh realities that lie in the frailty of my own existence.

I suppose at first glance that may seem like a truly depressing statement, but in actuality the events of the past month have forced me to look to the One who is the Beginning and End. I have been learning a side of my Lord’s character that I did not fully grasp before, and in turn have had a greater sense of joy, peace, and hope than I have ever before.

He is the Faithful One.

My grandmother passed away this last month. This has been a truly difficult and unexpected struggle. After spending the last few days that my grandmother was alive taking care of her in the hospital, I can say for certain that I have come to a new understanding of death. It’s horrid. It’s gruesome, disfiguring, and unforgiving.

And then God’s faithfulness…

He is faithful in the little things. He is faithful in the big things. He has always been faithful and always will be. This solid truth has brought about a subtle transformation in my heart. It allows me to lament, to grieve, but does not leave me in that place. It is the only thing that allows me to face the realities and the frailness of my existence and still know God’s love and grace. This is the hope that I am coming to know…. The faithfulness of God lived out, day to day. Joy overwhelms me in seeing His work on this intimate level.

I wish I could find this song without video… but this is as close as it gets…

Disney's Fantasia 2000 - Firebird

Currently working on a cello piece for this... I have no idea how I'm going to do it without an orchestra, but it's worth a shot!

The Civil Wars - To Whom It May Concern

The Civil Wars - "Barton Hollow": SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist

Well, it makes it quite difficult to save things to my "inspiration wall" when you tube keeps on deleting music videos for copyright infringements.... stupid you tube.

Trust

I did what I could.

Faced with uncertainty, I mustered up the strength to say it out loud.

... and I'm proud that I did. Even if others told me I shouldn't. Now I do not need to worry about the uncertainty of unanswered questions. I have my answer... even if it wasn't what I had hoped.

Now what?

Trust.

That's all I can do.

I can trust that things will work themselves out. I can trust that my leap of faith won't go unnoticed. I can trust that the Lord knows best.

The Swell Season - Falling Slowly

A new... but old favorite!

Babbet Can Cook and Jesus Can Redeem

Hello Loved Ones.

My heart is turned toward the topic of grace this week. Prompted by an outstanding sermon given by Matt Heard on Sunday, I seem to have finally found the wording to describe what I desire my attitude towards God to look like. I desire to be a woman who basks in the fullness of His extravagant grace, recognizing the beautiful nuances of this gift, and amazed by promises held in salvation. I want to grow in my understanding of His ways and see His signature on every part of my being.

I highly recommend taking a bit of time to listen to Matt's sermon by clicking here. It is titled "Extravagant Grace Pt 1:Welcome to the Table-Ephesians 1:6-8." Matt walks us through the story of Babbet and two elderly sisters who are a part of a strict religious sect. "Babbet can cook" is the mysterious phrase, one to which Matt relates "Jesus can redeem." This is a fascinating story that brings into light the importance of knowing God, recognizing His handwork, and of course what the implications of such understanding are.

The reality is this. I have two choices: to be complacent or to be content. Complacency is the far easier choice as it requires very little effort. Contentment is an entirely different animal. A.W. Tozer wrote, "Self-righteousness is terrible among God's people. If we feel that we currently am what we ought to be, then we will remain exactly where we are. We can not expect for there to be any sign of change or growth in our our lives. This will quite naturally lead us to judge everyone by what we are. This is the judgment of which we must be careful. To judge others by ourselves is to create havoc in the local assembly. Self-righteousness also leads to complacency. Complacency is a great sin and covers just about everything I have said about the rote and the rut. Some have the attitude, 'Lord, I'm satisfied with my spiritual condition. I hope one of these days You will come, I will be taken up to meet You in the air and I will rule over five cities.' These people cannot rule over their own houses and families, but they expect to rule over five cities. They pray spottily and sparsely, rarely attending prayer meeting, but they read their Bibles and expect to go zooming off into the blue yonder and join the Lord in the triumph of the victorious saints." I love this description of the seriousness of self-righteousness and complacency. This false sense of contentment is just that... a lie. It is a lie that keeps people from experiencing God's grace, and ultimately desiring to see His kingdom furthered. Wow!

Contentment, on the other hand, is found in the deeply rooted belief that God IS good, and that He desires good for me. This is a tricky statement, but really now, can I say God desires bad for me? No! His desire for me is good! He wants me to experience His extravagant grace, He wants me to know Him, He wants me to understand the importance of what He has done for me. He wants me to know these things, not only because He wishes good for me, but also because He wants His signature to be on my life. When His signature is on my being, He calls me to a place in His kingdom, one that comes from His great desire to have others know in every fabric of their being these truths.

The Colonel couldn't stop singing praises over Babbet's dinner, whereas the other guests absolutely refused to enjoy it. What a stark difference and gut-wrenching reality a the thought of such a beautiful gift! Being an avid food lover myself, I cannot imagine not gushing over such an extravagant and carefully planned meal. While I wish to exemplify the "Colonel" in my attitude at the table of God's grace, I also will confess that many times I have the attitude of the two sisters. The change in attitude must come from deep in my heart, and it must be through surrender to the things of the Lord- because ultimately, I desire what He desires, that others too may come to sing praises over the simple, but profound statement, "Babbet can cook... Jesus can redeem."

Steve McCurry's Stunning Images

Hello Loved Ones.

I've discovered a new favorite artist! I am loving the vivid colors and how emotiv these photos are. Truly beautiful and evocative of a place unknown.

To see more of these stunning images visit http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php.

Myshkin Performance at Jives

Hello Loved Ones.

Thank you for your support Saturday night. Your prayers were felt!

Here are a few pics from the performance.

http://www.richardseldomridge.com/p890622579/h242d79bd#h3b4c931a.

Enjoy!