Wild and wonderful

Our family took off today and toured a little bit of West Virginia. We went to Blackwater Falls and saw the windmills in Tucker County. The girls did well in the car even if Lydia did keep asking the infamous question, "Are we there yet?". It was very cold when we left Fairmont but the car was toasty warm and the weather was beautiful to look at the colorful leaves. We saw what I would consider peak leaf foliage and enjoyed every bit of it. We saw snow in the mountains and the girls thought that was great. We bundled up before heading down the steps to see the falls and found the path covered in slush, snow and ice. We made it down to the first look out and considered stopping but persevered to the next landing and caught just a few pictures. We are planning a return trip in the spring or summer when the steps are not covered in ice. In all it was a fun, spontaneous trip with the family I love in a beautiful state I call home.

Musical Monday

Our small group is reading and participating in the accompanying study for Francis Chan's book crazy love. Everyone seems to be enjoying it and finding the book very challenging. As a group we just finished chapter 3 this last week. In the study material Francis Chan challenged each of us to keep the cross before us, allow the sacrifice God made for us to invade our lives that we would recognize just how crazy a love God has for us. We sang this song at church yesterday and I was touched and reminded that the cross should be a shadow across my heart and my response to that love is a desire to know Him and spend time with Him.

None but Jesus

In the quiet, in the stillness
I know that You are God
In the secret of Your presence
I know there I am restored

When You call I won't refuse
Each new day again I'll choose

There is no one else for me
None but Jesus
Crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

In the chaos, in confusion
I know You're Sovereign still
In the moment of my weakness
You give me grace to do Your will

When You call I won't delay
This my song through all my days

All my delight is in You Lord
All of my hope, all of my strength
All my delight is in You Lord Forevermore


Hillsong United

Here is the Youtube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m62gfhirHH0

Worship

God is Awesome! God has really been working in me over the past month and I have much to share about the journey but for now I just want to share with you three separate worship experiences.


Three Rivers Stadium, 30 thousand people (maybe more), sun shining, bright colored shirts, singing I Surrender All with a couple hundred other people. I had the unique privilege to sing in the Billy Graham Crusade choir when I was young. My mother and I sang in every crusade that week and I have no idea how many lives were changed but I am sure it was a lot. My own life was changed because the experience taught me how to love God through worship. My spirit and God's spirit were united in worship at that moment and it has left an indelible mark on my life.


Cement walls, tin roof, dust, heat, 50 African men, women and children singing quite loudly and emphatically the same song, I Surrender All. Spending time in a culture where people have so little yet give so much teaches you about worship. As a young woman on a mission trip to a very remote area I was surrounded by the truth of this world we live in, it is broken. Why there is such inequality simply because of where you were born or the color of your skin is beyond my comprehension. On that day I worshiped in the truth that my God is bigger than the present reality of this world and He deserves worship simply because HE IS GOD.


Zune in hand, earphones in, kneeling on the floor of my bedroom 40 minutes ago, listening to I Surrender All. There is something so sweet about those worship moments that occur unexpectedly and unknown to all but God. (Of course here I am telling all of you :) ) God is really doing some refining work in my life recently and there is part of me that is trying to do the refining work on my own. God is God and well, I am not. What business do I have trying, in my own effort, to do the work that only He can do? I want to bask in the love of God and truly learn to worship Him in both spirit and truth. I am blessed to have worship moments that are obvious markers of God's work in my life and that I have a God who is faithful to always meet me where I am at. There will come a day when I will meet Him face to face and will bow before Him in unending worship but for now I desire so much to practice that which I will do for all eternity. "But the time is coming - indeed it's HERE NOW - when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way." John 4:23 (emphasis mine) I am continuing on this journey to worship my heavenly Father in spirit and truth.

ABC's of God

Well, there was a slight "catch" to my last post. It really was just a build up to this one. During my summer reading I read 6 different books on the subject of worship. Some of them short and some of them slightly more in depth but all of them to the point, God is worthy of my adoration. I wrote the last entry quickly without much thought because I know myself so well. My true desire however is to know God more and more. I desire to be so well versed in the area of worship that I can praise God in the midst of any situation and allow His praises to continually be on my lips.

The ABC's of God is a worship exercise that I have used in the past and was reminded of in one of the books I read. It is used as a way to explore just how big God is and how many reasons there are to worship Him. The list can be endless so I will just choose a single word for each letter but I encourage you to come up with as many as you like.

A - Awesome (the only time the word is used rightfully)
B - beautiful (His name is all I seek)
C - Conqueror
D - Delightful
E - Everlasting
F - Father
G - Giver of life
H - Holy
I - Impressive
J - Just
K- King of All
L - Lover of my soul
M - Majestic
N - Never changing
O - Over all
P - Present
Q - Quiets me with His Love
R - Resplendent
S - Savior
T - Teacher
U - Unimaginable
V - Vast
W - Wonderful
X - Exciting
Y - Youthful (after all He IS the beginning and the end)
Z - Zebra (gotta admit they are pretty creative so why not praise Him for them)


O.K. so I was stretching it slightly at the end and I am sure you can come up with better ideas on your own but the point is that by the end of this short list I have 26 different reasons that God is worthy of my praise and I think that is pretty cool. Thanks for playing along and enjoy just how great God is.

ABC's of Me

ABC's of Me

A - Age: 29 - 30 in few weeks

B - Bed size: queen

C - Chore you hate: Laundry

D - Dinnertime: 5:30

E - Essential start-your-day item: cereal

F - Favorite color: orange

G - Gold or Silver: both

H - Height: 5'7"

I - Instruments you play(ed): trumpet

J - Job title: stay at home mom

K - Kids: growing and changing everyday and so glad I get to see it all!

L - Living arrangements: own a house

M - Mom's name: Dana

N - Nickname: Meg and Butterfly

O - Overnight hospital stay: 2 times

P - Pet Peeve: a cluttered house (unfortunately not one I can escape)

Q - Quote from a movie: "Does anyone have a peanut"

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings: Alise and Laura

T - Time you wake up: between 6:30 and 7 on a good day

U- Underwear: clean.

V - Vegetable you dislike: lima beans

W - Ways you run late: almost never

X- X rays: never

Y - Yummy food you make: pizza, lasagna rolls

Z - Zoo favorite: African safari animals

If you read my blog consider yourself tagged. (That includes you Alise, Lorrie and Maria!)

school days

This may look like the girls are eating pudding but as a homeschooling preschool teacher they are practicing writing skills. Lydia is working on writing her letters and Emma is working on shapes. Having a lot of fun while doing it too! More on preschool later but have fun looking at the cute pics.

Finishing

Well, I didn't set out with the intention of waiting an entire week to post again but guess I just didn't get around to it last week. Anyway, here we go with some of what God is teaching me.

I just finished reading Joshua and have begun reading Judges. I think the richness of Judges is amazing and is even more amazing after reading what preceded it in Joshua. I unfortunately can much too easily relate to the book of Judges. I don't want to and hate to admit it but it is true. I have found three things that I can relate to in the book of Judges.

1. The Israelites didn't finish the work God called them to do. I can relate to this because many times I have quit before I attained a specific goal. It is obvious when looking at our society I am not the only one who quits at things. Whether it is a diet, exercise program, job, relationship or anything, we often don't finish what we start. I fall into one of two camps in regards to this. Sometimes I manufacture an idea that is really not from God meaning it looks good, sounds good and feels good therefore I need to do this. Without praying about whether God really wants me to do it I am not even on the right path let alone finishing the job God has for me. The other camp I fall into is allowing fear, pride, selfishness and so many other things to keep me from pursuing that which God desires for me to do.


2. The Israelites forgot all the wonderful things God had done for them. Why is it that when things are going well we forget that is a blessing from God and that we still need Him in our lives? And why is it that when things are going bad we see it as a curse and do not see how God is working in that situation and how He has worked in the past? Too often my momentary troubles tie me down rather than seeing the grand scheme of what God is doing in and through my life. God gave the Israelites a rich promise and they didn't remind themselves of it and therefore forgot about it. If I don't spend time in God's Word soaking in His love, grace, forgiveness and purpose then I too will forget just how far God has brought me and how much further He wants to take me on this journey.

3. The Israelites lived life totally for themselves. One of the key phrases in Judges is "all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes." I fight the urge to be selfish everyday. Not a day goes by where I don't have to recognize my own selfish desires and choose to put the needs of others above my own. How I wish I could tell you that I always make the right choice in those situations but I can't. Selfihness sometimes wins and I have to confess that sin and allow God to teach me to live my life as a sacrifice to Him in everything I do.


God is teaching me that to live a life that is glorifying God in every thing I do I need to finish strong that which God has called me to do. I must remember what God has done in the past and have hope for what He is doing now and in the future. I must live life for Him and put others ahead of myself. Philippians 3:14 says "I press on to reach the end of the race and recieve the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." (NLT) I like the wording of the second half in the NASB which says "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I like the imagery of the "upward call". Living in West Virginia I have had the opportunity to run in some beautiful landscapes but let me tell you running uphill is not easy and the upward call is not easy. Righteous and holy living is not easy, it is simple but not easy. Simple because there is no question about where to go for help but what we learn does not always translate as easy. I am so grateful that just as God continually resuced the Israelite from the mess they got themselves into He also rescues me when I call out to Him. I serve a God who rescues people and He deserves unending worship as a result. I praise You Lord, that you have rescued me!