Our Great God

A few weeks ago we started playing this song in our church, and I love it!  Our great God!

looking like Your heart

changing leaves

Today my family and I went to the mountains!  There are a ton of pictures that I want to post, so I'm not going to put them in the largest size like I usually do.  However, if you click on them you come to a sort of slideshow thing that makes them bigger.  Enjoy!

She was pretending to be afraid...

so Daddy got behind a tree and played along

eating lunch

My beauteous bouquet

We were pretending to fight over the bouquet...

99 Balloons

What wilt Thou give me?

Hi everybody!

There was a specific reason I wanted to write on my blog today, but I can't remember what it was, so I just thought I'd do a little update about how things are going lately.

Yesterday was my art history midterm.  I am seriously being over and over again shocked at God's goodness.  I have been dreading this midterm ever since the semester began.  It was the only midterm I had for any of my classes (for all the rest I have periodic exams), and this is the only test we have besides our final for this class, so it's pretty just based on those two tests.  I was so nervous about it, in fact, that I memorized the first four pages of vocabulary words I needed for the midterm within the first two weeks of starting school. :) But I was so ready for it!  Over the weekend I was feeling a little nervous because I didn't even really know what to study (we were going over ten chapters--was I supposed to everything about every one of them?), but when I woke up I read the little devotional for the day that I have in this devo book by Amy Carmichael.  I've talked about it before; it's called Edges of His Ways.  I wanted to post the devotional for yesterday because it was just so cool how God ordained it for that day.

*Gen. 15:2: Lord God, what wilt Thou give me?

   When thinking of the further reaches of prayer I came on this, the simplest of all, like the words of a small child before is has learned not to ask for things for itself.  If the friend of God could speak so to his God, we may in all simplicity do so too.  "Lord God, what wilt Thou give me?"

   Just as a child passes from the less to the greater in desire, so we find in our Bible that the desire of man, as he walks further on with God, grows and grows till we come to such words as Paul's, words that reach far beyond any earthly good--"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings"; and soon that other word follows, so often forgotten in hurried prayer: the first good thing promised is not the thing for which we prayed, but peace.

   "Lord God, what wilt Thou give me?"

   "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus."  Is not peace an answer?

Isn't that awesome?  I'm not saying that I wasn't a bit anxious throughout that day, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be (plus, I think I did really good on the test!).  God is so faithful!  He gives peace and strength and whatever else I may need, all the time.  He is so good.

Start considering joining The Voice of the Martyrs on November 13th, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.  To learn more about it you can go here.  I'm posting a video from their website below; I think it's sort of a promotional thing for this day of prayer, to get you started thinking about it.  I thought it was really interesting.

I also wanted to post another little thing from Amy Carmichael (I love Amy Carmichael; she was such an inspiration!).  This one is from A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot.  It's not really inspirational or anything, but it just stilled my soul and made me stop for a moment to pray for those little children around the world that evil people use for harm.

**Just how horrible [what she was saving little girls from] she (Amy) did her best to put into words.  Things as They Are has a picture of a half-naked holy man.  "This photo is from death in life," she writes, "a carcass, moving, breathing, sinning...  I knew something about the man.  His life is simply unthinkable.  Talk of beasts in human shape!  It is slandering good animals to compare bad men to beasts.  Safer far in a tiger's den than that man's monastery.  But he is a temple saint--earthly, sensual, devilish.  Now put beside him a little girl--your own little girl--and leave her there--yes, leave her there in his hand."

Take some time today to lift up to the Lord those helpless, little children and the people who do them harm, as well as the people who work to help them.

* excerpt taken from "Edges of His Ways" by Amy Carmichael, page 193
** excerpt taken from "A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael" by Elisabeth Elliot, pages 170-171

just the fringes

Read about what's behind this video here.  It looks the best if you make it full-screen!

"The departed spirits tremble

Under the waters and their

   inhabitants.

"Naked is Sheol before Him,

And Abaddon has no covering.

"He stretches out the north over

   empty space

And hangs the earth on nothing.

"He wraps up the waters in His

   clouds,

And the cloud does not burst

   under them.

"He obscures the face of the full

   moon

And spreads His cloud over it.

"He has inscribed a circle on the

   surface of the waters

At the boundary of light and

   darkness.

"The pillars of heaven tremble

And are amazed at His rebuke.

"He quieted the sea with His

   power,

And by His understanding He

   shattered Rahab.

"By His breath the heavens are

   cleared;

His hand has pierced the fleeing

   serpent.

"Behold, these are the fringes of His

   ways;

And how faint a word we hear of

   Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can

   understand?"

Job 26:5-14

whisper it to thy saddle-bow

I wanted to share this video I saw on facebook today.  It's so cute!

I have a devotional book by Amy Carmichael that I read every day.  It's called Edges of His Ways.  There's a paragraph or two for each day, or sometimes just a poem that she wrote.  I loved the poem for October 11th, and wanted to share it.

Have I a fear that Thou dost know?

Fear of weakness, fear of failing

(Though Thy power is all-prevailing)

Or a haunting fear of bringing

Care to others?

“Share it not with a weakling

Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,

And ride forth singing.”

Many fears can murmur low:

Fear of ills the future holdeth

(Though, indeed, Thy grace upholdeth),

Dulling fear and fear sharp stinging,

Fear that tortures.

“Share it not with a weakling

Whisper it to thy saddle-bow,

And ride forth singing.”

-- Amy Carmichael

And finally, I found this song by Building 429 the other day, and wanted to share it too.

Everyday's Thanksgiving, Part #25

I'm thankful for:

0481. plenty of time to get ready for my mid-term next Tuesday

0482. and God's wisdom for actually how to study for that mid-term

0483. a good grade on my first English paper

0484. Starbucks lemonade with passion tea--amazing!

0485. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers

0486. a nice substitute teacher for art yesterday

0487. friendly people at work.  This one guy a few days ago was passionately explaining to me why I should be on toothpaste commercials because my teeth are white and straight. :) Braces.  But come, I mean, really?  Would you honestly skip out on buying your Colgate from the toothless old guy in this picture? ;D

0488. reverse rainbows--I saw one a few days ago, and I was really cool!  The green was on the outside, and it progressed inward so that the red was on the inside.

0489. having wood for the fireplace

0490. metal crates

0491. school folders that you can color on

0492. extra credit points

0493. styrofoam

0494. my new blog design!  It's really simple, but I love it.

0495. piano recitals (when I'm not playing in them)

0496. scooters

0497. thrift stores

0498. making lists

0499. jean jackets

0500. streamers

Halfway done!  Thank You, Lord!

Bless the Lord!

I just read this poem, and wanted to share it.

The Scribe

What lovely things

   Thy hand hath made:

The smooth-plumed bird

   In its emerald shade,

The seed of the grass,

   The speck of stone

Which the wayfaring ant

   Stirs—and hastes on!

Though I should sit

   By some tarn in thy hills,

Using its ink

   As the spirit wills

To write of Earth’s wonders,

   Its live, willed things,

Flit would the ages

   On soundless wings

Ere unto Z

   My pen drew nigh;

Leviathan told,

   And the honey-fly:

And still would remain

   My wit to try—

My worn reeds broken,

   The dark tarn dry,

All words forgotten—

   Thou, Lord, and I.

-- Walter De La Mare

Also this incredible song by Matt Redman.  It's so beautiful.

Memory, memory

Tonight was the first meeting for a Bible memorization group at my church.  It was really great!  This group is going to get together once a month to encourage each other in memorizing portions of the Bible.  Our goal is to one day be able to quote the entire New Testament, with each person contributing a part.  Who knows if that goal will ever be realized, but no one can accuse us of dreaming too small!

I've memorized big chunks of Scripture before, but I've slowly lost almost all of it over the past year.  My first goal is to regain all of that, and then continue on to memorize more and more.  It's such a precious tool--to hide God's Word in your heart.  Let's see how far we get!

God is so good!

I know, I know--I have been posting WAY too many videos lately, but I just keep finding more and more that I like!  However, along with the videos, I wanted to give an update on how college life is going!

It's busy!  I have four classes Tuesday and Thursday, and then I also work Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.  Still, it's all going a whole lot better than I expected so far!  I got an A+ on my first psych exam, and 10 extra credit points for my first art paper!  I was thrilled. :-) Otherwise, I had a math exam last Thursday, first English paper due this Tuesday, next psych exam on Thursday, and first art take-home quiz due on Thursday.  Lots going on, but God is so good!  He continues to astound me over and over again with His goodness.  Not to mention He has made it so that I love my classes and feel like I'm learning a ton!

And on to the videos!  The first is this beautiful worship song by Audrey Assad.

Second, I had to share this.  This little boy is just so CUTE! (I feel like I'm using A LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS IN THIS POST!!!!!!!!!) :D