rain, rain, please stay.

...and come again another day.

i enjoy this. i love that we have to be at home (or, in this case, parent's home) and play games, fortunately for us still holding onto the power people - watch movies, and just not have the option or obligation to get in the car and drive somewhere. times like this remind me of how important it is that my soul finds rest in God alone, because, at least for us, a "restful" (seems odd to say during a hurricane...) time like this is so rare. i am grateful that Jesus can bring peace to my soul during a hurricane, during the quietness of a safe house amidst the hurricane, and during the hustle and bustle of normal, sun, school, and social filled life.

i hope you all are safe, dry, and not too wind blown. enjoy the "quiet."

the eyes of my heart enlightened.

I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction,
out of the miry clay;
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear, And will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
Psalm 40:1-4

How sweet is the "new song" in my mouth recently.

For me, college has been a time of great wonder, joy, and excitement. It has also been a time of great searching, confusion, and, at times, the lowest points of my life thus far. I have struggled with Who God is, struggled with struggling with Who God is, and struggled with trying to read, pray, and talk through struggling with Who God is. I can't say I have always been patient in the struggle, as the verses above can claim, but I can say I have had a Jesus Who has refused to let me go and, for some reason, has chosen this past week to...as words pitifully attempt to describe...burst through several clouds in my mind this past week.

There really is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Really.
My attempts to "be like Jesus" are exceptionally futile if I am not relying fully on the power of Christ.
The Bible is a story about God - and when I am enabled to view it that way....freedom.
(I have said all of these things before and I can't really explain how true and real they are now resonating inside me. I think something has transferred from my head to my heart....)

"I tried and tried to rectify my hopeless situation,
but I bought the lie I still have work to do.
Now I'm working nine to five like I can earn my own salvation,
but there is no condemnation in You.

...child, you're forgiven and loved."
- Jimmy Needham

OH! I am forgiven and loved. How many times have these words emerged from my mouth? How many times have a prayed with a minuscule dab of faith that maybe they could be true for me? Now I know.

Yesterday, I had lunch with a dear friend, who has experienced many of the same sweet characteristics of the Lord as well. We were able to truly rejoice in His goodness and find awe in the fact that the most, if anything, we ever really did was beg Him to draw near and rebuild whatever needed rebuilding. He cannot help but be faithful.

I pray you read this post for what it is. For joy and grace and the ever constant work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the hearts of His people, and even in those yet to be His. I pray you read this and see the greatness of Christ and are encouraged in your faith that He is always there, He really is always there. He is nothing like us, but we are a little like Him - and we can grow in that likeness every day by His mercy alone. Really, alone, you can not do it. Draw near to the presence of the Lord - He will draw near to you in His own sweet timing and purpose. I can promise you - I have tasted and seen and now I crave with all that I am..

a helpful hint as school begins.

my dear friend lindsay let me know about a website that you can rent your textbooks from at a very reduced price and simply return them at the end of the semester. and! whenever you rent a book, they plant a tree in a foreign country - mine is in guatemala :). so, there's a neat way to save some money and be green i suppose. enjoy your sunday.

hoping for what i do not see.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace - Romans 8:5-6.

two summers ago, while working at pine cove, i memorized romans 8 for a few reasons, one of them so that i could "set my mind on the things of the...Spirit" while living in a very constant, busy environment. i reread this chapter for the first time in a while this morning, and it brought so many truths to mind. i encourage you to read it and see what you are taught or reminded of once more. i am reminded so often, though perhaps not often enough, through scripture of who i am in Christ Jesus - today, a conquerer of my mind by the grace of God.

a little more substance.

so, today i started my job at Tricia Barksdale Designs and just love it to pieces. i processed a box of flowers she is using for a wedding this weekend...removed the leaves, cut the stems, etc. sounds boring probably but it really was anything other than boring. i spent 3.5 hours doing that and talking and learning flower names and how to take care of them and it was just so peachy. i hope i keep enjoying it this much and learning this much! its such a blessing to get to work somewhere that i enjoy.

i got some books yesterday! the shack, vintage Jesus, and an anthology kind of book with C.S. Lewis' 7 most read books. i'm really excited about all of them. i know the shack is controversial and i understand why, but i want to read it before i have an opinion about it, and i think sometimes its okay to read something and glean from it the goodness and leave the rest behind. we'll see :).

also (i'm about to go mega-wife here) i'm in the market for some new recipes. you know those times when food just seems boring? i'm in one of them. any good (not too complicated) ideas?