Thoughts on a song...

Sometimes I write.
I definitely am not a writer, but sometimes my thoughts just get themselves through my blood, down my arm, and out of my fingertips. And onto a page...

  This is a meditation taken from my green notebook about the song "By Your Side" by House of Heroes. 

These two lines bring tears to my eyes.

"When you see the face of our Maker."

What a promise...
When, not if.
This means I will see the face of God. It will happen. (Psalm 17:15, 27:8)
This means I won't get lost in death's passage.
This means he will not let me slip through his hands. (John 10:27-29)
I'm his child, he cares about me... he knows me intimately... everything about me.... (Psalm 139)
So then, the promise is a "when" and not an "if". 

"You don't have to be ashamed,

he knows the promises we made."

He forgives.
Another sweet promise. (Titus 1:3)
A gift. (Romans 6:23)
He is the father of the prodigal, running to us when we turn our feet and hearts homeward... (Luke 15)
He tosses our sins as far as the east is from the west. They are pieces of a broken vessel that he tramples underfoot as he runs...crushing them until they are dust. (Colossians 1:13-14, I John 1:9)
They cannot be gathered again. 
They are forgotten, completely and utterly erased. 
No shame found here.
Death cannot hold fear, shame, doubt, or regrets over me. I'm forgiven.
Death is just one more step closer to home. 
Closer to HIM.
For he is real life. (Revelation 22:12, 16-17)

Sunshine for a cloudy day

My camera is getting fixed right now, so I'm contenting myself with looking over the things that

 God allowed me to see this summer. Aren't his gifts good?

  

 

And A While Later....

Hey I'm back!
Over the course of the last few weeks I have:
1. Turned a shocking 20 years (or 2 decades) young!
2. Was in a mime performance at church
3. Drove in a snowstorm for the first time
4. Took my camera to get repaired :(
5. Started a healthy diet (eg. no sugar, corn, potatoes, white flour, or anything fake or processed. The idea is to get back to eating God's food that he called good for us to eat.)
6. Read 6 books
7. Started to be more consistent with bible study and time just to "be" with God. To pour out my heart and innermost feelings and desires before him, so that he can do what he wants with me.
8. Learning to hold life with open hands
9. Started a gratitude journal
10. And I actually got in a paddle boat on a pond! I hate ponds so this was a big thing for me, and I did it!

Imagine Yourself...

"Imagine yourself as a living house...

God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he's doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you know that these jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and doesn't seem to make any sense. What on earth is he up to? 


The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards... 


You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage; but he is building a palace. 


He intends to come and live in it himself."

- C.S Lewis

A Sketch from My Desk

"A little daydream...

Is born at night...

A haunting shadow...

And fury's flight...

A listless landscape...

And a harvest moon...

Lights up the thoughts...

Of the Dragon's gloom."

This picture isn't complete, but I am at a loss of what it yet lacks. 

Please give me your thoughts on this sketch.

And the poem was made up on the spot. 

See now, I do have a writer's corner inside me. ;)

Pear Preserves

One of the yummiest, most delectable, astonishingly good things my mother makes is pear preserves. I get so excited whenever she brings home a big 20 lb. box of pears, because I know exactly what will happen when they are ripe....

First she layers pear slices in a bowl with cinnamon and sugar, and maybe pectin, but don't quote me on that. 

   

Then she lets them sit overnight...

  

Next day they are simmered for hours on the stove. When I come home from work the whole house (including the basement and garage, and the front porch, and maybe even the whole yard) smells like pears and cinnamon. 

Then with Bryan and Emma's assistance she ladles the pears into sterile jars, pops a lid on, and leaves it turned upside-down for a few hours. I got antsy and started making scones. 

Last of all she flips the jars up and we wait for each one to make this delightful little "ping" sound, and then.....

  

We eat it!

The Eye Project

 About 6 months ago I suddenly woke up from a happy, dreamful sleep one night with this thought - 

"If eyes are the window of the soul, then I need to photograph them!"

  

God's word has so much to say about eyes; finding favor in someone's eyes, the Almighty's all-seeing eyes, having haughty eyes, setting good or bad things before your eyes, seeing God's wonders with your eyes, blinded eyes, opened eyes, the list of "eyes" goes on. 

The following verses about eyes are some of my favorites.

"...watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live." Deuteronomy 4:9

Job 19:27

"I myself will see him

with my own eyes - I, and not another.

How my heart yearns within me!"

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8

Psalm 17:8

"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings."

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 19:8

And so one of my "0-dark-hundred" inspirations turned into my EYE Project.

You Know You're a Farmgirl When...

You pull over on county road 21 to take pictures of cows and daydream about your "someday" farm.

Yup, that's what I did on the way home today. 

Sometimes, we just need to stop, breathe God's good air, and take a look around at all the stunning beauty

 in life he gives us. 

Yes, even in the cows. 

Visit here for more farm-girl thoughts!

Tragedy Strikes

How do you react when tragedy strikes?  Tough it up? Brave it out? Melt down? Cry? Burst out in anger? Maybe a bit of it all?

Tragedy struck my family in March when my sister got in a horse riding accident that she is just now recovering from. Tragedy came again on Thursday when that same sweet horse caught her leg in the fence and had to be put down, again devastating my dearest sister. And tragedy struck us again yesterday when we found out that our friends, the Larsons who are living with us got a job in Tennessee and will be moving very soon. Too soon. But isn't that how tragedy is? Always too soon. "If I only had 5 more minutes I could have saved his life." "If only we had known about the cancer a month ago." "If..." Tragedy is always filled with regrets. If I had looked out the window sooner the horse wouldn't have died. 


But, there is a silver-lining in the tragedies of life. We have a good, loving  Father God who redeems everything. Through my sister's injury she has been molded into a more patient, less self-seeking young woman. Through these last few months I've learned a lot about loving people better. Learning to be okay with change and sharing "my space" and roll with the punches. Learning how to stand by other people when they need to lean on you most.

Even more we are praising God for Mr. Larson's job, thanking him for the time we have gotten to spend with our dear friends, and I am even more grateful that it was the horse instead of my sister that had to go home.
Life is short and life is very fragile.

1 Peter1:6-7

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, 

glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

A Small Quote For Today, And Tomorrow, And Forever!

"Some mornings when I wake it's as if life kisses me on the face and says, 'Today live! Rejoice in the day God made!'"

"Rejoice in the Light that guides you home! Rejoice in the Love that put a steady beat in our heart."

Both quotes (believe it or not) I got off of Itunes from songwriter Shawn McDonald.

Be blessed!

The Gospel

This is an awesome short film by the Ludy's ministry that I just watched today! It presents the gospel in a very true and real and passionate way. Please do not only take the time to watch it, but to ponder the gospel message afresh. I found such joy in watching this! It was spiritually riveting to look at the truth of God's real, unending, undying love in a new light. I found it very applicable right now in regards to celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. 

May you, my reader, be blessed!

P.S. You can turn off my music list on the bottom of this page in order to hear the video. 

*Ace Wonder*

Ace Wonder is a soon to be movie, coming out this summer. It is the adventure filled story of a dead grandfather, his son, and his grandson. And did I mention Gator, the aspiring young detective? (or Ace, as he prefers to be called) He seeks to help the grandson, Derek, solve a mystery that his grandfather left him. In the meantime there is a dangerous thief who seeks the treasure that the grandfather left behind. Altogether, the film is a story of redemption between a grandfather, a father, and a son.


I had the opportunity to see a pre-screening of this film and critique it (which, did I mention, is so much FUN!!?!) I had no idea I enjoyed being a critical person. ;) So I will share my very critical thoughts about this movie.


1. Gator does not look like a ten-year-old. He really feels like 12 to me. I also love how witty his character is.
2. Derek might need a haircut ;)
3. Several scenes have a lack of emotion and depth, including the scene of Derek's family at the dinner table and the scene where the fathers talk late at night.
4. Gator's siblings need to change clothes on day #2, and they need to do more when in the background to give a realistic "not-staged" impression to this film.
5. There is a part where the motor home breaks down and the camera lingers on the keys, this confused me as the next scene was of Derek, Gator, and Gator's father fist-fighting with a bum. I thought the bum would steal the motor home.
6. There are some glowing trees and they added an odd "sci-fi" feeling toward the end of the film.
7. I figured out who the villain was almost immediately, which is not fun for me because it make the rest of the film easy to figure out.
8. All the comic strip scenes were great! Those will do very well with some dramatic music to go along with.
9. The redemptive value to this film is easy to find, but not "pushy" and I feel that it won't make viewers dislike the film at all.
10. I got mixed up as to how many siblings Gator had. 


Overall it was really good for a pre-screening, and I had a good feeling about it throughout the film! I heartily enjoyed it and now I know that I might like to be a movie critic when I'm not too busy. ;)