So the message of this song is definitely worthy of a story or two. Maybe I’ll do that part tomorrow. 
For tonight, just have a listen. I love it.
A Song For Your Thursday
August 30, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Small Moments
August 28, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
About a year ago I took a job at a little coffee shop about ten minutes from my house. It was a job I only worked at for four months, but during those months, I met some pretty great people.
One of those was a coworker…for some reason we worked together quite a bit, and he would spend a lot of time working on things there while he wasn’t actually on the clock. He’s a believer, passionate about missions, a phenomenal musician…which gave us plenty of good conversation topics. We also had Peru in common, and once we downed almost a whole bottle of Inca Kola between the two of us. (Helllooooo sugar. But GOOD sugar. ;))
You know how some people just shine for Jesus? He’s one of those. It was evident in everything he said, everything he did.
When I stopped working there, I saw him a few times after and once went to a concert he was performing at his church. After that, we kind of lost touch though I’d see a status update here or there on Facebook.
But somehow I missed his big news…until tonight.
He’s heading to Nashville to record. With a Grammy-winning producer.
I am truly so, so happy for him.
Sometimes I smile at the irony of small moments…how someone can be in your life for such a short period of time but leave an impact. He’s like that. And I really can’t wait to see what God is going to do through him.
It’ll be BIG.
Blessings to you, Judah…I’ll be first in line to buy your album.
Dependence
August 22, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Sometimes I forget it’s where I should be, this place of dependence.
Because I get wrapped up in all that surrounds me.
I act as though the blessings around me aren’t fulfilling, aren’t a testimony of His mercy and grace in my life.
As if that free gift, the only thing I ever truly need, isn’t enough for me to feel complete.
Can I be honest with you, friends?
I hate the lies that I, all too often, allow Satan to feed me. What’s worse, I believe them.
When they start to overtake even a tiny corner of my mind, it’s all downhill.
His grip is powerful but not as powerful as my Father’s.
Life, lately, has seemed to be just this…allowing aspects of it to become overshadowed by untruth. Words hurt, lies creep in, and I let my heart get so wrapped up in those other things around me that it no longer belongs completely to my Father. My wholeness is found in the imperfect of this world rather than the perfect Love of Him.
Deep breath…
…because His mercies are new each and every day. He is my Rock. I won’t be shaken. He’ll lift me up and help me to stand. Give overwhelming, all-sufficient grace that is more than enough for each day.
Sometimes I think being dependent in this way is the best place to be.
Because when life is perfect, we somehow forget about the need.
But I? Most certainly need Him.
Father, keep me in the place where I never, ever forget that.
Coffee?
August 13, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Mmmm…caffeine at 10 p.m.
Why, yes, I am.
Honestly, I don’t know how long it will be before I have another cup of coffee. But, let’s be honest, in Mel’s world, even a day or two seems like eons. I’m just guessing that doctors who remove gallbladders don’t really suggest that their patients drink coffee after the procedure.
Man, that stinks.
Somehow…SOMEhow…I’ll survive, I guess.
😉
So, tomorrow’s the big day, and as much as I don’t want to think about it, it’s pretty much impossible to NOT. I’ll admit to you, though, that I’m fighting the strange paradox of being potentially mortified yet slightly entertained at the strong possibility of me talking in my sleep during surgery.
When I had foot surgery in ’00 I spent the entire time talking to the doctor about skiing. He told me he was quite entertained. But I? Was completely embarrassed. And sooooo very thankful I never had to see him again. Well, after the follow-up when I got two cortisone shots in my feet to pour a little more salt into the wound.
Oy…
Does anyone else have a fear of that? I wonder if there’s a name fear of talking in your sleep during surgery?
There should be.
Ok, now that I’ve let that lovely thought re-enter my mind, we’ll move on.
Though I’m not sure to what…
I realize that this has zero to do with me, really, but I think it is utterly ridiculous that kids are going back to school so stinkin’ early. August 13th? (I have friends down South whose kiddos went back LAST Monday. The 6th.)
REALLY?!?!?!
Summer is winding down…it’s always a tiny bit depressing. On the up side, I have another year with my girlie before she heads off to PK…she’s growing up so fast! I’m excited for our year together, though…there will be so much more we can do…trips to the library, parks, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll learn to sit through a coffee date as well!
One can always have a bit of hope.
She was such a cutie today. We had a pretty busy morning with a hair appointment, a Target run, late lunch, and then a nap. (Throw in there that I went to the hospital at 6 a.m. to get my pre-op bloodwork done.) When I woke her up from her nap this afternoon, she recounted the entire day for me, telling me all kinds of details. We had the following conversation:
Me: What did we do today, Mae?
Maelie: Mommy…haircut. I love haircut. Mae-Mae needs a haircut.
Me: Maybe…not yet. And then what did we do?
Maelie: Shopping! At Target!
Me: What did we buy?
Maelie: Um…goldfish. (No, just Cheez-Its, but she thinks all crackers are goldfish. :)) And baby doll!
Me: And then what did we do?
Maelie: I take a nap. Mommy sing. Cover up. (blanket) Larry Boy! (Veggie Tales music)
Seriously, I think she’s brilliant. She doesn’t forget a thing…which, ahem…is not always good. But a good reminder for me that she is always, always watching. Learning. Repeating.
I feel like I blinked and my baby girl grew up.
I know that in sixteen years, I’ll be saying that again. And probably a lot more times in between, too.
I love her…the goofy, jumping-up-and-down-in-her-crib, spirited, fun-loving, a bit crazy but oh-so sweet girl that she is.
I’m so blessed.
And on another random note, I heard this song on KLove today. I loved hearing it on the radio though I found the music video slightly cheesy. However, I have never in my life seen someone look so incredibly UH-dorable while singing and playing the guitar. In clunky shoes. Maybe that’ll be me one day. Hey, I can dream.
Have a listen!
Hopefully I’ll be on the blog for at least a little while tomorrow, but we’ll see how things go. Thanks for your prayers, friends!
Just a Song
July 26, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Nothing deep. Though there IS some truth buried in this song.
Definitely.
Nothing I’ll be singing at church anytime soon, for sure.
Still good.
Just a favorite from my current morning-run playlist.
Don’t laugh. 😉 Just have a listen…it’s one of her best, I think. (And if you haven’t seen the movie, it’s worth your time.)
Jesus, Friend of Sinners
June 21, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
This song has been especially powerful lately…thought I’d share the lyrics with you. (And you can listen if you want. ;))
So. Much. Truth.
Jesus, Friend of Sinners
Casting Crowns
Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth’s become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they’re tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I’m so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
Yeah…
Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who’s writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we’re for only what we’re against when we judge the wounded
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours
You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast
For the leper and the lame; they’re the reason that You came
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
‘Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours
And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast
Yeah…
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet
Wow…kinda speaks for itself. But have a listen if you’d like.
Dry
June 19, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
I woke up insanely early this morning.
Like, before six a.m. early.
Usually I’m able to stuff my head under my pillow and get a few more zzzzzz’s. Sleeping in is not usually a problem for me if I want to. But for some reason, this morning my body was up.
And there was NO going back to sleep.
I showered, got the coffee going, and sat at the computer. I even had half a piece of Mae’s birthday cake in front of me for breakfast. 😉 But instead of doing my usual blog reading and facebook checking and general, online-catching-up, I just sat there and thought…
…about how scattered I feel.
…about how I need a priority shift.
…about how, even more, I need a heart check.
…about how God is so close and, yet, it doesn’t feel that way.
…about how He probably has so much to tell me if I’ll just stop for a minute and listen.
I’ve taken time out lately to do a lot of things…help with VBS, sing on praise teams, play with my daughter, have play dates, go to parks, spend time with friends, drink coffee, blog, plan a birthday party…a lot of things that are necessary and important to life. Really. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the living we get to do. 😉
But WHY, in all of that, have I not carved out the time to spend with my Father?
I went upstairs and dug out my favorite, red-cover Bible. Most often now, I use my Kindle version, but there’s something healing and filling for me when I sit down with a real, tangible Bible and a pen. I read. I marked. I made notes. I wrote myself little reminders in code. Added happy faces when I came across something that made me thankful or just smile. Those are my ways to document how God is speaking and what He’s saying.
And it had been far too long since I’d spent time with my Father in this way.
I don’t share this with you to make you be all, Oooooh, Mel…she’s so wonderful.
I’m not.
Because I know what my heart has been like the past few weeks. I know the thoughts I’ve had. I know the mean things I’ve said. I’m very, very painfully aware of feelings that I may have hurt by not thinking before I spoke.
I know how much I’ve reveled in a life surrounded by others…forgetting to surround myself with my Father.
Those things…friends, church, helping, serving, coffee, play dates…can only fill a person so much. Don’t get me wrong. They’re great. But if I’m relying on them for my complete satisfaction, I’ve completely missed the point.
I recently had Psalm 63:7 stitched onto a key fob. In the past year, I’ve considered it my verse…I have a lot of them but this one has really special meaning. I almost feel like God wrote it just for ME.
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for JOY. (Psalm 63:7 ESV)
I hopped over to the chapter to re-read the context surrounding it, and I was amazed that it was exactly where I am right now. David is writing from the wilderness, and he just talks about how dry he feels and how he longs to be filled in only a way that God can fill. And, not only does he long for that, he trusts that God will give what he needs.
And while he’s doing the waiting and the trusting? He’s got his hands lifted up, giving all the praise to God.
WOW…what a poignant reminder for me this morning. I hate how I let myself get to the point of utter exhaustion and emptiness before I run to Him in desperation. I want to be the kind of person who will keep my hands lifted to Him on the good days and the bad, trusting that He will give because He’s promised He will.
Still (Part 1)
June 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
I’m gonna do something a bit different tonight.
I’ve had several nights of deep(er) writing, and though I have lots of thoughts for tonight, I’m going to break them up a little and finish tomorrow.
For tonight, I’m going to share a song. I was singing it to myself earlier today, and then I remembered it was one of the songs we sang our first Sunday visiting what would become our church.
As I thought about the words to it, it took on a deeper meaning and puts into words so well the story of my life the last two years. And I love it that, in a way, this song was the beginning of a wonderful chapter in our lives.
So here it is…and I’ll be back tomorrow.
