doesn't seem like love.

someone that young

should not have to suffer like

an old man

girls night.

a night of

chocolate food talking sharing laughing walking skipping building friendships pictures downtown burlington lights stars adventuring on the pier massages being encouraged having fun


thank you girls: justine, kira, brittni, amy, mieke, cassy, nadine, julia, sarah, candice

<3

my salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.

psalm 62:7

So true. Where would I be without God? In depression, I'm pretty sure.

Instead, I can soar on eagle's wings. He gives me things that I never expected. Things I need.

Conversations.

Friends.

Communion of the saints.

His Word.

and the list goes on and on...

. . . .


There is way too much truth in the fact that if life wasn't hard, if life happened without struggle or trial, we wouldn't see the beauty in life.
Beauty is hard to see sometimes when you're struggling. But if you didn't struggle and wrestle with things everyday, I don't think you'd see beauty. Ever. It wouldn't be important to you. You would be blind to it.

We still want to be reminded

that the pain is worth the thunder.

Jars of Clay

And when we are reminded of that, we see beauty. Beauty in God. In His love. Mercy. Grace. Compassion. Care. Faithfulness.

I don't pretend to know a lot about beauty, but this is one of many aspects of beauty that I think is true.

As hard as it is to say this sometimes, when we don't even know if we believe it, others remind us through God's Word to us, our hearts and souls can still say...

God is good ALL the time!

not needed right now.

being sick for two days or more causes extra stress (no studying)

crazier than I thought.

So in trying to digest it all, I realized that this weekend was crazier than I thought. So many things happened that I'd forgotten about half of it already!

• dessert and information evening for Amy and Monica's Malawi trip. At which I learned a pile of stuff concerning what they'll be doing while they're there. Also where I led singing with Kim, Anton and Ryan
• Had a short and good talk with a friend
  
• Nadine slept over on Thursday night, which caused the no-sleep business to start...and some interesting conversations to spring forth
  
• ROOTS conference where we did a LW evening-ish
• Drove home and back to Rockwood an extra time because I failed to remember to bring my violin for LW...and had a talk with another friend during the drive
  
• Hung out with LW people and friends on Friday night
• Nadine, Justine and Mieke slept over on Friday night, which caused many hours of sleep to be stolen by many hours of talking and laughing
• Worked on Saturday morning and came home to my family insisting that I sleep before going to back to the conference...while my brothers and sisters and Anton created our costumes for the Royal Dinner: nights in 'shining armor' - aka 'news paper'
• Met new people and talked to old ones
  
• Got to know people better
• Met some of Anton's friends
• Used a whole tank of gas
• Participated in the Lord's Supper, which was a refreshing experience
  
• Played in the Lodder's church with Justine and Anton...woot!
• Hung out with the extended Lodder family
• Didn't get enough sleep
• Was encouraged by numerous amazing Bible passages

No wonder I'm so tired.

Easter Weekend/ROOTS Conference

My body is achy. My body is tired.

My brain can't digest all the stuff that happened this weekend.


But I know it was uplifting.

fake.

You know what I realized today? That there are things...lots of things...I wouldn't know about people if there were no such thing as blogs.

That's sad.


Is blogger making our lives more difficult and fake, or is it helping us?

I can't decide.

pride versus humility

Pride tells me that I am the center of my life and that I can make it on my own, that I don't need to confess my sin to God because I don't have much to confess.

Humility tells me that God is the center of my life and that I have mountains of sin that I need to confess to Him, and by doing so I will be able to grow in my faith and be blessed by God.

1 Peter 5:5-7

Blessing from God will not come if we don't humble ourselves and realize that we need to confess our sin before God. If we don't realize that, we have a form of pride taking over our hearts. And then we will not grow in faith. We will shrink in it.

trust.

Romans 15:13

The NKJV says:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The NIV says:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

: notice these differences :

- believing and trust
- abound and overflow


I once said that believing leads to the act of trusting. Well, according to translators of the Bible, these words mean the same thing.

If you abound in something, say love or joy, it will overflow out of you because you are so filled with it.


And it is by trusting (or believing) that we are able to abound in (or overflow) with hope in God. For everything. In everything. Always.


TRUST. hmm...

Your love, Your mercy, Your light unending!

Here I am humbled by Your majesty

Covered by Your grace so free

Here I am knowing I'm a sinful man

Covered by the blood of the Lamb

- - -

Now I've found the greatest Love of all is mine

Since you laid down Your life

The greatest sacrifice

- - -

Majesty, majesty

Your grace has found me just as I am

Empty handed but alive in Your hands

Majesty, majesty

Forever I am changed by Your love

In the presence of You majesty

- - -

Here I am humbled by the love that You give

Forgiven so that I might forgive

Here I stand knowing that I'm Your desire

Sanctified by glory and fire

- - -

Now I've found the greatest Love of all is mine

Since You laid down Your life

The greatest sacrifice

- - -

Majesty, majesty

Your grace has found me just as I am

Empty handed by alive in Your hands

Majesty, majesty

Forever I am changed by Your love

In the presence of Your majesty

NO PARKING!!!!!

So, I've been trying to think of analogy from the Christian life for this sign for a long time, but I haven't had any brilliant thoughts on it yet. I don't know why I have a facination with this sign...weirdness is the only explanation I offer:) Do you have any analogies to share for this lovely sign?

Great is YOUR faithfulness. Lam. 3

Walking with God is truly awesome.

So why can't it always be clear? Why is the journey sometimes really fuzzy and confusing and tiring? And if God is so awesome and walking with Him such a wonder, why is it sometimes not full of joy, when you know it should be? Why are things so hard to learn and take so long to thump their way into our brains?

Maybe one of the things that makes the Christian pilgrimage so incredible, even when we get discouraged and want to give up, is the fact that there is always so much more to learn. So much more to know. And God just keeps telling us that we don't know everything yet.

Mystery upon mystery slowly unfolding before our eyes. Year upon years of blinders being slowly pulled away until one day we will see clearly and fully.

The majesty of our God.

I say with Paul from Romans 11:33,

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom

and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgements

and His ways past finding out!

woah. Habakkuk 2:20 in song form!

God Himself is with us,

Let us now adore Him,

And with awe appear before Him.

God is in His temple,

All within keep silence,

Prostrate lie with deepest reverence.

Him alone, God we own,

Him our God and Savior,

Praise His name forever.

if the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep.

It's crazy how things can pop up out of no-where, when you're least expecting it.

I once read this:

sometimes that's just how hard rain comes down.

I'd say that is pretty accurate sometimes. But I still stand by my previous post, that pray is always worth it. Prayer gives you peace, and the will to move on. To move on in His strength and power.

battle on the inside.

praying is hard work, but it's worth it.

everytime.

habakkuk 2:20

I have no idea why, but I keep having
this verse go through my head at
random times throughout the day.
It's been happening for a few days now.

It would be nice to find out.

And the weird part is that the pastor

quoted it at the opening of the

worship service last night in church.

But the Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him.

and it still hasn't stopped since it started ten hours ago.

and it's not just coming lazily down. It's coming down with...definate purpose.

. . . . .

some beautiful color before a world of white overcomes us.

Um, where do I put it?

It's up to my waist and the snow banks are caving in on me!

frolicking in the yard:P

a world of white around the corner.

There is something about snow that makes me feel...happy and [insert appropriate word that describes what I can't here].



God, keep the Kentucky group safe as they drive in this storm tonight. Keep them in Your arms.

take a few deep breaths.

take in that fresh air!

I smell spring around the corner. And I am SO looking forward to it. I love snow, but I'm ready for spring warmth and sunshine.

I just went for walk and I realized how out of shape I am. Sitting at my desk all day is bad news. For the body, not the brain:)

What is man that You are mindful of him?

And the son of man that You visit him?

Psalm 8:4

oh the glory that the Lord has made.

me.

a hollow tree. duh:P
a woodpecker!! pretty much made me happy.

hair cut.

I lost about 6 inches of hair today.


It's going to take a while to get used to it. But apparently it needed it because the ends were really dry and wispy, so.....what can you do.




In other news, I had to stay at Cassy's overnight because of the snow/ice/rain/wind storm last night. That was weird. And only because it was too dangerous to drive in such weather with a broken windshield wiper. Thanks for the bed Cassy...second time this week:) I love you.

i like the verse of the day >

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you?

be STRONG and

COURAGEOUS.

Do not be terrified;

do not be discouraged,

for

the Lord your God

WILL

be WITH YOU

wherever

you go.

some observations on friendships:

• friendships are a blessing from God
• you can't have a friendship that works if it's not two-sided (Thanks for pointing that out to me Jacinda.)
• being a true friend takes hard work
• honesty is one key to a good friendship
• friendships are meant to encourage
• being a friend means being there no matter what
• friends share what is on their heart, hurts and joys
• just like there is a winter season, there is a winter in friendships (but spring is around the corner)

stop thinking about yourself!

sometimes you have to realize that even if you don't need someone's friendship anymore, they might still need yours. a lot.

...put others interests before your own....philippians 2

James 5:16a

Confess

your trespasses

to one another,

and
pray

for one another,


that you may be

healed.