E'en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come

In Ensemble (the choir here at Emmaus) we have been practicing a very nice song- I have enjoyed the lyrics as they are very uplifting!

E'en So Lord Jesus, Quickly Come Paul Manz, text adapted by Ruth Manz

Peace be to you and grace from Him
Who freed us from our sins,
Who loved us all and shed His blood
That we might saved be.

Sing holy, holy to our Lord,
The Lord, Almighty God,
Who was and is and is to come;
Sing holy, holy, Lord!

Rejoice in heaven, all ye that dwell therein,
Rejoice on earth, ye saints below,
For Christ is coming, is coming soon,
For Christ is coming soon!

E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come,
And night shall be no more;
They need no light nor lamp nor sun,
For Christ will be their All!

Life- who is in control?

Here lately I have been woken up to the fact that human beings- no matter how hard we try- are not in control of life and death. With all of modern medicine we can not sometimes prevent death and can never create life. Last week one of my friends had a serious miscarriage- loosing her baby and almost loosing her own life.

I was thinking about the loss of life and the mourning parents left behind and I admit that I was trying to figure out why God would let this baby die. What had he or she done to deserve death? During all of this I was trying to plan my Sunday school lesson for the next day. I had decided on the story of Jesus raising Lazarus because I had a good craft and story telling method already.

I don't know how much my class learned but I sure got a good reminder of Who was in charge of life...

If you remember Lazarus's sisters also had questions such as mine. They both tearfully told Jesus when He finally showed up 4 days after their brother had been buried -"Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." (John 11:32) Also some of the mourners said "Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (John 11:37) How often have we also thought this when someone we loved dies? I know I have- just about every time too... But bringing me back to my main point- these people knew who was in charge of life and death. God is. And God has a plan- just as in this story- He was in the end glorified.

Am I willing to accept that God is glorified in His plans? Are you? It seems so hard to fathom that a loving God would be glorified in a un-born baby's death... But I have since learned that after an autopsy was preformed on the baby, they learned that the baby had a genetic disorder- one that normally causes severe deformities, learning disorders, and early death- if the baby lives at all. Perhaps God is glorified in saving this child from a life of ridicule and pain... Perhaps God could be glorified in the parents waking up to the fact that there is a loving God that wants to carry their burdens and pain if only they would allow Him in... I may never know how God is glorified in this but I do know that He IS glorified...

Firework Frame of Mind?

Hello y'all! I just got back from watching 4th of July fireworks and I got to thinking.... Fireworks are really pretty right? Well for a few seconds anyway- if you blink you miss them. I realized this as I was trying to do some night photography and most of the time my shutter speed was just too slow to catch the splendor of the fireworks. I got to wondering though- just how often is my life like that? I mean- y'all have all been there before I'm sure- the summer camp high when you come back from a week of camp or something and you are So excited and pumped to live for Christ. But then- in a blink of an eye- in a week or so that excitement fades when life "gets in the way" of your walk with the Lord and you forget all of your well intended resolutions. I am so thankful that God isn't like that. He is always the same awesome, never changing God. I think of Him like a light bulb- steady and unwavering. Something that draws us naturally towards Himself. Except unlike a moth and a light bulb- drawing near to God only helps us become better human beings. So then why does my life seem to look like a firework show? Yes- it is beautiful sometimes- though very rarely I fear. But it is a lot like the 4th of July- one day out of a year it shines beautifully- and the rest.....well I hate to admit what the rest looks like. I want to be a light bulb- perhaps not as spectacular- but useful and always burning bright for my God.

Music...the calmer of my soul

It never ceases to amaze me how that I can think I have the corner of the market on a problem or situation and I stumble across (or more likely the Lord makes me trip on) a song that spells out how I feel completely! Anyway...the Lord has struck again.... Here is Barlow Girls' "Never Alone"

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
No no.
I needed you today
So where did you go?
You told me to call
Said you'd be there
And though I haven't seen you
Are you still there?

Chorus
I cried out with no reply
And I can't feel you by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

And though I cannot see you
And I can't explain why
Such a deep reassurance
You've placed in my life.
We cannot separate
'Cause you're part of me.
And though you're invisible
I'll trust the unseen.

Chorus

More pics.... :D

Jeremy and I



My mom and I


Jeremy (my bro.)

New Portraits

Glory- almost 4



My folks.....




Levi- 20 months

Early morning/midnight sleeplessness...

I have been thinking a lot lately about just why I want to teach.... I have a paper due in August on this topic for part of my application into the Elementary Education program at Emmaus. Anyway as I was playing with Glory earlier today I started thinking about it some more. We were playing playdough and I casually threw in a lesson on fractions teaching her 1/2's and 1/4's. She loved it and had no idea that we were doing math... This is why I want to teach- children are like little dry sponges, soaking up every little bit of knowledge that you send their way.

But saying that- why do most children hate school by time they are in upper elementary school? I remember when school became a drudgery for me- and I hadn't been in it that long... So is the problem our teachers? Or our children? Or our parents? Why are some of our children graduating from High school and not able to hold down a steady job or even read or do simple math? And does the National Government have too much control of what goes on in the classroom? Why can't learning be fun anymore? What happens to the child to make them hate going to school- when they loved learning as pre-schoolers? Is there a magic answer to all of these questions? I know people have been striving towards the best means of educating their children ever since education began but why have we gone downhill instead of bettering ourselves? I don't know...

Well y'all now know what fills my head at 3am and causes me not to be able to sleep.... so now that its all here on my screen it will have left my brain and perhaps I will be able to sleep....?