Duos Cancion

These selections are totally different from each other, but are two recent favorites & worth sharing. The parents are also currently enjoying the first. Just last night Dad really connected with it in what he said turned out to be a momentous night of being close to God. 

Mercy Me, Word of God Speak

lyrics listen  

Emily Jane White, Time on Your Side

small disclaimer: If you come across something odd or weird related to this 

indie artist, even other songs of hers, as of this posting, my knowledge extends no further than having enjoyed this particular song. I'm not really understanding the design of the album cover artwork.

lyrics personal site 

Note: itunes can give away some really icky free songs, but also some great ones. Time on Your Side was the latter in my opinion.

Completion

The week of the paper has gone. I survived. 

It's looooong. 

Alot of people have trouble writing enough words to meet a requirement. I deal with the opposite--writing too many--and it truly isn't any better of a situation. It's not a masterpiece and I could definitely use a teacher's help in proofing it sometime. I like it though and am thankful for the grace I can see poured out over every page written.

Race and the Gospel

A Favorite Blog- Go Read It!

Some recent posts:

• On the topic of evangelism. 
  
• This post down to the very scriptures fits right in with who and where I have been for the past months and still am, I think. 
  

photo credit The Rebelution & Forthright Fixation

Chinese Rice. The Kennedys & One Precious 'I love You'

I had a slight skip in my walk and I was humming around the kitchen from the refrigerator to counter to the other counter space. Rice left over from chinese takeout two night ago went right into the microwave, set for 1 minute. Thoughts during the above procession included calculating how much of my first draft I had left to type out, how many hours it would take me, whether I might be able to go to softball practice and oh, ya, how am I going to fit in the math test I have to take? Amazing how rapidly the brain travels from one thing to the next. I peered around the cabinets and through the window of the kitchen and back room- hey it's spring out there! I could see that irresistable sunshine that I knew I had to resist. Soon enough... summer.

I remembered a friend recently remembering how in elementary school she would be finished with schoolwork at 11am and go "trampling" and exploring outside all day. "It was like two and a half years of vacation." Hmm. Ya, those years were great for me too- all the field trips, we went everywhere. All the art projects- art was transcendent throughout every other subject. Oh those projects where we painted to classical music... The littlest came out of the bedroom and with that same skip in his step I had moments before, came into the kitchen. "Hey, did you guys buy that outfit (new swimming trunks and a surf shirt) yesterday?" I got a huge hug and heard, "I love you. I love you so much." 

The moment passed. The microwave had gone off in the midst of it and so I got out my rice and headed back to my laptop and paper on the Kennedy family. 

Homeschooling's my thing. And all the why in the world is in this story.

Delay no Longer

Every blossoming flower warns you that it is time to seek the Lord; be not out of tune with nature, but let your heart bud and bloom with holy desires. Do you tell me that the warm blood of youth leaps in your veins? I entreat you, give your vigour to the Lord. It was my unspeakable happiness to be called in early youth, and I could fain praise the Lord every day for it. Salvation is priceless... but oh! an early salvation has a double value in it. Young men and maidens, since you may perish ere you reach your prime, "It is time to seek the Lord." ...Let me entreat and implore you to delay no longer. "It is time to seek the Lord." ...Slight not that work, it may be your last call from destruction, the final syllable from your lips.

- Charles Spurgeon 

Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness upon you. 

-Hosea 10:12

Amy Carmichael on Prayer

The following is taken from Amy Carmichael: A Life Abandoned to God.

1. Don't get into bondage about place, or position of the body... sometimes, at least, [Our Lord] went into the open air to a hillside; to a garden... I have known some who could kneel hours by a chair, some walking up and down. Some go into their rooms and shut the door... Let the leaning of your mind lead you, a God-directed mind leans to what helps the spirit most. 
2. Don't be discouraged if at first you seem to get nowhwere... no command in the Bible [is] so difficult as to obey and so penetrating in power... [as] "Be still and know that I am God." Many have found this so... 
3. Dont feel it is necessary to pray all the time; listen... and read the Words of Life. Let them enter into you.
4. Dont forget there is one other person interested in you-- extremely interested... there is no truer word than the old couplet: Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. 
5. Dont give up in despair if no thoughts and no words come, but only distractions and inward confusions. Often it helps to use the words of others...Psalm, hymn, song-- use what helps most.
6. Dont worry if you fall asleep. "He giveth unto His beloved in sleep."
7. And if the day ends in what seems failure, don't fret. Tell Him you're sorry. Even so, don't be discouraged. All discouragement is of the devil.

• We don't need to explain to our Father things that are known to Him.
• We don't need to press Him, as if we had to deal with an unwilling God.
• We don't need to suggest to Him what to do, for he Himself knows what to do.

"She noted 'the gates of access into the Father's presence are open continually. There is no need to push-- perhaps 'trying to pray' is sometimes a sort of pushing."

"There are many in our family who come to prayer meetings because it is the custom to do so, but who are not urged by a great desire. It is the lack of prayer-hunger that often makes a big united meeting difficult."

Do I have a "hunger" to pray? 

To come together with others to pray?

There were two separate instances in the book that stood out on pages near the above instructions of time set apart for prayer: "For two hours they prayed and sang--two minutes it seemed to Amy-- before a messenger came to tell them the result of the operation. ...The council requested three solid hours of prayer [for Amy's health to improve] by the Fellowship."

"Have we any prayer like 'use me, O Lord' in the Bible?... [No] I could not find any such prayer...[I] find every other verb occurring in prayer-- teach me, lead me, bless me, and so on-- but not this verb which we would naturally expect... The Captain will use the soldier if he be prepared for use; words of beseeching on the soldier's part are not required..."

This Post Should Have a Picture In it But Doesnt

I missed an amazing, and I mean amazing sunset a few nights ago. Didn't see a hint of it. And our yard has such a perfect view too. Thinking about it now sorta made me sad... Am I missing other things? Maybe I'm just seeing different events with a different perspective and not actually missing out.

Spring came so fast. I was completely unprepared for Easter. I heard that it came "as early as possible" this year though and that was a comfort- there was actually science behind my feeling behind.

I'm mentally gearing up for this week and seriously need to stop talking about it and just do what I need to do. I've gotten myself in a schoolwork hole (more like canyon but looking on the bright side never hurt anyone) and it's either climb out or, well, climb out. The consequences seem too big, mean and bad right now to spend any more than 10 seconds thinking about them. Inconceivable. 

AHHHHHH!

This too shall pass. This week will soon be over. 

May 9th will soon be history. hah. bad pun, not on purpose. May 9th is the APUSH exam day.

 It's getting there that's gonna be interesting. I know it'll all be over before I know it, but how is getting there gonna look? What is life if its not interesting though?

But I am so frequently looking towards the end of an assignment, the end of school, the end of this so that can start. And I dislike so much what that does to all the process, the middle, the good stuff. 

Joy in the Morning

I spent an entire hour in bed this morning. I ended up getting out of bed an hour later than I was supposed to because of it, something which as I type it I am thinking "gee way to go girl you once again failed to get up at the time you were supposed to!" BUT this morning seemed different. I was okay with laying in bed later because I was happy.

I laid with two warm blankets keeping me warm and several stuffies keeping me company. I happen to have much affection for all those items; they've been with me for years. I wandered in and out of dreams. All I can remember is that they were seemingly pleasant. My alarm, which I also have affection for, despite its purpose of which my opinion wavers, went off abruptly several times. It has the coolest snooze button basically ever, or at least that I've ever had. My dad noticed it happily resting on my nightstand once, adding general flair to my room and noted, "that thing is ancient." I like old clocks... they seem to have stood the test of time.

 *clears throat from making a pretty sad little joke*

I woke up and felt springy! Not exactly as in the season, but as in a metal coiled object. The littlest guy was camped out on my floor. There were books stacked around my nightstand creating what seemed to be some sort of fortress or defense system, protection from what I dont know. A big pile of clothes is stuffed in the corner. My beanbag is covered with the hangers that should be on the clothes. You cant see the top surface of my green dresser. My camera bag is right by the door. But as I went off down the hallway to brush my teeth I didnt see any of it, well, I didnt pay attention. I was feelin' good. When I saw my mom I grinned, teal braces & all. "Happy this morning?" was the reply.

I told myself yesterday that today I wasnt getting on my computer until I had to. Uh, that didnt happen. That's right up there with the not getting out of bed deal... Ah hah! Charlie. I watched a couple other baby videos. Laughter's good stuff.

Yesterday I had been eating dinner and watching of all things, Anastasia. I never saw the movie while I was a kid 'cause of the spooky, green parts which I still ffwd. The movie was over, I thought, and I went to unload the dishwasher. The middle little brother continued to watch the last few minutes and all of the sudden I heard him laughing incredibly hard, something I wish he did more of. 

Now that this blog post is mostly done though I think I'll wait to publish it, and its 10:21 AM I have schoolwork to do. When I sat down and opened my laptop about an hour ago, I prayed that my happiness and joy would stem from Christ, not my circumstances. Maybe I'm just working up this feeling of being uplifted and it'll fade away as soon as I start reading about the Kennedy family and planning my paper due next week. But oh Lord, please make or continue to sustain my joy in being true and based upon Your work of salvation and continued glorious involvement in my everyday.

Psalm 30

Psalm 51