Monday, March 31, 2008

Things that make me smile this Monday

My mood has resembled the weather lately (gloomy)...but I have much to be grateful for. An assorted (but not all-inclusive) sampling:

  1. I don't often blog about church stuff here. However. We had a great kickoff to our church's series (Recycled) yesterday. I get really excited about the idea that the same power that brought Jesus back from the dead can work to put people's lives back together (Romans 8). We started a blog for people to share their Recycled stories throughout the series - and I'm already encouraged to hear stories from people in our church who have experienced God's transforming power in their lives. Amazing.
  2. Josh was mentioning that I should blog about him more. I am always grateful for him....but today, I have to say I'm thankful for how he loves my family. Yesterday my grandparents came to see his school's production of The Wizard of Oz. He found seats for them early (so Granny could sit down) and took great care of them. My grandparents also may like him more than they like me. He can sing the French national anthem with Granny and play Rhapsody in Blue for Gramps. How can I compete with that??
    (Oh, and since today is opening day, Go Cubbies! This is our year!)
  3. I had some really fun horn lessons tonight. I've taught lessons for a long time now, and sometimes it's fun - sometimes it's work. All of my students tonight were really excited about playing - and they're doing really well. My 4th grade student made me a picture (it says "I :heart: french horn" with a picture of a horn. My 8th grade student brought me Starbucks. Horn lessons rock!
  4. I am in need of new music (which is really just an ongoing need in my life). Fortunately tonight, I just found a Jon Foreman (of Switchfoot fame) EP, Spring...and I really like it. Any other springtime music recommendations for me?

Friday, March 28, 2008

Letters

Dear Comcast,

I am not a customer of yours, and yet you are messing with me. Why? You bought out Insight; congratulations. However, now 80% of my email contacts are changing their addresses. I receive an estimated 4.7 emails every day from people changing their address. It's most definitely NOT comcastic.

Signed,
My More-Full-than-Normal Inbox


Dear Reeses,

You know how much I love the peanut butter and chocolate combination. Every fall I am excited when I see the peanut butter pumpkins appear in my local Walgreens aisles. The yummy treats have a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio than your average cup and are basically heavenly. (Scientific analysis is available here.) In the months that follow I can find Reese's trees, Reese's hearts, and Reese's eggs. However, now that all of the candy holidays have passed, I am left with a Reese's shaped hole in my life. It's no wonder the church calendar calls this "ordinary time." I'm left wandering the Walgreens aisles alone and wanting to petition for Reese's flowers, Reese's flags...SOMETHING for the months of May through August. My waist-line thanks you for the break, but my heart will always be true to you.

See You in September,
Weight Watcher in Withdrawl

Thursday, March 20, 2008

from this morning's hours...

I'm not super-disciplined in praying the hours - but I wanted to make a point of trying more during Holy Week. This morning's was pretty amazing...here are some selections and thoughts...

Maundy Thursday - The Morning Office

The Refrain
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me.

This Psalm is one that reminds me of how God's people throughout thousands of years have made telling the important stories a high priority - and it reminds me of what we do during Holy Week as Christians.

The Morning Psalm
Hear my teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, and the wonderful works he has done.
He gave his decrees to Jacob and established a law for Israel, which he commanded them to teach their children;
That the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
So that they might put their trust in God, and not forget the deeds of God, but keep his commandments;
And not be like their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, and whose apirit was not faithful to God.
Psalm 78:1-8

The Refrain
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me.

I don't know if Jesus prayed the Lord's Prayer with his disciples in the upper room or when he was praying in the garden - but in that context, the words from that prayer are striking.

The Lord's Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name.
May your kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;
for yours are the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.

The Refrain
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You trust in God, trust also in me.

The Prayer Appointed for the Week
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that I, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

may i never lose the wonder

Found this song today - and it's kicking my butt. (I downloaded 2 versions - both are good. One's from an album by Bethany Dillon and Matt Hammitt; I ordered the album - and may do a review when it comes. The other's by the author, Vicky Beeching.)

It is so so so easy to get familiar with the story of Christ and treat it casually. I didn't intend to post song lyrics 2 days in a row, but this is SO my prayer today (except it's more articulate than I could be).

O precious sight, my Savior stands,
Dying for me with outstretched hands.
O precious sight, I love to gaze,
Remembering salvation’s day,
Remembering salvation’s day.
Though my eyes linger on this scene,
May passing time and years not steal
The power with which it impacts me,
The freshness of its mystery,
The freshness of its mystery.

May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.

Behold the God-man crucified,
The perfect sinless sacrifice.
As blood ran down those nails and wood,
History was split in two, yes,
History was split in two.

Behold the empty wooden tree,
His body gone, alive and free.
We sing with everlasting joy,
For sin and death have been destroyed, yes,
Sin and death have been destroyed.

May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.

May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost,
Undone by mercy and left speechless,
Watching wide eyed at the cost.
May I never lose the wonder,
The wonder of the cross.
- Vicky Beeching

Monday, March 17, 2008

write me into your story

It's Holy Week (aka the week leading up to Easter) - and I want to try to walk through this week with an active awareness of Christ's final week on earth. I didn't do much with the church calendar growing up...and so I have been rather interested in it over the past few years. While there are some seasons in the church year that are somewhat manufactured (though still valuable), remembering Holy Week seems to be the oldest and most important of Christian calendar traditions.

Seeing life as an interaction between God's Story and my story is a powerful idea to me.

Jesus
They say You walked upon the water once
When you lived as all men do
Please teach me how to walk the way You did
Because I want to walk with You

Jesus
They say you taught a lame man how to dance
When he had never stood without a crutch
Well, here am I Lord, holding out my withered hands
And I'm just waiting to be touched

Jesus
Write me into Your story
Whisper it to me
And let me know I'm Yours

Jesus
They say You spoke and calmed an angry wave
That was tossed across a stormy sea
Please teach me how to listen, how to obey
'Cause there's a storm inside of me

Jesus
Write me into Your story
Whisper it to me
And let me know I'm Yours

Jesus
They drove the cold nails through Your tired hands
And rolled a stone to seal Your grave
Feels like the devil's rolled a stone onto my heart
Can You roll that stone away?
-Rich Mullins