Posted on Sep 27, 2008 under General |
This is the title of a song I hear pretty regularly on the local Christian radio station and often get the tune stuck in my head. But Thursday afternoon on my drive home from work I actually paid attention to the words. And yes I know in a previous post I was sort of putting down contemporary Christian songs because they are often very egocentric, but I must admit this one really got me thinking.
“Hurricane” by Jimmy Needham
I have built a city here
Half with pride and half with fear
Just wanted a safer place to hide
I don’t want to be safe tonight
CHORUS
I need You like a hurricane
Thunder crashing, wind and rain
To tear my walls down
I’m only Yours now
I need you like a burning flame
A wild fire untamed
To burn these walls down
I’m only Yours now
I’m only Yours now
I am Yours and You are mine
You know far better than I
And if destruction’s what I need
Then I’ll receive it Lord from Thee
Yes, I’ll receive it Lord from Thee
(Chorus)
And it’s Your eye in the storm
Watching over me
And it’s Your eye in the storm
Wanting only good for me
And if You are the war
Let me be the casualty
‘Til I’m Yours alone
I am only Yours
I am Yours alone, Lord
(Chorus)
Come be my hurricane
When I really took a minute to stop and think about these lyrics I was stunned thinking that’s a pretty bold statement to make. Basically asking God to come do with my life as You please; send your burning fire and storms of life to tear down my walls. I think way too often we sing songs in church or maybe pray using words like “Thy will be done”. And we don’t really think about the implications of those words. We are asking God to do whatever it takes to purify us and make us holy, and those things don’t come without a price to pay. If I’m being completely honest- a lot of times when I pray those words about asking for His will to be done in my life I secretly mean “please let things go my way today, and then I can attribute my happiness to You.” But the Christian walk does not promise happiness. The Bible says that we will endure trials during this life. The question is will we rely on God to get us through those times?
Right now this is my prayer ~ sort of taken from an old hymn~ When through fiery trials my pathway shall lie, Thy grace all sufficient shall by my supply.
I think this semester especially God has been teaching me how to be totally dependent on His grace to get me through each minute. And even though it is a scary thought to ask for things like a hurricane to come tear down my defenses…I know that God will be there to do the rebuilding.
Posted on Sep 20, 2008 under General |
I can feel it! Especially today, which was a beautiful day weather wise here in Alabama. It is so nice to go for walks with Maggie now and not be drenched in sweat by the end of it. It actually makes me want to stay out longer when it’s so nice and cool. Fall, in case you didn’t know, is my absolute favorite season! I love the break in the dreadful summer heat, cool, crisp mornings, leaves changing into an array of oranges and reds, shopping for school supplies, wearing sweaters again, and now football season. All of this makes me think of a scene from the movie “You’ve Got Mail” where they are talking about autumn in NYC and Meg Ryan tells Tom Hanks in an email that she would love to send him a boquet of freshly sharpened pencils, hehe. That’s the way I feel. I know that Spring is usually the season that makes everyone think of new life and new beginnings, but for me it is the opposite and I view Fall that way.
We’ve got a lot to look forward to in the next month or so. A few fun church activities with our group, a scenic drive to Cheaha State Park w/Maggie, going to Knoxville for the Tennessee/Alabama game, and our GA friends coming to visit at the end of October! I can’t wait, I just want to savor every moment.
Well I’m about to go savor some chocolate chip cookies with Kevin =) Until next time…
Posted on Sep 11, 2008 under Childhood |
I haven’t posted anything in a while because nothing exciting has been happening and work is wearing me out. But since today is September 11th it has brought back all kinds of memories for me and caused me to reflect on a lot of things. It seems that every generation has that one big historical event (sometimes good, sometimes bad) that you will remember for the rest of your life. Things like: man’s first walk on the moon, when JFK was assassinated, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech, etc. These are the kinds of events that everyone who witnessed them can recall vividly what they were doing when they heard the news.
For my generation it was September 11th, 2001. I can picture exactly what was going on when I heard about the terrorist attack.
It was my junior year of high school. Some time after 9:00 a.m. I was sitting in AP history class with Mr. Griffith (who we called “Griff”). He was a beloved teacher, known for his funny stories and witty remarks. But that was the problem- no one ever took him too seriously because he was constantly joking and being sarcastic. So when we walked into the classroom and he announced that the World Trade Center had just been hit by a group of terrorists on a plane and that one of the towers had collapsed completely, we didn’t believe him. For a few seconds some of us laughed as if this was just another one of his crazy stories. But as Griff continued to talk about it we realized his solemn face was not breaking out into that old silly smile. He was dead serious. Pretty much nothing else happened the rest of the school day. It was very surreal. All anyone did was walk around the building speaking in hushed tones. We mostly gathered in different classrooms to watch the live news coverage. I remember seeing the twin towers collapse in disbelief, thinking it looked more like a scene from a movie. I think school might have let out early that day because I remember my mom coming to pick me up since all the after school stuff was canceled. I know my family members were all relieved to hear that my oldest brother, who lived and worked in the D.C. area at that time, was okay. The rest of the day was kind of a blur, but I can recall a conversation I had with a friend that evening…and it felt like a scene from the movie Armageddon where the characters are talking about how this might be the end of the world. I didn’t really think the world was ending that day, but it was a similar feeling.
I can’t say that anything good came from that tragic day, but at the very least it caused me to reflect on my priorities in life. And whenever I think about that event it causes me to question, what if this really were my last day on earth? How would I live differently?
Do you have a story to share about Sept. 11th? Feel free to comment on the post and tell me about it.
Posted on Sep 01, 2008 under Football |
A long lazy weekend at the Brown Thumbs’
Well we have thoroughly been enjoying our labor day weekend- not doing a whole lot besides sleeping, housework, and watching football. Yesterday Kevin and I did venture out to pull weeds in the backyard. And let me just say the more I pull the more they seem to grow! We also got up this morning to keep updated on Hurricane Gustav. It will not be affecting our area with any rain. However, we are hosting about 70 evacuees from the NOLA area at our church. Hopefully everything will be okay and they can return home soon.
And now for the most exciting part of the weekend, football season has officially begun! If you have read my earlier posts you know this is really the first year I have actually gotten into it. I’m quite surprised it didn’t happen sooner considering that football is like a religion in the south. Anyways Tennessee plays their first game against UCLA tonight so we are geared up and ready to go~
My fun TN earrings~
Even Maggie is ready! Take a look at the white “T” on her chest. That’s why we chose her, it was fate 
Here are some cute pictures from last night. Maggie and Kevin were snoozing on the couch. She was definitely snoring louder.
My Ode to Chick-fil-A
I have always loved Chick-fil-A but I am bringing this up now because we just got back from eating there. To kick off the season they were having a promotion today that if you showed up wearing any team logo you could get a free 3-pack of their new chicken strips. Combine that with our coupons for waffle fries with the purchase of a drink and we got our 2 big meals for about $3 total! The atmosphere in there was crazy and fun. Lots of teams were represented standing in line. Of course the major ones were Alabama and Auburn. A few people told us we were brave to come out in public wearing orange. But it was so funny hearing all the football conversations around us.
So, reasons why I love Chick-fil-A:
Reason #1. Well for starters they are a great Christian run company (hence why they are closed on Sundays). They do a lot of great things for the community. For example since Kevin went to Berry College, which has strong ties to the company, we found out about the WinShape retreat center. They have lots of camps and scholarship programs for students. They also host retreats like the one Kevin and I attended called “Prepare to Last”, a pre-marital counseling type weekend. Our dear friends Kevin and Anna paid for us to go there as our wedding gift. It was one of the best presents we got! Not only did we learn a lot and grow as a couple but we were pampered and surrounded by beautiful nature.
Reason #2. Unlike other fast food chains that give out useless plastic toys in their kids’ meals, Chick-fil-A gives out quality educational stuff. Now granted when I was little I did collect a lot of wind-up toys from McDonald’s happy meals and enjoyed them. But today instead of movie characters and such the toys are things like American Idol action figures and things not really suited for kids. Some time in the last month I got a kids’ meal from Chick-fil-A (yes I know I’m 23, but hey it was just the right amount of food and cheap!). It included a small book called Dooby Dooby Moo, written by Doreen Cronin. This name might mean nothing to you but she has written several best selling children’s books that are hilarious. My favorite is called Click Clack Moo, Cows that Type and I use it often in my teaching. So not only do you get a book with the meal which will last much longer than a toy, but it is also fun and educational.
Reason #3. The quality of service at Chick-fil-A is unbeatable. Once again this is in large part due to how the business is run. They hire quality people who understand customer service. I could give many examples of good experiences I’ve had there but I will only share one recent account. I was driving through to pick up lunch one day, and the location I was at happens to be one of the busiest in the country from what I’ve been told. Plus I was there at 12:00 noon on a Friday with the business crowd, so needless to say the line of cars was very long. Well they usually have a traffic person standing outside when it gets busy. This day as I pulled into the drive thru line, someone actually came up to my car window and when I rolled it down he asked for my order and took my card. Within less than 30 seconds, no joke, he was back with my food and receipt and I didn’t have to wait in line. And he did it all with a smile! Now tell me if you would ever experience that at McDonald’s, Burger King, etc. I think not!
Well hopefully if you weren’t already a fan of Chick-fil-A I may have convinced you to give it a try. It truly is a great company with great food. So if you haven’t been lately check it out!
For me now it’s back to housework and enjoying the rest of the day off.
Go Vols!