Words to a song...
I don't know the title or who sings it, but I hear it all the time on the radio. I'm not even sure if these are all the words, but they're the ones I like and the ones I could remember!

You are my God; I seek You.
My soul thirsts for You.

In a dry and weary land, You are my water.

Your steadfast love is better than life.

My favorite part is the last line, which repeats over and over in the song. Steadfast is such a great word. It reminds me of things like "sturdy" and "stable" and "everlasting" and "constant" and "consistant" and "unrelenting" all rolled into one. [My favorite subject is English... can you tell?!] Webster says:

steadfast adj. 1. fixed in direction; steadily directed. 2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, etc. 3. unwavering, as resolution, faith, or adherence. 4. firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs. 5. firmly fixed in place or position; stable.

Are we getting the point? God's not going to fail us. His love for us is steadfast. He refuses to give up. He's stubborn, in a good way. We tend to think that because a situation changes that God is going to change with it. (We never consciously admit that this is what we believe, but it really is. That's why we get so worried and lose faith.) We should make a point to remind ourselves daily that God does not change, no matter what else does. No matter how many times we change our minds --no matter how many times our PARENTS change their minds-- God does not change. Good to know, huh?

I found this quote the other day while looking at devotional books on Amazon, and I've already used it in an e-mail, but I figured it was worth posting here, too. The quote is in reference to Hebrews 11:8 "He went out, not knowing where he was going," which is one of my favorite verses about the nature of true faith.

"Have you been asking God what He is going to do? He will never tell you. God does not tell you what He is going to do--He reveals to you who He is. Do you believe in a miracle-working God, and will you 'go out' in complete surrender to Him until you are not surprised one iota by anything He does?"

--from My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Laura at Been There Still There posted this quote, which I really thought was a good one.

It is when things go wrong, when the good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly.

--Madeleine L'Engle

LEARNING TO NEED YOU by Justin McRoberts

I'd forgotten just how sweet Your mercies are, Lord
Would You remind me
You've been faithful in my weakness. Father, Your love
overwhelms my soul
I'm learning to need You

I cry out Your name
I am in need of Your mercies, Jesus
Despite my pride and my shame
I'm learning to need you

The countdown...

20 days till moving day! "382" here I come!

It's fun when God speaks to you and you're not really expecting it. I was just reading today's verse of the day and I really got a lot out of it. "People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:13-14/NIV I thought, "isn't that just like us, to hinder other people from coming to Christ because they don't come the way we think they should." Then I got this great picture in my mind of little kids charging at Jesus full-force with arms open wide, all smiles and giggles, not a care in the world. Just completely fascinated that they actually have the chance to meet the Jesus who they've heard so much about. So there they come running like mad-men... undignified, as the song says. The disciples were quick to put an end to that, but to their surprise (and ours, had we been there), Jesus says, "Don't stop them; let them come." And then He really throws the disciples for a loop: Jesus tells them that God's kingdom belongs to people just like this. He says we should come to Him just like the children did. Full-force, arms open wide, smiles and giggles (or frowns and tears... He takes us either way), giving up all our cares just to meet with Him. Completely undignified. We've put far too many regulations on the way we approach God. I think it's time we lose the Pharisee-like formality and just get real and vulnerable before God. Meet with Him and allow Him to do whatever He wants. Don't give God limits or put Him in a box. He's so much bigger than we can ever imagine! "Come just as you are."

It's the little things...

Call me easily amused, but I'm way excited about the new face-plate I got for my cell phone yesterday. It's a turquose/teal-ish color and it's see-through. I love it! And I'm thoroughly amused that you can see the little lights on the keypad through the face-plate! It's very exciting!

I've been debating about which devotional/quiet time program to use for the upcoming school year. I think I've finally decided. I was looking at several different ones online today, but I just couldn't find one that exactly suited me. I remebered that I have a box full of all my old Bible study books and what-not on the top shelf of the closet in our spare room, so I decided to take a look at those to see if I got any ideas. I found a stack of monthly devotional guides from several years ago that I got in the mail for free for a year for some reason, but I had never used them. I like the format they use. I looked at their websight to see if I want to order them this year. I really like them, but instead of ordering them for now, I think I'm going to use the old ones I have. The dates on the top of each page will be wrong, but I'll deal. Each year they go all the way through the Bible, but each year the commentary portion is different. I like that. I think I'll use the old ones for now, and if I stick with it, I will order the new ones starting in January. The name of the devotional guides is Daily Walk by The Navigators. I think I'll enjoy them.

Random thoughts...

Colossians 3:16-17
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father by him."

Colossians 3:23
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men."

----

This morning I was reading 2 Peter 1:1-4 and it was really encouraging. Normally, when I read the intro verses to one of the epistles, I think, "hmmm... what am I supposed to get out of this?" Today, however, I really "got it." The way Peter greets the church is so awesome. He doesn't just say, "hey what's up;" he jumps right in and tells us what an awesome life we have in Christ. This is what I wrote down today:
"Peter greets the Church, and in so doing is sure to remind us that Jesus Christ has given us everything we need for life, and not just life... a holy life. He has given us 'exceeding great and precious promises' so that we can partake in His nature and escape the corruption of the world. We have a glorious hope in Christ! We are equipped to live a godly life and to rise above the revelings of the world."
We haven't just been called to live; we have been called to live holy, godly, blameless lives. But these are not unmerited requests, because Christ has equipped us and given us everything -- everything -- we will ever need. He does not give us more than we can bear. God has a purpose for each of our lives and He makes us capable of fulfilling those purposes.

Grace and Peace.

Song in my head...

Hungry I come to You for I know You satisfy
I am empty, but I know Your love does not run dry

So I wait for You
So I wait for You

I'm falling on my knees
offering all of me
Jesus, You're all this heart is living for

--if anyone knows the second verse starting with "broken I come..." please post it under comments! I can't remember all the words!