Poem

Alright, so I've got this best friend, Brooke. She has so many talents, one of which is poetry-writing. However, being the precious, humble sweetheart she is, I never knew this until just recently. She asked me to edit one of her poems for school. I asked her permission to post it here. She is an amazing writer.

Faith

Against the harsh wind, some trees stand unyielding.
Their thick roots are enduring and not faulty.
Other trees waver, some until fractured.
Their roots are not anchored like a ship to its dock.

Same with people, some have perpetual faith
When facing the tantalizations of life.
They will continue to progress and prosper,
While others will cripple and slowly recede.

So, like a large well-cultivated tree should
Have superior roots made impervious,
Don't let them grow jaded or shatterable;
Let them flourish within the soil of the ground.

Instead, speak to it with grerat audacity.
Declare, " Here is where I will surely abide."

Peace

I have been reading the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. I am only on chapter 5, but so far, God has really been using it to speak to me. This blog post is just about the parts that have stuck out to me so far.

In chapter 3, the author quotes The Sinfulness of Sin, a book by Ralph Venning. It says, "On the contrary, as God is holy, all holy, only holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful." This means that it doesn't matter whether society "accepts" our sin or not. Because God is holy, and always will be, our sin is sinful...which means that it separates us from God. (Even those little sins that we think are okay.) But, he goes on to quote John Newton in chapter 4. "I am a great sinner, but I have a great Savior." While I am sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful, God is not. I can have peace, knowing that even though I will continue to fail, God will continue to forgive me.

Another Song.

I have a lot of blog posts about songs. I guess that is just because I am most touched through music. I have known this song for a long time, but I just felt the lyrics needed to be shared. My Epic has a song, Untitled, that really grabs me.

"These bones, my frame won't hold in place. They'd leave and part ways, if I was without You. This earth, my home, would be alone. There'd be no moon to share the galaxy, if it was without You. My God, I am not, but You are. What was it like when You prayed? Did the rivers calm when the raging seas obeyed? What was it like when You slept? Did the rocks come close and the trees lean in, and did the air rejoice just to be Your breath? My God, I am not, but You are. Your servant tried to ask Your name, but a million words could not contain, and the meaning could not be expressed, for the weight would be too much to take. So you cradled him, like You cradle me and whispered, 'I am.' Oh My God, I am not, but you are."

I normally explain how these songs have touched me, but with this one, I can't really say anything. I am simply astounded at this small expression of God's power. The words that are repeated say it all. My God, I am not, but You are.

Light

My favorite song by my favorite band is Light by the Rocket Summer. Lately, I have been thinking about a lot of things, one of which, being my trust and my faith in God. When good things happen, do I give him the glory? When bad things happen, do I praise him anyway? I don't want to be a good-weather Christian. I want to be all in. The bridge of the song says, "I am Yours, do what You wish. I am Yours, I am Yours, and I know this: Whatever happens next is in Your hands, in Your plans, and nothing less. Every day, there is a choice, and through the joy, through the pain, I will rejoice. I am Yours, do what You wish. I am Yours, I am Yours, and I know this." These words hit hard with me every time I hear them. Yeah, I can sing them, but can I mean them? Can I rejoice through both the joy and the pain? Can I give up my plans for my life in order to let God have control? The end of the song says this: "Save me, cause I need it, and I can't help but feel desperate. My desires, they seem to be coming to their endings. But, I will trust it's not the end, but a great beginning." Giving my life to God is not the end, but instead, the beginning.

Romans 1

I have been reading the book of Romans lately. This blog post is, I guess, just some verses that have really caught my attention.

God has really been trying to make me understand that I am not made to please this world. If I am doing what he wants me to do, I won't be comfortable. And I need to be okay with that. It isn't about happiness or comfort...it's about obeying him and experiencing the joy that obedience brings. I guess that is why Romans 1:1 stood out to me so much. "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God...." I think that because that is the beginning of the letter to the Romans; the introduction, we tend to tune it out. But that verse finally made it hit home: I need to be set apart.

Romans 1:8 says, "First, I thank God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world." Just think about that! The church in Rome was so faithful that they were being talked about everywhere. I read that, and I realized that I want to have that kind of faith. The kind that people can't help but notice. The kind that doesn't stay hidden. What is the point of just saying you are a Christian if you don't live it and spread it every day? We are his witnesses. This verse convicts me to speak out concerning my faith. If I truly love God, surely I would want to tell others about him. Surely my love for him would spill over incessantly.

The end of that paragraph goes along with the next verse, Romans 1:16. It says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes...." We cannot just sit around and hope that somehow, non-believers will magically come to know Jesus. What kind of a witness is that? We have to be purposeful in our actions, trying to reach other people with the salvation we have received.

These are kind of random verses...but like I said, they are verses that spoke to me.

Papa

Last night at ten thirty, one of the sweetest men I have ever known passed away. To give a little background, my mom's best friend also happens to be my best friend's mom. (Tricky, I know.) Anna, my best friend, is the best. Really. You say that people are always there for you, but you rarely ever mean it seriously. But when I say Anna is always there for me, it's absolutely true. I only hope I can be the same for her. Teri, my mom's best friend, is like my second mom. She has tucked me in, sang me to sleep, comforted me, punished me, and loved me for as long as I can remember. Erica, Anna's older sister, is my older sister. People have actually tried to convince me that she isn't (which I don't get), but she is. I love her just like I would love any older sister I had. And Chris, Anna's older brother, would be my older brother, if he hadn't proposed to me when I was three. (He was eight, I think.) So he's just my future husband, is all. Carl, Anna's dad, is my other dad. Ever since I was old enough to call someone on the phone, I have been calling her. (My fingers still automatically punch in her number.) Every time Carl answers the phone (and I mean every time), and I ask to speak to Anna, he pretends to not know who I am. Did I say every time? Cause I really meant every time. Since I have always been so close to them, it's only natural that their grandparents become like my grandparents. So when Papa went to heaven last night, I lost a grandparent. I loved him so much. He was always the sweetest, and he sang and played the guitar (and banjo) beautifully. He was so funny! He made us laugh all the time. And he loved his family. His grandchildren were the most amazing things ever, in his eyes. Thankfully, we are sad not because we do not know where he is. We know that now, he is no longer hurting, but has the privilege to meet the Lord face to face. We are only sad because we miss him. I don't have much else to say, only that I loved Papa like crazy. I'm going to end with a verse of a hymn that he loved.

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blessed assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and has shed his own blood for my soul."

Constant

The beginning of Psalm 22 says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? Oh my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer. By night, and am not silent."

Have you ever felt like that? Like everything has gone so terribly wrong; like even the God who created you has left you. Thankfully, the psalm does not stop there.

It nears the end with these words, "He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help."

Not sure about anyone reading this, but those words comfort me so much!

When I talk to God, I prefer to think of other ways to address him. My favorite is "Constant." Throughout everything, there is God. When everything else falls apart, when your friends leave, when family members die...only one thing never changes. That one thing is God. The Constant.

House of Heroes has a song that says my thoughts exactly. The chorus says, "All through the night I was falling, straining to hear your voice calling. You never gave out, you never gave in, you never quite gave up on me. You are my Constant."

I guess what I am trying to say with this is that no matter what you are going through, God will always be there. Just...that simple.