|
SubscriptionsSites I Read
|
|
|
|
| sooooooooooooo by now, everyone's heard the whole controversy about the "Healer" song...i'm not here to discuss that...what happened, how we should feel, blah blah, i'm pretty sure u've already had that convo with someone...i've had that convo MANY times already and i'm over it...but now i'm left with the song...the song that brought me to tears when i heard it...the song that led me to many intimate moments with jesus...the song that i couldn't stop singing for WEEKS...that song...i was just prayin about it on my drive back to houston...because while i'm not angry at pr. mike any more and i've gotten over the initial bitterness/anger/hurt, i still haven't listened to the song since i found all that out...n a part of me is SO MAD at myself because i'm letting the devil steal this from me...the fact that i can't listen to the song says something in and of itself, u know? i had planned on introducin the song to the church this weekend cuz it's youth-led sunday, but i'd pulled it and decided not to...but as i was drivin and talkin to jesus, i got really convicted about the way i've been thinking for the past few weeks...cuz in my head, i was doin my church a favor...the song has a bad rep now, there's a chance that they're aware of the story and it could distract them, etc...i felt completely justified...but then i was like, uh just because i feel a little uneasy, i'm gonna keep my church from the move of God that's gonna fall when we do that song? yes, God can move with or without that song, but thinking back to what that song did in my life, is it really fair of me to deprive my church of that? isn't that selfish? and then i got to thinkin about the psalms...because a psalm is a song, right? david was a songwriter...and we quote those things day and night, sing them in our worship songs every sunday...n then i thought about it...wait a sec...what about THAT songwriter? this guy was an adulterer...a murderer...he did some SKETCHY things, mann...but has that changed the power of the psalms that he wrote? not at all...in fact, to me, they're even MORE powerful because it shows that the grace of God can overcome our weaknesses and failures and still accomplish God's will, despite how much His creation screws up...right now, for me, the song HEALER has become about the story, rather than the God of the story...when i hear the song now, all i can think about is the fact that the writer faked cancer...and it can't be about that...cuz then the devil wins...remember, EVERYTHING WE DO is supp to be done to bring God glory...what, do i think i'm protecting God by not bringing this song out just cuz i'm afraid the story will come out with it? um God's a big boy...He can handle it...me hiding the song PREVENTS Him from getting the glory and the praise He deserves...if some ppl are a little disturbed, *shrug*, it'll blow over...but if this encourages even one person's heart, it'll be worth it...so yeah...we're gonna do the song this sunday...and we have a bunch of guest ppl comin to our church...and i dunno, man...i still haven't listened to the song or practiced it or anything...but we have worship practice tomorrow night, so somewhere in between now and then, i need Christ to intervene...so i guess i'm just askin ya'll to pray...pray that when we're singing and leading, that we won't be distracted by what we know about the song, but that we'll be able to just sing the truth from our hearts...and pray for the audience...i want them to experience what i did when i first heard this song...i want the depths of their hearts to just weep in awe of our God...
p.s. just for future reference, 3.5 hour car trips alone are the BEST times to talk to jesus...sure, ppl who drive by you might think ur insane cuz ur havin a conversation out loud with someone who's not even in the car...but they don't know jesus like i do *grin* | | |
| I used to be adamant about remaining friends with my exes. I thought, "Why cut ties with someone who knows you so well?" But after a few times down that bumpy road, I can tell you exactly why: As relationships change from romantic to platonic, expectations can sometimes take a little while to catch up. Feelings get hurt, egos get bruised and when one of you moves on... well, it can be pretty tricky. Sometimes, when it comes to making nice with someone who's seen you naked (either physically or emotionally), there may be too much emotion involved to be reasonable.
Friends are friends, and lovers are lovers. Friends can become lovers, but it doesn't often go the opposite way.
sometimes ivillage does have some wise things to say...haha
| | |
|
One of the most
frustrating things to me about Christianity today is that it seems to be a
watered-down version of the true message. Nowadays, it seems that the most “successful”
preachers are the ones that preach messages about God’s favor, prosperity, and
the blessings that He will bestow. Congregations automatically associate that
with earthly endowments and greedily drink in the message. However, if one
reads the Scriptures, it is evident that God’s definition of “blessing” and
ours may not completely correlate. It is very rare nowadays to find a pastor
who will preach about the sacrifice it truly takes to be a follower of Christ,
the pain and the hardships that WILL enter one’s life. I have heard numerous
sermons on the prayer of Jabez, but very few on the story of Job (unless it is
to bring attention to the end of the book, where Job’s possessions are restored
one hundredfold). Ginny Owens sings a song that says, “If all of these trials
bring me closer to You, I will go through the fire if You want me to.” That is
a very hard prayer to pray and in fact, it seems almost discouraged in today’s
society. Every one is looking for the easy way out, the “deliverance of God”. No
one stops to take into account that maybe this hardship is necessary for
his/her edification, that THIS is God’s will for his/her life, as opposed to
riches and prosperity. Today’s form of Christianity seeks comfort, success, and
happiness, not spiritual transformation. It is a mirage of what it is supposed
to be.
Growing up, one of
the verses that was constantly quoted in my home was 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “If
any man be in Christ, He is a new creation…” I was taught that sin no longer
had power over me and that the grace of God and the blood of Christ had washed
me clean. As a child, I thought the epitome of the “change” I would encounter
was that I would no longer bother my brother or lie to my parents. I assumed
that a change in a few physical habits was the summit of my transformation.
However, spiritual transformation isn’t just about a quick reformation of one’s
ungodly habits. Spiritual transformation takes place within. It changes the way
one sees the world. Human nature in and of itself is inherently flawed. It
takes a long, arduous, and painful process to change that. It means looking at
the world and seeing it through Christ’s eyes. Only after that process does one
experience the result of a true change in behavior. Many get this order
confused. They attend church every time the doors are open, support numerous
charities, help others in every way they know possible, and wonder why
everything seems the same. What they fail to realize is that good works do not
result in spiritual transformation; spiritual transformation results in good
works. One of my favorite worship songs at the moment begs these powerful words
–
Heal
my heart and make it clean
Open
up my eyes to the things unseen
Show
me how to love like You have loved me
Break
my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything
I am for Your kingdom's cause.
THIS is what spiritual transformation truly is. GRACIOUS! k off my soapbox now =)
| | |
| stole this from a friend...n just wanted to share it...
the irony of love.
The greatest irony of love:
Loving the right person at the wrong time,
Having the wrong person when the time is right,
And finding out you love someone right after that
person walks out of your life...
And sometimes, you think you're already over a
person,
But when you see them smile at you,
You suddenly realize that you're just pretending to
be over them
just to ease the pain of knowing that they will never
be yours again...
For some, they think that letting go is one way
of expressing how much you love the person.
In my opinion, some are afraid to see the one they
love
Being held by someone else.
Most relationships tend to fail not because of the
absence of love.
Love is always present. It's just that one was being
loved too much
and the other was being loved too little.
As we all know that the heart is the center of the
body
But it beats on the left.
Maybe that's the reason why the heart is not always
right...
Most often, we fall in love with the person we think
we love
But to only discover that for them, we are just for
past times,
While the one who truly loves us remains either a
friend or a stranger...
So here's a piece of advice:
Let go when you're hurting too much
Give up when love isn't enough
and move on when things are not like before...
For sure, there is someone out there
Who will love you even more.
| | |
| soooooooooo i
got tired of writing madd serious entries...so here's a completely
pointless one, filled w/ random ramblings from the mind of mabel =)
WOOT WOOT!
OH! um so
have any of u guys ever opened an umbrella too close to ur face???? yah
i def just did it yesterday and i just gotta say, it is not a pleasant
feeling =/ at ALL...i totally have a dent in my forehead at the
moment...itz pretty hot, i'm not gonna lie...
aaaaaaand me
n my mommy were bonding the other night...i was doin her toenails for
her cuz well, she sucks at it, n she wanted to have pretty toes...n my
dad was just chillin on the couch playin his gee-tar...n we kinda
forgot he was there until randomly, out of nowhere, the gee-tar stops n
he goes, "i'm next, okay?" n i was like, "eh, WHAT?" n my mom was like,
"acha, are u having a midlife crisis?" and he's like, "what?? that
stuff makes ur feet clean, right? i want to have clean feet!" lol YES,
FATHER...sighh...this is why i didn't inherit street smarts =)
aaaaaaaand i'm TOTALLY hooked on "Big Girls Don't Cry"
by Fergie at the moment...def never expected this type of song from
her...i'm so used to her spellin out stuff! but yahh...have had it on
repeat nonstop...sooo good! EXCEPT FOR ONE THING...i tried so hard not
to be anal about it, but i can't help it...the english teacher in me
cringes EVERY time...okay, u know how she goes, "i'm gonna miss you
like a child misses their blanket"? um, "child" is SINGULAR...thus, it
should be "child misses ITS or HIS/HER blanket"...or make it plural! "like children miss their
blankets!" cmon, fergie! WHERE IS THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE?! =X i should
totally write her n complain...no worries, tho...whenever i sing along,
i sing the word "ITS" in place of the "THEIR" very loudly and smile
proudly...oh snap...that totally rhymed...who's a baller? i am 
aaaaaaaaaand
finally? for those of you who are just at home chillin this summer and
love to read, I HAVE A NEW TRILOGY FOR YOU...i just finished the first
book and i am HOOKED...itz kinda the whole CHRONICLES OF NARNIA style
w/ the metaphors n imagery n stuff...mixed w/ adventure n stuff...and
yes, even a hint of romance...they're actually christian novels, which
kinda made me iffy at first cuz those tend to be kinda cheesey, but NO
MA'AM...not these! the 3 books are called GREEN, RED, and
BLACK...they're by Ted Dekker...they totally have them at the library,
so check them out, k? i couldn't put it down! n now i'm pissed cuz i'm
done w/ the first book n my bro has the 2nd one in waco w/ him n he's
not comin home for 2 weeks! UNACCEPTABLE! either way, enjoy!
kk itz late n
i'm tired of rambling...soooo i'm gonna NOT study bio n watch STOMP THE
YARD instead...and "aw" for a good 10 minutes about the whole "favorite
color" scene...FREAKISHLY ADORABLE! so yahh...i'm outt...i love ya'll!
*muah*
| | |
|
