All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

(excerpt from Desert Song -Hillsong United)

He is still God. Even now. Even now I have a reason to sing. Even now I have a reason to worship.  God is my victory and He is right by my side.

He is my priority. He is more important than my grades. Than my performance. I need to give Him the time of day. And it’s a lot easier to give Him the time of day when I’m struggling.

It’s incredibly difficult for me to stand right now. Crawling is my best choice. But with Him I will soar on wings like eagles.

I want to be changed from the inside out. He is mighty to save. He is mighty to change.

He is here. i’m standing on His promise alone.

He is my reason,

coop

Are you in a desert at this moment?

I’m so thankful for the truths that remain even when circumstances leave us feeling broken and beat up.  A few days ago, the problem of suffering and affliction came up for me (I got lost while driving, and got really frustrated!  Funny the things that prompt reflection on life’s questions, isn’t it?).  I asked God why I had to get lost; why He doesn’t give me direction in life when I want it; why a friend lost a son…

The next day, as I asked these questions again, I got no comforting reasons for the trials that continue while we live in this world.  But the Lord led me to some Psalms where David says some interesting things about suffering (especially Psalm 31) .  We think of praise, or of the Psalms, as a means to celebrate what God has done for us.  David, on the other hand, praised God in the midst of his troubles.  He knew that God is consistent, and therefore our praise to Him & trust in Him should be also.

Desert Song–Hillsong

(Listen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QemZQKKJbRU)

This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be empited again
The seed I’ve recieved I will sow

//

because i’m freaking out over my 2 papers tmr.

because i’m not trusting God enough.

let’s just say i’m scared.

i totally wanna scream ’whattheheck?!’ to myself for being scared.

;

;

;

calm down, An!

smile!

listen to Into Your Presence and Desert Song!

and seek His strength!

;

thank God for my mom’s texts. she said she’s praying for me. but Lord, i wish she’d say that prayer to You. one day, one day! (:

An Damaris <3 Jesus

my stomach is acting up again. all the time when worries take the better of me. sucks. i bet this pain is caused by all those butterflies that are to be slaughtered.

more reason for me to depend on Him!

Good morning!  I was just skimming through a few Youtube clips this morning and I was really touched and encouraged by this particular clip and testimony.  You know, there are so many contemporary Christian songs that we sing that lack the content and depth and truth of the older hymns.  This song isn’t one of them. Enjoy!

Desert Song

- Brooke Fraser (Hillsong)

-VERSE 1-
This is my prayer in the desert,
When all that’s within me feels dry,
This is my prayer in my hunger and need,
My God is the God who provides,

-VERSE 2-
And this is my prayer in the fire,
In weakness, or trial, or pain,
There is a faith proved more worth than gold,
So refine me Lord through the flame,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-VERSE 3-
This is my prayer in the battle,
When triumph is still on its way,
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ,
So firm on his promise I’ll stand,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-REFRAIN- x 4
All of my life, in every season,
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing,
I have a reason to worship,

-CHORUS-
I will bring praise,
I will bring praise,
No weapon formed against me shall remain,
I will rejoice, I will declare,
God is my victory and He is here,

-VERSE 4-
And this is my prayer in the harvest,
When favour and providence flow,
I know I’m filled to be emptied again,
The seed I receive I will sow

Desert Song

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
And all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be empited again
The seed I’ve recieved I will sow

My God is the God who provides

My God is the Lord over the Finals week

My God is the God of this city

HE reigns in my home, in my campus, in the Philippines, and in the world!

I LOVE YOU JESUS!!!

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
And weakness or trial or pain
There is faith proved more worth than gold
So refine me lord through the faith

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and he is here

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and he is here

And this is my prayer in the harvest
And favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be empties again
The seed I receive I will sow

It seems like the week before CommonGround events are the hardest on me…as my Pastor Rocky Barra always says, “Kingdom moves forward with much opposition.”   That has really played out to be true this week.  Anyone else?     But the truth is — we do have reason to sing, we do have reason to worship…lets keep our focus on truth instead of feelings this week. 

This evening I met up with Nicole at the raddest coffee shop in the area. That is one thing about NOVA that erks me…. very few independently owned coffee shops, don’t get me wrong I love Starbucks, but…

Anyway, a couple weeks ago I was able to make it over to The Soundry for the first time and instantly fell in love! It was an old body shop and they just open the garage door and wa-la a coffee shop. In the back they have a:

-mini boutique…selling local handmade goods,

-art exhibitions…this month they are featuring “Baby Canvases” — collections & collages of mini canvases

-studio space…for artists and musicians

It was a great brainstorming session for us. As I’ve mentioned before, she is my double in so many ways and shares many of the same loves and passions. I’m about to embark on a new chapter of my life (details to come) and she’s been SO supportive. I greatly appreciate all my friends and family lifting me up in prayer and just offering encouraging words. I’m actually sitting here Skyping with Britt and she just referenced the lyrics of Desert Song by Hillsong United.

MY GOD IS A GOD WHO PROVIDES!!!….AND THIS IS MY PRAYER IN THE BATTLE WHEN TRIUMPH IS STILL ON ITS WAY!

I forgot that truth tonight. I was trying to provide for myself and control the situation, BUT I need to let the Lord truly be the LORD of my life. It’s not easy right now, but “triumph is still on its way.” I need to trust His timing and plan.  Less of me, more of Him!

i LOVE that painting

headless hotty

back studio...check out the wall "office" mural

my dream: a blank canvas of my own

so many fantastic ideas

I attend the Victory Christian Fellowship every Friday at the Holiday Inn in Sharjah. It’s a two hour service that starts at 9:30 am. It begins with an opening prayer followed by songs of praise (about five of that) and then the welcome remarks to new-comers. Then someone will give the Memory Verse, which is a verse from the Bible that will be memorized and meditated upon for the whole week. After that, there is a short talk on tithes. Finally, the most important and very meat of the service, the sermon.

Even though I’m Catholic, I love attending their service because of the sermons. I find them sensible, logical, practical and as far as I understand, they are very much Bible-based and I’m a Bible believer. I used to go to the service promptly at 9:30 am. But the singing part made my feet ache so I thought I’ll start coming in just when they’re about to finish. After all, I’m only interested in hearing the sermon.

Well on July 24, I was debating in the shower whether I should go early or not. I went through the motions of preparing and by the time I was ready to leave, it was only 9:15 am. Normally, when I leave at 9:30, I’ll reach the service when they’re about to finish singing. But on that day, what the heck, right? I was reading Praise Works! by Merlin Carothers and it says there that I should always praise God no matter what my circumstance…even when I felt like my faith is weakening.

Before getting into details, allow me to relate what had been happening in my life. I came to Dubai full of hopes and dreams. I was directly hired by a fashion retail company on July 2007 and friends told me I was very lucky…and I felt very lucky. However, I didn’t last six months in the company and by early December, I resigned while I was still on visit visa. Fortunately, I landed another job on January 2008, got a bigger package in a much bigger company. I was given a managerial role and to handle different companies involved in diverse businesses. I thought to myself this is going to be very exciting. I will learn so much, and I’ll never get bored! Little did I know that all the sugar trimmings would only last for three months.

On March 2008, I noticed that the projects I was handling always hit a dead-end. This persisted up to the present. Apart from that, I was not getting my salary regularly. First there was a one month delay. Then two months, then three months and then it would even go up to five months! It would’ve been okay if I get all my unpaid months when I do get my salary. But the company only releases one month’s worth or two months max. So, when I do get my salary, I have to be very frugal because who knows when I will get my next paycheck.

How did I survive all those months? By the grace of God, He kept answering my prayers so I always had something to eat and pay for my rent. God provided me with friends who are willing to share. I never ran out. On April 2009, my colleague and I were given an accommodation by the company. We were very grateful. It was at a time when a lot of people were losing homes because of non-payment of rent and there we were, getting one!  Then on May 2009, they released our Feb-09 salary. It’s almost end of July now and I’m eating up what little I have saved. But, Praise God! He continuously blesses me.

Which led me to this moment that happened on July 24. I came in when the choir was already singing. I wasn’t sure if it was the first or second song already. Anyways, they were singing Desert Song and I thought how appropriate that was for me. It was about praising God when you find yourself in the desert and feeling very dry. My exact sentiments! After the song, Pastor Oswald came forward and explained how the song came into being. He said it was written by a woman who was six months pregnant. Three days after she started writing it, she gave birth prematurely. A few days later the baby died. It was surely devastating for the mother to lose her newborn babe but nevertheless, she finished writing the song of praise. I thought she must be a very remarkable woman to be able to praise God despite her devastating loss. I was finding it hard to praise God when I’m about to face poverty.

The praise still continued and after another song, Pastor Oswald came forward again to deliver a message. He said something like, “There is someone here and God wants you to know that you are not alone. He wants you to give up all your worries to Him now. He is carrying you right now. He will deliver you from your slavery. He will free you from your prison. Continue to praise Him. He already started working on your miracle!”

I’m sure Pastor Oswald was speaking for everyone but it was very personal to me. The minute he mentioned “slavery” and ”prison,” I thought, “Are you talking to me??” I almost cried on the spot. Just days ago, my colleague and I were thinking that, that is exactly our situation. We feel we are like slaves because here we are working for a big holding company but we aren’t getting paid. We feel we are also in prison because we cannot just leave the company. Management says we will be given an NOC (UAE Ministry of Labor’s required document when transferring to another employer) but who knows when they will release it. Most of our colleagues who left or were terminated didn’t get their full salary and only a handful were issued an NOC. If we leave now, we are not to get an NOC. We felt stuck!

I felt God wanted me to hear those words…His message. After the service, I broke down and cried to my friend while we were still inside the room. Some people who knows my friend were asking if I was okay. If I could only control the tremor in my voice, I would have gladly said I was touched by the Holy Spirit! I realized that God truly hears my prayers! And I felt His love covering my entire being.

Crazy as it may sound…praise God, I’m not getting my salary! He is strengthening my faith! I feel so at peace now. Doubt would sometimes creep into my thoughts but I am able to easily squelch it because I know God already started working on my miracle.

Hillsong’s Desert Song has some of the most powerful lyrics to my life and my season. But what is even more inspiring is the story behind this song and how real it became to it’s worship leader through her loss and tragedy. Watch:

Pretty good day for new releases today. To wit: Up From Below by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Find this exceptional track (and phenomenal video) on their YouTube channel:

1. I haven’t yet uploaded the pictures from the day Caleb and I were in the Black Forest.  Maybe I should do that now.  Yeah, I think I will.  Take a shower and let my computer, which I think is at about 110 years old computer age, sort itself out with the uploading.

2. Desert Song.  I think I may have posted a link to this before.  Regardless, it just – gosh.  God does major pastoral care on my soul when I listen to

3. Courtney has a sister who is an amazing photographer and friend.  She came to visit last month and did photo shoots.  If you head to her website , Emily Elizabeth Photos, you can check out some of the pictures she took while she was here.  There are lots of pictures of the kids I work with, as well as a few pictures of her Caleb/Kels “shoot.” (Scroll down a bit on her website and you’ll see us.)  I put quotations because the deal is this – I’m just not a photogenic person and Caleb, most of the time, hates having his picture taken.  Great combination, I know.  Still, despite these, Emily does the most amazing photography.  Believe me, you covering her travel expenses and accommodation in addition to her photography charges will still be the best deal you can find on wedding photos when you get married.  I wonder to how many of you that would actually be helpful advice for?  Probably none.  Well, anyhow, store the info somewhere for later.

5. My little sister is pregnant : )  I thought she looked so cute in her updated pregnant photos that I decided to post her blog location here :

Arwen and Derek

I was listening to “Desert Song” by My Chemical Romance and that song completely renewed my love for them. I like The Black Parade and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, but those two albums just aren’t the same as I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. Raw emotion is spilled into each song, and Gerard’s voice sounds amazing. He sounds angry and well… unhappy; if that’s what it takes to write a sad song then My Chem do a pretty good job. (Especially in “Early Sunsets Over Monroeville” which is definitely one of my favorites.)

Sometimes I like lying on the disgusting carpeted floor in my room. I’m either listening to music or thinking. When I heard the sound of the E minor cord on guitar I knew it could be none other than “Desert Song”. Gerard’s voice sounding deep comes in letting each word drag on. And let me just say, the word “morgue” never sounded so appealing until I heard this song. No, it isn’t just because Gerard was singing it, but he sort of romanticized death in this song. He sounded wonderfully pained if that doesn’t sound too confusing.

Well after all, we’ll lie another day
And through it all, we’ll find some other way
To carry on through cartilage and fluid
Well did you come to stare or wash away the blood?

later going on to

From the lights to the pavement
From the van to the floor
From backstage to the doctors
From the earth to the morgue,
Morgue,
Morgue,
Morgue.

There isn’t a meaning to this post, I was only sharing my opinion.

Below are the lyrics to a tune called “Desert Song” off the new Hillsong United CD.  Words and music by Brooke Fraser.

This is my prayer in the desert; When all that’s within me feels dry; This is my prayer in my hunger and need; My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire; In weakness or trial or pain; There is a faith proved of more worth than gold; So refine me Lord through the flame

(Chorus) I will bring praise;  I will bring praise; No weapon formed against me shall remain; I will rejoice; I will declare; God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle; When triumph is still on its way; I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ; So firm on his promise I’ll stand

This is my prayer in the harvest; When favor and providence flow; I know I’m filled to be emptied again; the seed I’ve received I will sow.

All of my life; In every season; You are still God; I have a reason to sing; I have a reason to worship

My favorite line is “I know I’m filled to be emptied again.”  Ever thought about that?

As we wrap up this series on worship it’s probably a good idea for us to talk about worship within a community. Questions like “Do you have to be in church to worship?” or “Is worship in community really important?” have made some of the Christians of this day ponder about the topic of a worship community. A few weeks ago I was involved in a conversation with a friend who is a worship leader, and they said that you not only have to fight for community worship, but also private worship. We want to go after the balance that we believe is necessary to our growth in faith and community.

Something that is evident throughout the Bible is we as a people were created for community. Starting with Adam and throughout generations of our Christian history there are examples that we were made to do life with others. Christ presented this with the calling of the 12 disciples. When you really think about it, Jesus was God in the flesh and He didn’t need people around Him to complete what the Father had set forth. He was showing us that we all need to be in a community of believers. If we were made for community, it would make sense that we would worship with other believers as well.

Just as we are stronger as a group, worship can be stronger within a group than by yourself. Although that does not mean we can go without private worship. When we worship with a group it may be easier for someone to connect with their Father or step out and experience God because the people around them make them feel comfortable. It also provides a since of community and you actually see other believers pressing into the same God that you worship. When I get the opportunity to watch a worship service while serving in an area of ministry, there is something that makes a deeper connection when you listen to a few hundred voices joining together in praise to the Lord of Lords.

Being in a worship community is very important in our spiritual development, but we should not neglect the act of private worship either. Sometimes worship in a large setting can become routine or even a little bit clique because we begin to just go through the motions of worship. It is in this time that our private worship becomes extremely important in the development of our community worship. We can only change from the inside out, not the outside in. When we begin to go through the motions we think that what we are doing outwardly will become what we are inwardly. Instead we become like the Pharisees that looked good on the outside and horrible on the inside in the area of worship. We lose the connection we once had because we are no longer sowing what is good for us.

Private worship builds self discipline within us and gives us a greater understanding of our Father. This can come in may different forms like prayer and quiet time or maybe having your own personal worship service in your bedroom. Whatever is the pathway for you, we encourage you to pursue that in your private life so that you may benefit in your outward life. Just to clarify, you should be worshiping because you love our God and not because you receive something in return. Worship was never meant to be self beneficial but a way of being obedient and praising our Creator King. After all, God gives us 24/7/365, the least we can give him is some set aside time of private worship and even that should not be enough for us.

One of my favorite worship songs is a song by Hillsong.  It is called “Desert Song” and one of the verse says:

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

It captures one of the hardest examples of life that we can go through, but it is in that time that we need a worship community around us. We need people to lift us up and help us along the faith journey. It is in times that this song talks about that we will begin to reap in public what we sow in private.

Mathew West in his song “The Motions” not only gives us a good summary to what we have been talking about over the past weeks but also encouragement in our private pursuit of worship. The lyrics to the song say:

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

This should be enough to encourage us to pursue private worship time and encourage us to have a deeper appreciation of our worship in community. We would encourage you to pursue both of these things with a hunger that can not be satisfied. Our prayer for you is that you will never have enough of God and continue to dive into his amazing deep waters.

Next week we will be launching into a new series called “Sea of Faces”. The ministry team has been praying for great things to happen by God’s hand over this next season and we would ask that you would join us in this prayer. Over the next series, we will be looking at the reality of our world feeling like a sea of faces. We live in a world that is lost, and we are the ones that God has put here on earth to reach those far from His arms. He sent His son to die for everyone and our mission is to share that with the world no matter what differences we may have. We are much stronger as a community, and we want you and your friends to be a part of this. Look for our new post next week and some pretty cool things that we will be doing over the summer to help with our mission of reaching those who are lost.

Dive Deep,

KC

Today at Cross Point Nashville:

“Why Do People Suffer?”

(Quotes & highlights from Pete Wilson’s message)

• This isn’t a question that only Christians are asking.
• There will be a point in your life where you will ask God “what are you thinking?”
• I don’t really believe the current realities contradict who God is.  They might contradict our Sunday School version of God, but they don’t contradict who the Bible tells us God is.
• We need to go all the way back to the beginning to understand who God is.  Genesis 1:1-4, 9-10, 12, 17-18, 21, 25, 31.  When God created the heavens and the earth, it was good and as we all would want it.
• Genesis 2:15-17 – There was one rule in the garden and the result of breaking that rule resulted in this fatal disease that impacts everything.
• Couldn’t God have given Adam and Eve a mulligan on their mistake?
• Why did God give us a choice in the first place?  Because God is love and there has to be choice for there to be love.  He had to give us the capacity of responsibility in order for us to love.
• Humans are the only ones looking for meaning in suffering.  It’s part of our design.
• The reality is we are living on this cursed ball of dirt.  It’s full of death instead of life.
• We live in a world that is hopelessly jacked up.  It’s broken.
• As a Christian, we have contradicting realities: God and his love for us vs. a broken world.  How do we reconcile this?
• I don’t believe God ever fully answers this question but what He does give us is the solution.
• We have a God who immediately went to work after the fall.  He did it through his son Jesus Christ.
• The Promise – Revelation 21:4
• Hope – Psalm 30:5, Romans 8:18
• When you choose Jesus (love) in the midst of the suffering, you keep evil from having the last word.
• Most frequent promise in scripture “I am with you” – Isaiah 43:1-2
• I wish I had a surprise ending, a catchy phrase, a bow to wrap this up, but I don’t.  But I have the cross to offer you.
• The way you respond to pain and suffering matters more than you can imagine.  So hold onto Him.

We closed the service with “Desert Song” performed by Marcia Ramirez.  So powerful!

“Desert Song” by Hillsong

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am conqueror and co- heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

All of my life in every season
You are still God,
I have a reason to sing,
I have a reason to worship

I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I received I will sow

If you are in a season of suffering or pain, I hope that you are encouraged that God is your victory.  He is your hope.  This is my prayer for you!

No matter how much we love God and we worship Him, there are just certain times when you feel dry. Like you get up out of bed and realize that today is going to be no different than any other day for the last month. No matter how much you say you are leaning on God, it just feels…well I don’t know, but maybe you understand.

I think we have to remember two main things: 1) God is still God. He is still in control, and He still has a plan; and 2) We were created to glorify God, not follow our own agenda.

Look at this quote:

“I know that my circumstances don’t change. God is still God. It doesn’t change what God’s call is for my life. He is still on the throne in Heaven, He still rules. He is still bigger than everything that I am facing.” – Jill McCloghry (Hillsong)

It isn’t God who is dry, it is us and our selfishness.  Why is it easier to praise God in good times rather than bad?

Look at the lyrics to this song, and then listen to it. But really look at the lyrics. They can be powerful.  Sorry if this post didn’t sound so “chipper.”  I have highlighted the parts that I am praying.

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that’s within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames

And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it’s way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I’ll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

- Adam Smith

Edit: I realized after posting I said I was going to highlight (bold) the parts that I was praying for myself…and I just realized I may as well have bolded the whole thing, but I am going to leave it as is. It is really a great song though!

A  mirage would have been better

a wavy dream of water in the desert.

This is where dust devils go to die.

This is a town built on the bones of the dead men.

This is a town best viewed through mud streaked windshields on the way to something better.

A non dead thing come slithering out of the desert.

Revealing a cracked tongue.

There is an errant breeze on occasion.

Ovens are more refreshing.

On the way here we saw so many dead, deserted, died out buildings  in the middle of nowhere.

Someone built something in the wilderness.

Time and again I asked myself:  didn’t they know?

Even the telephone poles don’t come out here.

You are nowhere.  This is nothing.

An outpost on oblivion

But when the pressure further west became too great

someone put enough spit on his hands and rubbed them together hard enough and long enough

and I will be damned if there isn’t a sepia toned town here.

Thank God we will not be here for long.

Drive faster, the ocean beckons.

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is the gift of God.” -Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” -Philippians 4:11-13

Rejoice in the Lord, always.

O joyful, joyful, Lord we adore thee. God of glory, Lord of love. Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.

Joy. Is different from happiness, huh? :]

We are blessed.

Stay strong in your faith. Don’t give up when you’re in the desert. [Desert Song - all of my life, in every season]

My cousin was in a car accident last night. From what I’ve heard, the car has been smashed pretty badly – the front, the windows, the roof. [Lol he doesn't know I'm writing about him -o and first thing that i got notice of on Friday the 13th - was 1 AM when he called] He thinks it’s amazing that he’s alive – and how relatively undamaged he is, compared to what could’ve happened. He did break a few things, but he’s alive and sitting in my living room

I wonder, will God use this incident to spread his glory in some way? to open up the eyes of a heart? mm I wonder..

Disclaimer – I’m not perfect. haha well obviously. Some of my advice on here or some topics I talk about may make me look like a hypocrite, but follow my advice, not so much my actions. I make mistakes too. But it’s better to share something good, than to not say anything at all right? I can’t promise that I won’t use profanity, or talk about stuff that’s yeah i dunno. I just hope, maybe, something I say that’s good will be able to open up other minds? Sigh, I don’t know. Perhaps I shouldn’t do this? I apologize in advance for any hypocrisy on my part. [lol you can see my thought process of indecisiveness] well, I suppose, sometimes  we’re given revelations/think of really good advice, but have trouble following it ourselves. I guess I’ll post those up, hope someone can learn from them and remind myself by looking back at them..? hmm who knows

Happy Valentine’s Day :3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nfHJR9U3XQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzbnqglreB8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBWUiOoU7-E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwQBWDkodvk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMzxQ0RSCH0

[just a few random Valentines Day videos hehe]+

I’m going to H-mart or Koreatown with a few girlies and hanging with Joyce and dunno what else. Where’s my bf? haha i guess i have Gu Jun Pyo 구준표 [꽃보다 남자 - Boys Before Flowers] xDD and God of course. Jesus can be my Valentine hehe

wow this is a very random post.

started off as thoughts, went into journal, and then some fangirling xD