We know it by the spirit he gave us.

i saw something beautiful today. i saw one friend say good-bye to another. it was snowing, and she hugged her good-bye, and knew she wouldn't see her again for a whole year. she instinctly gave her a good-bye gift. something that meant so much. she walked away, shed a tear, and it was the most beautiful thing i have ever seen.

kara and i were cool yesterday night and today. i mean, if you can stick pens up your nose and take a picture of it with some one else's phone, i think that makes for a great frendship. ha. anyway, we got ourselves an arts and crafts project, and you might get to see it later.

wow...where o where do i begin? this day...has just been amazing. i've found something that i really want to do with my life...aside from my career...even though it could be my career...but let's start with the clues i didn't catch until tonight.

• ashley lovell is leaving today to go to south africa for a year for missions.
• our service was/has been about making a mission minded church.
• today's service was especially mission oriented.
• tonight's songs at worship serives was abut getting into the world, and sharing God's love.
• tonight's passage was about loving God and loving people.

then, i had this gut feeling, so i went and talked to amy-jo about helping with missions because i felt it was something i needed to do. and then traci, like traci is (thank God), came over and asked if she could pray for/with me. i know she gets random urges to pray for certain people, and i always tell her to go pray with/for them, and i felt so special--like God sent her over there to re-assure me. i mean, i still have to pray about this because it is a big decision.

and i have to realize a few things. things aren't easy. they take time. just because i don't see the effects of what i do right away, doesn't mean i should put in less effort or quit all together. like running. or quiet time. or breaking habits. or creating new, good habits. things take time. if i just stick with it long enough, i will start to reap the benefits.

it's nice to know that Christ already knows my heart. he knows what i really want before i know what i think that i want. he knows what i am dealing with. i don't even have to tell him he knows. i can just sit in silence and listen because he knows. but in the end, prayer is necessary. it's something that soothes the heart and strengthens the mind and heals the soul. i don't tell God because i want him to know--he knows. i tell him because i need to tell him. i need to get it off of my chest. it's something i do because i have this feeling after i pray that God is in control. sometimes i don't get that feeling immediately, but it comes eventually.

mike gave an analogy today in church and so did jay tonight in worship.
mike:
your house is on fire. you wake-up and your room is filled with smoke. you hear someone calling your name. they are yelling for you to follow their voice because they know the way to safety. are you going so say, "um, well really, i think that, uh, well, you know. this is a big house. i'm sure there's another way. i mean, maybe this door will work." or are you going to follow? God's calling your name. if there was another way to him, he would tell you. he wants all of his children with him.

i cannot remember a way to reword what jay said, but it probably wouldn't have as much of an impact because you had to be there and see it.

i heard some olld school Christian music on the way home. a bit of toby mac and a bit of stephen curtis chapman. live out loud and irene, but there was one song that i really wanted to share.

I never did like the word mediocre
I never wanted it to be said of me, oh, no
Just point me to the job and I’d go over, over
Looking for the very best that could be
So what is this thing I see
Going on inside of me?
When it comes to the grace of God

Sometimes it's like i'm
I’m playing Gameboy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon
I’m eating candy sittin’ at a gourmet feast
I’m wading in a puddle when I
could be swimming in the ocean
Tell me what’s the deal with me
(I know the time has come for me to)
wake up and see the glory.

Every star in the sky tells his story, oh
And every breeze is singing His song
All of creation is imploring
Hey, come see this grand phenomenon
The wonder of His grace
Should take my breath away
I miss so many things when i'm consumed with...

[...]

How could I trivialize it.
This awesome gift of God’s grace?
Once I have come to realize it
I should be speechless and amazed.

Wake up and see the glory
Open your eyes and take it in
Wake up and be amazed
Over and over again.

[...]

stephen curtis chapman | see the glory