Christina Perri

I find spiritual comfort in strange places.  I have fallen in love with secular singer Christina Perri and in particular, two of her songs... "A Thousand Years" and "Jar of Hearts".  She has a lovely voice.  In the throws of a bad night... little sleep and a headache, I was listening to these two songs back-to-back on my Ipod while lying in bed with a pillow over my head.  "A Thousand Years" first.  And it occurred to me it could be a conversation between me and God.  (Forget the Twilight connection).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ayN39xmsI (Go there to listen)

ME: Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow

One step closer

JESUS: I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
ME:  Time stands still
Beauty in all he is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

JESUS:  And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

Now.... "Jar of Hearts", a song I have loved a long while now, in a whole new light.  I envision it as me speaking to the Enemy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nChO-PibN9A (Go there to listen)

No, I can't take one more step towards you
'Cause all that's waiting is regret
Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore
You lost the love I loved the most

I learned to live half alive
And now you want me one more time
[Chorus:]
And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart
You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?
I hear you're asking all around
If I am anywhere to be found
But I have grown too strong
To ever fall back in your arms
Dear, It took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put back the light in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed
'Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get me back!

Mmmmm.....

A few nights ago, I sauteed some of my green beans from my garden in a little butter for dinner.  Oh, they were so good. 

Here are the changes I will make in next year's garden:

1) No squash.  It basically took over the whole space and I don't like it THAT much.

2) More green beans

3) Put in a trellis for the sugar snap peas to grow on alot sooner (I basically killed the poor things by trying to put it in too late).

4) No herbs.  As much as I fancy in my head that I will use them... I won't.

5) Do a better job with the tomatoes... put them in a bigger container and get two plants.

6) Leave more room for the cucumbers.

I definitely have enjoyed gardening so far this year, though.  The veggies have been very yummy!

Hair and Toenails

Got my hair colored a darker color today.  We were just going to do a root touch-up, but both agreed the lighter color wasn't doing much for me- so we just went for this dark auburn color.  I think I like it.  Maybe a little more red than I was expecting, but I think I will get used to it.

And, I got my first ever pedicure.  I know it's hard to believe at 41 than I have never had a pedicure, but people... it's the truth.  I have never splurged on having it done and no one ever gave me one as a gift.  Sure would have been nice all those years I was carrying 25 pound babies around in side my body.  Ha ha. 

Anyway- you get to sit in these nice vibrating chairs and put your feet in hot bubbling water and get them all worked on, massaged, lotioned up... and now my nails are lovely, shiny red.  Tammy just pampered me so much!!

All this for the cost of a hair cut at my regular place!  :-)

 

Forgiving

Our sermon today was on FORGIVENESS.  How we must do it whether someone deserves it or has asked for it.  We do it because God did it for us and tell us to do it for others.  And we do it for ourselves.  Because carrying around unforgiveness and bitterness is unhealthy for us.

^{“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins". Matthew 6:14-15}

^{“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:13}

^{Jesus taught us to pray this:}

^{"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us". Matthew 6:12}

<sup>Do you want God to forgive you the same way you have forgiven the ones that have sinned against you?

The worst is yet to come... later in Matthew, Peter asks Jesus how many times do we need to forgive someone who sins against us, seven times?  And Jesus says "No, not seven times, but seventy times seven!" and then goes on to tell a parable.

It is about the King who forgives a man who owes him millions of dollars.  And then that man turns around and refuses to forgive someone who owes him a couple thousand.  He has his debtor thrown in prison.  When the king finds out... this is his response:</sup>

"Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?"  Then he throws him in prison to be tortured until the entire debt had been paid.

Then the scary part!  Jesus says, "That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart".

Then we were dismissed and given a sharpie and a white balloon.  We were told to go outside and write on the balloons the names or situations where we need to forgive.  And after the pastor prayed, we released the balloons in a symbol of releasing the anger and bitterness.  As the balloons floated away, cheers went up.  My friend and I blew kisses to our balloons.  It was pretty awesome!

Too bad the sky was gray, so the pictures aren't that great.... please don't try to zoom in and read my balloon and see if your name is on it!!!  Ha ha.  You don't know which ballon is mine and I wrote in code!  ;-)  Anyway, the good news, if it was your name, you are now forgiven!  :-)

Today

Outside my window...it's still early, but it is a beautiful day.  Birds are singing.  The sun is shining.  And it doesn't feel very humid.

In the kitchen...there are a few dirty dishes, no milk, and a cake mix is sitting on the counter that Libby intended to bake on Monday and I am hoping she will bake tonight.  :-)

I am thinking...about the odd twists and turns of fate. 

I am grateful...for my family- all of them.

I am praying... more with my children. It feels good.

I am wondering...if I have anything clean to wear to work.

I am studying... Real Estate Law.  Yes, it is as exciting as it sounds.

I am resolving...to wake up tomorrow morning at 5:00 a.m. and go to fitness boot camp.  I woke up yesterday at 5:00 a.m. to go and heard rain and thunder, so I went back to sleep.  But I will try again tomorrow.  (It's outside, so I wasn't the only one who didn't go!)

I am thankful...for long-time friends.  For good music.  For the blood of Christ.  For hot, running water.  For air conditioning.  For my job and my coworkers and the continual supply of awesome people I get to meet and work with.  And for cold Dr. Pepper-which I should't be drinking so much of, but which tastes soooooo good.

I am wearing...one of my favorite nightgowns.  I bought one (at Target) and liked it so much, I went back and got three more so that I now have one in every pattern they had available. 

Around the house...things are relatively clean because I had last weekend to myself.  I've also been doing some decorating with awesome things I find at my store.  I LOVE working in a thrift store.  Call me crazy.

I am reading...Real Estate Law, The Bible, and not a whole lot more.  I wish I had more time to read.

I am going...to pick up my car from the shop today and hope it actually makes it home this time!

I am looking forward to...seeing my family this summer.  And spending time with Beth and Misty (I hope we weren't just "talking" girls, because I was serious!)

Some picture to leave you with....

Sarah and Fleur finish the Cotton Row 5K.

 Some of my garden's bountiful harvest.

The lovely Libby.

Sarah's piano recital.

Jacob at Sarah's birthday party (engrossed in games on the Nook).

Sweet Will of God

My latest home decor item...placed right in the middle of the kitchen counter.... to remind my kidlets... and to remind myself of this incredibly important principle.

It's actually not that hard to distinguish the two.  Because rarely is the majority doing the will of God.  Don't you know that the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction and there's lots of people going that way?

In fact, I would go so far as to say that whatever you observe the majority doing... assume that God's Will is the exact opposite.

Now that you have your words to live by from Brenda... go and make good choices!