Um, yeah, been gone awhile...

I knew when I started a second blog that it would probably get neglected now and then. Last year on my photography blog I did a weekly series called "Tuesday Tunes". Now, I realize it's not Tuesday, but I'd forget to come back next week! And I really want to get this shared.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this song. Something about it just gets to me. I love knowing it's okay to take my hurt, my fears, my concerns, my anger, everything to God. And not only is okay, God wants me to! I find such freedom and comfort in that.

Better Than a Hallelujah by Amy Grant

God loves a lullaby

In a mothers tears in the dead of night

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

God loves the drunkards cry,

The soldiers plea not to let him die

Better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah.

The woman holding on for life,

The dying man giving up the fight

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what's been done,

The silence when the words won't come

Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes.

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing,

Better than a choir singing out, singing out.

We pour out our miseries

God just hears a melody

Beautiful the mess we are

The honest cries of breaking hearts

Are better than a Hallelujah

Repeat Chorus

Long gap...

Things have been completely insane at work. Which, tends to be where/when I do my blogging... I need to start doing it more from my phone. I'm going to work on that.

I read a quote today on a friend's fb status, "God is vastly patient and relentlessly persevering as He intrudes into your life. God’s love is full of blood, sweat, tears, and cries. He suffered for you. He fights you. He pursues you in powerful tenderness so that He can change you. He’s jealous, not detached." -d.p.

I wanted to know badly who DP was (David Powlison) and if there was more to it than this, so I googled and found it here - http://asacrificeofpraise.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/gods-love-is-better-than-unconditional/. Check it out!

Verse shared during worship yesterday...

Acts 4:12

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

This stuck with me all day yesterday and into today. I made sure to bookmark it in my bible app. Yay for the iphone working for God!

Test...

Long time no blog, I know! But now I have an iPhone and blog as long as I have cell service. :). So hopefully you'll be hearing a lot more from me around here!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Holiday values...

I'm participating in a forum learning to create a project (I think a scrapbook/album thing) for the holidays. The first part of the assignment is to think about what values are important to me during the holiday season. Here's my list:

• family
• togetherness
• thankfulness
• joy
• giving
• laughter

Of all the things that could be associated with the holidays, these are the things I value and cherish most. The times when we're all together (with either family!) and we spend time talking, laughing, playing games and just in general, being family. I love that. I love the way our small group is becoming another family for us. Families should be the places and people with whom we can be most ourselves and still be loved and accepted. I'm so thankful for all that I consider family.

What do you value during the madness of the holiday season?

Book review: Confessions from an Honest Wife

I stopped in a my local library a few weeks ago and took a look through their Christian book section. I randomly picked up Confessions from an Honest Wife: On the mess, mystery & miracle of marriage by Sarah Zacharias Davis. It's so reassuring to know that the strongest marriages go through incredible trials. I'm not the only wife who feels frustrated with her husband at times. I want to share a few snippets over the next few days... Here is the first -

"It's been said that a marriage that lasts has stood the test of time, but I don't think time is a test. Time is a gift - a gift because change, growth, and compromise don't happen quickly. They come with time, and you've got to have time to work things out."

It's SO EASY to think of time as a commodity. We spend it, waste it, invest it, bank it... But rarely do we consider what a precious gift it is. Those that know me know that I want to be a mother, and I want it right now. After reading this passage I've been challenged to see and really appreciate the time that my husband and I have had and continue to have to build our marriage and strengthen the depth of our relationship. I know that when we do have children, they'll be blessed because of it.

5 Ways to Improve Your Daily Life from SCORE Women's Success Blog

This morning I was checking out blogs in my google reader (LOVE IT!) and found this article. Quoted below:

As we spend more time at work and continue to feel the pressures of how to cope with daily stresses consider these tips that can improve your life.

1. Do something for someone else. It can be rewarding and nurturing others can reduce stress.
2. Meditate: it only takes 10 minutes, sit comfortably, relax and focus on your breath with your eyes closed and your hands facing up on your lap
3. Spend quality time with others
4. Move more…exercise has been shown to elevate moods
5. Change your way of thinking…”how we think affects how we feel” Interrupt negative thoughts and replace them with constructive positive thoughts.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we can incorporate these 5 things into our lives. Comment away!