Sweet Stuff

I had a pretty darn good day today. I ate a delicious crepe, hung out with some friends, and made some new friends. And those are just the highlights. :) I went to downtown Plymouth tonight after work with my friend Jordan. We went to this place called The Coffee Bean where they have live music on the weekends. The Coffee Bean has this cool little station where they make crepes with whatever you want in them...I got nutella, strawberries, and banana in mine and it was delicious! I don't even really like banana, but the girl making it sliced it up really thin and it was soooo good with the nutella and the strawberries. AND she put powdered sugar and whipped cream on top. It was excellent. :) We sat and enjoyed the music for a while, then left for a bonfire at my friend Hannah's boyfriend's house. That was a lot of fun...my first bonfire of spring/summer. We roasted some delicious marshmallows and had a good time just hanging out and talking. I ended up talking to a few people from Hannah's church, so that was nice. I usually just come to the college group meetings and not really talk to anyone...but then later wish I would have been bold enough to introduce myself and talk to people. I talked to a couple people tonight though, so that was sweet. :)

My dad came to visit me at work today, and that was definitely the highlight of my shift. I really love when my dad comes to visit me. He always has a huge smile on his face...and I see him from far away because of how tall he is. I just look up and see him smiling at me and it totally makes my day. Thankfully I had a break while my dad was in the store, so I went and found him and just walked around with him while he shopped. I gave him a hug before I went back to work, and it was both an "I love you" hug and an "I'm so proud to be your daughter" hug. There's something about hugging my dad in front of all the Costco members and my coworkers that says "This is my dad and I'm still his princess." And I love that. Thanks dad for making my day!

Heart Breaks

This morning I tuned in to AM 990 to listen to a priest named Fr. John Riccardo. I really enjoy listening to him whenever I get the chance. He's got some really great insights on a lot of issues and teachings of the Catholic church, and he's usually pretty funny. This morning, however, he was not at all funny. Fr. John was talking about abortion...and in order for his audience to fully understand the act, he gave a terribly graphic description of a partial-birth abortion. He did this not to gross people out or be graphic...he did it to bring to our awareness the tragedy that is abortion. Do you realize there are doctors out there that are sucking the brains out of unborn babies? There are doctors that inject chemicals into the fetus while it's still in the womb so that it'll be easier to deliver once it's dead. There are doctors that say that it's perfectly okay to do these things because this baby is not a human. I'm sorry, but who do these doctors think they are that they have the right to discern whether or not someone is worthy of being called a human?? Isn't that God's job? Ugh. The whole issue disgusts me. As I listened to the details of exactly how a partial-birth abortion is performed, I felt sick to my stomach. Those poor babies. They don't even have a say in the matter. Their lives are simply being taken from them before they have a chance to live. http://www.priestsforlife.org/partialbirth.html < visit that site for more information about partial-birth abortions. More specifically, scroll down to the bottom of the page where it has the step-by-step procedure. It's not in full-color, and it's not too graphic (for those of you who don't care to see the graphic representation). It just gives a description of each step involved. I think it'll provoke some interesting thoughts. I am so thankful for my life. My heart really breaks for all the babies that have been killed in abortions in the world. Seriously. What might they have been like if they just had a chance? I invite you to listen to the testimony of one woman who survived an abortion. Yeah. That's right...she actually SURVIVED. Can you imagine? Her story is incredible. She's such an amazing woman of God. Check out this video and hear her story. It's so very inspiring. > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKrW7vP8W00 (that's Part 1. 9.5 minutes) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8wwleM3kk8&feature=related (that's Part 2. 6.5 minutes). I encourage you to watch/listen to the whole thing. It's only about 16 minutes of your time...and I really think it's worth it.

Lord, I thank You for the gift of my life. My heart breaks for all of the women that have undergone abortions, and my heart breaks for all of the babies that have not had a chance to live because of abortions. I ask that You would protect all babies from the terrible act of abortion and open more of Your people's hearts and minds to Your plan and will for their lives. Amen.

A Battle

I went to a talk at my church tonight about the Catholic mass. It wasn't quite what I was expecting...I think I expected more of an explanation as to why we do certain things and why we pray certain prayers. So much of the Catholic mass is routine-y, and I often go to mass and go through the motions (sit, stand, kneel, pray, repeat) without really thinking about it. I know that's definitely not the point of mass. My priest said, "The more we engage in full, active, conscious participation, the more our hearts will be open to everything the Lord has for us." I know I am guilty of not engaging in that full, active, conscious participation in mass sometimes. It's so easy to do! But just thinking about how much more God will be glorified if I give Him my full attention at mass makes me super excited. Anyway, another thing my priest talked about was why we come to mass. It's not about getting something out of it. It's about 1) Worshipping God, and 2) the sanctification of the human person. That was pretty awesome to hear. I know sometimes I feel like I'm going to mass on Sunday morning because I have to. Sometimes it just doesn't go through my head that I'm going there to worship God and to become more holy. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not always going out of obligation...I really do like going to mass. I just know that I need to really prepare my heart more before going to mass on Sunday. This preparation will not only help me to give more glory to God during mass, but it will also fight off the spiritual attacks of the devil. He absolutely HATES what goes on at mass...the praying, the singing, the praising God, the celebration of the Eucharist (body and blood of Christ), the reading of the scriptures, everything. So he does everything he can to sabotage our minds before we leave for mass...so much so that when we walk through the church doors we can hardly focus on the wonderful celebration of the mass. We can hardly give God our all and praise Him with everything in us because the devil has attacked...and I think sometimes we let him. Without even knowing it. That's the scary part. BUT now we know that the devil attacks when he knows that we're going to be worshipping God...so what are we going to do about it? Pray for protection, that's what. "It's easier to fight in the war when you know there's a battle coming."

Lord, thank You for being present during the talk at church tonight. I ask that You protect me in my weak moments. Be my stronghold and my deliverer. And St. Michael, I ask for your intercession as well: "St. Michael, the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen."

Captivate Us

I listened to a really beautiful song tonight. It's very much like a love letter to God from us, His children. Before you read the lyrics, I want to define a couple of words [via Free Online Dictionary]:

captivate :
to attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence

devastate :
to destroy; to overwhelm; to bring to ruin or desolation

abide :
to remain in a place; to continue to be sure or firm; endure; dwell

divine :
supremely good or beautiful; magnificent; extremely pleasant; delightful; heavenly; perfect

fellowship :
the state of sharing mutual interests, experiences, or activities; companionship; friendship

yoke :
a bond or tie

burden :
a source of great worry or stress; weight

wisdom :
the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting

might :
strength or ability to do something

Now that I've set the stage a little bit, here are the lyrics to Captivate Us by Watermark.

"Your face is beautiful
and Your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
there inside the scars
Your loving arms they draw me near
And Your smile it brings me peace
Draw me closer oh my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Captivate us, Lord Jesus set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You

Your voice is powerful
and Your words are radiant bright
In Your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
and Your fellowship is free
Draw me closer O my Lord
Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Let everything be lost in the shadows
of the light of Your face
Let every chain be broken from me
as I’m bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom, power and might
And every eye will see You"

I think it really helps to know the meaning of some of those words. It really adds beauty and truth to the song. Anyway, I just really love the words of this. It's such a lovely prayer to God...especially that first verse. When my friend Jennifer told me to listen to it and that she thought I'd like it, I opened up Google, typed it in, listened, and fell in love. It's just so beautiful. Here's the URL if you'd like to have a listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcezx5Rl7sA. I highly recommend it. :)

Lord, captivate me tonight. Hold my attention with Your charm, beauty, and excellence. Devastate me, O God. Tear apart everything that is not holy in me, and replace it with Your holiness and perfection. I want to abide in You. Be my firm foundation and my friend forever. I know that You long to give me a life that is beautiful, magnificent, pleasant, and perfect. Give me the strength to accept You and Your divine plan for my life. Amen.

Meeting Needs

Today I learned about washing feet. It doesn't just mean getting someone's feet clean. That's just the surface-level meaning of the ritual. Jesus washed his disciples' feet in order to serve them. That's what it's really all about. Washing feet means finding a need, and meeting that need. I listened to Joyce Meyer's radio broadcast again tonight and her words really blessed me. She talked about how humbling it is to do things for others. That means doing things without expecting anything in return. Just selfless giving. Joyce makes an interesting point...she says, "Even if we're willing to do stuff for other people, we're much more likely to do stuff for people we like and know...because after all, they'll probably tell us how wonderful we are. When it comes to doing something for someone that you don't know....don't have any natural interest in other than that God loves them...there's a different story." Why is it so much easier to do things for people we already know? What are we afraid of? What am I afraid of? Rejection? Weird looks? Not getting anything in return? I don't know. But something sure is keeping me back, I think. Otherwise I'd be doing things for other people left and right.

Here's a question Joyce says to ask ourselves: "Do I see helping others as a divine opportunity from God or as an unwanted interruption in my plan?" Hmmm...when it's put that way, I guess I don't always see serving others as "divine opportunities". I mean, sometimes I do...like when I was in Detroit for spring break. But most of the time when I think about serving someone I think "Ughh...I just don't have time to stop and talk to that person" or "I'll do it tomorrow." That's not exactly a very good approach to the situation. When God calls us to help someone or serve one of our brothers or sisters in any way, we need to step up and do it. Here's the thing: God will take care of us and all of our needs when we take care of others. That's all there is to it.

God, thank You for giving me opportunities to serve my brothers and sisters, but I apologize for the times when I haven't been willing to carry out that call in serving them. Please continue to place people in my path that You want me to reach out to...and show me the boldness and courage that it takes to serve them as You would. Amen.

Others

From the book of Genesis... "I will bless you and I will make you a blessing, causing you to dispense good to others."

"Everything that God does for us, He expects to flow through us." These are some words of wisdom from the lovely Joyce Meyer. While listening to her radio broadcast tonight, I was struck by this idea of showing Christ's love to others. It's not that I've never heard of that before, it's just that it hit me differently this time. I think the Lord might be telling me to do more for others during this time in my life. He's been speaking to me all sorts of awesome things, showing me His love in incredible ways, and teaching me some important life lessons. But that stuff doesn't mean a thing if I can't show it to others and tell them how much Christ loves them and wants to do the same for them too. I always reap the benefits and praise God for His good works in my life, but I think I often forget the second (and very important) part of this whole thing--sharing it with others! This reminds me of bad professors...you know the kind. They're the ones that are super smart and know everything there is to know about a subject, but when it comes time to teaching that material to their students, they just can't do it. I know I've had quite a few professors like that in these last few years of classes. It's not good! I'm the one confused and left out while they've got all the knowledge and good stuff. Get what I mean? I feel like the Lord is warning me not to become like a bad professor. He wants to tell me things, show me His love, and teach me His ways, but He also wants me to relay all that stuff to His other children...my brothers and sisters.

Lord, help me to share You with the people in my life this week. I ask that you would present opportunities to talk about your goodness and love...especially with those who don't know You. Give me boldness and courage to carry out Your will for my life in this area. Amen.

A Monsoon of Tears

So I mentioned a couple days ago that I started reading a book by Max Lucado called "Next Door Savior: Near Enough to Touch. Strong Enough to Trust." The chapter I just read was really interesting. It's called "Grieving People" and it's based on John 11:1-44. Lucado has a pretty comical writing style. It's all Biblically based, but it's kind of funny. Hard to describe, but I'll try. Here's the beginning of the chapter...see what you think.

"You never know what to say at funerals. This one is no exception. The chapel is library quiet. People acknowledge each other with soft smiles and nods. You say nothing. What's to be said? There's a dead body in the place, for crying out loud! Just last month you took the guy out to lunch. You and Lazarus told jokes over nachos. Aside from a bad cough, you thought he was healthy. Within a week you learned of the diagnosis. The doctor gave him sixty days. He didn't make it that long. Now you're both at his funeral. He in the casket. You in the pew. Death has silenced you both. The church is full, so you stand at the back. Stained glass prisms the afternoon sun, streaking faces with shafts of purple and gold. You recognize many of them. Bethany is a small town. The two women on the front pew you know well. Martha and Mary are the sisters of Lazarus. Quiet, pensive Mary. Bustling, busy Martha. Even now she can't sit still. She keeps looking over her shoulder. Who for? you wonder."

Of course Martha is looking for Jesus. And when He comes, He embraces her. And she cries. Lucado writes, "You wonder what Jesus is going to do. You wonder what Jesus is going to say. He spoke to the winds and the demons. Remarkable. But death? Does he have anything to say about death? Your thoughts are interrupted by Martha's accusation: 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died' (John 11:21)". That sounds like our reaction to death, huh? We blame God...even though it's all part of His plan. We tell Him that if only He had been there, things might have been different. Ohh...how silly of us. Anyway, I don't think we can ever understand why God takes some people earlier than He takes others. Death is a sad thing, no doubt. Martha sat, feeling miserable and sad. "And Jesus sat in it with her. [...] Do you see a Savior with Terminator tenderness bypassing the tears of Martha and Mary and, in doing so, telling them and all grievers to buck up and trust? I don't. I don't because of what Jesus does next. He weeps. He sits on the pew between Mary and Martha, puts an arm around each, and sobs. Among the three, a tsunami of sorrow is stirred; a monsoon of tears is released. Tears that reduce to streaks the watercolor conceptions of a cavalier Christ. Jesus weeps. He weeps with them. He weeps for them. He weeps with you. He weeps for you. He weeps so we will know: Mourning is not disbelieving. Flooded eyes don't represent a faithless heart. A person can enter a cemetery Jesus-certain of life after death and still have a Twin Tower crater in the heart. Christ did. He wept, and he knew he was ten minutes from seeing a living Lazarus! And his tears give you permission to shed your own. Grief does not mean you don't trust; it simply means you can't stand the thought of another day without the Jacob or Lazarus of your life. If Jesus gave the love, he understands the tears. So grieve, but don't grieve like those who don't know the rest of this story."

Okay, so I know that was a lot...but I just really loved it. I love hearing that Jesus cried. And He didn't just cry...He wept. There was a "tsunami of sorrow" and a "monsoon of tears". Wow. That's a lot of tears flowing. How...encouraging? No, that's not the right word. How...humanizing? Maybe. It's just good to know that grieving is okay. And that crying doesn't mean that we don't trust God. I think a lot of times when I'm upset and feel like crying, I tell myself not to because it's showing that I don't trust that God will take care of it. That's only half true though. If I just cried for days and days and weeks and months...that would be an entirely different story. That would probably show that I didn't trust God. I don't think that's what Lucado is talking about here, though. Lucado is saying that grieving is not only a part of moving on, but it is a part of understanding Jesus' character. We are made in the image and likeness of Him, afterall. And He cried. So we can cry too. Just not "like those who don't know the rest of this story". :)