December

It's December.

Woah. This means the semester is almost over. The only thing that stands between me and Christmas vacay are three measly exams. And by measly I mean monstrous. I have a 20 page paper for Teaching the Bible and an online (no notes/ no books) beast of a Hymnology exam Monday. Tuesday, I'm teaching students how to navigate on BlackBoard for Spring orientation. (That's right, I'm wearing the big pants now.) And Thursday, I have an extensive essay and multiple choice exam for Interpersonal Relationships. Which, by the way, they said we would need to bring TWO blue books for. Yeah, that about sums it up.

In all of this chaos, I found myself here. In the middle of paper writing and a long day at the library. Call it procrastination if you will...But, I like to think of it as a moment for much needed personal reflection time. Oh, and I would like to just go on the record and say that this blogging stuff is hard work. I mean, I feel like such a slacker when I look at the dates of my last post.

Anyway, there's a lot to catch up on. But, first thing's first.

I want to share with you a sample of a writing exercise I had to do for my Congregational Song in Corporate Worship class. The assignment was to rewrite a hymn using the same metre and rhyming scheme as the original text. So, without further adieu..Here's my humble re-write of the classic, Come Thou Fount.

Father hear Your children praying,
For your presence do we long.
Guard our hearts and keep us praising,
Only You Lord, be our song.
May Your Spirit dwell in us, Lord,
And Your Word go forth and shine
All around us, through the darkness
Bringing sinners to Your side.

It is You Lord who redeems me,
Not my merit or my might.
It is Jesus’ walk to Calvary,
Oh, the precious blood of Christ.
For His payment ever pleading
Oh, the glory of the thought.
That my Savior interceding,
O’er the lost lamb that He bought.

Oh the sight of Him returning,
At the sound of trumpet blow.
May our hearts be ever yearning,
For the day He calls us home.
Then in union we’ll be singing
‘Round the throne of Jesus Christ.
Holy, Holy God Almighty,
Praise the one who brought me life.

Below is a link to my Instagram where I posted a little snippet of me singing. I get shy about these things so, it's short.

http://instagram.com/p/ggh7kTL4ny/

I give this exercise as a challenge to you, too! Try it out sometime. It really helped me start writing music again. Which, I'v been missing.

Reminders

Took this photo Thursday afternoon as I was sitting alone in my car waiting to hear from The Lord. I had driven to the lake for some much needed Jesus time. I needed to get away. I needed to get away from my anxious thoughts; my doubts. I needed to be in the presence of my Lord; before His throne. I took this photo as a reminder for myself of what the Holy Spirit led to me to read as I prayed and sought Him in my car. I want you to be reminded of this truth, too...

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." -Romans 8:18

May The Lord direct your heart to not look at the things seen, but to the things unseen. We have a hope. We have the promises of promises... Our redeemer lives and He is returning for His bride. He is making intercession on our behalf. Jesus WON. But now we have been called to run with endurance the race that is set before us. May the sufferings we face reveal the Savior we serve. May we not ask for the suffering to stop, but for The Lord to be in the midst of suffering with us. For His glory.

"Thankfully, the good news of the Gospel is not an exhortation about how to "hang on at all cost, "or "grin and bear it" in the midst of hardship. No, the good news is that God is hanging on to you, and in the end, when all is said and done, the power of God will triumph over every pain and loss..."- Tullian Tchividjian

DNOWS, GOODBYES & COUCHES

So, since my last post, a lot has happened in my life. For starters, I was asked to lead worship for a DNOW here in Louisiana. School hasn't even started and the LORD is already orchestrating appointments for me to use the talents He has given me for His glory. For that, I am completely grateful and humbled. The Lord definitely used DNOW weekend to re-focus me on His will and to reaffirm the truth in my heart that He is in control of the future. Not Me. P R A I S E T H E L O R D for that. Pictued below are the funnest youth in New Orleans. (They can cook up some mean pancakes, too.)

I also have already tasted the bittersweet-ness of saying those first "goodbyes" with friends here in Louisiana. Who would've thought they would happen so soon? Meet Jennifer. She is the lovely, funny lady who trained me for my job in ITC. Seriously has the BEST laugh of anyone I know. Man, do we have some stories to tell. But, that'll have to be for another post. She left Saturday with her husband to move back to FL. I will definitely miss you, Jenn.

Recently, as in this past week, I have been able to meet some awesome new people on campus! We had a fun dinner/movie night tonight at my apartment. It was also let's rearrange the living room furniture and buy a new sofa night as well. Having guy friends on campus to help move heavy TV's definitely pays off, ladies. Photo courtesy of my roomie, Courtney. Sorry for the photo quality. It was dark outside, people. #IWorkOut

Last but not least, I will be visiting Edgewater Baptist in the morning. Please continue to pray for me as I seek the Lord's will on where He would have me serve here in New Orleans.

Rainy Day

It's one of those days. One of those New Orleans rainy days. So, I've decided to stay in, work on laundry, make a cup of English breakfast tea, wear my messy bun and watch The Walking Dead marathon on TMC. Oh, and the occasional Facebook browsing is in order as well. Which leads to the point of me writing this post. I don't know what the Lord is doing in your life for this season, but He desperately wants to make Himself known to you. He reminded me of this truth a few moments ago. As I was browsing on Facebook, I kept coming across photos and statuses of people’s weddings and anniversaries. Don't get me wrong, I love weddings. I love marriage. But for some reason this morning, a wave of discontentment rolled over my heart. I want that, Lord. I want those flowers. I want that dress. I want a husband, too Lord. There are moments when I live in victory. There are moments I live in defeat. There are moments when I’m in the middle of the battle and I’m not sure which camp I’m in. And that my friend, is where I found myself this morning when the Lord spoke this truth from Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

I praise God for that river. I praise Him for giving me the only thing that could ever fully sustain me. I thank Him for Jesus. For the grace and mercy that flows in the city of God. Let my heart be glad. Dear Lord Jesus, help me be content. Help me remember Your goodness. Help me remember You are in control over all things.