Category Archives: God

>Back in the game with a new weekly feature!

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>HI FRIENDS!

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since O’Bama’s inauguration. I’m sure most of my readers have gone buh-bye by now, but for those who have stuck around…HOLA!

I don’t really have a good excuse for being gone for so long. Work has been a little stressful lately. Church is going well. Matt and the kitties and I are just trying to keep up with everything around the house. Lots of everyday, normal life things have shoved blogging down to the bottom of my priority list. (Actually, it’s not quite to the bottom. Cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors, and organizing the refrigerator have fallen way below blogging!) I’m sorry to have neglected you for so long.

Good news though – I’m coming back to you with a NEW WEEKLY FEATURE! Yes folks, I’m going to attempt to make my mark on the internet with a weekly feature I’m calling Tuesday Tunes. Every Tuesday I am going to introduce you to a song that I am loving that week. It could be an old classic rock song, an 80’s pop favorite or a new Christian worship track. Whatever the song, I’ll give you a little insight into why I love it, fun trivia about the artist and where you can get the song for yourself.

If you’re interested in doing Tuesday Tunes on your blog, feel free to copy the graphic below to use on your posts. If you do a Tuesday Tune, please let me know, link back to me, etc., so we can get the Tuesday Tune love going! It will be fun to discover new music and learn more about each other through the songs we love, won’t it? Here goes…

This week’s Tuesday Tune is “Lover” by Derek Webb. It’s from his album She Must and Shall Go Free.

I love Derek Webb. His sound, his lyrics, his heart – they’re all so rich and authentic and relevant. He gets down and dirty about God, faith and the Church. So often as Christians we try to sugar-coat our lives to make it seem like with God everything is easy and happy. It’s just not the case, and Derek always seems to make it okay to be real with ourselves about the suffering we sometimes endure as Christians.

This song is probably my second favorite on this album (my favorite is “Wedding Dress” – maybe I’ll Tune it in the future.). I have been stuck on it for a few weeks now. The version on the actual album is a little better (IMHO) because of the vocal harmony, but this video is still pretty good. I love the way Derek portrays Jesus as a lover who will do anything for the one he is in love with – his Church. I think this is a beautiful song, and I hope you like it.

Lover
words and music by derek webb

like a man comes to an alter i came into this town
with the world upon my shoulders and promises passed down
and i went into the water and my father, he was pleased
i built it and i’ll tear it down so you will be set free

but i found thieves and salesmen living in my father’s house
i know how they got in here and i know how to get ‘em out
i’m turning this place over from floor to balcony
and then just like these doves and sheep you will be set free

i’ve always been a lover from before i drew a breath
some things i loved easy and some i loved to death
because love’s no politician, it listens carefully
of those who come i can’t lose one, so you will be set free

but go on and take my picture, go on and make me up
i’ll still be your defender, you’ll be my missing son
and i’ll send out an army just to bring you back to me
because regardless of your brother’s lies you will be set free

i am my beloveds and my beloved’s mine
so you bring all your history and i’ll bring the bread and wine
and we’ll have us a party where all the drinks are on me
then as surely as the rising sun you will be set free

>Barack O’Pocalypse?

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>You probably don’t know this, but Barack Obama is being sworn in today. I’m a little dismayed at the lack of media coverage myself. You would think it would be covered on every single channel or something. Psh…

This election was a crazy one, wasn’t it? Never in my lifetime has there been such excitement and energy about choosing a new leader for our country. I’m not really interested in politics too much, but as election day closed in, even I was comparing the candidates, weighing my options. In fact, even my dad voted for the first time in all of his 57 years.

Throughout the months leading up to the election, much mud was slung from one side to the other. Suddenly our friends and neighbors became political experts. Everyone was desperate to convince us that their candidate was the right choice, and that the other candidate was trash.

Some people even tried to tell us that Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ.

Before I go further with this post, I need to make a few things clear. First, I don’t think Barack Obama is the Anti-Christ. Has it occured to me that he might be? Sure. BUT I’ve also wondered if Oprah or Bono or many others are the Anti-Christ. (I don’t discriminate: black women, white men, they’re all considered for the role!) Second, this isn’t some crazy attempt to slam Obama on his big day. After I weighed all my options, opinions, etc., I chose him over McCain. I know this is an exciting time for America, and I am not trying to put a damper on the day.

People have been trying to identify the Anti-Christ for hundreds of years. Since the ressurection of Christ, it seems like there has been someone shouting from the street corner that Jesus is coming soon – The End is Near! Generations upon generations of people have lived in expectation of the second coming, and died having never seen it.

I believe that one day Christ will return, and a whole cavalcade of awful events will usher in His coming. I believe that there will probably be an Anti-Christ, but I’m not 100% sure on who it would be, what he or she will be like, etc. There are hordes of people out there who have very exact images in their minds about how this all will go down, and I’m sure a lot of that certainty comes from their reading of the popular Christian fiction series “Left Behind.” There are probably even a few people out there who have opinions on the end times based on eschatological studies. (Did I just make up a word? I don’t even know…) I am neither of these. I am simply a Christian who waits, and lives in the meantime.

I am certain of one thing though, and that is what I want to make very clear to you today. Nothing we do will change these events. Let’s just say for the sake of argument that Barack Obama is indeed the Anti-Christ. Does anyone really think that by keeping him from becoming president, we might hinder his demonic abilities? Do we really think that we can keep Jesus from coming back by keeping Obama out of the White House? I don’t think so. I’m not a theologian by any stretch of the imagination, but I really don’t think it would make a big difference.

If you really think the Anti-Christ is coming, why not channel that anxious energy into some serious, hard-core evangelism? If the end really is near, shouldn’t we be doing all we can to show our friends and family the truth about God?

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? I look forward to your comments…

>A Christmas Miracle

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>I have blogged here about my struggle with getting pregnant. Matt and I have wished for a baby for quite a few years now, but still don’t have a baby to add to our little family. It’s something we pray about all the time, and we really do have faith that God will bring us children someday.

I always fantasize about how we will tell our family we are pregnant. One of my favorite fantasies is one where we announce it at the big family Christmas gathering. I imagine us giving my grandmother a gift that reveals our news like a framed sonogram picture, and as she opens it and realizes what it means, everyone explodes with excitement for us. I can’t even picture it in my head without tearing up a bit, and I know that if it were to actually happen, I would be bawling like a baby.

This is the fourth Christmas that we have wished to make an announcement like this, but have been unable to. Someday I’m sure we’ll be able to reveal the expansion of our family, but every Christmas that goes by until then, I can’t help but feel sad that it’s not time yet.

Our niece slept with us last night, and as I laid there watching her sleep, I couldn’t help but wish that we had one just like her. If we had been able to conceive when we first started trying, our child would be around Kamryn’s age. I watch her grow, and I fall in love with her over and over again…and I wonder what our life would be like if we had a little cousin for her.

Sorry for such a sad post so close to Christmas. I am actually feeling quite upbeat about Christmas this year, but I did have this moment of sadness last night (and early this morning) that I wanted to share. Maybe no one reads my sad blogs, but it sure feels good to put it out there, ya know?

Regardless of whether I have a child or not, I’m not letting my sadness cloak the importance of this season. While I yearn for a baby to call my own, I know that many years ago a baby came call me His, and THAT is what Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas to each of you. May you know who you are and WHOSE you are…