This song brought me to tears as it was sung this past Sunday, reminding us all how God loves us and so desperately just wants us to be with Him.
What can I do for you
What can I bring to you
What kind of song would you like me to sing
'Cause I'll dance a dance for you
Pour out my love to you
What can I do for you beautiful king
'Cause I can't thank you enough
All of the words that I find
and I can't thank you enough
No matter how I try
and I can't thank you enough
Then hear you sing to me
You don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me
and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute
Wait, this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here here with me
And love on me a little longer
I hear you saying
You don't have to do a thing
Just simply be with me
and let those things go
'Cause they can wait another minute
Wait, this moment is too sweet
Would you please stay here here with me
And love on me a little longer
'cause I like to be with you a little longer
I love to be with you a little longer
'Cause I'm in love with you
I'm in love with you
Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
May already?
Where has this year gone? It seems that I blinked and a third of the year has passed me by. I've been told by those older and wiser than me that it just gets worse. The older you get, the faster time flies. That's hard for me to imagine. In some ways, it saddens me. It makes me want to grab on to each moment, each memory as it is being made, and hold it close before it becomes another part of my past.
On the other hand, it excites me! I'm eager to see what the future holds for my life. I'm anxious to see what's around the next bend. And I know that each day that passes by is one day closer 'til I see Him face to face. And that makes me want to run through this life too quickly sometimes, missing out on what He has for me here. Still working on that balance.
This year has already brought some exciting experiences and great memories. We joined a new small group at the end of December. This group is made up of quite a unique variety of people! Married, single, dating. American, Korean, Croatian. Seminarians, doctor, nurse, coach, lawyer to be, and more. I love it.
Roy has just recently taken over the role of facilitating our group discussion time, which is another exciting opportunity for him to continue to hone his God-given skills. He does a great job. I may be slightly biased... but he still does a great job.
I also joined a seminary wives group this semester, and we went through the book Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow. I was challenged over and over again by the Bible-based truths of the book combined with the hearts of the young women in my group. I finally feel like I'm starting to find the community and companionship I've been so desperately longing for on a horizontal scale. God has been faithful to teach me and walk with me, providing for all I need in our vertically oriented relationship. But I also know He didn't make me to live without other women in my life.
In March, we had the privilege of hosting my parents for a visit! They came for five days, and we enjoyed showing them around our favorite places in the DFW area. The weather was perfect, so in addition to taking them to our favorite restaurants, we spent a lot of time outside! We are blessed that Roy and I have the same interest in wildlife that my parents do, which makes it easy to find things to do that we all can enjoy!
My mom oooed and ahhed over the Dallas Arboretum, which was then displaying its most brilliant blooms of the year. My dad enjoyed the flowers... and watching my mom ooo and ahh over them!
We also visited The Heard Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, TX. Roy and I had yet to visit there as well. We took a long hike, enjoying the beautiful weather and birds. We saw lots of yellow-rumped warblers, aka butterbutts!
We took them to the Village Creek Drying Beds, a hotspot for seeing water fowl. Although there was not an abundance of unique birds, we did see a few, including this cute pied-billed grebe!
We also took them to the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. The Japanese Garden was our favorite area. The landscaping and design were serene and beautiful.
The Dry Landscape Garden
One Saturday morning in April, I mentioned to Roy that we needed to make some time to take a trip to Ennis, TX, the bluebonnet city of Texas. The retirement community where I work had taken a few trips there that week, all with positive reviews. So we decided to go right then! It was wonderful to get out of the city, as always. We drove the suggested trail, enjoying the fields of blue!
Now Roy is finished with his third year of seminary, and summer is looming in the near future, today's high of 95 degrees being a good indication! We are excited for all that our summer has in store. My plan is to be better about blogging regularly... we'll see how that goes!
On the other hand, it excites me! I'm eager to see what the future holds for my life. I'm anxious to see what's around the next bend. And I know that each day that passes by is one day closer 'til I see Him face to face. And that makes me want to run through this life too quickly sometimes, missing out on what He has for me here. Still working on that balance.
This year has already brought some exciting experiences and great memories. We joined a new small group at the end of December. This group is made up of quite a unique variety of people! Married, single, dating. American, Korean, Croatian. Seminarians, doctor, nurse, coach, lawyer to be, and more. I love it.
Roy has just recently taken over the role of facilitating our group discussion time, which is another exciting opportunity for him to continue to hone his God-given skills. He does a great job. I may be slightly biased... but he still does a great job.
I also joined a seminary wives group this semester, and we went through the book Creative Counterpart by Linda Dillow. I was challenged over and over again by the Bible-based truths of the book combined with the hearts of the young women in my group. I finally feel like I'm starting to find the community and companionship I've been so desperately longing for on a horizontal scale. God has been faithful to teach me and walk with me, providing for all I need in our vertically oriented relationship. But I also know He didn't make me to live without other women in my life.
In March, we had the privilege of hosting my parents for a visit! They came for five days, and we enjoyed showing them around our favorite places in the DFW area. The weather was perfect, so in addition to taking them to our favorite restaurants, we spent a lot of time outside! We are blessed that Roy and I have the same interest in wildlife that my parents do, which makes it easy to find things to do that we all can enjoy!
My mom oooed and ahhed over the Dallas Arboretum, which was then displaying its most brilliant blooms of the year. My dad enjoyed the flowers... and watching my mom ooo and ahh over them!
We also visited The Heard Wildlife Sanctuary in McKinney, TX. Roy and I had yet to visit there as well. We took a long hike, enjoying the beautiful weather and birds. We saw lots of yellow-rumped warblers, aka butterbutts!
We took them to the Village Creek Drying Beds, a hotspot for seeing water fowl. Although there was not an abundance of unique birds, we did see a few, including this cute pied-billed grebe!
We also took them to the Fort Worth Botanical Garden. The Japanese Garden was our favorite area. The landscaping and design were serene and beautiful.
The Dry Landscape Garden
One Saturday morning in April, I mentioned to Roy that we needed to make some time to take a trip to Ennis, TX, the bluebonnet city of Texas. The retirement community where I work had taken a few trips there that week, all with positive reviews. So we decided to go right then! It was wonderful to get out of the city, as always. We drove the suggested trail, enjoying the fields of blue!
Now Roy is finished with his third year of seminary, and summer is looming in the near future, today's high of 95 degrees being a good indication! We are excited for all that our summer has in store. My plan is to be better about blogging regularly... we'll see how that goes!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Roy's Birding Safari!
After a spontaneous trip to Half Price Books because of their 20% off everything sale, we found ourselves a bird book (what else?!) with awesome pictures, great info, and it only cost us like $4.50! After we looked through the whole book last night, I was neeeeding to go birding, even though it's freezing cold. So today, we bundled up and headed out to Arlington for our first visit to the Village Creek Drying Beds. That sounds pretty nice, but it's just a nicer (and shorter!) name for Village Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant Drying Beds. Thankfully, it didn't smell at all. We aren't sure if that's normal or if it was due to the fact that it was cold and windy. Regardless, we were grateful. However, due to that cold and wind, we ended up staying in the car most of the trip and taking pictures with the windows down. Hence, Roy dubbed it "Roy's Birding Safari!"
Here are some favorites from the day.
Female Shoveler
Male Shoveler
Nutria - kind of like a beaver, but different.
Wilson's Snipe - one of my favorites of the day! Roy and I mimicked UP! by calling out "Here Snipe! *clap, clap, clap* Here, Snipey, Snipe!"
Snipe searching for lunch
Northern Pintail
Female Kestrel enjoying her bird lunch
Finishing off her snack
My favorite for the day - Greater Yellowlegs
We'd heard of these drying beds, but it was fun to finally experience them for ourselves. Can't wait to head back and see what else we can find!
Here are some favorites from the day.
Female Shoveler
Male Shoveler
Nutria - kind of like a beaver, but different.
Wilson's Snipe - one of my favorites of the day! Roy and I mimicked UP! by calling out "Here Snipe! *clap, clap, clap* Here, Snipey, Snipe!"
Snipe searching for lunch
Northern Pintail
Female Kestrel enjoying her bird lunch
Finishing off her snack
My favorite for the day - Greater Yellowlegs
We'd heard of these drying beds, but it was fun to finally experience them for ourselves. Can't wait to head back and see what else we can find!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Minds Transformed
Roy and I were reading together tonight from The Beautiful Fight by Gary Thomas. We both were challenged and in agreement with this section about allowing God to transform our minds, and we wanted to pass it along.
"Every month without fail, I eagerly read Runner's World magazine. It's not an obligation for me. Because I love running, I want to read about the latest training techniques and running gear. I revel in the inspiring personal stories. I check my calendar against upcoming races. I want to know about the latest shoes. I even pore over the ads.
The Bible could well be called God's World. If we truly love God's world, Bible study will be a joy. We will eagerly embrace the filling of our minds with his inspired words, and we'll also want to read the insights of others as they interact with God's Word, which is why being a diligent student also usually means reading other books.
Is it possible to be a faithful disciple and not be a diligent student? No. Contemplative prayer, social activism, fellowship, and enthusiastic worship all have their place; but if Paul declares that transformation includes the renewal of our minds, I don't believe it is possible for us to be serious disciples of Christ if we do not also become serious students of his truth.
I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir here; you wouldn't be reading a book like this if you weren't a serious "student"... We must not allow someone's laziness or lack of fondness for reading, discipline, and study to imprison them in spiritual immaturity. Someone may prefer not to exercise, but if they are fifty pounds overweight and fighting off diabetes, high blood pressure, and clogged arteries, then they had better get over it. They will never get healthy until they find a way to exercise.
In the same way, if someone is ignorant of God's Word, then they will reflect that ignorance in their beliefs, their speech, their purpose in life, their motivations, and in all sorts of spiritual illnesses. They need to get over their distaste of disciplined study. We have many ways to "study" these days, so we have less excuse to remain ignorant then ever before in the history of the church. That's not hyperbole; it's a simple fact.
Christianity is not like some Easter religions that try to circumvent the mind with meditations designed to put the mind in a state of paralysis (such as meditations on the sound of "one hand clapping"). Christianity is a reasonable and rational explanation of the universe and our relationship with the God who created us. Ignorance isn't just sin; it leads to ever-increasing sin. And it has no place in a maturing believer's life."
"Every month without fail, I eagerly read Runner's World magazine. It's not an obligation for me. Because I love running, I want to read about the latest training techniques and running gear. I revel in the inspiring personal stories. I check my calendar against upcoming races. I want to know about the latest shoes. I even pore over the ads.
The Bible could well be called God's World. If we truly love God's world, Bible study will be a joy. We will eagerly embrace the filling of our minds with his inspired words, and we'll also want to read the insights of others as they interact with God's Word, which is why being a diligent student also usually means reading other books.
Is it possible to be a faithful disciple and not be a diligent student? No. Contemplative prayer, social activism, fellowship, and enthusiastic worship all have their place; but if Paul declares that transformation includes the renewal of our minds, I don't believe it is possible for us to be serious disciples of Christ if we do not also become serious students of his truth.
I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir here; you wouldn't be reading a book like this if you weren't a serious "student"... We must not allow someone's laziness or lack of fondness for reading, discipline, and study to imprison them in spiritual immaturity. Someone may prefer not to exercise, but if they are fifty pounds overweight and fighting off diabetes, high blood pressure, and clogged arteries, then they had better get over it. They will never get healthy until they find a way to exercise.
In the same way, if someone is ignorant of God's Word, then they will reflect that ignorance in their beliefs, their speech, their purpose in life, their motivations, and in all sorts of spiritual illnesses. They need to get over their distaste of disciplined study. We have many ways to "study" these days, so we have less excuse to remain ignorant then ever before in the history of the church. That's not hyperbole; it's a simple fact.
Christianity is not like some Easter religions that try to circumvent the mind with meditations designed to put the mind in a state of paralysis (such as meditations on the sound of "one hand clapping"). Christianity is a reasonable and rational explanation of the universe and our relationship with the God who created us. Ignorance isn't just sin; it leads to ever-increasing sin. And it has no place in a maturing believer's life."
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
You Hold Me Now
Today was a day that my heart just yearned for the restoration and fulfillment that awaits...
Jesus, I am eagerly waiting for this...
On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace
All my fears swept away
In the light of Your embrace
When Your love is all I need
And forever I am free
Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence here to hold
Let these songs of heaven rise to You alone
No weeping
No hurt or pain
No suffering
You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness
No sick or lame
No hiding
You hold me now
You hold me now
In this life I will stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails
When Your name is lifted high
And forever praises last
For the glory of Your Name
I'll be livin' for the day
When the wars will finally cease
All creation rest in peace
Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone
No weeping
No hurt or pain
No suffering
You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness
No sick or lame
No hiding
You hold me now
You hold me now
For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name
Jesus, I am eagerly waiting for this...
On that day when I see
All that You have for me
When I see You face to face
There surrounded by Your grace
All my fears swept away
In the light of Your embrace
When Your love is all I need
And forever I am free
Where the streets are made of gold
In Your presence here to hold
Let these songs of heaven rise to You alone
No weeping
No hurt or pain
No suffering
You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness
No sick or lame
No hiding
You hold me now
You hold me now
In this life I will stand
Through my joy and my pain
Knowing there's a greater day
There's a hope that never fails
When Your name is lifted high
And forever praises last
For the glory of Your Name
I'll be livin' for the day
When the wars will finally cease
All creation rest in peace
Let these songs of heaven rise to you alone
No weeping
No hurt or pain
No suffering
You hold me now
You hold me now
No darkness
No sick or lame
No hiding
You hold me now
You hold me now
For eternity
All my heart will give
All the glory to Your name
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