wild melody

{ isreal. by rachel.} "In the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." They went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, an...

When the morning breaks When the evening fails I will write Your word upon my heart, oh Lord When the fires burn When the rain comes down I can feel Your grace flow through me Without a sound Nothing is certain, but I'm certain of You Pull back this curtain, let Your light in this room And all that's true, I find inYou The more I drink of Your word The more I thirst for You When the world dissolves And the sun just flickers out I will write Your word upon my heart, oh Lord When the stars crash down At the end of the age I can feel Your touch As You wipe my tears away Building a sorrowful loveliness Out of the darkness Out of this furnace I find You [~telecast} Excepting the second verse (last I checked the sun was still shining behind the clouds) this song describes what God is doing in me right now. Better than I could. HE is constant, faithful, sustaining. I'm learning to love being sustained by Him. Not as if there is ever a time when I'm not sustained by Him-far fro...

{ photocredit: rachel claerbout, via emial from isreal } "Remember these things, O Jacob, and Isreal...I formed you, you are my servant; O Isreal you will not be forgotten by me. I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! FOr the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Isreal." Is. 44:21-23

(the glasses survived.) ((photocredit: dad went to see the car in the junkyard and took pics. i don't get why{?})) I intended to write nothing about tuesday. But I've been persuaded otherwise, because it's a testimony of God's grace. & such excitement isn't an everyday occurrence... Driving to work that dreary Tuesday morning was just another day. The usual cars ran the usual stop signs. I noticed a Ford 250 hauling a trailer facing me, waiting to make a left turn. Common sense said he'd be there a long time. My car was less than 20ft away when he started turning. I slammed my brakes...it was so fast there was no time to think. As the dust settled, I realized it wasn't a little fender-bender. My ford's hood had slid under his bumper. My seatbelt wouldn't come loose, my door was jammed; toxic smoke mingled with airbag dust. Claustrophobic fear washed over me as I stared at the truck grill inches away from my cracked windshield... God showed...

some random things I'm thankful for: Jesus the gospel getting off work early God's word music my fam cold weather the beks (+ my whole 2nd fam) yummy food cousins als canadians coffee good books sharpies seasons emma (job #1) michaela, alyssa, chloe, olivia (job #2) the lindseys driving down to hang with us dell and corning and last but not least...for God's sovereignty... and for new chemo treatments being effective. seriously, we have so much to thank God for. sometimes i think we forget how incredibly blessed we are. because we don't live in places like cuba or the streets of orlando; we look at all the things we can't or don't have. Rather than the wealth of blessings God has poured out on us. The fact that we can walk into a store like Publix and even have choices is mind-blowing to our brothers and sisters in some countries. i should live in a constant state of gratefulness--surely God's work on the cross is more than enough reason! have a good {am...

" Lift your eyes to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing ." (v.26) " Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; the will run and not be weary, they will walk and not be faint ." (v.28-31) God is good.

" Light dawns in the darkness for the upright ; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous...For the righteous will never be moved, he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord . His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries..." psalm 112:4,6-8 i want my heart to be steady in the light of His gospel. Even when crazy things happen, when joy and sorrow are strangely mixed. when loved one's cancer counts are up and the chemo becomes ineffective. when one of your dearest, closest friends becomes engaged (big cheesy smile!!!) my desire is to stand firm in the strength of the Lord, to be able to celebrate whole-heartedly with one's great joy after comforting one's great sorrow-in the same day. the peace that surpasses understanding comes only after i surrender completely and trust in the One who rules the universe. great joy comes in the knowledge that i can do none of it on ...

[photocredit: robin hood] The Lord is my light and my salvation The Lord is my stronghold, whom shall I fear? When the enemy attacks, and I'm surrounded I will not stumble, cause Lord you are near. One thing I ask One thing I seek Is to dwell in Your house O Lord... Just to gaze on Your beauty Just to gaze on Your beauty... Don't hide Your face from me... We will see Your goodness Yes we will see Your goodness {psalm 27 as paraphrased by telecast}

recap of sczebelness. (amber this is for you, hon.) short version: i kidnapped als & joe friday. swam in the ocean. got sunburned. saturday sutters, sczebels & my fam at seaworld. spent the night at sczebels hotel. went to metro. it was fun, als is funess, the sczebels are fun(ny), joe's shoes are fun. the end. Friday was crazy, my driving was crazy, my phone rang like crazy. my first time being tour guide. i was atrocious. we had fun anyway. We went to the beach. First i took them to publix to get lunch. they laughed. i guess it's unusual? (after the northeast's sketchy grocery stores, i love publix. cause it's not ghetto.) they saw gators "in the wild". Als had the funniest shark theories . I never heard of the-fear-of-sandbars-breaking-up before... A good sport. Joe didn't punch out a shark's tooth. but he has one, without a cool story. We saw teal jellyfish & made important discoveries about "chris evans". he likes puffins. e...

" Faithful are the wounds of a friend..." {prov 27.6a How true! I was on the recieving end of the sword of truth today. A dear friend and I were discussing Benny's message over lunch. I brought up an area where I was "doing battle"and she cut through my confusion and helped me see how I could grow. ((laying out my sin like a full-colour photo. ouch.)) It was a faithful wound. I'm grateful for her gentle insight into my life. There are times when we know of sin in our life; but our view is clouded. We don't know half as much as we think we do...we need help identifying our sin. We need somebody to speak the gospel into our lives from the outside. God knows we can't grow on our own; He knows we can't trust our own hearts. He could've made us differently. But He made us to not only want relationships but need them. It is nearly impossible to seriously apply the gospel to daily life without godly friends. grateful to overflowing, dams// "...

figured i'd ramble on the unfairness of cable tv. light-hearted posts are good. here goes: there might be some hope this season. we are 1-2. what a great start! compared to last season. which was what, 0-10 or something? if we at least beat the team-that's-a-shame-to-american-football i'll be happy. oh wait. thanks to the greedy cable companies. it's not like i can watch any games. {i can't stand to waste my weekend watching tv. monday nights are different. if it's not a brilliant game i end up ditching my dad at halftime...but that's beside the point...the point is monday night football should be free} you can't take football off free televison. you just can't. it's un-american! it's greed. the cable companies KNOW american guys are addicted to their monday night football...now the few who don't have it will buy cable just for the games. i'm cheesed. we should make them bring it back. the end. this post brought to you by: the linds...

O God of the highest heaven, Occupy the throne of my heart, take full possession and reign supreme, lay low every rebel lust, let no vile passion resist they holy war; manifest thy mighty power, and make me thine forever. Thou art worthy to be praised with my every breath, loved with my every faculty of soul, served with my every act of life. Thou hast loved me, espoused me, received me, purchased, washed, favoured, clothed, adorned me, when I was worthless, vile, soiled, polluted. I was dead in iniquities, having no eyes to see thee, no ears to hear thee, to taste to relish thy joys, no intelligence to know thee; But thy Spirit has quickened me, has brought me into a new world as a new creature, has given me spiritual perception, has opened to me thy Word as light, guide, solace, joy. Thy presence is to me a treasure of unending peace; No provocation can part me from thy sympathy, for thou hast drawn me with cords of love, and dost forgive me daily, hourly. O help me then to walk wort...

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the Name! I'm fixed upon it, Name of Thy redeeming love. Hither to Thy love has blessed me; Thou hast brought me to this place And I know Thy hand will bring me, Safely home by Thy good grace. Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Bought me with His precious blood. O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be! Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face; Clothed then in blood-washed linen How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace; Come my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away; Send ...

i agree with Carolyn McCulley. everybody needs a laugh on mondays. check out her blog. which may or may not make you laugh. "i'd rather be a loser then have an average blog." ((cj mahaney)) i take that as good news. it seems to imply that one cannot be both a loser and have an average blog at the same time. therefore, i must not be a loser. big news! (don't pick apart my logic. let me believe my delusions.) oh wow. i think the heat in my head is affecting me adversely. i am beyond random ramblings... trusting that God will carry her through the work week and keep the kiddos from getting whatever it is she has, dams " i give you thanks , o Lord, with my whole heart ; before the gods i sing your praise...give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness , for you have exalted above all things your name and your word...all the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, for they have heard the words of your mouth, and they shall sing of the ways...

God's grace. Wow. There are a million ways He lavishes that gift on us. What a mindblowing gift it is...It seems I find a new, practical means of this grace evidenced in my life everyday. I seriously could not imagine going through life and not knowing this grace. I am grateful for the insanity of my life right now, because it is showing me my incredible dependance (stealing als word there cause it's so true) on His grace.

"For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known..." 1 corinthians 13.9-12 i cannot say that i understand why people suffer. oh, i know all the 'right things' you're supposed to say, i know we live in a fallen world, i know about living through consequences of other's sin... but when suffering is staring me in the face, i know of no words to comfort. and the only thing i have to say is this: i know that we are in the hands of God. the hands that hung the very stars in the heavens. the hands that paint the sky every morning. the hands that made life in the first place. i know this One is good, faithfulness everlasting. that is enough. for me.

God is good. Faithful. Gracious. Merciful. Holy. Glorious. Almighty.... "a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. i would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favour and honour. No good thing does he withold frpm those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" psalm84.10-12

i miss these kids. jo the man, little snugly, & 'precious' bre. they should be home by 8pm. joyousness! ouch. i'm realizing those photos aren't very kind. i hardly had any to choose from. i'm thinking i didn't even take these ones. (my bros are making funny faces to entertain the californian's toddlers.) no photos of mum. at least none by herself. what is it with my fam and avoiding pictures? " Our hope in Christ for the future is the mainspring & the mainstay of our joy here. It will animate our hearts to think often of heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there. Here we are weary &toil worn, but yonder is the land of rest where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the workers brow, & fatigue shall be forever banished...Here we are always in the field of battle; we are so tempted within, that we have little or no peace; but in heaven we shall enjoy the victory, where the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, &the swo...

((photo credit brianwells//wyoming06)) Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea A great High Priest whose name is love Who ever lives and pleads for me My name is graven on His hands My name is written on His heart I know that while in heaven He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart When Satan tempts me to despair And tells me of the guilt within Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end of all my sin Because the sinless Savior died My sinful soul is counted free For God, the Just, is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me Behold Him there, the risen Lamb My perfect, spotless righteousness The great unchangeable I AM The King of Glory and of Grace One with Himself I cannot die My soul is purchased by His blood My life is hid with Christ on high With Christ my Savior and my God a random song spun off the computer. wasn't even in a playlist. it became a means of grace. causing what had been a struggle for joy to become no longer a fight, but a definit...

{what i found on my bed. &dark chocolate on the island. sweet of them, hey?} i'm home. finally. took longer than planned. several hours passed between airport arrival and home arrival...but i'm here. no matter how much wanderlust one may have, home is still oh-so-nice. that is, when your fam is in it. without them it's just a place to crash. it doesn't feel so very nice after all...that's how it was a few minutes ago. sad to say, i wasn't having a very God-glorifying thought pattern. there i was with multiple things to be grateful about/for (the greatest that should be ever present in my mind&heart: the gospel). i wasn't thinking about even one of them! ouch. God wasn't content to let me wallow in my sin unchecked. He broke in. Holy God shoved aside the sinfullness of my mind. This perfectly sinless, righteous God was merciful enough to speak to an unholy being. One who is sinful-beyond-all-reason...but is covered in the righteousness of His Son....

the rumours are true. i'm leaving the country. haha. well, at least for a week. now when i appear to have fallen of the face of the earth, you'll know that i'm really just camping in the wilds of lake whatever. (or my plane crashed over texas. haha. *joke*) i leave tommorrow in a delta plane on a northwest flight. confusing, eh? **credit goes here to dad who called the airline for me. i couldn't get through. actually, i didn't know what i was doing and was trying to get out of talking on the phone** my fam is going to be scattered. i leave tommorrow. dad leaves monday for a business trip in denver. mom & the kids leave mid-week for new york. & virginia to hang with the lindseys. i'm kinda bummed about not seeing 'the boys', but i can't be everywhere at once. cousins are easier to visit than canadians. there's my life for the next week. when i come home it'll be interesting. all night flying, get home, crash in an empty house; pick da...

when life is not-so-very-nice and crazy-beyond-all-sanity; it makes me more grateful than ever for the cross. the cross where a King laid His life down for me. while i was yet hating Him and wallowing in sin...the cross that bridged this terrible chasm of sin. this cross that tore the curtain separating God and man. o praise God for the cross! for now there is no chasm between the two, and we can have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe. (!) as if that isn't enough to blow my mind, i am allowed-even commanded-to cast my burdens into His hands and draw from His strength! "Praise waiteth for thee, and to render it is my noblest exercise; This is thy due form all thy creatures, for all thy works dislay thy attributtes and fulfill thy designs; the sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat, morning light, evening shade are full of thee, and thou givest me them richly to enjoy. Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords; At thy pleasure empires rise and fall; All t...

since rebekah did such a great job of reviewing the best sermon, i'll just share the fun &games i got on film. well, others used my cam too, so i'm not exactly sure who took what. ^^kinda looks like a mini, square NA set, eh? . the graffiti wall. {below}where lots of people wrote alot of things. the beks. both of them! :) hangin' with new orleans. katie, ericka & evan^^^ ^ the $3 dollar cards. alas. tech failure. the rest of my pics are doing throwing the x-in-a-box tantrum. SO gonna share some serious about xtreme after all. here we go. friday night . (ministry night) during worship, kyle stopped & told all the kids to go find their parents. then, the kids laid hands on them & sang "Your Name" over them. " Your name, is a strong & mighty tower; Your name, is a shelter like no other; Your name, let the nations sing it louder-cause nothing has the power to save, but your name..." Looking around at everyone & being there with Jos...

a good thing about fl: gorgeous sunsets. ^the oh-so-adorable littlest meridith "robin hood" on the far left; "peter pan" on the far right. bri-bri in the middle}}} ^waterskiing. ^ story here. beks and i are on the left. dad and joe are on the right. i couldn't resist challenging dad. (mr. competitive). i didn't know his waverunner went up to 70mph. ours? 47. that's as high as i got & i was pushin' it fast as possible. ours also had the wonderful trait of stalling every 5min. then dad--quite the gentlemen--would speed by & swerve. we got soaked. (i can't do it. almost threw beks off trying. sorry beks). i must say, when we sat there forever &it still didn't start, he came to our rescue. fun&fast times. nice swing mike. haha.// it was so neat out on the dock, around 7pm, sunset. the lake was smoother than glass.

Independance Day. I never was too patriotic. That was before a course in school I expected to be boring & pointless. (government). I was mostly right. Yet it wasn't just government blah; but how the US government came about; why; etc. Historical stuff that should've been boring but wasn't. Reading it made me realize that being an American isn't something to be ashamed of. In fact, I totally saw the hand of God in our history. (not to say it's limited to ours. we just have the best. *joke*) The constitution is pretty dang good. So now I'm patriotic. Technically, "my kingdom is in heaven..." to {mis}quote Wayne Brooks. There's my late Independance day post... This year several fams got together. Good food made by moms, fried chicken, waverunners, tons of kids/few adults ratio, football...yeah. It was like the good old times. >>>& Here is where I somehow deleted all the uploaded photos. and it says i need a new post? oddness. i feel ...

8:20 am. I'm in the kitchen scrounging up breakfast when dad says "When were you supposed to go to Annie's?" "8:45". "No, she's on the phone. 8:15." Can you say frantic? I made it to her house in record time. At least she laughed. Never done anything that blonde before. I work for the wonderful Mcleans. Michaela (k-k)-8; Alyssa(lissy)-6; Chloe(chlo) 4; Olivia (livi)-1. I first started babysitting for them around 14. Now I nanny. Of sorts. I do laundry, errands, organize, help with homework, & take care of the girls. It's a good job. Today, I got alot more FMT (future mom training)than I wanted. We went to Mcdonald's for breakfast. Livvy's sin nature was showing. She was a screaming, back-arching, i-want-my-way-NOW little thing. Throwing food, climbing out of the seat onto the table, spilling things. Attracting the attention of the whole resturaunt to an 18 yr old girl fighting a baby. Humbling experiance...I forgot how exhaustin...

Happy Birthday to my very favourite Sczebel!!   15, eh? Fun times! She can now learn the art of driving...maybe. I don't know Canadian rules. Or sczebel rules for that matter. Anyway, a birthday is a day to honour. Something I really stink at when it comes to using words. I'll try. I just wish I could see her great smile. Since she'll probably laugh at me when she reads this. Where to begin... Alysha Lynn Sczebel is precious. {she's gonna tell me how cheesy this is eventually, i may as well start now. :)} But really, that's the word that comes to mind when I think of her. Funny, loving, adorable. She's got a gift for encouraging. Even if she doesn't think so. More times than not, an everyday email from Aly encourages. Especially if it's a hard day. God uses her to make me laugh. It's like seeing a zinnia in full bloom during a rainstorm. (hence the pic. it should be one of her but I have no recent ones) She's not afraid to confront you. Ofte...

home. i like that word. just cause one loves travel doesn't mean that one doesn't love and enjoy coming home. drove back from nc yesterday. mum and the kids drove up wednesday to drop off the "next generation" (mira & bre) and stay a day before dragging back the original generation. fun times in the mountains. busy. doing what i'm not sure...certianly not working. the furnace no longer exists, so we didn't traipse off to carpentry/wood barns & collect scrap wood. no log splitting this year. past memories: finding treasures, splinters, inhaling sawdust, tossing around huge chunks of wood (that were really too heavy for us) country rides in pick-ups, cuts and bruises...those were fun, hard working summers. damsta and beks (muahaha) had a crazy fun 2weeks. 60 degree mornings, a whole mountain to roam-what more could you ask? i should post 10 highlights or something. ya'll aren't interested. besides, my dad's editting a wedding behind my head. ...

(the title has NOTHING to do with this post) first of all. this post is the 108th i've done. i guess it ought to be considered a milestone since my 105th passed by without any fanfare. how sad. second, this blog will be quiet for awhile. the author is running around in NC. falling down mountains, taking pictures, seeing snakes, eating real meals (it feels strange to be home for dinner every night!) and all that stuff. not much time for blogging. BUT since my fam never hears much from me when i am on trips (it slightly annoys them. i'm trying to do better) and they always want to know everything but i never remember and they don't understand half my pics...beks and i came up with the idea of doing a tripbloggish thing to keep them updated. (another milestone. that's got to be the WORST and longest run-on sentance in the universe) or at least slightly more updated than my short weekend phone calls and one sentance emails. so if you get bored enough you can go check it out...

hey ya'll. how's it goin'? great.... Beks is going to point out I never finished writing about the 25th floor. Probably never will. (except to say that if joe has a steel pole in his hands, you'll feel much safer. until you realize the opposite end of it is at eye level... if he swings, it'll take out your head in the process.) I believe she'll survive the trauma. Don't have much time, getting ready to hit the road for NC. We would be on the road right now. If it weren't for my bad habit of spinning out suburbans and slamming them into overpass barriers. Really need to kick that habit... (i hit a patch of fl ice. therein losing control. wasn't anything i could've done. i was even being careful, about 30mph. not drag racing again or anything...[joke]) {} found this on another blog. i nearly died laughing. can they take themselves seriously?! ((do ya'll canadains have a 'rock paper scissors' league? haha)) " Judge Rules Dis...

break from the series. 1) please pray for my mom's fam. her parents. specifically you can pray for her dad, who's been dealing with gangrene in his right foot since winter. he had 4 toes amputated in april and went home right before NA. now he has it on his left heel. they say he'll lose the left leg from the knee down. we've no idea how soon. he's the last person i can imagine losing his independance...anyway, for now he's in the hopsital here in otown while his wife is in t-town undergoing chemo. it's hard on them to be apart; each feels like they should be taking care of the other. 2)also pray for my mom, her sisters, and bro. her whole family relies on mom (and sisters) more than they know. she's such a comfort. serving heroically and lifting spirits. she's showing me how to honor God while walking through fire. She knows how to be strong in the strength of grace, with all reliance on God. she amazes me. 3)pray for a little girl named Emma an...

(( this will most likely bore ya'll. but beks is a good friend. also she's gotten this idea about becoming as stubborn as i am & i'm not up to outlasting her. *grins*)) Day 02. in which jess, pam& dami discover the 25th floor &get lost. Not sure how I'll remember this... 2nd day starts with worship & message by Mark Dever: "The Story: understanding the story line of the bible". Very good, very fast. You should download it right now. He spoke some about how the OT customs foreshadow the NT gospel. (not a whole lot but something i love studying) Pam, Britt Hall & I stood in line for 1 hr & ate a quick lunch with random folks. I left early for the hotel to get Pam's jacket. Somehow I took a wrong tunnel & ended up at another hotel. Thanks to the sczebels I had a close seat anyway. Mike Bullmore spoke on applying the gospel to all of life. Excellent. Are we making gospel connections? "A man is not so inclined to give up when h...

haha ive hijacked d's blog!(with a little help from mom) i just wanted to tell her how much we all love her. d you've always been a great big sister and one of my best friends, you've been second mom to me, nate and bre for as long as i can remember! God has given you so many gifts and talents. Now you're eighteen and have matured alot from the little girl who would lead her gullible little bro into all kinds of trouble(i.e eyelashes, and late night benie baby wars!) your such a gift and i love ya kanga, eyore p.s this is the only hijack don't worry!

I'm taking responsability and posting. Even though I still feel the least qualified (being the most clueless). This doesn't let Josh off the hook. I'm giving ya'll something to read til he has time to write a post that makes me say"that's what i was trying". The curse of me: taking twice as long to say anything worthwhile. Sitting here in the afterglow of NA. What do I write? Wonderful messages? Incredible worship? Funny stories? Talking like a smoker? 25th floor?4 days of very little real food, less sleep, rich teaching, good friends and falling down escalators has all blurred together. I still feel glowish inside. Full of the light of the Glory of God. I know that's so lame and sappy, but when I got home after a most interesting 17-hr bus ride Dad says: "I came home to see the glow of Christ on your face and I'm not dissapointed." Conviction. Why can't I live like that? So close to God that even when I can't stand up straight m...

Hi. I know ya'll expect a NA post. Can't do it. Yet. (josh is better qualified to write a good deep post anyway) To tide you over, NA in a paragraph: Spiritually, it was incredible. Worship was awesome. Some new songs. So much rich teaching. Trying to absorb it all at once is like trying to eat a whole cheesecake. You know you can't get it all. I feel like I need a week to study my notes and pray! Message highlights: Eric Simmons on Evangelism; C.J. on Isaiah 53; and Mike Bullmore on Applying the Gospel. My spririt feels as refreshed and alive as my body feels exhausted and dead. Now to get out there and share it. Great times of fellowship with friends from New Orleans, Texas and Canada. Lots of laughter, starbucks, escalator running, some good correction, a little food; even less sleep. I'll attempt a real NA post. someday. I haven't been able to do anything but alternatly eat and sleep. I'm to tired to even put sheets on my bed. I keep falling asleep on the fl...

These pictures are of our orange trees, after one of our Febuary freezes. (yes, fl gets freezes every winter). Orange season runs Dec.-March. But they're not freeze hardy trees. You have 2 options to keep your oranges from getting destroyed: 1)Cover them with frostcloth or 2) Run your hose all night so the water freezes on the plants. (this also keeps your pipes from freezing and consequently bursting) I forget the scientific explanation of how freezing trees with water keeps them from "freezing"... Every year, I beg to hang a hose in the branches so we can make icicles. We never do. But this year, the trees were too big to cover. The next morning, we went out and took pics of the rare sight. (actually, i doubt they'll be shrinking so we'll have to do this every year now.) There you have the not-so-strange tale of how we get icicles in Florida. They melt rather fast. But it's fun while it lasts. (especially the standing around in 30 degrees in flip flops. not ...

"So it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power,; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body....the first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the second man, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of eye, at the last trumpet . For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.... When the perishable has been clothed with the imperis...

"Our own world...is only a shadow or copy of something in [His] real world" "C.S. Lewis paints a beautiful picture of heaven in the final book, The Last Battle. " There was a railway accident", said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are, as you used to call it in the Shadow-lands, dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning." And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All thier life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page. Now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which on one on earth has read; which goes on forever; in which every c...

I don't think of believers in other countries very often. God's people, called out from those around them to be pinpricks of light. Often they are abused and persecuted for following His call. What would it be like? To live surrounded by spiritual darkness, working faithfully to spread light--yet seeing little fruit? If any! Been convicted lately that I should be praying for these places and people. Much more than I do. After all, who knows which of us might find ourselves in similar situations someday? Our lives are not our own. God could use any of us in any way He chooses. Amazing. Maybe a little scary? dami

THE DELL IS BACK!! here's a bit of randomness from yesterday's adventure before i go to a pharmacy and pick up pain(meds) for dad: The best scenerio for eating cinnamon buns: Run out and buy (pick up irish cream coffee too) at your friendly neighborhood Albertson's. At midnight with 3 friends. Then you must go home and watch The Village while eating them and drinking coffee. Not sure how that makes them taste oh-so-much better, but it does. Probably the music more than anything else. if your friends have older brothers, it's okay if your car runs out of gas. just so long as you tell them beforehand. (don't bother trying to explain how highly unrealistic thier logic is) if you know somebody well enough, the two of you can plan a good prank using facial expressions and well-directed looks. verbal evasion might be neccessary, if the person you intend to prank is sitting between you. even if you don't carry it out, they'll be paranoid. I.e. "i hate it when ...

Brothers. What would life be without them? Calmer? Maybe. Certainly boring. Sometimes we talk about brothers like they're aliens sent for our sanctification. In reality they're a precious gift. I can't imagine life without my little-and not so little-brothers. Sometimes they are incomprehensible. Other times you look over and know exactly what he's thinking, causing you to burst into laughter at seemingly nothing. Bros know how to push your buttons just right till you get mad-but in such a way that you're laughing to hard to do much about it. They make incessant fun of you for getting upset; but in doing so remind you that it really doesn't matter in light of eternity. They hate to see you sad and will do anything to cheer you up. They can't find anything: They'll stand in the middle of a room saying "I can't find it" until you walk in and see it somewhere obvious. They're always willing to help you with something technical. They tea...

O Wondrous Love O wondrous love That will not let me go I cling to You With all my strength and soul Yet if my hold should ever fail This wondrous love will never let me go O wondrous love That's come to dwell in me Lord who am I That I should come to know Your tender voice assuring me This wondrous love will never let me go I?m resting in the everlasting arms In the ever faithful heart The Shepherd of my life You carry me on Your mighty wings of grace Keeping me until the day I look into your eyes O wondrous love That sings of Calvary The sweetest sound The sinner's ever known The song of your Redeeming Son Whose wondrous love Will never let me go O wondrous love That rushes over me I can't escape This river's glorious flow You overwhelm My days with good Your wondrous love Will never let me go Sometimes the headlong pace of my life gets overwhelming. I start looking for something to "cut out". Sometimes, that's necessa...

((title has nothing to do with this post. it's orange season)) {{WARNING: this is a really random, rambling post like the older ones}} What an insane good weekend. Many evidances of God's grace. Very little sleep. Lots of coffee, biblical fellowship and laughter. Sunday was 'super-good'. It was great to hear Pat lead worship. He did a wonderful job. oh,  but was it Awkward. I've just been sent out to plant a church and I'm back the next week! but  Grace will be there a long time and our 1st public meeting isn't for 2 more weeks. A Sczebel is a rare occasion. The heart issue of why I didn't want to go was just pride. Not wanting others to think I was uncommitted lol. Thank God for mums who aren't afraid to show us our sin. Another example of God's grace.....in a really funny story. Sunday afternoon. Driving to pick up Britt's lil sis and take her to b-ball. The road is residential, but not a neighborhood. I assume the speed limit is 35 m...