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 ...