In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone, my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My comforter, my all in all

Here in the love of Christ I stand...

- In Christ Alone, S. Townend & K. Getty

It's been a tough month or so. However challenging though, God's promises still remain. Christ truly is a solid ground beneath which my wobbly legs and unsteady feet can rest on. 

Romans 8:18-25

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

I'm sorry I typed all of that out. I know most of you are so familiar with that passage. We're called to suffer with Christ. How else could we experience such incredible grace? What happens to me here- not working, car breaking, illness, fear, whatever- is NOTHING compared to the promise of eternal life, the promise of a Father to his children. 

Romans 8:26-31

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

sigh.... such relief.
i talked to the warrens early last week and starting april 4 i'm going to be a baby nanny! i get to play with olivia part time so natalee can finish the school year. the Lord has been so good. there have been so many opportunities for me to work that have come up last minute and i am so grateful. it's been stressful a little but He has provided!

new google list:
IS......
1) lady gaga a man?
2) lady gaga a hermaphrodite?
3) the world going to end in 2012?
4) santa real?
5) khloe kardashian pregnant?

i think lady gaga sure looks mannish- besides her tiny little body. santa is not real and who cares if khloe kardashian is pregnant? sheesh...

jeff came home from work a couple weeks ago saying he did a google autocomplete search with "why is..." and the first thing that came up is "why is my poop green?" he laughed. i wanted to gag.

my aunt is getting married in november in cabo! my brother is graduating in nashville in may. i want to go to CA this summer for our anniversary... give me some money. :)

love you.

p.s. my bro got us a studio for when i'm there for $100 a day, which is usually the hourly rate for studios. get ready. buy my stuff on itunes when its done. ok? ok.

wedding, wine, and another week

welp, we married off another one. lindsey & ben's wedding was yesterday. it rained and it was a little chilly, but weddings are always beautiful no matter what the weather is like, am i right? i had fun with denise all weekend, pretty much. talking, drinking... ya' know. :)

i turned in my keys last week. i feel a little sad, but mostly relieved. and i'm only sad because i gave over a year of my life to grow that team and all i got was thrown under the bus and then found out no one really trusted me after all. that is why i am relieved. the Lord has funny ways of sanctifying his children. it was not only sanctifying but it really helped me refocus. as much as i liked working in salons the past 6 or something years, i really would rather be singing and playing and using all the skills, connections, and contacts i have to do what i love! not that i ever really forgot or anything, just made me realize how important it really is to me. it's more important than wasting another year of my life trying to make something a part of my life when it shouldn't be. more important than satisfying the stereotype and choosing an 'acceptable'  or 'real' profession.

for example, when i was little i wanted to be jodi benson when i grew up (when i grow up, hehe). jodi benson was (she might still be, i don't know) a voice actor for disney and sang christian children's music. she was ariel. once i realized ariel wasn't actually a real person, i decided that i wanted to sing all those super cool songs for princesses in disney movies. how sweet of a job is that?!

but when you're in public school and you're asked to write about what you want to do when you grow up and get a job, my choice of voice actor (i'm pretty sure i said ariel's voice) or singer was usually countered with something like, "what about being a teacher or a chef?" no wonder i have had crazy mad career identity crises over the past 2 years!

that's my rant. my parent's have always been supportive and loved that i love music so much. i do wish though that my first year at UNT they would've allowed me to work with that producer in nashville. then maybe i wouldn't have had to deal with the past 2 nightmare jobs i've had. BUT God's plan is perfect and whatever he wanted me to learn/deal with/overcome, he wanted me to do it there.


SURPRISE!!!! i have a new google predictive text list for you! this week's list begins with "how is..."
1. how is babby formed? (that is not a typo)
2. how is hiv transmitted? (how sad is it that this is a common google topic?)
3. how is the world going to end?
4. how is the duggar baby doing? (these people need to quit having kids)
5. how is glass made?

what did you want to be when you grew up?

overwhelmed

i'm sitting here at my table in my empty house, trying to write, and i came up with something (which of course is good and quite a regular thing again(!) ). i started playing trying to figure out what i was going to write lyrically with this pretty, simple melody.

i really wish blogspot would let you upload mp3s to your blog so you could here. i don't even know that you would understand.

but i was thinking about how God, creator of the universe, sees beauty in us. He looks at us and says, 'what a masterpiece' and smiles.

then it made me think of my husband, because i look at jeff and say 'wow, how perfect he is for me'. i look at him and see that God made a masterpiece, a hysterical, musical masterpiece. but not only that, he created him for me.

how overwhelming is it to know that our Creator, the creator of mountains, and oceans, and creatures that fly, and swim, and sunsets, and thunderstorms- he created a masterpiece in each of us! and how saddening is it that we never really see that about ourselves?

in my vows, i commented on the fact that God knew before i was created that i would be for jeff. i get that. i knew that for a long time. i guess i never felt the gravity of it?

you, friends, are a masterpiece created to be in my life and i am so grateful for that!
i love you.

2nd annual valentines with the powers

in the words of 50 cent:

"this is how we do

we make a move and act a fool

while we up in the club

this is how we do

nobody do it like we do it

so show us some love"