do re me fa so la ti do

Most of you know I haven't worked in over a week. SUCK FEST. Although I have thorough distaste for my job, rather my job conditions, and I would prefer not to go back there. So please pray that I find a new position asap. In the meantime I have been singing. and singing. and singing.

This past weekend I sang for Spin 10, The Village's version of D-Now for Jr. High & High School students. It was so much fun. I haven't been around that age of kids for quite some time & I truly forgot how high energy they are. Granted, when I was that age, I wasn't that high energy. not even close. Thursday through Saturday night I spent at the Highland Village campus rehearsing and laughing with a bunch of doofus staff guys. It was awesome. Sunday I sang in Denton all four services then proceeded to yesterday when I lead with James Cole & Andy Zapata for Crew Quarterly, which all of you Denton losers missed. It was really good. the Dallas campus is beautiful and I understand now why they're having to figure out where they're going to put an additional service; the sanctuary is not that big.

I wrote a new song yesterday after reading through some Psalms. I wrote a chorus quite some time ago that was BEAUTIFUL. The problem was that I couldn't get past just the chorus. I had a pre-chorus that was okay, but I couldn't get any verses. So I took the general idea, the basic chord progression, and turned it into something better. It's so great, and once I completely finish it, record it, and send it to the worship staff, I'm sure you'll hear it somewhere. Maybe it will even be on The Village worship album.

On a different note, regarding the job junk. Last week I was reading Ecclesiastes 3. A time for this, a time for that. I thought, 'Ok God, I get that this is the time for me to escape my job.' I think we all have read Ecclesiastes 3 or at least heard of it. But how far into the chapter did you make it? I didn't know it past verse 8.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-13
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live, 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil- this is God's gift to man.

God is faithful. He'll take care of it. And whatever purpose he has for me in this in-between, I trust that he's got my back. He'll take care of the financial stuff, the future stuff, the what-if stuff. I'm ok. Better than that. I've got the creator of the heavens & earth on my side. What do I have to worry about?

on a completely unrelated to anything note- yesterday I went to google something Jeff & I were talking about- I don't remember what it was but it started with 'why are'. The auto-predict on the google search bar in safari is hilarious. rather, the stuff people google is hilarious. I'm going to give you the top 5 predicted google searches that start with 'why are...'

WHY ARE....
1. black people so loud?
2. people posting colors on facebook?
3. yawns contagious?
4. the kardashians famous?
5. michael jackson's kids white?

and for a bonus,
6. why are there school?

yes you're reading it right. why are there school?

happy tuesday!

p.s. Denise, I'll post V-day pictures this afternoon... when I find my camera. LOVE YOU.

"journey's end at lover's meeting"

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.

 Because this is what love is. 

Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. 

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we 

found that we were one tree and not two." 

-St. Augustine

If music be the food of love, then play on. - William Shakespeare

Though our feelings come and go, God's love for us does not. - CS Lewis

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.- Ingrid Bergman

__________________________________________________________

I just thought I would share some of my favorite quotes on love, since it's the week of Valentine's. I am quite the romantic, despite my natural tendency toward realism (some of you might call it pessimism). Romanticism and realism (cough, cough, pessimism) rarely go hand in hand, but somehow I function just fine. :) 

I could watch Pride & Prejudice over and over all day, surround myself with stacks of Keats poetry, Shakespeare's sonnets (although Shakespeare was kind of a downer), and Jane Austen novels, weep all of my tears because Fannie Price just isn't as charming or beautiful as Mary Crawford and just can't seem to win ... and then gag at people around me smooching in public or men who are clearly whipped by their overdressed, under-clothed girlfriends.

I think men sometimes over-think romance and put too much pressure on themselves. Romance means something different to everyone. Putting romance in the "flowers, candy, candlelight" box is just unfair. The best part about romance is creativity. Am I wrong?

               ro-mance n.

1.  
1. A love affair.
2. Ardent emotional attachment between people; love
2.  
1. love, esp romantic love idealized for its purity or beauty
2. a spirit of or inclination for adventure, excitement or mystery

Jeff and I have been together for almost 6 years. We know A LOT about each other. In fact, he says I'm predictable. Psh....

Despite how well we know each other, there is still an element of mystery and adventure in our relationship. I am so glad that God designed all of us to be so complex to keep life exciting. After 6 years, the butterflies in my stomach aren't there anymore, but that's not romance or love. It's the little things. Knowing that he'll be there when I get home, or that he will always love me despite my tendency to curse when I hurt myself, and that he will ALWAYS, without fail, make me laugh when I absolutely do not want to- that's what makes me excited. He still surprises me with random facts, stories I'd never heard, and with his ability to silently appear out of nowhere (I swear, the man is like a cat). Romance goes much deeper than superficial, temporary things. It's a feeling that is stirred; an emotion triggered. 

Ultimately, though, it is selfless. The Bible says a lot about love. But in Ephesians 5, it talks first about submitting to Christ. Without Christ, there is not true love. Have you noticed that the more consistent you are in the Word, the closer you feel to your husband/wife? I have. That's because marriage is meant to be a reflection of the love God has for his children. In submitting to Christ, you are setting yourself aside- allowing Christ to be prominent. It goes on to say that husbands are to love their wives as they love their own bodies. We are selfish people. To put someone else's well-being as high/higher up than our concern for our own is a big sacrifice. We're called to love each other as Christ loves the church. And as we all know, Christ died on a cross, undeservingly, for an undeserving people. 

There is such weight, and at the same time, freedom, in that. 

I actually didn't intend to write about all this. I was going to tell you to pray for Jeff's mom. Pray for Jeff's mom, and all our family. The Lord is sovereign and faithful, but pray his favor over her body. 

I love you. L O V E you. all of you. Happy Valentine's. Go eat some sugary-sweet-bad-for-you treats. Just not these nasty conversation hearts. blegh...

after the busiest week ever...

this week has been so nuts. sunday i started my day at 5:30 am and sang 4 services at church. that alone can put me behind on my rest for a week. THEN... jessi james & i lead worship on tuesday night for the women's bible study at the village. that was neat. THEN... we lead worship again on thursday night for prestonwood baptist's women's bible study. and worked 40 hours. it was so nice to be the good kind of busy, the good kind of exhausted.  AND jeff & i are playing monday morning with john for a staff thing. yeee!!! i was doing something that i loved. that doesn't happen very often. i'm happy. :) i want to do that more often.

i have been listening to the radio lately, because i got this great case for my ipod and it doesn't fit in my car dock anymore. so, i've noticed a couple things (HERE COMES A LIST!!!!!):
   - lady gaga is annoying as hell.
   - taylor swift isn't that great of a singer, but is one hell of a songwriter for 16.
   - popular music these days is really shitty. all anyone sings about anymore is "da club" and
     things equally as brainless
   - i'm a music elitist.
jeff asked me the other day if it were up to me which of the two would i have permanently removed from popular music: lady gaga or 3 doors down. i chose 3 doors down. i mean, lady gaga is RIDICULOUS. 100% RIDICULOUS. she's doing nothing new, nothing that madonna or gwen stefani hasn't already actually pulled off. 3 doors down is a waste of some record company's time and money. horrible. horrible. besides, i kind of am ok with the song lady gaga does with beyonce. even though the only part i really like is the beyonce part. i want to be her when i grow up. :)

i've also been listening to old sermons lately. matt chandler is such a blessing to our church. he speaks from a screen most of the time, but i love how he teaches like he personally knows each and every one of us, like we're his family. even through a brain tumor, chemo, radiation, he leads our body with consistency, truth, and love. he truly leads and guides our family.

the irwin's are coming over for dinner & a movie tomorrow night. i'm attempting my very first slow-cooker pot roast. i know it's going to be amazing, i just have never done it in a crock-pot before. can't wait. yummmmmmmmmy!

tomorrow is saturday. which means my weekend is almost here! which means SLEEP!!! heelllloooo comfy bed.

i love you.

some of my favorite people

i was inspired by denise's last post, so here's a photo-list of some of my favorite people. :)

meet my husband.

seeeeeeeesters!! me, denise, and lynnie getting ready for my wedding.

rebecca smith, anna sanders, me, denisie, and lynnie

the pearl girls! the only one we have to marry off now is rebecca!

john warren, rita baloche, and my brother

most definitely 3 of my favorites ever and quite possibly 3 of the funniest ever.

my niece sophia.

ap, gooch, dd, kelley, denise, kendall

leslie.

rs, as, jh and dp's wedding rehearsal dinner

lindsey 'the luxe'

my grandparents davis

to be continued....

jeff & i are going to see avatar. finally.

i have an interview tomorrow! pray, pray, pray!

relief is on the way

i wrote a new song last night. it was easy. that's a good sign.
i got a promising phone call last night. i'm praying that this is the end of my waiting. i know the Lord is faithful and that his timing is perfect. i just hope that this is the time.
alyssa and i are going to open a bakery. it's going to be awesome. i can't wait.

i don't want to go to work today!!!!


 

an honest look at what i'm saying, or what's being said

i search in things temporary. i try and find myself in somebody better than me. but the only thing i get from wanting is empty.

 because you are the only way i can know true life. you are the only way i can be truly, endlessly loved.

 i don't know what i have been looking for all this time but it's wasted so much of my life; trying to fit in the mold and make myself someone i'm not. 

because you are the only way i can know true life. you are the only way i can be truly, endlessly loved. 

take me apart and make me new, 'cause the only life i have, is the life i have in you. and i can't go on living in all the shadows. 

you are the only way i can know true life. you are the only way i can be truly, endlessly loved. there is no greater, there is no other, there is no greater love. 

--endlessly, jennifer (then) davis

copyright 2007

I was once told by an excellent source of wisdom in the music industry that in order to be a better songwriter than all the others out there and to be a successful artist, it was important to write less simply by inspiration and more by discipline. It's true. It takes a lot to be inspired for anything. If we only worked when we were inspired to (for those of us who aren't daily inspired to schedule hair appointments, grade papers, update databases, etc.) how could we afford to pay bills?

Don't get me wrong, it's important to be inspired. I think we overlook so many inspiring things. We aren't inspired by the way the trees dance in the breeze, the way the moon hangs in the sky, and of course the giant North Texas squirrels (seriously, there's got to be some sort of genetic anomaly with the squirrels up here!).  We are so concerned with other things that we overlook things that God designed to be noticed and to praise Him for.

The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their voice has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, Which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.  --Psalm 19:1-6 ESV

 I try a lot to write because I should even if something didn't flip my song-writing switch. I wrote the song above in my attempt to write regardless of being inspired.What ended up happening? I was inspired by what I wrote. How impressive is that? Rather, how impressive is God? He uses my gift and even my lack of inspiration to speak to ME. What the song says is another post but I forget sometimes that my gift first was meant for Him, but that he also meant it for me. 

Isn't that how faith is? We don't always find it easy to have faith, it's not easy to trust in the Lord. But we should. If we TRY to have faith, if we struggle through our unbelief and doubt we eventually make it to the other side where we see the reward of our faithfulness. We forget that he uses our pain, loss, whatever FIRST for his glory that we come out of it making the most of HIS name, but also for us that we remember that his faithfulness is never ending. And that in a world penetrated with doubt, suffering, and emptiness He is the only thing we can rely on and trust in. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.   --James 1:2-4

And how good does it feel to come out on the other side of a tough situation? SO GOOD! 

Just a thought. 

That wasn't originally what I was going to write about but it was good. Good for me. A good reminder for myself. 

I think it's time for another list. I haven't made a good, fun list in a while. And in lieu of this new year, let me whip up a good 'new year' list for you. Just for you. :)

EXCITING THINGS THAT OCCURRED IN 2009:

1. Jeff and I got engaged.

2. Jeff and I got married. 

3. The Irwins, Jacobsons, and Hendersons got married. 

4. The Janis' found out they're having a baby! 

5. I met and fell in love with the Jarrells.

6. We started singing (a part of) one of my songs at The Village.

6. The last batch of my friends got engaged. 

Well, I thought that list was going to be a little bit more consolidated. I had to stop because I could feel it continuing for quite some time. I guess I could have said,  "1. More than half of my friends got married". That would consolidated a little bit. 

A NEW YEAR FOR NEW THINGS:

this year I would like to...

1. Try a bunch of new recipes. I'll even share the experience with you. 

I love to cook (this I just truly learned) and would love to be a phenomenal one. I'm good. 

I just want to be better than Rachael Ray. or Giada de Laurentiis. 

2. Have a girl's night at least once a month. 

I am a-ok with being around boys all the time; one of the advantages of growing up with only boys.

I just miss my girls. I vow to call you guys more. Please call me, too. 

3. Read at least 1 classic lit novel that I haven't yet. 

I may have to go through Leslie's collection in order to successfully complete this. 

Classic Literature is the best and seemingly only good source of good literature these days. 

4. Plan more surprise dates for my husband. 

He is an EXCELLENT sport in allowing us to do things that appeal more to my tastes and interests. 

I should return the favor more often. 

5. I am going to push, push, push to do what I love. 

The only thing cheating me out of enjoying my life is me and allowing the spirit of fear to inhibit me.

I will continue this list as days pass. I guarantee that there are tons of other things I want to do and try. My eyes are just starting to hurt from staring at a computer screen. :) 

happy 2010. i love you. we love you. 

the end.

english really is my SECOND language

i haven't updated this sucker in a long time. mainly because i've been working 50 hour weeks. when you work 50 hour weeks at a job an hour away, you really only have time for sleeping and eating outside of working. but it is time.

i've been thinking about a lot of things lately about work, and life, and all kinds of other thought provoking things. here's kind of an update.

before my current job, i had a life. not only did i have a life. i had calluses on my fingers. good calluses that didn't peel a week later. i had an almost 5 octave range. my guitar did not collect dust and i went through a song-writing book a week. want to know how long i've been writing in my current one? almost 3 years.

i am mortified and ashamed at this fact. mainly because the Lord provided me with a priceless talent and gift that i am not using. also because nothing makes me happier than writing and playing. it is how i connect with Christ, it's how i purge my overactive brain, how i express what my speaking cannot. music is my language. i am more fluent in expression through music than i am with words. my husband can testify to this.

there are lots of musicians. lots of people who play and sing. lots of people who truly appreciate music, regardless of region, root, and genre. not many, though, that can really say that music is their first language. i was humming before i was speaking. i could true sing harmonies at the age of 5. music expressed more to me as an infant than expressive faces and babble.

john mayer, for example. john mayer's first language is music. there are lots of other artists i am convinced that are the same. there's a list that i won't list right now. but these are those i can listen to and just weep. not because of what the song is necessarily saying (although that can be the case), but because someone is speaking my language! someone is communicating beyond a bunch of consonants and vowels, strung together like pearls in hopes that someone will understand. music comes from the soul.

i don't want to be more fluent in english than music. my soul is dusty and dry and it aches. playing my guitar the other night made me weep, not because of my own music or talent, but because God speaks to my soul through my first language. i always feel closer to the heart of God when there is music, when i am singing his praise, when i'm utilizing his gift.

please ask me. ask me if i am playing.

have you finished your christmas shopping? i have not. almost. but not.

maybe i'll throw a new years party. i throw good parties and have lots of good serving pieces that i need to use. i also got some really great hors d'oeuvres recipes and ideas. hmmm....

christmas is in a few days. are you ready? i'm ready. for a break!