song crush #8

I know.  I just posted song crush #7 yesterday, but maybe I'm fickle (or slightly obsessed with music)...so here's #8.

"Crazy Beautiful" by Chasen...   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEsiqejmrfA

"Whoa you’re oh so beautiful, you don’t need anyone’s approval 

You’ve got to believe in your self you know you are 

You’re crazy beautiful"

It's hard to feel beautiful.  To measure up with the botox-y standard of beauty in this world.  To ignore the air-brushed images on magazines and movies, and let it register in your brain that they are simply that...images and not reality.  Beauty is simply not what "they" tell us it is... 

Here is Truth... 

We were created in His image.  

We were fearfully and wonderfully made.

We are precious to our Maker.

He knows every hair in our head, and adores every single one of them.

we ARE crazy beautiful

Song Crush #7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHSJ3pcPLIc

(This is a fun version.  He's playing for a couple who are about to get engaged)

This song rocks my world b/c

1.  I adore Matthew West

2.  it evokes thoughts of my hubs at times, and thoughts of my Savior at others

Enjoy!  

P.S.  I think Rascall Flatts did this song too.

Memorial Day 2009

"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ.
2. The American Soldier.
One died for your soul, the other for your Freedom."
- Author Unknown

God of This City

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjuLGqqb05E

Got this from my friend Lisa.  A great song by Chris Tomlin, sung by none other than Kris Allen!  (I've know I've posted about Kris twice in two days, but no, I'm not a cougar.  I adore Kris in a cool (slightly) older aunt kind of way...)

Kris Rocks my World

Kris Allen wins American Idol.  

Music to my ears.  I ADORE this kid (and yes someone who is 23 is, sadly, a kid to me).  His music is right up my alley, he's winsomely humble and I find him to be a very smart musician...typically knowing what arrangements to do and what works for his voice and capabilities (unless, say, they force him to sing a certain song written by judge #2 that was out of his range and that should have been lowered a key but mysteriously wasn't...oh well, I digress)

So when he was announced as the winner tonight, I literally screamed (while silently wondering if my 12 votes might have made all the difference).

I have nothing against Adam Lambert (though I am not a big fan of "manliner," and I don't necessarily like that his haircut is eerily similar to mine).  But he felt a little "one note" to my ears...sounding pretty much the same on every song.  With that said, he is UBER-TALENTED and none of us are the slightest bit worried that he will get signed and have his own album out by next year. 

I don't want to get all told you so about it, but I was so sick of the judges fawning over Adam.  They had him pegged to win and their complements toward Kris always felt condescending...sort of like, "Aw.  That was good for you, Kris."  

So way to represent Kris, on behalf of all of us fellow underdogs out there.  And hopefully I'll see you this summer if I can scheme a way to nab American Idol Summer Tour tickets...a girl can dream, right? 

A Beautiful Paradox

The One who I have given my life to---my Jesus, is a beautiful paradox 

...He's a wounded savior.  A gentle warrior.  A servant king.  

He came in a way no one expected...Maker of the universe wrapped in the flesh of a newborn.  

He came to seek and save the lost; wanting all to come as they are, rather than pristine and perfect, tied up nice and neat with a bow. 

He broke bread with the scourge of society (who were really just you and me), not with the pious or those appearing righteous.

He preached a message that went against the norm--love those who hate you;  turn the other cheek, when you are weak that is when you are strong.

He died a convicted criminal's death, yet he was perfect, sinless, flawless.  

And ultimately, my Jesus showed people that way to gain your life is to lose it.

And to complete the paradox and bring it full circle...When it comes to my Savior, I don't have to earn my keep or perform my way into his favor.  It's not about how hard I try or how good I can be.  Because my Jesus paid my way on my behalf, and contrary to popular belief, there is such thing as a free ride. 

a beautiful paradox indeed. 

 

What A Joy...

Our 10 year old wiener dog, Cocoa, has something wrong with her (absurdly long) back---we are taking her to vet to this morning.  When we discovered her ailment last night my oldest son sat by her side, petting her gently and weeping.  His little lip quivered and I could see him fighting the tears to no avail.  He looked up at me with his big chocolate eyes and said, "I can't stand to see her hurting."  It was heart-felt, non-contrived raw emotion, and he was in no hurry to move on from it.  I was sad to see Cocoa hurting too, but my tears was spurred on by his.  

What a joy to see such a tender contemplative heart

 in my little man.

And then there's my youngest son, sitting there next to our dog as well.  He still has his Mario Kart steering wheel in his hand.  He too, is sad; concern and confusion plaguing those light green eyes; but unlike his older brother, Blake feels that sadness deeply for a minute and then moves on.  He's got to move on the next thing, because if he doesn't, heck, he might miss something.  His ability to live each moment, but to quote U2, not get stuck in a moment, delights me.

What a joy to see the life that exudes from him in any given moment.

They come from the same gene pool.  Have been raised in the same home with the same habits and form of discipline.  Yet, in the two, you have polar opposites.  I would dare say they are extremes, or at least close to it...

Which instills in me an awe at God's craftsmanship.  I do believe these boys were knit together by the Creator, fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving, imaginative Maker (Psalm 139).  They were deliberately made to be the people they are and I wouldn't have it any other way---He wouldn't either.

What a joy to see God's fingerprint in the lives of my children every day.   

 

Song Crush #6

Sometimes an artist or a band will PERFECTLY say what I can't always articulate. 

"God in Me" by The Daniel Doss Band

Listen and LOVE...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juwiFM256po

Mom's Day

Could I love them better?  Yes.  Could I love them  more?  No way.

Today is Mother's Day.  I have been fully celebrated with gifts, cards, and a Pei Wei Japanese Teryaki Bowl.  Doesn't get any better than that.

But seriously, looking in their sweet little eyes and feeling their soft precious hugs is gift enough.

"Then"

Blog Alert...this one's cheesy and I won't apologize for it.  Just don't read if you have a strong gag reflex!  :0)

Today is my hubs birthday.  A day I relish yearly in gratitude...that he was born and that God graced my life with him.

Mark isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me, this I am sure.

So Happy Bday to my tender warrior.  Who is never afraid to love grandly, live wholly (and holy at that), play recklessly and laugh fully! 

 I'll love you forever and a day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npE8QdDtN4I   (thanks for always making me feel like the girl in this song)

Oldies but Goodies

I got to hang out with a bunch of my girls from '92 (plus a couple of '93ers) last night.  It was GREAT to reconnect and find that the nerves we all had on the ride over were for naught!  Spending time with these gals, most of whom I've known the majority of my life got me to thinking ( and of course blogging)...

What I LOVE about old friends:

They may not know the day-to-day details of my life, but they sure know the essence of me.

They may not know my hubby, but if they met him they'd know exactly why I ended up with him.

They may not know my kids, but in meeting them it would take them all of 2 seconds to know which one is just like me in temperament and spirit.

They may not know a lot about my job(s), but they'd confidently say they're not surprised by what I do and they saw it coming 20 years ago.

They may not see me everyday, or even every year, but after only a hug and one look in the eye, it's like no time has passed and we're connected at the hip all over again.

So to my girls of '92, I love you and can't wait to do it again.  And by the way, you all look FABULOUS and not one of us has changed a bit in 15 years!

Twilight in 30 Seconds

FUNNY!

http://www.angryalien.com/aa/twilightbuns.asp

10 Things That Make Me Smile Lately...

1. being home. I LOVED Europe but I am a homebody at heart.

2. that my sons can pack their own lunches and shower themselves. Pretty soon Mark and I will be able to parent completely from a chair. :)

3. goofing off with Melinda at the office. our latest adventure...the death of donnie darko the jackrabbit

4. knowing that (and this is a weird one for a chick anyway): 1)Star Trek, 2) Terminator and 3) Transformers are all coming out in the next couple of months. Bring on the popcorn and a big fat salty pickle and call me utterly contented

5. flip flop weather is pretty much here (this is very good news for a bunion sufferer...i know TMI)

6. my mother-in-law put in our gardens for us while we were out of town...who ever heard of anything so cool in their life?

7. i get to hang out with some high school friends this Friday (in a group of about 8-10, I've known most for at least 25 years and 2 for 32 years)! can't beat that with a stick.

8. my 11 year old nephew texting me random trivia, i.e. who holds the world record for pogo stick jumps

9. my hubby's scruff. I ADORE it, though it never lasts for long, probably because it takes him only approximately 2.3 days to grow a full beard (think Oakridge Boys "Um-Poppa-Um Poppa-Um-Poppa Mow Mow" guy). Thus he shaves it off well before he hits the "Tom Hanks Castaway" zone

and...

10. I seriously have the coolest friends on the planet. I sit and wait for them to discover they are far to cool to be with me. The jigs not up yet...

Tonite!!!

can't wait.....
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi520356633/

Underdog

This post is actually a contribution I made to my church's blog (liveoakroots.com).  You should check it out.  We post about 3 times weekly---scripture reference and thoughts to go with it that make you think and bring the Scripture into your day.

What then shall we say?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

Most of us, despite our church background or lack there of, know the story of David and Goliath.  The story in a nutshell: you have a nine foot giant who is a soldier in the Philistine army, taunting the Israelites daily for 40 days.  The giant is daring someone, anyone to come and take him on.  The days pass and no one steps up to the challenge because Saul, the king of Israel and the entire Israelite army are utterly terrified of this guy.  He’s crazy huge, a lifetime warrior, mean as a snake and could squash any given man like a bug.  Then one day, David, the youngest son of Jesse—likely just a young teen at the time, is sent to the front lines by his dad to bring back news of his older brothers.  While there, David hears Goliath mouthing off and long story short, this teenage boy decides to take on the giant, wearing nothing but a tunic and armed only with his shepherd’s staff, a slingshot and bag of stones.  He faces Goliath and says,  ”You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”  You know the rest of the story…David, who for all practical purposes is unarmed, and who is not even developed to his full adult stature takes down the towering giant with a single stone.  A stone that, as God would have it,  hit Goliath just right (or just wrong if you’re Goliath).

To me this account found in 1 Samuel 17, perfectly illustrates Romans 8:31 (What then shall we say?  If God is for us, who can be against us?).  David and Goliath is the classic tale of the underdog.  There is no way David should have prevailed in that battle.  But the unseen hand of God reached down and conquered that giant.  David’s part in the thing?  Simply to believe in the One who was for him and trust that He would come through; and to face his opposition in the name of the Lord.  This story—David’s faith fleshed out—so beautifully shows us, even today, that an underdog is not really an underdog when God is for them. 

I feel like such the underdog myself as I face my daily “Goliaths”:  mounting bills, interpersonal messiness, job stresses, fatigue from the crazy pace our society keeps.  We all  have our Goliaths.  And some of us face things that are more Goliath-y than others…devastating diagnoses, a broken marriage, depression, unemployment, and the list goes on. But the good news is this, whether our giants are 9 or 90 feet tall, we have a God who is for us.  Whether we come armed with nothing or armed with an advanced artillery of the best “weapons” out there, it is ultimately the God who is for us, who is fighting our battles and taking down our giants.  Our part in the thing?  To have faith in Him and to move forward in that faith and in His name.

What giants are you facing today?  Are you going to trust the God who is for you, and know that you may feel like an underdog, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth?