one of the most powerful tools

if you haven't notice by now i really enjoy using music as a tool to communicate ministry. it's powerful. and i obviously wasn't the first person to feel that way, as the majority of church services revolve around music. music is powerful. it's a way to communicate your own message. but that message can have so many interpretations. like the post on regina spektor's song 'laughing with' and jars of clay's song 'like a child'. well, today i have a new song for you.

it's called 'how he loves' by david crowder band.

link to video w/ lyrics : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWgeUrD4MHI

it's a cool song, with some really great lyrics. my favorite part:

'And oh, how He loves us so

Oh how He loves us

How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves us

Oh how He loves'

i read somewhere recently God loves you as if you are the only person on earth. it's pretty amazing. and it's so crazy we'll never be able to understand. we'll never be able to wrap our minds around God's unfathomable. indescribable. unexplainable. love.

it's love and it's there for you.

i have a large collection of songs that i listen to when i'm looking for God. in my meditation, most of the time. but most of them are reflective or illustrate my individual conclusions and beliefs. another favorite is 'grand canyon' by ffh

'So I'm reaching across the Grand Canyon

Hoping you will take my hand

Wondering why you're just not listening

So for the time being

I'll just keep on reaching for you'

this song always makes me think back on my confirmation. during the classes i remember one point that was jesus is the bridge between you and God. he's the reason we can have a relationship with God. and that's exactly what this song is saying.in a way both songs are related. they both symbolize the power of God's unfailing love. and that love is a bridge across the grand canyon and so much more.

quote of the day:

'oh how He loves us' - david crowder band song: 'how he loves'

joke of the day:

horse walks into a bar. bartender says 'why the long face?'

haha!

photo of the day:

have a wonderful sunday. and happy birthday to becca hertl. much love and peace, dmaloney

it's called a sacrifice for a reason

here's a link to a church cartoon blog, some fun, truths about the church in cartoon form so it's pretty cool. to the left is one of his cartoons. and the link is below

http://www.cartoonchurch.com/blog/

lent continues to be a topic of interest in my mind and in my house. and i hope my post on ash wednesday was not miss interpreted, and the more i think about it. i maybe completely contradict what i said.

after much more considerations and prayer i've realized that i should sacrifice something for God. i've been give up a plethora of bad habits in the past couple weeks. and it someways i think that it has changed me. i'm more jovial. but i still feel that God wants something more from me. i feel that God is the usher standing with his outstretched arm, holding the offering plate that 'everyone' has contributed to. and in a way i feel that i shouldn't fall into the pressure of lent. change my own opinion of lent. but the other side of me says "jesus, gave his life on a cross. he had nails driven into his hands and feet. worn a crown of thorns. and all you can promise to do is blog for forty days. lame." the purpose of all of this is sacrifice. what am i sacrificing to feel maybe only one-billionth of what jesus sacrificed on the cross.

so i've thought about fasting. i've thought about technology. i've thought about reading more. i've thought about a bunch of things. our lives revolve around time and technology. am i wrong? we wake up run to school/church/work. then to some much we barely sit for more than twenty minutes at a time. and through all of this we're facebooking, tweeting, blogging, texting, calling (you get the picture). and then we repeat.

we do all of this without even thinking if maybe all we need is some silence. time to sort things out, but we're so absorbed in all of lifes distractions that your prayer can be interrupted by a call.

so i think this lent i'm going to do my best to blog to you for forty days+. and i'm going to spend time in silence. what i like to call jesus time.

quote of the day:

“dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. no one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”- 1 john 4:11-12

quote of the day:



What do you call a country where everyone drives a red car?





A red carnation.





photo of the day:

what sacrifice will you choose this lent? much love and peace, dmaloney

just...laugh?

laughter is an audible expression or the appearance of happiness, or an inward feeling of joy (laughing on the inside). it may ensue (as physiological reaction) from jokes, tickling or other stimuli. it is in most cases a very pleasant sensation.

watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk

it's fun to laugh. right? who doesn't like to laugh? it's something we can all do. it's the same in every language. and that's what the picture above says. young. old. human. horse. american. asian. it doesn't matter. so why is laughter so universal. fun. essential? i don't know. all i know it that life is no fun without laughter. so just laugh. life. love. smile. enjoy it. awesome sauce.

so this post was a little different from everything else that i've posted. so if you'd like to see me post about a particular subject. comment here and i'll give it a try.

quote of the day:

"sarah said 'God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.'" genesis 21: 5-7

joke of the day:

"stop!" - emily neville

sorry most of you won't get this joke. but if you wish you could understand you should have been at the relay for life kick-off dinner.

photo of the day:

just laugh much love and peace, dmaloney

it's the little things

today marks the beginning of lent. and maybe you're wondering what i'm "giving up". well, i'm not "giving up" sweets. meats. or beets. (sorry, i just wanted a rhyme) i'm not really a believer in "giving up" things. i like to resolve to do things. make a commitment. so why don't i really believe in "giving up" material possessions? well i believe in continuing your resolution or promise even after easter is over. to me it's like going to church for the month of december and stopping after christmas. is that what God wants? no. like the other day i said God wants all of you all the time. he wants your love. mind. strength. soul. i'm not saying that whatever you've resolved to stay away from is the wrong decision. i just have my own reservations about lent. but since it's lent i would challenge you to resolve to do something for more than just the purpose that's lent. do it for God. do it for good friday. do it out of love.

heres a link for a video on lenten thought

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMUJ2_nUyQI&feature=related. just give it a try..

today after school i was standing in the hallway when i looked down to see a post-it.

i don't know who wrote it. who it was for. or anything else about it. but it seemed to be a sign. or God-sighting to just be content. to be pleased with life. just to smile and love life. be happy. so this is the...

quote of the day:

"you are beautiful! so put down the eyeliner, & smile.">

joke of the day:

for those of you who were on june project or know the anger management story check out this http://www.youtube.com/user/failblog#p/u/5/OFu1HYhQOWA

photo of the day:

so which path do you choose this lent? much love and peace, dmaloney

find your own way...

this post took me a little bit of thought to come up with, but i think it something that is often just over looked in today's church. to be an active follower of anything you must participate corporately and individually. so in terms of church i'm talking about attending services on your day of worship and then, on your own time, find your own connection. a way that works for you. for some it's through praying out loud. yelling at the top of their lungs. others it's just through observations. others through song. for me it's in silence and in meditation. and when i say meditation i don't me i sit somewhere say "ohmmmmm". like this...

my meditation is a time to still in silence and just listen. what do you want God. if every christian could find their own way things would be different. so maybe today i'm asking you to find your own way to individualize your worship. break the mold. lite a candle. worship in silence. worship without lights. but just do it.

quote of the day:

"prayer at its best is the expression of the total life, for all things else being equal, our prayers are only as powerful as our lives." - a.w. tozer

joke of the day:

A little boy opened the big and old family Bible with fascination, and looked at the old pages as he turned them. Suddenly, something fell out of the Bible, and he picked it up and looked at it closely. It was an old leaf from a tree that had been pressed in between the pages.

"Momma, look what I found," the boy called out.

"What have you got there, dear?" his mother asked.

With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered: "I think it's Adam's suit!"

photo of the day:

this is a photo from eastern university. which i visited monday. cool, small, christian college. future home? quite possibly!

endurance is the name of the game

so the olympics are underway in vancouver. and it's pretty crazy all of the events. the other day i caught a glimpse of the men's biathlon and some long-distance. both of the those are all about endurance. in the biathlon it's more than just setting a pace and sticking to it. the participants need to brave the elements, find a pace, work hard to pick up their skies, and fire a gun. it's hard work and it showed at the end of the race.

i think, just maybe that this is what we will look like when we finally get to heaven. happy to have been successful in completing the race. and pleased to finally be in the kingdom of God. as followers of christ, our marathon is long and a great endurance is needed. some of us fall short. and fall short too often. but that's why there's grace. but that's another story for another day. we're all running a different race. in nineteen-ninety-three only four months after i was born my mother was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia an extremely aggressive form of leukemia. when many mothers are enjoying the joys (and struggles) of having a new baby my mother was running the race. the cancer has a survival rate of only about twenty - thirty percent. many fall short in this race. this race is not an easy one to finish. my mother attributes her survival of this horrible aliment to prayer and the hope of seeing me walk, talk, go to school, and simply live. it's hard for some people to believe in miracles but i do. the life i live is a miracle and the fact that i can even know my mother is an inspiration. it's an inspiration to want to finish the race. endure the elements. find a pace. cross that line.

quote of the day:

"happiness depends upon ourselves" - aristotle

joke of the day:

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

picture of the day:

endure the elements. today. tomorrow. and the day after tomorrow. much love and peace. dmaloney

through the eyes of a child

when i think about faith. i can't help but think of the innocence of young children. their naive nature. there inability to worry. last night was one of those times. my brother is eight years old. and last night we were updating the youth board at church and as we were finishing up he said "do you think brian will be proud of you?" and i replied "yeah, i guess bud." he then said "ya know, he's lucky he got sent here." i find the mind of of child interesting. their thoughts. their cares. and their worry-free attitude. kids aren't afraid of roller coasters. driving fast. swinging higher than the sky. or running until they can't breathe. i wish we could all live like that. live without worries. care-free and without doubt. though the reality of that isn't always possible it's a nice idea to entertain. some of us think that being carefree would look like this..

but living out faith out like children is described wonderfully in one of my favorite songs "like a child" by jars of clay. it's about the faith of a child and that the child believes he can climb mountians. he can do anything. that's how we have to live. believing that with our faith we can do anything. we won't fall. we won't cower. and we won't have doubt. doubt is scary. it clouds our judgement. it puts a clear wall between you and God. you can see him but you can't get any closer. his words are faint. so what can we do? well, we can start by living our faith actively and with innocence. doubt-free. give it a try. take a lesson from the children you know. look at their faith. their faith is pure. undisturbed. try looking like this...

curious of what the future can bring, yet perfectly content with you life. not rushing the future.

Quote of the Day:

"a three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of

swings as it does out of finding a small green worm." -bill vaughn

Joke of the Day:

this is a clip from community, enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryb2WawuV4g

seize the day. and love. much love and peace, dmaloney