i think too much. i drink water regularly. i'm far from perfect. my cup overflows on this website on somewhat of a regular basis and it's a lot of mumbling. just give it a chance. maybe you'll laugh or cry.
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 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
i recently started listening to regina spektor thanks to becca and emily and i came upon this song laughing with. the song really made me think so here's the link to the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rov3pV9PsRI
and i've listened to it time after time and every time i try to discover her message. i mean what is she really trying to say. is she trying to tell me not to God so seriously? is she saying God can be funny? maybe she's saying God is multifaceted. she's saying God is there for every situation. you can rely on him in when the police officer comes to your door with bad news. he's there when you're in war. he's there when you're starving. he's there when you're in the hospital. he's there when you need love. but he's not only there for the bad. God is there for you when you're searching for something funny to say. he's there when you just need someone to bounce ideas off of. so maybe regina spektor has the right outlook on God. God is always there in the good and the bad, and just like love, he wants all of you. he's wants you all the time. not only when you're scared or hurt or worried. he wants you when you're laughing. when you're crying. when you're thinking. when you're cleaning. when you're driving. when you're sleeping. God wants all of you. your soul. your mind. your strength. all of you all the time and that's a scary concept. it scary to give all of yourself to something you can see but that the point of faith. God doesn't just want your mind. he doesn't only want to see you on sunday. he doesn't just want you to call on him when you're struggling or in pain. he wants to hear it all. God wants to know about your paper-cut. your promotion. the five dollars you won on a scratch-off lottery ticket. he wants it all. the best analogy i can think of is when your best friends finds out some awesome news and not only do they neglect to tell you but you find out from an acquaintance that you barely know. the feeling is horrible. and that's how God feels when you only talk to him when you need a favor. i have been reading a book called God the what? lately and it's a book about our metaphors that we have for God. i think we all have our own metaphors that show each of us something different about our faith. i like to think of God as a best friend. a nursing mother. a light. the most-high. and love. we each have our own unique metaphors for looking at God and for myself my metaphors for God change with the situation that i'm in. when i'm looking and worrying about my future God is a light. when i'm in pain God is a nursing mother. and when i just need someone to talk to God is my best friend. this is what regina spektor is saying. God isn't just a healer. he's not just a father. he's everything and no matter what time of day he's there. so don't just go to God on sunday mornings or when you're scared. go to him when you're happy. sad. and looking for love. bring it all to him.
" we do not have to let go of one sense of God to take up another. neither do we need to about challenging old metaphors. what is crucial is to find a metaphor-- or two, or six-- that creatively point toward what we believe." - from chapter one of God the what? what our metaphors for God reveal about our beliefs in God Joke of the Day: this one is quite long.. but i really like this one.. credit to jay cooper.. Little Carol came into the kitchen where her mother was making dinner. Her birthday was coming up and she thought this was a good time to tell her mother what she wanted. 'Mom, I want a bike for my birthday.'Now, Little Carol was a bit of a troublemaker. She had gotten into trouble at school and at home. Carol's mother asked her if she thought she deserved to get a bike for her birthday. Little Carol, of course, thought she did. Carol's mother, being a Christian woman, wanted her to reflect on her behavior over the last year, and write a letter to God and tell him why she deserved a bike for her birthday. Little Carol stomped up the steps to her room and sat down to write God a letter.
LETTER 1: Dear God: I have been a very good girl this year and I would like a bike for my birthday. I want a red one. Your friend, Carol
Carol knew this wasn't true. She had not been a very good girl this year, so she tore up the letter and started over. LETTER 2: Dear God: This is your friend Carol. I have been a pretty good girl this year, and I would like a red bike for my birthday. Thank you, Carol
Carol knew this wasn't true either. She tore up the letter and started again. LETTER 3: Dear God: I know I haven't been a good girl this year. I am very sorry. I will be a good girl if you just send me a red bike for my birthday. Thank you, Carol
Carol knew, even if it was true, this letter was not going to get her a bike. By now, she was very upset. She went downstairs and told her mother she wanted to go to church. Carol's mother thought her plan had worked because Carol looked very sad. 'Just be home in time for dinner,' her mother said.Carol walked down the street to the church and up to the altar. She looked around to see if anyone was there. She picked up a statue of the Virgin Mary, slipped it under her jacket and ran out of the church, down the street, into her house, and up to her room. She shut the door and sat down and wrote her letter to God.
LETTER 4: I GOT YOUR MAMA. IF YOU WANT TO SEE HER AGAIN, SEND THE BIKE. Signed, YOU KNOW WHO
enjoy your saturday and valentine's day.. much love and peace, dmaloney
