I am glad people write books...

As many of you know I love to read and my journal is full of quotes from many authors. The written word can be so powerful, it is just out there for us to read over and over and analysis as many times as we wish. Here are a few of my most recent thought provoking quotes...

"These are the words I want on my gravestone: that I was a helper, and that I danced."
from Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually)

"When you love you should not say, 'God is in my heart,' but rather, 'I am in the heart of God.'"
from Kahlil Gribran's The Prophet

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I m painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still."
from A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God

"There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure."
from Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist

"Where's your Mommy?" --Sweet JJ

So my dear friend Meredith takes really great pictures, she has a gift of capturing more than just a moment in time, she captures the heart of the experience. Here is one of the pictures she took recently that has been burning in my mind since I laid eyes on it.

Pictured is James teaching me priceless lessons.

Ask me for all whole story...it is so much better in person. I don't think a blog entry will do it justice.

But the key lessons include...participation, creating a clear picture of who we really are, resting on the one who is able, we often look messy & trusting the hand that is leading.

Goals for 2008 (You got to have a few, right?)

My goals for 2008 are to:

1-Love well.

2-Speak Truth.

3-Give grace generously.

4-Floss everyday.

If you notice I am not doing any of these things you have the freedom to call me out.

A Call to Obey, even if it Sucks...

I have been reading a little bit in Song of Songs, which can be somewhat depressing for a single gal. It can leave me longing for a relationship that has depth & passion. But if I read Song of Songs as a love letter from the Lord (which I am aware that does sound "Christian cheesy") BUT it really does speak of the song of HIS heart for us! Because His love for us is so grand how can we not respond & obey His commands. It is hard because being obedient may come with a price. More often than not being obedient means suffering. Jesus never says if we obey we will have special privileges. Scripture actually shows us it is quite the opposite. The oh so wise Mother Teresa once said to God, "When I see how You treat Your friends, I'm not surprised that You have so few!" But even through persecution Jesus promises that He will always be with us.

God's call to obedience is rooted in grand love. Our response depends on how well we know & understand that love for us. Sometimes I fear to obey because I don't know how to respond to such a passionate love, I don't know where He is leading me, and His call leads me to embrace suffering. But what I know for sure is that "my lover is mine & I am His" -Song of Songs 6:3. And because of that Truth I can take a big breath, press on, and even laugh.

Dream or Love?

"The person who loves the dream of community will destroy community, even if their intentions are earnest, but the person who loves those around them will create community"
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

So the point is, to get the dream you must start with loving each other. It sounds too simple, but in reality can be really difficult. Being connected to each other is what we were created to do. So if we live with that purpose I really think God will surprise us with a community that is better than our own imagination. What an amazing gift?

Living within the belonging...

A fantastic friend of mine reminded me of a very real Truth today,

"You belong to the God who made you & loves you like crazy, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it."

Believing this will change your life.

So you better to hang on to Jesus and get ready for the wild ride.

Great Love

"We can do not great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put into doing it."

-Mother Teresa

What a wonderful way to look at life.