Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Thou Shalt Not Resolve 7th Chords on Caffeine Alone...

...but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.

 

 

"The works of His hands are faithful and just; 
all His precepts are trustworthy. 
They are steadfast for ever and ever, 
done in faithfulness and uprightness."

Psalm 111:7-8



I've no idea why You want me to do this, 
but I'm doing it all for You.
-C

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Wife of Noble Character

"10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.

12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.

15 She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.

18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.

21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Proverbs 31:10-31

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Garlands of Hosannas

"Count yourself lucky, how happy you must be— you get a fresh start,
your slate's wiped clean.

Count yourself lucky—
God holds nothing against you
and you're holding nothing back from him.

When I kept it all inside,
my bones turned to powder,
my words became daylong groans.

The pressure never let up;
all the juices of my life dried up.

Then I let it all out;
I said, "I'll make a clean breast of my failures to God."
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.

These things add up. Every one of us needs to pray;
when all hell breaks loose and the dam bursts
we'll be on high ground, untouched.

God is my island hideaway,
keeps danger far from the shore,
throws garlands of hosannas around my neck."

Psalm 32

Saturday, May 22, 2010

My First Semester

I'm not one of those "have to get all A's" kind of gal. Considering where I came from and the attitude I had pre-Liberty University, I'd say that this is QUITE the accomplishment (those who know me well, know exactly what I'm talking about). The cool thing? I got A's in all of the classes that really matter (ahem, music theory...)!

God is brilliant. He called me to take on a major that I would both passionately love and hate at the same time because He knew it would spur me on and challenge me in great ways. Ultimately, He gets the glory for it. There's no way I could have made it through that class - heck, through the semester - without Him.

And without further ado, my grades for my first semester as a real, residential college student:



ENGL 102 052 Composition and Literature Resident C
3.000





GNED 101 002 Contemporary Issues I Resident C
1.000

















WRSP 101 001 Introduction to Worship Studies Resident A
3.000





WRSP 103 001 Harmonic Practices & Theory I Resident A
3.000





WRSP 125 014 Voice (Freshman) Resident B
1.000

















WRSP 289 001 Celebration Worship Choir Resident B
1.000






:)
-C

New Developments (and some not so new)




My car is dead. big time. It completely shut off on me as I was sitting in the left-turning lane in the middle of Wards Road. It was so dead that the dumb thing wouldn't even let me turn on my caution lights. I called my brother up on the phone as I preceded to sit through four rounds of light changes until three really great college guys pulled over in the median, ran out of their car, dodged traffic and started yelling, "PUT IT IN NEUTRAL!!!"


Before I knew it, I was moving across two lanes of traffic and pulling off onto the side of the adjacent road where the guys kept checking to make sure I had someone to come get me. my life is so romantic.





Jason came around the hill in his big 'ole red truck, checked a few things under the hood (and cut his arm doing it - SUCH a stud) as another car pulled over to help as well. Ryan was a firefighter and had pretty red lights in his car, so he turned them on and started directing traffic as Jason swung his truck around closer to hook jumper cables up to charge my not-even-a-day-old battery. Turns out the guy who put it in this morning broke a part that's needed to ensure that the cables are securely hooked up so that the battery charges. Loose cables equal no charge, which equals a fried alternator, which equals no car for a while and a lot of money I don't have.


Two hours later, after three different breakdowns and three different jumps, we finally get Lil' Blue back to the apartment where she will be hauled off to the Valley in the morning to get fixed up. Mom is going to teach me how to quilt and I'll get to sing at Aletheia Church for what will officially be the last time...


Which brings me to the third new development:




I went to two different churches this past Sunday and after all was said and done, I felt pretty certain of which one I wanted to call "home." My friend (and amazing hairstylist) Salem accompanied me that day and introduced me to one of her friends, Aaron, at Brentwood. On Monday, I get a friend request from said-guy and a message saying that he found my ministry team audition videos. He then continued to ask if I would be interested in joining the team. Huh. That's interesting.*


God uses the most mundane things to achieve His will. The ministry team videos were put up for the final round of auditions to make a ministry team at LU (closed door) and here God wanted them for Brentwood all along (opened window). I got a call yesterday confirming that it was a done deal and was told (as if I hadn't already realized) that it was totally a "God-thing" because their female vocalist is moving and they've been auditioning female vocalists to take her spot for the past few weeks and hadn't found the right fit yet.


faithful. For twenty-one years my mom has been waiting for my domestication gene to kick in and in the same day that it does, God had exactly the right people come along to make sure that I wouldn't become road kill in the middle of Wards Road. In being ever so faithful to my mom's hope and dreams of having a daughter who shares her love of quilting, and ever so faithful to provide for, protect me, and bring me home safely, He also has finally - in His own, perfect, sweet, time - given me a home church here in Lynchburg and an opportunity to worship Him in song, to sing His praises, and to lead others to do the same.
He called. I answered. He did it.

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."
-1 Thessalonians 5:24

God had a master plan specifically created for each and every one of us before He ever even laid down the foundations of the earth (Jer. 29:11-13). To see it come to fruition we must continue to follow His calling even when things become lackluster or gray. We don't give up. We keep running. We keep responding to the revelation of God as we wait on the LORD. He will bring it to pass, because His faithfulness...well...
                      His faithfulness is nothing new.


-C


*Please see post: Worship, Baby. Worship. for the irony.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Worship, Baby. Worship.

A couple things I find utterly amazing:

1. I live in a nook with no doors whatsoever and a wall which is really just one huge window and so far we are sans any peeping-Toms..

2. I'm eating a bowl full of cherries and spittin' out the pits. No really, I am. You won't find any metaphors on this blog...(when really, you will).

3. I installed the B&N "eReader" app on my iPhone for FREE so I can read "I Will Carry You" by Angie Smith and of course the classics "Little Women" and "Pride and Prejudice" on my iPhone (another great reason to be anti-social).

4. I caught myself singing, "pants on the ground, pants on the ground, lookin' like a fool wit ya pants on the ground" yesterday morning as I was picking up a huge pile of dirty jeans off of the floor and putting them into the washer. Such an event could have been merely ironic, an act of the subconscious, or a mixture of the two, but regardless - I found it absolutely hilarious because it was completely, 100%, unintentional (as was forgetting to put in the laundry detergent there afterward).

 5. There is a Siamese cat who is currently scoping out my cherry pits...


Life at my brother's apartment is decent for now. Him, his wife, and Sinatra (that dashing Siamese photographed above) will be moving out and into their new house in the next week or two and the apartment will officially be mine. The semester is over, the grades are in, and all-in-all I'm pleased with my first semester here at Liberty University. I was called here to learn worship, and boy-oh-boy is God teaching me worship. It seems like every opportunity I've seized to lead worship here in Lynchburg has closed abruptly in my face, but the fact that I'm seizing the opportunities to praise Him is worship in and of itself. I'm not saying that because it's the right thing to say; I'll be the first to tell you that this has been one of the most discouraging processes I've ever gone through - not being able to do what I love for the One I love - but somehow I'm still able to find joy in these closed doors. It's an evidence of His grace and I'm so grateful that I can even walk into a closed door and walk away bruised. Worship, baby. Worship.


I start my first summer class tomorrow: Music Theory 104 (again, I reiterate - Worship, baby. Worship...). I honestly couldn't be any more thrilled about it. I'm already slowly beginning to lose my mind, so jumping right back into school is a pleasure. Another season is starting, one in which I live off campus, drive to class, serve at Brentwood, work a part-time job (hopefully), work out (again, hopefully) and not have to worry about paying fines for an unmade bed and streaky bathroom mirror.


Byrd is moving down from Harrisonburg in July to start up seminary in the fall, and I cannot tell you how much of a blessing that will be for my phone bill. All of my close friends here at Liberty are either back in their hometowns or interning somewhere amazing for the summer, so it'll definitely be good to have her around. Actually, it'll be GREAT having her around. I mean, she is my best friend and all...and best friends are good to have around. 

I'm getting so excited for this next season at Liberty and completely honored that God would bring Byrd into the mix. Never a dull moment, that's for sure.


God is good. 
All the time.



"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 5:5-11


-C

Monday, May 10, 2010

Anyway

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love
them anyway. 

If you do good, people may accuse you of
selfish motives. Do good anyway.

If you are
successful, you may win false friends and true enemies. Succeed
anyway. 

The good you do today may be forgotten
tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Honesty and
transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent
anyway. 

What you spend years building may be destroyed
overnight. Build anyway. 

People who really want
help may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway.  

Give the world the best you have and you may get hurt. Give
the world your best anyway."