Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance

I'm alone most days now.

No one really asks me to do anything

And I don't really offer.

It seems that I should be doing something with this time I have. Like God has given me this season of alone time and I've not the foggiest idea what to do with it.

I told him to put me through the fire. Maybe this is the beginning.....

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

^_^ Smiles ^_^

Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
-- Mother Teresa

I love smiles. Seeing a person's face light up with a smile or laughter can make my day like no other.

Smiles are like a sunrise upon a face, bathing the face in one of the purest forms of beauty.

Unless it's a creepy smile. You know the one I'm talking about. Those are just off putting

Saturday, December 18, 2010

I've read this a thousand times

I've noticed lately that I am interested in books that I have tried to read before and was bored out of my mind.
Conclusion: You have to reach a certain level of maturity to read certain books

I first noticed this when I started reading Little Women. A book whose first chapter I skipped because I had read it a thousand times all of a sudden captured my heart. I couldn't put it down. A novel that just depicts the lives of four sisters. So simple and so lovely. And I have loved the movie since I was a girl. I mean who wouldn't....it's Christian Bale....as Laurie (one of my first loves)
But I digress....



And now I'm reading Wuthering Heights. I've read the first couple of pages more times than I can count. I vivdly remember when he made the dogs mad and they were ready to attack.
What I don't remember is how awesome this book is. It's not like anything I've ever read. The only way I can think of to describe it as of now (i'm not finished) is raw and ruggedly wonderful. Not flowerly or superflous. Just a haunting story.
And I can't WAIT to watch the movie! I love movie adaptations of classic novels, which is nice because they are very easy to come by.

And now I shall continue to read this classic piece of literature...and knit....i love multitasking!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Hope has it's reasons

“The Christian life is a thank-you from beginning to end as we ponder what God has done. What an absurdity to think that we could ever bargain with God, as if there were anything we could put on the table. Nothing we can do would ever earn his favor. Yet all is ours for free. And the cross reveals his willingness to forgive not just once, but over and over and over again. How can we repay such extravagant, generous love? We cannot and need not, and the heart’s only answer is gratitude.”
— Rebecca Pippert

Hope Has Its Reasons

Monday, December 13, 2010

Author and Perfecter

 For some reason on the way home from work my faith was shaken.
Nothing earth shattering happened.
I didn't have a breakdown.
It was a uneventful drive home.
Why?
It wasn't a big shake. It was as though I was standing completely still and a flick of the finger made me teeter on edge. 
Do I have faith? According to Paul I do. 

 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Hebrews 11: 1

Confidence in hope. Check. Assurance in the unseen. Check. 
Living out that faith.... Hesitation. 

How in the world do I live out a faith that is so monumental, so supernatural, so so SO much better than I begin to deserve?
How does one live out a faith that they aren't worthy of?
Like Jesus.
http://makkistyle.deviantart.com/

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
Hebrews 12:2 (the context is SO much better)

Not only did Jesus write our faith, he perfected it. He wrote the very details of faith. As J.K. Rowling transports us into the world of Hogwarts, Jesus transports us into the world of faith.
How?
The Gospels.
He lived out our faith just as we do. 
For the joy set before Him, he endured the cross -- Hebrews 12:2
He knew what was coming. He knew that he would be pierced for our transgressions just as Isaiah had prophesied. But he had confidence in what he hoped for, confidence in what he knew to be true.
I want that kind of confidence, but then I'm scared of that kind of confidence because I know what I have to go through to have it. I want to be gold refined in fire...but the fire scares me half to death. 
This is where my faith shakes.
I'm going to pray a prayer that will probably change my life forever.
I pray for the fire. 
For the joy set before me I want to endure the fire. 
Only then will I truly know if I have faith.