Music of the week month summer {brave}

So, everyone sings about touching the sky.

Like. Everyone. Go ahead. Google "touch the sky" and "lyrics." If you make it through the second page there are at least 6 different artists with that as their song title.

Despite the cliche, banal (I just learned that word today. SAT studying for the win! not.) use of the title, this post is my shameless promotion of my undying love for the BRAVE soundtrack and its opening song.

As of yet, (the movie came out in June) I have not yet tired of listening to this music. At all.

Just...listen to this song...and let your spirit dance a little with joy.



"Touch the Sky" is probably in close running with "Learn Me Right."



We will run and scream
You will dance with me
We'll fulfill our dreams and we'll be free

Yes, it's gorgeous. And there are bagpipes.

Go outside. Blast this song out your windows. Spin in the sunshine. Climb a pine tree. Delight in the sheer beauty that surrounds you.

PS - if you haven't seen the movie Brave, you need to. There is no question. It is better than Dawn Treader (the movie) and that says something important.

It's revolutionary, and it will change the world.

Lately, I've been looking at this overwhelming problem of the world I live in.

Going through a typical week, with all the people I encounter and all the experiences I have, I keep seeing the brokenness of the world.

The homeless man on the street. That girl sitting all by herself at lunch. Those 10 year olds in awana who don't understand who God is. Those news stories about murders. Discussing politics. Working to keep up with my school work. Trying to learn more about the world.

My head spins thinking of how many problems there are in the world, how many people need help - and I want to do something about it.

I want to change the world, and I want to make a difference for the kingdom of God. I want to be radical, crazy, different, a world-changer.

But the other day, I heard this (ridiculously simple) statement:

You don't have to solve the world's problems.

Huh?

Oh right, I'm not God.

But I was also reminded of this story:

One day, a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.

Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference for that one."

A lot of times I'm overwhelmed with all the things there are to do. How do I know what I'm supposed to do, and how am I supposed to make a difference?

Unlike some of my friends, who have been called off to places like Argentina, Peru, Russia, and China -- or even to direct Awana, minister to youth, serve in church -- I'm not really sure what I'm called to do, or how exactly I can make a difference.

But there are places I can make a difference right here.

I can watch that lego movie with my little brother.

I can help my brother with his speech.

I can not brush them off when they have questions.

I can do the dishes for my mom so she can take a nap.

I can not be on the computer so I can be available for something else.

I can give my dad a hug when he comes home.

I can send an email to a friend just because.

I can make a difference, and I don't need to change the whole world. Great things start small, and if I can make a difference in one person's life, God can turn that into something bigger in His timing and strength.

Write it down, before you forget.

Lately I've been struggling a lot with continuing to seek Christ and follow Him, especially with a lack of inspiration/fellowship/church family.

In our family Bible reading a bit ago, we read 2 Chronicles 15 -

The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. (2 Chronicles 15:2b)

It's hard to seek Christ when you feel like there's nothing going for you, or like you're doing it all on your own.

But Psalms also says
If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

So many things I hear around me are things like walk by faith, not by sight - and faith is not a feeling.

It's hard to press on when no one feeds you even the encouragement you need to keep going....yet at the same time there is magnificent power in knowing that you worship the Holy, Majestic, Awesome, Wonderful GOD of the universe, and that even though you completely have no idea, I can rest - knowing that He does. And if I seek, I will find.

Everyone go read this. Now. :)

Fight Another Day

Last Friday evening I had the opportunity to go see Tenth Avenue North in concert for their "Light Meets Dark" tour.

This was sort of a...I really don't know. Little sparkle in life. And a very bright one at that. I don't get to do these things too often - in fact, I've never been to a non-classical/piano/symphony concert before in my life. (there's a homeschooler for ya) It was a totally new experience but a totally amazing one. I can't seem to get it out of my mind.

Part of it is the total amazingness of being in the same room with Addison Road and Tenth Avenue North...the hubbub of people everywhere...the massive amounts of lights and fog machines...the total excitement/awe/noise of first-time-at-a-concert.

That was all I was expecting to come away with - but there was more, and it was....amazing.

Mike Donehey is the lead singer for Tenth Ave - and he is a phenomenal speaker. I've said to quite a few people if he was a pastor, I would totally go to his church. He gave a short little message before they all came on...wow. Maybe it was just that I haven't heard anything like that for what feels like forever, and it was so powerful.

He talked about our how God accepts us in our brokenness, shame, and pain...and how great, awesome, and infinite His grace is that covers us despite our failures. How can we not live our lives for Christ in light of the sacrifice He made for us? His grace makes us new, it lifts us up and changes us from the inside out.

Agh. Right now, I really don't have words to say anything else about it. It was just...really, really good and I haven't had that in a long time. We'll cut to the pictures. =P

Super excited for our first concert!!!


Chris August opened up the concert - he was so funny. And he sang "Starry Night". I love that song. (go look it up.)


This is Addison Road. You can't really tell. =P But it is, I promise. That's Jenny Simmons, the lead singer, in the blue shirt under the green light. ;) I was super excited when I heard they were touring with Tenth Ave, and it was awesome to get to see them. Favorites among their songs: Hope Now, Sticking With You, Collide, Fight Another Day....


:D :D :D :D

Tenth Ave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The worship was SO amazing. Especially on "Satisfy". If you haven't heard that song, you need to. Actually, if you haven't listened to Tenth Ave. at all, you need to. Their music is so powerful and so open. One thing I loved about it when Mike was speaking was how he saw himself as no different than any other person out there.



Okay.

Favorite Tenth Ave. songs that you MUST listen to.

You Are More (this music video is powerful. If you listen to none of the others, listen to this one.)
Strong Enough to Save
All the Pretty Things
Any Other Way
Empty My Hands
Satisfy
Break Me Down

Well. That took just about everything in me not to post the entirety of both of their AMAZING albums. So. Go listen to it. I don't think it's often that I so highly recommend music.

And so this post ends. Without grace or inspiration or anything super nice sounding because I'm completely out of it right now. I'll let the music do that. :)

1 2 1

Just off of I-5 onto 45th street, there is almost always a homeless man standing on the side of the street with a sign.

We drive into Seattle every week for church, and each time, my heart goes out to these people on the streets - and yesterday, there were about 10 of them crowded just off the street where we exited.

"Wow, dad, look at all those homeless people. I wish I had twenty H2O bags to give them right now."

Let me go forward a little now, and tell you another story before I tell you about church.

After church, we went to Pike Place Market to get a few gifts for some friends. Dad dropped mom and I off, we found a store, made our purchases, and then went outside to wait for dad where he told us to. As we were waiting, browsing through a clearance rack set just outside the store, a voice, calling to passing shoppers, caught my attention.

"ANYONE GOT A DOLLAR SO I CAN SMOKE SOME POT?"

I turned to look at him from behind the clothes rack. I've never heard homeless people shout such things to people. But there he was, with a sign I couldn't quite see, calling out to people to give him a dollar so he could smoke.

Now I really wish I had one of those H2O bags to give out.

Almost just as soon as I had noticed him, another guy came walking along down the sidewalk, tapping random people on the shoulder.

"Hey, do you have any change so I could get some food?"

Most people said no and hurried on - swinging their designer-store purchases in their bags. I so desperately wanted to give them something besides money. It saddens me how people can just walk on...keep moving...like they weren't even there. Because behind that sign, under the dirt, messy hair, and torn clothes is a person, created in the image of God, just like me.

Then dad drove up, and we got in the car and left. Later I kicked myself for forgetting that I had 5 Gospel tracts I had put in my purse just that morning, thinking to myself, "I should always have these, because you never know."

We passed shoe stores, designer clothing stores, sports gear stores, and so many more. And I kept thinking...How can we have so much when these people right in our midst have so little? And not only do they have nothing, they don't have Christ.

Now let me go back, and tell you about church.

We had a short message from a 90-year old man named Phil Smart, as part of the service they call "Witness to the Working of God", where someone comes up and tells you about a ministry they serve in and what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of others through their ministry. I don't remember all of it, but his testimony was very inspiring. Most people I talked to afterwards said we could have just ended the service right there.

One thing he talked about was a little card that was in our bulletin. Here was what the front of the card looked like:

He explained that there are 24 hours in the day, divided into 8-hour segments. The first 8 hours are for school and work ("or retirement, but I don't like that", he added) and the second 8 hours, right next to it, are for sleeping; resting up for the work you have to do. And then, the last 8 hours are for you to do however you please. Then, he told us about the 8 different pains that people have in the world, and how we should use those 8 hours to reach out to people. He told a very touching story to go with it, but if I try to repeat it, I'll probably ruin it. But it was inspiring.

Next he showed us the other side of the card:

Each of the letters represents the 8 pains, he said. The Hurt, the Hungry, the Homeless, the Unemployed, the Young, the Old, the Illiterate, and the Drug users. And the way that we reach out to them, he explained, is One-to-one.

After this, we had the sermon, which was extremely inspiring. Here are some things I gathered from it, in light of a lot of other things that I heard in various messages during the past week or so.

How would Dorothy live once she got back to Kansas? How would the scarecrow live with his new brains; and the tin man with his new heart? In the same way, how will we live, with our new life in Christ - the grace, the forgiveness, the joy that Jesus has given us? We should live the life God created us to live. Love as you want to be loved. You can be you, and still reach out to a hurting world - use the gifts God has given you. Respond to God's grace like the scarecrow would to his new brain.

Don't tell them what they should believe. Tell them what you believe.

Do you feel called to full time ministry? The answer is - yes. Jesus calls each and every one of us to be full-time lights for Him. Whether it's serving others through an organization or right around you - we should always be looking for an opportunity to bless others.

Just think what you could do to change a homeless person's life. A simple act of kindness could make their day - show them they do matter in the world, and most importantly, that they matter to God.

Oh, oh, oh!

[Sorry this is so incredibly late. I'm catching up, really. I wrote a majority of this right after Idaho but have just gotten around to posting it. Regionals post is coming soon.]

I had the most FABULOUS time at the Idaho tournament over March 18-20. The week preceding was filled with seehowmuchofyourspeechyoucancramintooneday! along with script submission forms, last minute duo changes, and more double stick tape and magnets than a sane person should be handling at one time.

After frantically scurrying around, trying to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything of significant importance, (mind you, this was the first time Raymond and I had gone anywhere without mom or dad. It took awhile to get out the door. =P) we all got in the car and drove to the M's house, since they were taking us. After mom and dad had left (and I had checked the car 3 times to make sure nothing of significance was left in there), we proceeded to spend the next 2 hours chasing angry chickens and running around their house, making sure we hadn't forgotten anything of significant importance.

And off we went!

Us Poor Washingtonians. So excited about a little bit of snow.

I love this picture.

We had way too much fun on this car trip.

Sarah, who I called "my monkey" for most of the trip, making her "Giant" face for her speech


I have officially adopted her as another of my little sisters.



Self Explanatory.

Sorry for the bad video quality....this was before I switched to using Raymond's camera. This was right about when we reached Spokane.

We were frantically trying to get Raymond's camera set up so we could film us actually crossing the boarder.

Okay, so maybe I was a *little* excited about getting to Idaho....
(Here you get to hear my "Idaho poem" which was composed specially for the tournament)

We arrived at the church,
survived script submissions and registration,
and then stopped at a Mexican restaurant for dinner with the M family, Mrs. M's brother's family, and Mrs. M's parents. Raymond and I were particularly amused by the "deep fried ice cream" on the dessert menu, which we all got to try in honor of Rebecca's birthday.

Rebecca, Sarah, and I all shared a room....and boy did we have good times.
This was actually our second night. The first night into the first day of the tournament was WAY to hectic to worry about taking pictures. =P

Sisters. =)

"Close your eyes and look like you're asleep!"

"AAAHHHH!!!!"

Bright and early the next morning, after frantic showers, inhaling our breakfast, last minute hair fixes, blazers, tie-malfunctions, and other such things as come with speech competitions, we all hurried out into a crisp, cool Idaho morning (translated as: FREEZING!) to drive to the church.

Just to illustrate how cold it was....




We found some of the most amusing things on the way...

Expensive energy drinks, no?

One LONG tournament day later...the mental-craze of the tournament is finally setting in as we marveled over this chicken like thing right outside the tournament...for which the video is unavailable. But know speech tournaments do weird things to your brain. (haven't I said this already?)

On the way home, we took the "Cliff Road", as Rebecca calls it, by Coeur d'Alene lake.

GORGEOUS.

For once I was satisfied with the results of my attempts-at-photography...

Sarah liked the hairpiece I used on day two, and she asked me to put it in her hair when we got home.

Little model <3

Next day...... Semis/Finals breaks. ...... AAAAAHHHHHH!!! This is where Hannah gets overly hyper and excited.Our duo (me and Raymond) broke to semis, but not to finals. My Dramatic Interp. broke to finals, as did my Illustrated Oratory.

Semis and finals have always been my favorite rounds (even though they are the most nerve racking)....I get the adrenaline rush and the energy high and run around frantically trying to find rooms, trying not to be nervous, watching some of the really good speeches, and enjoying myself immensely.

This is the kind of thing you do before you go into a round. Pace back and forth looking at patterns on the walls. =P
(actually, he wasn't waiting for a round. But he did find some kind of odd pattern)

Waiting for the awards ceremony with my friend Gabby...

Our duo placed 12th, my dramatic placed 6th, and my illustrated placed 3rd.

And little Miss Sarah competed in the Junior Tournament they held with "Jack and the Beanstalk" for her dramatic. She was the youngest competitor in the entire tournament and placed 3rd. I have never seen her so happy. :)

(she's the shortest one with the lovely green dress)
All in all, it was a lovely tournament and I had a fabulous time.

Life IS Pain, Highness

Most of you know I was in a speech tournament last week. On finals day, I watched Sarah Klein's thematic interpretation. Part of it consisted of this poem, which would have made me cry if I hadn't used up all of my tears the night before. She's such a good speaker, and she interp'ed it extremely well.

(don't worry. I promise that by the end of this month I will have a full explanation, pictures, videos, and lots of other things from all the speech things I've been doing recently.)

It's called "Carry On", by Robert Service

It's easy to fight when everything's right,
And you're mad with the thrill and the glory;
It's easy to cheer when victory's near,
And wallow in fields that are gory.
It's a different song when everything's wrong,
When you're feeling infernally mortal;
When it's ten against one, and hope there is none,
Buck up, little soldier, and chortle:

Carry on! Carry on!
There isn't much punch in your blow.
You're glaring and staring and hitting out blind;
You're muddy and bloody, but never you mind.
Carry on! Carry on!
You haven't the ghost of a show.
It's looking like death, but while you've a breath,
Carry on, my son! Carry on!

And so in the strife of the battle of life
It's easy to fight when you're winning;
It's easy to slave, and starve and be brave,
When the dawn of success is beginning.
But the man who can meet despair and defeat
With a cheer, there's the man of God's choosing;
The man who can fight to Heaven's own height
Is the man who can fight when he's losing.

Carry on! Carry on!
Things never were looming so black.
But show that you haven't a cowardly streak,
And though you're unlucky you never are weak.
Carry on! Carry on!
Brace up for another attack.
It's looking like hell, but -- you never can tell:
Carry on, old man! Carry on!

There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt,
And some who in brutishness wallow;
There are others, I know, who in piety go
Because of a Heaven to follow.
But to labour with zest, and to give of your best,
For the sweetness and joy of the giving;
To help folks along with a hand and a song;
Why, there's the real sunshine of living.

Carry on! Carry on!
Fight the good fight and true;
Believe in your mission, greet life with a cheer;
There's big work to do, and that's why you are here.
Carry on! Carry on!
Let the world be the better for you;
And at last when you die, let this be your cry:
Carry on, my soul! Carry on!

My Book of Days

I got this song stuck in my head last night, and it reminded me of my friend Rachel's post on her blog about the gifts God has given us of the present, cherishing the moments we have - because everything we do is going into the past...into our own little "book of days".

Even when we fall - those go in the "book" too - and are part of the giant story God is making of our lives. "'Cause sometimes when you lose your way, it's really just as well....cause you find yourself" (Find yourself, Brad Paisley)

The lyrics are below because sometimes it's a little hard to understand...esp. when she sings in Gallic. ;) I really like the way this video was made - I think it captures the song well.



One day, one night, one moment,
my dreams could be, tomorrow.
One step, one fall, one falter,
east or west, over earth or by ocean.
One way to be my journey,
this way could be my Book of Days.

Ó lá go lá, mo thuras,
an bealach fada romham.
Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras,
na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích.

No day, no night, no moment,
can hold me back from trying.
One flag, One fall, One falter,
I'll find my day may be, Far and Away.
Far and Away.

One day, one night, one moment,
with a dream to believe in.
One step, one fall, one falter,
find a new earth across a wide ocean.
This way became my journey,
this day ends together, Far and Away.
This day ends together, Far and Away.
Far and Away.

The immediate thought is "what's in my book?" and this feeling of guilt/regret seeps in because if you read my book now it probably wouldn't be all that great of a story. But it's not talking about the past. The question we ask is "what am I putting into my book now?" Because really, that's going to affect the end of the story - and we want it to end well.

I noticed that the pages of the book in the video go backwards. But I think they should go forwards, don't you?

You know that novel-writing quote that says something to the effect of it being your character's "fault" for the way your story is turning out?

I think life is sort of like that. Not that God blames us, of course, but that He is authoring this huge story and He already knows the end. However the choices we make are going to take us there - and they are writing our "book".

What's going in your book?