Questions...and Answers.

This one verse in council time at awana today was particularly striking. I'm not quite sure why. I've known this verse for like...ever.

But it ties in so beautifully with what I was talking about in my last post.

The verse was Psalm 119:9 - How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

That verse has never hit me in the way it did tonight...I think it was due to the fact that the speaker used a different version. I'm not sure which one it was, but I came home and looked a bunch up. See if it says anymore to you by reading it different versions.

NIV - How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.

NASB - How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.

MSG - How can a young person live a clean life?
By carefully reading the map of your Word.

NLT - How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.

ESV - How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.

I particularly enjoyed the different words used in place of "taking heed"

By...
living my life according to God's word
keeping my life in line with God's word
reading the directions in God's word
obeying God's word
guarding my life according to God's word

It makes me curious to know what the original Hebrew word was.

Taking heed - that's to listen, take note, and pay attention to.
Living - that's to align all aspects of my life according to what I just took heed of
Keeping - that's maintaining it: always
Reading - that's to always be looking for more: studying, searching, desiring more of Christ
Obeying - that's to do exactly what it says, exactly how it says, exactly when God says to
Guarding - that's not letting anything else take place of our one focus: Christ

How can we live pure lives, lives centered on Christ? It's simple: listening and obeying the instructions He's given us in the Bible. Funny the revelations you have late at night....

Now doing that isn't so simple - but we have the power of Christ to guide us.

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!

Forever and Allways

There's this sticky note on our refrigerator that my little brother wrote.

If you can't read it, it says "ALLWAYS BE HAPPY"

He wrote it one day when someone was in a bad mood. I thought it was really cute - and sweet. :) But it also made me think. I love how he spelled "always": ALLWAYS, with two L's, making it like "all-ways"

Here is a list of the different meanings the word "always" can have.

• Seemingly without interruption
• often and repeatedly
• at any time or in any event
• forever
• throughout all time
• at all times
• all the time and on any occasion
  

When we say "always", do we really mean in all our ways? In every single thing we do? A lot of times we just see it as...well, "always". It has less depth to it the way we use it most of the time.

"I always do it this way!"
"You always are teasing me!"
"I always thought you were afraid of me"

It's another one of those words that are thrown around a lot. Does it bug you that such huge, universal words with such depth are used so flippantly? Love, joy, never, always, Jesus....the list goes on.

But take it with some more depth here.

...giving thanks [always] for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20)

Where "always" is in brackets, read it again, but put in "in all your ways".

giving thanks [in all your ways] for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:20)

Always: In all your ways, meaning in whatever situation you encounter - choosing to rejoice, to joy in the Lord (Hab. 3),

Then I thought of another thing. You've probably heard the phrase "forever and always". I always thought it was kind of redundant..."forever and always".

(Let me rabbit trail a bit here and note how I used "always" in that sentence. I did it without even thinking. It's interesting, isn't it?)

But if you change it to "forever and allways", you get something different - not just forever and forever - forever and in every way. We should love God not only in all our ways, in everything we do, but forever. And God loves us and cares for us in the exact same way - forever and allways.

God of Silence

Have you ever thought about it this way?



Holy darkness, blessed night
heaven's answer hidden from our sight.
As we await you, O God of silence,
we embrace your holy night.

I have tried you in fires of affliction;
I have taught your soul to grieve.
In the barren soil of your loneliness,
there I will plant my seed.

I have taught you the price of compassion;
you have stood before the grave.
Though my love can seem
like a raging storm,
this is the love that saves.

Were you there
when I raised up the mountains?
Can you guide the morning star?
Does the hawk take flight
when you give command?
Why do you doubt my pow'r?

In your deepest hour of darkness
I will give you wealth untold.
When the silence stills your spirit,
will my riches fill your soul.

As the watchman waits for morning,
and the bride awaits her groom,
so we wait to hear your footsteps
as we rest beneath your moon.

(Don't) Look Back and Wonder...

There's 3 sides to "bittersweet", you know. There's "bittersweet", "bittersweet", and then just "bittersweet". Today was "bittersweet". The sort of tears you cry not because you're angry, not because you're sad, not because you're happy....just a sharp sort of throb in your heart where people used to be. It's like when you see someone and you're overjoyed to see them but it makes you realize how much you miss them and you can't seem to get enough of their company before you have to leave them again.

I need to make a list of all the precious few, absolutely FABULOUS days I have.

Today, I saw a bunch of my amazing good friends I haven't seen in a long time, got more hugs than I've had since I left church, and probably cried more than I have in the past month. I also got to talk to my big sister on the phone and do some catching up with another good friend I haven't seen in a year.

I saw so, so many people today that I miss a lot. But it was still a good day. A bittersweet day.

Lessons From Hours Of Speech Homework

I've just worked on my Illustrated Oratory boards for nearly exactly 5 1/2 hours.

I think I might explode or something.

At any rate, I got this idea while I was cutting various pieces of paper.

If you're like me, you can't draw in a straight line to save your life, unless you've got something to follow. And even then it's not all that great without a ruler.

Life is the same way. We're not going to be able to get to where we want to go unless we follow a path God has given us. And even then, without His word constantly guiding us, we will veer off the path.

Live Fully, Laugh Often, Love Always

The Song You Sing

We all have excuses// why living in fear//something in us dies//
Like a bird with broken wings//its not how high he flies//but the song he sings
(Courage Is, The Strange Familiar)

Crazy Jesus People

I was thinking about the word "Jesus" last night. Isn't it sad how much that word is thrown around?

"Jesus freaks!"
"Jesus is a crutch"
"Jesus, Mama, are you sure you want to do that?"
"I don't like that Jesus thing"
"She's one of those Jesus people"

It means something different to different people - and some people take it as offensive.

You people who are still doing awana quizzing (or still remember it) can tell me the reference in the Bible that talks about how the Gospel is foolishness to the Gentiles and a stumbling block for the Jews. (or was it the other way around?)

At any rate, unsaved people don't know the depth to the word "Jesus". But as Christians, think how much we can pull from that one word. Think how much meaning there is in that single word - "Jesus".

He is our refuge, our strength, our redeemer, comforter, friend, brother, GOD, Lord, master, savior, and everything else. Our ALL. Every part of us depends on Him (or should) and our life comes only through Him.

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?

Wisdom From The Inside Lid Of A Peppermint Box

No matter where you stand in your business, career, or life (and no matter what challenges you now face), when you make the conscious decision to become a person of action (rather than being indecisive) you instantly turn the tide of life in your favor. -Andrew Wood

Yes, this was printed on the lid of a tin of peppermints. They were organic peppermints, if you were wondering. St. Claire's Certified Organic Allergen-Free Vegan Purely Delicious Herbal Peppermint Breath Mints.

(that was off the front)

And now I've destroyed the very poetic effect of the quote and the title. So go read it again.

From A.A. Milne

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.

"Pooh!" he whispered.

"Yes, Piglet?"

"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw.

"I just wanted to be sure of you."