"We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." - 1 John 4:16
For my first hymn I chose Be Still My Soul! I finished recording it today and I'm really excited about it! My piano teacher lent me this book called Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan. It's really cool! It has a wide selection of hymns and with each hymn he gives a little history on the song and so I will reference to it quite a bit throughout this series. And now without further ado, I present to you my very first cover!!! (Warning: It's rather long, but I couldn't cut out any of the verses! Be sure to read the lyrics.)
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.
Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.
Be Still My Soul was written in 1752 by Katharina von Schlegel of Germany to the tune of Jean Sibelius' song "Finlandia", which became one of Finland's most popular national songs. According to Robert J. Morgan, this hymn was widely sung during World War II. It was a huge comfort to the people during that terrible time and especially to the soldiers. This song renewed the spirit of so many who were in such a hopeless place in life.
In verse 1, it reminds us to leave everything in God's hands. So many times we want to walk our own way, make decisions that are not according to God's plan, but we have to leave it to God. He will order and provide. In other cases, we find ourselves wrapped up in a lot of changes; changes we don't necessarily like. And it says that He will remain faithful. Just beyond the thorny patch is a plain field where we will find joy.
The 2nd verse speaks volumes to me right now as I am trying to decide about my future. It's clear that God has been with me throughout my life and so I can believe, with full confidence, that He will guide me through my future. In the last part of the verse, Schlegel is referring back to Mark 4:35-41, the story of Jesus calming the storm. "They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and sea obey him?'"
Verse 3 addresses loss. You can see why this song brought comfort to the soldiers of WWII. Through our tears of loss, we come to know God's heart and love in a new light. It is when things are going bad that we rely on God the most. We search Him for answers, for comfort, for relief of pain and sorrow & He soothes us. "Thy Jesus can repay from His own fullness all He takes away." Even though He takes away, He gives us more of Himself.
Verse 4 speaks of a better life. A life where we will be reunited with the ones we have lost and we will have pure joy.
And so in verse 5 we praise Him!! He is faithful to us always. He guides our past and our future. He comforts us by giving of Himself. And it is through Jesus that we can have eternity with our Lord and loved ones and truly be happy. So acknowledge Him in all your words and ways and praise Him! "Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine."
Words like these renew ours spirits & minds. It is important we allow them to cover us for in them we will find great peace and a greater understanding of our Lord.
“If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” [John 14:15]
I’m finding out that keeping God’s commands is much harder than just doing them.If you read “An Act of Love” you know what I am referring to.Isn’t there a phrase like, “Set on fire for the Lord” or something?Well, the truth of the matter is, when God speaks to me I get truly excited and encouraged.It’s not too often I get a clear direction from God.Ultimately, I want to do God’s will, I want to obey, so whenever He does give me a clear direction, I get this sort of “fire” inside me.I’m doing a poor job of explaining this, but I think you understand what I mean.The ups and downs you face when obeying and keeping God’s commands.Right now, my “fire” is pretty dim; I just went over the peak of the rollercoaster and now I am speeding down, down, down. I did the initial obeying of God’s will, but now everyday I’m faced with more and more “tests” to see if I’ll keep.Why do we start out so strong, but are so quick to weaken?God has given me no reason whatsoever not to trust Him.So why do I have all these doubts?Why am I so quick to want to give up?
“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” [Philippians 2:8]
If that doesn’t give good perspective, I don’t know what does.JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God, died the most painful, humiliating, shameful death ever, on a cross, for us, all in obedience to God. If Jesus loved me enough to do that, then certainly I can handle this simple directive. There is power in God's Word. Amen?
“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” [Romans 8:28]
Also, this is not only an act of love to him, but to God.
“And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.” [2 John 1:6]
Oh God, You are more than enough.“When the shadows fall and the wrecking ball swings and tears me through the heart... Will you lead me? Beside the still waters? Where the oil, it runs over? And my cup overflows.You restore my soul.” [Walk With Me by Caedmon’s Call]
When two people are in love, they feel as if they are on top of the world; like nothing is impossible. Even the undeniably nerve-wracking future doesn't seem as daunting because you believe that together, you can handle anything. I've found out that reality will find you sooner or later. It'll jerk you down from Cloud Nine if you stay up there too long. Personally, I was naive enough to believe that, together, we could conquer the infamous long distance relationship (DUN DUN DUNNNNN). Our love would be strong enough to overcome any obstacles. I can't help but laugh at myself now. Who was I kidding? I knew what lay ahead if we went down that road: miscommunication, fights, jealousy, resentment, and we would slowly fall out of love. Oh, but it was so nice on Cloud Nine. You can't blame me for at least hoping that this would be like any other fairytale: perfect. But of course, reality hit me in the face... real, real hard. I was forced to accept that it wouldn't be perfect; not in the slightest. Just to be clear, I am in no way "anti-love" or even "anti-reality." Let me explain why. My first love, is going to college, 8 hours away, in just a matter of days... We've been together for a year and it's been a wonderful year. We talked about attempting long distance and taking it one step at a time, but deep down I knew it wouldn't work out. So I prayed about it, and asked him to as well. I was afraid that what I wanted would make God's direction unclear. We all know we have selective hearing. I knew what God was asking of me, but I wanted to deny it. I wanted to erase it from my mind and say it was the devil messing with my emotions. It was late one night, and this lay heavily on my mind. I was listening to my ipod when the song, From The Inside Out (by Hillsong United), started to play. I started singing along (as I usually do), but this time the words struck me in a way they never have before. "Your will above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself in bringing You praise... Lord, I give you control." At that moment, my decision was made and as heart breaking a decision as it was, I had a strange peace. The next night, we talked about it and he felt the same way. I couldn't help but have a little hope that he would fight against it, that I had made the wrong decision... but we came to a mutual agreement. We would spend out last month together, cherishing every moment, and when the time came we would say goodbye and go our separate ways. Now, the easiest way to tell of the circumstance is, "we're breaking up." But I really loathe that phrase and here's why. This is not a normal break up. This is an act of love. We still love each other, but if I didn't let him go that would be the epitome of selfishness. "Love is not self-serving..." (1 Corinthians 13:5) So, you see, if we were to stay together, it wouldn't be love at all. Allowing each other freedom and obeying God's will for the betterment of each other, is love. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Corinthians 13:7) This experience has completely redefined love for me. 1 Corinthians 13 is probably one of my most favorite passages because I am desperate to attain agape. When I was arguing with God over the matter, I was telling Him, the Perfecter of love, that love is supposed to persevere!! It never fails! But I was so foolish. In this act is protection, trust, hope, and perseverance. God is good. He has plans to prosper me, plans to give me hope and a future. I just thought my plans were better :) It's been very difficult for me to submit. I had everything planned how I wanted it and God gently reminded me, "My will, not yours." Now, I don't want to put anyone under the impression that, "God gave me a strange peace," and it's been a cake-walk since then. No, no no... I'm still dealing with what every girl goes through when your heart gets broken. Sure, circumstances are a little bit different, but the hurt and loss is still there. I think that non-Christians sometimes become Christians merely because they hear all these inspirational stories and how God told me what I had to do so I did it and everything is going to work out, blah, blah, blah. So, I would just like to say that, although this has been a very redefining experience in which I am given much hope, it has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Life is hard, but God is good.
I shared this for a few reasons. First, I really just needed to write all that out. Second, I hope that it encourages those who struggle with submission . And third, I want people to know that this is not an ordinary break-up;
"How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?"
~ Oscar Wilde
Your will above all else, my purpose remains. The art of losing myself in bringing You praise.
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades. Never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame.
My heart and my soul, Lord, I give you control. Consume me from the inside out, Lord. Let justice and praise become my embrace to love You from the inside out.
I would like to start this post by saying that God is good. I spent the weekend at the beach with my youth group. We stayed at a place called Myrtle Beach Christian Retreat. Our first night there, a guy named Kevin went through an orientation with us. One of the things he said was, "A lot of cool [spiritual] things have happened here." I think it's safe to say that most of us were in immediate disbelief. But boy, were we wrong. The most amazing things happened this weekend and I'm still in awe at how God works. We got there Friday afternoon and went straight to the beach. After playing a little bit, we went and checked in to the retreat and hung out till dinner. Afterwards we had orientation with Kevin and then we went to Broadway on the Beach! We got ice cream, went on some rides, took lots of pictures, and walked A LOT. The next day we stayed at the beach most of the day except for a couple of hours at the pool. That night we had communion and a foot washing service. Ryan, our youth leader, has washed our feet once before and we all bawled, so naturally, as soon as the tub of water came out, tears started pouring. God was present. Ryan washed all of our feet and told each of us "If I do not serve you, I do not love you." I personally have been struggling with submitting to God's Will. But now, I feel that what God is asking me to do is a way of Him serving me. He's guiding me so that I will have a better future. Now that is love. Ryan gave us a moment to pause and to speak if we wanted to. I knew God was urging me to say the 3 things that were constantly popping up in my head, but I couldn't gather the courage. Then Ryan asked if there was anything that was running through our head, over and over again. At this point I just smiled. It's like, "Alright, God. I get it. You want me to say it." So I did. "Have Your way in me, Lord. I am so unworthy. Thy Will be done." Submitting to God's Will is not easy, but you have to remember that God's plan is better than yours. His plan will prosper you and not harm you. Though it's hard, I have a strange peace. Throughout the rest of the night it was one answered prayer after the next. My heart was overjoyed. I couldn't stop saying thank You. Our youth group set out on this trip for two main reasons. One, to re-group with one another and God. Two, to have fun. I am extremely happy to say that these two goals were accomplished. Although we didn't believe Kevin, he was right: cool things did happen.
Now it's time for pictures :)
Something I want to do one day.
Everytime I capture an animal or insect, I like to think they are posing for me :)
A friend of mine, Sarah, and I went walking around the retreat center to get some pictures (she also likes photography). This is a handful of her favorite flowers.
Photography by Sarah.
Photography by Sarah.
Photography by Sarah.
I'm not sure what this is, but it looked cool.
There were a lot of dead jellyfish washed up on shore.
Dead things are pretty fascinating.
Photography by Sarah. Catepillar bites :)
Flower leaf.
Another flower leaf.
Haha, this lighthouse was at Broadway and I edited it so there was nothing but black all around it. But it needed something and thats when I spotted fireworks on Picnik. So I had a little fun with this picture :)
Pretty lights!
"Can ye fathom the ocean, dark and deep, where the mighty waves and the grandeur sweep?" ~ Fanny Crosby
Swirly
I edited this one twice.
This is the original.
The ocean is breath-taking-ly beautiful.
At Broadway.
Sea shells!
Sarah drew this :)
I heart apples. haha
Some random guy made this drip castle. I'd never heard of a drip castle before so Sarah and I made one. Our's wasn't as cool as his though.
This is John's sand castle that he worked really hard on :)
Colors!
This one reminds me of a pearl.
A few of the youth went on that huge swing ride. I thought it made a cool picture.
Awesome tree.
I love how the bark criss-crosses on the tree.
Sky
Feet in sand. (Toes painted by Sarah haha)
Two things I would like to say. If you have never danced in the rain wearing a dress or jumped into the ocean fully clothed, do it. I did both of these this weekend and there's just something magical about it :)
