Tuesday Tunes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es7GE6seBFc
I’m
on a Margaret Becker kick. She was my
girl back in the late 80’s and 90’s. Now
I’m listening to her again. I really
hadn’t noticed until this go ‘round how much she sounds like the Wilson sisters
of Heart; a band I also liked in the 80’s.
But Heart’s “If Looks Could Kill You’d be Lying on the Floor” is a far
cry from Becker’s “Say the Name.”
“If
Looks Could Kill” would have gotten me through a breakup or hard times back in
1988. But words like, “I was a sucker to
believe in you, a sucker for every line,” or “Love is on the line, I ain’t about to be kind,” have such a
negative ring to them, don’t ya think??
But I remember blaring that album, (you know, vinyl record albums) in my
cute little four-plex on Judge Ely Blvd. in Abilene, TX back in the day.
But
thankfully, I’ve progressed past the negativity! I can sit back and “Say the name that has heard my cry, has seen my tears and wiped them
dry,” and find a much more productive healing. Now, “Just
a whisper is enough to set my soul at ease.
Just thinking of this name brings my heart to peace.”
Several years ago, I was standing a few rows
behind an elderly woman while we were singing Natalie Grant’s song “Your Great
Name.” She was seated, but when we got
to the words, “The enemy, he has to leave, at the sound of Your Great Name,”
she struggled to a standing position. That
gesture of respect moved me to tears. “May I never grow so strong that my heart
cannot be moved. May I never grow so weak that I fear to speak the truth. I
will say this holy Name no matter who agrees. For no other name on earth means
so much to me.”
Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore
God exalted him to the highest place
and
gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue
acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
“From now until
the end of time, I’ll Say the Name.”
Thursday Thoughts
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| Photo by Lois Flores |
I
was recently asked if I could “Be Still” for a while and await an answer
regarding a job. I replied, “Well, I can
tell you it is part of Psalm 46:10 and the entire Psalm starts out with
telling us that God is our refuge and strength.
But to actually put it in to practice, nope, I can’t do that.” Fortunately my potential employer chuckled
along with me, also knowing that waiting isn’t easy.
When
you’re single, your income is it. You’re
not a supplemental income alongside your spouse’s to help with extra
expenses. You’re not a comparable amount
to be part of the monthly budget. You
are it!
Sometimes
I find that scary.
Sometimes
I find it an exciting opportunity to see how God will work things out.
Be
still…and know that I am God…
Sometimes
I find it frustrating.
Sometimes
I find it a good way to trust God.
Be still…and
know that I am God…
Sometimes
I want to make a phone call and get things rolling.
Sometimes
I just want to sit at His feet and watch Him work.
Be still…and
know that I am God…
It’s
not just “knowing” that He is God. I
have to “let” Him be God. It’s the
difference between reciting Psalm 46 and believing it and trusting Him enough
to live it out.
I
joke around with friends and say, “This is the year I marry money!” My Portland to Coast team would like extra
money to buy a van, team T-shirts, a cushy hotel and massage in Seaside after
the race. But until I find that rich
husband it just isn’t going to happen.
But in reality, I have found someone…
I
found Him while I was being still enough to know
Him and then let Him be God.
Tuesday Tunes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsjZ94K7UQs
This was
my theme song for last summer…
I
became unemployed and homeless all in one weekend in the spring of
2013. So in June I found myself on a
plane headed for Tennessee to spend the summer with some good friends working
as their nanny. I also needed to clear
my head and figure out what was next.
As I
drove around beautiful Franklin, Tennessee with its green cotton-ball trees,
Sidewalk Prophets’ song “Help Me Find It” always seemed to be on the radio
every time I needed it to be.
It was
my story…
“I don’t know where to go from
here, it all used to seem so clear.”
”If there’s a road I should walk,
help me find it.”
And the comfort of…
“For every
step, I’ve never been alone.”
“Even when it hurts You’ll have Your way, even in the valley I will say, with
every breath You’ve never let me go.”
If I
was alone in the car I would sing it at the top of my lungs! But one evening
the song came on while I was driving the girls to dance, or to eat, or to a
friend’s house or to something. I said,
“Oh, I LOVE this song. It’s my theme
song.” They asked me why, so I started
singing along with the words like I was telling them my story. When it got to the words “You’ve never failed
before” I had to turn my head and fight back tears, because He never has.
Right
before that phrase are the words, “I will wait for You.” That’s the hard part!! But I’m learning to “Be Still and Know
(remember) that He is God.” These are not
new concepts for me. It’s just when you
find yourself in a difficult situation you learn them all over again.
Ten
months later I’m still a bit in limbo.
But, He’s never failed before!
That’s all I need to know. So
even though I don’t know where to go from here, I
will wait for Him. And He won’t fail me
this time either!
Uncategorized
A friend sent me a text last Friday morning asking if I had filed my taxes yet. He does this every year. If he didn’t I would think something was wrong. He knows I discovered a few years ago how easy it is to file an extension.
I’m a bit of a procrastinator. That’s why I’m sitting at my computer at 11:51 p.m. writing this blog post. I had all evening but Celebrity Apprentice was on and I wanted to see if Gary Busey got fired. He did.
However, I was productive this afternoon and read through blogs on writing. I particularly enjoyed Alexis Grant’s site on memoir writing. But then I took a nap. And it’s a good thing I did because I would be pretty tired right now if I hadn’t. But then again, if I had written my post this afternoon instead of napping I could be sleeping right now. That probably would have been better.
But there is light on my procrastination horizon because when my friend sent me that text, I was able to proudly answer, “Yepsidoodle, Funny Man!” There may be hope for me yet.
Question: Did you file your taxes on time?
