Encourage One Another

George Muller send money to Hudson Taylor when he was struggling as a missionary in China. He also wrote this which made me cry. It was an older brother writing encouragement and giving hope to his younger brother, saying "I've been there! You'll make it. Trust the Lord."

My chief object is to tell you that I love you in the Lord, that I feel deeply interested in the Lord's work in Chine and that I pray daily for you.

I thought it might be a little encouragement to you in your difficulties, trials, hardships and disappointments to hear of one more who feels for you and who remembers you before the Lord. But were it otherwise, you will always have the Lord to be with you.

On him then reckon, to him look, on him depend and be assured that if you walk with him, look to him and expect help from him who will never fail you. An older brother, who has known the Lord for years, who writes this, says for your encouragement that he has not failed him.  In the greatest difficulties, in the heaviest trials, in the deepest poverty and necessities, he has never failed me: but because I was enabled by his grace to trust in him, he has always appeared for my help. I delight in speaking well of his name.

From this book Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret - I recommend the book.

Sorry the blog has been so dead! I'm alive and well, I assure you. I don't know if I will make promises about future posts, but since I spent over four hours shopping today, I think I'm due for a fashion post. I have one piece of advice for anyone who wants to become a successful shopper - bring snacks. Not even a joke. You should've seen me eating radishes and walnuts in the dressing room.

R<3

Listening to Kate Walsh - Your Song

thankful with Ann -

712 that God withholds no part of himself from us

713 that we are miraculously made and loved

714 that the Star-Breather became my Sin-Bearer

715 how Erin says Chau to end a conversation

716 how Vicki loves the Psalms and how it rubs off on me 

717 how God used my own fight against sin to help me speak and counsel another saint

718 how experiencing defeat and failure makes us more gracious with others

719 that suffering is a marinade to make me soft and tender

720 how God can take me deeper and deeper and I will never reach a flaw in who he is or how he treats me 

721 a lovely leisurely three course sunday afternoon meal

722 the rubbage of Oh ne!

723 Craig's Love Says Thank You One Thousand Times posts - all of them

Dear Lee Pace

Dear Lee Pace,

I'm trying so hard not to be a fan-girl here, but you are seriously under-appreciated. Your movie The Fall is my very favorite and you bring an incredible presence to every movie/show you do. However, directors are failing to notice you. You have so few good movies! I just watched a horror movie because you were in it and you not only had only fifteen minutes of screen time, but in the end you died. Seriously?

Maybe now that you've been a part of the Twilight series as Garrett the vampire and you're going to be Elven King Thranduil in the Hobbit, your star will rise. I sure hope so. Until then, I'll just watch The Fall. Because it is the best movie in the world.

R<3

Listening to Poets Of The Fall - Dawn (The Fall) (This is a brief recap of the movie.)

Tribute To Nearness

This is my tribute, my thanksgiving song for a God who is wise, wonderful and close. I am an unskilled conductor who cannot line up words and make them sing. So I tell you what happens, movement and language to try to frame in stories my incredible Savior. Do you see? I hope you do.

This morning, I wrote, I told Mum and Daddio that I feel depressed. It's true. My energy is sapped away just by the most basic living and emotions. Please Father, come hold me, shush my frantic mind and give me peace which passes all understanding.

Biking to work, I started crying. So many things overwhelmed me that I didn't even worry that my tears would freeze in the icy wind. I can't do this alone. I can't go to work. I can't be me. I can't function today. Please God, please come and be near. Be near, like stand right next to me - or better yet behind me because I'm falling. I've fallen. I need you. 

I picked a little diamond chip of a verse and wrapped my soul around it - "But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge that I may tell of all your works."*

Somehow, a miracle given to a thirsty daughter, I received hope. It was hope that sustained my day, that let me smile and even laugh and keep doing the things I needed to do, even bringing a surprise oasis of joy.
Later, I sang a song and my soul dwelt amazed on this line. It was truth, from a place I'd known.

He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

That morning, I came tumbling, sobbing, wretched, complicated, dragging remnants of rebellion and unbelief, unable to cope. I found a Father, calling me his own, never leaving me alone. He is near. Do you see? Oh, I hope you do.

R<3

A Magical Arizona Adventure

Part of me feels as if I could never sum up how much Arizona and my magical friends mean to me. The other part says, well, you have pictures - you might as well try. If that's not logical, I don't know what is.

This is me traveling to see Vicki and Erin. If you're extraordinarily observant, you'll notice this is a car, not a plane. I did fly, but I didn't take a picture on the plane.

Arizona has so many palm trees. I don't think I've ever seen palm trees up close before. These seven were peering down at me as I lay on the rocks.

Oh the land of hills and mountains and rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. And dryness. Much dryness is involved in experiencing Arizona because they have deserts there. I'm sorry, you didn't know that? Well now you do.

And the moon! Wow, the moon. Everything is so open and vast in Arizona. I feel like I could see for miles and even heaven felt a little closer to earth. 

So here begins the picture journey of an adventure the three of us had. First, to begin the craziness appropriately, I used Elmer's glue to spike Vicki's hair. Yep, you heard me right. Then she dressed like a punk and was all scary. 

Erin and I pretended to be Nancy Drew and Bess. I think I would be Nancy's sidekick Bess because I look terrified and shocked while Erin looks crafty and curious.

To disguise ourselves amidst the detecting, we moonlighted as a photographer and her model taking senior portraits. All these picture credits go to my dearest Vicki.  

To further confuse anyone tracking us, we also pretended to be art critics. 

Then Vicki ate the gargoyle and we had to leave. 

My next disguise was pretending to be a perfume bottle. Everyone was fooled. By then we had lost our trackers, so we turned to more urgent matters. 

Namely, Herb and his dog Ruffles. I successfully charmed information out of the friendly old man and his willing canine friend. He told us everything we needed to know. 

Then Erin rode a wild horse to go report that we solved the case.

To celebrate, we had froyo. Oh yes we did. We went there. I am still dreaming about that coconut and strawberry froyo with chocolate teddy grahams in it. Oh yes. 

Erin was pleased, but unsurprised at her successful case solving abilities.  

While I was more than delighted and used my fame as a detective to break into the froyo modeling business. Cheers! The end.

R<3

The Freedom Of The Clouds

(link)

(Recently, I flew to see my magical friends Vicki and Erin in Arizona. I wrote this bit on the way back.)

The service above the mountains is sketchy and there's dust on my laptop screen. A determined-looking Asian woman marches down the aisle with Isaac the flight attendant smiling amusedly behind her. Another Asian woman in velvet followed close behind.

This flight crew is intent upon having fun. The pilot reminds the passengers to, "Turn off their beloved cell-u-lar devices, that means iAnything and any and all sorts, sizes and colors of Berries." The flight attendants race to beat their time serving drinks and call me little miss. When I order Mother Parker's tea, Isaac asks whether a 'little sugar' is one packet or five. I can't help but grin.

I always feel that I must make great use of my time on airplanes, like it's a limited time for me to create a blueprint for my life and to lay out anxiety-riddled thoughts. Unable to begin either epic venture, I save an article about Ireland that Jak would like and compose a Tweet. I take pictures of the drapey wrinkled mountains below and wonder if these are the Rockies and bemoan my lack of geographical knowledge.

I feel a great sadness within me. I cannot languish long for fear of drowning. I tag it vaguely to giving up on writing fiction or maybe my vow to keep my jello-wobbly heart on track. I breath in and look out the window. Even though it makes it awkward to get to the lavatory, it is worth sitting by the window. The freedom of the clouds amazes me.

R<3

linking with imperfect prose

(Yes, I joined Twitter! Come find me - I'd love to read your tweets!)

Walking The Valley

(link)

When I was little, I imagined that the valley of the shadow of death (in Psalm 23) to be like walking along a cliff edge in the pitch dark being blown by a strong, freezing wind. I would imagine hearing dogs running at me and monsters making sounds in the dark.

Now, when I think about it, it seems like the valley of the shadow of death would be more like a cramped isolated box made hot by my body heat. In this society, we do not face much persecution and when we are despairing and desolate it is usually because we are wrapped up in ourselves and our own agenda. When we aren't seeking God's face, that's when things really start to go wrong. We lose track of how and why and it all goes wrong. 

One thing I love about Jesus is his steadiness. Even when I go through the valley of the shadow of death, he remains the same. I wobble blindly and feel trapped in my own tiny world, but he waits, he seeks, he comes and rescues me and brings me out into his beautiful openness. Oh Jesus, I love you.

R<3

Un-apology

The longer I go between posts, the more I feel like I have to post a huge apology or an epicly great post to make up for my absence. Then I look around at all the information online and I'm okay. :) So here. I'm posting.

This morning I had coffee with the ever wonderful Tasia and we talked about hope. Searching for and holding onto hope is sometimes so exhausting, but if you follow your instinct and just give into despair, that will be more disappointing in the long run.

Now, with that, I'm going to go dig into the Jamie Oliver cookbook I just got from the library. Yum.

Oh my friend Courtney just went to France for a five-month study abroad! Check this out!

R<3

Listening to Asian Baby - Bad Lip Reading (with Justin Bieber)
Hey Vicki, "but I made eyes at her friend, yeah stupid me."