Why I Love Wonderfully Made...

... They produce lovely pictures like these.

That Song That Defines My Life

Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time and He has set eternity in the hearts of men but they cannot see what He has done from beginning to end."

Psalm 42:7, "Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and breakers have swept over me."

These two verses, one of which I've blogged about so many times that I don't need to elaborate on any more, are profoundly impacting me right now.

They are both prominent aspects to this song.

My mind is blown.

God is good.

Listen.

Learn.

Love.

My Life Motto

Remember Who You Are

Like so many others of my generation, The Lion King is one of the first memories I think of when I think back on my childhood. It's the first movie I remember seeing in theaters. I remember listening to my sister singing the famous opening line over and over again for years. I remember driving around, running errands with my mother and sisters and listening to The Lion King Broadway soundtrack on repeat. And I know that almost every other member of my generation has similar feelings and memories towards this movie. It has come to define our generation. It was re-released three weeks ago for a short time in theaters and quickly became number one at the box office. Of course I saw it in all of its 3D glory. I cried, laughed, and pondered all over again. What is it about this movie that touches our hearts so deeply? This movie above all others is the one that my generation claims as its own. It's almost eerie how much this story echoes sentiments of our generation. My generation is the most prayed over and anointed generation thus far. We have been born into and raised up in centuries of accumulated prayer and intercession. We are also the most fatherless. We have been raised inheriting incredible anointing and callings upon our lives. We have also inherited the devastating repercussions that have followed several generations worth of divorce, and we have seen the effects of the total destruction of the family as the Lord appointed it. I know so many who were raised without a father. And I have seen a newer, sadder epidemic. So many of my friends were actually raised by their fathers and mothers. They have never been victims of divorce. But their fathers are not the leaders of their households. They are checked out, absent, emotionally unavailable. Their mothers are the spiritual leaders. Or their fathers are too present and are either physically, emotionally, or verbally abusive. These men have forgotten who they are and left a devastating impact on their wives and children. Thus my generation has forgotten who we are. We know distantly that we are children of the King. But we don't walk in that knowledge. We prefer a "Hakuna Matata" existence-simply breezing through life, not upsetting any balances or fighting the social injustices we witness. And the Kingdom has suffered. But the Lord is faithful! He is calling on us to remember who we are! It is only by accepting and walking in our true identities as children of the King that we can bring His Kingdom to earth and restore all to how it should be-much like Simba restored Pride Rock to its normal, beautiful self by accepting the fact that he is the son of the one, true king. Hope is not lost. Our Daddy has not forsaken us. He is calling on us to Remember Who We Are.

You Make Everything Beautiful

My favorite verse of all time is Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." Hey, I even named this blog after that verse! I love the promise and the potential that this verse holds. Everything will be made beautiful in His time! So, needless to say, I'm totally hooked on this song right now. It's Rebecca St. James singing her version of Ecclesiastes 3:11. Would it be a little too obvious to say I find this song totally beautiful?

I Am Fearfully And Wonderfully Made

This is the promo video for the ministry I'm involved in on campus. Our vision is centered around helping girls to find their beauty and value in God. Our first event is tonight and I'm so excited for all the Lord is going to accomplish this year!

Here is the official website for more details.

http://wonderfullymade.org/

A Song For This Year

And so begins another year. I'm beginning my Junior year of college (where did the time go!?). My classes are fine and my course load is a lot easier than it was last semester (which is not saying much as last semester kicked my butt). I'm excited for all that God has in store for this year for me. Yet as I sat in my room today contemplating all that is in store for this year, I began stressing about all that I have to do, both in this week and in this coming semester. It wasn't until my iPod "randomly" shuffled onto a certain song that I began to calm down. God has a way of breaking through right when I'm at my most vulnerable and He certainly came through today! As I listened to the lyrics of this song, I was struck by the simple truth of it, and was faced with what God wants me to focus on completely this semester: HIM. My heart is so prone to wander and to focus on the fleeting, unimportant stuff of today. Jesus was calling me in that moment to focus only on Him this coming semester. This may seem much more trite than it really was. All I need to do this semester is fall deeper in love with my God! Instantly a load was taken off my shoulders. As I contemplated the last verse of this song, the Lord brought to mind a promise that He had made me at the beginning of last year: that He would guard my heart if I just obeyed Him and followed where He led me. He reminded me not only of that promise today, but also of His faithfulness in keeping it. Here is the song that will be echoing in my heart this coming year. I'm so excited to experience God in a much deeper way.

Come Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Here by Thy great help I've come.

And I hope by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me while a stranger

Wandering from the fold of God.

He to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be.

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.