deciphering me.

on this warm, bright day i decided to take to the katy trail and pound it out on the pavement. the mission was two-fold. get some exercise and spend some time with jesus. as i walk and have my music turned up, the Lord speaks more clearly than most other times to me. and i needed to hear from him today.

so i set out, began to walk, and turned the music up. as the sun poured out gently and generously and the wind broke forth cautiously at times, the comfort and gravity of the Lord's love for me enveloped my entire being. i could have walked for hours to continue to walk in that space and time of clarity, knowing on a deep level that i am loved and held in that love by something that is not any of my doing, but only by his. i am known and anchored by he who created me and that is the most comforting thing i can think of.

the musical conduit that the Lord used to communicate this message was the australian voice of brooke fraser. her songs 'shadowfeet' and especially 'deciphering me' powered my steps and moved my mind as i walked in the light of the afternoon.

the rescues.

i love music. a life without music is a little bit like life without oxygen for me. it's what moves my soul, fills me up, and stirs my affections for Jesus. music lifts and energizes and refreshes me.

so when i find a band, a singer, or a specific song that is legit and lights out fantastic, i get super excited and usually begin to herald said band, singer, or song to anyone who will listen.

so let me continue to herald. if you haven't heard of the band 'the rescues,' allow me to introduce you. they are rob giles, gabriel mann, kyler england, and adrianne gonzalez. and they are the bomb. buy their album. go to their shows. help them keep making this beautiful sound.

enjoy.

hello again.

well, it's been a while. that is partially due to my internet going out at my house (i loathe you, time warner) and partially due to the overwhelmingly busy season that has been the last several months of my life. while it's been fun, it has left me worn out, tired, and having had little time to write and blog.

one super notable thing happened in my blogging absence. you all know of my love of shauna niequist's writing and how i kind of wish we could be besties. yes. so she came into town to do an event with us at irving bible church! it was such a special night getting to hear her thoughts and ideas about writing, motherhood, and bittersweet seasons. i was struck by just how open, honest, and comfortable she seems in her own skin. completely look up to her and if she lived in dallas would be stalking her to just absorb as much wisdom as i could.

i was also impressed because not only did she remember prior conversations that we'd had, but she remembered my sister's name. she met my sister 2 years before. 2 years. that's impressive, people. i already knew she was legit, but that just confirmed it. you rock, shauna.

here's a photo from the evening:

speaking of shauna, she is quite frequently posting book lists of things she has recently read that i always find really helpful when making trips to the bookstore. so here's what i've been reading over the past year:

hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet 
by: jamie ford
loved this one. set in the pacific northwest during the time of the japanese internment camps of WW2, this is a sweet and innocent love story between a chinese boy and a japanese girl and how the prejudice of the period affected their relationship. ford is a good writer, evoking a very real sense that i was in seattle while i was reading. love that.

the help
by: kathryn stockett
again, LOVED. told in 3 separate female voices during the 60's in mississippi, the tension from the race riots is palpable. a must read.

the girl with the dragon tattoo
by: lars stieg
i read this whole series in the matter of a couple months. they are compelling. lisbeth salander is an incredibly complex, interesting character that is not often found.

the secret garden
by: frances hodgsen burnett
honestly, i liked the movie better. and that never happens. this just felt really repetitive in its describing the garden and all the plants. i'm not a big fan of naturalism writing and this proved why. no thanks.

the bell jar
by: sylvia plath
hmmm...it took me almost a year to get through this one. i think that means i didn't love it. while esther greenwood is a compelling character, i just never really connected with the story.

twilight
by: stephanie meyer
i resisted this for so long, but finally gave in when a co-worker that is a reader told me to read them. while i will submit that the plotline is an addicting one, the writing was not the best. sorry, stephanie meyer. it wasn't. yell at your editor a little bit.

found art
by: leanna tankersley 
i think i went into this one with unfair expectations. i expected her to be shauna and to have the same voice because the genre is similar. when she didn't, i was disappointed, but i think that's my fault. leanna is a good writer and has interesting stories to tell, i just didn't personally connect with them the way i have with shauna's writing. fault is mine. write more, leanna.

bittersweet
by: shauna niequist
duh. loved it. you should read it. it's phenomenal. i actually read this a couple of times this year. and get excited...shauna's hard at work on #3. it will be titled 'bread and wine.'

that's enough for now. i'm reading 'life of pi' by yann martel currently. it's interesting. i think i like it. i'll let you know.

take me away...

Tomorrow I head to the refreshingly wonderful Nashville, Tennessee with my sweet boyfriend, Matt, and our friend, Jordan. I can't wait to be in the city I love. My heart soars at the thought...

"Y'all take it easy now. This isn't Dallas, it's Nashville! They can't do this to us here in Nashville! Let's show them what we're made of. Come on everybody, sing! Somebody, sing!" -'Nashville'

Photos of our trip are soon to come! For now, let's get on the road...

old fashioned letters.

There's just something about it. You go to the mailbox, open the door, and see it laying there. A letter. Perhaps it has a fun stamp, someone's handwriting in a distinct pen, and maybe a fun return address stamp or something. It was written out of love or thoughtfulness or care or all three. Someone took the time to write out their thoughts and encouragement and send it your way like a surprise. There is just something so magical about that. So rich and meaningful.

I received a letter in the mail today. A card really, but it had the writing inside to make it seem like a letter. My sweet friend, Kari, sent me a thank you card for some things I gave her before her wedding. And rather than write the necessary thank you's and move on, she really took her time and wrote down a few thoughts, person-specific encouragement, and very un-canned responses. And it meant so much to me.  

Consider this: 

Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; 

for, thus friends absent speak.  ~John Donne

Kari and I haven't been able to see each other in a few months because of her wedding and all the transition that follows that, and yet today I felt closer to her than I have in a long while. The power of the letter, the written word, is immense and is a power we often neglect. Perhaps it is this power, this enduring quality that the written word holds, that allowed God to choose it as the form in which He left us His Truth. In fact, much of the New Testament is written in this very form: the letter.  

In many of his letters included in scripture, Paul begins in the very way that our own letters often appear. He encouraged its recipient. 

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with 

joy in my every prayer for you all." -Philippians 1:3-4 

"We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

praying always for you..." -Colossians 1:3

"We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you 

in our prayers..." -1 Thessalonians 1:2

"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because 

your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward 

one another grows ever greater..." -2 Thessalonians 1:3

May we continue this practice of writing letters to one another. In this digital culture of emails and text messages and Facebook and even blogs, it is my hope that we continue to put pen to paper and reach out to one another in an old fashioned way. There is no sweeter surprise or greater encouragement than finding a letter in the mailbox written just for you by someone you love.

bittersweet.

Okay, y'all know how much I love Shauna's work. For me, reading her words is like reading insights into my own mind that I hadn't yet connected. She writes the way I think. Her words inspire me to do the things I kind of think about, but don't dare do. Her words inspire ME to write the way I want to write. And homegirl loves Jesus and stirs my affection for Christ in constantly pointing to Him in her writing. She's coming to Dallas in November and is doing an event at Irving Bible Church that my friend, Aubrey, is organizing. Ladies, y'all need to come. You know it will be fantastic. Talk to me for details if you're interested.

Her latest work is wonderful, challenging, honest, and inspiring. Here are a few thoughts I have about it...

There are many words that could be used to describe Shauna's recent work: raw, gritty, funny, sarcastic, inspiring. However, the one word that most encapsulates the tone and the brilliance is this one: honest.

Writing about a personal season of heartache, change, and struggle, Shauna lets the reader into very raw and honest places in her life. She shares the pain and feelings of isolation following a miscarriage, the struggles that arise in marriage when listening stops, and the challenge of accepting and moving with change. It is all at once a beautiful tapestry of wisdom and a felt pain shared between reader and author in the communicating of these experiences.

Through it all, Shauna constantly points back to her faith in Christ as being the stronghold that carried her through the season of deep difficulty she experienced. Interweaving Biblical truths in her own refreshing language and style, Shauna provides insight and wisdom that does not terminate on herself but rather points the reader to a greater Answer.

In blessing or mourning, this work is one that is essential. The combination of its honesty and hope in the presence of hard circumstances is something that will provide encouragement to the reader, regardless of the season they find themselves in.

Shauna, thank you for letting us in, pointing us to Christ, and running the race before you well. Inspiring.

"...one day I'll stand before God and account for what I did with my life. There is work that is only mine to do: a child that is ours to raise, stories that are mine to tell, friends that are mine to walk with. The grandest seduction of all is the myth that DOING EVERYTHING BETTER gets us where we want to be. It gets us somewhere, certainly, but not anywhere worth being." -Things I Don't Do, 'Bittersweet'

moving.

Contrary to what the title might make you think, I'm not moving. I did move. About a month ago. But I am not moving now. Just wanted to clear all that up. Thanks and gig'em.

The title is indicative of what I feel like the Lord is doing right now. HE is moving. I see things happening around me that can be one thing and one thing only: the sweet, mighty, and providential hand of God is stirring, swirling, and softly moving amongst people in my life. And I am so excited. I feel like, if possible, my soul might burst open. I want to tell everyone about it. I want to tell them that He is good, that He saves and is saving, and that He loves us. 

I am humbled at the idea that I get to play some small role in the hugely eternal work that the Lord is doing of saving souls. My gosh. Life can never be boring when we realize the great drama of life that we get to participate in and the urgency that awaits every relationship, every interaction, and every conversation. 

So writing this is my attempt at keeping my soul from exploding, an outlet of excitement if you will. And the picture is to give you readers, or reader in the singular perhaps, a visual representation of this excitement. Just can hardly contain it...