Earthquake

This is a story poem...not written about a specific person, but certainly inspired by recent events in the lives of my friends and by the recent earthquake. 

Self Centricity Shaken

 

Sorrows piercing through the holes your absences leave in my heart,

Hopes leaking through the seams of my shattered dreams, pouring through the cracks of my soul,

Washed away by my self-centric longings and blown about by my windswept, restless mind

While I’m clutching at the sands of truth as the ocean of doubts rips it from my numb finger tips.

 

In uneasy dreams I’m searching for the answers to my life’s puzzles,

Feeling, groping for the missing puzzle pieces,

Unsure where and when my healing is to begin,

I’m searching for the solutions, or rather, the right question to uncover the reason behind it all. 

 

Eyes half closed and drowsy, slowly lulled by the calm daily routines of changeless drudgery,

Half asleep with clouded mind, glazed with exhaustion, dazed by disappointment,

Suddenly awakened by a quaking, shaking ground,

Thrilled back to heart pounding life with a new awareness found.

 

The vibration had shaken me awake as my selfish stupor was forsaken,

While the aftershocks from a new realization left my mind alert and my thoughts tumultuously quaking.

My heart is on fire and my soul awakened

My doubts and fears crumbled down, tripping me underfoot

 

I am jumping away,

Shaken up,

Wakened up,

My mind swaying,

My soul rocking,

Questions vibrating through my heart.

 

Finding new freedom in the world’s limitlessness,

Finding liberty in my minute fragility,

The epic strength of the ground’s tremors beneath my feet

Putting my dilemmas into perspective and transforming my heart breaks into single points of pain…

 

Tiny points in the world’s landscape.

Pointillism’s beauty found in each tiny spot of color,

My heart’s red bleeding out to color the world

When I was shaken awake by the vibrating, quaking ground from my soul’s self-centric slumber. 

Pointillism:  Vincent Van Gogh

 

Valley of Vision

Heavenly Father,

 

My faith is in thee,

My expectation is from thee,

My love goes out toward thee,

I believe thee, accept thy Word, acquiesce in thy will, rely on thy promises, trust thy providence.

I bless thee that the court of conscience proves me to be thine. 

I do not need signs and wonders to believe, for thy Word is sure truth. 

I have cast my anchor in the port of peace, knowing that present and future are in the nail-pierced hands.  Thou are so good, wise, just, holy that no mistake is possible to thee. 

-The Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers, 1660

 

I Peter 1:6-9
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

When I was very young, my mother started preparing my "Hope Chest."  My mother gathered together a treasure trove of items I might need in my future household.  Silverware, quilting material, baby clothes, and all kinds of 'homey' comforts.  My mother was preparing me for my future.  I know my heavenly Father is also preparing me for my future.  He is instilling all kinds of spiritual gifts and strengths into me as I pursue his will through challenging times. 

Thank you Father for helping me prepare for the future.

Back in the Game!

Dear Ms. Owl's blog readers,

I'm sorry my updates have been infrequent as of late.  I intend to be more active in the future, since I have finished my online classes and most of my BTSA paperwork. 

My life in Hollywood has been busy. 

You know you are in Hollywood, Los Angeles when:

• Your commute to work is 15 minutes to arrival and 3 hours back due to afternoon traffic
• Your 'windows down' drive home music is from your friends' professionally recorded CDs
• You go to the theater at least two times a week
• Your neighbors all walk around looking Abercrombie & Fitch models
• Your friends are all actors who sing, dance, and write
• You always see celebrities when grocery shopping
• You are constantly offered tickets for free movie screenings
• You're surrounded by Ray-Ban sunglasses and suntans even in winter

"Hollyweird" is certainly an unusual place.  There is an incredible amount of beautiful, masterfully talented people who excel in all of the arts.  I am counting my blessings and soaking it all in.

Romans 8:28a, NIV
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

God's Kingdom

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added to you"

Mathew 6:33

My top priority must be my Father's kingdom. I must apply self-discipline and undergo training in order to better seek God's will and implement his ways in my life. His eternal kingdom, his children, and his ministry plans for me are to be the focus of my life.

The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word "crisis." One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger- but recognize the opportunity -Richard M. Nixon

In every crisis, I must seek the opportunity that God want me to pursue, and I must look for a way to advance his kingdom.

Very little is needed to make happy a life. -Marcus Aurelius

All I need is Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The trials of this life are temporary. There is a purpose to the troubles we face. God allows suffering and pain in his children’s' lives for different reasons.

• Troubles keep us from becoming prideful in our own strength. Facing difficulties teaches us to rely on God's strength and wisdom.
• Struggles pull our focus off of this earthly life. Obstacles we must overcome remind us to seek God's kingdom first, and to appreciate God's future home for us in heaven.
• Our weaknesses and our grief give God the opportunity to demonstrate his love and power to us and to the people around us.
• Trials are used by God to strengthen our faith and to help us grow in Him.
• Suffering gives us opportunities to reach out and minister to others in ways that would not be possible otherwise.
• The pain we endure reminds us of the suffering Christ experienced for our sake. The Student's A to Z Guide to Bible Application, Tyndale House Publishers Inc. (p. 220)

Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment 'as to the Lord.' It is only our daily break that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace recieved. -C.S. Lewis

In this moment, and in every moment, I will seek God’s kingdom and pursue his righteousness. When I fail, I will seek forgiveness and ask for his grace to continue my pursuit.

Enjoy!

1 Peter 3:10
For let him who wants to enjoy life and see good days keep his tongue free from evil and his lips from guile. 

Click here to view a youtube video of "Enjoy It!" 

I wanted to make a treat for our Sunday school class, but I was discouraged because I could not afford to purchase something to share and we did not have many ingredients in our kitchen.  But, just like in the youtube video I've linked to this post, I was able to create my own experimental snack with leftovers I had in the refrigerator.  In spite of having run out of flour, sugar, and not having  much in the way of spices, I made a successful lemon, raspberry, blueberry coffee cake.  And, most importantly, my experimental self made recipe actually tasted great and was enjoyed by my Sunday school class this morning! 

I find that the key to enjoying life's journey is to keep a positive mindset and to stop yourself from complaining.  When I am sad, I want to talk about it.  If I am discouraged and disappointed, I want to overflow with laments.  BUT, typically, venting about heartbreak changes nothing.  Getting up and doing something to change the situation, or making the best of what life gives you is a better choice.  If you can spread joy in the midst of most difficult circumstances, then you have accomplished something truly worthwhile. 

The next time your plate has more broccoli than apple pie, remember who prepared the meal.  And the next time your plate has a portion you find hard to swallow, talk to God about it.  Jesus did. 
-Max Lucado

Coffee

Adam and I love our morning coffee!  Brewing a steaming cup in our Keurig is a most important morning ritual.  Most recent weekday mornings I have woken at 4:00 am or earlier, in order to meet deadlines for my school projects and observations.  My coffee (and a little chocolate) keeps me fueled for my studies, my planning, and my projects. 

This will be a busy semester.  This will be a busy end of the school year.  I will be frantically busy pursuing my dreams.  Adam and I also created good plans for our times of Bible study together, and we will need much coffee to keep our focus. 

Thank God for coffee!

Ashley has given me a wonderful book called, "Coffee Talk."  This book is a collection of facts, quotes, Bible verses, and inspiring stories.  It even has blank pages at the end for my notes and journaling.  I enjoy using this book in the morning. 

"Good coffee is black as sin, pure as angels, strong as death, and sweet as love."

A Beautiful Life

For the happy heart, life is a continual feast.  Proverbs 15:15 (NLT)

My friend Judith recently posted an inspiring message through her blog...she recounted stories from her grandfather's life journey. 

I pray that Adam and I write a lovely story with our lives.  We are praying daily that God show us clearly his way and that we are blessed with the self control, the determination, and the courage to follow his path for our life journey. 

“And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it?

It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.”  
-Donald Miller, from his book Through Painted Deserts

Click here to view Judith Allen's blog:

Hope Scribbles

http://hopescribbles.wordpress.com/blog/