These are a few of my favorite things.

Everyone's a photographer these days.

but I've got to admit.. I love my photographs.

From The Inside Out.

In John 4, Jesus meets a woman at a well. He tells her of how the water she drinks from the well will never quench her thirst as the the water the Father can provide. Great story, but reading it tonight I realized a small detail lets out when this story is told.
This story has been placed on my heart for the entire month of January. I feel like every where I turn someone is discussing this story. I would toss it back and forth in my mind over and over again asking God what it was that He was trying to tell me.
This month has been crazy. So many things have happened. Ive done so many things that I've always said I wanted to and have come to really get to know who I am and what makes me that way.
I've always loved to sing. I'm not the best but I can carry a tune. I love music. A life without music would be an extremely sad one. I cant imagine a time when I couldn't surround myself with music. I've always wanted to sing harmony or be able to get involved with a praise band, you know the people that lead worship music during a church service. This month I finally got the chance. I'm helping in younglife and in my college's BMC as well.

John 4:23-24 says, "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people that the Father is out looking for those who are simply themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer for being itself- the spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being. their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

I realized that I have become so consumed with sounding the best, singing the loudest, harmonizing different than anyone that I had lost the true reason I was singing to begin with; because I adore my savior; because I want to honor Him with the gift he has given me.
God is so good to us, yet we take Him for granted. In our sin-nature we begin to center even the gifts and talents meant for worship around ourselves.
I want to praise my Lord. I want to lift Him higher. I want more of him and less of me.

and I'm going to start now.

You & I.

One wound up punch of intuition
Lays flat my whole take on us.
Youre the girl on the wing of a barnstormer
The tidal rabbit who came of age before her time.

We could have been so good-natured
If I'd relented when you insisted,
But we've been backed against
All nature's walls far too long.

I sold all my evil motives,
No icicles stuck in my hide.
I'm through with riddles, i know we're little
Just help me feel warm inside.

Before we take this ride and let it slide.
Into the cracks where fall and winter collide.
I surrender all my gall in a song of modern love.
Remember you're the one who summoned me above any other kind.

We could have been so good-natured
if you'd relented when I insisted,
We take a week off, let the gardengrow by itself
And let the gluttons fill themselves with all the worst of the gory ninties.
And through the comedy softens the fall, we still fall short.

Before we take this ride and let it slide
Into the cracks where fall and winter collide.
Isurrender all my gall in a song of modern love.
Remember you're the one who summoned me above any other kind.

The Shins- Girl On the Wing.

Love.

Today was my first day back to class and it was a real pain. To begin with I had to go early and re-resgister because my school had dropped me from my classes and then on top of that, I couldn't find my classes to save my life. All in all, I just had a pretty bad morning. I wasn't in the most delightful of moods.

I get to my first class and all goes well. My second class, geography, was an over packed class of freshmen and sophomores, all ready to make the first joke. As my professor began his lecture and ask questions something caught my eye. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a row of pretty cute guys all cutting up and laughing. They gave the nod and I smiled. The professor continued to grill the class until someone finally spoke up.

The young man was not among the row of attractive guys but sitting quite close. He wore a hair style that was not really even stylish when I was young and his clothes were ill fitting due to his statue. He was a large man and his thick glasses didn't help his already out of date image. He was very excited about the subject. He spoke up with the correct answer every chance he was given and was always so enthusiastic. Once I thought he was going to stand up and begin teaching the class himself, but he seemed to refrain.

The college boys as I soon labeled them would take every chance they were given as well... to make fun and laugh audibly at this man. In 20 minutes I was filled with a passionate hatred for these boys as this guy continued to speak and they continued to laugh.

I could no longer pay attention to what he or my professor were saying. It was all I could do now not to stand up myself and smack these inconsiderate children that were calling themselves young men.

For a good 30 minutes I continued to casually send death stares at their slightest snicker and tried my best to concentrate on the subject at hand.

About half way into class I realized that I was already breaking my New Years resolution.

(which was :

to be patient.

to be kind.

not to envy.

never brag.

not proud.

be slow to wrath.

keep no records of wrongs against friends.

to LOVE and love forgives.

We all could use forgiveness )

So silently I forgave these boys for so offending me with their attitudes and actions. I prayed to myself that they would see that it is by THE GRACE OF GOD that they are not sitting where this young man was. I wanted to go thank that man for sharing with the class so readily but time did not permit any such interactions and I vowed to tell him Wednesday, when we have our next class.

I'm going to pray as to how I can react with love towards both parties this Wednesday.

Because Love is truly what matters the most.

Colossians 3:12-14 tells us this about love:

"So,
chosen by God for this new life of love, Dress in your wardrobe God
picked out for you: Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Quiet strength,
Discipline. Be even- tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an
offense. Forgive quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And
regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's
your basic, all-purpose, most important garment. Never be
without it."

Loving someone can feel like the easiest or the hardest thing possible, but love is what we need in order to share Christ's true story. Love is what we need to adorn to show we are different. How many people do you know that treat everyone with love and the many others that were mentioned?

I challege you this week to pick even 5 people to constantly love. It's hard. You will want to kill them. Just remember this is how God must feel everyday, yet "For God so loved the world that he sent his only son, that who so ever believes in him, shall not parish, but have eternal life."

Thats what I want. To be praise God forever and a day.

Fresh out of the box.

Its that new feeling that you get when you take that pair of shoes out of the box. They smell of fine leather and have yet to be worn in; like a fresh start for your feet.

I like that feeling. I can conquer anything, do anything, say anything.

and I intend to do so.