Grace of God

my new favorite

2008-01-03T08:23:00.001-08:00

"All Because Of Jesus"
by Casting Crowns

Giver of every breath I breathe
Author of all eternity
Giver of every perfect thing
To You be the glory
Maker of Heaven and of Earth
No one can comprehend Your worth
King over all the universe
To You be the glory

And I am alive because I'm alive in You

It's all because of Jesus I'm alive
It's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus I'm alive
I'm alive, I'm alive

Giver of every breath I breathe
Author of all eternity
Giver of every perfect thing
To You be the glory
Maker of Heaven and of Earth
No one can comprehend Your worth
King over all the universe
To You be the glory

And I am alive because I'm alive in You

It's all because of Jesus I'm alive
It's all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man's life
It's all because of Jesus

Every sunrise sings Your praise
The universe cries out Your praise
I'm singing freedom all my days
Now that I'm alive

I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive

Casting Crowns!!!

2008-01-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

My FAVORITE Christian band is coming in concert to our city in March. I CANNOT WAIT!! I already have requested the day off for Mike and I and we are buying tickets tomorrow.

IS IT MARCH YET??

I've wanted to see them in concert for 5 years!! They are finally coming here...wooohooooo!!!

"What This World Needs"
by Casting Crowns

What this world needs is not another one hit wonder with an axe to grind
Another two bit politician peddling lies
Another three ring circus society
What this world needs is not another sign waving super saint that's better than you
Another ear pleasing candy man afraid of the truth
Another prophet in an Armani suit

What this world needs is a Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love them in their time of need
A Savior who will rescue
A Spirit who will lead
A Father who will love
That's what this world needs

What this world needs is for us to care more about the inside than the outside
Have we become so blind that we can't see
God's gotta change her heart before He changes her shirt
What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance
Blending in so well that people can't see the difference
And it's the difference that sets the world free

Jesus is our Savior, that's what this world needs
Father's arms around you, that's what this world needs
That's what this world needs

"I Know You're There"
by Casting Crowns

If all I had was one last breath
I'd spend it just to sing Your praise
Just to say Your name
If all I had was one last prayer
I'd pray it 'cause I know You're always listening
If I could live a thousand lives, bind the hands of time
I would spend every moment by Your side
'cause I, I know You're there, I know You see me

You're the air I breathe
You are the ground beneath me
I know You're there, I know You hear me
I can find You anywhere

If all I had was one more song to sing
I would raise a noise to make the heavens ring
If all I had was one last chance, I'd take it
I would stake it all on You
If I could raise up high and catch a glimpse of every eye
I would make them believe
What I feel inside

If I could live a thousand lives and bind the hands of time
If I could rise up high and catch a glimpse of every eye
I know You're there
I know You're there
I know You're there, You're there

I love this song

2007-12-05T06:56:00.000-08:00

Anyway lyrics
by Martina McBride

You can spend your whole life buildin'
Somethin' from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

[chorus]
God is great, but sometimes life ain't good
When I pray it doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world has gone crazy and it's hard to beleive
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway
You can love someone with all your heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

You can pour your soul out, singin a song u believe in
but tomorow they will forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway!
Yeah I sing, i dream,
I love anyway!

PostSecret

2007-11-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

I bought a book Thursday night called PostSecret by Frank Warren. His idea for the book started as a community art project. He handed out 3,000 postcards inviting people to share their secrets anonymously on a postcard and mail them to him. He compiled this book from some of the postcards. They are very artistic and the book just spoke to me. I love art. I love truth. I want to understand and share in people's pain. Sometimes I think that if I share someone's hurt, I can take part of it away from them so they won't hurt anymore. I don't know how I can do that out of a book but some of these postcards are just amazing, heart-wrenching, but beautiful all at the same time.

Excerps:

"I'm 25, and I've never been kissed. It's not that I don't want to...it's just that no one else does."

"When my friends go on diets, I discourage them. This is because I really just want them to be fatter than me."

(On a starbucks coffee wrapper) "I give decaf to customers who are RUDE to me!"

"Honestly, I'm glad your uncle died. He molested me that time in the 7th grade that I spent the night at your house. He told me that I liked it. I hope he likes it in his grave."

"I believe that one day I will like myself."

"I don't know what to say to God anymore"

"I wish my parents could see me for what I am...instead of what I didn't become"
(I CAN REALLY RELATE TO THIS ONE!!)

"I only love one of my children"

"When I see an ugly bride, what I am really seeing is a glimmer of hope for the future. Maybe I will marry someday too."

"When I eat, I feel like a failure."

"The medication is not enough to make me forget what he did to me...if I see him again, I will kill him to save the others."

...very powerful book. I just read the rest of them. These are the ones that spoke to me the most. There are so many people hurting out there. It makes me want to be more nice and friendly to everyone. You never know what people are going through.

me

Warm - 11/17/07

2007-11-17T05:32:00.000-08:00

Frost covers the ground
Cold creeps through the window panes
They say it will be warm again
by Wednesday

But I am warm inside
thinking of the blessings
from above
Family
Friends
Appreciation of who I am from others

Am I finally finding myself
or am I just not allowing her
to try to change me anymore?

You give me breath

2007-11-11T06:21:00.000-08:00

BREATHING by Lifehouse

I'm finding my way back to sanity again
though I don't really know what I'm gonna do when I get there
and take a breath and hold on tight
spin around one more time
and gracefully fall back to the arms of grace

cause I am hanging on every word you say and
even if you don't want to speak tonight
that's alright, alright with me
cause I want nothing more than
to sit outside Heaven's door
and listen to you breathing
is where I wanna be yeah

I'm looking past the shadows in my mind into the truth
and I'm trying to identify the voices in my head
God which one's you
let me feel one more time what it
feels like to feel and
break these calluses off of me
one more time

cause I am hanging on every word you say and
even if you don't wanna speak tonight
that's alright, alright with me
cause I want nothing more than
to sit outside your door
and listen to your breathing
is where I wanna be yeah
where I wanna be

I don't want a thing from you
bet you're tired of me
waiting for the scraps to fall off of your table to the ground
cause I just want to be here now
cause I am hanging on every word you say and
even if you don't wanna speak tonight
that's alright, alright with me
cause I want nothing more than
to sit outside Heaven's door
and listen to your breathing
is where I wanna be yeah

cause I am hanging on every word you say and
even if you don't wanna speak tonight
that's alright, alright with me
cause I want nothing more than
to sit outside Heaven's door
and listen to you breathing
is where I wanna be yeah
where I wanna be
where I wanna be

this song spoke to me today

2007-11-11T06:03:00.000-08:00

QUASIMODO by Lifehouse

you can be right
and I'll be real
honesty won't be a pain that you'll have to feel
cause I don't need your approval
to find my worth
I'm trapped inside of my own mind
afraid to open my eyes cause of what I'd find
and I don't want to live like this anymore

there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
there it goes

does it scare you that I can
be something different than you
would it make you feel more comfortable if I wasn't
you can't control me
and you can't take away from me who I am

there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
you can't change me
you can't break me
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back

have you ever felt
like your only comfort was your cage
you're not alone
I've felt the same as you
have you ever felt
like your secrets give you away
you're not alone
I've been there too
cause everyone is looking
and everyone is laughing
but I think everyone feels the same
everybody wants to feel ok
everybody wants to
everybody wants to feel

there goes my pain
there goes my chains
did you see them falling
because this feeling
that has no meaning
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
cause I don't want it
I don't want it
you can't change me
you can't break me
there goes the world
off of my shoulders
there goes the world
off of my back
there it goes

ghost of the past

2007-10-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I miss you.
Will I ever see you again?

I love you
more than you ever knew

Stand

2007-10-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Stand

by Rascal Flatts

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright

[Chorus:]
Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand
Life's like a novel
With the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon
With only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

[Repeat Chorus]

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Ooohhh

[Repeat Chorus]

beautiful

2007-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

I Have Been There Lyrics by Mark Schultz

In a room without a view, a new mother smiles and holds
the tiny fingers of her brand new baby girl.
Her husband takes her by the hand, so unsure about the future
have no money can they make it in this world?
And they pray, Lord all we have to give is love
then they heard a gentle voice like an echo from above,

I have been there.
I know what fear is all about.
Yes, I have been there and I'm standing with you now.
I have been there
And I came to build the bridge
oh so this road could lead you home.
Oh I have been there.

He's been a pastor twenty years
but tonight he sits alone and broken hearted in the corner of the church
He tried to change a fallen world
with his words and with his wisdom but it seems
like it is only getting worse
And he cries, Oh Lord I just don't understand
Then he felt the hand of grace, and he heard a voice that said

I have been there,
I know what pain is all about
yes I have been there, and I'm standing with you now
I have been there, and I came to build a bridge
oh so this road could lead you home
oh i have been there.

An older man up on a hill
holding flowers but he can't hold back the tears.
oh he has come to say goodbye.
he thinks about the life she lived,thinks about how hard it's been to live without her
sixty years right by his side
and he cries, oh Lord i loved her till the end
and he heard a gentle voice say you'll see her once again

I have been there
I know what sorrow's all about
yes i have been there and i'm standing with you now
i have been there, and i came to build a bridge
oh so this road could lead her home, the road could lead her home
oh i have been there,

You know I overcame the cross, yes i have been there

wonderful, beautiful song ...turned up loud :)

2007-10-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Grace
-Todd Agnew

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

Chorus:
Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Chorus

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing Your praise
Than when we first begun

Chorus

Chorus

I love this song

2007-10-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

My Wish
Rascal Flatts

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

true beauty

2007-10-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

A book I read recently keeps haunting my thoughts. An Arrow Pointing to Heaven is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. It's a biography of Rich Mullins written by James Bryan Smith.

Some excerps (mostly because I want somewhere I can read my favorite parts, and of course, share the beauty) :

"Jesus of Nazareth ruined Rich Mullins' life. And out of the ruins He created a ragamuffin of startling originality; no human being who has crossed my path even remotely resembles him."

"Rich Mullins stood upon a hill among castle ruins in Ireland. His friend and photographer, Ben Pearson, was standing below. Ben called out, "Lift up your arms," and Rich raised his arms to shoulder level as if making a cross and said, "You mean, like Jesus?" Ben yelled up, "No, lower." Rich dropped his arms a little, and suddenly Ben saw something he did not expect. From a distance Rich looked like an arrow pointing toward the sky. Ben yelled, "You look like an arrow, man. An arrow pointing in the right direction." He snapped the picture. It would be the final picture of the last photo shoot for Rich and Ben."

"I am a Christian because I have seen the love of God lived out in the lives of people who know Him...I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity to me, but because there were people who were willing to be nuts and bolts."

poem I wrote a few weeks ago

2007-10-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

People may think I'm weak
but I think "only compared to some"
When is enough truly enough
for the last time?

How can I ask for more when I already have so much?
I'm so small in a world of so many
Why should what I need matter?
Who cares if I'm almost 30
and still don't have what I've always dreamed of

I'm thankful for my health, my life, my blessings
But I'm meant for more
Every month, I'm disappointed

I see people abuse their gifts daily
And all I fear is anger

Pray, wait, be patient ...I'm trying.

work

2007-10-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

Lord,

Please grant me patience, peace of mind and a zipper to shut my mouth throughout my day. :)
You are my strength!

Grace

first post

2007-10-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful new site to just have discovered! I have been neglecting my other blog but what a better way to change than to change sites and create anew :)

Going to try to figure out how to create a profile and all ...