Be My Everything

I found out two days ago my best friend has cancer. Not something I was really expecting at 3:45 on a Tuesday. But really, when do you expect to get that kind of news?

I want to be the kind of person who can praise God in good or bad, sickness or health. Really, I do. But I haven't been in a life-threatening situation or had an illness that would cause me to question God's sovereignty in a life-altering way. It's so easy on my end of things to say, "just trust God." Is it really that simple? Can you just trust God when fear sets in and peace is nowhere to be found or grasped? Is His peace something tangible for us to cling to?

I'm gonna have to stick with "YES." If I can't believe what the Bible says, what can I believe?

2 Cor 12:9 And He said to me, ""My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Lamentations 3:21-23 "This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

This morning I was listening to a worship song we sing a lot at the Village. It really hit home this morning:

GOD IN MY LIVING

THERE IN MY BREATHING

GOD IN MY WAKING

GOD IN MY SLEEPING

GOD IN MY RESTING

THERE IN MY WORKING

GOD IN MY THINKING

GOD IN MY SPEAKING

BE MY EVERYTHING

GOD IN MY HOPING

THERE IN MY DREAMING

GOD IN MY WATCHING

GOD IN MY WAITING
GOD IN MY LAUGHING

THERE IN MY WEEPING

GOD IN MY HURTING

GOD IN MY HEALING

CHRIST IN ME

THE HOPE OF GLORY

YOU ARE EVERYTHING

BE MY EVERYTHING

~Pray for healing for April Heflich~

Metaphorically Speaking…

Today April and I took the plunge and bought our plane tickets to Europe. Non-refundable tickets. Expensive ones. We are committed to this now. No turning back, and there are plenty of reasons to be scared. One thousand, eight hundred nineteen-and-a-half reasons, to be exact. (Thank you Uncle Sam for a nice tax refund this year.) What if something goes wrong? What if we commit to this thing and something falls through in a month or two? What if we have a huge terrible fight and we regret ever doing this? (Granted, that won’t happen. That’s why this is a metaphor.)

But April is a dear friend and I trust her. Most importantly, I trust the Lord. Why would we never take a risk when the rewards could be so great?

God is good. =)

Hmmm

There have been moments in my life when I've taken a step back and asked myself, "Who AM I?" This usually occurs when I find myself in unusual or bizarre circumstances.

Packing up for college, graduating then getting a "real job," taking the GRE test, (afterward I nearly fell out of my chair and passed out. I admit, I thought it was hard.) All of these events made me feel like a little kid in a grown up's body.

I found myself in that place again this weekend. Alone in a Houston hotel. Sent as a freelance journalist to cover an event at a local university. Suddenly, I become a gatekeeper of news and information. (That sounds much more important than it actually is.) Am I qualified to make these decisions? Really? Me?

If you asked me at age 11 what my identity was, it was a ballerina/Girl Scout/ homeschooler. What's your answer? Maybe you were raising bunnies in 4-H, or maybe you were in the glee club, or on the chess team. Last weekend, it was a weird experience to be introduced to strangers "so-in-so's ex-girlfriend." Not a way most people like to be introduced. It's weird to still be remembered by others as something that is not part of my identity anymore.

So what IS my identity?

The Lord flooded my mind Friday night with many promises from His word. You are mine. Your identity is hidden in MY identity. I formed and fashioned you long ago, and breathed life into you. You belong to me. When the Father looks down on his children, he doesn't see our mistakes, or successes, our best efforts, he sees the blood of his son Jesus Christ covering us. I am a child of the most High God.

For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Ps. 139:13-16

So yes. I am a redhead. A daughter, sister and friend. Administrative assistant-turned PR consultant-turned freelance writer. Sinful, prideful and selfish. But through the grace bestowed upon me at the cross, now a daughter of the King. Fully loved, acceptable and pleasing to the Father.

I've Been Tagged ...

OK, here are my answers to the tag:
10 years ago:
I was 14, in 8th grade and lived for Wednesdays and Sundays at church, with my girlfriends. We were an incredibly dramatic bunch. We all crushed on the same boys. (I will name names here: Matt Norris, John Mason, Jeremy Tartar.) I spent ALL my waking hours in the ballet studio. I liked to read a lot. My favorite show was Saved By the Bell. What else? Those are the most important things I think...


On my to-do list for today:
-The Fount (The Village's monthly college ministry event) -Buy a tape recorder for a conference I'm covering this weekend. -Reserve a hotel in Houston. -Call insurance because my car was the victim of a hit and run this weekend. -Get a pedicure -Spend quality time on the treadmill.


What I would do if I suddenly became a billionaire:
1. Start a foundation where all my investments would be given to charity. Probably to fight childhood obesity. This is my number one "cause." This gets me excited just thinking about it.
2. Give 10% to The Village Church. (In reality, Christ is my true #1 cause. Fighting obesity is second.)
3. Give 10% to some kind of arts endownment for urban Dallas children. Music, dance, the visual arts, you name it.
4. Buy a sweet house in Maui, and Southern California. They are green energy houses.
5. Learn how to surf and buy the BEST equipment.
6. Buy cars for me and my family - all hybrids of course.
7. I have no idea, give more to my church I think.
8. Get a new wardrobe.

3 Bad Habits:
1. I am starting to procrastinate, this is a new one.
2. I dont' make my bed.
3. I'm a facebook stalker.

5 jobs I've had:

1. Worked for the Byron Nelson golf tournament.

2. Intern for Texas Tech Athletics - I was published in Red Raider Sports Magazine, and on the Web.

3. Worked for the United Spirit Arena - helped at concerts like Motley Crue and other interesting shows...

4. Director of Communications for Dallas Arts District Alliance (this one ruined my life)

5. I was offered a position at the US Olympics Office in Colorado, but I turned it down.

6. I was also offered a position at a concert venuee booking and running events, I turned that one down too.

5 things people don't know about me:

1. I am split down the middle btwn bossy/shy, leader/follower, quiet/loud.

2. I was bit by a german shepherd, and have been scared of big dogs ever since.

3. I love mellow music - it speaks to my soul. I can't stand rap.

4. DEATHLY afraid of heights.

5. I never believed in Santa Claus.

I'm tagging .... April, Rachel Rhea, Steph Stanford.