11/15 - Love Enters In

Love enters in
And gathers the nations
To peace at one table
To share in one cup.

Love enters in
With grace and forgiveness,
A light in the darkness
To heal broken hearts.

So let us give thanks
And sing praise to the One
Who chose us in love
Through the life of the Son.

And as we gather together
To glory in Him,
Let us stand open-hearted
As Love enters in.

Love Never Ends

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.  But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.  For we know only in part, and we prophecy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.  Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.  And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 (NRSVCE)

We are two, partial,
Separate, mirrors...

It is not knowledge
Nor speech
Nor fortune
That brings us together.

It is love.

Endless love
Brings us face to face,
Made full - complete -
In the presence of the other.

Trust, rejoice in its truth,
in its strength,
in its endurance.

Have and hold faith;
have and hold hope;
have and give love.

10/11 Child of Time and Eternity

Every person is a child of time and eternity,
At once in the here and now,
But also living for
What is to come.
May the Love that is longing for us
Be the One to show us
The glories of eternity,
And guide our hearts
To make the joys of eternity
Reach every moment
Of the here and now.

Here You Shall Find Peace

Rest in my arms

Child of my heart

Here you shall find peace

Come lay down your head

I'll take away your burdens

Here you shall find peace

This love is bigger

Than any you have known

Here you shall find peace

My child I've led you to the light

There is nothing left to fear

There is no pain any longer

There is only heaven's light

Here you shall find peace.

That Still, Small Voice

My heart hears that still, small voice
Answering my call for Love
for Guidance, for Mercy
Asking me to Be Still,
to Trust, to Rejoice

I only pray now that my Life reflect the Truth of the One who Loves.

It Only Takes A Moment

A cold moment in the heart:

Picturing this life

And having it questioned - 

Mere meanderings of the mind

Or some divine inspiration?

I keep the faith

But I know to doubt myself, too.

Yet the heart is warmed, again, in a moment:

This time with comfort,

Blanketed in reassurance - 

These pictures of life are right

Are true and divinely given.

I keep my faith in the warmth of this hope,

And I know not to doubt.

Knowing

It's a soft warmth,

A glowing within;

A settling of nerves

And thoughts;

A release of breath

You didn't know you were holding;

The air brightens;

The birds sing,

And your heart with them.

This is the peace 

Of knowing.

Be Still

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

I will be your refuge

Your shelter in the night

Do not fear the darkness

I am the endless Light

Let your feet be guided

On the path that's straight and true

And when you start to weary

I will carry you.  

I will carry you.

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

O mighty God of Jacob

To whom Creation sings

You call us here before You

To let go of all we bring

Our empty hearts are longing

To come receive our fill

Of the love you died to give us.

Let us know you and be still.

Let us know you and be still.

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

Be still.

Be still.

Be still and know

That I am God.

Be still and know

That I am God.

I am There

I am there

In the silence of the night

The stillness of the dark

With your beating heart,

I am there.

I am there

In the tickles of laughter 

And the warmth of a smile

With your sparkling eyes

I am there.

I am there

In the soft touch of a hand

The gentle reassurance of an embrace

With your lips meeting mine

I am there.

Even if I am not there

I am there.

Guiding Light

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Jeremiah 29:11

This is one of my favorite verses that always comes to mind when the future starts to feel uncertain or unclear. And it is entirely true. All I know that has come into my life, making it full of goodness and joy, has come from trusting that still, small voice - a voice that can only be heard when we allow our hearts and our minds to be quiet, rest, and listen for it. 

All shall be made right. Every day has a bit of hope in it, a bit of light to guide us along the right path. We will not be led astray. 

Be Held

You shall be provided for,
My child, my child.
Behold the One who loves you
And simply
Be held.

Let go of your own ways,
Your own striving,
Your own pushing and pulling,
Your trying to be,
And simply
Be held.

Be held
In the Way
In the Truth
In the Light
In the Sacred Heart.
Simply
Be held.

Love of My Life

You are the love of my life.

What does this mean?

My traditional understanding: You give me the greatest earthly love I have ever known and ever will know.

A thought that is wonderful and true!

But it hit me this morning that it can mean more than that; it means that I have shared and will share every part of my life with you. I will not keep things from you, even when I am afraid or ashamed to admit them to you (and perhaps in doing so admit them to myself). I will give my life to you joyously, without apprehension or doubt. And I will do this because you are the love of my life - you love every part of who I have been, am, and shall become. Every aspect of my life is yours and you take it - me - with a full and open heart.

There is only one other love like this. May we always strive to be a reflection of such divine Love. For we are not two, but three - One has brought the other two together. 

Love of my life, I love you.

8/16 - Shifts in Eternity

I heard a bit of an interview on the radio today where the interviewee (a lead singer of a Christian band) expressed his hope to help people hearing the band's work to discover shifts in their eternities. Of course, he meant understandings of the Lord in their lives, but hearing such a phrase made me pause and think of what my own shifts of eternity might be.

The day my sister was born.

The first day I felt truly moved by the Holy Spirit.

The days I met Haley, Charissa, Hannah, Stephanie, Debora, Ellen, and Collin.

The glorious light I felt after changing my major to Vocal Performance at PLU.

The sheer joy of my acceptance call to SFCM.

May 19, 2015.

And there are more to come, I know. :)

What beautiful life moments these are in my heart, these shifts in my existence. And such shifts happen every day, through the quiet Spirit that whispers what is good and right to our hearts. I pray that we always listen and hear the calls that shift our eternities for the better.

8/14 - How Great Thou Art

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: how great Thou art! How great Thou art!"

These words were resonating in my soul today as I felt the cool relief of rain in the air and on the earth. We will always be provided for. What a comfort.

The Voice in My Heart

Love this world as you love each other:
Honestly, fervently, selflessly.

Love this world as you love your work:
Passionately, with dedication, with perseverance.

Love this world as you are loved:
Without judgement, wholly, and infinitely.

Seed

A seed sown in mid-May

Warmed in the summer sun

Peeked through in October rain

Wintered the cold months

And bloomed in mid-May.

<3

Number Infinity

Number the stars in the sky,
The waves of the sea,
The snowflakes upon the mountains --
In these you will find my love for you,
Infinite and beyond height and depth.

Count the stars, the sea, and snow.
Number infinity -
Only then will you find and know
The end of my love for you -
Impossible and beyond time and existence.

Goosebumps

Knowing a
Truth
to the core of my being;
this is knowing
Love --
one given for all
and one shared.
Two moments of
goosebumps
today.

Musician's Prayer

"Oh Lord, please bless this music that it might glorify your name. May the talent that you have bestowed upon me be used only to serve you.

Let this music be a witness to your majesty and love, and remind us that you are always watching, and listening, from your throne above.

May your presence and beauty be found in every note, and may the words that are sung reach the hearts of your people so they will draw closer to you.

May your Spirit guide us through every measure so that we might be the instruments of your peace, and proclaim your glory with glad voices."

Found: here

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The sun was a fiery orange tonight as it lit the sky over R's memorial service, its burning color a product of the summer wildfires to the east.  But my heart and hands were burning, too, lit with a fire of the Holy Spirit, who was reaching out to comfort those in mourning. 

I have little to give -- especially tonight where I was singing in front of more strangers than friends.  However, what I can give, what I have been so absolutely blessed to be able to give, is music.  Music that reaches hearts, that uplifts grieving souls, and that I sincerely hope inspires people to sing as well.  I am grateful for thanks and kind words after a service, but beyond my own "thank you" for people who take the time to share their experiences with me, often the only other words I have are that "I'm glad to serve."  My heart is filled from witnessing such an immense and unending Love and sharing it with people in a way that inspires emotion ... emotion that I know comes from an understanding of such Love as well. 

That's why I found these words of this prayer so perfect and grounding before tonight's service.  "Let this music be a witness to your majesty and love... May your presence and beauty be found in every note, and may the words that are sung reach the hearts of your people so they will draw closer to you." 

I am called to be a witness to and to share the presence of Unending Love -- how can I keep from singing?

God's Power in Loss

Reflecting on the pain and anguish of a life lost far too soon as I prepared music for a memorial service early next week, it came to me that God's hand does play a part in such a sad happening. However, it is not the event itself.
Rather, God's hand - the Way, the Truth, and Light- is shown in the outpouring of love and community that occurs as fellow humans reach out to uphold those who are hurting. In my small way, the music for the service, I pray that I can contribute to this beautiful expression of God's love for the people who have lost and are grieving.