Finding wonderful when Mr. Potter shows his ugly face

*SPOILER ALERT!* IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN "It's a Wonderful Life" #1: I'm going to talk about key plot moments here, so stop reading! & #2: Go now!!! buy it, borrow it, rent it, whatever... Just watch it, for Pete's sake!!! What are you waiting for!?!

So, I was watching the news last night when they shared a local story. It was about this older woman who had lost her life savings. I was, of course expecting to hear that she was swindled by some "slick youngster", but that wasn't the case. She went to the bank and withdrew her life savings from a safety deposit box and placed those contents in an envelope...but the money was gone, without a trace, when she got home. I was dragged into this sad story hook, line, and sinker. I can tell you the exact look on my face: My head was tilted to the side slightly, my eyes were full of compassion, (and nearly tears!) and my mouth was open in a little sad pout. That is when Kamran walked in. He asked me what was wrong and I brought him up to speed as the reporter continued with the story. I said to him, "It's just like It's a Wonderful Life! All that money, and even in an envelope at the bank! How sad...". About that time the reporter finished the story by saying that the family is offering a reward for any information that could help their loved one. Then they gave her name.... It was: Mrs. Potter. Wide eyed, I double gasped. "Potter!!!! Oh my gosh!" My husband, who was obviously not as emotionally invested in the story as I was, simple erupted into laughter. He isn't cruel, anyone who knows Kam knows that. But- he wouldn't miss the opportunity to poke fun at me either. To tease me even more, he turned to the screen and pointed his finger, and said in a funny, yet grumpy voice: "What goes around comes around, Potter!" Then he laughed again, and at that point I also found myself laughing hysterically at the whole thing, then feeling bad for the real Mrs. Potter, I tried to stop, but eventually conceded to laughing again at the irony.

I was a grown woman of nearly 30 before I saw "It's a Wonderful Life". It is such a good story, with more than one very deep message. I, like many, love it for that, especially from a Christian view point, applying the same ideas to my own life. God has a plan you know, for you and your real life, just as He did fictitiously for George Bailey in the story. I have to admit though, that when the movie was over I was pretty surprised that Mr. Potter never got what he had coming to him. I felt a little unjustified in that old geezer not being brought to justice. That is when, this story went from fairy tale to real life for me.... This part of the story was 100% real life, without the Hollywood cherry on top. This happens to you, and to me. Sometimes Mr. Potter wins, and the world is none the wiser. Sometimes Mr. Potter wins, and the world just doesn't care. BUT, its ok, isn't it. Those of us who put our faith in trust in Jesus know a few things that can help us past the nasty ol' Mr. Potter moments our lives. Here are 3:

1. God says that vengeance is His in Romans 12:19. He is omnipotent and He knows the other side of your situation. He sees the big picture with every view He takes. We are to let Him take care of it. He has our back. Sometimes He lets us see the other side, but there is no promise that we ever will, so don't hold your breath waiting, like Jonah did.

2. Miserable people are usually miserable because of hurt. We probably all have a relative or community member like this. In the end, George scored way ahead of the game. He realized, more than ever before, that it really IS a wonderful life. He was surrounded by love and warm hugs. What did Mr. Potter have to keep him warm? His money?

3. We live in the world, but not of the world. In John 17:14-18 Jesus talks about this. My husband used to have a tee shirt with an ichthus (Jesus fish) in a fish bowl that said, "This world is not my home". Compared to what God has in store for us, we are limited to a novelty sized glass bowl for now. Keep your eyes on the prize: The Heavenly one. God allows us to be taken advantage of sometimes, but He will never do it Himself. Why? Because when we are stricken, we acknowledge our need for Him, and quite simply, we grow closer to Him. Besides, the treasures of this world will be gone someday, and Heavenly things last always. *And need I remind you that we will be so overwhelmed when are given those treasures in Heaven that we will all cast them at the feet of our Savior anyway.

And so, as I sit here smiling about how George Bailey's sudden misfortune brought him to more riches then he ever knew were possible, and how he finally realized that his life had immeasurable value, I say a prayer for the Mrs. Potter and her family back here in real life, and in the present day. I found an article online, and it turns out that the owner of the money was, in fact not named Mrs. Potter, but it is her daughter that is. Her mother was withdrawing the money to pay the nursing home bill of her husband after medicare benefits ran out. (Even more depressing, I know) I pray that God will bless her "exceedingly abundantly beyond all she can ask or think". Ephesians 3:20, because that is what a wonderful life is. Won't you please pray for her too?

Here is a link to the news story:
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=12193223

And for those of you who just want the added laugh of the classic SNL skit, where Mr. Potter DOES get it in the end, here's that too:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/4267/saturday-night-live-its-a-wonderful-life-lost-ending

Singing, Dancing, Writing, a 5K, & French Bread,

Do you like old hymns? I may get a tomato thrown at me for saying so, but I'm not a huge fan. It's okay to me that some people are - I'm not against them or anything. It's just that, they aren't the way that I personally connect with God. I'm no fool. I realize that my children and eventual grandchildren will probably feel the same way about the music that I listen to, and that's okay with me. Because, it isn't what you worship to, or even how you worship. The important thing is THAT you worship. Worship is connection with the Lover of our Souls. It isn't always found in reading the Bible, prayer, or even at church. Those things are good, scriptural, and necessary for your relationship to grow as well, but without worship they can each quickly become monotonous or ritualistic. Can you imagine if your spouse only went through the motions? I for one would feel staleness over time, if my husband only showed affection toward me with a peck on the lips before work everyday. If he never hugged me or told me lovely things about myself, and what I mean to him, I can imagine myself questioning a lot of things. Like commitment. Are you showing God your commitment? Are you worshiping Him in some way that is special to you?

I am an "art person". I am not mathematical or scientific in nature at all. That is not to say that I'm not a deep thinker at times, but throughout my life my spirit has my commonly "overflown" ;) through some type of art, music, performing (I'm a first class ham), or writing. So you don't have to stretch your mind very far to imagine someone like me trolloping around the house singing out some worship song as I go about my day. I'm a night owl too, and I can't tell you how many times that my worship has come in the form of drawing, sculpting clay, colored pencil or paint at 3 in the morning. Sometimes, there isn't even a worthy end product, but that isn't the point. Many times I've come across an old notebook and flipped through the pages to find some poem or attempt at a chorus to honor God. This is my kind of worship.

As many of you know, I am now in a cult: "The runner's club". I have been at it for about two and a half months and it is most definitely a way of life for me now. It is tricky to find the time, or a clear road some days, but running is part of who I am now. I hate to admit it, but I don't even hate it as much as I had. *Please note, "as much". I began running after I could no longer deny that The Holy Spirit was nudging me to do so. I had to get over my initial fear, but I did it. I even became comfortable enough to go public. (see former blog entry "Holy Cow, I'm a Rockstar!!!") Beginning in cool weather was a good choice for me, and I calculated that into the getting over my fear part. (Hey! What do you know! I am a little mathematical after all.) I had a heatstroke as a 7 year old, and as a lasting effect I get overheated easier then the average Joe. Also, I have exercised induced asthma.

So, I have been running in this freezing cold, but making incredible progress, nonetheless. I am very proud of myself. I will be entering my first 5K in about a month. (If you are wondering where I'm going, hold on, I'm nearly there.) My sweet husband got me an MP3 player for my birthday, which was only a week or two after I began. It has a nice armband and a stopwatch on it. My trainer friend has me running for time rather than distance or speed, so this feature is just perfect. I have known all along that the music helped me. I have laughed out loud before as some of the lyrics seem to be custom for me at that very moment. Lines like: "I don't have time to maintain these regrets" and "my heart beats violently inside of my chest", "praise Him under open skies", and there is one that escapes me now about rhythm, but needing rest. Occasionally as a runner, you will have one of those days where you feel like you are literally pulling dead legs behind you, and you must mentally push yourself toward the goal. On those days, I swear that I can feel God encouraging me through song lyrics. Yes, there is no doubt, even to a nonbeliever: music helps one to run.

Today was cold. Very cold. We had been out earlier in the day playing in the snow with our children, but by the time that I got to run, the sun was going down, and the windchill (which is the real killer, by the way) picked up a lot. My scheduled run today was 30 minutes. I have been doing 30 for a while, and will be increasing on Tuesday, in fact, so it wasn't a problem as I set out in the cold, cold wind. Quickly I regretted not grabbing my scarf. As bulky and annoying as it is, I still wished I had it as extra bundle around my face today. Nonetheless, I said a little prayer, focused hard on the music and pressed on. Intently I got lost in the lyrics, often wrapped in scripture. The thoughts and wonders of our Amazing God soon distracted me from the cold and I ran. I ran and ran. Then, all of a sudden....silence. Now I heard: Cars whizzing. A flag's facets clanging hard on it's pole. A man's footsteps crunching in the snow. A dog barking. And most loudly, my heavy breathing.

I'll bet you think you know what I'm going to say. Do you think that this blog is about beauty and appreciation of nature? How I found God in the silence? Sorry. Not this time. The eight minutes home was enough for me to realize that running, the thing about myself that is most foreign to me, has somehow become a form of worship for me. Isn't that just like God? The same God who "makes beauty from ashes". Yes, that's exactly what has happened here. He has called me to Him. To grow closer still. And He used a part of my life where nothing was natural or came easy for me. Oh my goodness, Yes! That is my God. He has made beauty from my ashes once again, even if the ashes were just yucky exercise.

God wants ALL OF YOU. He wants to be the Lover of Your Soul. Is He? He won't force Himself there, but He will most definitely meet you there with lots of hugs if you let Him. And so I ask you: What is worship for you? Where can you find yourself getting lost with Him? If it is in that hymnal, then by all means honey, sing away. Consider finding Him in art like I do. Or maybe it's cooking. Mmmmm. A fresh loaf of bread smells of comfort, and all of that kneading is good for stress relief. Whatever form it is, do it. Tell Him you love Him and find Him truly awesome. Dance, sing, paint, bake, walk in the woods, rock a baby to sleep, sit in the dark with Him, or even, yes, run in that awe. Do it, and grow closer to Him.....But don't be surprised if one day He finds you in a place like changing the oil in the car and somehow makes that worship too. He is like that. :)

There may be no "I" in team, but now there is a team within Addison's EYES!

Kamran and I are so touched at all of your love and care during Addison's eye surgery. I decided that I would blog to update you all on how today went. As you can see from the photo, taken just as she returned from recovery, Cuddling with Mocha and Daddy was the perfect medicine.

 
BACKGROUND:

For those of you that don't know the specifics: Addison had eye surgery at Riley Childrens' Hospital to correct an eye problem called esotropia. Basically, her eyes were not working together, and she was in a state of constant switching back and forth. There has been quite a bit of crossing and turning in of the eyes as a result, and her depth perception has been poor. Over several months we did an eye drop treatment to strengthen a lazy eye that had developed as a side effect. Today's surgery strengthened muscles just inside the corners of each eye. Her eyes look straighter already! There is a percentage of patients who must have this procedure done twice, especially those with blue eyes, like Addison. Our prayers have been that it would be a one time thing, obviously.


THANK YOUS:

Hello everyone, and thank you so much for your prayers and thoughts for us and our special girl. She is doing so well, that her doctor said, "most kids don't look this good this soon after". I had to laugh, because we had been specific in our prayers, and asked for a speedy recovery that would be "as if she hadn't even had surgery". We have felt your love and friendship pour out through your constant texts, e-mails and Facebook letters, calls, continued questions throughout, helping with Granty, and of course your personal prayers. We are blessed to have all of you.


DOCTOR/HOSPITAL:

The surgical team at Riley was nothing less than wonderful. Orderly, professional, thorough, and at the same time kind, personable, helpful and yes, even timely. We are proud to call Dr. Neely Addison's doctor. He is good at what he does, and he cares for his patients as well. Addison was treated like a princess. She watched the Little Mermaid, got countless stickers, (a couple for Grant too!) got a mermaid toy, a pink maraca, had lots of yummy blue and violet juice and even a Popsicle. :)


RECOVERY:

She is doing great. She was singing on the way home, as usual. She was asking for Grant, and for Morgan. (Morgan, I am not sure if this is due to the pink maraca, or because I asked her if she wanted some breadsticks and cheese ;) Her eyes are very sensitive and bloodshot. They will remain quite red for up to a couple of weeks, but most of the discomfort will subside before that. She does not have any patches or bandaids of any sort, and the stitches will dissolve on their own. No medication other than Tylenol, including no drops (yea!) She is having double vision, which is completely normal for a day or two. How do we know? Well, she was cuddling in my lap during her recovery when she looked over at Kamran and said, "Two daddys??" Her doctor was impressed that she was able to communicate the point to us. But, that is our bright girl, now isn't it. :) She also has a bit of blood in her tears and a tiny bit from her nose. Also, she is pretty wobbly. This is a result of sedative, anesthesia, and eye readjustment. It should be better in a couple of days, but for now we are trying to get her to stay seated a little more. (Yeah right, she's 3! haha) Of course, her eyes are scratchy, but you wouldn't know it. She is acting as if nothing even happened! It may take up to 3 months for her eyes to readjusts to the position that they should be in. They said that she may have amnesia from the sedative, but on the way home she recounted most all of the days events to us. She is really something else. She may also be a little more tired than normal, although, at this point: NO. haha. As I type she is watching Aladdin, and happily playing with Daddy, Sassy, and Grant.


GLASSES:

Yes, Addison will still wear glasses. Her farsightedness is a separate issue. Although, in a month or two, Dr. Neely will most likely lessen the strength of her current prescription since her glasses will no longer be doing the job that her eye muscles are now capable of.

 
CLOSING:
 
There may be no "I" in team, but now there is a team within Addison's EYES! ;) Thank you all again. We will be out and about soon, and look forward to all of your hugs. Love, Brandi

Why should I doubt my arm?!?

Well, I guess that I will address the throwing soap to/at Rob Bell topic. Here goes....

Friday night my husband, myself and another couple had a double date night. We drove to Indy to attend the Rob Bell Drops Like Stars tour. My husband had already purchased tickets online for the two of us, so our friends did not sit with us. They are glad, .....because I embarrassed them. :/ Sorry guys. Please don't disown me.

I had already read the title book, and yes, I knew that the overall theme of the evening was "suffering", but that did not stop me from bringing along my crazy zany self.

Rob is a great speaker, and I consider him to have a pretty brilliant mind. He also, has a great sense of humor. I was counting on this "said humor" when my impulse created a "stunt".

Let me do a little walk through of the evening for you....

Early in the speech, Rob made reference to a very clever and creatively written college application. It was, HILARIOUS. Kudos to that guy. After reading the applicant's entry, Rob talked about the terms "in the box" & "outside the box" and he even went as far as saying that to people like the guy who filled out the application, the thought process is more like, "...There's a box?"

Ok, fast forward a while. We were told by Rob to look under our seats to find bars of soap. That's right, soap. (He was preparing to do a visual that explained using the process of elimination to discover something inside.) So, he said something along the lines of "everyone needs a bar of soap". Well, we were in row "K". I'm not so sure just how far that is back, but it seemed reasonable to think that it was close enough.... and as people were chattering away and passing out bars of soap, I was thinking back, to myself, about the "in the box" "outside the box" "..there's a box" from earlier. Putting that into action, I realized that Rob was on our side of the stage, and that HE didn't have a bar of soap. He had said that EVERYONE needed a bar, hadn't he? Hmmm.... So, among the chattering, I shouted out "Hey Rob, need a bar?" He asked, "Do I need a bar, ha ha, no, I'm good, thanks." and laughed..... The next part is a little foggy, but I know that at some point he asked me if I thought that I could make it to him, and I was sure that I could. He told me to go for it, and so, yes, I threw a bar of soap over the heads of several rows of people to Rob Bell, on stage, during a speech about suffering. It hit the stage just short of him and skidded all the way to the back curtain. He laughed again and gave me a little bow........At this point his original demonstration continued.....

Fast forward a liiiittle bit later. We were then told that there are index cards and pencils under our chairs for the next part.... Yes, I asked Rob if he wanted me to throw him a pencil as well. I am aware that this made me sound like an absolute lunatic. My way of thinking was that it would emphasize my humor and help me to look LESS like a crazy soap throwing person. You know, kind of smooth things over, so to speak. :/ Ugh....yeah. He made a comment about having protective eye wear & laughed. I told him that "I'm outside the box".

So, it was little more than 24 hours later that I saw something posted on the web about it. I read John Acuff's Stuff Christians Like blog. Ironically, his blog that day was asking people to submit questions for him to use in his upcoming interview with, none other than, you guessed it.... Mr. Rob Bell. There, about 2/3 of the way down on the comments section was an entry from a lady that asked what Rob was *really* thinking when the lady threw the bar of soap AT him on Friday night at Indy.... gulp. At him?!? It was TO him! Yikes! TO him!! :S It was also mentioned on his facebook page. :s

Oh crap. I AM a crazy soap throwing person. Oh dear. And my friends had teased me too! It must have been awful.... really bad. Oh my.... Gasp!

Now I was headed in a downward spiral from "sort of silly" to wearing a straight jacket at the loony bin. I could just picture it: No more soap demonstrations the Drops Like Stars tour, because of my display.... Rob's wife saying to him, "honey, I think you should take a break from touring. Your critics are mean, and now people are trying to hit you with soap"... People calling me crazy on web pages.... My picture posted by the doors at the Murat & all other future Rob Bell tour stops with the words "PUBLIC MENACE: NO ADMITTANCE" below it.... My facebook friends all block me, and my Twitter followers plummet from the whopping 8 down to 2....I would never be asked to speak to a church group again, because we all know that soap throwing lunatics have no place in leadership of any kind..... and no one would ever read my well intended devotional type blogs again..... :O

At this point flashbacks of the sign posted on the door came to me. The night was being taped for the Drops Like Stars video, and by attending, we gave consent to Rob Bell & company to use our image. Holy crap. Now I pictured the incident being played back in slow motion from the film. What's worse, we had even taken a picture of that post because we were bummed that we couldn't take our cameras inside. Yip, that's the pic that I posted at the start of the blog.

I felt totally embarrassed and misunderstood. I felt like.... like Spongebob Squarepants!Yes! That's it! I felt like Spongebob in the episode when he rips his pants: He has a good joke going, and he thrives off of the laughter. Making people laugh is a fuel to him. Eventually, he plans the biggest laugh of them all, but it goes terribly terribly wrong. He pretends to drown, and everyone is appalled. Yip, that was me. Me & Spongebob. That's the way we roll. We planned big, but didn't think things through.

Spongebob reconciled with his friends through a beach style rock song..... I think that if I tried this with Rob Bell, that I may end up with a protective order against me, so I'm going to just hope that he took it as humor. He did laugh, and say "there's a box?" in response to me :) I hope that everyone else also found humor in this whole thing. I have to tell you that I thought that my pastor was going to literally fall off of his seat laughing when we talked about it.

I posted lighthearted responses on those web pages, and received a complimentary note in my inbox last night. Apparently, someone at the show besides just me and my husband did interpret it as intended. *BIG siiiiigh of relief. ;)

*And just for the record, let it be known that the soap was thrown TO him, and not AT him. The man has enough critics out there without the people that find him insightful beating him up! ha ha

Holy cow! I'm a rockstar!

Or, I guess I could just be boring and say I feel awesome. Rock Stars probably don't feel AS awesome at times, in fact. Why? Because I did something today that I have never done in my life, and that I thought that I never would: I ran a mile.

Yes, that's right. I have joined the Dark Side. (That picture is me, not the Unibomber.) I could give you a list a mile long to prove to you that it's a God thing. Instead, I would like to share with you what I have come through in just a very short time.

I ran for the first time on November 25th. It was the following Sunday that I did it again after I confirmed my "accountability friend" aka, my trainer, aka my parole officer. :/ Anyway, since I spoke with her I haven't quit running. (except for the mandatory day off that she wisely requires me, which is once a week) Just call me Forrest, Forrest Gump.

Since I started:
rain
optical migraine
snow
another headache
cramps (sorry guys)
ice
ouch, my knee hurts
colder, heavier rain
hey, now my other knee is stiff too :/
brrrrr! The windchill is killer! It's stinking coooold........ but I just ran a mile anyway!!!!!!

I list these things not to sound whiny, but to say: WOW! I am so proud of myself. God has changed something inside of me. I know that it sounds kind of funny, since it has not been very long, but it's true. I felt His nudge into the unknown, and heck ~the unliked, and I am so glad that I was brave enough to listen. If you put all of the obstacles that I listed on one side of a scale, they really add up. However, if you put this scripture on the other side of that scale, there is really no comparison. Philippians 4:13 I can do ALL things through Him who strengthens me.

Sure, you have probably heard that verse before, but think about that for a minute. It is well known for a reason. Take it's meaning deeper in your own situation. What seems unlikely to happen in your life? What thing have you counted out of your realm of possibility just because you didn't think it was "you"? Anyone who knows me can verify that my becoming a runner is, well,... shocking. Absolutely shocking. I used to make jokes. Here are a two: "I ran once....to 2nd base after I hit a double". "I tried running once, but the ice cubes kept falling out of my drink!" The truth is, I still hate it. I'm still pretty sure that it is from the devil. But, what I don't hate is how I feel right now..... or the second that I reach my front door, or when my son states, "Mommy, you were running." when I walk inside, or how my legs feel tighter already. And I really like how I feel knowing that this is God answering prayer for not just me, but for my husband as well. I owe more credit to his prayers on the subject than my own.

I joined the Biggest Loser League and they ask for personal goals. Mine are: 1: To honor God with this body that He gave me, 2: To be a good example for my children now, so that they don't have to figure this out at my age, & 3: To work out regularly and be in shape like my awesome husband.

I haven't really gone public with my "new me" yet. I have been back and forth on this blog topic for a few days, but a friend urged me to write it. I'm still an "in the closet" runner for the most part, and I don't claim for one second to have any of it figured out. I can tell you this though: Philippians 4:13 has proven to be true about running for me. In case you missed it, I ran a mile today! I didn't stop, and I didn't feel like I was going to die at the end either. It was less than 2 weeks ago that I could barely breathe after running for only 2 minutes. Yes, really.

It wasn't that I thought that it was impossible for me to run, because I believe that everything is possible with God. My problem was my complacency. I didn't CARE if it was possible or not. Complacency is a scary thing. It's comparable to being lukewarm.

Maybe it isn't an exercise issue for you. Maybe it's showing love to your family. Maybe it's fellowship. Maybe it's just being the blameless man or woman of God that He intends for you to be.... Whatever it is, be brave enough to trust Him. Care! I love my family, and I intend to live for them, not slowly kill myself via neglect. Don't dare live one more day outside of God's intentions. I seem to remember reading something about abundant life somewhere... hmmm........ ;) Well, one thing is for sure: My life just got a whoooole lot more abundant!

*By the way, if you are one of my 5 blog readers, (haha) now would be a good time to "follow" my blog and show your support with encouraging comments. hee hee (click the "follow" button to the left side) Remember, I do still hate running, it's just that now, I know that it's going to be worth it.

Joseph..... like me?

I have to say that the many years that I have enjoyed reading, studying, or hearing sermons or songs about the birth of Christ I never put a lot of thought into the Joseph part. Sure, a little, but not to the point of empathy. Not until a couple of years ago.

I was sitting in our living room full of Christmas Spirit. The radio was on in the background, and I was staring at our new sleeping baby and smiling while rubbing my stomach at the thought of the baby within. It was an amazing thing that happened to us and I realized how blessed I was. That is when the DJ announced the next song as "Joseph's Lullaby" by Mercy Me. The song wasn't new, but I had never sat down and listened to the lyrics before. This time I did. Now, granted I was teaming with pregnancy hormones, and still high on new baby emotions as well, but still... It was a God moment for me. A very emotional one at that.

If you aren't familiar with the lyrics to the song, let me fill you in. The title sort of says it all (obviously). The song is a lullaby to the newborn king from his earthly father Joseph. For the first time I sort of viewed Joseph as "a real person", or at least found something in common with him. He held this baby in his arms while his exhausted wife slept on straw. As he looked at the baby what must he have been thinking? I appreciate the view of the song writer. It gave me an image of Joseph as an adoptive parent with a huge task entrusted to him, and I honestly looked right over at the sleeping newborn in my living room and felt the same way. God chose and trusted Joseph to love and care for this baby and to bring Him up in a Godly home. To teach Him life skills and manors. to mold Him for His destiny. What a great responsibility! What an honor. In that moment I felt, almost "oneness" with Joseph. God had entrusted me with the same thing in that little girl who I had been chosen for. I no longer view Joseph as a kind man who followed God's command and supported Mary on her difficult journey. He was so much more. He was, for all human purposes, Jesus' father. I applaud Joseph & all others who adopt for being brave enough to listen when God chose him/them/YOU.

May God find you sitting and listening to whatever He has to share with you this oh so busy Christmas season.

I'm attaching the lyrics to the song and video below them, so you can listen as well.

Joseph's Lullaby, Bart Millard, Mercy Me
Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head

Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?

Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace

I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child

Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You'll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight

He is jealous for me....

Well, I'm in love with the latest DC*B single, How He Loves. (link to the left) The lyrics are, well, stunning. I was driving home from work one evening and spending some worship time when God stopped me to join in. (love that!) The lyrics of that song are so bold and deep, and of course, I knew it, which is why I had it on in the first place....but that night, The Holy Spirit stopped me with the very first phrase. "He is jealous for me" And for the first time I saw God's jealousy in a different way. Before my perception was of God standing beside me in every situation as the voice of reason, keeping me from making foolish mistakes, if I am willing to listen. It's as if He says something like this:"Brandi, you shouldn't watch that movie. It's language and sexuality are inappropriate, and you are mine. I'm jealous of the things that keep you from me". It isn't a legalistic thing, it's a "what's best for" me thing. Each situation is unique. Well, on the previously mentioned night God took the topic of His jealousy deeper. (He is sooo like that ;) ) All of a sudden I saw his jealousy as if He is a defender. A mighty warrior surrounding his beloved girl. And now I could practically hear it go something like this:"Get back worldly things. This is MY Brandi, and I will not give her to you". Because our amazing God, through His living Word, is multi-faceted. This is my simple minded interpretation. We know that we can not comprehend His actual greatness, and even attempting to could practically drive me mad! haha Nevertheless, He chose to open up this tiny bit of wisdom to me, and I wanted to share it. Have an amazing day.