Drafts

"You write the first draft with your heart, and the second draft with your head."

--from the movie "Finding Forrester."

Delight yourself in the Lord

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."

--Ps. 37:4

Heart to God, Hand to Man by Geoff Moore

Cheer up

"Cheer up, you're a lot worse than you think you are. Cheer up, God's grace is a lot bigger than you think it is."

--Jack Miller

iMarriage

This is one of several videos called iMarriage from Northpoint Church. You can see the entire series here.

You can't lose it

"God will not let you go. He has handcuffed himself to you in love. And He owns the key. You need not to win His love. You already have it. And since you can't win it, you can't lose it."

--Max Lucado

A season and a time

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

--Ecclesiastes 3:1

30,000 children die each day from preventable diseases.

Just finished reading: Boy Meets Girl

I just finished reading Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris.

This book paints a picture of what a healthy, godly relationship leading up to marriage looks like. It convicted me, caused me to change some things I would do in a courtship, and helped reshape my overall thinking on several key areas of relationships. I very highly recommend it.

Compassion International's blog

http://blog.compassion.com/

The Lord's permission

"The Lord may not definitely have planned that this should overtake me, but He has most certainly permitted it. Therefore though it were an attack of an enemy, by the time it reaches me, it has the Lord's permission and therefore all is well. He will make it work together with all life's experiences for good."

--C.H. Welch

So She Dances by Josh Groban

Click

My King by S. M. Lockridge

My King by S. M. Lockridge

Halved and doubled

"Sorrows shared are halved; joys shared are doubled."

--source unknown

Goober eating a grape

Morning and afternoon

Now I see

"I thought ... that I was carried in the will of Him I love, but now I see that I walk with it. I thought that the good things He sent drew me into them as the waves lift the islands; but now I see that it is I who plunge into them with my own legs and arms, as when we go swimming. I feel as if I were living in that roofless world of [Earth] where men walk undefended beneath naked heaven. It is a delight with terror in it! One's own self to be walking from one good to another, walking beside Him as Himself may walk, not even holding hands. How has He made me so separate from Himself? How did it enter His mind to conceive such a thing? The world is so much larger than I thought. I thought we went along paths--but it seems there are no paths. The going itself is the path."

--C.S. Lewis, Perelandra

Hear my prayer by Purcell, sung by the Choir of Clare College Cambridge

Caught in His grace

". . . a thousand times I've failed, still Your mercy remains . . . should I stumble again, I'm caught in Your grace . . . your will above all else, still my purpose remains, the art of losing myself in bringing you praise . . ."

--Hillsong

Glósóli by Sigur Rós

His glory

"I sometimes look into the endless heavens, the cosmos of which we can't find the edge, and ask God what it means. Did You really do all of this to dazzle us? Do You really keep it shifting, rolling round the pinions to stave off boredom? God forbid Your glory would be our distraction. And God forbid we would ignore Your glory."

--Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts

Divine Romance by Phil Wickham

Days of Praise

"Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Some versions say He is "enthroned" upon our praises. When we praise, we enthrone God in our lives and circumstances, and He manifests His presence in a special way . . . praise turns on that mighty glorious presence and tunes us in to His sufficiency. We come filled to overflowing with Him. Our lives become a stage on which He, the leading Actor, reveals Himself in love and power, blessing both us and the people we relate to."

--Ruth Myers, 31 Days of Praise

In the Garden

He whose heart is firm

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."

--Thomas Paine

Leap of Faith (from Indiana Jones)

Dawn will break

"However long the night, the dawn will break."

--African proverb

Somewhere Someone

Whatever it takes

"Whatever it takes
To keep me tender toward You
Whatever it takes, Lord
I beg You to do
Whatever You must lead me through
Whatever it takes, Lord...do."

--Steve Green

Into the Harvest

Evening in the park

Tonight I walked around my park several times, with a book in hand, ambling along slowly enough that I could read without worrying about tripping. The book reminded me that the story does not end where we always think it ends, and He has good surprises for us up ahead even though life is sometimes hard or confusing.

I found an empty ballfield with bleachers, and sat there, and watched the sun go down. I tearfully meditated on the idea that as we trust the Lord, His peace comes and makes all the difference in the world in how we feel and respond.

Perhaps, after all

"Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; Perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; Perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music; Perhaps ... perhaps ... love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."

--L.M. Mongtomery, Anne of Avonlea.

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

East to West by Casting Crowns

Alpharetta Arts Streetfest

Morning glory

Afternoon animals

Never got

"... all we are left with is this desperate hope for the love letter we never got ..."

--Wendy Shalit, A Return to Modesty, pg. 95.

Very cool blog

http://ohjoy.blogs.com/my_weblog/

Come to Jesus by Chris Rice

Did you want something?

Uphill by Christina Rossetti

Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.

But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.

Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.

Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.

--Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

From the fridge

Blessed be the name of the Lord

"Naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."

--Job 1:21

Is America obsessed with beauty?

http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/

Me by Plumb

Bible League India video

http://www.bibleleague.org/swf/indiaeappealvideo0408.swf

A summons to cooperation

"Here lies the tremendous mystery--that God should be all-powerful, yet refuse to coerce. He summons us to cooperation. We are honoured in being given the opportunity to participate in his good deeds. Remember how He asked for help in performing his miracles: Fill the waterpots, stretch out your hand, distribute the loaves."

--Elisabeth Elliot

His name is Goober

I decided to name my chipmunk "Goober."

The necessity of the cross

"If we bring God down to our level and raise ourselves to his, then of course we see no need for a radical salvation, let alone for a radical atonement to secure it. When, on the other hand, we have glimpsed the blinding glory of the holiness of God and have been so convicted of our sin by the Holy Spirit that we tremble before God and acknowledge what we are, namely 'hell-deserving sinners,' then and only then does the necessity of the cross appear so obvious that we are astonished we never saw it before."

--John Stott

What He bestows

“... To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

--Isaiah 61:3

Don't Get Comfortable by Brandon Heath

Perspective

"Don’t tell God how big your problems are--tell your problems how big your God is."

--source unknown

Trees against the sky

Good People by Jack Johnson

Sunset tonight

Latin 2, the class above me, gave us all a demonstration at the Perimeter Church ballroom dance tonight.

A demonstration from the Latin 2 class

The Latin 2 class, which is above me but which I'm starting in a few weeks, gave us a demonstration at the Perimeter Church ballroom dance tonight.

Salsa dance practice

The Special Two by Missy Higgins

If we could ... we would find ...

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each person's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sky this afternoon (time-lapse)

Be who you are and say what you feel

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

--Dr. Seuss

My chipmunk

Reality

"Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows."

--C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

Beauty around every turn

I'm trying to sleep

Please put the camera away. I am snuggled up comfortably and trying to sleep.

My Beloved by Kari Jobe

Through the woods this evening

New life

My chipmunk getting used to his new home

Singing in the Rain

Cry Out To Jesus by Third Day

A good website on singleness and marriage

http://www.helpgetmarried.com/

Make sure you look at the videos from the author.

The Great Commission

“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.”

--Hudson Taylor

Little visitors

All day long these birds come by and visit me at a feeder I put up on my deck. It's nice to have the little interruptions.

Only if it gets there in time

“The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”

--Carl F. H. Henry

Trying to get Jeremy to say good-bye

My new friend needs a name

I found this baby chipmunk in the park today. Do you have any ideas for a name?

Birth documentary

http://www.thinairmedia.org/birth.html

Tomorrows and yesterdays

"Pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you are left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays."

--source unknown

Come and Get Your Happiness by Shirley Temple

Out-dream

“. . . you cannot out-dream God.”

--John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance

There is no spoon

It's amazing the difference just a few hours can make

Pleasures forever

"You'll make known to me the path of life; In your presence is fullness and joy; In your right hand there are pleasures forever."

--Psalm 16:11

Per aspera ad astra

"Through hardships to the stars," the motto of NASA.

Delicate beauty

Grace

... be with you.

--1 Tim. 6:20b

Dancing shoes

Good health website

www.mercola.com

Chattahoochee River Park