{a walk through} psalm 14

Starting January 2013, I decided to take a little step into a semi big blog commitment. I'm going to walk through the Psalms on my blog. Until the book is done, I'll post a verse or two in a photo every single Tuesday and Thursday. The heart of this series is for me to be looking into the word and being intentional to post HIS words here. Sometimes it'll just be the one photo as a blog post, sometimes I'll share what the words in the verse meant to me as I read it, and sometimes I'll have a post going on that day that speaks of other things. Thanks for joining me in this Psalm walk through.

You would think that on the day of love that my Psalm would somehow magically be all about love. But alas, it's not.

a little note before you continue: this post is all over the place. You're welcome. This is me. I'm usually thinking a trillion thoughts at once, so today, instead of having a focuses post, I'm just spilling out different words.

Anyway. Happy Valentine's/Valentines (depending on how you like to spell it) Day! I hope it's a lovely day for you. Don't buy into the hype if you don't want to, but if you like this kinda stuff, have a blast!

My relationship advice for the day is to communicate with your loved ones what you want and need. I know that's basic, and I'm no relationship expert, but from my single girl perspective, if you want roses but don't tell your dude, he won't know, and that doesn't make him a bad person.

Seriously eeeerybody (as I'm writing this, I might just be listening to this ((it's a clean version but it still might be a bit explicit for some, sorry)) song on repeat, which means I'm saying words like uuuuurybody and bizniss).

My plan is working from 9-5:45 and then driving to worship practice, so basically it's going to be super romantic! Or not . . .

I've got things to blog about but haven't the time this week to get them up here! But know that I participated in a couple Valentine gift exchanges and I've received one (and am so thankful for it) and am still hoping to receive the other. I want to take pictures of the gifts in good lights, which means my time is limited due to the winter weather and my work schedule, so who knows when that will happen.

Regardless, I've just been feeling really blessed by the blogging community. My post over on Jessi's blog seemed to really be what some people needed to hear, myself totally included. It always amazes me how the words I share so often are the words I need. I've got a couple other guest posts coming up this month and I'm really excited to share the words on my heart.

All of this to say, mushy words included, y'all are awesome.

xoxoxoxoxxo

How's your day? Any fun hyped up moments? Any single people ready to go on strike from the world today? I hear ya!

A quick glimpse into life

We interrupt nothing to share some photos.

So maybe just maybe just maybe (totally completely) I love that blogging has given me so many new friends! All these photos were taken on SUNDAY! It was a video filled day and I loved it!

And oh you know, some more cuddles with the princess.

Oh you know, just making decaf lattes at night. No big deal.

AND THE WINNER OF putting three images that don't go together and don't have nice matching colour schemes and such GOES TO me.

What's life look like for you? I wanna know!

{a walk through} psalm 13

Starting January 2013, I decided to take a little step into a semi big blog commitment. I'm going to walk through the Psalms on my blog. Until the book is done, I'll post a verse or two in a photo every single Tuesday and Thursday. The heart of this series is for me to be looking into the word and being intentional to post HIS words here. Sometimes it'll just be the one photo as a blog post, sometimes I'll share what the words in the verse meant to me as I read it, and sometimes I'll have a post going on that day that speaks of other things. Thanks for joining me in this Psalm walk through.

Today enters one of my most favourite Psalms.


Off the top of my head, my favourite Psalms are Psalm 25, 34, 46, and this one, Psalm 13.

This Psalm, if you were to look in an older Bible of mine (I can't quite remember if I've written it in my new Bible), has a name written beside it. I won't share the name here, but it is someone who I have committed to pray for through all things, and I often need to turn to the Lord and ask for His help in my prayers.

I also head here when I am at my most broken (well, or here). God welcomes our prayers of lamentation. He wouldn't have allowed a book filled with Lamentations or this books of Psalms that display such an array of emotion if He did not expect to hear the same from us.

I love it, not only because it is filled with sorrow, but also because it ends so beautifully. Verses 5 and 6 ring out as truth that I have to make sure my prayers end with. God can hear all sorrow and pain, and because of that, I want to end prayers confidently praising the Lord that He is.

    But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
        my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
    I will sing to the LORD,
        because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:5-6

Where do you go in scripture when you need to cry out to God? In those moments of lament, and in those seasons of suffering?

P.S. I'm sharing some words over on Naptime Diaries today. Check my words out okay? K. Cool.

Thoughts on the Rend Collective Experiment

This movement is powerful and beautiful. As I listened through the first time, I tweeted:

When I listen to worship like this, my heart yearns for Heaven, and it cries for the many who don't know freedom.

Because I do. I know freedom in Christ, and I want everybody to know that freedom.

I listen to this worship and I envision the church perfected. And I sorrow that as a corporate church, and even on an individual basis, we're still not there yet.

When will we lay down our swords against one another and simply use the sword of the Spirit?

When will we fit out feet with the Gospel and with peace, instead of walking away when life gets hard?

I'm speaking to myself here. But I'm saying we because I know I'm not the only one.

In church on Sunday the topic was death. I'd been warned going in by a friend that it was going to be depressing, but depressed is the last emotion that I felt. I felt filled with joy because death is not dying for those in Christ.

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12

I am so excited to see fully.

What makes you excited? What fills your heart with joy?

P.S. These two songs are my current favourites from the campfire album.

See, Love, Praise, Pray

I'm learning a lot right now.

Which might sound conceited, but I kinda assume that everybody is too. Just different things.

I'm learning to react with joy instead of jealousy.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop as I write this, and a beautiful little toddler just walked by.

Toddlers (amongst many other things such as words of affirmation, cards, carbs, and wine) are my love language. Well, toddlers, and children between the age of 2-7. The young ones. I love them (P.S. I also love the older ones and pretty much everyone. I'm not picky about whom I love). I love them toddlers because they're beautiful and so fun, they're exploring everything and they love with such abundance.

Often my tendancy is often to see a child, love them, be excited to see them, and then become jealous that I'm still not a mom. That jealousy might not spur up until later that night, or even days after, but it far too often comes.

But that isn't what I want my response to be.

I want to love them, be excited, and remain joyous that they are who they are, and that their mom gets to be who they are, and continually look to Jesus, one who never fathered on earth, who IS the ultimate Father, and say "Holy are You Oh Lord".

So I make it a habit to pray for these friends and their babies constantly. When I catch myself in a sinful reaction, thought I admit that this is not always my first thought or reaction to sin as I often just like to sit in my sin, I hand the entire thing to Jesus. I figure if He's got the whole world in His hands, He'll be able to hold me and these sweet little friends as well.

See. Love. Praise. Pray.

This little one, she's my niece. I've got 8 nieces and nephews (well, 3 nephews and 5 nieces) and this gem is the first local baby. I'm so excited to get to watch her grow up live instead of just by video. That being said, I'm grateful to live in a time period where skype and phone calls are easy peasy!

Oh. Why yes, I do own two pairs of hipster glasses. Just in case you noticed. Did you see my vlog (my least favourite blogging word) back in December? Check it out here.

What are you learning?