Faith

Writers, Artists, & Cherry Blossoms

~ Joy ~ 8 Comments

Cherry Blossoms

Remember last year when I started the Thankfulness Journal?

Setting out to write 10,000 things that I’m thankful for was quite an endeavor. I’ve yet to reach that ambitious goal, but thankfulness lives on in my heart.

Here are some joyful things from this week:

Meeting Fellow Writers & Artists—This week I had the privilege of attending a three day writers’ workshop taught by Renee Andrews. She is an excellent speaker and so inspiring.  It was wonderful to connect with fellow writers and artists in my community and share our nerdy love for the printed word.

Shannon @ Unfading Joy—I love her entire blog, but especially her post for this week. It resonated with my soul.

Cherry Blossoms—The large cherry tree in my backyard is in full bloom and showering the grass with white petals.

Mason Clover Music—I love the way that he weaves scripture verses and Hebrew into his songs. It reminds me of Revive Conferences where I first heard Clover sing and where I’ve made so many wonderful memories with friends.

How about you…What are you thankful for this week?

Honesty

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

I like to think of myself as this girl:

photo from imgkid.com
photo from imgkid.com

I like to think of myself as young and happy with a bright future ahead of me.

Most people think of me as a happy person. They tell me that my name suits me well–I love my name, and I consider myself a happy person too–but sometimes I don’t feel joyful.

I’m a private person (sort of confusing when I have a blog, huh?). I don’t share all my feelings. If I did, people would clearly see that I’m not always smiling on the inside. My emotions are generally a roller coaster. I’m happy; I’m sad. I’m calm; I’m worried. I’m peaceful; I’m fearful. It’s an ongoing circle.

I like the way tears feel on my cheeks. I like listening to melancholy tunes. I like staring out a window at the silhouetted evening.

But I also love sunshine and crisp, autumn air.
I love the giggles of my niece and nephew and siblings.
I love happy music and laughing and celebrating life.
I love these things more.

I want to be Joy.
I want to be known by my smile.
But I’m human too, and so I struggle.

Is joy a constant state of happiness? Is it the art of smiling when you’d rather be crying? Is it a hug when you’re falling apart, and a lilting voice when the world becomes a dirge?

If it is, I can’t be that. Not all the time. I never will. Try as I must, I’ll never fully be my name.

And in admitting that, I’m content. God is joy. I’m not competing with Him.

I don’t have all the answers. I don’t do everything right. I cry sometimes. But I’m not afraid to fall on my knees and look to Heaven. I’m not afraid to admit that I’m broken inside. I’m not afraid to be honest and tell God that I don’t understand.

I want to be Joy.
I want to trust God.

There’s a gentle peace in my heart reminding me that even when I change, Yahweh never changes. He’s always there for me.

He is my joy.
And I want to share that joy with others.

Dido?

I Can’t Stop Listening to This Song

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment
vT8evQ9-001
photo from pixshark.com

Ever since last Wednesday, when I discovered Brandon Heath’s song “When You Look at Me,” I’ve listened to it every day (and sometimes several times a day).

The song feels like summer. And despite the fact that it was snowing outside my window, the imagery of redemption in the chorus resonated with my soul.:

It’s like I’m barefoot running through a golden field
Like a child that’s how you make me feel
Oh Lord when You look at me

It’s like I’m twelve feet tall without a care
Your forgiveness feels like floating on air
Oh Lord when You look at me

I love happy music that glorifies my Savior. It fills me with joy and reminds me of what Yahweh has done in my life.

It’s like the weight of the world falls off of me
And I can just be who You’ve made me to be
Oh Lord when You look at me

It makes me want to dance.

What’s one of your favorite happy songs?

The Art of Celebration

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

Art of Celebration

I love Rend Collective’s latest album, The Art of Celebration. It inspires me to embrace my name.

I want to cultivate the art of celebration, being jubilant about what Yahweh has done in my life. I want to praise Him in the storm, even though my heart is breaking, because praising Yahweh shouldn’t happen just when I’m happy. Celebration shouldn’t explode only when I feel like it.

There are times when we cry.
There are times when our hearts break.

But that’s not the end of our story.
The end of our story is joy.

Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

Our God is bigger than bad times. He’s deeper than the aching of our hearts. He’s stronger than our fears.

He is our celebration.

Our greatest joy.

What is something you can celebrate today?

Won Me Over

~ Joy ~ 4 Comments
Running
Photo by Jay Williams (dview.us)

Lately I’ve been enjoying the song “Won Me Over” by Audrey Assad.

One of my favorite lines is…

Running from you is running to you
You’re everywhere, I couldn’t escape you

Think about that for a little bit.

The idea of Yahweh being everywhere, that even when we’re running from Him, we’re running to him. The more we run, the more broken we are, and the more we know that we need him. It’s the motion of mercy. We can’t escape His love.

I was full of fear and prone to wander,
lost & lonely till the day you won me over.

What’s a song that you’ve been enjoying lately?

Eclipsed by Sunshine

~ Joy ~ 4 Comments
JSU Houston Cole Library (courtesy of www.stripes.com)
Houston Cole Library (courtesy of www.stripes.com)

I’m sitting on the seventh floor of the university library in town. All is quiet as students are studying for final exams. The sun is setting against the mountains, causing the windows on the west side of the library to burn bright orange.

A young lady stands in the landing in front of the elevators. She looks similar to how I imagine the protagonist in my novel to look. She has pretty features with long black hair and light tan skin. As she stands there gripping her stack of books, the sun shines through the windows at just the right angle to eclipse her in golden sunshine. It outlines her black hair and causes me to stare longer than I probably should. After a few seconds, she enters the elevator and leaves without a clue that she had ever been eclipsed by sunshine.

How many times in life do we go about our daily routines without realizing that we’re eclipsed by majesty? How many times do we ignore the simple wonders around us–the bright orange sun setting against the hills, the steam rises from the neighbors’ roofs in the morning, the stars turning black skies into dreamy seas of glitter.

Life is beautiful y’all. And sometimes we forget that.

What’s a simple wonder that you’ve seen lately?

Through & Through

~ Joy ~ 3 Comments
Walking
Photo by Jay Williams (dview.us)

You know that feeling when you truly understand someone and they truly understand you? You don’t feel lonely or weird, but accepted–understood. It’s as if they can see your whole heart–all the ugly and the good–and they still love you.

That’s what I felt the other day while reading a powerful bit of writing from a dear friend of mine. It filled me with such joy. She understands. I understand. We are kindred spirits.

And then I realized something. I realized that as encouraging as it is to find a kindred spirit–as joyful as it is to relate to someone–what’s even more astounding is that God understands me.

He sees me–every hidden sin, every lingering doubt, every ugly scar, and every beautiful part of my existence. He sees me. He knows me. And still He loves me.

He understands me far better than any other human being, and far better than I’d ever want to. He understands me enough to send His Son to suffer far more than I ever have. He became human. He cried. He served. He was beaten and flogged and died the death of the accursed. And then he rose again so that I could have life too, so that the whole world could have abundant life.

This is what it means to be understood.

This is the greatest love. The love that can only come from a God who sees us, and knows us, and still loves us through and through.

Can I hear an amen?

For Love of Hymns

~ Joy ~ 2 Comments

My great-grandfather's hymnal

There’s a comfort that only old hymns can bring.

There’s something special about songs of praise that have been sung for a long, long time. You can imagine your ancestors singing them in a warm, crowded church, their voices rising in harmony, and their hands gripping time-worn hymnals.

It’s no wonder that more and more hymns are being incorporated into contemporary worship. It connects us to the past and reminds us that we are praising the same God.

Our God is still faithful and righteous and bountiful in love–wondrous love.

What is one of your favorite hymns?

The Earth is Yours

~ Joy ~ Leave a comment

Fall

Your voice it thunders
The oaks start twisting
The forest sounds with cedars breaking
The waters see You and start their writhing
From the depths a song is rising

Tree

Your voice it thunders
The ground is shaking
The mighty mountains now are trembling
Creation sees You and starts composing
The fields and trees they start rejoicing

Field

It’s rising from the ground
Hear us crying out

Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
The earth is Yours
The earth is Yours

—“The Earth is Yours” by Gungor

All that to say…
We live in a magnificent world y’all.

What are you enjoying the most about fall?

Tree

Campfire

~ Joy ~ 5 Comments
Campfire
Photos by Jay Williams (dview.us)

Earlier this month I spent a week and a half at Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee, camping with friends and family. Each night as the cold blanketed our campsites, we gathered around the campfire.

I’ve always liked campfires, but this past camping trip gave me a new appreciation for them.

Campfire

The campfire was for comfort. It not only warmed us, it warmed the atmosphere too, creating a peaceful setting.

The campfire was for memories. Between cracking jokes, telling stories, and singing praise, the campfire was a place of fellowship–a place for new life to glow like the flames.

The campfire was for relaxing. Staring into that fire helped me slow down and think. Think about life. Think about faith. Think about what had brought me to that moment.

But as amazing as the campfire was, it wasn’t truly the campfire that brought us together. Faith is what brought us together. As we celebrated the Festival of Booths that week, sitting around the campfire under the starlit sky, we were family–brothers and sisters in Messiah. Our voices rose in praise as the sparks flitted from the fire and our prayers billowed like the smoke.

Campfires are for family.

What does a campfire mean to you?