my rendezvous with ranunculus.

so i discovered my new favorite flower the other day... and it is a bizarre name. ranunculus. whoever decided to name this flower must of had a hay day. i think the reason i like them so much is because they kind of look like little cupcakes from an aerial view. 

not to over-spiritualize a flower, but the first thought that comes to mind when i look at these is the verse in 1 Peter 1:22-25:

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.

these flowers are beautiful for a time, but unless you live in a humid, perfect paradise these flowers will fall or fade as it says in other translations. may we not forget the eternal and that we were made for more than just this temporary life on earth. 

As it says in John 15, we have been grafted into the Vine through Jesus Christ and apart from Him we can do nothing. so are we abiding? are we looking to Christ for our source of life? are we living in the desperate need for His Presence in our life? because without Him, we are but a withered branch dried up and shattered on the ground. we are a wilted flower being trampled on by the everyday.. may we abide in Him today, rooted and established in His Perfect Love for us.

consider the birds.

so i've had a blank canvas sitting in my room since april. i wanted to paint or create some form of artwork for the wall above my bed in my bedroom, but i never had the inspiration. you could say i was waiting for my muse.. and without an idea of what i'm doing i err on the side of too much. and i've learned from my previous mistakes.

well, low and behold, i finally finished my artwork. doing arts and crafts is similar to therapy for me... so once i know what i'm doing, i'm able to relax and i can lose all track of time while doing it. my theme was "consider the birds" and is taken from Luke 12:22-26:

"Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap. They have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

recently, i have learned how much of a control freak i am. there is this innate nature in us that doesn't want to be uncomfortable or in a waiting room situation. we live in an instantaneous world where everything is at our fingertips. and this is not to an attack against technology and all it has accomplished, but it has instilled in us this desire to have answers now and decrease our ability to have and extend patience. 

there is beauty in the waiting room, in the unknown, in the times i have to loosen my grip on life, in trust, in stillness, in making decisions with faith as my footing. so this is going to take you back a few years, especially if you were involved in youth group ministry in the late 90's early 2000's.. i revisited the lyrics from shane and shane's song "waiting room", and i love two of the stanzas:

sitting in the waiting room of silence
waiting for that still soft voice i know
offering my words up to the rooftop to Your heart
trusting that this closet's where You are

Lord i know if i change my mind
You will change my heart in time
Sovereign Lord this time's from You
so i sit in the waiting room of silence
cause its all about You

ultimately, whatever i am worrying about or impatiently hoping for, He's got it. it is in my trust, in my stillness, in my wait that i find His Provision for me. and maybe, just maybe, this waiting time is for my refinement to know i can't do this on my own. and maybe that is a good thing. so, today, consider the ravens... 

{or the birds... i didn't want to write ravens on a canvas on my wall.. edgar allen poe flashbacks}

hello august. nice to see you.

well.. i'm back. i took a little sabbatical from blogging this summer. but i'm back. there are almost too many thoughts to express..

so to keep the blog on a current lighter note, i will express some things i have learned in the past few months:

1. guacamole is always a good idea. i repeat ALWAYS.

2. when you move apartments, you usually have about 3 times as much stuff as you think.
3. the trick to baking quality chocolate chip cookies is by underbaking them by at least 5 minutes..:)

4. i don't know when you become a resident of the city you live in, but i am officially a Dallasite. been here almost a year and a half.

5. i'm in denial about my coordination. i don't know the last time any part of my body did not have a bruise.

6. i feel as if i should visit california soon. i've got the bug. 

7. patience really is a virtue, and one i'm not too fond of right now. thank you, Father, for teaching us lessons.

8. i have attended 11 weddings this summer. although i'm happy to have a weekend off, i'm still amazed by the beauty of the symbolism and the Gospel that is presented in a wedding ceremony. may we not take forgranted the love He so graciously pursues us with. the beautiful unconditional love. 

9. life keeps passing by more quickly... i am having to fight to stay in the present. in the day to day miracles and victories:)

10. having experienced a little more life, i still recognize my need for a Savior and am blown away by the grace Christ extends to us. i know very little, and the little good i do know was given to me by my Father.

lastly, here's a little treasure.. if you have not yet, i would advice you to click on your little itunes music store and purchase "Soon" by Hillsong United. the words are so rich. may we live today in hopes of the future to come. Soon and very soon, my King is coming...