Saturday, April 30, 2011

We Have Waited...

Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
~Isaiah 25:9


How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds...

how sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer's ear!
it soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
and drives away his fear.

it makes the wounded spirit whole,
and calms the troubled breast:
'tis manna to the hungry soul,
and to the weary, rest.

Jesus, my Savior, shepherd, friend,
my prophet, priest, and king,
my Lord, my life, my way, my end,
accept the praise I bring.

weak is the effort of my heart,
and cold my warmest thought;
but when I see thee as thou art,
I'll praise thee as I ought.

till then I would thy love proclaim
with every fleeting breath;
and may the music of thy name
refresh my soul in death.
John Newton 1725-1807


there is great hope in the fact that Jesus has ransomed us back to God... while we were still sinners(rom. 5:8). true grace and mercy is displayed at the cross by my Savior. i have been meditating on this wonderful thought this past week. let us be glad, and rejoice in such a salvation!






Monday, April 25, 2011

something to think on...

I am always astounded by Micah's carefully crafted words used to praise God.

The Holy Spirit

Come, Oh, Come, Thou Quickening Spirit

With our spirit bear Thou witness
That we are the sons of God
Who rely upon Him solely
When we pass beneath the rod;
For we know, as children should,
That the cross is for our good.

Prompt us, Lord, to come before Him
With a childlike heart to pray;
Sigh in us, O Holy Spirit,
When we know not what to say.
Then our prayer is not in vain,
And our faith new strength shall gain.

If our soul can find no comfort,
If despondency grows strong,
And the hear cries out in anguish:
"O my God, how long, how long?"
Comfort then our aching breast,
Grant it courage, patience, rest.

J. Christoph Bach, 1680

I was recently talking with a friend who is struggling with not feeling God's presence, nor seeing His working in her life. This is such a hard place to rest... Yet, having been there before, I can take comfort in knowing that God is good! He graciously allows us, when we distance ourselves from him, to return. It takes time... sometimes I forget that. Living in such an instantaneous society, we can sometimes push aside the fact that most things in life actually take time to bring about, and the waiting period can provide deep blessing. I am comforted by the words in this old hymn, describing the precious workings of the Holy Spirit. It is though Him that we can sense the very nearness of God. Praise Jesus for He has never left us!

thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. --Luke 24:46-49

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Ah, Holy Jesus

Last week, I played with a few friends in church. This song, Ah, Holy Jesus, has truly been serving as encouragement to my heart during this season of Lent. Below I have posted the words and a link to what we did in church last weekend. I truly hope it encourages you as we draw closer to the day of Resurrection. My Redeemer lives!!! Praise God, for he has made a way for His people in Christ Jesus.

Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended,
that we to judge thee have in hate pretended?
By foes derided, by thine own rejected,
O most afflicted!

Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus, hath undone thee!
'Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied thee;
I crucified thee.

Lo, the Good Shepherd for the sheep is offered;
the slave hath sinned, and the Son hath suffered.
For our atonement, while we nothing heeded,
God interceded.

For me, kind Jesus, was thy incarnation,
thy mortal sorrow, and thy life's oblation;
thy death of anguish and thy bitter passion,
for my salvation.

Therefore, kind Jesus, since I cannot pay thee,
I do adore thee, and will ever pray thee,
think on thy pity and thy love unswerving,
not my deserving.

http://j.mp/0417off

Thursday, April 21, 2011

silly moods.

As you can probably guess, I have been in a silly mood lately. One of my most favorite things to do is laugh. I believe it is a gift from God used to refresh the soul. Some of my fondest memories are with friends gathered around a table talking about our days and laughing with each other about the silly oddities of life. I was greatly blessed this past weekend with such refreshment. Sometimes it is just fun to be silly just to be silly; to use your body as an outlet for your sense of humor. I am grateful for my dear friends that shared Friday night around a dinner table with a plate of cookies and a night of laughter. I am still thanking God for the joy He provided through His church in that moment.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
ecclesiastes 3:1,4

Thursday, April 14, 2011

not my idea of a good time...





The weather report for Saturday morning refuses to change, and I am running the Race to Wrigley at 8:15am sharp. Rain, not my idea of a good time. I am praying that the rain holds off for a half hour as I run. If not, I am in for it!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Baby Drives Me Wild



I hope these two are still happily married and still dance like this often!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

A Good Man Is Hard To Find


My grandfather is turning 90 in five days. Tomorrow afternoon we are having a party in his honor. Fifty people will attend! He is a man of few words, but incredibly wise. He is lovable, humble, soft spoken, gentle yet strong, faithful to God and his family, and he is my grandfather. I have been working on a slide show to be shown at the party tomorrow and have been overwhelmed by his life though pictures. I am excited to show it to him!! Tomorrow will be a day to remember. I can't wait to swing dance with the family to the Big Band and celebrate my granddad, Raymond Ivan Kolmodin!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Sunday, funday...

Today I went to church, had choir rehearsal, and then went out to lunch with my friend Emily. From there we kinda went where the wind took us... Although the sun was not shining, Chicagoland got up to 79 today! It was beautiful outside, and here I sit with my windows wide as a light breeze passes through every so often. It was so refreshing to have nice weather and to spend a day with Emily. We talked about anything and everything, but one topic that stuck out was "life after college." We both seem to be going through a stage of life where we feel deep loneliness at times, great joy at others, and most of all feelings of restlessness. I recently heard one of my friends say, "I wish I could just run away. I don't know where I want to go, but I want to literally run away." I get that. I sometimes feel so restless with where my God has me these days. I love my job, and am grateful to be saving money for the time being, but I miss the incredibly sweet community I experienced while at Moody. It is always encouraging to know that I am not alone in feeling this way, but I wish with all that is in me to not feel it. I want to be content in the in between. I want to find consistent joy in the mundane of life. I know that nothing but Christ can serve this need...

more of you Jesus, more of you!

Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner’s prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet




Saturday, April 2, 2011

Leavin'...


Tomorrow my dear old friend Ryan goes to Afghanistan for a year. Even though he has been in Hawaii for a few years, the thought of him being even farther away makes me a little sad. I was thinking today about the war and what goes on daily on the other side of the world, and I don't take to heart often enough how truly blessed I am to live here in America. Sometimes I feel as though that phrase is clichè, but I remember feeling this way when he went to Iraq as well. Ryan, be careful, be smart, be safe, be friendly, be humorous, be home soon! This one goes out to you :)


Missing...

If you have ever lost something small you will know exactly how I have been feeling since September. After returning home from a wedding in Ohio, I misplaced my favorite pair of earrings and a ring that I love! The ring holds a lot more significance than the earrings because it belonged to my Aunt Diane. But, today, as I was cleaning out my closet, one of the earrings slid out from under my storage bin. I said, "oh yeah!! amazing!" and I continued to dig for the other one... it was pushed up against the back of my closet wall. How they got there, I have no idea, but I am now determined to seek that ring until it is found!!

I dedicate this song to my missing ring... and my found earrings.