His

He is jealous for me.

He is unwaiveringly, unfailingly for me. He is eternal. He is perfect.

He is kind to me.

He is King of Kings. He is holy. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is sacrificial. He is the true judge.

His word will not return void. His promises endure.

He is more faithful than the coming morning. He is my hope. He is my shield.

"He has been a refuge for us..."

He is unchanging, immutable, everlasting.

He is my hiding place.

He is my song, my strength.

He has set me in the cleft of the rock to show me His face.

He is glorious.

He is a good shepherd. He neither slumbers nor sleeps.

He sees me.

And I am His.

Hallelujah.

Rescue

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of you

I need you Jesus to come to my rescue
where else can I go?
There's no other name by
which I am saved
Capture me with grace

I will follow you

My heart is yours for life
I need your hand in mine
No one else will do
Lord I put my trust in You

love

"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."
1 Corinthians 13: 7-8

HOLY MOLY.

It's funny that I think if as Christians, we could really understand/believe/live this kind of love, we'd be sooooooooooo much better off. Seems strange that these two more-than-very familiar verses have seemed like I read them for the first time today.
But dang if I don't need to hear it again.


and again....




and again....



and again....

Mere Christianity

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house form the one you thought of- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

Thanks, Katie H. :)

Indonesia

Some of my favorite Indo pics.
At the slum in Tanaban.
This was a game kinda like rock-paper-scissors that we played with the kids in Tanaban. I LOVE Bayu's expression in this picture as he's very aptly acting out a gorilla. Haha.


Ha. This one is maybe my FAVORITE of Ryan. So classic



Hearyee, hearyee! This is the infamous Rice Pyramid, a traditional Indonesian meal at holidays and birthdays. Seriously. All that yellow is rice. Also, please note that the makshift "flags" on the side are actually hot peppers. Owie.



Haha ok. I was in the supermarket getting massive amounts of milk for the slum the next day, and as I was on knees counting out the cartons, this little thing came up and stood between me and the shelves. She just STARED. I imagine she had never seen a bule (a white person) up close...much less one that is as fair as I am. Her mouth is agape in shock.









Neighborhood boys.

randomness

Nita, you've been so encouraging about my old Europe pics, so I'm posting a few more for you!

(Sigh. Traveling is something that is so dear to my heart and I'm not sure why.)
Also, resolution update: Still not a single diet coke!! WOOT!


Cinque Terre, ItalyI love this picture because I caught this little munkin while he was crying about something -- and subsequently being consoled by a lolli pop.
Church in Brugge.
Hah....this picture is just from a door in Germany. I just think the language looks like art itself!
Paris, France.
Edinburough, Scotland.
Edinborough, Scotland. I remember this man and I chatted a bit. He was very opinionated about the fact that we "should excersize more." (Reasons he like ran up Sir Arthur's seat....) I was impressed.
Gotti, i think.

resolutes

Granted, 2008 was a tumultous year politically, economically (blah blah blah), but I am already sick with "Stories of 2008" headlines and the subsequent epic photo montages. HOWEVER, in my life, 2008 was definitely an interesting year,
where I took part in the following:
... joined YWAM, lived in Kona, Hawaii for 3 months (niiiiceee), saw an octopus, showed that beach who said Anne and I wouldn't come out friends in the end who's boss, ate oatmeal for breakfast for 5 months straight, made friends who I will treasure for my LIFE, went East, contracted the tropical hemorrhagic fever specific to Southeast Asia (I'll pass), watched a man die (also a passer), made friends with my 93-year-old neighbor who describes her husband as a "hottie," allowed my sister to drive me places (scarier than the hemorrhagic fever), interviewed for 5 jobs, watched my brother marry one of my best friends, worked as an administrative assistant (Zzzz), blue-eyed boy, ran a half marathon, contemplated getting another tattoo, rode the bus to Chicago, loved John Steinbeck more,
liked coffee less, survived the one-year anniversary of Josh's death, tried to figure out what the heck Micah 6:8 really means, took steriods (uh, really), decided with finality that eggplant is my favorite vegetable, and spent New Year's with a delightful group of new friends.

What I've resolved for 2009 (in descending order from the things I'll be most likely to accomplish to the things I concede may never happen):

1. Floss.
2. Speak more kindly.
3. No more Diet Coke (or at least limited consumption of the chemical that may or may not shrink human's brains).
4. Not be annoyed so easily.
5. Read the Bible through, cover to cover.
6. Be brutally, if not painfully, honest.

So, we shall see. Thank you Lord for health and a new year.