Change

change is good, they say. i hate change. so, perhaps to force myself to grow in my “love” for change (though it might be more accurate to say that I’m feeling “less hate” toward change, but not quite “love” yet)…I am rearranging my bedroom and living room. small apartment, so rearranging is a big change. hoping that both my bedroom and living room feel more peaceful and that I’ll “love coming home” to the spaces I’m creating. yes, adding things to the walls will probably help. it’s been over 5 years and i still have nothing on my walls. i just haven’t put the effort into making the decisions about WHAT to put on the walls. obviously hasn’t been a priority. lots of great ideas and things i like, just have to narrow it down and actually take the time to get and put things up.

anyways…back to the subject of change…sigh…I can handle this kind of change. this kind of change is one where I can wholeheartedly, without-a-doubtedly agree that change is “good”. if only every change felt this good…

(credit to Tim & Christina Lewis & the redesign company for inspiration on “home” and creating space that you love to do life in…mwah!)

this is a new year…it’s a new day…

…these are the titles to two of my favorite songs.  I love fresh starts.  I love new years.  I love new weeks.  I love new days, but sometimes days blend together and I forget that they actually DO begin again every twenty-four hours.  I love the chance to try again, new mercy every morning…I love hope.  HOPE.

These songs give me hope…enjoy!

NEW YEAR (by Charlie Hall)
::listen here::

my heart beats like a drum, flying up with the sun
i grab Your hand again
renovated with life, my eyes again bright
and You are radiant

where hope can hold the hand of sorrow
and we can walk into tomorrow
where peace is found in troubled days
and the joy of Jesus carries pain

this is a new year, this is a new day
to rise, shine, lift up your eyes
this is a new year, this is a new day
to rise, shine, and point the way to God’s great life

I’m held in a place, a beautiful space
where heaven meets the earth
my heart opens wide and the Father pours life
deep inside my soul

where hope can hold the hand of sorrow
and we can walk into tomorrow
where peace is found in troubled days
and the joy of Jesus carries pain

this is a new year, this is a new day
to rise, shine, lift up your eyes
this is a new year, this is a new day
to rise, shine, and point the way to God’s great life

IT’S A NEW DAY (by Robbie Seay band)
::listen here::

i’m gonna sing this song to let you know that you’re not alone
and if you’re like me you need hope, coffee, and melody
so sit back down, let the world keep spinning ‘round
for yesterday’s gone and today is waiting on you to show your face

and it might not be the prettiest thing that you’ll ever see
but it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day
and it might not look like a beautiful sunrise
but it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day

i’m a pilgrim soul, i’ve traveled far and come back home
this land is hard and cold for those who long to love
and I know it might seem that the world is crumbling
but it’s me and you dancing in the kitchen at 2 am and we’re still alive

it’s the calm of the storm that comes blowing in
it’s the springtime saying I’m back again
the clouds that roll by, crossing moonlight
me and you love – everything’s alright
standing in the rain with nowhere to go
laughing and we’re spinning and I hope that you
remember this day for the rest of your life
me and you love – everything’s gonna be alright

and it just might be the prettiest thing that you’ll ever see
well it’s a new day, oh baby, it’s a new day
if you look outside to see a beautiful sunrise
well it’s a new day, a new day, it’s a new day!

my new peeps…

Our church is trying a new way to do small groups, more of a semester-based kind of thing, which is awesome in so many ways.  So, I answered the call to host a group and definitely got “cold feet” as the time got closer.  I’ve hosted and been a part of several small groups, but what I realized is that before now all of those groups were with people I already knew.  This one is different.  My group was simply listed in a catalog and any 20-something could sign up.  At first I was excited about meeting new people and the idea that new people could get connected with others.  Then I became less excited as the idea of opening my home to people I didn’t even know began to sink in.  I thought, “what did I get myself into?!”

Well, all 8 of us met at Starbucks last Wednesday for the first time.  (as a sidenote, I have known 2 of them for a few years now and had also met 2 of the others recently, so they weren’t all complete strangers!)  It was so cool to simply meet new people.  I love hearing people’s stories…where they’ve come from, what they enjoy, how they ended up at this point in life doing what they do, etc.  I think we all walked away from Starbucks really excited to get to know each other more and with hopeful expectation of what God is going to do in our group over the next couple months.

We met again tonight at my place.  I normally wouldn’t think about hosting 8 people in my cozy apartment, but it was just that: cozy…like family.  We talked about what we want to do over the next several weeks and the excitement was building by the minute.  We are so pumped to realize that we’re all passionate about serving and doing things to make a difference in people’s lives.  And then we ended the night by sharing how God has worked in our lives to bring us to this point, of being in this small group.  So awesome, again, to hear the stories that God is writing…and to know that this is just a new chapter along the journey, with blank pages yet to be written.

I’m so excited.  I’m so glad each person had the courage to sign up for “the unknown”.  I’m so grateful I said “yes” before I really thought about what I was “getting myself into”.  I’m pumped that I get to link arms with Kate, Jim, Jessica, Christine, Dave, Sarah and Gregg for this season of life. I’m confident that our lives will not be the same.

God, you are SO good.  Thanks for creating us to need each other!

“Oh oh we need each other
Through all the highs and lows
Oh oh we need each other
‘Cause no one’s meant to be alone”
-from “We Need Each Other” by Sanctus Real

I wanna be one of them…

In our services yesterday, we did one of those songs that gives me chills everytime I listen to it.  Sara Groves is a very talented writer and the way the music builds with intensity while the lyrics bring to life such moving scenes is amazing.

“When the Saints” by Sara Groves

When The Saints
by Sara Groves

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I’ve seen and know
It’s more than I can handle
But Your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
And I can’t let it go

And when I’m weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it’s all that I can’t carry and cannot leave behind
It all can overwhelm me
But when I think of all who’ve gone before and lived a faithful life
Their courage compels me

And when I’m weary and overwrought
With so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
I see the shepherd Moses in the pharaoh’s court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord
And when the saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the underground railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul
I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear
I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sister standing by the dying man’s side
I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come kicking down that door
I see the Man of Sorrow and His long troubled road
I see the world on His shoulders and my easy load

And when the saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

a blog is born…

the time has come, the day has arrived, the suspense is over, and life will never be the same.  michele has officially started her new blog.  she’ll need some time to figure out how to make the most of this, but it will be worth the wait of course.  come back soon!