Oct. 13-17, 2004

Sunday, October 17, 2004

God is soooooooooooooooooooo much more amazing than we could ever give Him credit for.

Check out this song, if you don't already know it:

Why - Nichole Nordeman

We rode into town the other day,
just me and my daddy.
he said I’d finally reached that age,
and I could ride next to him on a horse
that of course, was not quite as wild.

We heard a crowd of people shouting,
and so we stopped to find out why.
There was that man that my dad said he loved,
but today there was fear in his eyes.

So I said, “Daddy, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why is He dressed in that bright purple robe?
I bet that crown hurts Him more than He shows.
Daddy please, can’t you do something?
He looks as though He’s gonna cry.
You said He was stronger than all of those guys;
Daddy, please tell me why.
Why does everyone want Him to die?”

Later that day, the sky grew cloudy,
and Daddy said I should go inside.
Somehow he knew things would get stormy.
Boy was he right, but I could not keep from wondering
if there was something he had to hide.

So after he left, I had to find out.
I was not afraid of getting lost.
So I followed the crowds to a hill
where I knew men had been killed,
and I heard a voice come from the cross.

And it said, “Father, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why are they casting their lots for my robe?
This crown of thorns hurts me more than it shows.
Father please, can’t you do something?
I know that You must hear my cry.
I thought I could handle a cross of this size.
Father, remind me why.
Why does everyone want me to die?
Oh, when will I understand why?”

My precious son, I hear them screaming.
I’m watching the face of the enemy beaming.
But soon I will clothe you in robes of my own.
Jesus, this hurts me much more than you know,
but this dark hour, I must do nothing,
though I’ve heard your unbearable cry.
The power in your blood destroys all of the lies;
soon you’ll see past their unmerciful eyes.
Look, there be love, see the child
trembling by her father’s side.
Now I can tell you why...
she is why you must die.


Heavenly Father, Your love is unsurpassed. It amazes me every day, but Lord especially right now, my heart breaks when I think of the Cross. Don't ever let me lose that, God. Don't let me forget. Lord have mercy on me. Jesus, I love You.


Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Total awesomeness! So I had a little meeting with my German teacher (who totally rocks, by the way, I love her to death) today - one of those obligatory "what are your goals in this class" kind of meetings, and we got to talking about my major and what I want to do with my German and whatnot... and I actually feel like I have some sense of purpose here now! It's totally amazing! I told her about changing my mind about international relations, and how I was sorta thinking about education, and how I want to take Turkish too, and study abroad... and she was like, "Wow! That's great! That's so exciting!" AND, she can really help me with that. She actually heads up a department within the German department - basically she trains the German teachers (like, TA's and such) here, and she said that in a couple years I could do a "Praktikum" with her - like, teach an intro level German class under her supervision. She could help me get into the world of German education, which is sooooo great (especially since she's so cool, too!) and she actually made a suggestion that I'm very seriously considering - I could major in education, and minor in German and Turkish. That would give me a whole lot of opportunities and it would encompass my main interests. I need to actually look into what they offer here for education, but I'm really excited! It was great to talk to someone who understands my interests and can really help me. And I feel like now there's a concrete possibility that I can really consider, rather than just being a totally clueless "undecided" freshman. Great stuff!

So, that's 'Stina's exciting news of the day. I got to talk to one of my favorite people last night - my choir director from back home - and that made me really happy. I'm going to have a fun night too because after I give blood I'm going to praise team rehearsal for CRU and then Full Measure rehearsal - woohoo! Oh, God is good... all the time. :) I hope everyone's having a great day!

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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Total bummer! I couldn't give blood today because my hematocrit was too low!! : ( (That means I didn't have enough red blood cells...) You have to be at 38%, and I was only at 36%. I was really bummed. It's probably a good thing though because if I had tried to give blood in that condition, I could've gotten really sick. And there's another drive next week so I'll give it a try then. Oh well.

On a happier note... Two awesome, powerful rehearsals tonight. Not giving blood meant that I got to go to the entire CRU praise band rehearsal, which was totally humbling and awe-inspiring and just... it truly brought me back to the heart of worship. It's not coincidence that we're singing that tomorrow night. No more hoarding blessings to myself... they're all God's. Everything has to come from a pure and humble heart and be lifted up to Him alone.

Full Measure was great tonight as well. I love being with the FMily! You guys rock my socks off! What a miracle that I'm part of such an incredible group...

Well, I guess I'd better call it a night... Much love to all! Night night... : )