the words i would say...

Sidewalk Prophets is an up and coming band in today's contemporary Christian music industry. While I love so many of their songs, for instance, show me how to love, you can have me, and just might change your life all speak volumes about the life of an individual sold out to God. However, my favorite would definitely have to be their first single, these are the words i would say. Take a moment and reflect on the chorus of this song.

"be strong in the Lord
and never give up hope
you're gonna do great things
i already know
God's got his hand on you
so don't live life in fear
forgive and forget
but don't forget why you're here
take your time and pray...

these are the words i would say"

If you're like me, music speaks in a way that other things cannot. The passion and urgency behind these words resonates with my desire for others to know their worth, the worth that God has given them.

And so, it got me thinking. What are the words I would say? The things I would share? That I want others to know and believe? Turns out, they're not so much my words, as His. So here's what HE says, what HE has shared in his word, and what HE wants us all to know and believe...

1. you are loved more than life itself..................john 3:16
2. He rejoices over you.......................................zephaniah 3:17
3. you are precious.............................................psalm 63:3
4. He comes to your rescue...............................isaiah 64:5
5. His strength fills your weakness....................2 corinthians 12:9
6. you are written on the palm of His hand........isaiah 49:16
7. you are created in His image.........................genesis 1:27
8. He has set you apart.......................................jeremiah 1:5
9. He is enthralled by your beauty......................isaiah 45:11
10. you have not been given a spirit of fear......2 timothy 1:7
11. He is your help...............................................psalm 121:1-2
12. the Lord fights for you...................................exodus 14:14
13. you are honored in His sight........................isaiah 43:4
14. He is your strength........................................habakkuk 3:19
15. you are the apple of His eye........................psalm 17:8
16. you are a jewel in His crown........................isaiah 62:3

yes, i think these are the words i would say...

all your needs

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." - Paul, Philippians 4:19

Paul. I just love Paul. I think it is because he and I seem to have a lot of things in common. I mean, God had to get this guy chained up in prison just so he'd sit still long enough to write most of the New Testament. Paul loved to be going and doing. Me too. I'm just hoping it won't take physical chains or a prison to keep me still enough to accomplish whatever God has planned for me.

And that is why I find myself sitting on my unmade bed, looking out the window at the snowy and icey yard, just being still. Okay, so maybe the TV is quietly on a sports channel in the background, but that's not the point. There's something about the stillness and peacefulness that comes with the snow. And so I've found myself reflecting on that verse from Philippians.

I think Paul got it, like really got it. This guys had been through it all. For years he had been a spiritual giant, though more on the Pharisaical side of it. He knew all the rules and was proud of his religion. But, after a bout of blindness, he also knew the reality that is Jesus. He really lived it, just saying. In 2 Corinthians, Paul boasts in his sufferings for Christ - not so that he could lift himself up, but rather so that He might be lifted up and and others encouraged to stand firm.

Just 7 verses before, in Philippians 4:12, Paul reveals that he knows what it is like to live in plenty and to live in want. He shares that he has learned the secret to being content in any and every situation.

Now, I'm definitely NOT a theologian. In fact, I can barely even spell it without a dictionary. But I would venture to say that Paul was all over this one. I imagine sitting down across the table from him, let's say at Subway, with the conversation going something like this...

Me: "So, Paul, I see here in Philippians that you seem to think you've discovered the secret to being content in life. Is that really even possible?"

Paul: "Without a doubt it's possible. Remember Luke 18:27, nothing is impossible with God."

Me: "Okay, so hypothetically speaking, just what IS this secret?"

Paul: "I'd say it comes down to one word. Jesus. That He is who He says He is. That He loves like He says He loves. That He saves like He says He can save. That He keeps promises and supplies needs, just like He says He will."

So, just a few days after the new year, I can't help but think about all the ways He has more than exceeded all of my needs... A perfect Savior. Loving family. Best friends. Warm house. Abundant food. Clean air and water. Church body.

Then, there are those things I like to say are "just because He can." Free school. Chick-fil-a. College football. Texting. Snow days. A best friend who is content simply to sit with this sister missing her brother. The list goes on and on and on.

So today, I will choose to trust. And in trusting, I hope to be able to say, like Paul, that I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. For surely, if He can clothe the lilies of the field and feed the birds of the air (Matthew 6), He can be just what I need, just when I need it.

"It's easy, and only takes a minute."

Yeah right. Or maybe it is, and I'm just blonde. Either way, I sure wasn't expecting an intense workout this late at night (or should I say, this early in the morning).

See, here's the deal. For months now, I've toyed with the idea of starting a blog and several people have encouraged me to. Until this past year, I had kept a daily journal (perhaps a little OCD) since January 2003. That's a really long time to write in something every single day.

But I love to write, so blogging just makes sense. And since it's supposed to be quick and easy to start, I decided I'd try to set it up tonight. In my head, I already had my blog named, my URL picked out, my password decided on... you get the idea. I'm thinking this should take, oh, about twentyish minutes. So, I pulled up Google, good 'ol faithful Google, and submitted a search for popular blogs. You guessed it, "Blogger" it is.

And that is where everything started getting interesting.

Still quite enthused with the prospect of making a blog to call my own, I started entering information in the required fields to create an account. Come to find out, I already have a Google account, but of course I don't remember my password. Hurdle #1: get Google to email me directions about how to change my password.

Mkay, so now I need a picture. Should be easy enough since I only have a couple thousand on my computer. Or, maybe not... (that was Hurdle #2).

Hurdle #3: This is the one that really got me... the dreaded URL. Just in case anyone was wondering, there are thousands upon thousands of possible URL addresses both in existence and waiting to be used. Yep, you guessed it, I probably went through a couple hundred of the ones already chosen before I found one that was "available." Grr...

Setting up the layout of my blogging profile was actually kind of relaxing after the URL frustration. And while it was also much simpler than the aforesaid disaster, Hurdle #4: the design still consumed some time. Then again, I suppose most things do.

So, finally, I get to start writing! What a welcome relief!! But I just can't bring myself to proceed without reflecting on the irony of the catch phrase that made me decide to start blogging tonight in the first place: "It's easy, and only takes a minute."

Actually, Blogger.com, it took me slightly longer than a minute... try 119 more.