I Love My Friends. All of Them.

I am in the process of trying to write Christmas cards for as many friends possible before we all leave campus for Christmas break in a couple of weeks. I started over Thanksgiving break with 14 cards and candy canes, but suddenly realized when I got back on campus of all the people I forgot!  I am a part of so many friend circles that I lose track of how many friends I actually have sometimes.

This weekend has been a wonderful reminder to me of how many friends I have, how many people care about me.  I spent different parts of the weekend with different friends, going to Campus Christmas, watching fun movies and videos, and visiting friends' dorms.  And a few days ago, I received three different invitations to three different Christmas parties, all in one day. At first, I was overwhelmed, wondering how I would find the time to go to all of them. But after remembering that the Christmas parties were going to be fun things (Having fun? What??) and that at each one, I would get to be with my friends, I decided to make time to go to all of them.  I want to celebrate the birth of my Savior with ALL of my friends and remember together the gift that God gave.  I want to fellowship with other believers that love and care about me, and I love and care about them, too.

Looking back, I remember that I have always been a "floater," never having a specific group of people I was always associated with.  In middle school, I had my band friends, my morning news friends, and my honors friends.  In high school, there were the Band Geeks, the Choir Nerds, my honors friends, my church friends, and a few other random friends I met in my different classes (e.g. the English 11 Table 3 friends).  And now that I'm a sophomore in college, I have my Printy 10-12 friends from last year, my camp friends from back home, my Maddox 23-24 friends from this year, my MOMM girls, my music major family, my nursing major friends that I know through my roommate, and of course my HeartSong family.  And these very diverse groups hardly ever overlap.  It's not necessarily that I'm involved in a lot of orgs, but just that I have a lot of different interests, and as a human I gravitate toward the people that share my interests.  (Choosing bridesmaids is going to be difficult...)

But I love every single one of my friends for the person they are, and I wish that they all have an amazing Christmas season.  I hope they all realize that I love them, but that our God loves us so much more than I could ever love. Even if I don't have enough time (or money) to get everyone a card, I hope they feel loved by Christ just the same.  And I am SO excited for Heaven, when ALL my friends will get to fellowship together with the one purpose of giving glory to our Savior.  Because it is in Christ that we are all unified; He is the Head of the body, the church, of which we all get to be a part.  I love that I can be a part of God's plan, and I can carry out His plan with great people that I love so much.

To my friends and my family: I love you so very much.  All of you.

The Soundtrack of My Life

Lately I have been thinking a lot about music and the way it continues to shape my life.  Many different songs have been in my head over the past month, and I thought for this blog I would share some of the lyrics from these songs because I think they do a better job than I can at telling about my spiritual journey lately.  I'm including some Scripture that has spoken to me lately as well.  So here it is: the soundtrack of my life.


Track #1: ...I am full of sin, I carry my idols, I am far from you...

With lips that can't speak and ears that cannot hear, my idols lay in silence
So why do I give them obsession and give them my heart?
When in the end, there's no hope of love
'Cause on the cross, the hammer fell for all of us
It's Your blood that covers me, Your grace that carries me
Jesus, Great Physician of my soul, would you heal me?
-"Healed" by HeartSong

I waited for you today, but you didn't show
I needed you today, so where did you go?
You told me to call, said you'd be there
And though I haven't seen you, are you still there?
-"Never Alone" by BarlowGirl

Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress;
My eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief
My life is consumed by anguish, and my years by groaning;
My strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.
-Psalm 31:9-10

Track #2:  You pursue me/I want to be Yours

Therefore I am now going to allure her
I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her
-Hosea 2:14

You gave Your life, You shed Your blood
I take for granted what is enough
Less of me, more of You, Father, less of me, more of You
I'm crying out to You, my Father!
May my life reflect Your love, which is enough
-"Less" by HeartSong

Be still, and know that I am God
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth
-Psalm 46:10

Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine
Since You laid down your life, the greatest sacrifice
Majesty, Majesty, Your grace has found me just as I am
Empty-handed but alive in Your hands
Forever I am changed by Your love in the presence of Your Majesty
-"Majesty" by HeartSong

Track #3: I will respond

How great You are, Sovereign LORD!  There is no one like You, and there is no God but You, as we have heard with our own ears.  And who is like your people Israel - the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for Himself?...You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You LORD have become their God.
-II Samuel 7:22-24

One thousand times I've said I tried my best, only to lose
But You take me as I come, and You are the Only One
Forgive me for giving myself away to anything that calls my name
There is none but You
-"None but You" by HeartSong

Track #4: Learning to trust You

Surrender, surrender, You whisper gently
You say I will be free, I know, but can't You see
My dreams are me
-"Surrender" by BarlowGirl

Prone to wander, LORD, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, LORD, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above
-"Come Thou Fount"

I lost my trust in You again
And in my heart, I know I never let You in
My love is broken again, I know what I am, just a common man
Please pity this broken soul
-"Prodigal" by Rachel Lee

Track #5 Continuing to seek You/"You pursue me" reprise

When You call I won't refuse, each new day, again I'll choose
When You call I won't delay, this my song through all my days
There is no one else for me, none but Jesus
Crucified to set me free, now I live to bring Him praise
-"None but Jesus" by HeartSong

I know you're hurting now, you see no purpose in your life
Because everything is falling to the ground
But I have searched you, and I know you, and I came to earth to save you
And in Me, new life can be found
So don't lose hope, don't lose hope
Look to the sky, I'll be there, in the depths, I'll be there
In the sunrise, by the seaside, know My hand will guide you
In the night, I'll be there, in the light, I'll be there
Your hope never has to fade, because I am always with you
-"I Am Always With You" written by me, summer 2008

Be still, and know that I am God
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth
-Psalm 46:10

The HeartSong Blog

Unfortunately I have been so busy with school and work that I haven't had a chance to update my blog in a while!  Recently I was able to update the HeartSong blog, though, and the latest post should be up soon.  Please feel free to check out the HeartSong blog, and keep checking it throughout the year and next summer to hear stories from all five teams!

http://www.cedarville.edu/Christian-Ministries/HeartSong.aspx

Until the next free moment!