this i believe

"there is no God" writes penn jillette.

all that is released are tears of saddness and pain.

psalm 121

i look up to the mountains -

does my help come from there?

my help comes from the Lord,

who made the heavens and the earth!

He will not let you stumble and fall;

the one who watches over you will not sleep.

indeed, he who watches over Israel

never tires and never sleeps.

the Lord himself watches over you!

the LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

the sun will not hurt you by day,

nor the moon at night.

the Lord keeps you from all evil and

preserves your life.

the Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,

both now and forever.

happiness/joy #51-75

#51-75:

51.) the smell of the mountains in colorado
52.) falling asleep in the middle of the day and waking up hours later
53.) my squishy massage pillow
54.) witnessing an awkward moment
55.) putting on dresses that make me feel like a princess
56.) 2500 ab workouts
57.) restaurants that prohibit smoking
58.) leaving suprises for my friends
59.) getting caught up in the Word
60.) downtown chicago during the holiday’s
61.) going canoeing
62.) spur of the moment road trips to random places
63.) the smell of freshly cut grass
64.) painting
65.) going out on a date
66.) dancing (preferably to *nsync and britney type music)
67.) singing as loud as i can in my car
68.) buying a new outfit
69.) taking black and white pictures
70.) reading a new book
71.) diving into a pool
72.) getting dressed up – makeup, hair done, manicure, pedicure… the whole deal
73.) snuggling up on the couch, watching a movie, while eating m&m’s and popcorn mixed together
74.) a large mocha mint frappe from java g’s
75.) not setting my alarm before i go to sleep

rock on

last night i went to the david crowder/shane & shane concert with a friend of mine. we arrived a bit early being some of the first people in line. as we waited, my friend and i got to talking to this older women (maybe in her late 70's) who was there with one of her sons. she shared with us her love for crowders music, then going on to list other worship leaders she absolutely adored...

i love tim hughes... and that chris tomlin! oh he's so good! i love casting crowns, they were one of my favorite. and mercy me is good... but that tim hughes and chris tomlin! they are just fabulous... i just love chris tomlin's song "how great is out God"! i could listen to that song over and over again.

listening to a woman of her age display her love for these singers was beautiful. it's not very often you meet elderly people in the church that enjoy the "harder" kind of worship music.

when i first heard a church playing this loud music, i couldn't believe it and said, "this isn't church!" and then i saw people dancing... i just walked out. but God has shown me that their music is the same exact worship music as any hymn i would ever sing, just a different style. and the dancing... He tells us to dance, so i just need to get used to that and do it!

it was beautiful.

i then met 4 guys who drove down from minnesota just to see the show. they had even made shirts that said "we drove 240 miles just to see david." talking with them i could see their love for the Lord. their eyes glistened and shined brightly. they didn't even need to mention much about God; i could just see it in them.

when the doors open, my friend and i joined them in the front center of the hall. their excitement was undescribable. they could not wait until crowder came out and caught a glimpse of their shirts... and in fact he did. david looked down at the 4 of them laughing and thanking them for their faithfulness to his band. one of the guys, matt, turned to me, looking like a little kid in a candy store and said, "can you believe that?! david just asked me what my name was!"

besides the blessing of being with hundred of believers and getting to worship the Lord, i was also blessed with the conversations i had with the different people that i met. this concert reminded me of being at passion '05, yet a ton smaller (sidenote: go to passion '06 if you can - passion.06).

oh and i think crowder is ten times cooler simply because he plays the keytar. (i posted my photo's from the concert, feel free to check 'em out).

and He's set me on fire, i am burning alive

with His breath in my lungs, i am coming undone

and He's set me on fire, i am burning alive
with His breath in my lungs, i am coming undone.

and i cannot hold it in and remain composed

loves taking over me and so i propose,

in letting myself go

i am letting myself go...

You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my JOY!

You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my joy, You are my JOY!

brand new

last night i gathered together with people in one of the most beautiful scenes i have witnessed in a long time.

i was able to go downtown des moines and join together with hundreds and hundreds of people from my church, as we celebrated God's goodness and grace. we praised Him for the lives that He has changed within the church, and the blessings that He has provided to our community.

i sang. i danced. i laughed. i wept... and i wept hard.

in the middle of the singing and worshiping, about 20 people from the congregation, male and females ranging from 13-50, graciously stood up in front of the crowd each holding a sign that on one side shared what things them captive before Christ, and on the other revealing how their lives are now that they have the Father in their life...

ugly --> BEAUTIFUL
slave to possessions --> FREE TO GIVE
boy crazy --> CRAZY ABOUT JESUS
skeptic --> CONVINCED
led by guilt --> LED BY LOVE
following peers --> FOLLOWING CHRIST
lost --> FOUND

my eyes filled with tears the second the group began walking across the stage. one by one they revealed the trapped side of their sign while a coldplay song played in the background, then slowly they each flipped over their sign revealing their new life in Jesus.

i shed tears of thankfulness for the transformation in each of my brothers and sisters, but also because i could see myself. it was hard for me to admit that i am still one of those people stuck in certain areas of my life, but i was still able to worship and find joy in the Yeshua. thank the Lord for that. thank God that we do not have to live a life of imprisonment. thank God that He will set us free. though it takes time, the beauty of the process is astonishing.

witnessing the transformation of people from one life to another is one of the most beautiful things that takes place in this world.

praise God. praise God. praise God!

happiness/joy #26-50

here's #26-50 for ya folks...

26.) giving back massages
27.) driving a jet ski
28.) picnics
29.) movie previews
30.) inside jokes
31.) puppies
32.) going to the zoo (yes... i'm 5 years old...)
33.) the month of may
34.) mud fights
35.) meeting new people
36.) falling asleep in the huge red chairs in drakes student union
37.) shoe shopping
38.) wearing my cowboy hat
39.) putting on clothes right out of the dryer
40.) going out for sushi with my parents
41.) california
42.) long flowy gypsy skirts
43.) putting lotion on my face after i take a shower
44.) incense (preferably nagchamba)
45.) hearing and watching my little sister laugh uncontrollably (including snorting, spitting, and body convulsions)
46.) the feeling in my stomach while on a rollercoaster
47.) jenni terrills amazing peppermint dessert
48.) going to a concert of a band i really like
49.) the noise of rocks being thrown in the water
50.) kate t's tree swing

happiness/joy #1-25

i'm following the crowd... top 100 things that bring me happienss/joy.

#1-25:

1.) hearing the Lord's voice
2.) laughing so hard i can't breath
3.) snowboarding
4.) sleeping with 5 or more pillows
5.) romania
6.) walking on the beach barefoot
7.) brushing my teeth
8.) hugging my family after not seeing them for a long time
9.) cuddling/spooning
10.) dipping french fries in a wendys frosty
11.) bouquets of sunflowers
12.) having someone brush my hair
13.) having a friend smile at me for no reason
14.) picked up, off the ground, double armed hugs
15.) when someone calls you just to say "hi" because they "were thinking about you"
16.) holding hands
17.) discovering a new band
18.) snow on the ground that hasn’t been touched
19.) praying for people/being prayed for
20.) driving towards a sun set
21.) down comforters
22.) sharing my testimony
23.) falling asleep on the terrill’s kitchen floor
24.) sunny days with a light rain
25.) downloading a new phone ring