pressing pause

"Rejoice in the Lord always. 

I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:4-7)

An amazing God we serve, no?

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Well I'm back. College apps, SAT prep, and life have been keeping me pretty busy. I'm glad to say that things are starting to slow down (a wee bit). 

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you,

in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary 

and beheld your power and your glory. 

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, 

and in your name I will lift up my hands. 

My soul will be satisfied as with the riches of foods;

with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Psalm 63:1-5

my soul won't be thirsty anymore...

more than wildflowers...

"Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? ...If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers-most of which are never even seen- don't you think He'll attend to you, take pride in you, do His best for you?"

Matthew 6:28, 30 (The Message)

eyes on heaven country

photo from the san juan islands, taken on my diana camera

this concept is something that really bounced around in my mind a while back. the verse comes from the chapter in hebrews that talks about people in the bible (like abraham, sarah, etc) who will be rewarded for their faith. it says, "each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. how did they do it? they saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. people who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home" (Hebrews 11:13-14, The Message version). I feel like this kind of living is so rare in our american culture. we like to see the "fruits of our labour" right away, we don't like to be kept waiting. what all of the people mentioned in this chapter have in common, however, is that they did not see God's promise come through in their lifetime, but they put their full hope in God, kept their eyes on the promise of heaven, and did the things God asked them to do. I love the imagery of the verse: "they were after a far better country than that - heaven country". they knew that they were not of this world; they were destined for a far better place, heaven, and that knowledge allowed them to put their faith in God and his plans despite the pains, adversity, or struggles that constantly wear one down in this life.
I want to live like this: with my eyes on heaven country. suddenly the things of this world, the materialism, pain, drama...don't mean as much anymore because they are not forever.
but heaven is.

"what joy / psalm 146"

chorus from "what joy" by sarah emerson. photo taken on my diana f+ camera

loving this song right now: "What Joy"

I'm so thankful for people who have the gift to write such beautiful worship songs. 

well i'm off to explore Olympia with the fam!

hopefully the rain will hold out on us...

just what I needed to hear

original photo from here, quote added by me

just keep moving

Junior year is hard. Looking at colleges, ACT/SAT tests, applications, personal statements, (the list goes on) all make it hard to stay motivated to keep going. Most mornings I feel like turning off my alarm clock and going back to sleep forever. However, I know that it is more important than ever to stay on top of deadlines (and life in general) so that I can transition into this next exciting stage of my life!
Sometimes all I need is a quote like this one to remind me to keep going strong.