on a pillow of blue bonnets and a blanket made of stars

I love blue bonnets. Why?

For starters they are gorgeous. My Texan friend just emailed me this photo in a forwarded email from her mom. Gorgeous, right?!

They are my favorite color and look at how well they cover the field. I want to go picnic in a field of them, and bring some books along too.

But my love of blue bonnets was really inspired by the Dixie Chicks and their song "Cowboy Take Me Away."

For your listening enjoyment: Cowboy Take Me Away

"The reasons we go to war always matter."

In March of 2010 I saw the Green Zone, a Matt Damon war flick. (It didn't really touch the Bourne series, but that is not what I'm posting about.)  I didn't see too many movies that year, which possibly added to the impact that this movie had on me. I often find myself mulling over one of the lines from it, "The reasons we go to war always matter."

Today I substitute taught. Sometimes when I'm teaching it feels like I'm at war. There is this lesson, full of great content that the sweet cherubim before me would greatly benefit in learning; however, they don't want to learn it, or do anything that I want them to do for that matter! Today it seemed as though it was a battle of wills, my will against 27 other wills. Alright, maybe seven of them wanted to learn or at least respect me, so only 20 wills against me. It was exhausting, but the battle was worth fighting. Ironically enough the lesson they were the most naughty during was about the beginning of U.S. Civil War, particularly the motivations for the Union and the Confederacy to enter the war.

This evening I received a phone call from my new boss and in our short conversation he said something about being on the front lines of battle. Yes, since my decision to go back on staff has been made there has been some serious fear and plenty of lies to take captive and make obedient to Christ. O but there is reason enough to engage in the battle, it is war. Yes, "The reasons we go to war always matter." We all pick our battles daily... What part of creation will we try to tame and subdue this day? What wrongs can be made right? How can I be bearer of light in this darkness? Or we may be so overwhelmed, apathetic, desensitized or down right lazy that we refuse to engage in any battle at all? 

I don't know what camp you would find yourself in, but I often feel I'm in the thick of a battle. Yet my heart can be confident as the end of the story has already been told. For on the cross my Savior's heel may have been struck, but with His resurrection, conquering sin and death, the serpent's head was crushed. He is victorious and we, His bride, are certainly safe as we are His. 

You go before me in battle. You are with me and You will never leave me or forsake me. Not only this, but because You live, my labor in You is not in vain. Help me to stand firm and let nothing move me. May I give myself fully to Your work, O Lord. Lord, encourage my heart for the battle. Help me to love in truth. Spirit, I rest before You, utterly dependent.  I look to You, my Shield and Defender.

expectant

I am so eager for the morning!  O how I just want to shout it, "HE IS RISEN!" What did that angel feel like as the women approached the empty tomb? Getting to be the announcer of such an awesome, world changing truth!! "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said." And this truth is ours too! What will we do with it?

Lord, loosen our lips to proclaim You alive; convince us of this so that our hearts can not contain our joy and hope. Death and sin are defeated, conquered.You are victorious. O Lord, You have arrayed us in garments of salvation, in robes of Your own righteousness; we're adorned like the bride groom and bride, ready for the wedding. You say,"For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."  Lord, we look to You to complete this work. We know that You are with us to the ends of the earth.

My heart is so expectant. 


I so desire to see You revealed, to be with You, to see and know You fully. Lord, You are risen just as You said. You said that You were going to prepare a place for us and that if You were to go, You would come back and take us to be with You. Lord, this too will happen just as You said. Thank You for the richness of Your love! O to fully comprehend Who You are, to be freed from my humanness to worship You in perfect truth. O we are one day closer to glory. Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!

Like a palm tree

When we first moved into my parents current house, there were two palm trees catty corner from each other at the front of the driveway. They were young trees and not much taller than I was at ten. Some friends of ours had some friends who were looking for some palm trees. I guess my dad didn't want to keep the palms, so a plan was devised to uproot the trees and transplant them to a new location. Now there were three men who set about to accomplish this task: my dad was in his forties and the other guys were fit twenty somethings. They had shovels and in case the work was too laborious they were prepared with a chain and pick up truck to pull the trees out.

They went to work, digging at first, but soon (maybe an hour in) realized that their digging wasn't doing the trick. They decided to use the truck and chain. It didn't work so well at first, but about three hours later palm tree number one had been uprooted. The men were exhausted. Tree number two is now at least twice my height in my parents' yard.

We learned a valueable lesson that day about the root systems of palm trees. It made a lot of sense thinking about how they still stand tall after they face high winds. For some reason I can picture news footage of hurricane reports from Florida with palm trees bending, but not breaking or being uprooted, in my head.

 Reading Psalm 92:12 made me think a bit more about palm trees today. Psalm 92:12-15 says: "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in their old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.'"

 I love this passage! I too want to be like a flourishing palm tree or a great cedar of Lebanon. I have been planted in Christ and want to flourish by walking in the fullness of His Spirit. O to bear fruit in my old age, to be sappy and fresh, full of abundant life-this is my desire. And to proclaim Him, my Lord, the upright One, my Rock for there is no wickedness found in Him. He is the Holy One of heaven! O Lord may it be so until You return or call me home. You are worthy!

[I originally posted this from my phone...please forgive me if I missed any mistakes.]