I feel like singing more...

These are the lyrics to the song that I tried out for high school ensemble. I remember being extremely nervous, trying out in front of about 15 girls! There were only two openings, and thankfully they chose me. I had such a great time, 3 years of singing - mostly in churches, praising God... I really feel that God used that fellowship as a way to guard my heart...

Open Arms
Words & Music by Bruce Hibbard,
Amy Grant, and Gary Chapman
Sung by Amy Grant


Guess I've got a lot
of learning to do
About the way that You love.

If it had been left up to me,
I'd given up a long time ago.
But You've got a way of wooing me,

Tender and true,
And though I don't deserve it,
I'm falling into Your

Open arms.
Your love has taken hold,
And I can't fight it;

I'm giving in to Your
Open arms.
They pull me to You;

They wrap Your love around me;
I'll rest in Your open arms.

Only yesterday the
thought came the to me,
Is Your love as deep as they say?

Wonder where those
questions come from.

Soon as I learn, I'll
chase them away.

'Cause I've had a
taste of tenderness,
Simple and true,

It drives away the doubting
And draws me into Your

Open arms.
Your love has taken hold,
And I can't fight it.
I'm giving in to Your

Open arms.
They pull me to You;
They wrap Your love around me;
I'll rest in Your open arms.

Open arms.
Your love has taken hold,
And I can't fight it.
I'm giving in to Your

Open arms.
They pull me to;
They wrap Your love around me;
I'll rest in Your open,

Open arms.
Your love has taken hold,
And I can't fight it.
I'm giving in to Your

Open arms.
They pull me to You;
They wrap Your love around me;
I'll rest in Your
open...(open arms).

I know, I know, I know,
And I can't fight it.
I'm giving in to Your

Open arms.
They pull me to;
They wrap love around me;

I'll rest in Your open
arms (open arms).



I feel like singing more...



II Chronicles 16:9 (NIV)

Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

Psalm 100 (KJV)

1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Solace and Tumbling

I had a dream last night. It was scary at first. It was night, on a beach, with only the moonlight to give me sight. I was in the midst of slashing, pounding waves. I couldn't escape. When I made progress away from the dangerous water, I kept being pulled back. I was working toward a house. My new Christian friends were there. They were calling to me. Not in a panicked way. But in an encouraging way. 'You're okay! Just make your way back.' They were laughing and playing, and calling me to them. I was scared, but I felt loved.

This is what the church does for me. This is what a church family means. This is why God calls us to be part of a church. This is evidenced in the Cross. This is in every way the solace that God in His Grace gives us. This is LOVE.

John 17:21-23 (NIV)

21 That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:

23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Coolest - thing - ever! Many many mornings lately, I've been waking up with 'In Christ Alone' in my head:

"In Christ Alone"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck* me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

*John 10:28 (NIV) (asterick added by me)

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

8 June 2008

(prayer of praise)

Thank You for everything. You are my Everything, so thank You for You.

Romans 11:36 (NIV)

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

9 June 2008

Every day is new. Rejoice in this. Most of my life, I've complained of boredom. Nothing new going on in my life. But when I think about it, sameness is a form of stability. So why complain of boredom and no change, when it is, in a way, a form of stability? And what I claim to want most is stability! New perspectives...

Psalm 118:24 (NIV)

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

11 June 2008

God is moving forcefully in my life. It actually feels as though He's moving mountains inside of me. It is an actual tumble; re-arranging of my heart, my gut. I am blessed.

Psalm 95 (NIV)

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

3 For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.

5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the desert,

9 where your fathers tested and tried me,
though they had seen what I did.

10 For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways."

11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
"They shall never enter my rest."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

13 June 2008

TRUST

God is giving me chances to listen to Him more and more. By His amazing Grace, I am learning learning learning about His character.

Romans 8:28-30 (NIV)

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

"to believe is to begin"

Hosea's Wife (Album Version)
I just spoke silence with the seeker next to me
She had a heart with hesitant, halting speech
That turned to mine and asked belligerently
"What do I live for?"

I see the scars of searches everywhere I go
From hearts to wars to literature to radio
There's a question like a shame no one will show
"What do I live for?"

We are Hosea's wife
We are squandering this life
Using people like ladders and words like knives

CHORUS
If we've eyes to see
If we've ears to hear
To find it in our hearts and mouths
The word that saves is near
Shed that shallow skin
Come and live again
Leave all you were before
To believe is to begin

There is truth in little corners of our lives
There are hints of it in songs and children's eyes
It's familiar, like an ancient lullaby
What do I live for?

We are Hosea's wife
We are squandering this life
Using bodies like money and truth like lies

CHORUS

Bridge
We are more than dust
That means something
That means something
We are more than just
Blood and emotions
Inklings and notions
Atoms on oceans



Copyright Brooke Fraser


Go here for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROQNdDNR0Jg

My new favorite song... for now...

Ahhh, I can't find any good video of this song, so I will just have to copy off of another blogger... who likes to post lyrics to songs. Just wish y'all could hear it!

"Faithful"

There's distance in the air and I cannot make it leave
I wave my arms 'round about me and blow with all my might
I cannot sense you close, though I know you're always here
But the comfort of you near is what I long for

[CHORUS]
When I can't feel you, I have learned to reach out just the same
When I can't hear you, I know you still hear every word I pray
And I want you more than I want to live another day
And as I wait for you maybe I'm made more faithful

All the folly of the past, though I know it is undone
I still feel the guilty one, still trying to make it right
So I whisper soft your name, let it roll around my tounge,knowing you're the only one who knows me
You know me

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
Show me how I should live this
Show me where I should walk
I count this world as loss to me
You are all I want
You are all I want

Check out an okay video here,(it just misses the first verse):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vS_DMmJwlaA

You see, I had this moment...

I recently went to San Francisco to run/walk my first marathon. And I had an amazing moment when I was there. Just felt like sharing.

Let me preface this by referring you, dear reader, to some of my most recent blogs. To summerize, I have found myself in this 'place.' It is a turning point in my life journey, my spiritual journey, my Christian journey. I have had an incredible awakening, a series of real 'snap-out-of-it' moments.

In reaction to 'all of this,' I have been listening to Christian music. Last week I reconnected with an old high-school friend (on Facebook of course). He is in the music ministry, and has made a cd with his wife. I decided to buy it off of iTunes, and listen to it on my loooong flight to San Francisco.

All I gotta say is that it is my new favorite cd. Every song is amazing. Some of the songs really reflect what I am going through right now. Others are just amazing praise songs. And when I really like a cd, I will listen to it over and over again (I did this with Evanescence, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, too).

Now, back to San Francisco. We stayed in a great hotel, and I was supposed to have a Team In Training roommate. She ended up staying with family pretty much the whole time, so basically I had a room all to myself. I am confident there was a purpose to this. Another cool thing was that there was an iPod docking station in my room. Again, pretty sure there was a purpose to this.

So, it was Saturday afternoon. I had time to kill, and was supposed to be resting and relaxing for the marathon the next day. I listened to the cd again. And again. I really just felt the music, really listening to the words for the first time. Then I went to my window, and saw a cross.

And it all hit me at once, I began to cry, and say aloud "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I was speaking to God, to Jesus, conveying yet again the sorrow I felt from my selfishness. But you see, there was this other thing. I had finally, finally forgiven myself. And that really has made all the difference.

You see, I had an epiphany. All along, I knew, I knew that God had forgiven me of everything. But I truly couldn't forgive myself. And when I was in that place, that other one where I kept doing the same old things, feeling guilty, then doing it all over again... the reason I couldn't break the cycle was that I hadn't truly forgiven myself. In that hotel room, I finally did it, I finally felt worthy. WORTHY. And I had to do that to move on with this amazing journey.

And I can't explain it, but there has been this inexplicable shift. I feel different when I pray. Ahhh, so weird, it's like my mind has expanded, broadened, it's peaceful, it's wonderful. Wish I could share it with you. Hopefully this post can give you a glimpse (if you want it). I am just bursting, all I want to do is share how I feel.

Love and Blessings,

Mandi

P.S. Check out the music I listened to, Matthew and Lizi:

http://www.myspace.com/matthewandlizi