psalm 145

I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
I will bless you every day, and I will praise you forever.
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery!
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts.
I will meditate F107 on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue; I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy of your righteousness.
The LORD is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.
The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.

All of your works will thank you, LORD, and your faithful followers will bless you.
They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power.
They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign.
For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation. The LORD is faithful in all he says; he is gracious in all he does.
The LORD helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.
All eyes look to you for help; you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.
The LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.
I will praise the LORD, and everyone on earth will bless his holy name forever and forever.

thanskgiving

new Kohl's = two new pairs of dress shoes for $28 ($60 value).

the three panel interview didn't kill me - and I was even able to get excited about the possibility of working for the Healthcare Information Resource Center.

I survived 5-yr old Jaron for three hours, who had broken into the pantry last night and ate an entire bag of pretzels while on a gluten-free diet.

the tacos for dinner were the ones with the freshly cooked tortillas.

I made one friend at the worship service tonight, and didn't make too much of a fool of myself talking to a guy I went out on a date with a month ago and never heard from again.

my muscles have that sore running-around-all-day-without-sitting-still feeling.

inspiration

today I met a couple who are going to Cameroon as missionaries. they have ten children. the first four are theirs biologically, and are grown up. the remaining six are all adopted - and from countries all around the world. their youngest son was literally abandoned in a cardboard box on the street in China because of a correctable birth defect. they are going to take five of the children with them to Cameroon and homeschool them along with all of their other responsibilities there.

I was so honored to meet two flesh-and-blood heroes today.

hydroplane

driving at night in rain for 120 miles is a great time to pray.

tightrope

there is a fine line between alone and lonely.

I went to a worship service last night expecting it to be a little weird. because it was a college/youth service and I don't really know anyone there. when you walk in the door, people are already standing or sitting around in their groups talking, and its awkward to figure out where you fit.

however, I was pleasantly shocked to find myself actually enjoying the service while feeling alone. I felt the comfort of being in the house of God with other believers, and yet also enjoyed this kind of space that was just me and God. because I was alone.
in a good way.

and then, at the end, they played this song that was sung by the worship leader at my church in London. and when I closed my eyes, it felt like I was back there worshiping with that body and with my friends right next to me.

when the song ended, I opened my eyes and I felt lonely. but just for a little bit. even that part is good, because it reminds me that even friends who are far away need prayer.

sustenance

I only have one more week left of my super-cool grandmothers' bible study of Isaiah. they are the coolest women in my church.

here is a verse I've been chewing on this week, from Isaiah 58 -

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as day.

but this is really where my NLT doesn't do the original justice. check out the NKJV:

If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.

And if that little change between "feed the hungry" and "extend your soul to the hungry" wasn't interesting enough, try the good ol' KJV:

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted soul;
then shall thy light rise in obscurity,
and thy darkness be as the noonday:

I looked up that word, "extend" or "draw out". one commentator said it meant "'impart of thine own subsistence' or 'sustenance'. 'Soul' is figurative for 'that wherewith thou sustainest thy soul.' or 'life'."

which means, that God is commanding us to take whatever sustains us, whatever gives us life, and give it away to those who are hungry. starving. dying.

whether that means literally, giving food and shelter and safety to someone who lacks the physical things needed to live. until they are satisfied - sated, gutted, saturated.

or emotionally. or spiritually. isn't that a great way to put it? our purpose here is to "impart our sustenance".

sometimes its hard to remember that when I'm busy or "on my way" or its the most annoying person ever . . .

connotations

our sunday school class has been working through Ephesians, and we got to chapter 5 today.

And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (v.21)

I've been thinking about that. I don't like submitting to people who aren't smart or experienced or have obvious authority over me . . .

I don't like thinking of the word "submissive" to describe me.

but I do want to be like Christ. hard to reconcile it all.