Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

I never paid very much attention to this song until this Christmas- today in church, to be quite honest- but when I listened to the words, it immediately became a favorite. I've been thinking a lot about how the reason we celebrate is because Jesus came to be the fulfillment and mediator of God's perfect covenant with us, and this song says that. I love it.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Oceans From The Rain

And I’m amazed by You, cause You’re never far away
And all that I’ve been through, Your love has never changed

Chorus:
You make oceans from the rain
Breathing life into this place
And I will drown inside your love
Until I see your perfect face

And nothing I’ve acquired means anything at all
Cause you’re everything I needed
You’re so much more than I deserve

(Chorus)

And I thank you Lord
And I thank you Lord
And I thank you Lord
And I thank you Lord

(Chorus)

The blood of Jesus can wash your pain away

~Seventh Day Slumber

Holding on to the promise of strength

I am more sure than ever that God is faithful. He is faithful even in the things I don't even ask for; maybe it's Him opening my eyes to see it, but I've never felt so completely proivided for. First of all, He gives me strength; the other day, in the middle of tons of homework due the next evening, Paul asked me if I was stressed out. "No," I said, "I can't be; if I am, then none of the work will get done." "That's not a good reason not to be stressed out!" He said. And he was right. A good reason is that God gives me endurance at the end of this hard semester to pull through and get everything done, even though it seems like too much to do in too little time. I've also been provided for in a way that's almost like little gifts being left for me around campus all day- I'll be hungry one morning but not want to buy breakfast, or not have time to make some, and Mama Cobb will have left a box of doughnuts in the lobby for us. Or I'll have missed dinner, and some girls will ask me if I want to order a pizza and split the cost. On Thursday night I even found my wal-mart card, which I thought I needed in October but needed even more this week. God is so good :-)
I'm working on my English paper right now, and haven't even done that much work yet today (three hours minus breaks?) but it's thinking-intensive work :P and I thought I'd write a little about my week. It's been lots of homework, but I've seen Paul a bit more than the few weeks before Christmas when he was really busy. We've learned to study together without talking :) He's good at both encouraging me and making sure I do get my work done. Last night we all went to the girls' music fraternity (SAI) concert, which Paul sat through and even seemed to enjoy pretty well even though he's strange and doesn't like much Christmas music. I'm telling you, the boy needs help in that sort of thing... doesn't decorate his room or house at all, doesn't like Christmas music and decorating... boys :P But the concert was fun, and afterward we went to the suites (dorm) for some food a friend made. Good southern food :) Paul left after a little while to go to sleep (he didn't sleep Thursday till Friday morning) and Mary Beth and I stayed and talked to Chris (who made the food) and two guys in the lobby while we held the house mom's tiny kittens... for two and a half hours. They were just so cute! They slept and played and were adorable. Once Mary Beth and I went to her room to watch Ever After, we were so tired that we fell asleep a half an hour in, and she woke up this morning to get ready to go to a short family reunion. She was very nervous, because her boyfriend Jim is meeting her extended family for the first time (I know, I know, I tried to get a claim on Paul for Thanksgiving before his sister did!) and she was, in her own words, "wigging out" about it and the way they're bound to compare Jim and her sister Ani's boyfriend Dan. So I kept her calm and then came back to get my own self ready for the day, and after lunch and laundry, here I am taking a little break from paper-writing. I am so excited about being done in a week and a half... and the Lord will take care of me until then :-)

Prayer and endurance

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [the persevering Christians who have gone before us], let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him [remember, we have this joy in Christ too, as daughters by the Spirit of adoption!] endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down [what He did because His work was completed] at the right hand of God." ~Hebrews 12:1-2

I sent out an email to mine and Natalie's Bible Study group, which is really just us and our friends- so fun- to see when we could do Bible Study before break, and Amy wrote back saying she'll have to skip out no matter when it is because she has papers to write. I wanted to somehow encourage her to hang in there for one more month, and Hebrews 12:1-2 is what came to mind. Poor Amy is always so stressed, and always writing papers, and I know the other girls are crazy busy too.
So I was thinking of all of you, my favorite people, and I know you are just clinging to Christ now- I know it is a deeper need for endurance, for strength, for hope, for joy, than any of us need to get through end-of-semester craziness. Know that I am praying daily, and I am so blessed to see my favorite women trusting so in the sovereignty of our God. "Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe..."
I love you :-) And I will be in Minnesota in a week!

Almost Concert Week

Next Sunday is our choir's concert, which means next week is "concert week"- we will have four hours of practice Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, a practice Sunday, and then the concert once we've practiced :P I am excited, because the pieces are fun to sing and I'm sure they'll sound wonderful in the high-ceilinged old church we're performing in. We are doing the Haydn Lord Nelson Mass and Daniel Pinkham's Christmas Contata in D (we start Chritsmas early in the music department ;))
I am off to practice now, thankfully for an hour and a half and not four hours ;)

Snack Time

One of the girls on my hall, Brigita, just brought me some trail mix/granola that she made herself. It's good! And healthy, too. It would be easy to make, and it tastes really good :-) Here's what she put in it:

- oatmeal- just plain old healthy oatmeal!

-dried cranberries

-unsalted almonds

-soybeans

-a few banana chips and maybe some dried apple pieces

It tastes like it would be great heated up with milk, too- all the oatmeal- but it's great just mixed up. Mmm! :-)

*sorry the picture's grainy... the light in my room isn't so good*

Sunday Dinner

Yesterday Mary Beth announced that our friend Jon had told her we were "still on" for making dinner at his house tonight... oh dear... what to make?? I had no idea we were making dinner tonight! So Mary Beth and I ran to Kroger today and this is what we came up with:

Roast Chicken
-A whole chicken, a little celery, garlic, onion, sage, and salt- and a while in the oven. Perfect! Mary Beth did this, and she is amazing.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
-A few red potatoes, and a lot of Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed up with garlic, half and half, salt & pepper... needed something else. The magic ingredient? Chicken broth!

Aparagus
-Tossed with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper, this cooked up perfectly in a skillet while the chicken finished. Mmm :-)

Garlic Bread
-Natalie's specialty. We just picked up some italian bread at the store, and she buttered and season it. The two loaves she made went very quickly!

And Jon's contribution: Hot chocolate to drink with dinner!
Oh, and our friend Chris, who couldn't even come, sent over an amazing pumpkin pie with Dane, and after we were all so full! Wow. :-)

After two hours of much space-sharing in Jon's counter-space-less kitchen, we ate dinner and had a lot of fun. I brought the (few) leftovers over to Paul's house, where he and was having a study "party" for Greek class. He wasn't expecting any of the food, so he was pretty happy :-) Sometime this week I will make vegetable stock with the leftover vegetables and garlic, just as soon as I can get a carrot or two and maybe some mushrooms. Yay!

A Favorite :-)

Fall Break

Praise You In This Storm

I was sure by now
That You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I'll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
Every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry
You raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can't find You

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

~Casting Crowns

SAI Charity Ball

I Couldn't Resist... :-)

Song of the Redeemed

We who were called to be Your people
Struggling sinners and thieves
We’re lifted up from the ashes
And out came the song of the redeemed
The song of the redeemed
The song of the redeemed

Can you hear the sound of melodies
Oh, the sound of melodies
Rising up to You
Rising up to You, God
The sound of melodies
Oh, the sound of melodies
Rising up to You
Rising up to You, God

We have caught a revelation
That nothing can separate us from
The love we received through salvation
It fills your daughters and your sons
Your daughters and your sons

The sound of Your love
The sound of Your love
Is what You’re hearing
The sound of Your sons
The sound of Your sons
You’ve won Your children
The sound of Your love
The sound of Your love
Is what You’re hearing
Your daughters in love
Your daughters in love
You’ve won your children

The sound of melodies
Oh, the sound of melodies
Rising up to You
Rising up to You, God

~Leeland

Homecoming

Homecoming weekend- Natalie and I at the game; Natalie and I before the game; Natalie, Amy and I before the game; and Geoff, Paul, Me, Amy, and Natalie.

Garden Party

Brothers In Christ

This weekend, two of Paul's best friends, Jason and Elliot, came to visit. They came Friday night and stayed until today after church, and I was allowed to spend alot of time with them. ;) Paul brought them by Olds on Friday when they got to his house, since I was on duty for a little while before the Garden Party (informal first dance of the year), and then they left to get dinner.
They are good boys; I really enjoyed the weekend with them. Elliot was asleep when I went over on Friday night after the dance, but I was able to talk with Paul and Jason. Then Saturday evening I went over while they were making dinner (yummy chicken alfredo) and spent the evening with them. We ate dinner, played jungle pong (like ping pong), and talked for a few hours.
It may sound funny, but after living in a dorm full of girls, it was refreshing to be around boys with their weird humor that cracks me up and their funny brotherly way of beating each other up :P. But best of all was that all three of them desire most of all to put off the things of the world and be like Jesus; it was so refreshing to my spirit to be around them and hear them talk about growing spiritually and what they've learned since last time they saw each other. They truly give meaning to "brothers in Christ", and I felt like thier sister in Christ (well, Jason and Elliot's ;) ). I am so thankful for the time I got to spend with my favorite boy and his close friends, and I hope to see alot of them in the future. Jason may come live with Paul for the last month of our semester, since Kettering gets out a month before Hillsdale; I would like that. Jason encourages, challenges, and loves Paul in a way that is sweet to see and be around.
So far, it has been a good weekend. Paul's mother and grandma are coming for the day today, and I may meet them. We'll see ;)
Now I have to go read Exodus and part of Leviticus... never get behind in Old Testament class! But I'm content to get to work now. God is so good. :)

Yesterday Paul and I were up in the student center at school, talking and waiting for someone he was supposed to meet with. Well, his friend never showed up, but I did hear one end of a conversation he had with his best friend Jason on the phone. Jason and I ended up having a conversation through Paul which ended in Jason telling me it's on between us- haha. Boys.
When the person Paul was supposed to meet never showed up, we walked back to Olds so I could get my homework and then to his house to work, since Olds had no visitation. Once we were there, I opened Pages on my computer to type up notes, and Paul wrote, "Hi, Michal." and this is how our conversation went:

M- Hello, Paul.
P- I think I might have this tiny little crush on you.
M- Yeah? Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but I have a crush on you too.
P- Shut up!! (he likes to impersonat our Armenian friend Ben, who says that)
M- Ok... I guess I will. I knew you didn't really like me.
P- No! I do! Will it help if I tell you I do like you? What else will help?
M- Hm... nothing else. Just you.
P- That made no syntactical or grammatical sense.
M- I'm a girl. I give myself license to write how I want to.
P- Will it help if I come back for you after I graduate?
M- And do what?

He said out loud, "what do you want me to do?" I told him he could do whatever he wanted to, and he said, "I want to let you get a white dress, and put a ring on your finger... I'd like that. I want to marry you." He hugged me and told me he meant it, and I told him I liked it. :D So there it is, we've talked about marriage, and we like the idea... now we just have to wait two years after this school year; that gives us alot of time to just be in a solid, focused relationship. Now that we know where we're headed, it hasn't changed much, but it removes uncertainty; we can just be us. I'm happy with it ;)

As Requested ;)

I have been requested to write a "boyfriend blog" to update you all... ;)
So, let's see. Where to begin? I have been over at his house studying plenty this semester so far, a few times a week, and he comes to sit desk with me when I'm on duty in Olds. So I've seen him alot, and he's always asking me questions (teaching me, indirectly) about things, usually related to the Bible. Recently, we talked about love, marriage, and Christ and the church as a model for husband and wife- but we didn't really talk about us.
But then on Friday night, he took me to dinner in Jackson, which was very sweet, and then we watched a funny movie at his house, called The Burbs. So we didn't actually talk about us then, but obviously, he took me out. ;) Then Saturday he held my hand.... wonderful feeling... :)
Sunday night Natalie, Dane, Amy, and Paul threw a surprise party for me at his house. :) We played Apples to Apples (a card game where you match nouns to adjectives... very funny) and he put his arm around me while we played. Now, I never thought of him as a "cuddly" person, but the past couple days have convinced me that he is, because he loves to study with his arm around me. It makes Ben Johnson go by faster for me too. ;) He also likes to kiss my forehead, sweetly. I can tell he likes me just a little ;)
Of course, the best part isn't being "cuddly". The best part is that he says I'm the most amazing woman he's ever met, and he has a feeling he'll be paying off my school bills when I'm done in three years... and that his plans for the future are to be a pastor and, as he said yesterday, "I think I wouldn't mind getting married somewhere in there." funny boy. ;) Once he's sure about something, he's serious about it, and he seems to be sure about me. Which is wonderful with me, because I really have no problem with the idea of marrying him :D. Now to take it slowly. This does not mean that we've even talked outright about us getting married, just that it seems we are pretty sure we'd like to be married once I'm done with school and he knows where he's going to be. :D
I would so appreciate prayer for us- for guidance, for patience to take it slowly, and just for us in our daily lives. It's so nice to be able to have his arm around me and put my head on his shoulder, but we need to have accountability, something that's hard when his only housemate isn't there most of the time. I have no worries about us, only a desire that everyone around us can clearly see that we're obeying God in our relationship; but sitting in a freshman girls' dorm all the time doesn't seem like the most pleasant solution to having accountability. So please pray for us to be wise in our decisions and how cozy we allow ourselves to be, when we need to demonstrate to others that we are keeping a pure relationship with and without others around. And for wisdom as far as our relationship goes, of course. :) I still have three years of school left, and he's deciding whether to go to seminary, grad school for Ancient Semitic Philology (it has a longer name but that's all I can remember ;) ), or get a job and work for a while before going to school or becoming a pastor. So even if we knew now absolutely that we want to be married, we couldn't be yet.
I wish you could all meet him now. He's such a wonderful guy. He said yesterday that what he wants most is to teach the Word and have God be pleased with him, to be glorified by his life. Even when we're close and quiet, he'll start talking about Jesus or prayer or worship. God is what matters most in his life- in both of ours. :)
I love you all, and I hope you had a wonderful time together on Sunday, all of my aunts and cousins and Mom! :) I'm sure you did. I happened to have a good weekend too. ;)

Weekend Weekend Weekend!

Hooray for three day weekends! I'm done until Tuesday, and so happy about it. :)
Last week was pretty busy, being the first week of the semester, but this week was my real taste of what this year will be like. On Mondays and Fridays, I'm done at noon, which is so nice- all I have those days is Science Lecture and Music Theory 1. Wednesdays are the same, except I have voice class at 12. That's nice too. Tuesdays and Thursdays are my busy days: on Tuesdays, I have class from 9:30- 3:15 with choir from 4-5:30; Tuesdays 8-3:15 (with an hour break before lunch) and then choir. Whew! Monday nights Natalie and I co-lead a Bible Study, and a few times so far (and a few times a month) I sit desk in the evenings in my dorm. And hopefully I will soon have a job babysitting an infant :)
It sounds like a crazy schedule, and on Thursdays it feels like one ;) but MWF can be so nice. I have time to do my homework for the next day, and that's really nice. It's been wonderful seeing my friends and Paul again too :) He comes to sit desk with me, and he has a house "off campus" that's a five minute walk from Olds so I can study there without worrying about breaking visitation rules. (visitation is only parts of a few days a week in dorms.) That's been nice, too, because I really can do my homework, but then we always end up talking and laughing and even having a pillowfight :) It's been a good thing.
I've also been learning alot, spiritually. I'm learning from preparing for Bible Study, from talking to friends and Mary Beth especially, and from talking to Paul. Paul is so zealous about studying the word, and he knows more than I do by far, and we've talked about creation, adoption, love, marriage, our inheritance in Christ, holiness, the fruit of the spirit, worship, and the will of God. He challenges me and blesses me in a way none of my friends do.
My friends here have been wonderful too, though. I study with my girls alot, and we eat lunch together; Mary Beth and I can spend hour talking, so we do that a few times a week too. :)
With all of this, despite missing my family (alot!), I feel so blessed to be here. I hope you all have a great weekend together, especially with Mom there :)

Encouragements

This morning I logged onto facebook, kind of hoping to have a message, and found instead that two of my friends had posted notes (which is like a blog post for facebook). They weren't friends I know extremely well; one I had a class with, and one I dance with at swing club but otherwise see only across the hall. But their notes looked good, so I read them, and I am glad I did!

Paul Mueller's note was about Romans 14:5-8 and how he has been convicted to delete his copied music from his computer because, since he doesn't know for sure if it is wrong or not, to him it is a sin to have that music. Well, that applied both directly and indirectly to me. It's hard not to take the songs that friends email to me at school, or copy onto my computer so we can listen to them while we are together, and I've been especially avoiding deleting Hey There Delilah, which Amy emailed to me. But I can't keep any of it any longer, because for me it is a sin. I know it.
Paul Mueller's note also said this, which really made me think: "Am I really walking in a life of simple, humble faith or am I living for myself and using God’s words to back up my own ambitions and vanity?" If I am walking in a life of humble faith, then it is going to take over every part of that life, including music. I was challeneged and encouraged to be reminded of my obligation as a follower of Christ to obey in everything.

Shannon's note was about the cross- about Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” She wrote that Christians these days tend to live as if the cross was a small thing with little importance or authority in our lives, as though it changes nothing. But, she pointed out, for the early disciples, taking up their cross meant death to their former life and their own desires. They knew that they could die for following Jesus, and they still chose to die to the world, because they were called to follow Jesus.

I thought, as I read these friends' words, how blessed I am to have such friends. My life should reflect Christ in everything the same way theirs does, but I forget this alot. I want to obey in everything, though. I am deleting my copied music right now, and I am praying that I always reflect Christ in my life.

PNK

This picture is SO Paul :)

Words

By now, you all know about a certain young man I know :) Well, I didn't want to say anything too soon, because it's a different sort of relationship: we're not dating, and we're not quite courting, but we are... perhaps I'll have more to say about that when we're back at school...? :) I'll keep you all updated. Thank you all for your prayers and happiness :)
Paul loves God and spends most of his free time studying the Word. I'd like you all to get to know him a bit, so here is a glimpse of his heart:

[This is from a conversation he and I were having at school]
"That's why fasting is so important to do. Putting us into that continual, completely in your face and unavoidable realization that just as physical life is only possible by depending upon God to nourish us with food, that we absolutely cannot have real life unless we depend and fill ourselves with his word; otherwise we'll die. Kind of like a 2 Peter 1:5-9 kind of thing. You're either filling youself and so growing and living; or you're not filling yourself, and instead of just not growing, you'll completely die and fall away. That's what fasting, real fasting, is for; and what we just need to do with it sometimes; deprive ourselves to the point where it feels like we can't keep going, where it feels like we can't survive any more, and feel that deep need; that same need we feel there is the same need we have in our real, our spiritual life; and so, with prayer, that fast makes us so realize that and depend upon God for the nourishment for that real, spiritual life and do whatever we can to obtain that nourishment in his word."

[This is from a group discussion on facebook about Philippians]
"--I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
We need to live in such a manner that we can truly say this of our brothers and sisters. In order to truly thank God every time a brother comes into our minds, we first need to have reason to give thanks to God on their account. Thanking God upon every remembrance isn't just "O, Michael...thank you God for Michael being so...talented and smart. He really helps me out with my homework at school." It should be that true thanksgiving and rejoicing that comes from the glorificiation of the name of Christ. And if our friendships, if our relationships are idle, if they are with those whose lives will not glorify the name of Christ, then we are having no reason to rejoice in the Father on their account. And so we must take it upon ourselves to ensure that we have reason to rejoice in our brothers, constantly setting the redemption that is in Christ before their eyes that they might forever behold it, trust in it continually, and by faith live in this grace in which we stand, this adoption to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Then, when we see our brothers and sisters living in their adoption, living as the new man and not as the old, bearing the fruit of the Spirit even as Christ himself did, and in all things bringing glory and honor to the name of Christ, then we will certainly have grounds to thank God upon every remembrance of them: for even then will these brothers and sisters do the work of Christ as well, preaching his name unto those around them, and bringing encouragement and comfort to others, and to ourselves. And when they minister to us, strengthen us, restore us--how much more then will we have cause to thank God upon their behalf. So let us make this true: devote yourselves to ministering to your brothers and strengthening them and building them up, especially those that are weak, so that they may be strengthened and you can truly say, along with Paul, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

I just wanted you to have an idea of what an earnest, Christ-centered person he is, and maybe be challenged as I am. :) I love you!

A Fresh Start

I took a good idea from Katie :) and started a new blog. I realized that I wanted a private blog for you, my dearest people, and thought I'd just start fresh. I hope that this can be a sunshiny corner for you to stop by, happy and glorifying to God. Thank you for loving me, friends. :)
We just got back from Israel, which was so amazing. I think maybe one of my favorite moments was sitting on a boat looking over the Sea of Galilee at sunset, realizing what it really meant for the wind and the waves to obey Jesus... I felt like they were almost alive, truly His creation that realized who He was. I will write more about our trip, a little blog about each place we stopped- there's too much to put in one.
Thank you for reading my little blog. I will do my best to encourage you as you go about your daily life and sharing my life with you. I love you!