... She Quotes Some Tolkien

'Yes, that's so,' said Sam. 'And we shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started. But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually – their paths were laid that way, as you put it. But I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those as just went on – and not all to a good end, mind you; at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end. You know, coming home, and finding things all right, though not quite the same – like old Mr Bilbo. But those aren't always the best tales to hear, though they may be the best tales to get landed in! I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?'




“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass." 

... She Shares A Beautiful Worship Song

How Deep the Father's Love for Us - Selah

Lyrics:

How deep the Father's love for us 

How vast beyond all measure 
That He should give His only Son 
And make a wretch His treasure 
How great the pain of searing loss 
The Father turns His face away 
As wounds which mar the Chosen One 
Bring many sons to glory 

Behold the man upon the cross 
My sin upon His shoulders 
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice 
Call out among the scoffers 
It was my sin that held Him there 
Until it was accomplished 
His dying breath has brought me life 
I know that it is finished 

I will not boast in anything 
No gifts, no power, no wisdom 
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection 
Why should I gain from His reward 
I cannot give an answer 
But this I know with all my heart 
His wounds have paid my ransom 

Why should I gain from His reward 
I cannot give an answer 
But this I know with all my heart 
His wounds have paid my ransom

... She Finds Joy in Lamentations

(This is a post I started writing about 3 weeks ago but never finished... Here it is :))

Ironic isn't it? 

Joy in Lamentations. 

Lament:

1.

to feel or express sorrow or regret for

2.

to mourn for or over.

Joy:

1.

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused bysomething exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure;elation

2.a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated

3.

the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4.

a state of happiness or felicity.

The Bible talks a lot about mourning/sorrow/regret and even more about joy. 

In the NIV version of the Bible, the word "joy" (or a form of joy) appears 244 times and is present in almost every book.

In essence joy and lament are the best words to summarize the gospel:

The joy of creation.

The lament of the fall. 

The joy of the birth of a child (aka Jesus) in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.

The lament of all of Jesus' followers when he was crucified on the cross. 

The joy in the resurrection of Jesus on the third day. Beyond Christ being alive, He rescued all mankind. 

The lament of sin.

The joy of salvation. 

The lament of death.

The joy of eternal life with Jesus.


Beautiful isn't it?

If you have time, sit down and read through Lamentations right now. Just get a feel of it...

Did you read it?

What did you think?

I loved how raw it was. The literary techniques. The contrasts. There is great hurt, fear, and grief reflected in Lamentations. Yet, the author constantly refers back to Jesus.

I think the most powerful portion in Lamentations 3:16-33

¹⁶ He has broken my teeth with gravel;
    he has trampled me in the dust.
¹⁷ I have been deprived of peace;
    I have forgotten what prosperity is.
¹⁸ So I say, “My splendor is gone
    and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
    the bitterness and the gall.
²⁰ I well remember them,
    and my soul is downcast within me.
²¹ Yet this I call to mind
    and therefore I have hope:

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³ They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
    to the one who seeks him;
²⁶ it is good to wait quietly
    for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke
    while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence,
    for the Lord has laid it on him.
²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—
    there may yet be hope.
³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him,
    and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.

... She Rejoices in The Bridegroom

At the moment I am doing an incredible bible study called "Obsessed: Making Christ the Desire of Your Heart" by Hayley DiMarco (an incredible Christian author).

It is incredible.

And convicting.

It is so easy to look superficially at my life and think that I am "doing alright"
I spend time with Jesus... most days.
I am not the person I was even a year ago... Christ has changed me so much.
I want to spend my life serving Christ... Isn't that a good thing?

But the truth of the matter is - I am not "alright" and "alright" is never good enough. My priorities are out of line. My heart is so sinful. I am "obsessed" with so much - and quite honestly, God is not at the top of the list.

Sometimes the cross is so small. And I am still working through major grief. Grief that feels like a dagger at times. Sometimes I am so depressed. I don't trust God and his ways. It can be really hard to.

But then God opens my eyes. My unworthiness makes the cross so big. Like HUGE. Like GINORMOUS. Like OHMYGOSH I AM GOING TO CRY I AM SO OVERWHELMED.

If you're not feeling it... just watch this clip (or anything having to do with the galaxies)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRiIWL04po8

Anyways, I digress.

I'm really here to talk about Jesus being the ultimate bridegroom.

I lovelovelovelovelovelovelove weddings. Like seriously, just look at my pinterest. I am not even sure why (especially since the mere thought of my own wedding makes me want to curl up into a ball and cry and decide to elope - Dads are so important to weddings). I think it's the joining together of two people forever that captivates me.

The mere fact that God created relationships. And marriage. He didn't have to - at all.

But he did.

(Thank you Jesus!)

What I think is more incredible is that Jesus is descibed as a bridegroom. Having never been a bride (and will never be a groom), I don't know what the days leading up to a wedding (and then the life afterwards) will feel like. I anticipate giddy jitters, issues to work through, and an insatiable desire to be with that person.

I rarely feel that way about Jesus.

If ever.

Maybe a handful of times.

But he still wants to be my groom.

To love me to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.

Only it's even better. Because we do not have to parted from each other in death. Instead, we are reunited. My joy will be complete when I am rejoined with him. Talk about a new perspective!

... She Contemplates Tears.

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.” --Washington Irving

... She Loves Quotes

To be in love involves the most irresistible conviction that one will go on being in love until one dies, and that possession of the beloved will confer, not merely frequent ecstasies, but settled, fruitful, deep-rooted, lifelong happiness. 

~ God in the Dock

... She is Encouraged.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4