STRANGE ISN'T IT...

Isn't it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping? 2. Isn't it strange how

hours seem so long when you're at church, but how short they seem when you're watching a good movie?

Isn't it strange that you can't find a word to say when you're praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?

Isn't it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel or ZANE GREY book?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?

Isn't it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events at the last minute?

Isn't it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip?

Isn't it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers say, but we question the words in the Bible?

Isn't it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don't want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?

(fwd i got via email)

strength in the songs of Superchick (these are all supperchick songs)

Anthem

Here's to the ones who don't give up

This is your anthem, get your hands up

We are fire inside, we are lipstick and cleats

We are not going home, we are playing for keeps

We are girls with skinned knees, we are concrete and grace

We are not what you think, you can't keep us in our place

Here's to the girls on their boards with bruises and scars

Here's to the girls whose fingers bleed from playin guitar

Here's to anyone who never quit when things got hard

You'll never let them say you'll never get that far

We are fire inside, we are an army asleep

We are a people awaking to follow their dreams

We don't have time for your games

We have our own goals to score

There are trophies to win instead of being one of yours

Here's to the girls on their boards with bruises and scars

Here's to the girls whose fingers bleed from playin guitar

Here's to anyone who never quit when things got hard

You'll never let them say you'll never get that far

Here's to the ones who don't give up

This is your anthem

His Girl

I'm not a covergirl

I don't need you if I'm not of this world

Supermodel made out of plastacine

Why don't you tell me what you really mean?

You're losing points in a game that I won't play

Cuz I'm his girl

I'm an heir to his kingdom

I'm justified and purified in the cleansing of his blood

Yes I'm his girl

and he's made me a princess

and he calls me beautiful

and I think that's enough

oh I know it's enough,

hey, hey..hey heyyyy hey..

I know I may not have buns of steel

But I know that his love for me is real

I won't listen to you anymore.

I lost the keys right after I slammed the door

I'm in his presence so I am set free

Cuz I'm his girl

I'm an heir to his kingdom

I'm justified and purified in the cleansing of his blood

yes I'm his girl and he's made me a princess

and he calls me beautiful

and I think that's enough

oh I know it's enough Cuz I'm his girl

I'm an heir to his kingdom

I'm justified and purified in the cleansing of his blood

Yes I'm his girl and he's made me a princess

and he calls me beautiful

and I think that's enough

Oh I know it's enough, I know it's enough..

Pure

This is my brand new day starting now

I let go the things that weigh me down

And rob me of the beauty thats to be found

And life all around

And this is my prayer without ceasing, the negative releasing

And as i rise above, my burden is easing

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, drink so deep

The river of life, my soul at ease

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, rising above

The storms of life to live and love

This is my brand new day in the light

Troubles rising up on the left and the right

I keep my eyes fixed on where i want to go, the rest will follow

And this is my prayer without ceasing, the negative releasing

And as i rise above my burden is easing

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, drink so deep

The river of life, my soul at ease

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, rising above

The storms of life to live and love

This is my brand new day starting now

Letting go of the ways that i fall down

The old can be made new, the lost can be found, the lost will be found

And this is my prayer without ceasing, the negative releasing

And as i rise above my burden is easing

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, drink so deep

The river of life, my soul at ease

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, rising above

The storms of life to live and love

My soul is at ease and i am free

My soul is at ease and i am free

This is my day, my soul is at ease and i am free

(and i am free, and i am free)

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, drink so deep

The river of life, my soul at ease

I bring the pure flow like water around

The rocks of life won't pull me down

I bring the pure flow, rising above

The storms of life to live and love

Beauty From Pain

The lights go out all around me

One last candle to keep out the night

And then the darkness surrounds me

I know i'm alive but i feel like i've died

And all that's left is to accept that it's over

My dreams ran like sand through the fists that i made

I try to keep warm but i just grow colder

I feel like i'm slipping away

After all this has passed, i still will remain

After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain

Though it won't be today,

Someday i'll hope again

And there'll be beauty from pain

You will bring beauty from my pain

My whole world is the pain inside me

The best i can do is just get through the day

When life before is only a memory

I'll wonder why God lets me walk through this place

And though i can't understand why this happened

I know that i will when i look back someday

And see how you've brought beauty from ashes

And made me as gold purified through these flames

After all this has passed, i still will remain

After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain

Though it won't be today,

Someday i'll hope again

And there'll be beauty from pain

You will bring beauty from my pain

Here i am, at the end of me

Tryin to hold to what i can't see

I forgot how to hope

This night's been so long

I cling to Your promise

There will be a dawn

After all this has passed, i still will remain

After i've cried my last, there'll be beauty from pain

Though it won't be today,

Someday i'll hope again

And there'll be beauty from pain

You will bring beauty from my pain

Courage

I told another lie today

And i got through this day

No one saw through my games

I know the write words to say

Like "i don't feel well," "i ate before i came"

Then someone tells me how good i look

And for a moment, for a moment i am happy

But when i'm alone, no one hears me cry

I need you to know

I'm not through the night

Somedays i'm still fighting to walk towards the light

I need you to know

That we'll be ok

Together we can make it through another day

I don't know the first time i felt unbeautiful

The day i chose not to eat

What i do know is how i've changed my life forever

I know i should know better

There are days when i'm ok

And for a moment, for a moment i find hope

But there are days when i'm not ok

And i need your help

So i'm letting go

I need you to know

I'm not through the night

Somedays i'm still fighting to walk towards the light

I need you to know

That we'll be ok

Together we can make it through another day

You should know you're not on your own

These secrets are walls that keep us alone

I don't know when but i know now

Together we'll make it through somehow

(together we'll make it through somehow)

I need you to know

I'm not through the night

Somedays i'm still fighting to walk towards the light

I need you to know

That we'll be ok

Together we can make it through another day

Suddenly

She feels lost in her own life

Treading water just to keep from slipping under

And she wonders if she's where she's supposed to be

Tired of trying to do it right

Her dreams are just too far away to see

how steps she's making might be taking her to who she'll be

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be

And after all this time it worked out just fine

And suddenly i am where i'm supposed to be

And after all the tears, i was supposed to be here

She feels locked in her own life Scared of what she might lose

If she moves away from who she was

And she's afraid of being free

There's a way she knows is right

And she can't feel the things she knows and so each step she's taking

Is a step of faith towards who she'll be

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be

And after all this time it worked out just fine

And suddenly i am where i'm supposed to be

And after all the tears, i was supposed to be here

And here where the night is darkest black

She feels the fear

And the light is farthest back And through her tears

She can see the dawn Its coming skies will clear

And the light will find her where she's always been

And suddenly it isn't what it used to be

And after all this time it worked out just fine

And suddenly i am where i'm supposed to be

And after all the tears, i was supposed to be here

struggles are a needed part of life

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it had and it could go no further.Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.

(author unknown)

to whom it may concern...

i don't know what to do. i am tired of waiting. i am tired of people talking about me behind my back and being nice to my face. i don't understand why you don't just tell me to my face whats going on. AND I MEAN TO MY FACE, not over the phone, email or IM. don't worry about hurting my feelings, it hurts me more that you can't/won't talk to me about whatever this thing is. i thought we were close enough to talk about anything, i guess not. are you intimadated by me? have i been mean towards you? i don't know and can't know what it is i have done unless you are willing to tell me. i want things to get better, but as long as we are avoiding whatever it is that's wrong out relationship is only going to progressively get worse. well, i know when i am not wanted so in a few weeks i will be out of your hair, sorry it can't be faster. i don't know what else to do. i am afaid to approach you in fear you would deny the problem exists or worse that you would go off about a bunch of things i don't yet know about. i wish we could talk... but i fear it is not going to happen. in the words of relient K "And running from you is what my best defense is" but i don't want to run anymore. i just don't know how to, when to, where to... i fear that i just may need to let go.

Jonah33 - "Hey can you hear me/I need you to know/That if it’s all right with you/I just need to let go/‘Cause time waits for no one/Life carries on/And I’ll never forget you/I just need to let go/I just need to let go"

****DISCLAIMER: the above it a letter i fashioned together in 5 min. pertaining to how i feel about my certain relationsships in my life right now. it is not directed at anyone person or group of people, just thoughts going through my head that came out in letter format.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. REJOICE and BE GLAD, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."Matthew 5: 11-12
****FYI: the following letter is also addressed to certain relationships in my life. not directed at any certain person(s).

i don't know what i would do w/o you. you have been such a blessing to me i can not thank you or God enough. i don't think you know how much your encouragement means to me. it has been such a rough year and you continue to lift my spirits and encourage me to stay strong. i enoy every chance we have to talk. thank you for praying with me, encouraging me, and challenging me. we are in this together, it is becoming more and more clear to me that we're in this for the long hull. thanks i couldn't have asked for anything more. you are a true Godsend. i don't know if my circumstance will be improving, but i know i can count on you to be with me no matter what. thanks for being my sheltering tree.

Go Fish - It's been said a friend is like a mighty sheltering tree/a place of refuge we can run when trouble comes for you and me/someone we can count on through the thick and thin/when the storms of life are blowing, there's just nothing like a friend//we all need sheltering trees/friends in our lives who'll get down on their knees/and lift us up before the king of kings/we all need sheltering trees//
there've been days that i was sure that i couldn't make it/I would've given in and said i just can't go on/if it hadn't been for a friend that helped me to be strong/
you can climb the highest moutain/and the climb won't seem so high/or cross the darkest valley/and it won't seem so wide/nothing is impossible when a friend is by your side//
we all need sheltering trees/friends in our lives who get down on their knees/who'll lift us up before the king of kings

"Be true to who you are because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind"
"friendship is a great gift. One to be prayed for and not taken for granted."
"we need to pay attention to eachother, really see eachother. That is truely the greatest gift."

"For we are God's master piece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago" (Eph. 2:10)
"By the grace of God I am who I am" (1Cor. 15:10)

pouring out whats in my head

2006 has been quite a depressing year so far. i find it very difficult to be happy. not to say that i havn't been happy from time to time, but over all i have been rather negative. and that bothers me bc i am not usually a negative person, but i can seem to get out of this rut. it is a constant battle with myself. i am constantly thinking and constantly comparing and trying to figure out how i can be and do better. but i feel stuck. i don't want to be where i am any longer. but i don't know how to get out, i don't know how to change. satan has me by the next and is slowly pulling me down. its a long drawn out painful battle. i know i will win in the end bc i have God, but that doesn't make the battle any more fun, more bareable maybe, but not more fun. hanging on to all i know and all i have. trying to break free. i am so ready for this to be over. i want to do more... i want to serve more... i want to be used and use the gifts i was given. but how, where, with/to whom? slowly breaking free. i am ready to live. to help and serve... proactive. looking for ways to use my gifts. breaking free.