The Song

I lay in bed unable to fall asleep. My mind a whirl of thoughts, ideas, frustration, plans, hope, and a little worry. There were so many things to think about I wasn't making much sense of any of them.

In the midst of this melee of thoughts a song kept repeating itself in the back of my mind. I couldn't make it out at first. It was quiet, but definitely something I recognized.

"....held without restless longing....or strain.....or stress....or fret....or chafings at Thy dealings....." Then I remembered! It was hymn 316, Live out Thy Life Within Me.

I lay back and thought of the rest of the words, adding them to the melody now soaring through my mind and silencing the thoughts one by one with its hopeful promise:

"Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings!

Be Thou Thyself the answer to all my questionings;

Live out Thy life within me, in all things have Thy way!
I, the transparent medium, Thy glory to display.

The temple has been yielded, and purified of sin,
Let Thy Shekinah glory now shine forth from with within,
And all the earth keep silence, the body henceforth be
Thy silent, gentle servant, moved only as by Thee.

Its members every moment held subject to Thy call,
Ready to have Thee use them, or not be used at all,
Held without restless longing, or strain, or stress, or fret,
Or chafings at Thy dealings, or thoughts of vain regret.

But restful, calm and pliant, from bend and bias free,
Awaiting Thy decision, when Thou hast need of me.
Live out Thy life within me, O Jesus, King of kings!
Be Thou the glorious answer to all my questionings."

Unspoken prayer answered, I fell asleep and awoke again the next morning to the same promise. 

Thank you, Father!

Ideal

 I was sitting in the convention center, listening to Elder Ted Wilson speak to an 

expectant group of GYC attendees. 

While I resonated with what he was saying, something suddenly jumped out at me

 and struck a louder answering chord than the rest. First, it was just a

 word: "ideal". Then, it was the following statement (and I paraphrase): "God is 

waiting for you to become for His ideal."  I've heard and used 

the word "ideal" in many different ways: ideal situation, ideal job, ideal location,

 ideal weight, ideal spouse, ideal church, ideal etc. 

Looking up the word 'ideal', I found 12 different definitions. Most of them 

denoting perfection in some sphere, but the one I think best fit in with Elder Wilson's

 sermon said, "...a person or thing conceived as embodying such a conception or

 conforming to such a standard, and taken as a model for imitation." 

We think of finding ideals, but have we thought of becoming one? 

Becoming God's Ideal?  In an era where situations are fast spiraling out of control, 

are we striving for the perfection that God has offered us through His Son? 

You look at the world around you: famine, earth quake, disaster, disease. Look at 

your country: governmental strife, economic deterioration. Just walk down a 

city street: empty people filled with care who don't know Who holds their future.  

But then there is God, calling you and me to become His ideal! He is calling us 

to be that person who empties themselves and allows Christ to be embodied in 

their lives, He is calling us to conform to the standard of Christ and 

imitate Him. 

He is waiting.

How long will He wait? 

How long with He call before we respond to follow in the footsteps of Jesus,

 carry His message, and let the whole world know?

Jesus is waiting for His ideal - she is dressed like a bride waiting for her groom -

 she is His church. 

The End

My first day on campus, I drove over the sidewalk and nearly died of mortification.

My first year, I completed a triathlon and ran a half-marathon.

The second year, my sister came :)

The third year, I became a nurse!

I just finished the last semester: a BSN graduate.

No longer does driving over sidewalks embarrass me (in fact

I don't do it anymore because I've learned

where the sidewalks are!).

I've participated in the triathlon many years as I've been at Southern. 

My sister is now going to have a year without me,

as I did without her.

I leave so many things behind: memories, friends, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Its the end.

But wait!

I take something with me! I take my degree. I take a deeper understanding of what it means to

be a Christian, an Adventist, and what it means to serve. I take memories. While I leave friends

behind, I don't leave behind what they have meant to me. I take away from Southern somthing

I didn't have when I came: a college education and the ability to put it to use.

Now this is my prayer:

  Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,

 It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

In, Yet Out

"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, 

but that thou shouldest keep them from evil."

~ John 17:15

yet:

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will 

come again, and receive you unto myself; that where

 I am, there ye may be also."

~ John 14:3

but this has to happen first:

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,

and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things

whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo,

I am with you always,

even unto the end of the world. Amen!"

~ Matthew 28:19-20

A Lost Art

Today I had to tell someone where to put an address on an envelope.

Writing by hand is definitely becoming a lost art

(as evidenced by using the internet to post this piece of information!)

But at least I know where to put an address on an envelope.

And still hand-write letters. ;)

The Day I Lay My Isaac Down

I have a prayer as pure as gold

That where You lead me I will go

And I'll embrace the holy plea

Each time Your Spirit calls to me

And in that hour, and in that time

When I must lose my will in Thine

My true devotion will be found

The day I lay my Isaac down

Each sacrifice You call me to

I'll die to self, I'll live for You 

Take up the cross forsake the crown

The day I lay my Isaac down

Your Lamb of Love Thy blessed friend

Nailed to the alter for each sin

There in my place Your Son was bound

The day You laid Your Isaac down

~ Scott Krippayne

The Carpenters Shop

The bench was well-situated. Anything the carpenter did could be seen from it. Yet I shifted restlessly around while I watched. It all seemed so slow to me. One shaving at a time, he patiently worked the wood, seemingly unaware of my fidgeting.

"I think I've got it, " I said at last, "Thanks for the lesson. I can probably do it now."

"There are still many things I could show you, why don't you stay a while longer?"

"Thanks, I think I can do it. I've got the important stuff down."

"You've got the main concepts, but its the little things I haven't shown you yet that make the trade. Stay a little while more." He patiently went back to shaving.

 I sighed. I could do it, I knew I could. After all, wasn't he the best carpenter around? I'd watched for a long time. All you do it move the plane back and forth along the board.

The carpenter straightened up. "Why don't you work here with me?" he invited.

"I want to go somewhere else," I replied, "There is more to do out there and I'll get more experience. Besides,   everyone says theres a lot of need for carpenters in surrounding areas."

"There is a lot of work here, " he reminded, "And we can do it together. I'll show you some areas that you can work on to improve."

"But...."

"You can be useful here. There are people all around you and more come in every day."

"It seems more exciting to go further away. People  think about you differently when they know you are out on your own."

"I don't. It doesn't matter to me whether you are working here with me or if you go far away. Its work that needs to be done, child. Don't wait to use your talents till the situation seems perfect. Using them now will gain you experience and at the same time help those who need it."

"....in the humblest duties and lowliest positions of life, we may walk and work 

with Jesus..... You are not to wait for great occasions or to expect

extraordinary abilities before you go to work for God. You need not have

a thought of what the world will think of you. If your daily

life is a testimony of the purity and sincerity of your faith, and others are

convinced that you desire to benefit them, your efforts will not be 

wholly lost."

~ Steps to Christ pgs. 82 & 83