Almost, Not Yet, Already…

This past Christmas season I was introduced to a song that I fell in love with; it’s entitled “Almost, Not Yet, Already” by Rain for Roots and it is an Advent song.

In the song, the writer imagines herself as a mother and how she relates to Mary as the Mother of the Messiah, the coming King. It’s a powerful and joyful imaginative prayer song that explores the complex nature of our own redemption in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

All things in this world bear the image of our Creator (Romans 1). There is birth, life, death, and resurrection all around us all the time if we will have eyes to see and ears to hear it. I loved how this song didn’t just apply to the season of Advent and Christmas, but to all of life. There is so much in our daily life that bears a present truth, a past truth, and a truth that is to come.

It’s now spring and the season of Lent where I live in the mid-west. The Earth is waking up all around me and as a Christian, I am walking in a season with God’s people where we explore the death of Christ (past truth) and the depths of our own sinfulness (past and present truth) through the season of Lent. But my favorite part of Lent is that Sundays are excluded from any kind of restraint or fasting that might be done on our parts. Sundays are “feast days” where we rejoice in the resurrection (present and future truth!) even though we are choosing to look at our need for it to have occurred at all.

Through this, God is inviting me to think of my own life and season; the things that are true of the past, true of the present and true of the future. I’m almost done with my certificate in Spiritual Direction! I’ve not yet opened my practice, but I’ve already seen God moving me and affirming me in that direction as I have met with my interns/practice directees (clients) for 2 years now! God has planted all kinds of little seeds of faith as I’ve walked forward and as I wait for how and what will unfold.

No matter if you have engaged with the season of Lent in your faith journey before or not, there is an invitation for you from God in this. Our faith journey is not static-it is moving, transforming, journeying and active. There is a past truth, a present truth, and a future truth God invites you to consider with Him.

Almost, not yet, already.

May you take some time today to consider God’s invitation to you on your journey.

Just Breathe

Shew, people, do you remember feeling your feet hit the floor running last Monday? Today is Saturday and I felt like I finally took a breath. I got out of bed, picked up my coffee and a book and stayed in my pajamas until 11:00 am on the couch next to the fire and the Christmas tree.

I had to remind myself to breathe at moments today; I had to push a lot of stuff back into the recesses of my head. I have this never-ending list of things to do that haunts me and says nasty things to me about how I’m not enough to accomplish all that is beckoning. It “feels” like there is more work to do than there is time to do it! Thanks to some helpful books I have to agree with the nasty voice and tell myself I don’t have to be that (because Jesus IS!) and it’s ok…and I have to breathe.

So when I did eventually get dressed and ventured out to run some errands today (milk, bread), I heard this song by Jonny Diaz and the entire thing was balm to my soul.

I loved the fast tempo as he describes his crazy day and then the way the chorus slows down as he listens to the call in his heart.

If you don’t have time to listen, here are the lyrics:

Alarm clock screaming bare feet hit the floor
It’s off to the races everybody out the door
I’m feeling like I’m falling behind, it’s a crazy life
Ninety miles an hour going fast as I can
Trying to push a little harder trying to get the upper hand
So much to do in so little time, it’s a crazy life
It’s ready, set, go it’s another wild day
When the stress is on the rise in my heart I feel you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe

Third cup of joe just to get me through the day
Want to make the most of time but I feel it slip away
I wonder if there’s something more to this crazy life
I’m busy, busy, busy, and it’s no surprise to see
That I only have time for me, me, me
There’s gotta be something more to this crazy life
I’m hanging on tight to another wild day
When it starts to fall apart in my heart I hear you say just

Breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need

Is to take it in fill your lungs
The peace of God that overcomes
Just breathe
So let your weary spirit rest
Lay down what’s good and find what’s best
Just breathe

Just breathe, just breathe
Come and rest at my feet
And be, just be
Chaos calls but all you really need
Is to just breathe
Just breathe

 

Balm to our souls.

Doucement, Si Vous Plait…

I love all things French. All of French culture makes me swooney and fluffy, puffy-heart-squishy inside. I’ve loved it since Junior High French class. French music, the French country side, even the people.

I married a man who does not like anything French. The food, the people, especially their politics; he is a victim of poor upbringing. 😉 (I’m kidding.)

I took French I and II in junior high, then in high school went up to French IV. In college, I took French I, II and III. Whew…French III at the college level was, tres difficile, n’est pas? In fact, I cheated and took it at the community college because I was TERRIFIED of the French prof at UMSL at the time.

My French is awful today. I still think in French sometimes, but it’s more just a jumble of words and phrases that make me laugh. I have forgotten so much vocab…it’s sad.

Anyway, I still love all things French. I think I should be French. I love life, I love to go slow, I love food, I love the beauty of nature and the earth…ahhhh…And I love Feist (I know she’s Canadien). Wouldn’t you know she has this lovely song in French on one of her albums? I thought it was appropriate for this pretty Friday in St. Louis. I’ll even post the translation for you. I’m so sweet. 😉 Like a cupcake…

All slow, all slow, all slowly
Always, all slow, all slowly
This way
Life is amazing.

All slow, all slow, all slowly
Always, all slow, all slowly
This way
Life, I understand it.

Never go too fast
You got all the time you need
Beware of the dynamite
Take care of volcanos
Of those young nervous ones
Who don’t know how to go

All slow, all slow, all slowly
Always, all slow, all slowly
This way
Strolling prettily

Never go too fast
Loving simply
To get success
Be very very prudent (cautious)
Love will then come
And snuggle up in your arms

All slow, all slow, all slowly
Always, all slow, all slowly
This way
Strolling prettily
Smiling prettily
Strolling prettily
All slowly

Hummin’ Hymns for Him

I didn’t grow up in the church, so it took me a long time to discover the depths of worship from a musical perspective. (‘Cause let’s face it, worship is not just about music or singing.) When I was little, the only song I remember learning was “Jesus Loves Me”. I didn’t learn the books of the Bible song (will someone sing that for me please?), “This little light of Mine” or the like until I was actually a teenager and early twenty something. (Though I do remember a few from the one time I went to church camp as an elementary girl.) Isn’t that funny-ironic?

Everyone should have one of these 😀

But my favorite place to have traveled in my musical journey of discovering worship songs, would be the Hymns. My BF Crystal gave Jeremy a hymnal that I still owe her back (but I don’t want to give it back…shhhhhh) a few years ago when he began leading worship for our church in WA, Renovo. He didn’t ever actually use it, much to my sadness. But I have adopted that hymnal as my own. (Guess I should go buy myself one and give Crystal’s back…seething conviction.)

One of my most favorite things to do is flip through the book and when I find a song I just happen to know the tune for, (I can’t read music…isn’t that so sad?) I love to sing it outloud to my Lord.  I love to sing. I wish I was better at it. I imagine in Heaven I will have an angelic voice and I will get to sing to my Lord all the time!

I didn’t realize I liked to sing so much or that it made my soul feel so deeply connected to my Lord until our small group started singing a hymn together, acapella, before our study started. We read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, “Life Together” and discussed some of the things that Bonhoeffer felt were essential to a Christian community. He deeply felt that it was important to praise the Lord in song because it focused the mind and the heart and made way for the Holy Spirit. I totally agree.

I treasure the depths of the hymns, the way they focus on God and not so much on us, the truth that they remind us of from His word and the earnest pleas they cry out.  Here are a few of my favorites:

How Firm a Foundation
All to Jesus, I Surrender
Take My Life, and Let It Be
Come, Let Us Worship and Bow Down
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
How Majestic Is Your Name
I Need Thee Every Hour
Trust and Obey
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

AH! There are so many. I have many, many more I’ve left off this little list…but, what are some of your favorites?