Adapted from Hart’s Hymns, No. 55 on Faith and Repentance.

Come dear Christians, sing the praises

Of your condescending God;

Come and hymn the holy Jesus

Who has washed us in His blood;

We are poor, weak and silly,

And to every evil prone;

Yet our Jesus loves us freely,

And receives us as His own.

Though we’re low in man’s opinion,

He has made us priests and kings,

Power, and glory, and dominion,

To the Lamb the sinner sings;

Leprous souls, unsound and filthy,

Come to Jesus in your sin:

Its the sick man, not the healthy

Needs the great Physician’s care.

Oh beware of wrongly thinking

God accepts you for your tears;

Are the shipwrecked saved by sinking?

Can the ruined rise by fears?

Oh beware of trust ungrounded,

Its imagined faith at best,

He cures no one but the wounded;

To the spent He gives His rest.

No big words from boastful talkers,

No dry doctrine will suffice:

Broken hearts, and humble walkers,

These are dear in Jesus’ eyes;

Tinkling sounds of disputation,

Naked knowledge, all are vain:

Every soul that gains salvation,

Must and shall be born again.

That is such a good song! So pretty much I shouldn't be writing on Xanga, I should be studying for my Theo Exam and getting ready for a Bible Study, but alas. . . I just wanted to post this song on here, because I love it so much, the words are so deep and thought provoking. I have so much to say and tell . . . but I need to run to Bible Study soon.

Maybe I will have time later tonight to lengthen this entry, but for now, this will suffice. =)

More to come, love to all

lace

Wow

I think its officially been like 5 months since I last posted. I am alive. I am still breathing . . .

Well now that I am back at school I figured I should start posting again. Since my life is interesting again.

Probably before I update on the present, I should say a few things about this past summer.

Well, summer was slow. I did an extra 2 weeks of school (May school) and was able to get Intro. to Fine Arts out of the way. The I pretty just worked at Subway and did nothing. Lets see what else is there to tell. . . my sister is engaged, yay! I also worked at camp in Lebanon for a week - what an experience. What a privilage to be able to work with those kids for a whole week. I had a few kids made some professions of fatih and had a few others make the decision to put God first in their life. I know God did amazing things in the lives of those campers that week, but I feel as if I was the one who learned the most. To be in a place of leadership like that holds much responsibility, and it was a privilage to be able to be in that postion and have God teach me amazing things and stretch me in so many ways.

The fam also went up to Maine for a week. Stayed at my grandparetns for a bit and then headed up to Moosehead Lake for blueberries and for the moose. =) It was fun. I love it.

God really taught me a lot my freshman year. Wow. I am a totally different person. I look back at the little freshy who walked wide eyed on to campus and I inwardly chuckle. So heres a list of prob. the top things God taught me. . .

1. . . One of the things in life that I hate is confrontation. The past year has taught me a lot of this subject, and I was stretched unbelievably. Yet, God in his goodness knew that it was exactly what I needed. God taught me that confrontation is at times an extremely necessary thing. As I was sitting in my Counseling class a bit ago I was reminded again that confrontation is pretty much what my major is all about. God really knew that I needed to learn about confrontation this past year . . . because I am going to really need to learn how to do it!

2. . . .I love to learn. Did I hear myself say those words? Heaven forbid. . . Yes, I do love to learn. God has taught me that there is much joy in education. I love my profs and they throw me into my work and teach me how to enjoy what I am learning. Their passion overflows . . .

3 . . . Love. God taught me a lot about love. Goodness knows that I have much more to learn on this topic. But I started chipping at the ice berg this past year. Whereas before I was content in my seflish little lacey focused world. Now, things are so much bigger than me. I did a study in 1st John for a short while. Wow, it was good.

4. God also gave me confidence that Counseling is the major for me. I have become excited about it and can't wait to use all I am learning.

5. God also gave me confidence in me. I was not confident when I first came. God taught me that I am who I am and that He made me that way - I should be proud of the way He mad eme. I used to think this was a seflish perspective, but now I see its necessary to be happy with who you are in order to be an affective tool in ministry and in order to be an actually content person. God wants to use me - and I should be ready , excited and willing!

6. . . trust. I discovered that I can get no where without God. He is my all, He is all I need and if I forget that then . . . things don't go very well . .

Well I have so much more to say but we are actually just about ready to head to a soccor game. So, pretty much everyone is updated to about 2 weeks ago. . . I will have to finish the rest at a later date.

Love to all

Lace

I wanna go back

"O Complex Twisted Knottedness!"

"Thus the soul is guilty of fornication when she turns from You
and seeks from any other source what she will nowhere find
pure and without taint unless she returns to You.
Thus even those who go from You and stand up against You
are still perversly imitating You. But by the mere fact of their imitation,
they declare that You are the creator of all that is,
and that there is nowhere for them to go where You are not."

- Confessions by Augustine
Book Two VI

Imitators of God. Often when I think of this, I think of being "little Christs." As believers and followers of Christ, isn't that what we are supposed to be? Of course, we are imitators of God! But Augustine has planted a new thought into my mind concerning the aspect of being imitators of God.

The beauty of sin is often times not for the beauty or the goal of the sin itself, but for the glory of actually doing what is wrong. When I stop and think about my sin and ask myself what my motive was for sinning, often times it comes down to this fact: I did it not for the glory of God, but for the glory of myself. Not so much in the sense that I glory in going against the Law of God, no I find it apalling that I would do such a thing. But instead I glory in what the sin actually brings me. This is not for God's glory, but yet for mine. What a simplistic thought. Yet, in bringing this selfish glory to ourselves, we are actually being imitators of God. 

If you haven't caught on yet, let me explain. But first, erase all presuppositions concerning this phrase and think of it objectivly.

God has created a perfect order, that will bring glorification to Him in His place of authority. When sinning we are contradicting the law and perfect order of God, to do what?. . . to bring glory to ourselves. We are trying to take the place of God. Imitating Him. We have control, we have order that justifies our sin.

Oh the heartbreak of this thought. That I should wish to take the place of God! To imitate his authority in such a sinful way! Instead of imitating God to bring glory to Him, I imitate God to bring glory to myself through sin.

Augustine says it best, "O rottennes, O monstrousness of life and abyss of death! Could you find pleasure only in what was forbidden, and only because it was forbidden?"

Yet what a paradox! Even in the filth of human sinfulness, humanity cannot help but acknowledge the presence of their Creator through the imitation of His authority and glory. I think back to the many philosphers that we have been learning about in class and about all of their philosophies. When it really comes down to it, they are just trying to remove God from His place of authority and replace Him with the state, the government, a class of people, or even themselves. After all I am sure they could keep track of 6 billion people a lot better . . .

"Who can unravel that complex twisted knottedness?

It is unclean, I hate to think of it or look at it.

I long for Thee, O Justice and Innocence;

Joy and Beauty of the clear sight,

I long for Thee with unquenchable longing.

There is sure repose in Thee and life untroubled.

He that enters into Thee, enters into the j o y of his Lord

and shall not fear and shall be well in Him who is the Best."

I hate being sick. I really do. It is not fun. Esp. when you have 3 big tests 2 gynormous papers, a speech, hosting for guests and a play, and choir tour all in one week. I am not kidding you. No matter how much I plan ahead, everything comes at once and there isn't a thing I can do about it. I am kind of overwelmed and discouraged, I have so little time, and I am wicked tired, but I can't take a nap!

I went home this past weekend. The Lord really just provides me with opportunities to go home exactly when I need them. Not just when I need them, but exactly when! It was good to re-energize, cause if I hadn't I don't know how I would be prepared for this, weekend/week ahead of me. It was really nice to have some nice long chats with my momma and get hugs from my dad! We went shopping, mom made cookies and I did homework! I love home!

On a happy note. . . the preacher was good today in chapel. (and hes preaching again tomorrow!) I love preachers who spit out information so fast that you can't take your eyes off your notes. . . as opposed to those preachers whose outfit you have memorized by the end of the chapel service. =)

Well I have a few study sheets to make, so I best get at it. Love and hugs to all.

Lace Face