music and lyrics

  To be able to express emotion lyrically and musically is, I think, an incredible gift. This afternoon I was listening to Brooke Fraser.  Her album, "Albertine" might be my favorite - with such thoughtful and reflective lyrics, I find myself copying down much of what she's written.

  Seeds is a beautiful picture of legacy and the importance it should hold in how we live our lives.  It touched me anew as I listened today and thought of my little niece who will be joining us in a few short months.  I've copied the lyrics below and linked the song above. Just listen a minute and think on the privilege (and responsibility) we're given in leaving a legacy behind for the next generation. I pray I still have many years left to live... but even if that's not the case I hope there's a semblance of One who is greater in my life and that His works and words shine more brightly than mine ever could.

  ...and to the little pink bundle in the oven... I have you in mind, sweet  one, as I strive to follow the Father's call and pray that you, too, will know Him as your own one day.

  with all my love,
    auntie becky

night

field of stars above us

you pick one

we frame it with

our fingers

intertwined

seeds of every generation

between our hands

and the promise

to teach you the

little I have

learned

so far

child

what will you live to do?

what have i left for you?

what will we leave behind?

you

learning as you're growing

not yet knowing

the world isn't

always quite as

beautiful

as it is now

child

what will you live to do?

what have i left for you?

what will we leave behind?

night

field of stars above us

i pick one and

name it for you

and all who are to come...

Waiting is...

So, I've had some time to be introspective tonight.  As I journaled and read through some Scripture, I came across a quote I had written down back in college. I thought it was appropriate to share and hopefully, encouraging to the 9 people who might check my blog.  It's from Elisabeth Elliot's "Passion and Purity" and she is actually quoting S.D. Gordon in "Quiet Talks on Prayer".  It's all about waiting...

"Waiting is...
     steadfastness, that is holding on;
     patience, that is holding back;
     expectancy, that is holding the face up;
     obedience, that is holding one's self in readiness to go or do;
     listening, that is holding quiet and still so as to hear."

Elisabeth then writes, "How long Lord must I wait? with this response, "Never mind, child. Trust me."

And as I read this, I thought to myself... yes, waiting can be hard. Not knowing what you're waiting for can be even harder. But in the meantime, instead of focusing on the unknown and the time "wasted"... look how much waiting teaches me, grows me, and reflects more of Christ's character in me - if I'll allow His perfect work to be done as I wait.

So, I find myself thankful for time gone by. For a Father that's jealous for precious time with me - to teach, grow, shape and love on a heart He delights to call his daughter.

Can you trust Him with your time? There are no safer hands...

"...steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord" Psalm 32:10b

things happen fast.

Well... it's been a while. November 15, blogger tells me, was my last post. Let's just say it was a busy few months there.

since my last post, I...

- found out I was going to be an Aunt to my sister's first baby
- was asked to consider a new position at work
- was told I would be headed to Thailand for about a month for work
- traveled back to MA for my 10 year high school reunion and surprise engagement party for a dear friend
- accepted the new position at work and committed to 3 years with ELIC in Colorado
- traveled to Chicago for a work event
- traveled back to MA for Christmas/New Years
- planned/organized my sister's bridal shower
- traveled back to MA for MOH duties and my sister's wedding
- traveled to Thailand for work
- found out Kris and Jon are having a girl!
- arrived back in CO and started my new job
- realized my 29th birthday is in 2 weeks... (yikes! where does the time go?!)

yep. that's about the gist of it. So, now you're caught up on my life.
As for my thoughts? Well, there are many. And frankly, I don't feel like diving into that mess right now. But let's just say that God is so good and so faithful. And Michael Card is an excellent speaker - I'm thrilled he was at the Thailand conference this year. Thank God for his wisdom and encouragement.
And Lola? Well, she got a bath tonight and wasn't happy about it. The scratch marks on my back can attest to that. Note to self:  Next time clip claws pre-bath.  Also - I think Lola gained more weight than me in the month I was gone... Auntie Katie spoils her.

Oh and one more thing. I've decided to start swimming because it's supposed to be an excellent work out and I'm tired of being lazy. So to kick the lazy out the door, we've got a 10k in the Colorado Marathon on May 1 in Fort Collins. And if I'm up for it... possibly a sprint tri-athalon in Loveland in July. We'll see if I can swim more than 2 laps before collapsing. Hopefully there's a lifeguard on duty at the gym. I'm not so worried about biking or running - because let's be honest, I'm not trying to win this thing, but the extent of my swim lessons were "sessions" in Nana's pool when I was like 6 years old. So yeah. You can pray for me.

And here's a wonderful verse that I've been thinking on lately...

"...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith". Hebrews 10:22

also, this one: "...but for me, it is good to be near God". Psalm 73:28

Lola loves Christmas!

So... I never wanted to be one of those pet owners that forced their pet to wear ridiculous outfits. That is until I became a pet owner and saw adorable things like reindeer antlers for cats. Please enjoy because Lola surely didn't. At least she can't be offended by your enjoyment of her misery. Happy almost Thanksgiving - only 10 more days!!

Also - I swear I'm going to write a real blog soon. October was just busy!!

What would your neighbor say?

A thought-provoking look at 10 things your neighbor might say regarding Christianity... 

Church and Culture

random things and some thoughts on faith

I'm not sure why but I love writing in italics. I also over-use punctuation (any variation of . , ! - or ...). Just putting that out there up front. So don't get annoyed by my slanty font and constant pauses for breath - you were fairly warned.


I am currently listening to "Two is Better than One" (Boys Like Girls featuring Taylor Swift) on repeat. The harmonies are great and the words are sweet. And it reminds me of one, Lauren Ferzoco (http://clairebabybutterworth.blogspot.com), because I first heard it sitting in a rental car in front of her apartment in Nashville, TN last February. And we sat there in the car with the smell of our Sonic treats filling the air while the slushy/icy/rainy mess fell all around us. I miss that girl. And so I'm listening to this song on repeat. 


You'll also notice that there's an adorable kitten at the top of this page. That's Lola :)  Expect some random stories to pop up here and there about her feline antics. She's a character, that one.


So, hi! and welcome to my blog. Where I hope that family and friends will have an easier time of keeping up with what's going on in my little corner of the world. I'm not really too consistent with catching up on the phone... and while I have good intentions and mental I-need-to-call-so-and-so lists, at best I have a 15% success rate. My other goal for this blog is to just get writing again. And thinking about real stuff. It's much too easy to get caught up in social media where words are abbreviated or limited to 140 characters (thought you can follow me on twitter, too... beckyjean14. hah).  But sometimes I feel like all the random details are short-circuiting my short-term memory. Often I'll find myself reading and come across a quote that I really want to share on facebook and then what happens? I get distracted by someone's status or picture or some other nonsense and I am off on a rabbit trail in the bookface world, my reading set aside and forgotten. And instead of remembering the awesome quote or thinking more deeply on a concept, my brain is bee-bopping around in the cyber-world. Maybe it's ironic that I'm going to try blogging since it, too, is on the interwebs. You can judge me if you want. I'm going to give it a go.


I'm probably coming on pretty strong right now seeing as how its my first post and we're already on paragraph 5. A friend mentioned once that blogs are supposed to be on the shorter side. So if you're expecting me to be concise and gather my thoughts completely, this might not be the blog for you. However, if you enjoy long, rambling, detailed accounts of things that don't matter much outside of my small world - you'll feel right at home.


Final thoughts...


I've been reading this book for the past few months - "The Signature of Jesus" by Brennan Manning. It's awesome and I've written all over the margins and probably underlined half of the text. I'm almost done and am considering immediately reading it over again. This summer has been an interesting one for me as I've been challenged in my faith and the foundations I stand on. I really appreciated what Manning shares here as he quotes Brother David Steindl-Rast in his book "Gratefulness: The Heart of Prayer" - 

In the Gospels, Scripture scholars tell us that there is not a single passage in which the Greek word for "faith" (tietis) means, strictly speaking, "beliefs".  For example, that Jesus marveled at the Roman centurion's "faith" means that he was surprised by the man's deep trust, not by the way he could rattle off a list of beliefs. He would have found it hard to do so. And when Jesus reproved the disciples for their "lack of faith", he meant their lack of trust and courage; it wasn't a reprimand for dropping one or another article of faith from the creed. The reason is obvious. No creed existed. No beliefs had been spelled out. Faith was courageous trust in Jesus and in the Good News which he lived and preached. Eventually this trust would crystallize into explicit beliefs, it is true. But the starting point is trusting courage, not beliefs. And in our life of faith just as in lighting a fuse, it makes a vital difference at which end we start.

Selah and Amen. 
He hit it. On the head. 
Faith is courageous trust in Jesus.