Missouri :)

Driving down to Springfield today I was awed by the beauty of the state of Missouri. Normally, Missouri isn't the first state that pops into your head when you think of amazing landscape, after all there are no oceans, deserts, or huge mountains. But, to me, Missouri is fantastic! Especially in the Fall.
Well just wanted to tell you that, if you get the opportunity, take a drive down to the Ozarks in the Fall.

Personal Connections

My God is so big! My God is so awesome. He is Creator of the Universe, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, He is the Bright Morning Star. He rose from the dead, parted the Red Sea, shut the mouths of starving lions, and walked on water.
Yes, my God is indeed mighty and deserving of awe. But what awes me the most is more than just His power and strength, it is His gift to us.
God, all powerful God, humbled Himself and became one of us, weak, mortal, finite human beings. He went through all that we do on Earth, was tempted, betrayed, beaten, humiliated, and painfully killed. All this He did so that He could have a relationship with us.
This knowledge floors me, literally. When I think, really THINK, about this, my tiny human brain cannot fathom the love and devotion it would take to give EVERYTHING for someone who didn't deserve any of it.
God loves us SO much that He want to communicate with us. He WANTS to talk to us and bless us and spoil us rotten. But, too often, we rebel against the One who loves us more than anyone else and He is unable to give us all he wants to give us because we are not willing to accept it.
Today, I felt that powerful love of God through a very personal connection He made with me. I was sitting in my dorm room in the Wiehe at Hannibal-LaGrange College, procrastinating on Facebook like always, letting my MP3 player go on shuffle. A praise song that I like very much came on (Marvelous Light) and I started listening to what was actually playing. The next song was an Irish jig which made me smile and think about my trip to Ireland over the summer. I had NEVER felt so close to God than I did sitting on Carrick-a-Rede Island, looking out over the Irish Sea with the high sea cliffs beside me. I began to think, "It's been a while since I've had a quiet time with God."
The next song to play was Be Thou My Vision played on bagpipes. And that's what broke me. I felt the tears coming and my throat tightened at the sound of those pipes. I laid flat on my stomach on my bed and just began praising God for who He is and for all He does for me everyday, I asked for wisdom in areas in my life and for a broken spirit to be completely focused on His goals instead of mine. This whole time, my shuffle continued to play bagpipe hymns.
When I had to leave for class, I stood up and the song changed back to an everyday band. I smiled. God used an earthly passion to poke me and say "Hey, let's hang out for a while. I miss you."
What other Deity on earth cares enough about their followers to want to connect with them on such a personal level?! Our God is worthy of all praise and adoration!

My Instrument

I thank God for the gift of music! He created it so special and so intricate that human beings can do almost anything with it that we can imagine! Look what we have done! We have gone from the simple concepts of Gregorian Chant to amazing orchestral scores, to the discoveries of harmony and instruments, to the use of electronics! Music can make us feel things we don't normally feel and calm our ever active spirits.
I love music. And because I love it, I have tried different instruments over the years. Piano: loved it at first until I started learning to play by the rules. Guitar: LOVED it! Still want to get back at it, but I didn't take the time to practice. Pennywhistle: am currently working on it and find I can play it fairly well if I try. But I'm just a very lazy person and practicing is not something I often do.
I want to kick myself sometimes because God has given me a natural feel for music, especially rhythm but my mom shot down my drums and bass guitar plans, and I never take enough time to use that feel and actually learn to play something.
Thankfully, God must have known how lazy I would turn out to be because he blessed me with a voice. A voice with a very wide range. A voice that can reach above and below the treble cleft with ease. A voice that comes easy and naturally to me. A voice I trained without hardly any effort.
I am very thankful for the instrument God has given to me. I am indeed blessed.

Modern Day Mr. Darcys

Mr. Darcy. Every girl on the planet knows this name I would venture to say. But sadly, every girl also knows that Mr. Darcy is fictional. However, this does not stop us from dreaming of someone who will come along and sweep us off our feet with their gentleman-like manners, sweet words, and thoughtful actions.
A debate in one of my classes the other day inspired this blog post.
We were discussing gender roles and how members of each sex learn how they are expected to behave by the media and culture around them. When asked how many of us girls in the class would appreciate a man opening a door for us, paying for our meal on a date, or pulling out our chairs for us, most of the girls in class raised their hands high! However, a few raised their hands when asked the opposite "Who thinks they can do it themselves and don't particularly like it?".
The question raised was "how do men know what their roles are in this day and age when the image of men is so skewed?" I sat there in the class and was saddened to think that that question even needs to be asked!
What happened to the days when men were men and women were women, no questioned asked? It was expected for a man to open doors, help ladies down from things, and treat them respectfully. I don't understand why women would want to change this? Feminists want "to be equal and respected", but do they not realize that when a man opens a door for them, they are seeing the woman as, not only equal, but putting them higher than themselves and showing them more respect than they show other men? Is this concept so hard to grasp?!
But it cuts both ways, and I myself am guilty of it, women are not what women should be either and it really is no big wonder that men don't respect them anymore. Do we act how we wish to be treated. No. We do not.
I left that class a little bit sad. But I was pleasantly surprised by a friend of mine who walked with me through the building and opened every door on the way for me. If he was trying to prove a point, it was proved and, I might add, highly appreciated.
Chivalry isn't dead. And those of us who don't want it to be need to keep it alive.

Colors of Fall

Fall never ceases to amaze me. I love the feeling of the crisp, cool air and the crunch of leaves underfoot as I walk to class. I love the smell of woodsmoke as people start having bonfires and start lighting their fireplaces. I love the colors of the leaves, with so many different hues it blows your mind.
Fall is my favorite season. A cup of hot cocoa, a crackling fire, a blanket, a book, and some soft music...perfect setting.
But what Fall has made me think this year is different from any Fall before. This year, I feel like Fall is a gift from God. It's almost like God is saying "Hey, look at this masterpiece I painted just because I love you so much and I want to show you a glimpse of how happy I want you to be." I can see the care He took in planning His Creation to make us, simple, seemingly worthless, human being, happy and content and in awe. Everything He created, He created with us in mind.
So whenever I step out of my dorm lately, all I can see is God's Mona Lisa called Fall. A beautiful picture of His glory and creativity. What an awesome God we serve!