Song for the Week...

Rollercoaster
Kendall Payne

Life gets a little better, life seemsa little gray
Live it up, live it long you can always count on
Those unexpected moments when the pleasure just sweeps you away

We were made for something better
Something better than this inconsistency
So while you wait to respond what's really going on
Under shame, under doubt, what's the whole thing all about
Sing to me

It's like a rollercoaster 100 miles fast
Spins you round in circles till you want to collapse
Makes you so excited you can't wait for your second chance

Love gets a little moldy
Especially when it's you I'm trying to love
And the road gets so long seems so hard to sing along
But I can't imagine any other I would rather be dreaming of

We are riding on the shoulders of the ones who've come before and the ones who've passed away
Some are good, some are bad, some are all we've ever had
To compare to prepare us for everything we are facing today

Some are good, some are bad, some are all we've ever had
Some are tired, some are bored, some still stuck on keeping score
Some are kind, some are mean, some are never to be seen
Some are tired, some are weak, some are lying through their teeth
Some can love, some can hate
I can relate

Haiti

Like much of the rest of the world, I have watched the coverage of the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. It has been almost unbelievable. Haiti and the people of Haiti hold a very special place in my heart. It was the destination of my first international mission trip (other than Mexico). It is the place where it really all began for me---my call to missions, my call to work and love the "least of these". As I have watched the news and read various reports over the last 10 days, my heart has been flooded with memories of my time there and all that God has taught me since then. One of the things that stands out is the spirit of the Haitian people I encountered while I was there---the joy and hope they had were incredible. To have so little, yet to have true joy and hope in the Lord still inspires me, almost 7 years later.

Here are a few pictures from my time in Haiti...




The following is what I wrote on my way home from Ferrier...it's just a fraction of what I learned that week and continue to learn as I strive to pursue God with everything...

Smiles. They mean the same in almost every language. As I stepped down from the truck on Sunday to begin my week in Ferrier, Haiti, it dawned on me that I could not speak one word of Creole and had no way to communicate with them except though a smile or a hug. God has shown me that by smiling and hugging little boys and girls that I am communicating to them. I am communicating God's love to them. God has also shown me that His strength is perfect. When I didn't think I could carry another bucket of water or swallow another pile of fish spaghetti; He gave me the strength to go on and continue to serve Him. God also showed me that my heart's one desire, my passion, should be to follow after Him with everything. I like to do things my own way it seems, but He's shown me once again this week that His way is so much better than my own. Everything I do should point others to Christ. The people I came in contact with in Ferrier have a passion to serve God and worship Him, and I found myself longing to have the same passion, the same desire, the same smile.

Song for the Week...

How He Loves
David Crowder

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realise just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

And O how He loves us
Oh, O how He loves us
How He loves us all

Yeah He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves

We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
When I think about the way

brutal...

if you want a brutal workout, go buy this dvd at walmart or target or wherever you can find it...it says you can lose up to 30 pounds in 6 weeks...and i don't doubt it after doing "day 1" yesterday...:)