FIRST LOVE--You taught us what LOVE is!

Lord, you ALONE are our FIRST LOVE!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Rev.2:3-5,)

Quotes

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." --Martin Luther King Jr.

I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours. ~Bernard Berenson

Chuck Pierce quote:

"The enemy longs to capture us in yesterday. If we become so attached to what the Holy Spirit was revealing yesterday that we cannot move forward, then we are in danger of coming under a religious spirit and missing revelation for the present day."

God, break us out of small minded thinking, legalism, and control! The picture God paints is so much grander than our small minded ideas of what we think or even hope He is going to do! :-)

He is God! The Ultimate Creative Guru! He called the world into existence and then He ordered it. He continues to let His creativity go!

Roll with the punches! Go, go, go!

Jesus Calms the Storm

35That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
39He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

41They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

To be who you are...

All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what it was. I accepted their answers too, though they were often in contradiction and even self-contradictory. I was naïve. I was looking for myself and asking everyone except myself questions which I, and only I, could answer. It took me a long time and much painful boomeranging of my expectations to achieve a realization everyone else appears to have been born with: that I am nobody but myself. ~Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"

He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away. ~Raymond Hull

Commitment:

1. the act of committing.
2. the state of being committed.
3. the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
4. a pledge or promise; obligation: We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.
5. engagement; involvement: They have a sincere commitment to religion.
6. perpetration or commission, as of a crime.
7. consignment, as to prison.
8. confinement to a mental institution or hospital: The psychiatrist recommended commitment.
9. an order, as by a court or judge, confining a person to a mental institution or hospital.
10. Law. a written order of a court directing that someone be confined in prison; mittimus.
11. Parliamentary Procedure. the act of referring or entrusting to a committee for consideration.
12. Stock Exchange. a. an agreement to buy or sell securities.
b. a sale or purchase of securities.

Confidence and Rest

Hebrews 3
Jesus Greater Than Moses
1Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. 3Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
Warning Against Unbelief
7So, as the Holy Spirit says:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
8do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.'
11So I declared on oath in my anger,
'They shall never enter my rest.' "[a]
12See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15As has just been said:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion."[b]

16Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed[c]? 19So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

17 "Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.

19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.

20 "Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
he who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere youth;
he who fails to reach [a] a hundred
will be considered accursed.

21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the works of their hands.

23 They will not toil in vain
or bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the LORD,
they and their descendants with them.

24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,"
says the LORD.

Heal the World..

For some reason, I find this song very soothing. ;-) why do i like this video so much? they look like real people... :) and they want to change the world!!!
and they're in asia! lol. shux.

Merchant Band "I Can't Wait"

There's a place I've been more real than what I've seen
You led me by the hand into the chamber of the King
Take me away to the place that I never want to leave

Yeah yeah

I've tasted and I've known of a love that's better than wine
Come to me my Lord
Only You can satisfy
Take me away to the place that I never want to leave

I can't wait for our wedding day to come
Let me see Your face
let me feel Your arms of love
I have been betrothed to a King above all kings

I am not my own and You've pledged Yourself to me
I can't wait for our wedding day to come
Let me see Your face
let me feel Your arms of love

Take me away to the place that I never want to leave
Take me away to the place that I never want to leave

I can't wait for our wedding day to come
Let me see Your face
Let me feel Your arms of love

I can't wait for our wedding day to come
Let me see Your face let me feel Your arms of love
I can't wait for our wedding day
I can't wait just to see Your face

I can't wait.

Beyonce: Single Ladies

All the single ladies All the single ladies
All the single ladies All the single ladies
All the singe ladies All the single ladies

All the single ladies!

Now put your hands up
Up in the club, we just broke up
I’m doing my own little thing

you decided to dip
but now you wanna trip
Cuz another brother noticed me
I’m up on him, he up on me

dont pay him any attention
cuz i cried my tears,
for three good years

Ya can’t be mad at me

[Chorus]
Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

wo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh x2

(Chorus)
Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

I got gloss on my lips,
a man on my hips
hold me tighter than my Dereon jeans

acting up, drink in my cup
I couldnt care less what you think
I need no permission,
did I mention
Dont pay him any attention
Cuz you had your turn
But now you gonna learn
What it really feels like to miss me

(Chorus)
Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

woo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh 2x
Don’t treat me to the things of this world
I’m not that kind of girl
Your love is what I prefer,
what I deserve

Is a man that makes me,
then takes me
And delivers me to a destiny,
to infinity and beyond

Pull me into your arms
Say I’m the one you own
If you don’t, you’ll be alone

And like a ghost
I’ll be gone

All the single ladies (7x)

Now put your hands up

woo oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh ooh oh oh oh 2x

Cuz if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it

If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it
Don’t be mad once you see that he want it
If you liked it then you shoulda put a ring on it

woo oh ooh 2x

Snow Patrol

"Chasing Cars"

We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel

Those three words

Are said too much

They're not enough

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Okay. I don't agree that we don't need anyone else, but there is a sense in a romantic way that its just you and the other...no one else is in it for what you're in for. This is the best way to spend the day. Just being. Sitting. Playing. Looking at the clouds or looking at each other. Just laying on the couch. Forgetting the blur of the world.

I'd Do Anything For Love lyrics by Meatloaf

I'd Do Anything For Love lyrics

And I would do anything for love
I'd run right into hell and back
I would do anything for love
I'd never lie to you and that's a fact
But I'll never forget the way you feel right now,
Oh no, no way
And I would do anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love,
but I won't do that
No, I won't do that

Some days it don't come easy
Some days it don't come hard
Some days it don't come at all,
and these are the days that never end
Some nights you're breathing fire
Some nights you're carved in ice
Some nights you're like nothing I've ever seen before or will again

Maybe I'm crazy, but it's crazy and it's true
I know you can save me, no-one else can save me now but you

As long as the planets are turning
As long as the stars are burning
As long as your dreams are coming true
You'd better believe it, that I would do
Anything for love
And I'll be there until the final act
I would do anything for love,
and I'll take a vow and seal a pact
But I'll never forgive myself if we don't go all the way, tonight
And I would do anything for love but I won't do that
No, I won't do that

I would do anything for love
Anything you've been dreaming of, but I just won't do that
I would do anything for love
Anything you've been dreaming of, but I just won't do that

And some days I pray for silence
And some days I pray for soul
Some days I just pray to the god of sex and drums and rock 'n' roll
And some nights I loose the feeling
And some nights I loose control
Some nights I loose it all when I watch you dance and the thunder rolls
And maybe I'm lonely, that's all I'm qualified to be
That's just one and only, the one and only promise I can keep

As long as the wheels are turningAs long as the fires are burning
As long as your prayers are coming true
You'd better believe it, that I would do
Anything for love
And you know it's true and that's a fact
I would do anything for love,
and there'll never be no turning back
But I'll never do it better than I do it with you. So long, so long
I would do anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won't do that
No, no, no, I won't do...

I would do anything for love
Anything you've been dreaming of,
but I just won't do that

I would do anything for love
Anything you've been dreaming of,
but I just won't do that
I would do anything for love
Anything you've been dreaming of, but I just won't do...

But I'll never stop dreaming of you ev'ry night of my life, no way
And I would do anything for love, but I won't do that
No, I won't do that

[Girl:]
Will you raise me up?
will you help me down?
Will you get me right out of this godforsaken town?
Will you make it all a little less cold?

[Boy:]
I can do that
I can do that

[Girl:]
Will you hold me sacred?
Will you hold me tight?
Can you colourise my life,
I'm so sick of black and white?
Can you make it all a little less old?

[Boy:]
I can do that
Oh oh now, I can do that

[Girl:]
Will you make me some majic with your own two hands?
Will you build an emerald city with these grains of sand?
Can you give me something I can take home?

[Boy:]
I can do thatI can do that

[Girl:]
Will you cater to every fantasy I got?
Will you hose me down with holy water, if I get too hot?
Will you take me places I've never known?

[Boy:]
I can do that
Oh oh now,
I can do that

[Girl:]
After a while you'll forget everything
It was a brief interlude and a midsummer night's fling
And you'll see that it's time to move on

[Boy:]
I won't do thatI won't do that

[Girl:]
I know the territory, I've been around
It'll all turn to dust and we'll all fall down
Sooner or later you'll be screwing around

[Boy:]
I won't do that
No, I won't do that
Anything for love
Oh, I would do anything for love
I would do anything for love, but I won't do that

No, I won't do that

I Corinthians 13

1 Corinthians 13

Love 1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Some people read this passage that if you do not possess love to GIVE you have nothing.
Lately, I have been reading it as if you do not have love (as in if you are not receiving love or holding love from others in your possession) --you have nothing.

You can have everything--fame, fortune, leadership, influence, and more. If you are not giving and receiving love--you still have nothing. This is why Hollywood leaves people so empty and all the promises of how great life will be if you only had everything you think you wanted--come up so void.

If you don't have love in your possession--you have nothing.

I have recently talked with beautiful and passionate, tenderhearted, sincere people who appear to have it all, but through their tears have shared the brokenness of their own lives. Appearance isn't everything. You can look like you have it all, but if you don't have love. You still have nothing.

Love comes from God.

Who are you receiving love from today?

New York City: Before and After

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2009/09/manhattan.html?sc=fb&cc=fp

One of my favorite cities in the world! :-) Busy busy! New York City! :-)Manhattan! :-) Beautiful, colorful, and full of culture! I love that I got to go to school here and I will always love and miss this city! This city is marked for greatness. May God arise and may the Light of the Kingdom shine in this place!This picture is incredible--showing the abilities given to the sons and daughters of God to create culture and to build with our God given gifts and the influence of our personalities in cooperation (hopefully) with God to inhabit the earth.These cities remind me of cities in the Bible like Sodom and Gomorrah and the tower of Babel. We have the opportunity to create with or without God because we are made in His image and He is Creator. If we create without God it is for our own glory. To create WITH God is including Him in the plans and recognizingHe is Creator and we are creatures (and thus dependant on Him). It is taking action with our God given human wills and desires, but allowing God to be God instead of trying to be gods ourselves. When we look to Him first we can cooperate/participate in His greater good being worked out in the earth. This picture is so interesting... Reminds me of my former contemplations on cities which I have rarely talked about as much as I think about them, but have managed to blog about twice!

http://skylineballerina.blogspot.com/2004/07/seattle-skyline.htmlhttp://skylineballerina.blogspot.com/2006/09/god-of-city.html

I haven't even read this article yet, but I loved this picture, so I had to post! ;-)
Blessings!~S.

What is Love? (One Hit Wonders) by Haddaway

A link from a friend of mine reminded me of this one hit wonder by Haddaway.... Everybody's heard it. The push and pull of wanting to love and being afraid.

Give me a microphone.

by Haddaway

What Is Love?

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
Oh, baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more

What is love
Yeah

Oh, I don't know why you're not there
I give you my love, but you don't care
So what is right and what is wrong
Gimme a sign

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more

Whoa whoa whoa, oooh oooh
Whoa whoa whoa, oooh oooh

Oh, I don't know, what can I do
What else can I say, it's up to you
I know we're one, just me and you
I can't go on

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more

Whoa whoa whoa, oooh oooh
Whoa whoa whoa, oooh oooh

What is love, oooh, oooh, oooh
What is love, oooh, oooh, oooh

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more

Don't hurt me
Don't hurt me

I want no other, no other lover
This is your life, our time
When we are together, I need you forever
Is it love

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more (oooh, oooh)

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more (oooh, oooh)

What is love?