The rain is drizzling down outside as I sit here and type this and the chilliness of fall is in the air. It's drizzly and early here and my family and I have a long day ahead of us. Today is my great aunt's funeral so please pray for all of my extended family as we remember an amazing lady who loved the Lord. Thank you for your prayers-they are appreciated.
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The words of the Little Engine That Could still puff away in my mind. I remember hearing my mom read my siblings and I the story over and over again. The Little Engine was carrying more than it thought it possible and there was a hill ahead. The brave Little Engine faces the mountain and puffs "I think I can, I think I can...."
Recently I have found myself wondering whether I can. The mountain seems rather high and my load feels heavy but the colorful pictures in the simple children's book comes back to my mind and I hear Alex and Brett Harris telling me to "Do hard things." Do hard things? I think I can. I think I can but I can't alone. I need Him-the One who says "I know you can."
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:13
I can master Mozart's Concerto in G, I can make an A in Physics, I can do well on the ACT, and I can do anything else-through Christ. Although I've just begun to go up the mountain I keep saying "I think I can, I think I can...." because the Little Engine That Could climbed up that mountain and when he reached the apex she sighed and said "I thought I could, I thought I could." Because I serve a God who knows that all things are possible I will trust him and when I finally reach the mountaintop I can repeat what the engine said and smile "I thought I could."
"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."
Maybe you've seen the following video but if you haven't-watch it a have a laugh or two. Taylor Swift's Love Story has nothing over Anita Renfroes hilarious rendition. :) Still, I do love Taylor Swift's Love story.
In the years following the devastating attack to America on September 11, 2001; we may have succeeded in pushing images of that day out of our mind. As time goes what was so real at the moment seems to fade in our minds. Today, it was real again to me. The pictures, the film footage, the silence over my house as the plains didn't fly to a nearby airport and the love for my country-they came rushing back to me.
Nine year old children have a lot of questions and I know that I did as I watched the plains ram into the side of the World Trade Centers. I wondered why anyone would wish to kill so many people and I wondered what would happen to the country that I loved. Would live ever be the same and should it be the same after such a tragedy. And...where was God? He was there and we felt it. So many people united in prayer and I felt the prescience of the Lord was so real. Never had I been so proud to see the American flag snapping in the wind.
I wanted to forget about 9/11 but now I don't. I want to remember because it was so real and the sacrifice of so many should never be forgotten. May we never forget the day that those towers fell.
Here is a touching video in remembrance of September 11, 2001.
To all who gave on 9/11/2001 and to all who lost someone on 9/11/2001-THANK YOU! America owes you so much.
http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/i-was-there-september-11-tribute/all
http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/revelation-song-september-11-tribute
What are you going to do if this happens? What are going to do if this doesn't happen? Wait, what are you going to do period? Those are the questions that I've been asked by others and have been asking myself. They want answers and I want answers too. I don't have all the answers and I am discovering that it's okay. I don't have to have all the answers.
There were dozens of reasons why I thought I needed all the answers and dozen more reasons why I needed them now. My reasons were rooted in fear. The fear of what I would do if life situations didn't go as I had planned, the fear of being rejected and the fear of failing at what might be one of my greatest chances to succeed. Fear will destroy confidence if that confidence is not established in the hope of Jesus Christ. I had confidence in myself and when that slipped away I saw that I had nothing remaining. The answers that I thought I had were gone.
Sometimes we have to start over in order to find the right answers. At the end of ourselves we must find God because he is the right choice and he holds the key to all questions. Starting over isn't easy because you won't know what to do except to keep going and to keep trusting the Lord. When you let go and begin again you will find your questions resolved and you will realize that it is all right to let God have all the answers. Corrie Ten Boom said it well when she stated “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
Throw away the answer key and stop attempting to solve the puzzle because you will never solve life's problems on your own. I needed the Lord to answer my questions and you need him too. Questions are answered at Calvary.
Nothing before, nothing behind;
The steps of Faith
Fall on the seeming void, and find
The rock beneath.
I'll just say it. I need help and I need it rather quickly. Typically I don't utilize my blog as an advice column but I need some advice now so Footprints in the Sand is doing double duty. If you can help me, great!
The number one thing is this: I need two piano pieces to perform before a college admissions and the pieces should be memorized. I listed the criteria below for the information I'm looking for. And one more thing, I only have until February to master these pieces.
1. I need one classical piece and one piece in a contrasting style
2. Please don't recommend anything that is below level 8/9 (advanced)
3. The pieces must be appropriate to play with the consideration of receiving a music scholarship
4. Please don't suggest a composition that you know nothing about
5. Let me know if you have performed the piece for a contest/recital/audition
Thanks for the help. I will stop transmitting SOS signals now. :)
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