You are the everlasting God :: The everlasting God :: You do not faint :: You won't grow weary :: You're the defender of the weak :: You comfort those in need:: You lift us up on wings like eagles...
SONG of the day, oh my GOSH, song of my heart and all I don't even have the words to say, again captured completely in a song that I heard not so coincidentally on the way home a bit ago.
Just got out of an appointment with my counselor and we literally were staring at the calendar on the wall trying to figure out how in the Lord this much life happened in just two weeks since I last saw her.
Even leading up to the doctor's appointment I was headed to right after I saw her two weeks ago, it is just unreal, but incredible. And I'm going to celebrate this moment, with no fears of what tomorrow or the next day may bring.
There could be no better words to continue the celebration of all that the Lord has done and is doing through the highs and lows, the victories and defeats. the sorrows, the hardships, the emotions, the grief of the last two weeks alone.
And really, as I realized last night on the way home and finally felt like I could let out my breath and finally exhale from the last four weeks of marathon intense weeks I have been running and am still in the midst of, yet the tears fell last night.
Tears shared with the One who sees, the One who knows, the One who has been with me, fighting with and for me, through it all, and the One whom I heard last night whisper softly to me, the words every daughter longs to hear from their father... words straight from the One who has been the Father I never had, who said, through my tears and my release, my joy and awe of His power and all that His Hand has done, words I will never forget.
Words that again reminded me again anew,
You are my Jehovah Jireh,
My God who always provides.
My loving God who is faithful.
My Everlasting, THE Everlasting God.
Whose goodness and faithfulness is not contingent upon my circumstances, as I wrote last week in my heartache and disappointment, yet whose goodness and faithfulness I have come to cherish in my hope as well as in my despair.
For You are my Hope. My Strong Deliverer. The Sovereign Lord who is our Strength.
(Running short on time now, but hope to share more of what I've been experiencing and processing SOON when time permits, but for now just had to get a little bit of it out here for the part of me that processes through posting as well!)
A verse that has been on my heart this week before all the victory that is coming from it all began to surface,
“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves...”
::psalm 68:19-20a
Yes, You are. In the things big and small, magnificent or mundane-- DAILY You see and care about and bear it ALL. “The Lord will perfect all that concerns me,” another promise I've been claiming lately. Yes, our God is mighty.
Strong and mighty. Mighty to save.
--
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord :: We will wait upon the Lord :: We will wait upon the Lord::Our God, You reign forever :: Our hope, our Strong Deliverer ::You are the everlasting God :: The everlasting God :: You do not faint :: You won't grow weary :: You're the defender of the weak :: You comfort those in need :: You lift us up on wings like eagles
something's sweeping over me i yield to, i feel You something's washing my heart clean i yield to, i feel You Someone's setting my soul free i yield to, i feel Your love
--
[ Words from “Rush River Rush,” another Enter the Worship Circle song I can't get out of my head or my heart tonight, also cannot find a good video for this one, so a link will have to do for tonight! ]
"You give me life...
And I give it back to You..."
:: Jason Morant
Yet ANOTHER song on my heart tonight and today. I think I must have been a singer in another life.
Oh, just love love LOVE these pictures of the beautiful Hannah Casey! I told Rod, (her dad), this last weekend at church, I saw pictures of Hannah, OMG you never told me she was G-OR-GEOUS...
I had actually never seen nor met this member of the Casey family that I've heard so much about from her parents, Rod and Julie, from Woodcrest, and their oldest daughter, Miriam, ANOTHER beautiful Casey girl that I have gotten to be good buddies with in the last couple years going to various retreats together and such.
I first heard a lot about Miriam before I met her as well as during my support raising period, the more people I would meet with from Woodcrest and share my story and my passion for women's ministry and recovery, nearly EVERY appointment, seriously for three months, people kept telling me i needed to talk to Julie Casey (she founded Woodcrest's recovery program and has been in ministry as long as I've been alive.)
Yes, I remember in the year I met her, I was turning 25 and when she told me she started all of this in 1984 I was like, wow this is amazing. I have a LOT to learn from her, I remember thinking as she began sharing how it all came together from the very baby stages.
Julie is amazing and somehow we hit it off (though I was super nervous and intimated to meet with her and then God took care of that little insecurity by placing me in the same small group the following semester. No seriously, out of 200 women and we just "happen" to not only be in the same class, but end up sitting next to each other and literally looking instantaneously at each other's name tags and were like, "people keep saying I need to talk with you!" And thus, a relationship was born.
Somehow, Julie took me under her wing and mentored me and allowed me to participate in their leadership community for their recovery program, and during that time period, we had lots to talk about. But not just recovery, I would always say, Julie how are YOU doing, and as Miriam was getting married that May, we always had PLENTY to talk about :).
And, I love Rod, he is one of the pastors, amazing, amazing man. Have enjoyed getting to be know Miriam over the last couple years as it feels like we have known each other longer because we both tell each other, my mom talks about you all the time!
She now lives in Minnesota, where her and her husband, Joe, are in seminary, but we get to see each other at least twice a year when she comes in for holidays or to speak, and then at the annual Created Female retreat, where we first met a few years ago.
Caught a glimpse of these on Silverbox's site and Miriam's facebook, is Hannah and are these senior photos NOT the cutest?! SO fun. Pretty little lady and such a beautiful family. Beautiful in so many ways. Cheers!
