History in the making

Indeed this is history in the making. I won't divulge my vote, I don't think anyone needs to know that, and this has nothing to do with how I voted. I am blogging about my feelings. Please don't attack politics, because this is not about that.

I do believe that I shed a tear yesterday because of a memory. After listening to Obama's speech (I got home just in time to pop the TV on to the start of it) I shed a tear. My heart was flying back to my childhood.

I remember when I was a child, idealistic, and sure of myself. I knew something back then that came true last night. I remember thinking as a child "I am going to be alive when a black man is elected president... I wonder how old I will be?" Last night I said "dear little Shelley, you are 32 years old, and in 2009 what you wondered about will be the truth." Maybe it was Barack talking about the centurion voter, and all the changes she experienced in her lifetime, maybe it is just that I have always been a history buff, and this was history in the making. Maybe it is just because I came home from my support group and was in the mood to care for my inner child. I realized that I was experiencing history.

Yes, it was from my bed. I was not downtown Chicago, like so many others I will find out were. I am not insane enough to be drawn into a crowd that size, I could not handle it. I am perfectly content watching history on my TV, much like when we first bombed Iraq years ago. I like to observe, make my own conclusions, but am glad I am not right there at that very moment. Besides, I could see the look in his eyes, something that I am sure was very difficult to see in Grant Park last night through anything but... a tv monitor.

Funny, when I turned on the TV, Dave said "well I guess he won." It was not that important to us who won. Yes, we voted, no I am not telling you who for. What we know, what we believe, made it so that we were firm things would be okay. You see, God is sovereign. No matter who is elected, God will use him to serve God's purposes.

No matter who you voted for, pray for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, and all of our newly elected politicos that they may use their wisdom and experience and leadership for the good of our country, for the good of the world.

Welcome, boys and girls, to history in the making. Enjoy it.

Change my name, change my name

Beyonce Knowles, formerly of Destiny's Child "Say My Name" fame has decided to change her name. Okay, first of all the name "Beyonce" is equivalent to "Bootylicious." So with the release of her new album, Beyonce is saying "I am... Sasha Fierce." According to the article I read, Sasha Fierce is Beyonce's Naughty Girl alternative personality.

Why would one change her popular name? Or is it all just a promotional act by the record company? Maybe she is just a Beautiful Liar, or perhaps she just understands that R&B stars are not Irreplaceable.

Anyway, Beyonce is always been Jumpin' to me. Secretly I am a Beyonce/Destiny's Child fan. That Independent Woman can pay her Bills. She certainly is Foxxy.

Poor DuPage

Seems that DuPage now has a 4.9% poverty level, up from 3%.

We have so much, yet really its so little. Service jobs are 28% which is super high!

Read this article from the Wheaton Sun.

Jesus reaches out via Windows, is not a Mac user

Apparantly, even Jesus is doing His own evangelizing. Some woman in Oregon claims that the image of Jesus appeared to her on the window during a difficult time in her life and helped her to get through. Yet, she is not a Christian. She said "The fact that this image has come into a non-Christian household says, you know what, it’s OK that you’re not Christian – I’m still there."

Read the article here.

Yeah, Jesus is there for you if you ask. However, she is trying to sell this window on E-bay for $10,000. Makes you wonder.

The interesting fact in all of this, is that she yearned for Jesus so much that she decided this leaky window was showing His image.

Who do you know who really needs to know Jesus? Introduce them to the real thing, not just some steam on a window. Show them love, let them ask more.

the money crunch

Sometimes problems can just seems so overwhelming. I know right now I am just praying and praying that my tax rebate is going to get me through this rough time financially.

The whole nation is starting to feel the crunch.

Americans are bad at handling money.

Warren Buffet just said we are in a recession. America is borrowing money from China to boost our economy! What the heck folks!?!?!

I find that I need to strap down my spending, and now, before I head back into serious debt!

Especially with what is going on in my life, I need to be more mindful of the thing I would rather ignore right now. We all do.

God, help us to all get through this very rough time, and come out stronger because of it. Help us to make wise decisions that honor you.

I hear the strike is over

Sadly, I have yet to watch any TV. I can barely keep up with the movies my friend loans me.

Maybe this is a good thing.

Keeping my eyes focused on what really matters...

For where my treasure is, there lies my heart. See Matthew 6:21

My treasure has not been in TV. My heart has been far far away from that. I will however take the time to go and do this, despite my hatred for Broadway.

So long Heath Ledger

I was pretty shocked when I heard Tuesday night about Heath Ledger. Not only was he a celebrity who was HOT but he was also a good actor. Heath was too young, and too uncontroversial to die. Seriously, I thought I would hear that Britney Spears croaked first.

My mom passed away at 55. Heath only lasted until 28. I am about to turn 32 on the 8th.

Life is too short to fight with your friends people. Be a blessing to everyone you know, starting with yourself. We all just want to be loved, right?

I will miss Heath. (Don't make fun of me.) Good thing is that he is always available on DVD.

Sleep...

Yet another reason to go back to sleep...

My first attempt at musical review

Well, I truly love this album, and I truly love Tree 63. I want to review this album for you folks and encourage you to buy it. No, I don't work for them, I am not paid for this. I am just a huge fan of their music. I am writing this without reading anyone else's review, because it always skews my thoughts.

The album starts with the title song, "Sunday." Its a rockin' song with a catchy tune. You may have already heard it on radio stations like KLOVE. Its encouragement through and through. We live in this world and it sucks, Jesus has died, but he will be resurrected, and return in all his glory. This is something to remind us that he HAS been resurrected and that good will always triumph over evil.

The next song is "Becoming." It totally rocks, and makes me want to jump and celebrate. This is the type of song I want to listen to when I am in a good mood and driving down the street. This would also be a great song to play for teens. It is full of energy. I saw these guys do this song live, and you can't help but jump up and down and celebrate! My favorite line "does anybody know that someone else paid" captures the celebratory mood. This song urges us to keep going. The one thing that kinda gets me in a wrong way is the short use of electronic hand claps, which are meant to fill in for real ones, which are much more phenomenal live.

Next in line is "World Undone." I can see this being sung in church. It is just an awesome praise song with promise of healing. Also it talks about how having Christ in your life makes you want to keep going, growing and making the world a better place. Its just a song about rejoicing. Great pace, not too fast, not too slow.

The next song, "Alright" is the one I posted yesterday. It is a slower paced song, but that really makes you listen to the words. I cried the first few times I heard this song. It really ministers to my soul. Many times while growing up I just wanted someone to tell this to me "its all gonna be alright." I know it now and believe it. As humans, we tend to forget this often. God is in control. Good always wins and the sun always rises. Its all gonna be alright. The melody is almost like a lullaby. It just soothes my soul, I don't know how else to say it. I want to make a video for it, but nothing I can do will give it justice.

"Foolishness," the next track, gives me mixed feelings. While I love the lyrics, and the smartness of the song, the background singing is distracting to me. It seems outdated and foolish. I sometimes wonder if it is not intentional.

"There is a Kingdom that Cannot be Shaken" is an awfully long title. This is another song that just gives you a good feeling. It reminds us that heaven is our reward, and God's kingdom exists.

"Almighty Silence" talks about how sometimes we just have nothing to say. Its when we just want to be still and know that HE is Lord. It is also a slower, calming song, really uplifting.

"Walking Home with You" takes up the notch and makes you celebrate with more energy. This song has a catchy tune, and it talks about The Bible, and Jesus sacrifice and that God is always with you. Its a really great song, and I see this being played on the radio.

"Not as this World" gets into deep issues. You can tell there is pain in this world, and the song sings to God "release me!" It just reminds me of many of the Psalms when David cries out for God. This song has true soul. Also knowing that the band is from South Africa, and is 5000 miles from home, it makes this song so personal to the band. I know there are times when God feels so far away and all you want is to go Home. This is that song. Powerful.

The next song is going to be a hit. "New Creation" is catchy and easy to follow. They also performed this song live when I saw them at Ignite Chicago. Great, high energy song that the crowd caught really quickly. We just celebrated because we are new creations. It rocks.

The last track, "The Revolution," is a call to action. A great tune calls you to go out and change the world. Who will feed the hungry if we don't? I really enjoy this song, and its ending just plays so naturally into the beginning of the album, that I start listening to "Sunday" all over again. It just flows that good.

This album rocks, touches your soul, calls you out to be something better than you are now, something God created you to be. It reminds us that God needs us to help Him change the world, but we need Him even more.

You can hear their influences of U2, Coldplay, and the Police and other great rock bands, but John and the guys truly make this their own. This album has a lot of "ohh"s on there, which I happened to notice seems a bit different than their previous albums, but I really like do like the sound of it.

I met these guys, they are so nice and genuine. They really have a passion for God, and it comes out in their music. I love how the guys have put out podcasts on YouTube and iTunes. Make sure you check out their MySpace page, where you can listen to the full version of "Sunday" and also samples from "New Creation," "Becoming," and "World Undone."

So, take my advice, go get the album! Keep an ear out for them, they are gonna be a big hit!

Congratulations!

I am so excited to announce that one of my dearest friends is with child! Of course it is not public yet, so thus the secrecy.

I am sooooo excited for you my dear!

May your pregnancy be pleasant and your child be healthy. May your marriage grow and your life change all for the better!

Christians use the internet

There have been several really good things posted recently, and I want to share. Remember, sharing is caring.

On Big Ideas about Small Groups, Caren Fog writes about why it is not good for us to be alone. Check it out here.

The ReachOutKC website has been updated, and is more interactive. Also you can donate online. Find out about the God-sized dreams for Kansas city. Check it out here. Find out about the NewThing Network here.

God keep revealing facts supporting the Bible. Check out the story here. Scooped from ChurchRelevance.com.

Perry Noble tells an awesome story about how God reveals himself at 2am. Read the story here. It is really good, don't miss it!

Tommy Bowman shares some insights on worship. It's not just singing! Seriously, find out what he says here. Check his band out on the website or at their myspace page.


Alison shares some insight from her life on following Jesus. Read it here.

Last but not least, Pastor Dave shares about his Philippines trip. So far he shares this and this. I am looking forward to reading more.

Oh, and thanks to Sherry for the pic, which I nabbed from her blog.

I personally use Google Reader to keep up with all of my blogs. No, they did not pay me to say that, but some people are curious.

If you are curious what I am doing this weekend, the answer is work. (sigh) Next Saturday I am going here, and Sunday to see these guys. I am excited! At least I can look forward to next weekend!

Eight years gone by... now this

Eight years ago, my life was so different. I was going to stop being a waitress and start going to school to be an x-ray tech. I was going to work at the hospital starting in July. But in April 1999, Columbine happened. My heart broke. So many stories came out of the woodwork of the people who were killed, and the heroism of those inside the school. So much was brought up about the perpetrators, and a trenchcoat took on a whole new meaning to the world. I was distraught. High school was still fresh on my mind, and I had relatives in school still.

Now, Virginia Tech experiences a massacre almost eight years to the date. So much goes through my mind. When I first heard the news that morning, I ignored it. I wanted it not to be real, to be like a bad dream. It didn't go away. Now I have to look at his face on TV. He is trying to tell me, to tell the world that it is not his fault. Do all the blaming you want dipwad, IT IS YOUR FAULT!!!! What is it with people? How come they want to blame everything on everyone else but them?!?!?! You are hurting? GET HELP! People are mean? Grow some balls! Seriously.

I will be the first to admit that I suffer from depression. I started to hurt, I realized the problem, I got help. Life does get better! I grew up, took responsibility for myself, and changed my life. I did not go out and kill all the people who pissed me off. Despite a high school yearbook entry from an "anonymous" Julie Woods saying I hate you and hope you die. I realized that life is what I make of it, not what others tell me it is. (Julie is forgiven by the way, and I pray she has found happiness in her life.)

Am I angry? Yes. I burn with righteous anger. This jerk took lives of innocent people because he couldn't control himself. How dare he say "I die like Jesus Christ" because he felt persecuted!?! Jesus did nothing but good things, like heal and feed people. He did not bring guns to the Temple and shoot the Pharisees! Jesus's defense was not to punch out the people and kill them. Jesus died to set us free, and this sicko twisted it to his own defense. Weak.

Its all be done before, nothing is new. Sad, sick and twisted, but true. In the scheme of things, this guy will not be remembered for doing anything different.

I pray for the people at VT and all the friends and families affected by this. I pray for everyone involved. May God meet you in this tragedy and show you his real face, one of grace and love. I pray for the public that is affected by this. I pray for the people reporting the news.

Something good will come from this, God will make sure of that. Genesis 50:20 "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good..."

Nowhere to turn? God is listening...

Sometimes life gets so overwhelming. Recently there was a tragic car accident in Oswego where 4 kids were killed, and several injured. My friend's son has a friend that lost a leg. Imagine that, being in high school, losing your friends and your leg... So tragic. This is when life gets overwhelming, and you wonder why God puts us through such ordeals. I saw those kids faces on the paper today and I wanted to cry.

I wondered why God had made my mom so sick,why she had to suffer, why we had to suffer so much. On that side of the pain, it was hard to see. I got this awesome devotional that really helped lead me through the pain, and into the glory of God. I also started reading the Bible and going to church. Things started to make sense. Then I worked on my relationship with God.

If you are hurting now, it is so hard to see the light that is there behind the cloud. I assure it, it exists. God created this world, and us, to give us love. He needed nothing, He just wanted to have us to love. Start by accepting that love, trying to understand it, and the Truth will be found. Prayer is good. Prayer is not some formal thing, and you don't even have to get on your knees, or talk out loud. Just talk to God. If you want to know God, pray for that by saying "God I want to know you." Believe me, you will come to know God. Keep reading the Bible, and talking to God. Before long, you will have a relationship, which is exactly what God wants. God wants a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him and be able to bear your heart to Him, he wants you to talk to Him, and rely on Him, especially when all else fails.

I say this because this is the truth that I have found by living in His Grace. I pray that more people will come to understand the peace that I feel by having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I want them to feel the joy that I feel, even a fraction of the peace I know...

Ask me more, or ask Him...