Psalm 100

I overslept this morning and missed going to church, so I thought I'd have it right here.

Psalm 100

A psalm. For giving thanks.

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

This is a well-known Psalm, and one that remains fixed in my mind. One of my mentors used to quote verse 4 whenever we started to pray, and I think it's a good approach. Of course, there isn't a need for prayer to be formulaic, but I believe it helps to "count your blessings".

The message within the text and my memtor's advice is that thankfulness and praise are the means by which we connect our selfish hearts with the Perfect love of our Creator. If, for a moment, we can forget our own worries and realize the wonders of His work, all Earthly troubles slip into meaninglessness. The contrast between our Mighty God and each day's trivial problems becomes so stark that we can do no other thing but rejoice.

I will shount to You for joy, my Lord, because I see the beauty of your Creation. With a thankful and gladdened heart I will sing praises to you, because you have given me the blesings that come from nowhere else. For my friends, family, gifts, safety, abilities, and life may I thank You without end.

Let my heart be tethered to Yours; Let my eyes seek Your beautiful face and no other; Let my feet walk only where You will lead; Let my tongue speak only what You would have me say.

In the Perfect Name of Christ, who is my Salvation, I pray these things.

Bless my friends and family, and especially those who I dislike.

Goodness, Gracious

Still happy.

Tonight has been an absolute blast! Live back at Belmont this fall has started wonderfully. I'm living in my first apartment, on campus in Hillside with some of my best friends. Read, Mike, and our new friend Brinley are holding down 2701 with me, and we've had so much fun together. Tonight was some good old fellowship and fun, with incredible hamburgers at Brown's diner, followed by fresh-baked Ghirardelli brownies at the apt, then a screening of my favorite movie of all time... Back to the Future! I was grinning and happily chuckling throughout the whole movie -- it's just so good, and the night's been so much fun. Not to mention that we're cooking our weekly Saturday Morning Super-breakfast in the AM, complete wiht Applewood smoked bacon. mmmm....

Now that I have that block of text out of the way and I've expressed just how happy I'm feeling right now, I'll catch up a bit. As I mentioned, the fall semester here at Belmont has been off to a good start. I'm really enjoying my classes, and it's been wonderful to reunite with my friends. I've been really busy with music, too -- The Nova Ray has been hard at work with new songs and shows, and I've kept up playing with Austin Manuel, too. I'm looking forward to playing some more of my solo songs as well. We'll see what this fall holds.

I've felt some good community with God as of late, too. I haven't always kept Him as my focus, but it's been easier than it was this time last year. Things are simpler and I'm finding that I have more of a desire to read, speak, and live acording to the Gospel.

I've gotta take a break now.. we're about to start BTTF II.
More to come later.

-Rob

Happiness.

I'm happy right now. Very much so.

I have to keep this short, because I've gotta get up at 7:30 for work, but I wanted to leave a little post.

Friends are returning to town, school is about to start, business is picking up, and I find myself in one of the best mindsets I've ever had. I'm experiencing joy, purpose, confidence, and excitement in a deeper way than I usually do, and it's a wonderful thing.

I've recently learned a lot about what it means to be open and honest with people. It's not quite as hard as it seems, and rewards one with deeper relationships and a comforting peace of mind. I love my friends so much, and I want to bless them with encouragement and authentic care.

I'll write more soon! For now, it's bedtime.

Restored

I'm crying. Relief, joy, stress, fear.. these and a lot more are trickling down. Thank you, God, for your gifts and guidance. You're all I need. I will trust in You for ever.

I think I've used this one before, but the Word is ever-true. My thoughts and heart have turned to Psalm 23...

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

June Bugs.

Late. Late, Late, Late.

My apologies for being so negligent. It's no good to go so long without writing here. Things have been busy, with summer classes, music, family, and friends. It's been a good summer, and I've seen a lot of personal growth, which is definitely a good thing.

I've been working hard in my classes, and making As again. I've rediscovered my scholastic prowess, so to speak,and it feels good to apply myself and succeed. It may not be the first thing on my mind, but it's good to have education and occupation on my side.

Songs, music, songwriting, performing, instrument proficiency... these things have been twirling in my brain constantly for the past few weeks. It can be tough to take a step back from myself and my creative output, but I think that with patience and practice I'll develop the skill. I love the whole process of writing and developing a song -- it really feels like my truest self shining through, and when everything's right where it belongs, I get a small taste of what God must feel at glimpsing his Creation in full Glory.

Pause. I'm not trying to compare myself to God. I am made in His image, though, and so it makes sense that I'd find meaning and joy in the same things that please Him.

Aside from music and school, I've loved getting to hang out with my friends lately. Colton got back in town a few weeks ago, and Ryan I. is in town for the whole summer now, so that's been great. Two of Coco's friends from Baylor, Michael and Ryan W, are here for the summer and I'm glad I've gotten to know them. Of course, I love being with GJ, JR, and Mary, though this past week I didn't get to hang out with them.

That being said, summer's kind of dead, because a lot of friends from Belmont and CPA are gone, and so I have a limited amount of people to hang out with. I love them a lot, but during the summer I miss my other friends and I wish it were easier to meet new people as well.

I'm gonna stop here for now. Time for a shower (bath, actually. Go ahead and laugh, but I enjoy pretending I get to use shampoo in a hot tub) and then I'm gonna do homework at The Good Cup. Haven't been there in a while, but I do love Grassland. After that, there's talks of "Cory's House," whic sounds pretty dnag awesome. I really want to see WALL-E, too. Finally, on Sunday, my ever-fave Bleu is playing at 12th & Porter. Score.

I'm out. I'll write more and carry out the original purpose of this blog (Scripture, Grace, and thoughts on Faith) soon. Please hold me to this.

Vacation Bible School

Here I sit on the couch of what I've dubbed "The Party" -- the house inhabited by my friends Kenley, Andrew, Dan, and Clark. I got up bright and early to take my first Rec Tech test of the summer and aced it, and then came here to catch 40 winks and hang out before my 11:45 Speech class.

Most of the other guys are asleep or out, so I'm in the living room typing this while Andrew Hill ("Where you at?") shares the den with me in thoughtful peace. It's still fairly early, and there's lots to do today: class, food, music, time with friends, maybe even some swimming or a workout at the Beaman. We'll see what I end up doing.

Anyway, most mornings I've been using the drive from ym house to campus as a time of meditation and prayer, almost always accompanied by the voice of Cash reading me the New Testament. I finished Matthew the other day, so I'm well into Mark, and it's incredible. Hearing the story of Christ's life told straight through in the poetic language of the New King James translation, read by one of my greatest heroes, has truly given me a deeper grasp of the Word of God.

It occurred to me that these days, it's easy to disregard the literary aspects of Scripture. If you're from a religious background, you may take offense at the Bible being perceived as "just some story," and may choose to view it as a personal rulebook of sorts. This is misled thinking. The books of the Old and New Testament are certainly not a man-made folklore or fable, but neither are they limited to being (as one cringe-worthy athletically-themed Bible was titled) "God's Gameplan".

I've begun to see the thematic, poetic, and literary beauty of the Gospel.

Lots + I'm tired!

I'll try to make this brief for now. I need to get sleep soon!

Summer school started this morning. Getting up at 6 isn't fun, and neither is taking classes during the summer, but it's what needs to be done.

Music is exciting, fun, and a great sustainer. I've been playing, writing, and performing a lot lately and I love it. I wrote a new song today called "A Reason to Remember". I like it, but it's not finished yet. Here's to proliferation.

It can be horribly frustrating sometimes to know what's right, especially when I want to do the opposite. "The good I would do," I often do not, but sometimes it's just as frustrating to do the right thing.

Sometimes I feel like a total idiot and the epitome of awkwardness. All those dumb feelings can really compound themselves into making me lose focus of what I need to do. Here's a tip -- even if you're a hopeless case, don't give in to thinking of yourself that way. It doesn't help at all.

I finally got that collection of Cash reading the New Testament. It's beautiful. I listened through James and it was really moving. I'm most of the way through Matthew now. I feel so connected to Scripture when it's read by Johnny. It shouldn't make a difference, but he's such a hero and that voice makes me feel so at home. I feel as though he were my long-lost third grandfather.

I'll try to write more tomorrow between classes. I need to do some more Word study here and in general.

I'll leave you with a one-page essay I'm turning in tomorrow for Rec Tech...

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What Am I Doing Here?
There is a question that rests in the back of my mind – a problem that demands an answer, and an uncertainty that calls to be resolved. It is the persistent voice that asks, “What are you doing here?”
It’s a question that I’m sure everyone has heard, but its universal nature fails to lessen the sting of the issue. Each of us must decide what it is that he or she is meant to do, and each of us must have a personal explanation as to why. Without a sense of direction, we are left feeling adrift in a sea of insignificance.
Purpose, it seems, is the great myth of our times. It is the legendary, mystical ideal that everyone seeks but few seem to find. For myself as a student, a musician, and a human being, I find my purpose in creative expression.
I feel that I have been gifted with an imaginative spirit, and that it is my calling in life to use this gift to the best of my ability. By using my creativity to encourage and inspire others, I believe that I am carrying out the purpose for which my God created me. A deep sense of satisfaction and value fills me when I engage in the creative arts – especially those of words and music.
I have found my purpose in service and stewardship by using my creativity to help and encourage those around me. If I can be mindful of these convictions and motivations, my actions will be blessed with order and with great productivity. Perhaps most importantly of all, I will have an answer when I hear that decisive question -- “What are you doing here?”

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Lord, let me be a bold and honorable man in your sight. Let me use whatever gifts you have given me for Your glory and not my own. Let me have the confidence and assurance that comes from knowing you and following your plan for my life.

Bless my adoring family and my wonderful friends, and grant us all the fullest of your peace and fruits. Let us be wise and truthful, compassionate and full of faith. May You be honored in all things.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray these things.

Amen.