on our side

it is a sacred thing when you find a song that really touches your soul....like every bit of it affects you....the rhythm, how its sung, the instruments, and most importantly, the lyrics. and its even more beautiful when that song brings you to your knees at the unimaginable mercy of God.....

when we are forced to recognize that we deserve to be beggars pleading with Almighty God for His grace and we begin to wish that we were put together and strong and worthy because then we would please Him...

but then we realize that we, in all of our brokenness and sin and unworthiness, are exactly who He wants to share a meal with...and not so that we can get the crumbs off the floor as yet another reminder of our profound lack of worth, but so that we can feast with Him. we can laugh and share life because we have found our wholeness, our freedom, our restoration, our worth in Him - the one who pursues the weak and messed up and unworthy.

this is such a song for me recently. 

You are on our side

by bethany dillon

the orphan clings to Your hand
singing the song of how he was found
the widow rejoices
for her oppressors are silenced now

You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
when You could just be silent and leave us here to die
still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side

the runaway falls at Your feet
You are what he has searched for
the rich man is broken
when he stands beneath a sky full of stars

You sit at the table with the wounded and the poor
You laugh and share stories with the thief and the whore
when You could just be silent and leave us here to die
still, You sent Your Son for us
You are on our side

He is on our side....what freedom is found in believing and walking in this.

whats a song that Father has put on your heart recently?

what the heck?.....TIC!

so, yes. this is a crane that is sideways and leaning over an apartment complex. this happened last month as this city and the country have been doing finishing touches on construction projects in preparation for the 60th anniversary of the new republic. so the crane was actually doing work on the building that is to the right of the picture where you can only see poles....apparently they were turning too quickly while trying to hoist too much stuff and bam!...this is the result!

this is on my university campus by the way...yikes! it made the local news and everything

thankfully no one was hurt and thankfully I also happened to come upon this that day so you could see the craziness

these are moments when, like a good friend has taught me here, you can only really say....TIC!

(this is China!) :)

village adventure!

a couple of weeks ago, I set out with a few friends to go in search of a village on the outskirts of the city. we wanted to check this out because several of us are interested in reaching out to the poor but don't really know the best ways to go about it, so we went out to explore!

by the end of the day we have traveled about 5 hours and around 12-14 km by bike and visited several different villages on the edge of the mountain that is near our city!

it was such a life-giving time for me to be out in the country with open spaces, see His beautiful creation, be with sweet friends, and to have Him expand my heart more for these people.

I have been trying for about two weeks to get the videos to upload onto here but can't seem to get it to work...but will keep trying so stay tuned!

in the meantime, here are some pictures that I took to remember and to share with you so you could be a part of the work here too!

I like sheep a whole lot!

old temple we came across near the mountain

this is a tree that is believed to have some kind of mystical/spiritual power, probably because of how old it is....

but, just to the side of the tree we saw this huge branch that had died and broken off - another reminder of how all things with supposed 'power' and anything in nature that is worshipped for being 'sacred' will eventually be shown for the counterfeit that it is...Praise Him that because we know the Creator we can bypass worship of the created and can give our worship straight to Him!

sketchy bridge that was broken on one side that we, of course, had to walk on :)

I have a thing for doors!

harvesting right in middle of the road!

these little flowers were growing right out of the gutter. I loved them and thought that it was just like Father to have such beauty grow out of filth and trash...and I also thought that this is exactly what He does in our lives when we allow Him to take our mistakes and our brokenness....He works with such creativity and purpose! 

wind was a bit strong so a tumbleweed got me!

windy and a little rainy but nonetheless, a beautiful day! a home in the village with the mountain behind!

heritage

in the spring I had the privilege of going to a women's retreat that was focused on rest and refreshment from Father and in community. I was so encouraged by our speaker - her life experiences, passion, vulnerability, and her obedient walk with Father.

One of the stories she shared was about how during the time that her and her husband were dating, he would send her love letters and at the end of the letter he would sign them like this....

in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

John

she said she always thought that it was a bit peculiar and that maybe he was trying to be too spiritual....she wondered what was wrong with 'all my love', 'thinking of you', etc.

but she shared about as she continued to get to know him more and more, she learned how important the idea of a spiritual heritage was to him....the idea of a legacy and that we are a part of God's continued faithfulness to His people.

I thought this was so beautiful when I was at the retreat and now, months later, I am still astounded.

in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

these men are known as the patriarchs...forefathers. God kept His promises to them. He maintained His covenant even in the midst of disobedience and idolatry. He promised a son when there was barrenness and He provided that son at an outlandish age. He challenged by asking for a sacrifice that was too painful to imagine and then provided a ram at just the right time. He blessed them with land and abundance. He protected them from their enemies. He wrestled with them to show His power and His glory. He met them and revealed Himself to them.

I probably sound like a broken record...even to myself I do...but man, is this not a call to remember?! to look at the word with new eyes and new excitement and see that this same God that provides, protects, loves, forgives, wrestles, challenges, blesses, reveals Himself to all these people, does all of these things in our lives too! that we are now grafted in and allowed to be just a small piece of this beautiful work of redemption and restoration that God has been working on for all time!

for me, this gives me great hope and peace. He will not abandon His people or the works of His hands. He will not leave or forsake us. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

He is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.....and of Courtney.       

Hallelujah.

Thank You that Your promises and Your faithfulness are everlasting!