The new twilight soundtrack is so great! I'm so glad one of my favorite bands, Sleeping at Last, is on the album.

     I've had a wonderful week. To begin with, Thursday I slept in til around 12, went to class at 2, had coffee with Erin at 4, then found $10 Joe Brand jeans and took them to a get a $10 altering. That night there was a concert called Alla Italiana, with a guest conductor from Milan. He was precious. He thanked Berry for having him and said he's now friends with Dr. Garrido and "Georgo"- one of our senior percussionists. He apologized for his poor English-speaking, but I loved his accent! I would've loved to meet him. 

      I should probably stop being surprised by the good and fun things in life, but I'm constantly overjoyed by the depth and number of my friends. Thank you Lord for blessing me! Thanks for giving me people who encourage and understand me. Thanks for reasurring me by giving me guy friends and girl friends, I'm not used to that. Thanks for reminding me that I'm attractive, even if it is in a pesky way. Thank you for giving me patience and contentment.

Psalm 84

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.^[a]

 ¹ How lovely is your dwelling place,
      O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
 ² I long, yes, I faint with longing
      to enter the courts of the Lord.
   With my whole being, body and soul,
      I will shout joyfully to the living God.
 ³ Even the sparrow finds a home,
      and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
   at a place near your altar,
      O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!
 ⁴ What joy for those who can live in your house,
      always singing your praises.
                         Interlude

 ⁵ What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
      who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
 ⁶ When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,^[b]
      it will become a place of refreshing springs.
      The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
 ⁷ They will continue to grow stronger,
      and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.^[c]

 ⁸ O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.
      Listen, O God of Jacob.

thanks

     Tonight I am thankful for friends. I'm blessed with acceptance and kindred spirits. It's good to know that I have multiple clusters of people that value my company. I'm glad  that God's provided that for me so early on. Friday was super fun- Spanish test (aced it!), zaxby's free meal w/coupon from mom, jamming to songs written by my friend Jake with other friends in the music building practice room, some mentally contrived relational awkwardness resolved, coffee shop+jenga+good music+deep convos, and lastly, star-gazing+prayer+sharing+worship at Frost Chapel til 1:30 am. A montage of my favorite activities and people in one night.
     I feel like God has given me a fresh breath of air this week/weekend, kind of re-fueling me to finish out the semester. It puts a smile on my face to think about what's been going on. Thank you for advice, encouragement, laughter, silliness, understanding, and similarities.
    And by the way, I'm sure this is unprofessional, but I'm really into "-"s lately. I wrote a few compositions this week and probably included unnecessary dashes...Where does this trend come from?

Crags and Clay- Gungor reflection

       
Crags and Clay- Gungor

Standing up from crags and clay
The peaks of earth
In full display
They break the lines
That break the sky
That’s full of life
Full of life

The chaos of creation’s dance
A tapestry, a symphony
Of life himself
Of love herself
It’s written in our very skin

All praises to the one who made it all
Who made it all
All praises to the one who made it all
And finds it beautiful

Soil is spilling life to life
Stars are born
To fill the night
The ocean’s score
The majesty
Of sculpted shore
Mystery

All praises…
Fearfully and wonderfully and beautifully made

 This song is the one that just overwhelmed me during their concert. Jesus loves us and sees us as "good" and "beautiful." Psalm 149 says "I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." I'm overcome by God's love for me. I'm in disbelief most of the time because I don't understand how he could love me through all my sin- despite my sin. He gives me unmerited favor. We don't deserve the love he lavishes on us. When they were singing this song I felt the weight of God's presence around me and it was too much to handle. I cried uncontrollably and without tears- why? I don't know, but those are the moments when I am most enraptured by Christ- when he's more than I expect- when he surpasses my definition of love and acceptance. He fills me with unexplainable joy and peace. He fills us with life and grants us abundant life. I am constantly thinking "I don't deserve this." That's the beauty of it- we don't deserve it but he gave everthing so that we could have relationship with him. By his grace we are washed clean by the blood and in God's eyes we are once again blameless and beautiful. Christ's blood gives us access to the father's presence. Thank you Lord for showing me again how amazing you are! Thank you for surpassing my meager mindsets and limitations and for taking me to new places in my relationship with you. Please continue to wash over me with the truth of your word.