Saturday, April 30, 2011

Love Me

“Love Me” by JJ Heller

He cries in the corner where nobody sees 
He’s the kid with the story no one would believe
He prays every night, “Dear God won’t you please 
Could you send someone here who will love me?”

Who will love me for me
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me
‘Cause nobody has shown me what love
What love really means

Her office is shrinking a little each day
She’s the woman whose husband has run away
She’ll go to the gym after working today
Maybe if she was thinner 
Then he would’ve stayed
And she says…

Who will love me for me? 
Not for what I have done or what I will become
Who will love me for me?
‘Cause nobody has shown me what love, what love really means

He’s waiting to die as he sits all alone
He’s a man in a cell who regrets what he’s done
He utters a cry from the depths of his soul
“Oh Lord, forgive me, I want to go home”

Then he heard a voice somewhere deep inside
And it said 
“I know you’ve murdered and I know you’ve lied
I have watched you suffer all of your life 
And now that you’ll listen, I’ll tell you that I...”

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done or what you will become
I will love you for you
I will give you the love 
The love that you never knew

We do not deserve to be loved by a God who loves us despite what we have done, and yet He continues to do just that. How could someone not choose to accept that kind of love and live to glorify Him?  “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”  - Psalm 103:10 

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Productivity! for the most part...

Today has been a day of productivity for me. First of all, I woke up feeling a million times better, compared to the death-warmed-over state I was in yesterday. So, I decided to keep my promise to myself and get my homework done at the beginning of Spring Break so I could enjoy the rest of my time off doing nothing. That's right... nothing. To a nursing major, sitting around doing nothing is heaven. So, at 10:30 this morning, I packed up my laptop and books and headed to Panera, where I enjoyed an asiago cheese bagel, a time of peace and quiet, and great productivity. I got so much done, but my battery was dying, so I decided to head home.

On my way home I ran to the grocery store to pick up dinner for me and Tamra tonight. We always cook dinner together, and tonight's theme is dinner for breakfast. Its going to be a tasty meal followed by Northanger Abbey. I've been getting Tamra to work her way through the Jane Austen movies and this was the next on the list.

Since the store, I've been working on homework in my apartment, enjoying the music of a strategically created playlist on my iTunes and even making Thank You photo cards for my ISP donors. So from 10:30 until 3:45 I was possibly more productive than I've ever been in my life. Until, somehow, I was distracted with the idea to re-watch North & South.


North & South is a mini-series made by BBC in 2004, based upon Elizabeth Gaskell's novel. It follows the gut-wrenching love story of Margaret Hale, a woman from South London, who uproots with her family and moves to North London, where she meets John Thornton, a local cotton mill-owner. The two of them have completely opposing views of society and how it should be run,but of course, in a Pride & Prejudice-like manner, they become conflictingly attracted to each other. All I'm saying, is you should check it out.

Aren't you just dying to watch it already?!?
photo credit: google images
I'm a little bit hooked on it. It may have something to do with the fact that I'm slowly falling for Richard Armitage, who plays John Thornton. My love for him began with my love for another BBC series... Robin Hood. If I were to go into my love for that show, it would take me too long, so take my word for it and check that out too.

Alas, I must set aside my desire to re-watch this masterpiece and get back to business again. 45 minutes was a good break, but it's back to the grind for me...

Saturday, January 22, 2011

I'm asking for your help...

Hello friends! As most of you know, I'm going to Central Asia this summer. I'm on a team with some pretty amazing women and our plan as of now is to work in an orphanage over there. I cannot wait to see how God will use this experience to further His Kingdom, but I know He has a plan.
In order to participate in this amazing opportunity, I need to raise just under $3,000. Half of this money is due by February 11th. I'm asking you all to partner with me on this. It is true, I need major amounts of financial support, but more than that we need prayer support. So, here are some (of the many) ways you can pray for my team and I even before we leave for Central Asia...
1. That our team will remember to keep God in our foremost thoughts as we prepare for this project.
2. That God will bring our team together and give us strength.
3. That we are reminded daily to be flexible as plans change.
4. That the hearts of those in Central Asia will be softened and prepared to hear what we have to share about God's love for the world.
5. That we will be kept safe in our preparations and our travel.
If you would like to donate financially to my team, you can follow the link below and donate through CBU's secure server. Under category for the donation, select International Service Projects (ISP) and then in the comments section, type in "Central Asia: Orphans B - Jessica Tracy."
Thank you all so much!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Beginning of a New Year

I love starting a new year because it brings a sort of fresh start. And while most people resolve to "lose weight" or "exercise more" (which are important, but are also things people never stick to) I decided to think of things about myself I want to work on personality-wise.

1. Don't be lazy! So many things encompass this, including laying off the snooze button on my alarm... just get up the first time it goes off. This also fits into not being such a big baby and waking up 20 minutes earlier so I can spend time in the Word to start my day off right. Laziness is one of my biggest flaws and is the root of my second resolution.

2. Stay on top of things! I say this every semester. I won't wait until the last minute to read or study... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Same old story. But this semester I'm trying some new things in order to keep myself organized and on-track school-wise. So, hopefully they work!

3. Sarcasm... let's take some time apart! I'm a sarcastic person. End of story. But, when people can't tell that you're kidding or you accidentally offend someone you know you've gone too far. And while I don't think I'm offending people on a daily basis, I could stand to be more kind and genuine on a daily basis. So, I'm on a sarcasm-light diet as of now.

4. Stay positive! Believe it or not, I'm generally a pessimist and no one wants those people around. So, we're gonna work on not complaining about things that quite frankly don't matter. Along with being positive, the whole "slow-to-speak" thing is generally a foreign concept to me. So, I'm going to be more intentional in my conversations and how fast I speak my mind.

5. Be bold! This is the one I'm most excited and terrified to work on. I am not shy by any means, but just like anyone else, I love my comfort zone. But, I know I've become too comfortable there. So, this year, I'm stepping out of the little cozy bubble I've placed myself in. I'm going to have conversations I, in the past, have been too nervous to have. I'm going to be more intentional and not be afraid to bring up my faith in everyday conversations. And I'm going to Central Asia, which I know will help me step out of my comfort zone.

I cannot wait to see what happens in 2011. I know God has big plans in-store and I get butterflies just thinking about it. :)