Dwelling: 24

I remain,

confident.

{Psalm 27}

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 23

Weeping may last, yes;

but joy prevails.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 22

Today, I have barely any time to prepare for a playing gig.

I sit down at the piano, and discover:

I have habits, and I have strategies.

The piece is new, but not impossible

when you apply what you've got
and work out what you don't,
in the time you're given.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 21

Share each other's burdens, do not give up;

for those who live to please the Spirit
will harvest everlasting life,
at just the right time.

[Listen to me, listen to me, listen to me--
What matters most is this:

Transformation,
New Creation,
Bearing on our body
the marks that show--

We belong to Christ.]

{Galatians 6}

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 20

Let's all sit around and do our work, together, 

during the loveliest unexpected-and-extended sleepover.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 19

This morning,
a stack of Starbuck's gift cards feels like a lifeline.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 18

Today I am aware of quiet, strong, supportive friendship
in moments of simple need, and I am glad.

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind.
 "Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand.
 "I just wanted to be sure of you.” 
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 17

Food for mind, body, heart, soul.

[HOL 2015]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 16

Comfortability, in old friends.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 15

Instead of frigid, I choose rest.

Instead of bluster, I choose peace. 

And when I look out and all around, 

all I see is beauty, difficult but real.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 14

Sweet surprises make everybody smile.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 13

There is power, power, 
wonder working power, 
in the precious blood of the Lamb!
She sings, loudly.

[Don't mind me, just gettin' my worship on...]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 12

This I promise to remember:

Alone is nice, but never better.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 11

If you cannot hear me, I will gladly shout:
I believe the promises of the Lord,
And in them I shall stand. 

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 10

When all I can say is please,
when all I need is help,
I lift my eyes and remember:

My help cometh from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

In trust, He will indeed make all things new;
His garden He will grow.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 9

When fear-slash-failure-slash-fear-of-failure swirls,
I remember:

You cannot serve two masters.

"For I am the Lord your God, 
who takes hold of your right hand and says to you: 
Do not fear; I will help you."
[Isaiah 41:13]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 8

Today--in the midst of every old/new thing--

I hear, I sing; our Redemption Song.

"The day misspent,
the love misplaced,
has inside it the seed of redemption.
Nothing is exempt from resurrection."
[Kay Ryan, Say Uncle]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 7

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Set your mind, set your mind;
Set your eyes, Above.

[You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord,
 the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 6

Yes, we made a piano fort, and yes.
It was awesome.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 5

To the Lord I said [with tear-lined eye],

 "What, oh Lord, is real?"

And when He replied "Your heart, desire"

I sat right down

and wrote it.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 4

To be strong.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 3

Have I mentioned my cozy pants?

I love to dwell, in my cozy pants.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 2

Curled in blankets of early morning, 

Coffee cup in hand;

Just being, just talking,

With the One who knows my name.

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

Dwelling: 1

When once the peace was where I landed, 

what I saw was:

Change.

"What we needed was to stop, 

to be alone and alone together, 

to be quiet verging on bored, 

to be silent enough to hear our lives changing."

[Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet]

[dwell, verb: to remain for a time; to keep the attention directed; to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought]

I Took Notice, to Notice

Ten days ago, I had a great idea. Entirely bored, so restless in my daily life I would probably take another if offered to me without a second thought, I thought: "I will track the top three things of each day.  I will pay attention to what is lovely and beautiful about life and write them down, and then I will be so happy!"

[I didn't say it was an original idea. Plus, it is possible I'd had a touch too much to drink. I was bored, remember?]

Anyway, I began to implement my "great idea",
when some-things-unexpected occurred.

First, there were more than three things that I wanted to notice each day. Secondly, most of those things turned out to be quite uninteresting. Some of those things, even, felt kind of crappy, or were--at the very least--of the most rudimental mundane-acity. And then, in the grand scheme of difficult battles people fight every day?

Who the heck really cares about my boring moments anyway.

But, still, I noticed them. And, still, I wrote them down.
[You can see them for yourself if you'd like, in the last ten posts...]

And after ten days of noticing, here is what I NOTICED.

1) I am terrified of negativity, the kind of perspective on life that sits in your soul and shreds you from the inside out. And so, I live my life in this constant state of optimism. Which--sometimes? Is not very genuine. Being genuine, however, is of great importance to me.  So what if I could honestly observe the things that I felt were not great and say: "Not great. But not gonna shred my soul."  What if?

2) Turning my eyes to notice, during a season where there was not really all that much to see, revealed deeper things. It opened up my eyes to where my heart really is, and where my heart really isn't. And in a season where God is challenging my heart to stand bravely in His face, and to surrender all that I am to His call, that was helpful. Because there are some things I need to let go of, and some things I need to step more fully into , and I know now what they are.

3) It also revealed: Simple things. I noticed: simple. things. And for a girl who has lived a whirlwind of activity for years and years and years, a girl who seems to think boring is a trap and whirlwind is evidence of trap-less-ness, what I noticed is: I like simple things. Maybe then the answer, to when I'm restless and bored and want to run away, is to remind myself: Simple. You like simple. Please, somebody, just give me the simple.

4) Which simply leads me straight to this: I noticed that I wasn't really looking for happy after all. What I was really looking for, was peace.

[Notice, verb: to pay attention to; 

to perceive, become aware of; to heed] 

In these ten days, I have paid attention. I have perceived,
have become aware of what I didn't know was there.

Today I see with deeper eyes that the life I live is not about my happy ending, it is not about my top three things. It is entirely about standing in the caring of my heart--bravely, genuinely, and in the fullness of the Call. It is about embracing all that is simple, offered by a firm but patient Hand, and standing securely in all it is I really need.

So heed my soul, heed. 

It is indeed well,

when all you need is Peace.