Megan's prayer: Plus One's "My Life"

Just let him take
All your troubles away.

Giving myself up to God... allowing him to help me through the rough times... finally realizing that I'm not alone... I constantly struggle with these things. I can't seem to give up the control that I think that I have. Lord, help me give it all up to you.

My life?
Yeah...
It's your life!

Chris' Prayer: Plus One's "My Life"

It's your life
Don't want to get it wrong
It's time to get it right

To pass the down time at work, I sometimes like to browse a couple of different forums and read the few religion threads that are there. Religion and spirituality is something that interests me on an intellectual level, so these threads tend to draw me in. In fact, perhaps I spend too much time there. A lot of what I read in the debate between Christians and non-Christians is like the lyrics above. The Christians are often telling the non-Christians about how they should live their lives, or where they are going to end up when their life ends. Too much reading and I can get a false sense that this is how most Christians act.

But whether it is most, or some, or even just a few, I always feel like it is too many. We should never be so quick to point out others' flaws, and so slow to recognize our own. We should never be so quick to evangelize the judgment, and so slow to evangelize the Love that God has for each one of us, the love that is unconditional, limitless, unending. For it is the Love of God that has the power to change hearts.



iTunes | Lyrics

Jen's prayer: Plus One's "My Life"

First of all, I started to laugh when I saw I got to listen to a Plus One song. My friend Emma and I used to be obsessed with Plus One back in the day. Plus One was our Jonas Brothers if you catch my drift. It's kind of difficult for me to hear this song without feeling like I'm back in 8th grade, but that doesn't mean these lyrics are only for young ones. When I think about it, some people in their 20s I know that could benefit from sitting down and listening to what this song is all about. I kind of feel like the message Plus One was singing and dancing about in "My Life" is that it's okay to party every now and then and have a fun time, as long as we realize this isn't our life, it's God's.

My friend Megan and I often struggled with attending UD - a school which basically partied all the time. We just couldn't get into the drinking and craziness that went on there. I don't care if you have fun every now and then, but there's a limit. And as Plus One puts it...

If you've been set
On partying 'til
your head is
numb
Betta not forget
That the party
is when the
Kingdom comes!

As cheesy as that can sound, I just wish people understood that sometimes there is more to life than partying. We should focus more on getting ready for the big party in Heaven.

Catie's prayer: Plus One's "My Life"

Need to make a change

I need to make a change. I can't keep on going on the way that I am. My suitemate came into my room yesterday and saw a quote on my wall. She freaked out and wondered why she had never noticed it before. The quote read, "How did we end up so comfortable with God? How did our awe of God get reduced to a lukewarm appreciation of God? How did God become a pal instead of heart-stopping presence? How can we think of Jesus without remembering His groundshaking, thunder-crashing, stormy exit on the cross? Why aren't we continually catching our breath and saying, 'This is no ordinary God!'?" This quote is why I need to change. I have gotten way too comfortable with God. I've gotten way to lax on my prayer and lately have made steps backwards instead of forwards in my faith. I need to change. I need to be in awe of God, so much so that it makes me want to live differently, live better, live holier. But the problem is, I'm not quite sure where to start.

Katie's prayer: Plus One's "My Life"

First my apologies because this post might be a tad confusing, cause the thoughts I'm going to be blogging about confuse me even. (:

So last night at mass, I was kneeling down praying. Well, less like praying, and more like telling God all the things that are not quite right with my life right now, and how I think He should fix those. Telling God what I want to happen. Then the choir, who was practicing for mass, began to sing, "The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want." God had me! Here I was telling Him what I wanted, even though I should not want, I should only care about God. But then I started thinking more, these things I want will still be there, and still require attention even if I don't actively want them. Just because I'm not thinking about that job I want doesn't remove the fact that I need to find a job! So that's a "want" that's ok then, right? Maybe?

I was reminded of this conversation when I heard these lines in today's song...

Come on and dance
All your troubles away
And look through the
Windows of heaven

The solution to all my worries, all my wants, all my troubles can be found by looking through the windows of heaven.

Chris' prayer: MercyMe's "I Know"

Where do I begin with what to say?

I feel like this a lot when I pray. It's unfortunate, but it is true. "Where do I begin?" is one of those questions that should be reserved for people I don't see or talk to often, or for when I'm having a tough conversation, one where I have to reveal to someone something I'm not particularly excited about sharing. It shouldn't be like that with God. It's not like I don't pray, in some way, practically everyday, and it isn't like there is something that I feel will be terribly difficult to talk to Him about.

But when I do pray, I always feel like I have a thousand different things to say. A hundred thank-yous to give, a hundred please-help-mes to ask for, a hundred you-are-amazings to share, and several hundred other things that I always seem to forget. I think that I need to simplify my prayers. Not worry about all the things I might be forgetting. He knows them anyways. I need to just focus on a couple different things and share them to the best of my ability.


YouTube | iTunes | Lyrics

Jen's prayer: Mercy Me's "I know"

it wasn't that long ago when my own world fell apart,
it fell apart and everything here inside of me said to let go,
you must let go i found my self crying out to the One who knows my heart,

My world fell apart a year ago. Well, a little over a year ago. I'm very prideful and hate admitting mistakes....even to God who knows them already. When my world fell apart the least I wanted to do was let go. I wanted to hold on and try to fix it myself.

Recently I've found myself slowly creeping into this same pattern. There are some things I want to hold onto myself and not let God have, but "everything here inside of me says to let go".

Jesus, please help me give you complete reign in my life. Amen.

Catie's prayer: Mercy Me's "I Know"

Where do I begin with what to say
I’ve played this conservation in my head so many times
I’m certainly not claiming to know everything

I've done this so many times it's not even funny. I dread telling people things because I'm not sure how they are going to go over. I get scared of what they are going to think of me, that I won't be able to explain myself well enough, whatever. However...

No matter what it is you’re going through
Even if you think you’re far beyond where hope can see
I know there is a hand that’s reaching out for you

And with God's hand reaching out, what more could we really ask for?

Katie's prayer: MercyMe's "I Know"

My cousin's daughter, Ingrid, is the cutest little kid in the world! When she was about 2.5 years old, my family went on a trip to visit my cousin and his family. Ingrid's favorite phrase was "I know." Everything you told her, the answer was always "I know." Even if the true answer was "I don't know"... "Katie used to do this when she was your age." "I know!" "That rock is over 4,000 years old!" "I know!"

I was reminded of Ingrid when I was listening to this song today. The words 'I know' are used a lot in this song, but the question: do I really know? Do I really fully understand 'That God is able.' Do I really know and understand the love that God has for me, or am I just saying I do? Maybe, I don't have to understand God's love to know it. Maybe just experiencing God working in my life and God's love is enough to know.

I know, I know
That God is able
I know, I know
That He still reigns.
I know I know
That love has found a way.

Megan's prayer: MercyMe's "I know"

I have a friend who doesn't have a religious bone in her. We talk about everything under the sun, but our conversations about my faith and beliefs always seem somewhat pointless. While I can respect her for who she is, sometimes it's hard because I wish she was able to see God's love for her.

I know that when I go through hard times, what helps me is knowing that God is always there, and will always love me, even if I feel like no one else does at that time. I just wish that she could see the same thing.

No matter what it is you're going through
Even if you think you're far beyond where hope can see
I know there is a hand that's reaching out for you
Because He did the same for me

Megan's prayer: Third Day's "You are Mine"

I think
Of all that I have done wrong
And everything that you have done
To make it right.

During high school, I held the highly acclaimed position of "cleaning girl" at the daycare I worked at after school. I wasn't old enough to legally be responsible for the kids, so I was put in charge of cleaning all the dishes from lunch and snack, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathrooms. It was definitely not a job I looked forward to. While all of the little kids, and the other girls who were old enough to be legally responsible hung outside and played games and ate Popsicles, I was inside cleaning toilets. And not just the toilets, but the floors and the walls as well, because little kids don't have very good aim.

At the beginning of each day I would ask myself "Why am I here? Isn't there a more enjoyable job I could do?" but by the end, after I had finished cleaning and got to spend 30 minutes outside with the little kids, coloring with chalk and playing hide-and-go seek, it made the day worthwhile. Suddenly I didn't mind cleaning up after their messes they left for me everyday.

I think this helps me grasp just how much I'm loved by God. Even when I make mistakes, or make a mess of my life, or leave things completely out of order, God comes behind me and makes it all better. He may not be thrilled while he is doing this, but his love for me is always there. Especially in the end, when he's finished helping me straighten out my life, and we just get to hangout.

Chris' prayer: Third Day's "You are Mine"

It doesn’t take much for my heart to break
And you have done it for what’s seems the millionth time

I didn't make it far in this song. I got stuck wondering how the Lord could break my heart a million times. If anything, it would be me who is breaking His heart, for it is I who am letting Him down. It is I who sin. But then I thought about the couple of times in the Bible where it mentioned the people being "hard of heart." Whenever this is mentioned, it means stubbornness. I can definitely be stubborn. And it is in those times of stubbornness that I sin.

So when Mac Powell sings of having his heart broken for the millionth time, I *think* He is talking about Jesus softening his hardness of heart, breaking through the exterior shell in that way, forgiving him of his sin. If that is the case, then I need my heart broken. I need His presence in my life. I need His Love to cover all of my transgressions.


YouTube | iTunes | Lyrics

Katie's prayer: Third Day's "You are Mine"

I got so excited when I saw the title of today's song. "You are Mine." I thought, "thank you God, this is exactly what I need right now, a song from your point of view telling me how much you love me, and I'm still yours no matter what!" But then I listened to the song and found it was not a song from God's point of view, it was from man's point of view. The singer (which I guess is me now, cause I've started singing along) is saying to God "You are Mine." And while it's not what I originally thought the song was about, nor what I thought I needed to hear today, God knew better about what I needed to hear.

Too often I find myself not claiming God. Too often I find myself acting more like Saint Peter than like Saint John, denying Christ instead of embracing him. It's ok for me to wear my cross necklace today because I'll be at the diocese, and they know of my faith, it's ok to flaunt it. No, I don't think I'll wear it today because I'll be at school. I'm around my apathetic faith friends, I shouldn't wear my rosary bracelet. And even more recently, when people at school ask me my plans after graduation, instead of telling them "I feel called to be a youth minister," I reply "I don't know, hopefully get a job somewhere."

So while the message of God loves me is a great message, today's message is: I love God and I should stop being so picky about who I share that with. It's time for me to claim God as mine!

It's by your sacrifice
I can say that
I am yours and you are mine

Catie's prayer: Third Day's "You are Mine"

Sometimes I wonder why
you even love me
And why you ever chose
to call me child

This is where I'm at right now. I keep questioning why God loves me as much as he does. And he keeps telling me to just stop questioning it and sometimes I do, but other times I don't. I wonder why he would want to love someone as human as me. However, God is God and that's what he does. He loves. Unconditionally. No strings attached. Just the way we are. And that, is simply beautiful.

Jen's prayer: Third Day's "You are mine"

It doesn't take much
For me to shed a tear
And you have done so many things
To make me cry
Whenever I think
Of all that I've done wrong
And everything that you have done
To make it right

Every day this week I feel like I've done something stupid, but every night God is still there for me and I just don't deserve it. And while I don't normally cry when I pray, it's times "whenever I think of all that I've done wrong and everything that you have done to make it right" that makes me tear up a bit and praise Him even more.

Jen's prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God"

God and I have been fighting a lot. My flesh wants to go one way and God's spirit is leading me to go the exact opposite direction. Needless to say, it's a lot of weepy prayers of me going, "Why God. Whyyyyyy."

*sigh*

A problem with young peoples like myself is we refuse to look to the future very often. I see what I want now and I know how I'm feeling and I think I know exactly what is best. Yet somehow when I talk to my older and wiser parents they have an entirely different idea because they're looking "down the road of my future." I want to brush off their advice, but even Steven Curtis Chapman is bringing up the obvious...

I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting

Although I realize what I need to do (God's told me and my parents have emphasized it), it still sucks. I can't see this picture God's painting, but if I just trust Him, it'll be so much prettier than what I currently have in mind.

Catie's prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God"

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

There are so many times when I want to see the entire picture. I want to see where I'm going, what I should plan for, what I need to expect. However, that's not how God works. God works on his own time, in his own way. While I would like to be able to see the big picture now, it is probably for the better that I can't. For now, I'll try to be patient and let God tell me in his own time. It'll be better that way anyway.

Chris' prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God"

I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting

When I heard this line, the first thing that came to mind was a video I saw awhile ago of a painter on stage in front of a large audience. As he painted, music played, and the painter would spin the canvas and paint various parts of the artwork, seemingly at random. Through much of the video, which was about 5 minutes long, the painting didn't look like much of anything. The randomness of the artist's strokes, coupled with not knowing which direction was up, made it very hard to decipher what he was trying to achieve. Suddenly though, right before the end, the artist spun the painting to its correct orientation, and the beauty of the painting was revealed to all.

According to Steven, and according to my experience, this is how God often works as well. He is working in all different areas of my life, setting up things that are seemingly unrelated, and then in an instant they all come together and produce a masterpiece. Though I may not be able to see the entire painting, I have to trust that the other parts are being worked on, and that it will all come together in the end.

Lord, please paint my world with your brush of Life.


YouTube | iTunes | Lyrics

Katie's prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God"

I am not God. That statement may sound like a no-brainer, but sometimes, it's not so easy to realize. I get into this habit of planning out my entire life, telling God how my life is going to go, what's best for me, all that. I take what should be God's role in my life and make it my role.

When I do take the time to see what God has in store for me, I don't always look fully. I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting. I may look at some part, think I see a dog and just run with it. Ok God, you want this to be a dog, I got it! That's great, cause it's exactly what I wanted for my life too! After a while, though, I'll look back at that part and suddenly, the dog looks like a chicken. But it can't be a chicken, it has to be a dog, because that's what God was calling me towards a month ago, and that's what I want for my life! So I move on with this delusion that I think I know what God wants for me, but really it's not.

I'm at a point in my life right now where I think what I saw as a dog is now becoming a chicken. That scares me, and I don't like it. I desperately want it to be a dog. But like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm not God.

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

pssst... I hope my dog-chicken thing didn't confuse you, they were metaphors, really. I don't really see a dog or a chicken in my immediate future. (:

Megan's prayer: Steven Curtis Chapman's "God is God"

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting

I was talking with a friend a few months ago who had just got into a new relationship. She told me that it made her a bit nervous when she realized just how much she liked the guy, and that she was almost scared that it happened to quickly. She said instead of allowing herself to become worried and stress about it, she just gave it up to God. She told me that she prayed to God and trusted in Him, knowing that he would help lead her down the right path, whether it be with this guy or not.

So often I fail to see, or even think about, the big picture. I focus on myself and think of how I should plan my life, but after talking with my friend, I (once again) realized just how important it is to trust in God, knowing that only he can see the complete picture.