joy dare twenty-nine

Day 29: a song heard, a soft word, where you saw light.

A song heard: Two for the price of one here. I love/have been thinking about both There is a Fountain Filled with Blood and Beneath the Cross of Jesus. I can't find a version of There is a Fountain that comes close to being as good as when Lydia sang it at Dad's birthday party last year, so I won't be posting a link to that. But here are some of the lyrics: 

There is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Emmanuel's veins 

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains!

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream 

Thy flowing wounds supply

Redeeming love has been my theme 

And shall be 'til I die! 

I love this version of Beneath the Cross of Jesus. 

A soft word: "I love you." It'd been a few days since I'd heard that one, since Mom and Dad have been gone and all. I missed that even more than I missed hugs. 

Where you saw light: The sun was super-bright this afternoon when Grampa and Zoe and I ate lunch. It was so pretty. I miss the sun so much during the winter... It was so nice to see it.

joy dare twenty-eight

Day 28: 3 graces found in your friends.

1. Love of God. Sometimes it hits me that, while I was in West Virginia, I was with these girls who were becoming women of God. There are 4 specific girls right about my age in particular, and when I read something they've written or talk to them, it's just so evident that they want to live in beautiful submission. It's amazing to be able to say that I know that many girls like that- especially in this culture, where the number of teenagers who truly care about things like God and sin and grace is getting smaller all the time. 

It's not just the girls, either. I am blessed to know people in every stage of life who just want to be God's. That's so amazing. 

2. Laughter. When one of my friends or I goofs up something small, after we make sure neither of us is hurt by what happened, we laugh about it. I love knowing people who can laugh at themselves, and help me laugh at myself.

3. Good taste. I'm so glad that most of my friends do their best not to let themselves do or say things that are less than lovely; who realize the ugliness of so many things that other kids will just do or say without thinking about it.

Man, I have such awesome friends.

joy dare twenty-seven

Day 27: 3 gifts that might never have been.

This one is hard. 

1. If Dad had taken a job at a rescue mission in Nashua instead of this one at Hampton, so much would be different. A lot of great relationships would never have happened, among other things. I remember the day Dad got the call that the church wanted to vote on us. We all looked at each other and smiled and laughed, jumped up and down... that was a great day. 

2. What if my parents didn't love music? My brother and sisters and I probably would never have started playing instruments or using our voices. It seems like, in our family, that would've changed things a lot. I so love listening to all of them :)

3. What if Jane Austen had never been published? My favorite sister stories (except Little Women) would never have been available for me to read and laugh and smile over.

joy dare twenty-five and twenty-six

Day 25: One grace borrowed, one grace found, one grace inherited.

One grace borrowed: Well, I'm not really in the habit of borrowing things... Ever. Except clothing from my sister(s). But it's very convenient sometimes to have two totally different wardrobes at (more or less) your disposal;) 

One grace found: I have found that, because I am not the only flawed one, people are forgiving. It's such a blessing when someone looks at you after you've hurt them and decides they can forgive you- because they know what it is to make a mistake.

One grace inherited: Last night, I sat at the kitchen table with my grandfather and he read Ecclesiastes to me. He would read a few verses, give his interpretation of that, and find a few more that he particularly liked. He enjoys reading the Word so much. I've been given by my parents and grandparents so many examples of love for God. 

Day 26: A gift before 9am, a gift before noon, a gift after dark.

A gift before 9am: Honestly, I did not do much before 9am this morning. I had read my Bible before then, though. I read 1 Samuel 12. I can't say that I had any sort of "Aha!" moment while reading this chapter, but I'm so glad that I am able to read the Bible without hiding or fear.

A gift before noon: Blue cheese-stuffed green olives. Yumm.

A gift after dark: Sitting with Zoe and Aunt Gail and playing with and laughing at the dogs. Simple pleasures:)

joy dare twenty-three and twenty-four

Day 23: 3 gifts found in Christ.

1. Forgiveness. It's so great to know that, even when I can't forgive myself, Christ forgave me. Forgives me. I tend to regret things for a very long time. I've been told it's part of being a woman. But even if I feel so stained, so unforgivable, all I have to do is ask, and I am clean. Nothing can change the past, but I can begin to let things go when I know that Christ has cleaned my heart.

2. Peace. Things have changed a lot over the past couple of years, and God has really shown me just how much I can trust Him. Don't get me wrong. I definitely have my issues with worry, and with not giving things to God soon enough. But He will work all things together for the good of me, because I love Him. And in that knowledge is perfect peace.

3. Fullness. I don't know how people who don't acknowledge God are ok with life. There's nothing for me in life without Christ. Everything would be so empty without this purpose. It's not crutch religion or an easy way out; being a Christian can be very hard, as anyone who's tried it knows. But how vapid must everything be without it?

Day 24: 3 things blue.

1. Turquoise. Pretty rocks make me smile. Even if that sentence did sound a little strange.

2. Facebook. Yes, social media has a bad rep, and for great reasons. But I wouldn't be in touch with so many of my friends from West Virginia without it.

3. My favorite shirt. Goes with everything, always makes me feel a little prettier.

joy dare twenty-two

Day 22: One grace wrinkled, one grace smoothed, one grace unfolded.

One grace wrinkled: Old pictures. I love pictures, and black and white shots of my mom and her brothers and sister or of my great-grampa shoveling a pile of snow twice his height or my grandparents when they were young and love was new are among my favorites.

One grace smoothed: Seashells have always reminded me of how creative God is. I especially like the ones that have been worn almost completely smooth. I wonder how long it took them to get that way.

One grace unfolded: I have a box with almost all the personal letters I've been sent through the years. It's so nice, once in a great while, to pull those out and read notes from my friends from the days when we set up a "mailbox" between our yards. I'm especially grateful for the two or three I have from my Grammy. She very rarely wrote because her hands hurt her so much, but usually if I wrote her she would write back. I'm so glad I have those.

joy dare twenty-one

Day 21: one thing in the sky, one thing from your memory, one thing that's ugly-beautiful.

One thing in the sky: Not a bird. Not a plane. Not Superman. Have I mentioned yet how much I love stars? Pricks of brilliantly beautiful light that are really thousands of suns far, far away. What a gift!

One thing from my memory: Trips to Maine. I've probably blogged about them before, but long car rides are never a big deal to me because of going back and forth from West Virginia to Maine for all those years. I think it's been said that we only remember the good from certain times in our lives- that's the only reason they're the "good old days." Well, I remember fights with Zoe and fidgety-ness and soreness from the trip. But what I remember much more is singing for the last hour of the way home. All seven of us, singing silly songs and eventually praise songs and hymns until we got home. Those memories are a blessing. 

One thing that's ugly-beautiful: Hmm... There have definitely been things that I have looked at and thought "Yikes. That's so ugly it's cute" (don't ask me why). I think bulldogs can fall under this category. They're sooo ugly. They're sooo pretty. And yes. I am thankful for bulldogs.