[Amazing Grace, v.2&3 - by Rev. John Newton, 1779]
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieves;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed
Thro' many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home
::My frightening ordeal of the day....ordering "just a coffee"::
I ventured to Starbucks this afternoon with my Dad. Before I ran in to grab us some drinks, I asked him what he wanted. He replied with an answer that I will never be able to get over. "Just a coffee," he said. I agreed to fulfill his request and with my leg half way out the door I realized I didn't know how to order "just a coffee" from Starbucks. Ordering "just a coffee" from Starbucks is implausible, unheard of, never been done before. I was completely lost. When I went to seek council from my dad about how to overcome this he said to just make up some kind of low-fat-so-fat-no-fat-go-fat-thing and kind of morph it all into a mumble.
I must be honest, ordering a drink from Starbucks often terrifies me, for they have created a language and class of their own so complex that everyone knows you have to be at a certain level to be able to casually walk into a Starbucks, order your drink, and be out in less than a minute and a half. I stand in awe of those people. I am one of those customers who walks in with sweaty palms, darting eyes, and my ears trying to catch every conversation around so I can maybe get a hint about what I am supposed to do in that jungle of business men and faithful college students.
After a pep talk from my dad, I confidently got out of the car and walked into the coffee shop. I ordered my own drink first, only to blank out on the low-fat-so-fat-no-fat-go-fat-thing. I gave up and told her to surprise me. Predictably, the overly friendly young girl who obviously studied for nights to be able to say "tall nonfat cinnamon dolce latte" in less than half a second flat to get her wages at the end of the day so she can pay for her first car made a good call. This horrifying situation ended pretty well as my dad received his drink and was more than satisfied as we drove away.
I can tell you that it will probably be a long while before I am able to face those mighty jaws, waiting to suck me into the heartache and misery of questioning the law of coffee, just so I can get a caffeine buzz, ever again.
For now, I think I'll stick with my dietPEPSI.
And I don't even like dietPEPSI.
[Isaiah 12:2-6] Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
WORD OF THE DAY (this isn't from today but i liked it) :
quagmire \KWAG-myr; KWOG-\, noun; 1) Soft, wet, miry land that shakes or yields under the feet. 2) A difficult or precarious position or situation; a predicament.
[Isaiah 63:15-19] Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never rules, like those who are not called by your name.
>>My apologies, folks. No word of the day tonight.
Where is my zeal, my passion? I have not been treasuring His word in my heart, nor have I been seeking and meditating and trusting on Him fully. I've been a little side-tracked, slightly off course, looking into my own interests first. This passage, I must remind myself of constantly. This is how I want to be.
[Psalm 119:10-16] With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
WORD OF THE DAY:
prepotency \pree-POTE-n-see\, noun:
1) The quality or condition of having superior power, influence, or force; predominance. 2) (Biology) The capacity, on the part of one of the parents, as compared with the other, to transmit more than his or her own share of characteristics to their offspring.
