clear

so did i tell you that i slapped together a cd? i made it on a macbook, but the sound quality actually turned out alright :)

clear is a bunch of songs i wrote to the lord.

here are some of the lyrics...

*clear*

this life so far is beating me down & i can't see anything but the ground i'm walking on.

this life so far is more than i can bare & i can't feel anything but the air i'm breathing in.

and where's the strength that jesus said i'd have?

and where's the saint that jesus says i am?

i can't see things very clear, i need your eyes, i needs your ears to hear.

oh god i need your heart & it's clear to me now.

when things are looking, looking oh so bad, i'm supposed to put on a happy face & pretend that i'm glad, but i'm not glad.

and where's the joy that jesus said i'd have?

and where's the saint that jesus says i am?

*shield*

oh lord, how many are my foes? how many rise up against me? many are saying of me that god will not deliver him.

but you are a shield all around me.

you are a shield all around me.

you are a shield all around me.

you are a shield all around me.

i lay down my head and sleep. i wake because the lord sustains me.

& i won't fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.

arise oh lord, arise.

the lord is my strength & he lifts up my head.

to the lord i cry aloud & he answers me from his holy hill.

i won't fear cause you are with me lord.

funny thing...

mmmmmm... christianne! it's been too long my sister! so glad to hear from you! :)

alright, well now that the tacos have been devoured & everyone has wandered off to bed, i think i can find some more words to share.

i was just reading the last post i wrote on thanksgiving. i remember that thanksgiving quite vividly because of bill. a man who i'd just met through my friend nate. i was moved by the story of how nate met bill & how bill was welcomed into our thanksgiving feast & it really was a beautiful thing.

funny thing...

it's been over a year since that thanksgiving & i haven't seen bill more than 2 times in different random social settings.

tonight, after dinner was over, we had a house discussion about a man named bill. he's been living in a local church for i don't know how long & is apparently going to have to leave the beginning of april. no job. no place to go.

this is where the rubber meets the road kids.

we talk an awful lot around the hamline house. we talk about social justice & peace. we talk about simplicity & sharing. we also talk about hospitality. but practicing these things are COMPLETELY different than talking about them. our first year we had several different folks come stay with us at the hamline house. we had a pretty strong sense that part of what we were called to do was take in folks that needed a place to stay if we had the room. but we soon found out that even though we had physical space in our home, we were lacking in so many other ways. most of the situations led to frustration & confusion shared by everyone involved & ended in relief when it was all over. that's the truth. it looked so good on paper!

yet... i wouldn't take any of it back.

i really feel that we were doing what we felt called to do. we were faced with a choice. someone needs a place to stay & we have extra space. things didn't always go exactly the way we thought they would... but that's life right? sometimes when you stop to lend someone a helping hand, it can put you right in harm's way. it might be safer to just keep walking & not make eye contact. but i suppose we didn't sign up for safe when we decided to follow jesus. did we.

so i ask for your prayers as we consider inviting bill to come live with us. we don't know all the details yet & we're still praying & talking about what it would mean for all of us, but so far, it's unanimous. that would make 7 in the hamline house & 7 in the thomas house. oh yeah, did i mention we started a 2nd house this year? :) more on that another time.

sleepy time. thanks for listening. remember to pray for us if you think of it.

it's been a while...

well kids. i decided it's time to start blogging again. it's been over a year since my last post and SO much has happened in the last year... so much in fact that i've forgotten the art of taking time to write & think & process.

this has always been a great place to process.

things are much different now. when i think about last year, it seems so easy... but while i was in the moment, i remember how hard it was & how difficult things were. we were learning so much. how to share our possessions. how to simplify our lives. how to take care of one another.

i'm about to go cook a delicious taco dinner for my housemates... but later i'll write some.

anyways... here's to new beginnings :)