i'm scared.
i have so much to say, but i can't find the words to express what is bursting up from inside of me. i don't have enough time to sit and think and reflect on how it is i really feel, instead of just a rush of emotions.
so, i will leave you with a post of another. one that made my heart clench with the beauty of the words, with the truth of his message. one that makes me want to write even more so, if only i could find the words to say.
but, it's better if you read it while listening to this.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
a long walk down the pier.
i have a terrible feeling about this. a terrible, terrible feeling.
which will prove itself true or false in the next 24 hours.
i'm scared for the well-being of my heart.
which will prove itself true or false in the next 24 hours.
i'm scared for the well-being of my heart.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
a love letter.
dear fall,
this week was the first time we all got a taste of your lovely airs. next weekend is your unofficial beginning. with that comes labor day and the start of college football. please come early and stay a long time. we all want to walk across campus in your brisk air and fallen leaves. we all want to dig out our long sleeves and have picnics on the drill field. we want football season and cookouts and halloween. and, when you do inevitably leave, pack your bags and leave room for winter to come in and stay just as long (or longer) than you did. fall, your time of year is the best time, and i'm ready for you to be here.
i love you.
love,
dianna
this week was the first time we all got a taste of your lovely airs. next weekend is your unofficial beginning. with that comes labor day and the start of college football. please come early and stay a long time. we all want to walk across campus in your brisk air and fallen leaves. we all want to dig out our long sleeves and have picnics on the drill field. we want football season and cookouts and halloween. and, when you do inevitably leave, pack your bags and leave room for winter to come in and stay just as long (or longer) than you did. fall, your time of year is the best time, and i'm ready for you to be here.
i love you.
love,
dianna
Thursday, August 19, 2010
who made you king of anything?
if the last three weeks are any indication, then this is going to be the longest semester in the world. i mean, on one hand, i want it to be long, because i don't really want my college career to end just yet. i'm not old enough to be an adult. i'm not old enough to have an adult life (but more about that when i have time).
on the other hand, i don't want to have an entire stretched-out semester of physics 2 and water resources. a regular semester is more than enough.
either way, it's going to be a long semester with a lot of stress and a little sleep.
on the other hand, i don't want to have an entire stretched-out semester of physics 2 and water resources. a regular semester is more than enough.
either way, it's going to be a long semester with a lot of stress and a little sleep.
Monday, August 9, 2010
water towers.
days like today is when i most realize how stupid the "long-distance" part of the relationship is.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
hanging by a moment.
life has a way of throwing things at you sometimes. things you don't expect. you can have all these dreams and plans, and then life just kind of happens along the way, and all of the sudden you realize that your life is heading in the opposite direction of where you thought you'd be, but that you're okay with the way it's going anyway.
this past summer (now that it is technically over, since i'm back in starkville, though classes haven't started yet), this was the biggest lesson for me to learn. as i sat back and realized that in may, i was content with the way that my life was, but now that it's the end of july, life did a 180, and i'm more than okay with that.
sometimes i'm scared because living these days requires so much vulnerability. i'm not good at being vulnerable. it's scary because i know that people can hurt me that way. but on the other hand, sometimes i'm worried that i'll try to guard my heart so much that i will miss out on something awesome. but i guess that is the risk that you have to take to truly enjoy life, to the fullest, every day.
but lately i've thrown caution to the wind, and i'm jumping in head first.
this past summer (now that it is technically over, since i'm back in starkville, though classes haven't started yet), this was the biggest lesson for me to learn. as i sat back and realized that in may, i was content with the way that my life was, but now that it's the end of july, life did a 180, and i'm more than okay with that.
sometimes i'm scared because living these days requires so much vulnerability. i'm not good at being vulnerable. it's scary because i know that people can hurt me that way. but on the other hand, sometimes i'm worried that i'll try to guard my heart so much that i will miss out on something awesome. but i guess that is the risk that you have to take to truly enjoy life, to the fullest, every day.
but lately i've thrown caution to the wind, and i'm jumping in head first.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
we are sorry.
below is a letter from the tuscaloosa news, a march issue. i copied it because i agree with most, if not all, of the statements below. i put it here in hopes that someone that needs to read it will stumble upon the message that we aren't perfect people, but that we serve a perfect God.
feel free to ask any questions in the comments section, and if you would like to go to church with me, i attend both adaton baptist church and coaling baptist church; if you would like me to help you find another place to attend, i will do my best to assist you.
***
WE ARE SORRY
An open letter to non-Jesus followers and those hurt by the Church.
Easter is a time of confession. We can’t speak for all “The Church”, but for our part, here are some things for which we are truly sorry:
That we’ve been judgmental. Judging is God’s job, no one else’s.
That we’ve been self-righteous. While we might debate other issues, self-righteousness was something Jesus never tolerated.
That we took the life-giving message of Christ and turned it into a numbing, soul-quenching, self-centered institution interested primarily in its own maintenance and growth.
That we’ve spent million on the finest of facilities, somehow convincing ourselves that building bigger buildings equates to “success” in building the Kingdom of God.
That we have produced a vast army of “consumer Christians”, rejecting Jesus’ message to “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me” and joining the call of “give me the best of everything or I’ll go worship elsewhere.”
That we’ve turned the all-out adventure of following Christ into a repressive, man-made-rules-filled religion.
That, on both the left and right, we’ve been more loyal to political parties than Christ.
That we, of all people, have tried to put God in a box. We’ve missed the fullness of God’s grace and caused others to do the same.
That there is often among us an anti-intellectual attitude. Jesus said we are to love God with all our minds, yet we are content with knowing more about athletic statistics than God. As Mark Noll penned, this is “the scandal of the evangelical mind”.
That Sunday morning services often carry with them an absence of acceptance, while twelve step meetings are frequently a place of brutal honesty, real community, and unconditional support.
That the Church has failed to rise up against injustice and evil, and in fact, has often corrupted our beliefs to endorse them. That we have justified our status as the most segregated body in America, both racially and socio-economically…that we have done an a lousy job in “environmental stewardship”…that we have said “love your neighbor as yourself while spending most all our resources on ourselves while billions live in poverty…and so much more.
That we have said “love the sinner and hate the sin” when, in many cases, we’ve publicly hated the sinner, and secretly enjoyed the same sin.
There is a whole lot more, but you get the idea – We’re Sorry. We have often given Jesus a bad name and harmed His plan of setting the world free through love. We ask that you not hold our failures against Him. In Christ, there really is love, hope, joy, peace, and meaning unlike anything the world has to offer. We’d also ask you to give us another chance as the Church. All over the city, people are coming together, struggling to get it right. (Safe Haven is just one among those groups). Sure we’re going to blow it sometimes, but we are genuinely trying to be the people of God we are meant to be. Find and join an authentic group of Jesus followers in worshiping, serving, and growing together this week. Help us get it right.
Repentant and Incredibly Hopeful,
The people of Safe Haven Church
feel free to ask any questions in the comments section, and if you would like to go to church with me, i attend both adaton baptist church and coaling baptist church; if you would like me to help you find another place to attend, i will do my best to assist you.
***
WE ARE SORRY
An open letter to non-Jesus followers and those hurt by the Church.
Easter is a time of confession. We can’t speak for all “The Church”, but for our part, here are some things for which we are truly sorry:
That we’ve been judgmental. Judging is God’s job, no one else’s.
That we’ve been self-righteous. While we might debate other issues, self-righteousness was something Jesus never tolerated.
That we took the life-giving message of Christ and turned it into a numbing, soul-quenching, self-centered institution interested primarily in its own maintenance and growth.
That we’ve spent million on the finest of facilities, somehow convincing ourselves that building bigger buildings equates to “success” in building the Kingdom of God.
That we have produced a vast army of “consumer Christians”, rejecting Jesus’ message to “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me” and joining the call of “give me the best of everything or I’ll go worship elsewhere.”
That we’ve turned the all-out adventure of following Christ into a repressive, man-made-rules-filled religion.
That, on both the left and right, we’ve been more loyal to political parties than Christ.
That we, of all people, have tried to put God in a box. We’ve missed the fullness of God’s grace and caused others to do the same.
That there is often among us an anti-intellectual attitude. Jesus said we are to love God with all our minds, yet we are content with knowing more about athletic statistics than God. As Mark Noll penned, this is “the scandal of the evangelical mind”.
That Sunday morning services often carry with them an absence of acceptance, while twelve step meetings are frequently a place of brutal honesty, real community, and unconditional support.
That the Church has failed to rise up against injustice and evil, and in fact, has often corrupted our beliefs to endorse them. That we have justified our status as the most segregated body in America, both racially and socio-economically…that we have done an a lousy job in “environmental stewardship”…that we have said “love your neighbor as yourself while spending most all our resources on ourselves while billions live in poverty…and so much more.
That we have said “love the sinner and hate the sin” when, in many cases, we’ve publicly hated the sinner, and secretly enjoyed the same sin.
There is a whole lot more, but you get the idea – We’re Sorry. We have often given Jesus a bad name and harmed His plan of setting the world free through love. We ask that you not hold our failures against Him. In Christ, there really is love, hope, joy, peace, and meaning unlike anything the world has to offer. We’d also ask you to give us another chance as the Church. All over the city, people are coming together, struggling to get it right. (Safe Haven is just one among those groups). Sure we’re going to blow it sometimes, but we are genuinely trying to be the people of God we are meant to be. Find and join an authentic group of Jesus followers in worshiping, serving, and growing together this week. Help us get it right.
Repentant and Incredibly Hopeful,
The people of Safe Haven Church
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