Voice of Truth

I am struggling to get out of the way of what God is doing in my life.
I am faced with Him requiring I surrender everything ...
and the tighter I hold on, the more He is showing me
I have to let it go...
Playing tug'o war with God it stupid.
Call me stupid...
and yet... with open hands (at least in my mind)
I again look into His eyes and trust Him
with all that I love and hand it all back to Him.
It has never ever been mine to hold onto.
All that is precious to me is more precious to Him.
All that I love He loves more.


Part I - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns


Part II - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns


Part III - Mark Hall of Casting Crowns



I am not certain which song it is he wrote at that moment ... I think it might be "Voice of Truth"... and here it is...



Oh, what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown
Where Jesus is,
And he's holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me time and time again
"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says
"this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes
To stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me time and time again
"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!"
and the voice of truth says "this is for my glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to meI will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
but the stone was just the right size
to put the giant on the ground
and the waves they don't seem so high
from on top of them looking downi will soar with the wings of eagles
when I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus singing over me
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says do not be afraid
And the voice of truth says this is for my glory
Out of all the voices calling out to me (calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe (I will choose to listen and believe)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe 'Cause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to you.. oh you are



~~~~

I Timothy 1: 15 ~ "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all."


~ xo ~
standing in His grace,
katey~D

"While she is here in my arms..."

FOX NEWS:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 5-year-old daughter of contemporary Christian music star Steven Curtis Chapman was struck and killed Wednesday by a sport utility vehicle driven by her brother, authorities said.

The girl, Maria, was hit in a driveway on the family residence Wednesday afternoon by a Toyota Land Cruiser driven by her teenage brother, said Laura McPherson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

McPherson said no charges are expected.

"It looks like a tragic accident," she said.

She said several members of the Chapman family witnessed the accident, which happened in Williamson County just south of Nashville.

The brother apparently did not see the little girl, McPherson said. She did not have the name or exact age of the brother, only that he is an older teenager.

The girl died later at Vanderbilt Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Laurie Holloway said.

Chapman, originally from Paducah, Ky., and his wife have promoted international adoption and have three daughters from China, including Maria.

Chapman has won five Grammy awards and 51 Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association.

The singer's Web site said that Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, were persuaded by their oldest daughter to adopt a girl from China. The experience led the family to adopt two more children and create Shaohannah's Hope, a foundation and ministry to financially assist thousands of couples in adoption.

The Chapmans did missionary work at Chinese orphanages in 2006 and 2007, according to the Web site.

"After our first trip to China, my wife and I knew our lives were changing — our eyes and hearts were opening to how big God really is, and we have wanted to experience more of that," Chapman says on the Web site. "We've really wondered whether or not we should just go to China and stay there. But I don't think so. I believe God is saying, 'I want you to go, get your heart broken, your eyes opened, and then take this story back to the church in America and around the world."'

Chapman also has released a book about being a father entitled "Cinderella: The Love of Daddy and his Princess."

She spins and she sways to whatever song plays, without a care in the world.
And I'm sittin' here wearin' the weight of the world on my shoulders.
It's been a long day and there's still work to do, she's pulling at me saying "Dad I need you!
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song, cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed
She wants to know if I'd approve of a dress
She says "Dad, the prom is just one week away, and I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy, please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella while she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song, cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone.
Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowin' and tellin' us all they had planned
She says "Dad, the wedding's just six months awayand I need to practice my dancin'"
"Oh please, daddy please!"
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms'
Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't wanna miss even one song,

(even one song)
Cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone

~ Steven Curtis Chapman

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEET MARIA CHAPMAN HERE...

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/

~~~~~~~~~

an old post on adoption...

http://blueyeduckstudios.blogspot.com/2007/02/adoption-and-pink-things.html

.

I ADORE YOU

I Adore You

(Phil Joel from the "Bring It On" CD)

After many requests - I was finally able to get this little piece of art professionally reproduced as a giclee in two sizes: 6" x 6" and 8" x 8". I love the vivid colors and heavy art paper and am so happy to be able to offer it in my etsy store!
www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com

I looked everywhere I knew to find the music that inspired it so you could hear it - but there is no youtube or music track on playlist that I can link, but I did find this one place (just press the play arrow when you get there usign the link below ~ thanks!).


http://www.last.fm/music/Phil+Joel/_/I+Adore+You+(Bring+It+On+Album+Version)

Before the Throne of God Above

(please press play for music that accompanies this post)

I was having what I thought was a ‘bad’ day - or week - or season… whatever. Then I started looking around. I guess we all have these moments of awakening, but I am amazed at how easily and how often I don’t look beyond my own nose.

Last Friday a vibrant young man we are acquainted with came by to explain his passion… the mission field…specifically Missionary Aviation. He knew at age 8 that he was created for this one thing and he has not stepped off the path in pursuit of obedience to this great call ~ Matthew 28: 18-20 ~ Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.".

He has been called to a place where there is mortal danger and a culture that hates him and his God. He sees them with the eyes of Christ and with the purest love and compassion. I think I have been missing that same view in my own self~ness.
I saw part of the movie “The Kingdom” and (on a lighter note) “Ironman” - each dealing with terrorists in middle eastern locations and my heart fought to look at the people there through the eyes of this gentle missionary pilot/mechanic.

Today I saw more numbers adding up from the tragedies in Myanmar and in China. I can’t count that high. I wandered off from the online news sites looking for colorful images to get inspired to paint something with meaning and substance today … and I was sucked into another place I hadn’t anticipated when I found those colorful images in Darfur. Beautiful people in gorgeous hues - suffering in ways we just don’t know anything about.

I often hear the cries to blame God. I hear the question “How could He let this be?”. I might feebly express in response that He is in control and that somehow it all will get resolved to His great glory and to our own salvation if we open our hearts and believe Him…

But it is impossible to embrace all that without trusting Him.

I trust it is beyond comprehension. I trust I just don’t know the details. I trust Him.

I know one thing - He loves us with an everlasting love. I know He has a plan for every soul - every face I see in every news reel - every skeletal child in Darfur - every person trapped under rubble and every person swept away by water in the cyclone … and every housewife, teacher, unemployed dad, wayward son, pregnant daughter, and big executive.

In the summer of 2006 our area was ravaged by a freakish 100-year flood. Most of us were unscathed, but for the few places that were washed away - it was their own Katrina. I remember when we arrived to “help” in a small neighborhood of condos that were completely submerged in murky, silty mud (by then receded) that the world on that one street had lost all color. It was as if we stepped into a black and white movie set. Everything was a pale hideous gray-tan mud wash. We stopped at the very first unit and walked up to a still-in-shock husband and wife who were standing out front (they had been rescued by a boat from the 2nd floor window a few days before - I saw them on the news). We introduced our little family and said we were there to help. We went inside and began emptying the contents while their minds reeled. I sifted through wet mud to find mementos I thought might be washable. It was all so surreal.

The street was buzzing with volunteers and residents by midday and we recognized one particularly cheerful face go by in a truck. We found him a bit later diligently and joyfully emptying a unit down the road. It was the hopeful missionary aviator … and the unit was his own family’s.

Last Friday he reflected on that flood and explained he would have had to get rid of everything anyway. There was no bitterness or sense of loss. He knows trust - he trusts the One who holds it all and who brings the rains and shakes the foundations of the earth.

Each of us has had or will have our own flood, famine, earthquake, and fire … all as breathtaking to each of us as these huge global events that capture our hearts and leave us feeling so tiny.
I stand before the Throne of God Above only by His grace - I can stand nowhere else.

http://www.maf.org/home

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. ~ Job 13:15

Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ~ Luke 12:23-25

He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." ~ Mark 9:36-37



Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great high Priest whose Name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free,
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me,
To look on Him and pardon me.


Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

~joy in this journey,

katey

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PACTEC (humanitarian subsidiary of MAF)

PACTEC (Partners in Aviation and Communications Technology International) exists to support national efforts to build the capacity of its leaders to relieve human suffering.
PACTEC is fast becoming an integral part of serving our world's developing nations. Providing expertise in aviation, communications, distance education, and other technologies, PACTEC is a hands-on partner. PACTEC multiplies the effectiveness of other humanitarian organizations and government agencies by overcoming communications and transportation barriers.
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Fair Feathered Friends

If I Flee on Mornings Wings ~ Fernando Ortega

If to Heaven's heights I fly
You are still beside me,
Or in death's dark shadows lie,
You will stay close by me.
If I flee on morning wings
Far across the gray sea,
Even there Your hand will lead,
Your right hand will guide me.

Fair Feathered Friends


A poor play on words perhaps … I know.

Fair weathered friends, on the other hand… are those ones who are there for you if you don’t expect too much from them... or if you give what they need when they need it (this can be hit or miss) or any unknown list of requirements you weren’t given a handout for… Still, a friend is a friend no matter the hoops each requires we jump through. I cannot imagine that I haven't been fair-weathered myself at some time or another in my life. I think we each get lost in the process at times and it happens.

I like weathered friends best - you know, ones who have made it through the storms (yours or theirs) and are still present on the other side of the black clouds... like a peely painted sturdy strong barn door - still protecting, guarding, and opening... and welcoming you inside.

Anyway... I am speaking of friends of another color … well… even more so of a different species.
“Pets” we call them - cause we pet them or we especially care for them and indulge them … making them “pet” or specific… I don’t know. I just know there are those who “get” pets and those who don’t. It’s okay either way. We can’t and shouldn’t all have green hair either. I "get" pets and when a pet dies I cannot say I equate it with the loss of a child as some do (and for them perhaps it is that) - for me it is a different grief, but a grief still.

We have had any number and variety of pets through the decades. It is almost an unwritten requirement of the American Home Education culture to teach responsibility or some such societal expectation by having pets. Our many pets over the years were absorbed into our family because of simple desire, love-at-first-sight, rescue, or even by surprise.
The surprise pets may have been the best ever: our Duck Family.

Lyle, Dolly, Special Ed, Trouble, Stubby, Sinker, Weena-Ballerina (THE original Blue Eyed Duck), and Pat … and then, Grand Ducklings Crash and Splash.

Splash stands alone as we just lost dear old-timer Sinker this week to natural causes. He was the last of the original clan of eight wonderful, whimsical, always-make-you-smile Duck Family. I can openly tell you that as we scooped him up for his burial, he looked much like a rubber chicken all straight and stretched ~ even in death this friend gave us a smile.

Some of our ducks met horrific deaths to raccoon raids, car strikes, and even disease. We cried and got mad, frustrated, and so on. This time it was different - and perhaps that is why the grief is so very still and small and quiet. There was no emergency vet visit this time and no sad goodbye in a sterile room. This was quick and not completely unexpected. And it is okay.

Friends - real life friends, online friends, and pets ... all so different, yet those lil birds get into our hearts and nest there and when they go - that empty nest aches until we are again blessed with new residents. We are never quite the same as we are molded and reshaped by our experiences with them flying in and out of our lives ...

I am so thankful for all my friends ~ everywhere ~ every kind.

joy in the journey,

katey~D

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24

PS: I am really looking forward to PRINCE CASPIAN May 16th - the next in the Chronicles of Narnia (movie) series

...and now for some completely UNrelated art! This is a mixed media T-shirt in my ETSY shop - created from my Cat Scream series of paintings.

http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/