Unspoken

I've been told it is best not to share your thoughts on religion and politics with acquaintances.  I usually tend to follow this advice.  Well, I'm going to just bend the mold for a minute.

I have never been vocal about my beliefs or thoughts on faith and religion, so it is hard to find the right words here.  It has always been fairly private to me.  However, I try to live my life in a way that others see my faith through me, without having to preach it.  I'm not that outright in telling my beliefs, but I hope that others know them anyway.  I want to live in a way that shows God's love.  I strive to continuously grow in my own personal journey of faith, but while I tend to keep that to myself in words, I hope the actions come through to others. 

I enjoy listening to KLOVE, positive enoucouraging radio.  Just like most music genres, there are songs I like and songs I don't totally love.  So it is another radio station in my rotation, I flip around a lot.  In January the radio station issued the 30 day challenge: to listen to nothing but KLOVE for 30 days.  So through January and February I did just that.  Well, almost.  The radio station did not change in my car for 30 days.  It was all I listened to at work.  I thought I would get more tired of those songs than I did.  It was a blessing to have that in my life everyday.  My faith was more on my mind.  I was striving more than usual to stay positive and hopeful and keep things in perspective.  It was an excellent source of comfort to hear those encouraging words every day.  I'm glad I took the challenge.  Although I've gone back to a larger variety of music, I still listen to KLOVE often and always feel encouraged from it.

Now, for the season of lent, I am re-reading (I think this is my 5th time) The Purpose Driven Life.  It is a 40 day journey, that again focuses my thoughts on my faith.  It is always interesting to see how I read and interpret things differently from each time I read it based on what's happening in my life.  My favorite day each time - Day 16.  Summed up: "The best use of life is love.  The best expression of love is time.  The best time to love is now." 

My relationship with the Lord is ever growing and I want to continue striving to live a life of love.  I have a lot of questions, sometimes doubts, but I am learning and continuing on my journey.  I enjoy my conversations with the Lord, it can be anywhere at anytime, but those little moments are pretty awesome. 

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.
  --1 Thessalonians 5:16-17, NLT

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
 -- Colossians 3:12

Music

Isn't it incredible how much power music has over your feelings?

One of my favorite things to do is jam in the car or in my living room to a great song.  George thinks I'm crazy when I dance around my living room, and many people have probably seen me rocking out in my car, but I just don't particularly care.  It feels so free.  I feel so much through music.  One of my favorite quotes is:

"Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." Victor Hugo

Sometimes music makes you contemplative or melancholy, other times it can make you rejoice with gratitude.  Most of my favorite songs make my heart full of joy and love.  No matter how it makes you feel, music can completely transform your thoughts and your mood in any gien moment.  Lyrics are sometimes the cause, other times it is the beat, and some of the best songs have both.  Most recently Michael Franti has been my inspiration for these thoughts on the love of music.  His music sounds happy and full of love, it is kind of reggae.  He provides positive messages full of hope, love and fath.  I am a big believer of hope, love and faith.  Here are some of my favorite lyrics.

"Life is too short to make just one decision.  Music's too large for just one station.  Love is too big for just one nation.  And God is too big for just one religion."

"I wake up every mornin and I'm steppin on the floor, I wake up every mornin and I'm stepping out the door.  I got faith in the sky, faith in the One, faith in the people rockin underneath the sun."

"My momma told me don't lose you, cause the best luck I had was you...It seems like everywhere I go the more I see the less I know"

"So if you're feelin down and out, got no place to go now.  Just sing along to the music y'all, let it fill your soul now, because everyone deserves music, sweet music."

"Don't let nobody ever tell you that it couldn't be done, Don't let nobody ever tell you that we couldn't be one, Don't let nobody ever tell you that it shouldn't be sung, Don't let nobody ever tell you you're the only one.  Singing hey, hey, hey No matter how life is today There's just one thing that I got to say I won't let another moment slip away."
"See when you need a friend, Somebody to walk to, My friend, somebody to talk to, I'll be right there waiting for you."

There are many more lyrics, songs, and artists that I love, this is just my most recent joy of music that I wanted to share.  What are your thoughts?  :)

DOG LOVER

If you know me I am sure it is no secret that I love animals, especially dogs. 

Our first dog, Tumbles, was with us from before I was born until we moved in 1989.  I don't remember much of him, but I'm sure I liked pulling his tail and other things little children do to pets.  Soon after we moved into our new house we got Spiffy, an american eskimo, or spitz.  She was my childhood dog.  I loved her so very much.  She was a part of our family.  She saw everything, knew everything, accepted what I'm sure was torture to her when I was young, and was still there to wag her tail when I would come home for a visit from college.  She was incredibly lovable.  I'm honestly not sure I had yet experienced anything so heartbreaking when she died.  I didn't want to go home without her in the house because it was a strange and almost uncomfortable feeling.  This was a reality check of just how much of a dog person I was - I felt the need to have a dog in the house.

Within a year my mom got another dog, Corky.  A couple years later my dad got a dog as well, Maggie.  In that time frame my now sister-in-law got a puppy, Pongo, and when they moved to Denver they got another dog, Perdi.  So I had several dogs in my life!!  My last year in college I was even blessed to have Pearl, my roommate's dog, in our house.  So when I moved into my apartment and got a job I knew I wouldn't be able to last too long without a dog.  It was high on my list, but I wanted to make sure I got the right dog for me and for my lifestyle.  I wouldn't have lasted near as long without all these other dogs in my life!  After a year, I found him.  I had been looking off and on but was finally ready to get serious about adopting in the fall.  I had asked about one dog that was online but she was already taken by the time I found her.  Within that week I found George online as well.  I thought, well, he's not exactly what I was looking for and he could be cuter, but he sounds like a pretty great dog.  I adopted George from a shelter south of Emporia on November 6th and couldn't be happier.  He is such a great little dog.

George brings even more joy into my life.  There is nothing better than seeing a tail wagging when you get home from work every day.  Dogs never fail you, they never judge you, they only know to love you.  They even seem to forget that you've left them in their kennel all day, or all night.  Forgiveness is immediate.  I can't imagine how people couldn't be dog lovers.  I can't imagine where they would get this feeling from!  However, I am sure this all sounds strange to someone who is not a dog lover. 

Cheesy or not, George has reminded me just how much I am capable of loving and just how big my heart can be.  He brings pure joy and goodness into my life every single day.  It brightens my day to see him run around in circles in excitement to see me, to see him zoom around the living room chasing himself, to throw his toys in the air, or to see him hop around outside in the snow.  Although I have always loved dogs, to have George be my very own dog that I am his one "master" is a whole new feeling.  After a long hard day he helps to keep things in perspective.  Even after a great day he just makes it end perfectly.  I love him so much and I can't even begin to imagine how much love will overflow from me if I am ever blessed with children of my own. 

I'm sure it sounds crazy, he's just a dog after all!!  If you are like me, though, I am sure you can understand.  There is nothing like the unconditional love of a dog, especially your dog.

We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults.  Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.  ~George Eliot