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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

An Echo From My Heart

So I've got to say. I love chocolate milk.
And I am thoroughly enjoying it at the moment.
Something else I love:
Working at McLintock's. It is so crazy that it is fun!
The people, the atmosphere, it freakin' rocks.



But there was something that blew my mind today.
Twas a man sitting, eating dinner, desert, everything...by himself.
By the time I noticed, he was in the middle of dinner, too late to "pull the extra plate/etc" off the table.
I felt so brokenhearted. Everything in me wanted to stop what I was doing and sit with him.
Talk to him. Love him. And I didn't even know him. Didn't know why he didn't have someone with him.
He appeared melancholy. Downcast with no one to talk to. It was so upsetting.
Yet I could do nothing. I felt powerless.
Had the whole drive home to think about this man. And thus I paralleled it with the world.

How EMPTY so many people must be without Christ.
How many people must be hurting because they don't know the true love of Jesus.
And they try to find pleasure in the absolute nothingness of this world.
The ever-enticing lusts that never-satisfy. Yet they are fooled into belief that they fill.
That for the brief moments, they feel pleased.

This man alone in a restaurant reflected those hearts without Christ.
Alone. Dismal. Heavyhearted.
How it breaks my heart to know that SO many people, even outside my door, go through trials and tribulations, without knowing that "the eternal God is [their] refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27)
And how much must it break God's heart.
However, what wondrous optimism arises in my heart, knowing that He is with me.

To those suffering. To those who are in need. Those longing for more. Whose hearts cry out wanting to be loved. Feel secure. Wrapped in everlasting care and grace. Who fall to their knees when they can stand no longer. Those captured in the snare of sin. Those whose God's heart cries out for.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:28-31)



For us who understand His wonderful mercy, grace, patience, and safekeeping.
Keep those who don't in your heart.
Pray for the man I saw at McLintock's. Pray for those around you. Outside your house. Outside your church.

Let us put on LOVE. For it never fails. Love your Savior, and especially your neighbor. For they need love tenfold. I pray that our goal is not to be so focused on how "perfect" we can become, but how we can bring others into the light. That our goal is not about ourselves. But about the great glory of God and reflecting that in us and through us. That we might show His wonderful grace to those who don't yet know it.

With much love,
Danual

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Acoustic Heart Flutters.

There is just so much on my mind.
I'm absolutely loving it.
Though, I would be sitting on this computer writing until the morn if I decided to write it all.
However, I'm going to write yet one more thing for the night.

So today I went to a baby shower. And I know, weird, baby showers are for women.
HOWEVER. This was for one of my longest friends Tommy.
Tommy. A man who I've known since WE were in kindergarden.
Tommy. A man who is 18, just like I. And now has a child.
What a crazy thought, three months ago, I would never imagine this happening.
But I must say, Hunter is an absolute adorable child.

It just got me thinking of what it's going to be like being a daddy.
Finding a wife, settling down, and having a child, or two...or five. Ha!
I am absolutely stoked! (In a Godly way of course!)
Love. What an incredible word. Love. Love lovey love love love.
I can't wait to find THAT love. The love that brings forth a child.
What a good love to wait on.
It's incredible God has given us the gift of finding a spouse.
Connecting our hearts with theirs for a lifetime.
And making children. Beautiful, wonderful, children.
It is going to be such an awestruck, wonderful, tearful and joyful moment when that day comes.
When I look upon my newborn child, and see what God looks at every day when He looks at us.
Complete and overwhelming love and care for my child.
Like God looks at us, His children.
Oh, how I patiently wait and long for that day.
But until then...
I love to my fullest potential.
Show and glorify Christ in everything I do. (Or at least try!)
Run the race He has prepared for me.


Love you all.
Danual

Hey hey hey, what do you say?

So. unbeknownst to me.
(...well because I didn't read the email sent to me and Case at Hume...)
Brenna from our (aka the guys) DC trip knows Taylor Swift.
This excites me.

One:
a. Brenna = Georgetown.
b. Matt = Georgetown.
c. Matt + Brenna = friends.
d. Matt + Danual = friends.
e. Brenna + Taylor Swift = friends.
Therefore. If A = B, and C=D, and if E is true. Danual + Taylor Swift must = friends.

Two:
If you didn't know already. I am completely and absolutely in love with Taylor Swift.
I guess I'm not one of those "weirdos" who has pictures of her all over his walls.
But I do love her. In a non-Creeper-status way.
Her music. Her amazing beauty. Oh, I would say everything about her.
So. My next mission in life. Meet her.
I love you Tay Swift.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Walk With a Crooked Spine

Well. You know those days that just go terrible?
Well. Today was one of them. And
Well. I'm just glad it's about over.

Here's the epiphany of the day. I don't think I really have friends. Ha.
You know, friends. People whom you hang out with. People whom you can call, when bored.
Well today I hung around alone all day until work. I scrolled through my contacts multiple times, but could not find a single person that I thought I could call to hang out. Therefore, these contacts, I guess are no more than contacts?
Don't get me wrong, I still love you.
And oh no, don't feel bad. I'm just saying.
I aint got friends.
Lets go college!

Second thing. Today I got pulled over. And broke the promise to myself.
I told myself when I got my license I wouldn't get pulled over, ever.
I mean, I'm not one of those people who drives fast all the time, but the one time I was, I got caught.
Yay me.
I was actually really upset. It brought me to tears. For some reason, I felt terrible.
And me feeling terrible, meant I took it out on God.
I turned my disappointment into anger, and blamed God for this. Yelled, out loud, in my car, questioning Him why He would do this to me. Boy was I mad.
Here comes the big but.
But God has everything under control. I have no idea what God is using this "crappy circumstance" for, but He does know, and I have faith in whatever He will use it for. Because oh how He loves me. How he loves me so. It can't get much better than that.

I would say the only good thing about today was work. Surprising! I was constantly busy, therefore had no thinking time, which is good. Meaning my mind didn't have to think about the day.

So, today wasn't great. I'm not great. But God is definately great.
I'm upset, angry, and distraught, but God is ever-faithful and never failing.
I'm just going to fall back into Him.

With love,
Dan

Monday, July 12, 2010

We Are One

A rough start to a worship tune I'm writing.


v1
Everything in this life, I give it all to you.
I surrender all I have to your love, to your love
Everything I've held onto, can no longer hold on to me
When I'm in your arms, we are one, we are one

Ch
Everything that I do, I do it for you
I'm all wrapped up in your love. I'm all wraped up in your love.
I can't get enough, of all that you offer
When I'm in your arms we are one. When I'm in your arms we are one.

v2
In the past I have been, in the false arms of love
At the moment, all things felt true
Because all I was doing, was living for me.
Here I am now, all wrapped up in you

Ch
Everything that I do, I do it for you
I'm all wrapped up in your love. I'm all wrapped up in your love.
I can't get enough, of all that you offer
When I'm in your arms we are one. When I'm in your arms we are one.

Br
False love comes and goes, like thiefs in the night
I know that this love is true, so true.
I no longer live for me, but solely for your glory
Here I am now, all wrapped up in you

Captains of the Sky

Excusez Mwah!?...
Here I am. Home. Writing once again.
Thank you for returning.

Hume 2010 was of nothing its ever been before.
Spiritually enhancing. Emotionally straining.

The Lord gave me a whole new Hume experience. Solitariness:
Something I'm quite used to at home, but not at Hume. Hume, where I spend every second of time with people and am constantly active. Twenty ten was something otherwise, this year was more me feeling as if I were just a bother, extra-luggage to those around me. So I spent most of my time walking around. playing my guitar. thinking. sitting... I'll admit, it was disheartening. Every ounce of me wanted to be surrounded by friends spending time doing anything. However, it wasn't so. It was me and my shadow.

Internally raged a full-fledged battle. Vehement about being alone. Yet, grasping that absolutely nothing is about me. I was grieved, I wanted to have an enjoyable week. Yet every morning, and every night, God was telling me it wasn't about me. During the day, God was showing me it wasn't about me.

"Danual,
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb? When I said, 'this far you may come and no farther, here is where you proud waves halt.' Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. Did I create Hume, so that you may go there for your purposes, your merry escapades. Or for my glory alone? Do you not understand? Everything under Heaven belongs to me." (Isaiah 38-41 personally)


I can have no response to any of this. I am nothing. I'm in no control. It's not about me. Hume was not a place for me think of me, and how I could have benefitted. He showed me this. Rather than revelling in my distress, I should have drawn near to Him. For "the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." Everything He is, is more valuable than everything I am and anything in this world.

I need to stop highly valuing my life, but instead start highly valuing His glory. For He is good when there's nothing good in me. He is light when the darkness closes in. He is hope, He has covered all my sin. There is nothing I can ever do. Therefore I fall into His arms. The arms of everlasting love. The arms of hope. peace. faithfulness. And amidst falling into His arms, I am thankful that God is working and acting according to His plan and purpose, and not mine. For I cannot rebuke the waves, yet He can. I cannot comprehend the expanse of the earth, yet He can. Therefore, everything I do, is for His glory. My thoughts are His. No longer do I want anything to be about me. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:15 to "shine like stars in this universe", therefore for His glory I will shine. I will decrease, He will increase.

Excusing myself. Exalting Christ in what I do. What I say. What I think. I do have so much more to write. But in all that I say, may Christ be acclaimed. Take into heart that all of His creation and works have an ultimate plan and purpose to reveal to everyone who He is. You are that creation. Reveal who He is.

With heart of love.
Danual.


Admire His glory. His majesty. His awesome creation.