the Lord is faithful.

but He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." therefore i will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. for the sake of Christ, then, i am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. for when i am weak, then i am strong. [2 corinthians 12:9-10]

My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness...for when i am weak, then i am strong. woah. those are such powerful ideas. when we are weak, the power of the Lord is made perfect. when we are weak, those are the moments when we are strong. these ideas are so counter-cultural, but when we put our faith behind them, they can transform the impossible into possible. i know this because i've seen it in my life and in the lives of those around me. THE LORD IS FAITHFUL. i've realized that more this week and put more faith in the Lord than i ever remember doing in my entire life. and i have been so blessed by that.

in the verses preceding verses nine and ten, paul talks about having a "thorn" given to him to keep him from becoming conceited because of the "surpassing greatness of the revelations" he had been receiving from the Lord. earlier this week, i prayed to the Lord about why He is calling me to the painful situations in my life. but the Lord answered my prayer by telling me that those things were my "thorn" and to never forget, "My power is made perfect in weakness." needless to say, things were put in a different perspective. instead of being hardships in my life, they were rather a way to glorify my Father. and that is a beautiful thing.

2 corinthians 12 reminded me of a nicholas sparks quote i had read, and that has always stuck with me. (yes, a connection was made between the Word of God and the author of the notebook). the quote says: "when you're struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it's just as hard as what you're going through." we all have our "thing" that we're struggling with. and though it may seem huge to us, someone else's "thing" is just as big. so whatever you're "thing" is, remember...
" f o r w h e n i a m w e a k , t h e n i a m s t r o n g . "

food for thought.

who plants the seeds in the garden of thought?
do our dreams understand our secrets?
is there a song that is my own alone?
are tears the end or the b e g i n n i n g ?

my best friend.

this is my best friend: katie lee. katie is...encouraging, joyful, and understanding. the way the Lord uses katie in my life has forever changed me. the things she says inspire me, and she often doesn't even realize it. but they do. katie has inspired me, and maybe the things that she has said will inspire you too. this is for you, best friend :)
- "God told me this a couple weeks ago, Megan. He wants me to tell it to you now: 'She's going to hate this...but I wish she would just trust Me." [june 16, 2009]
- "I know it's hard, but that's life, you know? God's plan isn't always what's easy, but it's what He wants and you gotta trust Him! Surely you know by now that what God wants usually doesn't go with what we want, but it ends up being way better." [june 2009]
- "You wanna heal? Here's how to heal: train yourself not to think about it, but when you do think about it: pray! Don't Facebook stalk. Read the Bible. Listen to podcasts; especially Francis Chan. At night, pray for everyone. That's how you heal." [june 18, 2009]
- "'When things get hard, we can't look into ourselves. That is not how God intended us to heal. We heal by considering outhers more important that ourselves.' -Francis Chan. Humility is thinking about the needs of others more than the needs of myself. 'Poor me,' only makes us more broken and depressed. Even when things are difficult, we need to look to others." [september 14, 2009]
- "Every little thing is going to be okay." [september 17, 2009]
- "I'm praying for you, girl. God is faithful, His love never fails. I am so proud of you and I know God is doing amazing things with you. I am so blessed to konw you and have you as a friend and sister. You never cease to amaze and inspire me. God works and speaks to me through you all the time. I love you, girl, and I hate to see you hurting." [november 26, 2009]
- "Remember to stay focused and remember why you are there. God is everywhere so don't forget to stop every once in a while to admire Him and thank Him for every moment. He gives you, even the though ones. 'It gives God honor when we try to do something impossible.' -Rick Warren." [june 18, 2009]
- "God made you perfect just the way you are :]" [january 11, 2010]

will you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?

Heavenly Father,
You always amaze me.
Let Your kingdom come
in my world and in my life.
You give me the food I need
to live through the day.
And forgive me as I forgive
the people that wronged me.
Lead me far from temptation.
Deliver me from the evil one.

I look out the window,
the birds are composing.
Not a note is out of tune
or out of place.
I look at the meadow
and stare at the flowers:
better dressed than any girl
on her wedding day.

So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is...
Your love is...
Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens
is now advancing.
Invade my heart,
invade this broken town.
The kingdom of the heavens
is buried treasure.
Will you sell yourself
to buy the one you've found?

Two things You told me
That You are strong
And You love me
Yes, You love me

Your love is...
Your love is...
Your love is strong

Our God in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name above all names.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us wicked sinners.
Lead us far away from our vices,
and deliver us from these prisons.

[jonforeman.yourloveisstrong]

[beautiful things].

all this pain
i wonder if i’ll ever find my way
i wonder if my life could really change
at all

all this earth
could all that is lost ever be found
could a garden come up from this ground
at all

you make beautiful things
you make beautiful things out of the dust
you make beautiful things
you make beautiful things out of us

all around
hope is springing up from this old ground
out of chaos life is being found
in me

you make me new
you are making me new

you make beautiful things
you make beautiful things out of the dust
you make beautiful things
you make beautiful things out of us

[michael gungor band].