Wednesday, February 9, 2011

He will pursue you!


Every now and then I get a little wrapped up in myself and I can't see you
clearly.
Every now and then I get a little overwhelmed by the world and I can't hear you
calling.
But you have always told me
You will always be there.
You are only one prayer away.

Every now and then
You whisper peace to me
With your tender words
Unexpectedly
When I'm at the end
Taking my last breath
Drowning in my pride
I've got nothing left
I can see it coming around the bend
Yeah, You're taking me
to that place again
Every now and then.

Every now and then I get a little tired of my reflection and I want to break the
mirror.
Every now and then I get blinded by my own perception and I need to see you
clearer.
But you have always told me
You will always be there.
You are only one prayer away.

Every now and then
You whisper peace to me
With your tender words
Unexpectedly
When I'm at the end
Taking my last breath
Drowning in my pride
I've got nothing left.
I can feel it coming around the bend
Yeah, You're taking me
to that place again.
Every now and then.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my journal, I titled the page "Unfortunately, this one is all too true too".
I had written some other lyrics and talked to Him about those - some good - this
one I felt wasn't. I wrote the first verse and the chorus, and then I wrote:

"I say unfortunately cuz I ought to stay there - but I could also say
fortunately - because of YOU. Because YOU pursue me - cuz you break the puter,
or burn out the bulb, or change my ISP password. :) You do indeed come to me,
pursue me, love me - in spite of myself - my selfishness. So as sorry as I am
that the first verse is true - gladder am I that the chorus is also true. Thank
You!"

So - to Steve, yes, sometimes the passion we first feel fades. Most times I
guess - but it can return. One way is to find new believers, that will ignite
you! But another neat thing is HE is not content with that either, and He will
pursue you. Also - a dry time does not necessarily mean He isn't close. It
isn't Mt top all the time - and that is ok. No relationship is - He has his
purpose in the valleys too.

And to those of you who have been here several weeks (like since this group
started) you know how low I had been, and this song came so true. He came to me
where I was, He ministered to me - through this CD we really didn't have the $
for, through His Spirit, through this group, through my devotionals, through a
book - all drawing me to spend time with Him. He did make my computer quit
working at night so I had to shut it down. This isn't the first time. I have
been spending more regular time with Him - and the peace I have now is a feeling
I cannot describe. It is not every moment of every day - Sat. was incredible,
Sun. I was SO tense. Sun nite I prayed for the peace and today it was here - so
real. I need HIS peace, and He is SO faithful to hear our prayers and meet us
and minister to us just where we are.

So while the first verse is true - and maybe it is true of you too - the chorus
is true also. He loves you and He will not leave you alone - He will pursue
you!

Sonshyne

Prayer

Prayer is not a way to get what you want.
God is not a vending machine.
Although sometimes vending machines are nice.
I appreciated the one at the hospital ER when I needed it.
And God IS there when we need Him.
But we always need Him.

I believe prayer is actually meant to change us.
into His image
it is much more than a request list

more later

Legend of the Guardians

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

 From the outside, siblings Soren and Kludd don't appear to be all that different. They're both young barn owls who are just getting the hang of flying. On the inside, though, the two brothers couldn't be more distinct.

Soren loves listening to his dad's stories of the great Guardians of Ga'Hoole—noble owls who once beat back an evil band known as the Pure Ones. For Soren, there's nothing better than to aspire to the Guardians' lofty ideals.

Kludd, on the other hand, scoffs at that idea. No daydreaming on silly stories of make-believe legends for him. He'll simply hone his flying and hunting skills and grab the things of life that he wants—including his father's favor.

It's that super-competitiveness, however, that causes Kludd and Soren to end up tumbling out of their tree to the ground, which is a dangerous place to be for owlets. In fact, for a moment it looks like the only future the unlucky brothers will have is to be a wild boar's late-night snack. But before they can even hoot in horror, they're snatched up by none other than minions of the Pure Ones and swept off to a secret lair.

While Kludd is selected to be a future soldier, his brother ends up in the slave labor corner of the camp. Things aren't looking good for Soren. And it appears that owl genocide is being planned. There's only one hope left: Someone must escape and pull together a small band of resisters. Someone must soar across the seemingly endless miles of sea to the fabled tree of Ga'Hoole and warn the Guardians. Someone must believe it can be done. And Soren thinks he just might be that someone.
When the projectors started rolling at the screening I attended of Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, several different things grabbed my attention in pretty short order. The first was just how gorgeous this animated film looks. Without question, the strikingly photo-realistic owls and colorful environments are a visual treat. The second thing, however, was how hard it is to keep track of, well, who's hoo.

Based on the first three books of the popular children's series by author Kathryn Lasky, this flick has a lot of story and a lot of characters to cover. And to my ornithologically untrained eye, one owl looks pretty much like another. These birds don't get easy cartoon names like Daffy or Woody, either. Instead, they're stuck with far less memorable monikers such as Kludd and Ezylryb.

That's almost beside the point, though, since kids—this movie's primary target—seem to be able to keep track of everything without even trying. And some of the things they'll be keeping track of while watching these birds is just how brave and heroic Soren is. Epic tales of great heroism and bravery may start to feel a bit familiar to those of us over, um, 30, but they're brand-new for 10-year-olds. And they're often worth retelling and rehearing because of how they lift us up and encourage us to make good choices in the face of difficult odds. They entertain while reminding us of where our hearts should be.

Those lessons might translate to facing down a scary test at school or standing by a friend in need. And that alone is something well worth hooting about.

But kids'll also be soaking up a surprising number of threatening and perilous moments along the way. They start when Soren and Kludd first tumble out of their nest sweet nest and don't stop till we reach the owl Armageddon ending. So don't be surprised if little ones choose dad's lap over their cold and uncuddly theater seat in the midst of battle.

I heard a fellow reviewer refer to the movie as Lord of the Rings with owls. And that might actually be a good guidepost for the kind of action to expect.