I love watching Perry Mason. He's on every weekday at noon on Fox 12. Every day during lunch this black and white lawyer from the 60's pursues truth, stands up for what is right, and does it with a calm, firm confidence. Lately, I've been watching Murder, She Wrote on Netflix. Jessica Fletcher, the star of this 80's show, is a mystery writer who constantly finds herself involved in real-life murders where her friends or family are being falsely accused. She works with local law enforcement to find out who really did it and exonerate her loved ones.
I like a good murder-mystery, but I love Murder, She Wrote and Perry Mason. I think I've finally figured out why. In addition to their relentless pursuit of truth, these two characters are so firmly rooted and established in their pursuit of justice that they are never, even for a moment, tempted to compromise or look the other way. They cannot be subdued as they plead the case of the orphan and the widow. They are not deterred by threats to their person, their reputation, or their livelihood. I want to be like that.
"learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause." Isaiah 1:17
These are some songs that make me think of him, our story, and our relationship. We just celebrated 8 years of marriage and I am so very glad that I get to share my life with him.
Danny’s Song by Loggins and Messina The song that every poor young couple can relate to. Except the part about having a son...we're not yet having a son. We have a really cute daughter though!
Fly by Sara Groves
The power of sublty and quiet passion in a relationship.
Arms by Christina Perri
A new favorite. This resonates with me when I feel insecure and think Cory's life would be easier without me causing trouble :) I hope I never bring this very patient man to the end of his rope.
Dancing in the Minefields by Andrew Peterson
I was never under the impression that marriage would be easy. And it's challenges haven't suprised me, but they have made me discover a deeper and richer love.
Both of Us'll Feel the Blast by Waterdeep.
I couldn't find a good link to this song, so I just included the lyrics below. This song was played at our wedding. I love it.
We're both dirty, baby- that's just the way it goes
We'll try to cut the fuses off before everything blows
And if it blows and both of us are standing real close by
Then both of us'll feel the blast and both of us'll die
But dying's overrated, it's a ticket on a train
And as long as I can hold your hand, I'll know that I'm still sane
Maybe I'm an idiot for thinking that that's true
But I believe that Jesus knew what He was doing when He gave me you
Lately I've been wondering- what are we gonna do
When we wake up in the morning and its just me and you?
Cause we ain't never done this thing but I guess that's how it goes
You breathe deep as it comes to you and hold tight when it blows
And if it blows and both of us are standing real close by
Then both of us'll feel the blast and both of us'll die
And dying's underrated, it's a ticket to the feast-
The one we're all invited to, from the greatest to the least
I hope we sit together when Jesus serves the wine
So I can look into your eyes when I taste it the first time
And I know there's no secrets when you're sitting at that table
But I believe we'll smile real knowingly when we read the label
And it says "passion sacrificed to keep from going crazy."
We'll tip our glasses to the Host who used to look so hazy
And drink it down all sweet and slow and slip inside His mind
And realize as it goes down- this is communion wine
This is communion wine
This is communion wine
This is communion wine
If I Could by Storyhill
Again, I couldn't find a good video but it's a great song :) Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
'cause it's just fun.
Monday, as I was driving up I-5 on my way to class, I was thinking about how I expected to be away from home for a total of about ten hours. I thought about how the longest I had been away from my 11 month old daughter before that day was six hours. I was going to be nearly doubling that every day for the entire week. I thought about how I was afraid that either I would miss her terribly or that I wouldn't miss her at all. If I missed her terribly, those hours in class and travel would be torture.
If I didn't miss her, what would that say about me as a mom?
And then I started thinking about my identity and what defined me. I experienced a curious freedom as I remembered that my primary identity isn't as a mother, or as a wife, it is that of a theologian. What I think about God and how I relate to him transcends all other relationships in my life. I thought of and interacted with God before I met and married Cory, before I even thought about getting pregnant and having a child. As significant as those relationships are to me--and they are very significant, they do not define me. If I lost either Cory or LeYanna, I could loose my identity as a wife or as a mother...but I cannot loose my identity in relation to God.
You can't either. At your core you have beliefs about who God is, who you are, and how the two of you relate. Whether you've taken the time to identify and sort out those beliefs or not...they define you. They determine how you interact with others, how you live your life, what you value. Your primary identity is that of a theologian. If everything else in life changed. If, God forbid, you lost everyone and everything that you loved...there would still be God and you'd still have to figure out how you interact with him.
More than that, I remembered that I have a calling on my life. I am passionate about the Old Testament and I'm passionate about loving broken people. I'm compelled to make theology practical and to raise up and develop leaders. God created me to do these things before, in spite of, and through my other relationships. In this season of life, the one where I have a little baby who doesn't sleep well, so I'm super-tired and feel like I have very little time, I know that how I live out my calling is going to look different than it did when I was single in college and different than it will when my daughter is older. God wants and expects me to take care of my family, but in his eyes, my identity goes beyond wife and mother. He equips, empowers, and expects me to live my calling within the constraints of my context.
If you are a woman, especially if you are a women who is not [yet?] a wife or mother, do not sit around waiting for those relationships to come to give you value, discover who God has created you to be, what he wants you to do now. Understand your identity in him and your calling and be obedient to those things. God may bless you with a husband and children, but his calling on your life comes before, in spite of, and through those relationships.
I love watching Perry Mason. He's on every weekday at noon on Fox 12. Every day during lunch this black and white lawyer from the 60's pursues truth, stands up for what is right, and does it with a calm, firm confidence. Lately, I've been watching Murder, She Wrote on Netflix. Jessica Fletcher, the star of this 80's show, is a mystery writer who constantly finds herself involved in real-life murders where her friends or family are being falsely accused. She works with local law enforcement to find out who really did it and exonerate her loved ones. 