"He is my light, my strength, my song."

Feb 6

Words that comforted me today:

In Christ Alone

Songwriters: Getty, Julian Keith; Townend, Stuart Richard;

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

?Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From life’s first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Could ever pluck me from His hand

‘Til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground, all other ground

Is sinking sand, is sinking sand

So I stand

Today in church, a man stopped breathing. People rushed to help him. We were asked to leave the building. He was administered CPR for quite a while. Then an ambulance came.

While this was going on inside the church, about 10 of the girls from APU were praying together. Something that amazed me was how everyone in that church pulled together in a crisis. Do we have that at our church?

Our bus driver took us back to AE after that.

The whole day, I was affected by this. I do not know if he is still alive. I don’t know how to deal with this. I did not know that man. But I could have been apart of his last few moments of life. How are you supposed to comprehend that?

Something I learned vividly today was that life is SO temporary. What are you doing with THIS moment? NOW is where God is! HERE is where He put you! So what are you doing about it?

My friend Tyler said, “It’s out of our hands. It began that way, and it’s still that way. All we can do is pray.” This was very comforting. It was a good reminder that the will of God is stronger than any humanly sickness. I know that man is alive if God wants him to be.

I had a great skype time with Francesca. Girl, you are my soulmate. Friends for life! Thank you for listening to me and for your comforting words! You are wonderful.

I spent much of my day completing the applications to study abroad in Rome for spring 2012, as well as to work at Forest Home for the summer.

The main event of my day besides church was worship practice. Tomorrow is the second day we will be leading. Tomorrow, we are doing something very experimental. We are spreading out around the borders of the room and having the people stand in the center. The goal is not only to surround them with sound, but to make it more of a worship experience and less of a show.

I had a great talk with Colton. For a bit, we ended up talking about what beauty is, and he shared this quote: “God is the most beautiful thing we know

and we haven't even seen him.”

TRUE beauty isn’t even seen! Think about that! WHY do we obsess and obsess over what we look like?! That’s not who we are! I refuse to be defined by what I look like. I wish to be defined by the content of my heart.

This day has been very challenging. What am I supposed to say?

“Blessed be your name

on the road marked with suffering

though there’s pain in the offering,

blessing be your name

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord, blessed be your name.”

My heart WILL choose to say, on Christ alone I stand. Lord, blessed be your name.