more to come...

so i've been hesitant to post lately - partly because i have been filtering my thoughts...

i've decided to let go of that. expect more on here in the next few days.

psalm 15

"who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?

who may enter your presence on your holy hill?

those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,

speaking truth from sincere hearts.

those who refuse to slander others 

or harm their neighbors 

or speak evil of their friends.

those who despise persistent sinners, 

and honor the faithful followers of the

Lord 

and keep their promises even when it hurts.

those who do not charge interest on the 

money the lend, and who refuse to accept bribes to

testify against the innocent.

such people will stand firm forever." - psalm 15

love is...

i heard a really good sermon today about the love portrayed between Naomi and Ruth. It wasn't the typical moral to the relationship between these two women - you know, the typical passage that's read at weddings "where you go, i will go... your god will be my god" stuff... it focused more on the servant love that is expressed between the two.

Naomi, moving from severe self-interest and wallowing to other-focused, looking to protect and make sure Ruth was taken of in future circumstance. Ruth, in turn, protecting and caring for Naomi through her marriage to Boaz which cemented Naomi's future care - but also Ruth's posisble pain (being a widow for the second time, not having children). The message really focused on service to one another and the fact that love is costly.

I agree that love is costly, love is sacrificial. One thing the pastor mentioned is that people usually help others "to a point" and then resist. While I understand the need to urge people past this point, I also know, from personal experience the detrimental ramifications of going past this point. The question for me, I guess, is "what does healthy love look like?" I often worry I will enter the realm that is unhealthy - that, if I go passed the point, to the degree that I lose sight of myself, God... -  There have been circumstances where, out of love initially, people have been hurt, manipulated, burnt out, etc. So while we need to push some, perhaps we need to pull back others? I don't know the answer to this. I mean, as far as love goes, Christ gave his life - so should I be willing to give my life for another out of this same love? Maybe it's that I don't realize what I truly take on when deciding to love others, and really don't realize what it truly means to love God with my life. But these are all good questions to ponder - questions that don't need to be answered... my pursuit to love God with my life presses on admist the questioning, and that's a good thing. 

I've also been wondering about marriage today in light of this sermon. If our responsibility as Christians is to love, to love others through service, and for this love to pertain to all people... what distinguishes this love from "marriage love" (if it is, in fact, different?) What really is the purpose of marriage? To serve one another in the pursuit of glorifying God? Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing with everyone? I'm not dissing marriage by any means... I'm just wondering what this means for me. I've been in a relationship where, through my love for another person, lost sight of God, lost sight of others, and maybe even lost sight of myself - and this was all in the pursuit of glorifying God through such love. Maybe I think it just gets messy when we add another person into the equation... but maybe that's not the case when it's the right person. Is it that we love our spouses more than others? Or is it that two people in marriage have really found their service to God is strengthened by being united in Him, so enter into a covenant together? 

I need to love better and I'm trying to figure out what that means... peace.

take a sad song and make it better

so i've been mildly obsessed with the movie, across the universe for the past few weeks. whether it's the casting, the music, the camera angles or all three - i really find myself pulled into the story and mostly the passion of the music. i've decided to quote my favorite lines from the movie, along with my favorite lyrics from the film. if you haven't seen it, it's a musical which uses songs of the beatles exclusively. delicious. 

"there's nothing you can make that can't be made

no one you can save that can't be saved

nothing you can do, but you can learn how to be you in time

it's easy..."

"living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.

it's getting hard to be someone but it all works out... it doesn't matter much to me.

...always no sometimes thin it's me, but you know i know when it's a dream.

i think i know i mean, hey yes, but it's all wrong. 

that is i think i disagree."

"any time you feel the pain, hey jude, refrain

don't carry the world upon your shoulders

for well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool

by making his world a little colder."

"you say you want a revolution? well you know... we all wanna change the world.

you tell me that it's evolution... well you know... we all wanna change the world

but when you talk about destruction don't you know that you can count me out...

you know it's gonna be alright... 

you tell me it's the institution... well you know - you better free your mind instead.

don't know you know it's going to be alright..."

"you're asking me will my love grow?

i don't know... i don't know.

you stick around now it may show...

i don't know... i don't know." 

"i don't know why nobody told you

how to unfold your love

i don't know how someone controlled you

they bought and sold you

i look at the world and i notice it's turning

while my guitar gently weeps

with every mistake we must surely be learning

still my guitar gently weeps..."

"and when the broken hearted people living in this world agree

there will be an answer, let it be.

for though they may be parted

there is still a chance that they will see, 

there will be an answer, let it be...

and when the night is cloudy, 

there is till a light that shines on me...

shine until tomorrow, let it be..."

"images of broken light which 

dance before me like a million eyes

that call me on and on across the universe...

thoughts meander like a 

restless wind inside a letter box

they tumble blindly as they make their way

across the universe

nothing's gonna change my world..."

"had it been another day

i might have looked the other way

and i'd have never been aware

but as it i'll dream of her tonight, di-di-di-di'ndi...

falling, yes i am falling..."

"cause i've been in love before

and i've found that love was more, 

than just holding hands...

if i trust in you, 

oh please, don't run and hide.

if i love you too,

oh please, don't hurt my pride like her...

cause i couldn't stand the pain.

and i, would be sad if out new love was in vain,

so i hope you see, 

that i would love to love you"

"would you believe in a love at first sight?

yeah... i'm certain it happens all the time."

"black bird fly into the light of the dark black night"

"she loves you... yeah, yeah, yeah - she loves you."

this feels very eighth grader-ish - writing my favorite lyrics, but these are the lines that stick out to me in the movie... whether it was because of the inflection of the singer's voice, their facial expression, the specific feel of their voice, or what have you - in some way they are more than lyrics. 

music can be mysterious - the reaction of the listener, the intention of the singer, the mutual yet totally separate experience of both parties - hearing, feeling the same, or maybe not the same message, lyric, under and overtones, the art form unique to each person. i guess i love something that can be so universal and still so personal. how is it that some stranger's combination of music and lyrics can make me cry, make me smile, make me be hopeful? the above lyrics do just that... make me cry, smile, hope... sometimes all at once, and sometimes not. i love it.

you know it's going to be alright...

geranamo!

in light of the heaviness i've been feeling the past day or two - i thought i'd share a story that, amidst the painful news last night, made us laugh really hard. for any of you that have been around both my mother and i in the midst of a laughing fit - you know how ridiculous it can get. then, throw in my cousins adrienne, laura and my aunt kathy and you'll want to leave the room. it's funny how quickly laughter can begin... and end. but this is a story about it beginning.

so, my mom and i went to target last night because we needed to pick up a few things for amy. yes, amy - you are getting wonderful presents from target this year :) i also decided that instead of wrapping gifts, i was just going to buy a whole bunch of gift bags - practical, time efficient and reusable, right? around this time of year target is more nutso than usual, and as you venture to the "clearance" christmas section, the chaos mounts. so, as i'm standing in the bag aisle (it's crazy to me that they can fill an aisle with just bags)... i notice these light up/musical bags, score! as assumed, due to little children pushing the buttons on these bags (or maybe twenty-three year olds like myself), many of the bags were no longer music-producing, boo. but then, i noticed the perfect bag under about thirty others - it had penguins, lit up AND the music worked. as i carefully removed it from the pile, the other thirty bags on top of it decided they needed to go for a ride... and slowly but surely - they fell, more like "avalanched" unto the floor. normally, this wouldn't bother me and i'd laugh at it - but this time, there were about 5 people watching, one anticipating the fall and yelling "geranamo!" the other, watching, as she rolled her cart right on over the bags that just fell. two more were about a foot to my right and the other a few feet to the left. as i bent down to pick them up - guess how many helped? 0! as i reached down to pick them up - apparently they all decided that their "music" button worked and the asile was filling with "jingle bells" and flashing lights. after about five minutes, i went and found my mom. and the following conversation took place:

ash:"so, mom - i found this awesome bag and in the process knocked over 30 other ones... about five people saw it happen - and guess how many helped me pick them up? 0." (i've been very big on numbers lately)
man walks by, listening and laughs, shaking his head
mom: "why would they help?"
ashley: "oh, i don't know - because it's three days from christmas? and who wouldn't help?"
mom: "your sarcasm is a little loud and a little thick"
ashley: "really? i'm sorry. i just figured if you were close enough to say "geranamo" and close enough to wheel your cart over the bags, you were close enough to help me pick them up"
mom: "ahahahaha, someone said 'geranamo'?"
ashley: "oh yeah."
mom: (looking at christmas ornaments, holding in laughter)
ashley: (leaning on cart, looking around the store)
mom: (looks at ashley and bursts out laughing)
ashley: "oh yeah, i'm writing the blog in my head already"
mom: "i knew it!"

don't get me wrong. it's not as if i feel entitled to help from complete strangers... i was just really surprised that no one asked if i needed a hand. i've known a handful of people who don't like christmas because of the materialism that it brings. while i have understood that point, i've always been able to overlook it in the spirit of Christmas. but last night, i was one of those people.

today, with the snow outside, the tree up and the anticipation of giving my loved ones gifts, i'm feeling a little more like myself. but, as i look outside at the snow... the stillness of the cold - that sadness (i wrote about in a previous blog) creeps in. a mixture of hope and heaviness enters my heart... as i still wonder what it's all about.

lord, hear our prayer

"time... there's always time, on my mind
pass me by, i'll be fine... just give me time" - damien rice

these are the lyrics that popped into my head as i sat down to write today. the end of 2007- to the end of 2008 has been quite the year. in twelve (give or take) short months, there have been 6 deaths, 1 birth, 1 breakup, 1 move, 2 apartments, about 4 churches, 15 classes, 1 masters degree, 2 internships, 3 jobs, 100 cups of pumpkin spice latte, and on and on. my brother has said, more than once, that he is looking forward to 2008 being over. that's what i said in 2007. will we say it again in 2009? i don't want to be so future oriented than i miss the present, but i don't want to be so present oriented that i overlook implications for the future or forget lessons learned from the past. throughout the past year or so my mantra has been to "embrace the journey" and while i have been a witness to the "beauty in the breakdown" and can confidently stand of the faithfulness and goodness of God, i still find myself wondering what part i play in all of this... [you know, stacy - i stand out in my front yard and just stare at nothing while i think... just like dawson :) ] but seriously, we have figured out all of these "laws" of nature, equations that make sense of the world, theories that make sense of behavior, words or music that make sense of feeling - but still find ourselves in a seemingly uncontrollable world.

last night i sent out an email to many friends about the passing of a family friend. i explained that i, personally, felt unable to pray. i wasn't sure what to pray for - and my attempt to begin such a prayer brought on a feeling of nausea. so, last night, i wrote the above paragraph and then started to write a prayer as well. i've shared with my home group that it is hard for me to pray out loud sometimes - there's something about hearing my own words that makes me uncomfortable... possibly inauthentic. since sharing that, i have been praying out loud more often - yet my preferred style is through writing. so, last night i figured if i couldn't pray in my head or out loud, then certainly i could write something resembling my thoughts, desires, needs? i sat here and wrote for a good fifteen minutes... but it just wasn't feeling right. anything i attempted to write fell vastly short of conveying the depth of my prayer. i was frustrated with this, and just decided to go to bed. as i was logging out of my email i noticed that two friends had already responded to my email - both with written prayers. one as simple (yet loaded) as "spirit, give us words..." this really resonated with me because for the first time in a long time, i had no words. as a person who enjoys conversation and needs to process verbally, i find it extremely frustrating when i cannot, in any way, convey my feelings or my thoughts. this is different than deciding to not share them, however. so, last night - it wasn't that i didn't want to share - in actuality, i wanted to share very much... but i felt as if i had nothing to share. all i could muster was...
lord, hear our prayer.

and i think that's enough.

always winter, never christmas

"Now that the children actually stood looking at him... he was so big, so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still. They felt very glad, but also solemn.

'I've come at last,' said he. 'She has kept me out for a long time, but I have got in at last. Aslan is on the move. The witch's magic is weakening.'

And Lucy felt that deep shiver of gladness that you only get if you are being solemn and still." - The LW&W, C.S. Lewis

i was driving down to philly tonight listening to the bach choir of bethlehem's christmas cd. i grew up listening to the choir and i can always distinguish my mom's voice out of the many. as i was driving tonight i felt filled with the christmas spirit (if that's what you want to call it) but also had a sense of stillness, of being solemn. maybe classical music brings out a solemn side of myself, i'm not sure... but what i do know is that christmas has always had a tinge of sadness with it. i got to thinking maybe because, thinking about the birth of Jesus - at the root of christmas is easter - and to be born to die brings a peculiar stillness to my world. just a thought.

looking back on christmas songs - i've always felt a subtle, underlining pang. for example, "have yourself a merry little christmas" has always made me cry... maybe it's just the beauty of Judy Gardland's voice or maybe it's thinking of the christmases past... i'm not sure. 

it's difficult to put it all into words - and maybe that's why stillness resides. there is something bigger, grander, and holier than what we've made christmas into. despite all the christmas glam - i feel my soul aching for simpler, clearer things. to hear the notes of "o holy night" or the descant to "silent night" - to look up at the sky and wonder what was seen thousands of years ago... to imagine the cry of a newborn who, one day, we would cry for as he die on a cross. it's all very surreal - the presence of the light weakening the power of the "witch", the idea of good overcoming evil, despite the sacrifices; despite the ultimate sacrifice. knowing that it was so from the beginning - that in all his power and wisdom the christmas season points to the beginning of a relationship with God, the birth of Christ. the hope that winter is melting and christmas is here...

"a thrill of hope - the weary world rejoices..."