LOLIVIA

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like thine can peace afford
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee. 

I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art night
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee. 

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee. 

I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;
and thy rich promises in me fulfill
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee. 

I need thee every hour, most Holy one;
O make me thine indeed, thou blessed Son
I need thee, O I need thee; every hour I need thee
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee. 

ASIA NIGHT SOUND CHECK:

i was a little embarrassed - our group was missing more than half of its people, we were missing the main organizer, one of the soloists, etc. etc.

i was a little timid - i don’t have a solo voice, so even mini solos are…scary. i’m singing in english - oh wait, everyone can hear what i’m singing. i’m singing about worshipping at Jesus’ feet in the middle of Duffield Atrium and everyone in the whole hall can hear me. oh. now we’re running it again? again? again? 

———

it was a lot easier singing at Asia night, knowing there were at least 50 Christians in the audience, cheering on our now complete group, but it really hit me on Sunday, at church, when we sang:

“though none go with me, I still will follow…no turning back, no turning back”

My mind brought me back to the sound check- I was reminded that even though we were super inadequate, though there were maybe 3 Christians in the whole hall listening, and numerous more people listening who did not know Jesus, that the name of Jesus, and the power of His cross was still proclaimed loudly (over and over again, I might add as we had to keep restarting ;) ) 

and it is my hope and prayer that God would continue to strengthen my heart and give me the boldness to do so, even if none go with me. 

A note written to me a while back:

our love is not deep- in fact, it could be considered shallow in some ways. we are consumed by emotion and passion right now; our hearts are overflowing with desire to be with each other. this is not a bad thing because this is just the beginning. tim keller is right: you don’t really know me and i don’t really know you. but what gives me hope is the fact that our love is not trapped in the present. it’s not situational, temporary, or near-sighted. no, our love is strong because we are moving toward that covenant, the bond to love each other forever. we do not know who we will become in marriage, but we are promising to love each other regardless of what that looks like. our love is so great right now because we are excited about what’s to come. our love isn’t deep because we’re still at the surface of ourselves. but just because it’s not deep yet doesn’t mean it’s not real.

it’s been one crazy, exciting, challenging, fun, silly, humbling, year with you, KHY. looking back in my journal…has made me laugh (and wince) at how much God has grown me through my relationship with you. 

 :) 

I am so desensitized to placentas. After working in my lab with them for the past 3 years and 3 summers…I have no problem talking about them, running tests on them, cutting them up, etc. Except, now I have to write about them, and this is proving to be difficult.

After only writing/working on my thesis for 8 hours…I’m already tired of it…but it’s articles like below that remind me of what a privilege it is to study God’s creation and discover new things!

The Placenta—an Unappreciated Organ

Of all the body’s organs, perhaps the one that best exemplifies selfless service is the placenta. Most people give little thought to the placenta, and few appreciate the marvelous complexity and profound importance of this organ that is discarded and forgotten after birth. While parents and loved ones lift joyful prayers of thanks for the safe arrival of their newborn, few think of thanking God for the essential services rendered by His marvelously designed creation—the placenta.

The Placenta Does It All!

In order to appreciate the marvelous work of the placenta, consider this: while the unborn baby’s vital organs are developing and maturing, they (with the exception of the heart) are essentially useless. The placenta serves the functions of these organs by working in association with the mother. With the help of the mother’s blood, the placenta must function as the baby’s lungs, kidneys, digestive system, liver, and immune system. The placenta does this so well that a baby can actually survive until birth even when one or more of these vital organs sadly fail to develop in its own body.

hehe. placentas. 

are you frightened?
no not really
are you worried?
not a bit- I know whatever’s going to happen, that God can handle it!

…yes. God is bigger than the boogeyman! He’s bigger than godzilla or the monsters on TV. (or whatever monsters there are in real life).

thankful for this weekend to be reminded of simple truths from little kids.

Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my heart, all of my praise
My heart and my hands are lifted to you

Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I’ve been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life