I made a promise to love You, and nothing can change my mind...

I have a slight music obsession :) So, from time to time you will see a random post (much like this one) where I will share my current "favorite" song.

I have been patiently awaiting the release of Cindy Cruse Ratcliff's first solo project in 17 years "Twenty Three"... and it was in the mail today! I had already heard most all of the songs on YouTube from Lakewood services and the release concert/worship service she had recently. One of the ones that I've listened to over and over and over is called The Promise. The album version is awesome. Amazing. However, I think everything is better live, especially when you have someone who can *sing* without being overdubbed and mixed to sound "radio friendly". So, I present to you The Promise... live from the release concert... please get some kleenex...

[Note: This video begins with "23", which is a fantastic song featuring Lincoln Brewster on the album cut, but if you would like to skip ahead you may fast forward to 4:35...]



I can't get those words out of my head... "I made a promise to love You, and nothing can change my mind." In fact, every time I think about that line I can feel my throat tighten up and my eyes sting. Shouldn't we all be thinking that way?

Nothing can change my mind.

When I find myself in a hard place...

Nothing can change my mind.

When I feel alone...

Nothing can change my mind.

When I'm about to give up because I can't see the finish...
When I'm impatient with Him...
When I'm broken before Him...

Nothing can change my mind...

The Promise
Written by: Cindy Cruse Ratcliff & Alexa Cruse
Produced by: Cindy Cruse Ratcliff

Rest assured, unashamed
I'm running after You
Unsatisfied with apathy
My heart it seeks Your Truth
And on this day and on my knees
I make a vow to You
And in return I'll know Your Name
Gain a life in You

Chorus:
And I have promised to love You
With everything, my offering
And I have promised to give You
My life, my all for Sovereign's call
I made a promise to love You
Nothing can change my mind

So secure, unafraid
Completely rest in You
I'm satisfied here on my knees
My heart it beats Your Truth
Forevermore with everything
I make a vow to You
And in return I'll know You Grace
You make all things new 

Chorus:
And I have promised to love You
With everything, my offering
And I have promised to give You
My life, my all for Sovereign's call
I made a promise to love You
Nothing can change my mind

A life within Your Promise
A love without an end
Your Grace You pour upon us
Cleansed and free from sin

Chorus:
And I have promised to love You
With everything, my offering
And I have promised to give You
My life, my all for Sovereign's call
I made a promise to love You
Nothing can change my mind

**I'd love to know... what's your current favorite song? Any you would recommend?

Blessings,

I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy

I may have before mentioned sweet Angie Smith. She is the wife of Todd Smith (lead singer of Selah), author of an amazing blog entitled Bring the Rain, and half of the team that runs the also amazing online Bloom Book Club. Angie has now written a very personal and very beautiful book by the name of I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy. Even the dedication page speaks volumes in just four words: "For her... For Him."

From the description on the back cover:

"Angie Smith was eighteen weeks pregnant with her fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, when doctors discovered conditions leaving Audrey "incompatible with life." Faced with the decision whether to terminate the pregnancy, Angie and her husband chose to carry Audrey for as long as she had life. This began what turned out to be three months of loving and carrying a little girl that was not expected to live more than a few minutes.

Audrey Caroline lived for over two hours, weighing three pounds, two ounces. Yet, in the midst of the sorrow of loss, there was still joy. Angie weaves the faith-filled story of Audrey Caroline with a biblical story of hope to help us all to understand how better to cope with loss and disappointment..."

I've been meaning to write this post for almost a week now, and the thing is... I don't know that I  can put to paper (or rather, the screen) how much Audrey's story has impacted my life. The raw, unrelenting faith of Todd and Angie. The hugeness of our God and how He comforts even in sorrow... how He indeed does bring joy in the midst of the grief. I wish so badly I could condense it all down to a few paragraphs for you. The enormity of it all is still so fresh on my heart.

I discovered Angie's blog a little over a year after Audrey was born, and I read every word of every post in around two or three months. I cried. I prayed. I laughed, then cried some more.  I was captivated by the fact that someone would be so real and so open to basically total strangers. What also blew me away was the community of women (and men) who genuinely prayed and believed and related to Angie's story. Women who had suffered the loss of a child or were themselves in the middle of a difficult diagnosis for their unborn began to share their stories in the comments section and e-mails to Angie. Do you know what else? They found a place where they knew their needs would be prayed for. Women coming together to lift each other up in the midst of such brokenness and sadness. The love of Christ flowed so freely, whereas it's so difficult sometimes to find that in our everyday. We're often too busy or too distracted to notice the opportunity to reach out to the hurting and the weary. Even before she was born, Audrey was changing lives and introducing countless numbers of people to her Creator.

Angie often says that even at just over three pounds, Audrey had weight in this world. Indeed she did. Her story and her legacy will live on through Angie and Todd and a host of others who came to know this beautiful baby girl. All I have left to say is I encourage you to get this book. It's not a long read and it's incredibly well written. In fact, to make it even easier for you... Angie's book is now offered as a limited time FREE digital download from Barnes & Noble!! Get it while you can! :)

This is no way does justice to the impact the Smith family story has made in my own life. I can only hope you'll find out for yourself what a huge blessing came in a three pound package.

Blessings,

Psalm 93

I love this Psalm. I think it has amazingly beautiful imagery and it speaks volumes in just 5 short verses. Take a minute or two and read through this out loud. Soak it up. Linger on the words until you feel them really penetrate to your spirit today.

1 The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. 

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved.

2 Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their 

pounding waves.

4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea -- the Lord on 

high is mighty.

5 Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O Lord.

Hiatus?

That's what I'm leaning towards calling my prolonged procrastination :) I've been in a dry spot creatively, so I fell out of the Blogosphere for a while. However, new posts should be arriving soon! Hopefully you'll find it interesting... but if not, at least my attempt may be amusing.

Also note that a group of bloggers are now in the Dominican Republic (DR) with World Vision and will be blogging about their experiences there. The button for Jessica Turner's blog The Mom Creative is on the left of my page, and you can follow the other bloggers at their respective blogs:

Briana from Bargain Briana
Jill from The Diaper Diaries
Andrea from Mommy Snacks
Amanda from Oh Amanda

I can't stress how important it is for us to act on what we see. The photos and videos you will see posted by these women are real. The poverty is real. The children are real. More importantly... hope is real. God is real. We are all able, even in our financial "instability", to give out of our abundance one way or another. For $35 a month a child can eat, get an education, form a bond with someone they know will pray for them and who genuinely cares for their well-being. You could be that someone. I'm not here to push some infomercial garbage down your throat, guilting  you into sending some money. I'm telling you from having experience in a third-world country... you can do some good. You can change a life. You can be hope and faith and love to a child. You can help a hurting kid understand that Jesus is real and He loves them and will provide for them. Just consider it. If you feel so led, act on it.

Blessings,