Noisy Living and Being Still

It took me all weekend, but I finally found some time to stay still.

But to be honest, the way to be still found me.

Tonight, I attended the Compline Service at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. I can't even describe this delightful experience. The Compline Choir was amazing. It was beautiful. It was moving.

And for a half an hour, I was still. I was at rest. I was with my God. I just...was.

I am amazed at the beauty that can be evoked by music. The moment was so peaceful; quiet. And in that short time, I was overwhelmed by God's love. As I write this, I realize that my heart can't contain this kind of love.

These are the kind of moments that you wish would last forever.

When I left St. Mark's, I was confronted by how noisy my life has become. I couldn't even stand to have the radio on during my drive home. I didn't want the peaceful moment to end. But I knew that soon enough, my life would be filled by demanding distractions, urgent matters, constant thoughts, and compounding responsibilities.

It would be foolish to try to make this singular moment last forever. I experienced the goodness of being still, of being in the presence of His peace, of being overcome by God's love. It may take some time to learn how to push the noise of my life away on a regular basis and to find those moments to stay still before God. But after this experience of rest, I am finding that the choice to be still with God is one that is always worth making.

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

--David, Psalm 46:10

The Compline Choir sings on Sunday evenings at 9:30 at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. You may also hear the service live on King FM (98.1 FM).

Treasured Past

In my attempt to regain some perspective, I ended up in the music store in my Hometown.

I wasn't expecting to buy any music, but of course, I ended up with three classical pieces (Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt). I rushed over to my grandparents's house for Family Dinner, anxiously awaiting a chance to try the pieces on the piano.

Sadly, excitement gave way to frustration. My fingers don't move in the same way. I repeatedly ran over the difficult passages through Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, only to end up with my fingers aching due to lack of use.

My cousin JJ was also at dinner, and catching my nostalgic mood, he and I went on a search for a time gone by. It started out as a search of our Nintendo NES (JJ only found the game cartridges) and I came across, of course, my old books. We also found some videotapes of movies my uncle Ned had recorded when the family used to have HBO. I also uncovered my grandfather's Olivetti typewriter. (Yes, typing on that beautiful machine is art. And as JJ can attest to, it uses finger muscles he didn't know he had!)

But the real treasure was a box of piano music that JJ found. I poured over the music, my excitement returning. I returned to the piano and tried out the pieces I used to play with perfection.

And yet, I came to find that my fingers still don't move in the same way.

I'm not sure why it upsets me so much.

Toward the end of Family Dinner, I started to enjoy playing those familiar piano pieces, mistakes included. It was a treasured time in my past; when music filled a large portion of my life. And those precious pieces that sum up my childhood now again reside in the piano bench at my grandparents's house, right where they belong; ready to be found the next time I'm up for a nostalgic visit.

Dance of Joy

It's been a long December, and a frustratingly torturous two months. But after a long winter season of foolishness, I came to this realization...

...dance anyway.

Welcome back, Dance of Joy.

After much prayer from my friends, a convicting and uplifting lecture at BSF yesterday (Monday) night, and a few conversations sharing a common theme, I was finally brought to the point where I just yearned to hear from God.

Holy Spirit, won't you help me understand? Holy Spirit, won't you say a prayer for me with your groanings?

--Jennifer Knapp, "Trinity"

I was reading 1 John 2:9-11 and realized that there was so much bitterness and hatred in my heart. I had become so blinded by my foolishness that it was clear why I had no direction. I could see nothing but my bitterness. Once I let it go, the answer seemed so simple. So easy.

And I haven't stopped smiling since.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for bringing me this far. Thank you that you are always at work--especially when I cannot see the answers to my prayers. I am encouraged by your love. May you strengthen my faith for your glory.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

--Paul, Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Dance of joy, may you never end.

Rebuilding on a Fountain of Tears

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

--Paul, Galatians 6:2

I think it's getting to the point where I can be myself again.

--Steven Page & Stephen Duffy, "Call and Answer"

Hmmm...my blog titles are getting longer and longer. I will try to remedy that next time.

I don't like crying in front of other people. And since I can't hide in public, it's a nightmare when I can't stop crying and I still have to play piano in front of a group of people that I see every Sunday morning.

Thankfully, most of the time, no one notices.

But today, I was an emotional wreck. I got up on stage and did the best I could to play the song while trying to wipe away my tears without attracting attention. However, after the song had ended, I couldn't stop crying.

Apparently, even after all my mental processing the past several weeks, I still needed to cry. Crying, I suppose, has its merits. My mind can ferret out what ails me. My mind can work out the solution to the problem. But sometimes, my heart can't catch up with my mind, and crying seems to be the only thing that helps.

I don't like crying in front of people. But I know how blessed I am to have people around me who don't mind. I am thankful for my friends who sit with me when I can't stop crying and take the time to sit with me and listen to me. And I am even more grateful for the grace they extend when all I have to offer are my tears.

Failure doesn't always mean defeat. Crying doesn't always mean I've failed.

Now that the crying has ceased, the hard work begins. I am grateful for those who walk by me to help me back up onto my feet and encourage me to try again.

Now it's time to prove that you've come back here to rebuild.

--Steven Page and Stephen Duffy, "Call and Answer"

Ebenezers In Midst of Disappointing Discouragement

Don't tell me what I can't do.

--Ben Linus** to John Locke, LOST "The Brig"

Ebenezer: a memorial, usually established to remember what God has done for a person or a group of people.

I've been thinking about the past year.

It always amazes me that only a year has gone by. I can't even recount all that has happened in a year; at times, it feel likes like that it seemed that a lifetime had passed between memories.

This time last year, I was anxious about many certain changes in the horizon. This time last year, my heart would be changed and music would reenter my life. This time last year, I had many hopes--some of which had come into fruition and others that have yet to be fulfilled.

However, in the past several weeks, I had been disappointed and discouraged. What I had hoped for seemed to be out of reach and slipping away, and I didn't know if trying mattered any longer. I refused to quit, but I wasn't engaging in the battle to continue, either.

I suppose the biggest reason why looking back means so much to me is that I was near ready to give up on certain things that I have wanted for so long. And somehow, it is in remembering how far I've come that helps me put my life in a more encouraging perspective.

Lord God, you are always at work and you have brought me this far. I pray you will forgive me for the times when I despair in my disappointment. I wait in eager expectation to see where You will take me next. When faced with doubt, may I have faith. When I am faced with despair, may I always choose hope.

Especially when people tell me that I can't.

**Ok. I know that I should give Locke the credit for the quote above, especially since this repeated phrase is mostly attributed to him. But I'm on Team Ben--would you expect anything different from me?

The Joy of Navy Issue Pea Coats and Feeling Young

It's not a secret that I absolutely adore my grandfather.

Sometime in November, my grandfather made a comment about my pea coat. I've had my coat for years, but apparently it was new to him.

Suddenly, his eyes glazed over as his mind ran through his memories of a time gone by. He reminisced about his time in the Navy, and mentioned that he had a pea coat similar to mine when he was a cadet. He noted the buttons of my coat, and with a stern face and a flicker of a smile, he said disapprovingly, "Abby, this isn't Navy issue. The buttons are wrong."

Apparently, Navy issue pea coat buttons have anchors on them.

At my cousin's New Year's Eve party, he came in with a smile on his face. I told him that I admired his new shirt. He took me by the hand and said, "I also got a new coat."

And with childlike glee, he proudly showed me his new Navy issue pea coat, perfect down to the button.

I love it when he's happy.

I celebrated with him and his new found joy. I even asked him to model his new coat. He laughed at my request, saying that I don't need a picture commemorating a coat that makes him feel like a cadet. I told him that may be true, but I do want a picture commemorating him feeling young again. Finally, he relented to a picture. And, of course, I took advantage of the rare opportunity when my grandfather would pose for a picture, and took two:

I think my grandfather would still make a very handsome cadet.

Pleasant Surprises and Great Expectations

Yes, everyone does a record of the past year and shares their hopes for the new year. This is my shameless attempt to do the same. :D

And for some reason, it is very link happy. I apologize in advance.

If I could describe my 2009, it would be that God never ceases to pleasantly surprise me.

I hope that continues in 2010.

For the most part, I had made my 2009 about a few things. (Yes, Kristin, Lost is one of them). In those things, I came across a few challenges, but for the most part, a lot of celebration and joy over how God has poured his blessings--even in midst of difficult trials. After coming out of 2008, I was unsure, and mostly anxious, over how 2009 would unfold. I am happy to report that this past year was better than I could have expected or planned.

I love the way you love me, Lord.

Like everyone else, when I look back over 2009, I am amazed at the number of things that have happened the past year. I won't share them all, but since this is a 2009 countdown, I will name a few of the notably pleasant surprises...

1. I rediscovered my love for music and my deeply rooted desire to make it a large part of my life. It started with my friend's choir concert last January, which paved the way for me to start leading worship for the 11am service for my church. I also found the beauty of other people enjoying their own love of music. To round out this return to music year, I also attended my high school choir reunion.

2. For the better part of the year, my faith and my choices on how I practice my faith has gone through some tough trials. I wrestled with my former Catholic faith, read a lot of Rob Bell, and listened to some sermons by Pastors Jon and Rob, and Mark Driscoll. But in the end, I came to realize how grateful I am for the choices I had made because in the end, it brought me closer to the God who loves me. I hope that what I had learned about grace would carry me through next year and for the rest of my life.

3. I am really grateful for my job and the organization for which I work. They provide me with so many opportunities to serve and projects that challenge me. But truly, it is the people that I work with that make all the difference. I absolutely enjoy them. You know who you are. And if you don't, I'll do better to show my deep gratitude.

4. Lost nights. Yes, I enjoy the show, but I truly love the company more. This show also helped me reconnect with my friend Kristin. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. It may be reason enough for me to appreciate Team Locke. Or not.

5. I finally went to Washington DC. I haven't had a chance to detail how it has inspired me, but I still carry the beauty of that city in my heart.

6. I was finally given permission to live the life I had always wanted. Now I'm just waiting for God to show me how that life will unfold.

7. My friends are the best.

True, I still hope for those things I had enjoyed this past year to continue and blossom in 2010. I look forward to the triumphs--and challenges (!)--I will face in music and the joys of relationships with those I love. I anticipate learning how to actually enjoy the life I'm trying to live instead of being afraid of it. I will be thankful for what I have instead of constantly wishing things were different. And I hope my days would not be characterized by my typical dark and broody but by my dance of joy.

Now, I am not foolish enough to believe that I will not experience pain next year. In fact, I expect it. But I also expect that in whatever I go through, my God is with me.

It's more than just a Christmas tradition: Emmanuel, God is with us.

Lord God, I believe you are good and sovereign over every detail of my life. And if I know anything, I know that I can wait in expectation of being pleasantly surprised by your great love.

I love the way you love me, Lord.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

--David, Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Praise the LORD...who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

--David, Psalm 103:1...5 (NIV)

Speak--and say the words no one else will ever say. Love--love like the world is over in a day. I'm gonna show you love like you never had before.

--Jars of Clay, "Show You Love"

oh...and Go Team Ben. I'm rooting for you in 2010. Sorry, Kristin, that Lost reference was for me.