Love. Embrace. Live.

To love God is to love people.
Spend some extra time with your family and friends this holiday season.
If you play games, or sing carols, do so in exuberance.
If you cook for your family add a little extra butter or pork fat.
Hug a little longer.........linger, don't be restless.
Enjoy it while you can.

To embrace beauty is to see everything the way that God sees it.
Beauty is truly the measure of a soul.
To see beauty is to be beauty.
A beautiful person is one who loves well.
A beautiful person is one who is well loved.
Beauty can never be reduced to a thing or an it.
True Beauty is derived from The One who was beauty incarnate.

To live life to the full is to never go half-way.
Even anger, rage, and sorrow are necessary once in a while.
For it is in those times that we truly experience the grace and goodness of God.
Living a full life is life without excuses and regrets.
There's always a better option.....so prayerfully consider your steps.
But, if you find yourself down the wrong path, don't let pride get in your way.........
Run, no sprint, back to the place where you belong.

"So this is my prayer:

that your love will flourish and that

you will not only love much but well.

Learn to love appropriately.

You need to use your head and test your feelings

so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush.

Live a lover's life, circumspect and expemplary,

a life Jesus will be proud of:

bountiful in fruits from the soul,

making Jeus Christ attractive to all,

getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 1 (The Message)

baptism

there is a bottom to my grief

i've been there many times

where the only thing i can do

is look up and see the light

i'm not a porcelain china doll

with a smile plastered to my face

i have experienced enough sorrow

to realize the miracle of grace

the rhythmic ache of my guilt

reminds me of what i am not

not worthy, not happy, not finished

not taking note of what i've got

yet the hope that belies all reason

is the thing to which i hold

not because it's what i'm supposed to feel

nor because it's what i've been told

but rather it's the cause of years

of prayers, and protestations too

of questions unanswered and lives unfinished

the mysteries of life to push through

so, finally, i bid farewell

to the old me and the old you

to all the excuses and secondhand curses

only to be made anew.

Because of You I am made anew.

~mse

By the way....

Howdy-ho neighbors, it's me again!
I meant to say something about some of the new features of the site.
Bravenet has some pretty cool stuff that you can play with....

If you have been to the site and don't mind telling me about yourself (but don't want to post), please sign in on the guestbook. I added it really just to see where everyone is from.

The second thing is that I have added and subtracted some links from the last life of the Blog....if you are a Blogger and you would like me to add you to my Friends Blogs section.....just holla and I will. I have a lot of friends that are doing this now and I don't want to leave anybody out.

Lastly, I have included a photo album on the right that you can check out pics of my family and friends and other fun stuff. (NOTE: If you are shown in any of the pics and would rather not be......please tell me. It's no big deal, I have no problem taking pics off......okay?)

This has become something that I hold very dear.....
it's not just a journal, and sometimes I will post stuff that sounds like I am trying to be smarter than I am.......
I am not trying to do this to impress anybody necessarily, but I do want to become a better writer.....so I covet your feedback.

Blessings.....

It's late......

hello friends.......
it's another late night.
I haven't been to bed before 2am in a very long time.
I don't know what my deal is.
Actually tonight I do.......

Kristin and I went to see one of our favorite bands tonight at the Marquee Theater in Tempe.





Nickel Creek was amazing as usual.....this is the third time for us to see them.
Oddly enough.....it was also the third state that we've seen them in.
The first time was in San Juan Capistrano in Southern California....kind of their home turf (Sara and Sean Watkins are from Carlsbad, CA).
The second time was at Stubb's in Austin.....great Barbecue! If you ever get the chance to go there to see anyone play, do it!
So this third time was here in Phoenix......man, we've moved alot!

Anyway the show was amazing!
The opening act was this guy named Andrew Bird. I had never heard him before but he was flippin' fantastic!!
I realize that I use exclamation points a lot!
Should I stop?
Does it water down the intensity of my excitement if I use it too much?! (okay.....that one was superfluous)

So I had never heard him before and he was really goooooood. It was just him and a drummer. He would play the violin/guitar/glockenspiel and he would whistle (amazing whistler!). He would loop and layer the instruments like Dave does in some of the band's songs like the beginning of Rescue is Coming. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Dave.....I don't know if you read this, but you need to check this guy out. You actually probably already know of him.....but if you don't I think you would love him!

I have to admit with some shame that one of my favorite parts of the evening is when NC covered Toxic.
Yeah.....that Toxic.
They toasted Britney after they finished the song....it was hilarious.
Kristin and I commented on the ride home that they are in some serious need of good music on their bus if all they have is Toxic by Britney Spears......we should send them a copy of A Collision.
I think that they would really like it......really.

Totally off topic now......and it's late.....must sleep