I don’t need to go on about my love for music. So instead I’ll let you in on my heart songs.
For a little while now my heart and ears have been on the same wave length. Always wanting to be ready to worship my Abba. Most times my mind isn’t wanting to be in line with the two, so more recently I have been choosing to want to be in a state of worship.
My mind is a wanderer. When I’m not doing something productive, my mind sets itself to its default mode: daydreaming. Interning has made me more aware of how little time I let my mind drift to the songs of my heart.
My heart doesn’t just sing one song, my heart sings many songs. Sometimes one after another like a CD in my mind. Other times the songs play all at once. My heart sings for love and affection and my heart sings for healing. Lately, my heart has been singing for simpler times and a deeper love and passion for my life!
Lately a couple of songs have been in my heart. Both songs are by Rend Collective. If you haven’t heard of them and you love some good ol’ Jesus music then I suggest you give them a listen. Both songs have given me a desire to live my life more in the ways I want to live it. These songs give me fresh vision of what I want my life to be like. What I want my love for Jesus to feel like! I hope these songs bless you in all the ways they have blessed me and so much more. If this isn’t your cup of tea, I hope you still listen to these songs and let them inspire you!
If you follow me on twitter then you know IT IS OFFICIALLY SUMMERTIME!!!! Woo hoo!! Oh yeah!!! This is a very exciting time, and as today was my first official day of summer I did things I enjoyed and didn’t feel guilty for it (I also did productive things). But tonight is really what I’m loving about today. Tonight I crafted (am in the process of crafting) graduation cards for my friends graduating tomorrow and watched Les Miserables! Now I’ve already written about my love for Les Miserables and why I love it and you can read that here, so instead of writing about my love again I’m going to share with you my favourite songs (in no particular order) and a few videos of my favourite performances of some songs.
1) On My Own. Really this song is a young woman singing for the man she loves who clearly doesn’t love her back. I don’t really know what particularly drew me to this song. I’m not sure if it was Samantha Barks singing it, or the fact that every person has been in the position of fancying someone and having them not fancy you back. Why lie, we’ve all been there. I may also like this because it puts in to words how we feel when the person we fancy doesn’t fancy us back. No matter the reason, I love this song and I sometimes jam out to this song when I’m driving or getting dressed in the morning. I especially love when Samantha Barks sings this song!! Obviously the original is the best, but I really love the way Samantha Barks portrays Eponine and the way she delivers this song!
2) A Little Fall of Rain. I love this song almost as much as On My Own. I like this song because you see that Marius does love his friend. He may not feel the same way about her that she does, but he values her friendship and he loves her as his friend. I love it because we get to see that Marius does love Eponine, just not in the way I was hoping. I’m not gonna lie, I hoped Marius would fall in love with Eponine and they would fight in the revolution and it would be beautiful, but that’s just not how the story goes and I’ve learned that it’s okay that the story doesn’t go the way I want it to. I mostly love it though, because Marius holds Eponine as she dies so she doesn’t feel alone. She didn’t have the best life seeing as the Thenardier’s were her parents, but she had her friend and he wanted to be there for her and give her what she wanted in those moments.
3) I Dreamed A Dream. Well obviously I love this song!!! I honestly couldn’t tell you the reasons why I love this song, I just do. I just think it is such a beautiful song. In this moment a woman laments. She mourns what was and what could have been. I also just love that Susan Boyle sang this song and changed the way people viewed her and then she did great things!!
4) ABC Cafe/Red & Black. This song is a battle cry!! Maybe not really, but this is when the students realize that what they’re fighting for is legit!! They all get inspired to fight! I also really love it for this line “Who cares about your lonely soul?” Uh, this is such a burn to Marius because he walks in with his head in the clouds and his friend is like “Bro we have a revolution to plan which I think is a little more important than your feelings for the girl you just met. One thing at a time”. I just think the sassiness of the line makes me love this song. That and the fact that it’s pretty great!!
5) Do You Hear The People Sing? THIS SONG IS A BATTLE CRY!! For reals this time!! I love this because it’s awesome!!! These students and people’s of Paris are declaring that they are fighting for something and it’s real! They are angry and they are going to do something about it!! I imagine if people during any revolution were to sing a song it would be this song!! Every one is uniting because they are all angry and they want people to know that they are not going to sit back and do nothing about it; they’re going to fight!!! I just also love that at the end of the 25th Anniversary so many students and actors joined together to sing this song!! It was beautiful!!
6) One Day More. This song is just wonderful! Now, I realize the video I’m posting is not of an actual cast, but it is brilliant!!!!!!!! When I get married, I would love if my friends did this as a gift! Not gonna lie!
7) Drink With Me. I just like this song because at this point in the story they all know this could be the last time they are with one another. It could be their last night on the earth and they just want to enjoy it; remember it. I appreciate it because they understand that what they are fighting for can possibly cost them their lives. I also love that they have come to terms with the fine print of their deciding to revolt and they are going to remember what could be their last night.
8) Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. I like this song because we get to see Marius mourn his friends. I realize that may not be the most the most bright feeling, but I like that the audience gets to see that when Marius decided to fight, he knew what he was signing up for and the fact that he now has to live without his friends hurts. I think it adds another dimension to his character. I stopped seeing him as this lovesick puppy who only fought because he wouldn’t be able to see his love so he might as well and saw him as someone who chose to fight because this was a cause he believed in from its conception.
9) Bring Him Home. THIS SONG IS EPIC!!! I think this song shows how much Valjean loves his daughter. Even though he wants to protect her and he wants to keep her forever (as any father wants to keep his daughter I am guessing). Yet, he sees this young boy who loves his daughter so, and whom his daughter loves dearly. He sees that there is a man who wants to keep his daughter and protect her and he wants to save him. He wants to be sure that his daughter has someone because he knows that soon enough he won’t be there for her. Marius, is the answer to his prayers for a companion for his daughter. Also, there are three versions of this that I love, and each involves Colm Wilkinson who is the man who originated the role of Jean Valjean.
10) The Epilogue. I just love that this song captures the entirety of Valjean’s story!! I especially love love love the line “to see anther person is to see the face of God” because Valjean is learning to love and learning to accept love! It takes him a long time to understand what it is to love someone and what it means to be loved in return, but by the end of his life he has accepted love. He has given love. He has been redeemed! It’s beautiful!!
So, there you have it friends. My favourite songs from Les Miserables with an explanation, or an attempt at an explanation.
“But the night is still, and I have not yet lost my will Oh and I will keep on moving ’till, ’till I find my way home. When I need to get home, you’re my guiding light, you’re my guiding light” Foy Vance Guiding Light
I heard this song for the first time today and I find myself seriously drawn to it!! The whole song is poetic and all about a person going home with their friend as their guide. I don’t know why Foy Vance penned this tune and I’m sure I could type in a few words in to Google and find out why, but I don’t want to because I want to believe this song is God-breathed. Maybe that is a bit naive of me to believe, but it’s what I’m choosing to believe!
When I hear this song and when I think of my friend who guides me home I think of Jesus! I think of ho He is the Way the Truth and the Life. He is the air I breathe and the song I sing. He is my laughter and my joy! I’m not sure if Foy Vance had Jesus on his mind when he put pen to paper, but know God had me in mind when he wrote this song. I realize that may be a bold proclamation, but I believe in a God who knows me better than I know myself and I believe in a Saviour who knows what I need and when.
Kristene DiMarco a singer with Jesus Culture said on Twitter today “one of the greatest things about friendship with Gd is that he speaks your language, what uniquely is you because he wonderfully made you”! That made my heart leap and made me do the ‘that’s so good’ sigh because of the truth it speaks! As I’ve said so many times before, I listen to so much music! I listen to music whenever I possibly can and I listen to all sorts of music, and God has spoken to me through all sorts of music!! I think he made me a lyric person for the sole reason of him being able to speak to me through songs I fall in love with! I believe when Foy Vance put pen to paper and strummed the first few chords of this song, God had me in mind. God knew that on this day I would need this song! He knew I would need to remember my Friend! He knew because he knows me so intimately!
This song and Kristene’s words are what I needed today. I needed to be reminded of my dear Friend who knows me better than any one ever can and ever will!! God knew that today I would need to be reminded of my Friend in the midst of finals and thinking about what’s to come. Today I needed to remember the Friend who is closer than a brother (or in my case since I have no brothers, sisters) and who knows what’s to come and is telling me to chill out for a little bit and enjoy this moment because it only happens ONCE.
Tomorrow is the beginning of the last week of the semester and Tuesday is the beginning of my finals week! Which means I am in the midst of studying and organizing the next week of my life! I listen to more music. I search for new music. I try to eat real food and not the stuff that will make me feeling gross for days to come. I pray for more strength and I try to hang out with Jesus in the midst of all the craziness. I try to make time for Jesus and some times, most times, a lot of the time I don’t get good Jesus time because of what I choose to do with my spare time. I’m human and it happens. But even when I don’t get good Jesus time, He sends me the music I need, the peace I enjoy and the people and words I need at any given moment! A lot of times the people the words come from are my parents! He was also kind enough to create the coffee bean and create the man who discovered the coffee bean and coffee is such a dear friend of mine!
Finals week for any college student in any part of the world is stressful! There are grades to make and papers to write! There is also lots of sleep to lose! Some times I get the least amount of sleep possible so I can do the most amount of studying as I possibly can! One semester I got such little sleep studying for a final, that when I got on the shuttle to take me to school and saw the driver reading his Bible I cried! I can’t make that up! This final was also so early in the morning I saw the sun rise!! Luckily I get more sleep during finals week no, but still sleep is a blessing! Thank Jesus when it’s restful!! I almost like falling asleep during finals week more than any other part of the semester because sleep during finals week is way more restful and peaceful!! I could be making that up, but it feels that way!!
Even though this next week is going to be pretty stressful and full of sleepless nights I’m just grateful to be at the end of the semester! I honestly didn’t think it would come at some points! But now that I’m almost at the end I’m just grateful I got here in one piece! There were no breakdowns (thank goodness!) and there were no moments when I was absolutely over it! This whole semester has jut been a blessing in disguise! God has been so faithful to me. He has been so good in blessing me and in dishing out what I need. He has gotten me to the point where I can finally taste the end of my undergraduate career and it tastes so sweet! I’m sure when I get to the end it will taste a little bittersweet, but for now the taste in my mouth is sweet like honey!
These past two days have been filled with Once, which I do not mind at all!! I only saw the movie once (haha I made a funny!!) but I’ve listened to the Broadway music for ages!! So of course when I learned that the musical was going to be in Tempe I asked for tickets for Christmas and my parents so lovingly got them for me so today my best friend and I made our way to Tempe and watched the Broadway show today. I have to say it was one of the most magical performances I have seen in so long!!! I loved every minute! I appreciate so much that the cast plays their own instruments and that the show is about music!! I am a big fan of musicals and I enjoy listening to new musicals and seeing live productions so watching Once filled me with joy! I love the story and I love that the music is such a main part of the story! It isn’t just an additive, but it fuels the story!! If you’re a fan of music and musicals I suggest you listen to this and I suggest you listen to the Broadway soundtrack because it is magical!!!
I also love that I got to experience this wonderful show with such a dear friend! It was so fun to drive and talk about life and the future then to watch such a beautiful show with her!! Especially since soon enough she’ll be graduating and going on her own super exciting adventure, so I greatly appreciate the moments we spend together!
It’s officially May, which means I get to share with you a few of my favourites from the past month! Woo hoo!!!! Even though it’s been a pretty busy month for me school wise, there are definitely a lot of things about this month that stand out as favourites of mine!
Thinking about the past month and the hectic-ness of it all, I realize one of my absolute favourite things about this month were the moments I actually spent with God! I was telling a friend tonight that some times I get so wrapped up in the moment and so wrapped up in what I have to get done that I don’t spend time with My Jesus! Then I remembered the moments I did and how peaceful and right it all felt! How in those few moments, no time was wasted. It was like hanging out with a dear friend, catching up and chit-chatting away. Moments when I was at peace and felt great joy. I also realized when I did get these moments with Jesus, time seemed to expand, even for just a little bit and I got so much more work done!! But more than anything, God showed me a lot of favour in every area of my life, and for that I am forever grateful!!
Another one of my favourites of the month is Gilmore Girls!! I am re-watching it which you can read all about here, and I have so enjoyed reliving moments of the gals Gilmore. I laugh like I haven’t seen the show before, and I get a smidge annoyed because I know what’s going to happen later on in the series. I’ve also been re-watching parts with one of my roommates which has been really fun, especially since we don’t see each other nearly as often as we used to because we’ve both been so busy! I also just appreciate that television shows used to not be so dramatic (Gilmore Girls can be dramatic, but mostly because I can be a dramatic person at times and yell at the television like they can hear me and my yelling will change something in the show, which by the way it won’t). I appreciate the way characters develop from Jess Mariano to Miss Rory Gilmore. I also really appreciate that by watching the show (and any other show/movie/book I read) I learn so much about the way I view things in life, which has then helped me in the ethics class I am taking this semester.
I have also been listening to a lot of new music this past month! I’ve been listening to a lot of Sam Smith recently, but the album that has really caught hold of my heart is You Make Me Brave by Bethel Music. This album has spoken to so many parts of my heart and so many parts of my life! It is so full of love and so full of bravery!! This is one of those albums, where you just know and feel God in every song!! The heart behind the album is stunning and the heart behind every note is beautiful! I am a big fan of music and I am a huge fan of the kind that speaks directly to the heart places and this does that! I am a believer that music of any sort can speak to the heart places, so when I find a song or album that speaks to the heart places I just have to share. I read The Fault In Our Stars recently and John Green says, or rather Hazel Grace says “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book”. This quote basically sums up how I feel about certain books and albums, this album being one of them!
This month, like every other month, I also enjoyed especially the time with my friends and family! So many of my friends are going to be going on amazing new adventures soon, and so much of my family is moving away so the time I have gotten to spend with them this past month has been amazing! Whether we were sitting around talking or eating, every moment with my friends or family has been wonderful! I don’t get to see them as often as I would hope, but seeing them is all that matters because every moment is special when surrounded by loved ones!
I also grew to appreciate my love for books this month. Even though I finished this book after April, I started it in April so I get to count it in my April favourites :). I always enjoy Sarah Dessen books, and this one is no different but I think the reason I like this book as much as I do is because it’s basically about a young woman who is trying to find herself. We’re all trying to figure out who we are, or at least I know that at 21 years of age I am still learning who I am as a human being so I really related to this book. As I get older I realize more that life is about finding who you are as a person. Not every one knows what they believe and why when they are young, but the older we get the more we understand our beliefs and the better our footing gets. I feel like I’m going to be in a constant state of self-discovery and I am perfectly fine with that because if I didn’t change and I didn’t grow I would be a flat person; I would be stagnant. But the idea that I mature and I grow in to the woman I am meant to be means I am like my favourite characters in my favourite books; I grow and I change just as I am meant to.
April was good to me. It was nice and it was as pleasant as can be, and though at times I wish I did some things in life differently I know my life is good. I am blessed and I am well loved! I hope April was good to you too and I hope May is wonderful! I would love to hear what a few of your favourite things about April were! Share with me what your favourite books of the month are or what television show you are glad you watched! I really would love to hear all about it! 🙂
I have been listening to the new Bethel album for the past couple of days and I love it! Each song speaks to different parts of my heart! The song that really does it for me is A Little Longer! Again, Jenn Johnson if you every stumble upon this I would like you to know that this song does it for me and puts things in to perspective!
The whole song is a cry, a pea asking Jesus what He would like. What He is asking of us. What would be enough to say Thank You for all He has done! Then realizing nothing could be enough to thank the Saviour of my soul and the world! Then the song changes mood and Jesus says “You don’t have to do a thing, just simply be with me and let those things go ’cause they can wait another minute. Wait, this moment is too sweet would you please stay here with Me and love on Me a little longer”. I mean bazinga!! The song is very Mary and Martha when Jesus visits their home and Mary is busy doing all these things while Martha is sitting at Jesus feet, because JESUS IS IN THEIR HOME, and listens to what Jesus has to say. Then when Mary urges Jesus to tell Martha to help do things Jesus says Martha’s choice to sit with Him is a good choice.
I am very Mary-esque. I am always doing something or I am going to do something or I am too tired or any number of reasons and I don’t give Jesus the time He wants. I forget that Jesus wants to be pursued and that He had to have His alone time with His Father so he could know the Fathers heart! Jesus just wants us to know His heart, to sit with Him and hang out for a bit. That’s all. Not too much to ask, but some times, in the midst of life it seems like a lot to ask. I’m not gonna lie, there are times when I let things take priority over my time with Jesus. I want to change that. In my life I want to become more like Martha. I want to sit at the feet of the One I love and get to know Him! I want to feel His love in quiet moments. After all, life is going to be there after my Jesus time, it just needs to wait a little longer.
“Who is He that makes me happy Who is He that gives me peace Who is He that brings me comfort And turns the bitter into sweet Who is stirring up my passion Who is rising up in me Who is filling up my hunger, with everything I need”. Like I said, I have really been feeling this song and this part of the song is still speaking to me on so many levels!!! Today the bit that is really speaking to me is the part about passion!
Like I said yesterday, most times when God gives me a passion for something I get scared and I try to run away from what he wants for me. I don’t want it to be like that any more! I have decided I want to follow God in to any adventures and in to any situations he has given me a passion for. Even if I am terrified!!! Especially when I am terrified! I am going to learn to trust that he has my back and he isn’t going to leave me hanging when things don’t work out the way I think they should! I am going to lay aside my pride and go for it!! Especially since pride is what holds me back from so many things! I admit that my pride, my fear of looking like a goof and my fear of what people will say about me holds me back from doing so many things. But God has given me a passion for so many things in this life and I want to live my life as fully and as dedicated to him and his desires for me. Even if nothing works out the way I think it should, at least I can say I followed where God was leading me. I can say God gave me the courage and the strength to do something I was terrified of. I will be able to say I followed where God led me and that’s all that matters. If on the other hand it works out better than I could have imagined, I’ll know it was only because God gave me a passion! I’ll know it’s because God gave me the strength and the courage to go for it, because if it was up to me I would never leave my house or talk to people. Honestly. I love my life and I love the God I choose to serve on the daily, and I want more of what he wants for me. I want more of the things he wants for me. I want to grow in to more of the woman he is calling me to be. I know it won’t be easy, it’s never been easy, but it has always been worth it. It has always been worth it to follow Christ.
So I declare, right here and right now, no matter how scared I am to follow where God is leading me. No matter how scared I am of what people will say or what will happen. I am going to follow the passions God has placed on my heart.
Today was a sleepy and sneezy day! My allergies are acting up a bit, and it doesn’t help that I get very little sleep at night. Since it was a sleepy day I decided to treat myself to a nice Soy Chi Tea Latte from Starbucks. Mmmmm. I also have been listening/loving this song I listened to while doing work at school today.
It’s a gem! A true pearl! There aren’t really enough words to describe the beauty and wonder of this song. I would say that listening to this song reminds me of things I speak over my life and the way God constantly stirs in me passions for life and different parts of my life. I some times ignore the way God is tugging my heart, or I hid from them. I hide from what I feel him calling me to or what he is asking me to do. Or plainly what he’s asking of me, because some times it’s scary and even though I love the Lord and I desire to serve Him, I’m human and my humanness stops me. Then it gets to the point where I can’t fight what God is asking of me, what he’s asking me to do and set aside for him and I ask for grace and strength to step up. I ask for courage to go forth and do what he is asking. I trust him the same way a little kid trusts their parents when they are learning to walk. When a kid learns how to walk they trust their mom or dad is going to be there to pick them up when they fall. When God asks me to do something and he fills me with all the courage and strength I need to go, I am like a little kid learning how to walk for the first time trusting that their mom or dad is going to be there to pick them up when they fall. I have learned to trust God through so many situations and in so many areas of my life and I know when I fall my Father is going to be there to pick me up the way he has before.
“Who is He that makes me happy Who is He that gives me peace Who is He that brings me comfort And turns the bitter into sweet Who is stirring up my passion Who is rising up in me Who is filling up my hunger, with everything I need”. Sometimes I wonder who is this God I have chosen to serve. Who is this God who has given me peace and comfort so many times throughout my life. Who has always picked me up when I have fallen. Who dusts me off, gives me a nice squeeze then sends me off. This God who chose to love me. I may never know the extent of who God is, but I hope that in this life my hunger and desire to know him grows and that I will know him as the most important Being in my life.
These past three days have been exhausting! Truly exhausting! I have been working on a 15 page paper due in a week so I can move on to a 5 page paper, also do in a week, then write an 800 word op-ed piece, again also due in a week! So between the few hours of sleep I get and the copious amounts of caffeine I drink to stay awake and functioning, I crash hard when I crash! Two nights ago I went to bed at 2:30 in the a.m so last night when I get home from hanging out with some people around 10:30 my body and mind were so ready for lots of rest, which I got thank goodness!!
During these times I pray for lots and lots of strength and I listen to lots and lots of music! I am a big advocate of music and I’ll listen to just about anything. But when school is super intense or life gets to be too much to handle I like to put myself in a constant state of prayers. I try to always be in a constant state of prayer, but when things get to be a bit much for me and I truly need guidance and peace on a minute to minute basis, my need for constant companionship with God increases and I make more of an effort to be in a state of surrender and openness to him. These past few weeks of trying to write my paper and then grading papers (I have a job as a grader for an old professor) and also doing the rest of my school work has been stressful!! So, to put my mind at ease I listen to music and drink coffee (or some other caffeinated beverage). Yesterday my choice in music ranged from Ed Sheeran to Twenty One Pilots (who I recently discovered because of a friend of mine) and today I’m listening to a lot of Bethel. One of the songs I’ve been listening to a lot by Bethel is this gem of a song called You Make Me Brave.
When I listen to it I think of how brave the Lord makes me. I’m not the bravest person, so when I do something that involves courage I know it was the Lord giving me courage; making me brave. My favourite part of this song goes like this “As Your love, in wave after wave Crashes over me, crashes over me For You are for us, You are not against us Champion of Heaven, You made a way for all to enter in”. I just love the fact that Jesus is my Champion! He fought for me and He made a way for every one to enter heaven and his peace has washed over me wave after wave through these stressful weeks of paper writing! Jesus is for me and He is my Champion, my Peace and my Joy in the happiest of times and in the most stressful of times!
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