Somebody Loved // The Weepies

Rain turns the sand into mud.
Wind turns the trees into bone.
Stars turning high up above.
You turn me into somebody loved.

Nights when the heat had gone out,
We danced together alone.
Cold turned our breath into clouds.
We never said what we were dreaming of,
But you turned me into somebody loved.

Someday when we're old and worn,
Like two softened shoes,
I will wonder on how I was born
The night I first ran away from you.

Now my feet turn the corner back home.
Sun turns the evening to rose.
Stars turning high up above.
You turn me into somebody loved.

First-Born

This is my future first-born.

With Independence Comes Great Responsibility

“With great power comes great responsibility.” Thank yoooou, Spiderman.

As much as I’d like to brush off Uncle Ben’s momentous movie quote, I can’t really deny that it’s a small but bloody brilliant tidbit of truth.
And I need to stop shoving that tidbit down everyone else’s throat.

This summer, I’ve fallen into the category of being truly independent. Independence is a strange sort of power. And with it comes a plethora of responsibilities. Well I promised myself I’d accomplish lots of things this summer. I also promised myself I wouldn’t fail at any single one of them. I convinced myself I could be that invincible. Buuuuut, I’m human. I’m a sinner. That isn’t an excuse—I suppose it’s just life. It’s who I am. However, instead of accepting the fact that I’m broken, I try to cover that up and tell God yet another time that I am, in fact, able to accomplish things without him. That I don’t need him. Well, I do. Waaaaay more than I will probably ever be able to admit. Or even realize.

“Okay God, here I am. Help me acknowledge my weaknesses. I’m so awful at trusting you. Thank you for grace, and for your impeccable timing in bringing me to my knees. Thank you for humbling me daily. Help me to find my weaknesses and help me to realize that you have a purpose for me still. Help me to grow even in those weaknesses. Help me to see your power in my life. Help me to listen to you. And most importantly, help me to be more obedient and less stubborn. Help me to see your grace and help me to honor, glorify, serve, and imitate you every day. Every single moment.”

I just shared the following verse with someone else. And it made me realize how quick I am to prescribe verses. Like the Bible is medicine (of course, in some ways I suppose the two are somewhat comparable). Except I haven’t even taken it in myself.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Sometimes, (actually, quite often) I have to fall flat on my face in order to realize what’s right in front of me. I need that moment where I’m picking myself up off the ground. I need that misery. I need that pain. I need that humiliation. I need it to see where I am and what I’ve done. I need it, so that when I lift up my eyes, I’m finally looking straight ahead. I’m finally looking where God wanted my focus the whole time. I need that moment, to gaze in the eyes of Christ. To see his grace and love in my moment of defeat, transformed into a blessed moment of significant growth.
Our God is a patient and gracious God.

He has given me strength. Even strength in my weaknesses. I have this strength. To be courageous, confident, and unwavering. I rest upon a solid foundation. God holds my heart and feet steady. He has made me immovable, but given me faith to move mountains.

I have a lot of independence this summer. And with that, a lot of responsibility. Particularly to myself.

It’s a very important part of growing up. And it’ll be a summer chock-full of challenges. But I have a God who is faithful, who is gracious, and who is loving. Loving enough to grow me even in my obstinance. And who holds me, and shows me overwhelming His love and grace, even when I’ve fallen flat on my face.
I have a Father whose power is made perfect in my weakness. And I am humbled and grateful that I can still glorify him in all my imperfections.
I am so small. But even still, He gives my life significance.

Fear

“Why be afraid? 

You lose so much in fear.

If you love it, chase after it.

There is no fear in love.”

Some Songs For June

1. Girl Inform Me // The Shins
2. Fitz & Dizzyspells // Andrew Bird
3. There Goes The Fear // Doves
4. Sweet & Low (Acoustic) // Augustana
5. The Dress Looks Nice On You // Sufjan Stevens
6. The Heart Of Life // John Mayer
7. Never Finish // Leigh Nash
8. Easy To Please // Coldplay
9. Shoot The Moon // Norah Jones
10. Mykonos // Fleet Foxes
11. There She Goes // The La's
12. Learning How To Die // Jon Foreman
13. You're Still The One // Shaniz Twain
14. The Fox // Nickel Creek
15. Jolene // The Weepies
16. Sweet Disposition // The Temper Trap
17. You're Beautiful // Phil Wickham
18. Lyin' Eyes // The Eagles
19. April, Come She Will // Simon & Garfunkel
20. Us // Regina Spektor
21. Swallowed In The Sea // Coldplay
22. Citywide Rodeo // The Weepies
23. Time To Pretend // MGMT
24. Hey Now // Augustana
25. Landslide // Fleetwood Mac
26. Won't Stop // One Republic
27. Blood Bank // Bon Iver
28. Nothing I've Ever Known // Bryan Adams
29. Amie // Damien Rice
30. Stop This Train // John Mayer
31. Haikuesque (When She Laughs) // Bibio
32. Such Great Heights // The Postal Service
33. New Slang // The Shins
34. This Road // Jars of Clay
35. Lullaby // One Republic
36. Yet // Switchfoot
37. Pilgrim // Enya
38. Lion's Mane // Iron & Wine
39. The Funeral // Band of Horses
40. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? // She & Him
41. Percussion Gun // White Rabbits
42. Eyes // Rogue Waves
43. After The Storm // Mumford & Sons
44. See You Soon // Coldplay

Honeypots and Thoughtful Spots

I’ve been sitting in my thoughtful spot today. No honeypot. Just me and my thoughts. Think, think.

And I don’t really have much to say. It’s been one of those days when my mind has already gotten a head start and is miles down the road before my mouth has a chance to hop in the car and gun it to catch up. Words are in last place in this race between the mind and the tongue.

They’re taking their time. But they’ll make a comeback when they’re good and ready.

And when I’m ready, I’ll write.

Eternal Reverie

Morning stopped,
To listen to the mighty whisper
Of the heron's unfolding wings.
It stopped for the oaks,
Their arms outstretched
Against a rosy and roused canvas.

The sanguine sky with his timid demeanor sat,
Rubbing his slumber-glazed eyes.
And the morning stopped to admire him,
Rendering his cheeks an emblazoned red.
Morning stopped for the barefoot hills,
Scampering with pleasure towards the horizon.

It stopped for the callow ground,
Set like a dream amidst a lazy tier of fog,
And embellished with altogether flawless beads of dew.
Morning stopped to compose itself,
Beaming with the youthfulness of daylight.

It is a mystery.
Morning stopped,
But aroused an eternal reverie.

Let Me Never Forget The Delight of Reading

Listening to: "The Heart of Life" (John Mayer)

I started thinking about books today. Well, actually I've been thinking about them all week long.
Moreso I guess about how much I miss them, and what a big hole my life has when I'm not immersed in one.

I wish I were as crazy book-obsessed as I was when I was a kid. I was a voracious reader. My parents didn't let us watch television until we learned how to read. And before then, I would grab books and stand in front of my grandmother with my back to her until she picked me up to read to me. (Even as a three-year-old, I'm sure that was not the most charming thing I could have done.) So I'm not real sure what happened. But I don't like it. I miss the worlds I used to get lost in daily. I don't even intentionally find time to read anymore.

It's more than pathetic. It's tragic.

Books are incredible. I'm missing out on a heck of a lot. I'm missing out on worlds that I've never even discovered. It's a blessing I suppose, that I have worlds to remember. They're what's motivating me to pursue books again. Let me never forget the delight of reading. Libraries are exhilarating. They are portals to a neverland where the imagination is set free and where the mind may go wherever it pleases. Books are vast worlds, that are ours to envision and hold dear. And words. Words are extraordinary. They are glorious. And words are unforgettable. They resonate. And endure like memories.

So, this summer, I have a simple goal. Just, read.

Ten Books I Plan On Devouring This Year:
"Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy
"Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis
"The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis
"The Stranger" by Albert Camus
"The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
"Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
"Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler
"Walden" by Henry David Thoreau
"The Death of Ivan Ilych" by Leo Tolstoy

And many more...
Comment with your five favorite books, books you plan to read, or just book suggestions:

Today...

Originally uploaded by Tommy Petroni

This is what I miss.