Laughing at Troubles

Proverbs 17:22 - A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Proverbs 31:25 - She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will fond rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

Dear God, teach me how to laugh at my troubles, to find joy in the midst of them. Help me to never lose the joy You give me even when troubles do exist. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James (YouTube)

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

Come to me, all who are weary

And take my yoke upon you

Come to me, all who are weary

My burden is easy and light 

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Come to Me by Jamie-Grace (YouTube)

I had a dream I was standin' on the shore

Two feet planted in the sand

Soakin' up Your glory yeah

Saw You walkin' from a distance

Without a hint of resistance 

Had Your arms open

And a warmth in Your eyes

You took my hand and You whispered

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden now

I woke up to the weight of the world

Right back into reality

And all that's goin' wrong

Cuz in the midst of this chaotic life

I try to find peace of mind

But You've been there all along

And even now I hear You whisper

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

I feel the weight, I feel the weight is slowly liftin'

As you close the distance

And I know, it's gonna be okay when I hear you say

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

Oo I'm gonna carry your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden now

The weight is lifted now

One of My Days

I Thessalonians 5:18 - ...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

I Peter 5:6-7 - Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Dear God, oh boy, I certainly have had plenty of those "one of THOSE days!" And apparently I am about to go into one of those days today. My fidget spiral wrist key ring just gave the final snap. Now I have to get a new one that I might not the color of as well, but here is where I can give You the worry and let You flip the script and turn it all around: they do not cost too much to replace and are abundantly available if you know where to find them. But God, I am still struggling with one of the worst of those days. The one that shattered my heart and crushed my spirit. Lead me through the letter. Lead me through the chart that evidences that I did learn something from all that peace-making stuff they themselves failed to practice and adhere to. Oh, and God, seriously, help us find the stinking mouse, rat, squirrel, or kangaroo that is scratching through my walls again even just this morning! He/she/it has been driving me crazy for the past three or four months now! Somehow it got into the walls after finding itself an entry either through the attic or somewhere behind the kitchen dishwasher that we never use and under the cabinetry. Things are getting very frustrating with that too. Either the poison that was suggested for us to use isn't doing any good (they said it would kill them without making them stink) or they are not attracted to it in the first place because it is the wrong kind of creature. Oh, and God, showing my sense of humor again, but all appointments before 10 in the morning should be banned by law. My brain is not functioning until then anyway. Also, God, I have a thank You from yesterday. The shoulder was not dislocated, though now I am suspicious of the elbow, but the doctor said it was somehow just pulled muscles and has prescribed physical therapy (cough cough torture). I was sad that I had to reschedule the occupational therapy though because of not knowing exactly how the shot was going to impact me. But it was a good thing since the shot made my heartbeat irregularly which led to a nasty high blood pressure as opposed to my normally low blood pressure. I have been quite asthmatic this week as well. And some people do not understand how much impact asthma can have on someone unless they have ever experienced it themselves. God, one last thing, our "representatives" are not working for us anymore. Based on Matthew 25:31-46, I do feel that I cannot vote for any republican this year that runs against the Affordable Care Act, as even the nuns have said, that with the exception of the fact that they apparently do not believe on birth control, would be unbiblical to repeal and the nuns have also said the Paul Ryan budget is unChristianlike (it was full of hate for the least of these and even went as far as to strip away veteran's healthcare). Please open the minds and the eyes of the people going into elections this year so that Christians, in particular, will make the wisest decisions based on Matthew 25:31-46. Look, I do not wish to live in a society full of goats! And I am actually starting to feel flattered by the derogatory use of the word "sheeple!. I would rather be a sheep than be a goat! It means I am doing what is right for the least of these, which is good since I am one of the least of these! Even the new pope is exemplifying what Jesus did and has even praised Obama for his efforts as well. But see, God, here is where the politicians have also failed other than wasting tax dollars trying to repeal the ACA more than fifty times (someone take the dead horse away from them already), they want to cut social safety nets while at the same time deny an increase in minimum wage (which was established to be a living wage). Some people have accused those making minimum wage of being uneducated (many of them have college degrees and lots of them work in government sector jobs and yes, shocker, fast food (McDonald's has toyed with requiring college degrees to work here)) or worse, called them lazy and unskilled. Excuse me God, but I will say based on firsthand experience I out up with more and developed more skills as a result of fast food than any of the positions I held longer. But fast food is not an appropriate job for me anymore because of my disabilities. That doesn't make me lazy. It just means I have learned what kind of jobs are not appropriate and I haven't found an appropriate one yet. But doors are opening.... Anyway, that is lot. Thank You God for turning one if those days into whatever You have in mind and even using them for good, even if I have not seen it yet. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Hold Me by Jamie-Grace with TobyMac (YouTube)

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You, the way. You

I've had a long day, I just wanna relax

Don't have time for my friends, no time for chit chat

Problems at my job, wonderin' what to do

I know I should be working but I'm thinking of You

Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down

That's when Your smile comes around

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way You hold me, in Your arms I'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love You more than he words in my brain can express

I can't imagine even loving You less

Lord, I love the way. You hold me

Whoa, oh I love the way You hold me

Whoa, oh

Well ya, took my day and You flipped it around

Calmed the tidal wave and put my feet on the ground

Forever in my heart, always on my mind

It's crazy how I think about You all of the time

And just when I think I'm 'bout to figure You out

You make me wanna scream and shout

I love the way You hold me, by my side You'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way You hold me, in Your arms I'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love You more than the words in my brain can express

I can't imagine even loving You less

Lord, I love the way You hold me

Whoa, oh, I love the way You hold me

Whoa, oh

I'm so grateful and thankful for all You've done

Wish I could tell You in a short story or poem

But all I have is my voice and this guitar

And You have my heart

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way You hold me, in Your arms I'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way You hold me, by my side You'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way You hold me, in Your arms I'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love You more than the words in my brain can express

I can't imagine even loving you less

Lord, I love the way You hold me

Whoa, oh, I love the way You hold me

Whoa, oh

Oh, I love

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way You hold me, hold me, hold me

Let It Go by Idina Menzel (YouTube)

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight

Not a footprint to be seen

A kingdom of isolation,

And it looks I'm the queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside

Couldn't keep it, heaven knows I tried

Don't let them in, don't let them set

Be the good girl you always have to be

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know

Well, now they know

Let it go, let it go

Can't hold it back anymore

Let it go, let it go

Turn away and slam the door

I don't care 

What they're going to say

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway

It's funny how some distanev

Makes everything seem small

And the fears that once controlled me

Can't get to me at all

It's time to see what I can do

To test the limits and break through

No right, no wrong, no rules for me

I'm free

Let it go, let it go

I am one with the wind and sky

Let it go, let it go

You'll never see me cry

Here I stand

And here I'll stay

Let the storm rage on

My power flurries through the air into the ground

My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around

And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast

I'm never going back,

The past is in the past

Let it go, let it go

And I'll rise like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go

That perfect girl is gone

Here I stand

In the light of day

Let the storm rage on,

The cold never bothered me anyway

I Am Always

Psalm 37:3-4 - Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Hebrews 7:25 - Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Dear God, I do not understand everything that has happened except that what Tom did and the way he did it was wrong and that he is acting AGAINST the scripture when it comes to conflict resolution. He hardened his and lied about what happened. Please open his heart and move him into biblical conflict resolution with me. And please keep holding me. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Hold Me by Jamie-Grace with TobyMac (YouTube)

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you

I've had a long day, I just wanna relax

Don't have time for my friends, no time for chit chat

Problems at my job, wonderin' what to do

I know I should be working but I'm thinking of you and

Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down

That's when your smile comes around

Oh, I love the way you hold me, by my side you'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way you hold me, in your arms I'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love you more than the words in my brain can express

I can't imagine loving you less

Lord, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh

Well ya, took my day and you flipped it around

Calmed the tidal wave and put my feet on the ground

Forever in my heart, always on. My mind

It's crazy how I think about you all of the time

And just when I think I'm 'bout to figure you out

You make me wanna sing and shout

I love the way you hold me, by my side you'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way you hold me, by my side you'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love more than the words in my brain can express

I can't imagine even loving you less

Lord, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh

I'm so grateful and thankful for all you've done

Wish I could tell you in a short story or poem

But all I have is my voice and this guitar

And you have my heart

Oh, I love the way you hold me, by my side you'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love the way you hold me, by my side you'll always be

You take each and every day, make it special in some way

I love you more than the words in my brain can express

I can't imagine even loving you less

Lord, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh, I love the way you hold me

Whoa, oh

Oh, I love

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me, hold me, hold me

Rest

Matthew 11:28-29 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 

I Timothy 2:8 - I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling....

Dear God, Oh howdy! How right You are that when others around me are doing all kinds of wrong, like Tom did, while I am trying to do the right thing or even help them to do the right thing, that it can lead to being weary! God, please help that presbytery to know how to step up and intervene. Okay? Thank. You God. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Come to Me by Jamie-Grace (YouTube)

I had a dream I was standing on the shore

Two feet planted in the sand

Soakin' up Your glory yeah

Saw you walkin' from a distance

Without a hint of resistance

You had Your arms open

And a warmth in Your eyes

You took my hand and You whispered

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

I'll give you rest from your burden now

I woke up to the weight of the world 

Right back into reality

And all that's goin' wrong

'Cause in the midst of this chaotic life

I try to find peace of mind

But You've been there all along

And even now I hear You whisper

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

I'll give you rest from your burden

I feel the weight, I feel the weight is slowly liftin'

As you close the distance

And I know it's gonna be okay when I hear You say

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

Oo I'm gonna carry your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurtin'

I'll give you rest from your burden now

The weight is lifted now

Don't Rehearse Your Problems

Joshua 1:5-7 - No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Matthew 11:28-30 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Dear God, It is hard to not end up running through things that have happened when you are one of those people who is determined to not have repeats and yet you cannot determine what went wrong to start with. Maybe if that is the case, then maybe I should trust that the reality is not that the problem is on my end on the end of the other person after all? Which would make more sense because the reality is that I did do everything I could to resolve things with Tom, but he refused. Although his refusing to resolve things is wrong in light of scripture directing us to aim for restoration and seek peace with one another as is their refusing to handle things appropriately in accordance with scripture, and reflecting on things further, their excuse was the fact that I have autism (Tom kept saying I was using it as an excuse when the reality turns out that he was the one using it as an excuse and they were using it as an excuse to exclude me, when I use the autism, it is in regards to explanation now that I have better understanding of why I do certain things the way I do them). Well, it is still wrong what they all did. But God, it really is hard to not relive the problems because there was NO closure, things were not handled well, there was a sudden shift from a loving and gracious Tom who genuinely cared about me to a hateful and abusive and bullying Tom. And it has left me in utter confusion. And fear over what will happen next. Please God, give me courage and rest. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

We Won't Be Shaken by Building 429 (YouTube)

This world has nothing for me

This life is not my own

I know You go before me and I am not alone

This mountain rises higher

The way seems so unclear

But I know that You go with me so I will never fear

I will trust in You

Whatever will come our way

Through fire or pouring rain

We won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

Whatever tomorrow brings

Together we'll rise and sing

That we won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

No we won't be shaken

You know my every longing

You've heard my every prayer

You've held me in my weakness 

Cause You are always there

So I'll stand in full surrender

It's Your way and not my own

My mind is set on nothing less

Than You and You alone

I will not be moved oh

Whatever will come our way

Through fire or pouring rain

We won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

Whatever tomorrow brings

Together we'll rise and sing

That we won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

We will trust in You

We will not be moved 

We will trust in You

And we won't be shaken

(x3)

No we won't be shaken

Whatever will come our way

Through fire and pouring rain

We won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

Whatever tomorrow brings

Together we'll rise and sing

That we won't be shaken

No we won't be shaken

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

No we won't be shaken

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

Oh oh oh

No we won't be shaken

Courageous by Casting Crowns (YouTube)

We were made to be courageous

We were made to lead the way

We could be the generation

That finally breaks the chains

We were made to be courageous

We were made to be courageous 

We were warriors on the front lines

Standing, unafraid

But now we're watchers on the sidelines

While our families slip away

Where are you, men of courage?

You were made for so much more

Let the pounding of our hearts cry

We will serve the Lord

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

This is our resolution

Our answer to the call

We will love our wives and children

We refuse to let them fall

We will reignite the passion

That we buried deep inside

May the watchers become warriors

Let the men of God arise

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

Seek justice

Love mercy

Walk humbly with your God

In the war of the mind

I will make my stand

In the battle of the heart

And the battle of the hand

In the war of the mind

I will make my stand

In the battle of the heart

And the battle of the hand

We were made to be courageous

And we're taking back the fight

We were made to be courageous

And it starts with us tonight

The only way we'll ever stand

Is on our knees with lifted hands

Make us courageous

Lord, make us courageous

We were made to be courageous

Lord, make us courageous

Come to Me by Jamie-Grace (YouTube)

I had a dream I was standin' on the shore

Two feet planted in the sand 

Soakin' up Your glory yeah

Saw You walkin' from a distance

Without a hint of resistance

Had Your arms open

And a warmth in Your eyes

You took my hand and You whispered

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll givmeyou hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden now

I woke up to the weight of the world

Right back into reality

And all that's goin' wrong

Cuz in the midst of the chaotic life

I try to find peace of mind

But You've been there all along

And even now I hear You whisper

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from the burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

I feel the weight, I feel the weight is slowly liftin'

As you close the distance

And I know, it's gonna be okay when I hear you say

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

Oo I'm gonna carry your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

The weight is lifted now

StadiumFest Part 1

I have to say Jamie-Grace was the best so far. I couldn't stay past her set tonight. Apparently hay showed up around the scene and I had a reaction. But she performed several great songs off her CD, including God Girl, Hold Me, and With You. She also shared a little about how she struggles with ADD and Tourette's as well as anxiety. For me, this hit home as I have my own challenges to learn to overcome. One of the most recent diagnoses was the autism (which you can now see some videos that demonstrate the episodic meltdowns on my YouTube channel. I decided to get really real in them.).

Tomorrow, I return to StadiumFest to help in the children's area (although if I react too badly to the hay, we may have to get creative and reassign me somehow). Britt Nicole and Newsboys are my two artists tomorrow that I look forward to seeing.

One thing I want to note is how the event is not the most sensory friendly, and I will either do a vlog or a blog post about sensory friendly next week.

So meltdowns. It has been a frustrating week all around. I've not been feeling too well (sinuses again), allergies, weather changes, traffic and road construction, a friend and the fact that I'm frustrated he has yet to answer a couple of questions I've actually had the past two weeks, who so far has just been all "stop with the drama," still no answers though, VR related stuff and being called "unwilling," which was a misjudgment of unable due to recurring infections. But I committed the other day to capturing some of the meltdowns and stims so people can get a better idea of what those are like.

Oh, and yes, at concert events, you'll often find me on my feet moving to the music, singing, and flapping or tapping. But at church, if the music isn't upbeat enough (translation: if the music is what my grandmother would have sang in the 1950s), I'm too understimulated and likely to be found slapping myself or trying hard not to vocally stim). Again, more about that next week as well.

I do look forward though to posting more tomorrow after StadiumFest.