The beauty of a new day.

The sun rose this morning.

Nothing unusual about the way it slowly rose from below the horizon over the trees and buildings on campus, spreading rays of orange light in every direction. But as it was rising, it brought new meaning to my day. Today is my 19th birthday, the start of another 365-day journey around the sun, as some would put it. As I turned my face to sink in its light and beauty, I was captured. Captured by the beauty. Captured by the newness of the day. Captured by God's love.

There is a freshness that comes with the sunrise. A feeling of strength, potential, and hope. A knowledge that there is so much more out there than just you...but that you can have a part in the beauty of the world. A lightness of heart and a release of worry...everything will be okay. It's a new day. Who knows what each day holds, but I know Who holds each day.

This new year for me brings excitement and challenge. May God give me strength to cross new borders, discover new levels in my relationship with Him, learn to trust Him in a more real way than ever before. That I may shine His character down all the paths I walk, learning to think, speak, and act the way Jesus would.

God, I dedicate this year to you. May the beauty of the sunrise never, ever cease to amaze me.

To be rescued.

You are the source of the life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of you

I need You Jesus
To come to my rescue
Where else can I go
There's no other name by
Which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow you

This world has nothing for me
I will follow You
This world has nothing for me
I will follow You

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To be rescued by Almighty God. To be captured by His grace. Clutched in His hand. Given His very breath as He breathes it into You.

To get to the point where you know that you have no where else to go. To know that earth has nothing you desire besides God, as David wrote. To come to the point of complete surrender, where you consider everything nothing in light of God's glory.

Oh how God desires this for us. He wants to rescue us...but we have to be in a position to be rescued. He wants to capture us...but He can't capture us if we are being captured by another. He wants to hold our hand...but He can't hold our hand if our hands are full of our own possessions and dreams and desires. He wants to breathe into us...but He can't if we aren't willing to empty out our lungs to give Him room.

How much more could God do if we just came to a point where we truly understood the need we really have for Jesus. The overwhelming need that can never be fulfilled by anything the world has to offer us. The need to be rescued, captured, and secure in His embrace.

My heart's song.

~You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.~ Psalm 30:11-12

This verse caught my eye a few days ago when I was doing my devotions. The phrase that really captured my gaze was "that my heart may sing to you and not be silent." Since I am a singer, the verse seemed to make sense. I will sing to God all the time. That's not a problem for me...I'm pretty much singing all the time anyways. :) However, when I reread the verse I really focused in on the word "heart." The heart is the very core of my being, what motivates me, what pumps blood to my brain to sustain life. And singing is an expression of my love and admiration of the majesty and holiness of God...a state of worship. When I thought of it that way, it had so much more meaning. Having my heart, the core of my being, be in a constant state of singing and worship towards my all-powerful, mountain-moving Creator. And NEVER stopping...never being silent. No matter what comes to rob my joy or steal my song.

Oh God, may my heart always be singing to You.

Home is where the heart is.

Home.

Home.

It's that idea of warmth and acceptance and familiarity for which all of mankind has an indwelling need and intense longing. We all need that place of comfort, a safe haven when the storms of life seem unrelenting. A resting place. Many have a house of wood and stone, but not a true home that offers the comfort, joy, and rest that the materials of a house can only offer with limits. The luxurious leather sofa will eventually wear down, the fire in the fireplace will eventually come down to its last crackle, everything will fade and tear in the end. But home will never stop being...home.

Since I've been away at college, I've often thought about that word "home." As college becomes a place of comfort, acceptance, and familiarity, I begin to wonder about where home is for me. Is home Leominster, Massachusetts or Phoenixville, Pennsylvania? And how many people will I offend by choosing one over the other? I have come to an interesting conclusion about the location of my home...neither MA nor PA. My home is only found in one place...in God. He will always be my shelter and my strong tower when the war rages, and he is the only home I can truly depend on. It's so true that home is where the heart is. And with my heart pumping for Jesus alone, I know that in Him I have the most perfect and beautiful home...a resting place with no comparison, where love overflows and the sun rises every day giving me new life and a fresh start. God is, has always been, and will always be my HOME.