[Nichole Nordeman]

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
‘Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid…

But maybe not,
not today
Maybe You’ll provide in other ways
And if that’s the case . . .

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain…

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger’s view this time

Or maybe not,
not today
Maybe You’ll provide in other ways
And if that’s the case . . .

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread…

Oh, the differences that often are between
What we want and what we really need…


So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight

Or maybe not,
not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that’s the case . . .

We’ll give thanks to You
With gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace…

But Jesus, would You please . . .

Today I drove down to my Practicum site in order to get a paper signed. On the way back to my apartment, the 35 East entrance ramp was closed. So I found myself riding 35 West to 75, then 75 to 675, then 675 exit 15, and back to my apartment. The trip was an unexpected time and gas muncher. Once on 75, God spoke up, “You have to take this journey anyway, you can either be peaceful about it or frustrated. But either way, you’re still on this journey.” I decided to wander in my thoughts about rescheduling the remaining time before work so as to be most productive and other joyous thoughts. After a few minutes, I was really enjoying the detour. And as I rode the looping entrance ramp onto 675 from 75, a smile consumed my face. I thought of when I first found 675 nearly 2 and 1/2 years ago. I thought about first stepping foot on campus and how confused and lost I felt. And then I compared it to now. Then in flooded thoughts of Apex. And my dad’s words came to mind, “I’m impressed. You’ve really planted roots and found your connections up there.” My daddy’s right, because of God I really have made a place for myself and done the best with what I’ve been given. It was just really neat to think back and compare it all to now. It gave me confidence that no matter where my Lord brings me in the future, I can use it to glorify Him, if only I just rely on His character to supply all that I need and jump upon opportunities that I am given.

He is a good God.

Thank you, Lord.

I got back from the Attic (teen club where I chaperone) this morning around 12:45am. I still had a lot of Attic energy left and decided to use my energy to do some apartment-shopping organization and mapquesting. After completing those tasks, my brain was still wide awake. So I did what any college student in a similar situation would do… I read the user guide for a free razor that I got today at the May Daze/Cinqo De Mayo fair. The user guide was quite clever, believe it or not, in becoming less of a boring guidebook and more of an entertainment with every page turn. (I promise I’m not drunk or completely insane.) On the last page of the user guide there was the razor blade’s final advertisement that caught a clever smile from my tiring brain…

“Schick Quattro for women…

change your blade cartridges like you change your major:

every week or so.”

Highly amusing…

okay… bedtime.

‘Night!

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

– 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

And I can see that my hands are trembling,
I can see that my legs are weak
I can see that my head is spinning, but I will overcome
And I know that my heart is hurting,
And I know that my soul it aches
And I know that it seems I’m failing,
but I will overcome,

O Lord I’m strong in You, O Lord I am wise in You
O Lord I can see in You, so I will overcome
O Lord I am loved by You, O Lord I am free in you
O Lord I’m complete in You
So I will overcome,
I will overcome,
I will overcome

~ And I will overcome not by my strength but by Your grace and love ~

-Charlie Hall, “I Will Overcome”