Hymn of Trust

Written by: Oliver Wendell Holmes

O Love Divine, that stooped to share
Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear,
On Thee we cast each earth-born care,
We smile at pain while Thou art near!

Though long the weary way we tread,
And sorrow crown each lingering year,
NO path we shun, no darkness dread,
Our hearts still whispering, Thou art near!

When drooping pleasure turn to grief,
And trembling faith is changed to fear,
The murmering wind, the quivering leaf,
Shall fostly tell us, Thou art near!

On Thee we fling our burdening woe,
O Love Divine, forever dear,
Content to suffer while we know,
Living and dying, Thou art near!

Experiencing the Heart of Jesus

I feel overhwhelmed with things that I have to do, things I want to know, things, things, things..."rest", he says, "rest in my love"....but how Lord Jesus, how do I simply "rest" in you?! Don't I have to do anything? Don't I have to at least believe in you and remain faithful? "Come as you are, I want to undo you and love you now...not when you are better in your own eyes."
I doubt this. Why? I doubt it because I don't know the heart of Jesus? Isn't it amazing when you know someone's heart, when you know their intentions and you know if they can be trusted in everything, how it changes the way you react to what they say and what they do. When you are assured that their heart is good, you can rest easy because even if they fail you, you are not completly disappointed because you know there must be a definate reason for it. The thing with Jesus is that he won't ever let you down. Yet, somehow because we arn't familliar enough with this heart, we doubt his faithfulness, realness, goodness, truthfulness, perfection...so my prayer is that we would experience the heart of Jesus in a way that leaves no room for denial that he is the true LIVING God who is good and whose heart is kind, loving, pure and always open to us...not closed off to us, even when we do fail him.
"Yes, Lord Jesus, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ and myself, that we might experience your heart in an entirly new and holy way...show us who you truly are that we might love and trust you ever more fully today...I love you LORD, the sovereign one of all time and creation, I desire your embrace more then the air I breath, help me to recognize it when it's here. Help us to recognize your presence, your touch, your kind eyes...it is what our soul craves...show us your heart Lord Jesus. I pray against any force that would attempt to get between this experience...it has NO AUTHORITY IN THIS PLACE! Your blood conquered it all....and I claim that now. Lord Jesus, in your name...It's true."

Faithful God

You are faithful and gracious God! Wow incredible! You are on my side. It's not you against me, and me trying to earn my way over to your side...the blood of Christ did that! THANK YOU LORD! Man! You know every desire of my heart...down to a tee...ha, and still love me the same. Forgive me for chasing after lovers less wild than yourself. Music, love, a love for music, a love for love, material things, friends, man, I cheat on you left and right and yet you are still there...remaining ever faithful to me...loving me with the same tender compassion as before. THANK YOU SO MUCH LORD JESUS! I'm really excited about prom with Matt, thank you for that blessing! You make me smile Jesus, the little things that you give me blow me away. :) I love you Lord Jesus and I so want to love you more. Be my first love...."Search me Oh God, search me and find anything in me that does not reflect your purity..." -Vikki Beeching

Your Daughter,
Whitney

Living by Example

Joe Popino is an amazing man and the passion that he lives with and fire that is in him is incredible. He carries the presence of the Living God. I praise God that Joe and Rachael have been brought together! And I pray fervantly that God will bring a man into my life that resembles Joe. He is setting a high standard...which is good...for the type of man that I will marry someday. Praise God for such a man to look up to, respect and look to live by.
He has "introduced" (more like familiarized) me to a woman named Jami Smith. She is a worship leader. I havn't heard much of her music or heard much about her. But something in the way she worships (I've seen pictures) shines Christ. It shines complete and total contentment and steadfastness in who she is and whose she is...which is someone that I live to be. Here is a little piece of something she wrote of her website.
"I am in a supernatural relationship with God and the characteristics of it supercede human relations. Basically, God will not fail me. When humans falter, His love is constant and faithful. Not one of us can find the true love our hearts crave in the eyes of a human, although we sure do try, and don't I know it. I have a history of broken hearts to prove it. Yet, I can trust God with my heart, now, and with my mind. It may not always be clear to me what He is up to, but my heart is safe with Him. And that is just one of a thousand reasons why I want others to know about God and this unshakeable Love. I find music and worship songs, more specifically, to be a great way to show the character of God to seekers and an absolutely necessary way for the body of Christ to encourage each other to hold on through life's hardships"

I believe that music is the stream in which God has chosen to use me to minister to other people. I have a passion and desire to sing...and it's not so much singing that sets my soul free...because many people can sing well, it's something more...something deeply holy. My eyes are opened though the words and rythem of music, something in my soul is stirred by it. I desire to create, inspire and recoginize beauty through music.
The ability to sing has always been in me...I've never really had to work at it. Joe tonight opened my eyes to something that I had never really put words to but always felt..."Because it comes easy to you, because singing is natural for you, you feel like you shouldn't enjoy it as much, like you somehow don't feel like you should. Well, that is a lie from Satan, a lie from the pit of Hell! God's here going, 'I gave you that, I want you to enjoy it' !" The lie that I have believed for, well, forever, is "You are prideful and you should humble yourself and never think you sound good! Never! Doubt yourself, that's when you are truly humble." Never have I really questioned this before. But now I'm beggining to...and it's freeing.
Much of what Joe has said to me, much of how he lives...God uses is that to speak truth into the depths of my soul that have been lied to time and time again..."You are not worthy of my time or energy", "You don't deserve to be treated well, only if you do something to earn it...then maybe.", "Don't speak. Don't offer your heart. It's not worth it, no one will listen". MAN! THE ENEMY SURE IS A LIAR! AHHHH! It ticks me off to the 3rd degree!! Jesus Christ reigns here! He is the truth! The only truth! I believe this! PRAISE YOU FATHER GOD IN HEAVEN! I LOVE YOU, OH HOW I DESIRE TO LOVE YOU MORE!!!!!!!
Thank you for Joe. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the cross.

Good-Morning Beautiful One

Beautiful One,

What a lovely morning. It's so beautiful outside. I love Cherry Bloosom Trees, I love shaking them and letting all the petals fall around me and on me...it feels like my wedding day. :)
So I'm under attack...yep, it's for sure. A spiritual attack. Teach me how to use your armor Lord Jesus (WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY HERE!) because a spirit of doubt and unbelief is clouding my vision of you. It is separating my fellowship with you...praise you Lord Jesus that it doesn't separate me from your presence or your love...just the feeling of those things (which feels almost worst!). I've firmly decided to fight...I'm reading through Romans right now, I pray that you show me more of you through this reading and I'm placing my hope and faith and trust in you...blindly! I love you Lord, oh how I desire to love you more.
I'm worried about my friends; a few specifically. I see the path they are choosing to take and it grieves me so much to see them doing that because I know it's not your will...or do you have a mysterious plan through it all? Well, either way, I'm learning that it's not my job to control that...but am I suppose to lead them back to the right path? Or just give them directions and not be responsible for the outcome. I need to know what to do...and I desparatly need the strength to do so. My faith is failing me now Lord Jesus...please forgive me for this sin...thank you SO much for your patience, and for your blood! I'm scared for him Lord...please show me the truth...I need you every more strongly this hour.

Your Daughter,

Whitney

Steadfast One

Steadfast One,

You do not change. Thank you.
How I adore this about you. Your love is everlasting...this confuses let comforts me. What a beautiful day you created today. Thank you LORD (sovereign one) for flowers, that truly is art! I want to take some time to recognize who you are...
You are the Holy one, the sovereign one, you are all-powerful, all-knowing, always here (by my side, holding my hand), you are the King of the Universe. You created everything I see or could ever imagine. You are my hope, my love, my security, my dearest savior. You are a wild lover, jealous for my love. Oh forgive me Jesus...I'm so unfaithful. Clean my slate oh lord, how I desire to "be right with you"...hmmmm, the blood of Christ did that. PRAISE YOU GOD!!! PRAISE YOU!
Thank you for my family, for my friends. Thank you OH SO MUCH for my friends...how dear they are to me.
I long to be near to you, I feel far away from you now and I hate it.
Here I sit, waiting...come Lord Jesus, come quickly to my rescue. You saved my soul once, how have my weary heart. I'm in quiet desparation and I long to be set free. I pray this on behalf of my friends as well. I can tell they too are living lives of quiet (sometimes not so quiet) desparation and I'm grieved over that. Show me how to minister to them...how to love them effectively. I love you Lord, I so want to love you more!

Your Daughter,

Whitney