Beautiful Things

by Gungor

All this pain..
I wonder if I'll ever find my way.
I wonder if my life could really change, at all.
All this earth..
Could all that is lost ever be found?
Could a garden come up from this ground, at all?

You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of dust.
You make beautiful things,
You make beautiful things out of us.

All around,
Hope is springin up from this old ground.
Out of chaos, life is being found in You.

You make me new,
You are making me new.
You make me new,
You are making me new.

As I was flipping through facebook posts last night I came across another song by this artist and was intrigued enough to listen to some more songs on youtube. As I look ahead to the future, I'm thankful for the assurance that God is at work in and through my life. I may not be able to see what he's doing now or in the future, but I can rest on the promise that He is involved in my life, working for good, transforming me, making beautiful things. What an amazing truth to which to cling.

Water Carnival Parade

Last weekend I spent time with my sister and her family in Hutchinson, MN. After church on Sunday, we joined the masses gathering for the water carnival parade held that afternoon. As we drove through town looking for a spot to park and sit along the parade route, I was amazed to see chairs and blankets already on the curb. Residents of Hutchinson place their chairs and blankets out up to 48 hours before the parade to secure the best locations. I was stunned! I could hardly believe that people would trust the entire town to not move or take their chairs and that securing a prime location was that important.

As I drove back into the Twin Cities, my thoughts drifted to the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem. I wondered how people knew that he was coming. There certainly weren’t newspaper advertisements or TV commercials announcing his arrival. How many people were aware? How did news get passed along?

And then I wondered what would happen today if Jesus were to come to town. Would people place chairs and blankets along his expected route in hopes of being near him as he walked? Would there be any news coverage of the event? How many people would skeptically remain comfortably tucked inside their air conditioned homes instead of braving the humidity and mosquitoes? Where would I be? I further wondered, what am I doing to welcome Christ in my life today? How am I inviting him to be on the throne? There are certainly changes that I could make in my life! What about you?