A Country Girl at Heart

Today's blog is brought to you in part by a friend of mine (who is currently in AZ, but from CO, and is coming back to CH in a month), Meredith! Its her 23 b-day! I've missed her in this time she has been away - but am so excited she is coming back. We worked together at CapFit where we were able to "stay beautiful" - is that what that dude always said? She is a fantastic artist and I have always told her she needs to start her own greeting card company. She eats my goodies and I eat hers. She drives a jeep called the Heel Mobile (props to UNC Tarheels). I love you girl - and can't wait for you to return! Sorry I don't have a picture of her online. I only have one that I know of but it isn't on my computer - it is in a frame on the shelf behind me.
Now to explain the title...
I grew up in Lakeland, FL. Now, Lakeland is pretty big and right in between Tampa and Orlando. But, we lived in the country - but really was only 2 minutes from the mall. What I liked about it was the fact that I could see trees, hear crickets at night, not hear any cars from our house - we were well off the street. My Mom couldn't pay me enough to walk the field in between my granny's house and ours at night. It was pure creepy! I hated bugs and my Dad always had to kill them - and around our house - there were plenty.
But, I was thinking about this tonight and recently. I was walking tonight on a trail in Chapel Hill. For a while there is a period of time when all you hear is the sounds of the woods. I saw the blue clear sky of July, the wind was blowing, there was a bunny I said hello to - (we definitely made eye contact), the crickets were there in full swing and the birds were singing. I listen to the crickets even now - they are chirping away. I don't know if I could ever live for the rest of my life in a city. Even though I love them - I have to be able to hear crickets, see fireflies, hear the birds to wake me up (and none of the fake nature sounds CDs). I want to experience God's creation!
That is what Ps 8 is all about. Everytime I read the bookended lines - I start singing the song. I think we sang this in JR. high choir - or sometime around there. And then tonight - I put a playlist together of songs I had that had to do with creation, or something in that realm. What a treat to be able to enjoy God's splendor in fall leaves, ocean waves (my fave), soft beach sand, crickets, storms, hurricanes, etc. We get to enjoy them.
"O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth"!

I also watched the first half of Luther tonight. It is the recent movie that was made about the reformer's life: Martin Luther. It is a great movie and pretty accurate to my knowledge. I am also currently reading Contending for Our All by John Piper. I'm in the part about Athanasius - the church father who fought for the deity of Christ. These two men who lived 1200 years apart - had one main thing in common. They both fought for truth when others were going astray. Luther fought against the Church and traditions. Athanasius fought again heretics and heresy. Both stood for truth and didn't mind the controversy that came with it. But, as Piper said in his intro...Biblical Christian Unity is better than controversy. We must know what is tuth (the Bible) and fight for it - do not see it undermined in any way. Tradition is not over the Word at any time.