Last night

Well, it goes without saying, that last night was a lot of fun. I got to spend the evening with my husband...alone...with my husband. Phil loves to drive & we have some our best discussions when we're traveling. Okay, so we've had our share of fights sitting in the front seats of the van too, but we won't talk about that now. We drove an hour north of Enid to pick up the tickets from the radio station, then another 2 1/2 hours southeast to Tulsa. We got into Tulsa just after 5pm & had a delicious dinner @ Macaroni Grill. We made it to the concert in time & thoroughly enjoyed it. Steven & Michael opened with my favorite song, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." That was it for me. I cannot get through that song without crying. Phil & I talked about it later. I always get choked up @ "He gives and takes away...my heart will choose to say...Lord, blessed be your name." It's not the fear of what might be taken away, the uncertainty of struggles that may come, but it's the realization that God is in control. As much as I want to hold tightly to things, my kids, our futures...in the end I must come to the place where I realize that it was never mine to begin with. And it is when I realize that, that my heart cries out with joy, "Lord, blessed be your name."

I have always enjoyed Steven's music, but with the loss of his daughter, Maria, & the struggles his family has endured these past months, the songs took on new meaning. They are not just words on paper, or songs for sale...they are a declaration of faith. "God is God and I am not...I can only see a part of the picture he's painting. God is God and I am man, so I'll never understand it all, for only God is God..." Our ride home was pretty subdued. We didn't get home until around 1am. Today was a busy day & I feel like I'm still digesting everything from last night. It's amazing to see how God continually brings things to the surface - through Bible study, in classes @ church, in a concert, and in personal experiences. Some days I want to say, "Okay, enough already! I see what you're wanting to teach me, but do I really have to go through all this to learn it?" Unfortunately, I know the answer. Growing is painful, and discipline is never fun...but the reward of being in relationship with the One who created the Universe is well worth it.