today.

oh come, let us sing to the Lord! let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

for the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.

oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

for He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.

today, if you will hear His voice: "do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness..."

psalm 95:1-3,6-8

today i will rejoice in You. [new song up on pv]

der erste Neffe

my 2-year-old nephew, if you didn't already know, is amazing.

i got to talk to him on skype for quite a while last night. he has become quite a talker! before when i would talk to him, he'd point at the answer. not last night. oh, no. he's a big guy. a big talking guy.

he gave me a run-down of the whole alphabet [and had me practice writing them for him :)], the do-re-mi song, counted 1-10, practiced his colors and shapes, told me where mom and dad went [to the muffin house, of course], informed me of several new additions to the Animal-Sounds department, practiced his Minnesotan accent [oh ja!], and said three things which made his far-away auntie ever so proud.

"i- love- you" followed by "i miss you" [and a bunch of kisses blown at the screen]

and the icing on the cake? "Ah-nee!" "Ah-neeee" "Aaah-nee!" [he can finally say my name, woohoo!]

it was so sweet to talk with him and the rest of my family. and in less than 2 weeks there will be another nephew to add to the fun! :)

love you, family.

it's just a day.

lift up your eyes! for God is still good, still merciful, still gracious; and He is working; He is near to all who call upon Him in truth.

today it's not just raining; it's snowing too. what horrible weather. i am absolutely repulsed. springtime was supposed to come. but i was reminded, while on a bit of a walk through said inclement elements, that THIS is the day that the Lord has made; so let us rejoice and be glad in it. today the circumstances and the feelings and all that's in the world say "Don't Rejoice!", but i want to choose to joy in the God of my salvation.

though the fig tree may not blossom

nor fruit be on the vine

i delight to do Your will, oh God

for this has become mine:

i WILL rejoice in the Lord

so today might be gross, i may have no energy, i may have no coffee in my system, i may not feel like moving on, but i'm going to. because the Lord knew today would be like this; and this is the day He made. He doesn't give more than i can handle, and His ways are always of mercy and truth. so, He gave me today, whether i like it or not, and i can choose to rejoice. [and be blessed by doing so!]

surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and i will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. ps 23:6

keep it steady.

Sometimes, 'inheriting the blessing' means simple, steadfast, pressing in through the small things of daily life. 

Blessed is the one who does not take offense.. who endures.. who waits for Him.. who receives the promise.

...Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

[Hebrews 6:12,15]

For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

[Hebrews 10:36]

i want to patiently endure.. to stand on the promises.. and to inherit the blessing.

"Oh restless heart, that beat against your prison bars of circumstances, 

yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, 

leave God to order all your days.

Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, 

will be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain 

of the larger opportunity which God may sometime send you." 

lobe den Herrn, meine Seele! alles in mir, lobe den Herrn!

und vergiss nicht was Er dir gutes getan hat..

feeling better today. spring warmth and sunshine was the prediction for the day [and most of the week], but it's still cloudy and chilly. naja. i'm studying for my class, thinking about some cool conversations i've had lately with people, and enjoying the quiet.

i think one of my favorite things about being here [and has been since my very first day in siegen, over 2.5 years back] is the deep, rich fellowship with the believers here. i remember in my second semester, being so impacted by a simple meal with a crowded room full of people who loved each other and immensely enjoyed one another's company. i was so blessed to be part of that, and the hunger for such fellowship continued to grow in me. at the bible college i've made many dear friendships which i think shall last a lifetime. but there is something extra special about knowing the people from the church, hearing their stories, seeing their heart for the Lord, watching the effectiveness of their ministry, and catching their contagious love for Jesus, for people, for missions, and for the world. i think i know people who will be some of the most greatly used of the Lord in this generation. what a privilege, and an honor, and a challenge to be one of those too!

that's what i love the most about being here. praise the Lord, for He has done marvelous things!!

p.s. i'm re-reading the autobiography of Isobel Kuhn, called By Searching. 

her sincerity and frankness in seeking out the Lord [and thereby finding Him] is refreshing and quite edifying. 

i recommend it wholeheartedly!

the LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.

in wrath He remembers mercy.

the LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.

the LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.

psalm 145/habakkuk 3/joel 2

Nürnberg!

thanks for praying! we had a great trip this weekend.

we led worship so many times, and every time our voices were completely gone by the end of the session, but every time by the next time we had to sing, they were back again! praise the Lord. He's faithful! [i think i sang about 11 different times in 3 days]

some highlights of the weekend:

-staying in a castle! [see photos to the left]

-praying with the staff and our team from school at different times during the weekend

-meaningful conversations with the kids [they asked some great questions!!]

-worshiping with 300 other people

-trying Kaiserschmarn [german fried pancakes with applesauce] and Nürnbergers

-leading the early morning worship and prayer times 

i think the coolest thing for me was a late-night acoustic worship time on saturday night. the kids had had a long day of sessions, small groups, and wandering around the city, so it was optional for them to come- and there were probably 150 of them who came out for the worship time from 10.30-11.30pm! we had a couple acoustic guitars and a cajon, and were able to sing and spend time praying and sharing, and it was just cool. really a blessing.

now i have a really tired, crackly voice, but it was absolutely worth it! the Lord knew we needed to be there this weekend, even though it was a last-minute change of plans. what a blessing it is to be a blessing to others!

good-bye.

we leave today for Nürnberg and the BFA high school retreat. please pray for us as we travel, lead worship all weekend, and spend time with the students. some of you heard that my voice wasn't feeling the best lately, and today it's a tiny bit better. :) praise the Lord.

thanks for praying! for in doing so, you're sharing equally in this ministry and the blessings that will come from it. cool huh.

xo,annie.

i love.

springtime and 80s margaret becker!