Notes in the key of G

Easter - 2012

Found Here

Hosanna

life is finally taking a turn for the better.

sang my heart out to this song last night.

enjoy :)

 

Shine

if this doesn't make you cry, i don't know what will.

what a beautiful example of God's love.

2011 Shine Recap from Flatirons Community Church on Vimeo.

 

Fear not

fear not for i have redeemed you; i have summoned you by name; you are mine. when you pass through the waters, i will be with you...when you walk through the fire,  you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. for i am the Lord, your God...your Savior...you are precious and honored in my sight, and...i love you.

Isaiah 43:1-4

patience

i'm waiting
i'm wating on you lord
and i am hopeful
i'm waiting on you lord
though it is painful
but patiently i will wait

i will move ahead bold and confident
taking every step in obedience
while i'm waiting
i will serve you while i'm waiting
i will worship
while i'm waiting
i will not fade
i'll be running the race
even while i wait

i'm waiting
i'm waiting on you lord
and i am peaceful
i'm waiting on you lord
though it's not easy no
but faithfully i will wait

yes i will wait
i will move ahead bold and confident
taking every step in obedience
while i'm waiting
i will serve you while i'm waiting
i will worship while i'm waiting
i will not fade
i'll be running the race
even while i wait

i don't want to be passive. i don't want to be mediocre.

i want to live with passion!
i want to be the change i want to see.
i want to remember that every day spent angry is a day lost.
i want to radiate a happiness that brings people closer.
i want God to be my center.
i want to forgive my past so i can move into my future.

i want to remember that this will be a daily struggle but will be well worth the effort.

and if i fall? well, that's ok. (that's ok! it bears repeating.) i have the strength to pick myself up and carry on.
i will be bruised.
i will be battered.
but i won't be sitting in the dirt any longer.

and that, in and of itself, is worth rejoicing!

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things...and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9) 

2009 - a review

so i was checking out elise's website and just loved her idea of the "best of 2009". it got me to thinking...
this year has definitely been a year of change, to say the least!
so many ups and downs.
so many tears shed.
so many true friends found.
so many questions.
so many answers...not all good, but what i needed.
so many discoveries.
highlights here we come!

january

this month was not the best beginning to a new year. lets just leave it at that. but i did celebrate my 29th birthday, saw wicked (twice!), and went wine tasting up north with my favorite couple!

february
no pictures from this month. not a surprise seeing as how it was god awful. i'm sure i cried nearly every single day of february. asked lots of questions. got no answers. cried some more. started going to church with bethany. started feeling a stirring in my soul.

march
no pictures from this month either. but i did receive a letter. a letter that broke my heart at the time. a letter that i now view truly as a love letter from God. God who said, "you deserve better than this. you need more than this. i will give it to you. please trust in Me."

april

started living life again. (at least trying to!) super thankful for friends, TRUE friends, who hurt to see me hurt. from phone calls, to dinners, to working in the horticulture yard, to trips over spring break. i cannot thank them enough for pulling me out of the darkness. (ps. why this picture? because you can see two of my favorite things...marcus and giraffes!)

may

a trip to big bear with bethany. good for the heart. good for the soul.

june

change. big change. i don't enjoy change. but have painfully learned that it is necessary in order for there to be improvement.
finished up my 3rd year of teaching. was immensely grateful for the amazing year i had with such fantastic students, some of which overwhelmed me with their own gratefulness for such an amazing year. (ally, i mean you!) my heart broke knowing that i would need to teach next year without mr. strong. i made a deal with myself that i would do everything i could to not be lonely and sad that summer.

july

this was the year of disneyland! between grad night and summer passes i went 4 times. it was awesome! i enjoyed myself so much. especially with my little brother from another mother ;)

august


love juchu. just love her. another person who proved what an amazing friend she really is. went up north to visit her. had so much fun! it's always a great time with her and ben. while there, we went to the california academy of sciences. i realized what a true little geek i am when i started explaining things to jen at the different exhibits. can't wait to go back and check out the indoor rain forest again!

september

celebrated a birthday with the girls. celebrated LOTS of things with the girls ;) like the start of the new school year. and the start of a new relationship.

october

happiness. truly. a trip to vegas with friends, who knew when they met us that we would fall in love with each other. and they were very right. the more time i spend with him the more i learn why everything else hasn't worked. why the road has been broken. why my heart has been broken. why this broken-ness and then healing led me to him. and i couldn't be more thankful.

november

oh. my. gosh. who knew little me would love camping in the desert? and riding?? so fun! this was the first time that i went on a "real ride". as in shifting gears and riding long enough to have a dirt-stache. i could see myself getting into this! so much more enjoyable with great company! dave and lynette have such big hearts and welcomed us out with open arms. spent thanksgiving with good friends, good food, and some good dirt!

december

love.

love.

love.

rocky start. lovely ending.

first steps

so i was at church this morning. we're talking about the book of john. i'll be the first to admit that i don't know the bible very well. clearly my parochial upbringing left much to be desired in regards to my religious education. sorry sister ann! don't take it personally...i was only 8! honestly? this is the first time in my life where i have even tried to read and/or understand the bible. i know it's in english (most of the time) and i should be able to understand the written word...but i just don't get the whole thou sayest, bequeethest, cometh nonsense. so i took a trip to the good ole family christian bible store and bought a niv version. light bulb! took me 29 yrs to figure out that it is possible to understand what those prophets are a preachin. but i digress...

due to my unfamiliarity with the word i tend to take copious notes. that, and the fact that i really enjoy what pastor mike has to say. one of the reasons why i like the church so much is because he is so great at taking verses from the bible and connecting them to real life situations. one of the points he made today was that god uses people in the process. he talked about how certain people are brought into our lives to start our journey and help us along the way. (copied straight from my notes!) i have always believed this but i'm beginning to find more and more validity in it. i'm able to look at the role a person has played in my life and how that has effected decisions i have made. i'm beginning to piece together how they have shaped who i am today.

many times i'm still writing down something pastor mike has said when he's already moved on. that's just human nature i guess. i just can't write as fast as he can talk!

so as i'm writing god creates a hunger in your heart

i'm thinking man that is just so true. the desire to go to church and learn about god has been inside me for a couple of years now but i just didn't know what to do about it. 

i write someone invites you to church (bethany!)

and i hear "about once a month we like to have these welcome desserts where we invite new people into our home and they get the opportunity to ask any questions they have."

i write happens to be the right time...

and i hear "a couple of months ago we had one of these welcome desserts..."

and i think hey i was there a couple of months ago...

i write and place

and i hear "and there was this lady there. she was in her late 20s..."

i look up
oh. my. gosh. he's talking about me.

"and a high school teacher."
(audibly inhale) he's telling my story.

"she had a catholic upbringing but hadn't really been to church in awhile. well at these desserts we always ask, "what brought you to rocky peak?" she said that she had been going through some troubles and her friend, who is also a high school teacher, asked her if she wanted to go to church with her. she said ok. so she came to church that weekend and was sitting there and said it was like i was talking directly to her. it was like we had this connection. and she just thought, "woa." so she came back the next week to see if the connection was still there...and it was. so she came back the 3rd week to see if the connection was still there...and it was. and now she keeps coming back to see what this connection is all about. this is a perfect example of..."

at this point i am in complete and utter shock. i can't believe that my story - my little insignificant story - has just been used in a sermon.

afterward, i wanted to talk to pastor mike. i went up to speak to him (and waited in line. what can i say? he's a popular guy!) and was wondering if he would even know who i was. i know...he remembered me enough to tell the entire congregation about me...but i hadn't actually talked to him one-on-one since that welcome dessert he spoke of. when it was my turn he looked at me, smiled, and said, "giuseppina!" he gave me a big hug and said, "that was your story i told." "i know! i recognized it!" he said it was inspiring and i told him i was completely humbled by it. he said it wasn't even in his notes. that he was talking the night before and he thought of it and added it in. he said he went home that night and prayed and said if he felt moved by it he would share it again in the morning. he told my story at all three services this weekend. 

i can't begin to tell you how overwhelmed and humbled i am by this whole experience. the congregation is huge. out of every person there, out of every story that he knows, out of the whole bible...he chose to talk about me and how i got there. that just moves me to tears. i never never realize the impact i make on people, the fact that i could inspire someone. i just can't believe it. and then when it's brought to my attention? well that just shakes me to my core, leaves me in disbelief, and staring in amazement.

someone thinks i'm inspiring? :) who knew?

*you can actually listen to the message with my story in it here (starting somewhere around min 38 if you're interested)*

like glue

so i've been thinking...i know, right?
but really. i wonder sometimes if the reasons why we go through really difficult times is simply to break us. because it seems as though the only time people really change is when they are forced to do it.

you see, change is hard. and uncomfortable. and disruptive. and chaotic. and painful. and yet...completely necessary. that's the sad truth - and a lesson i've been learning on a daily basis. hurt is the catalyst for change. so not only are you in total pain but you have to be uncomfortable too. how cool is that?!

back to this breaking thing. i've been knocked around a few times. (and by few i obviously mean lots. as in therapy worthy. as in people have looked at me and said, "woa". thanks folks. that's always a boost to the ol' self esteem.) and each time i have been broken into pieces. and i am convinced that i won't be able to pick them back up, let alone put them back together!

but i've been thinking. and i've been introspective.
everytime i have been broken, i have managed to pick the pieces back up again.
and everytime i have picked the pieces back up, i have put them back together.
and everytime i have put them back together, i have rearranged them just enough to make a better me.
and everytime i have taken these piece and put them together in such a way that it makes me a better person i use a little bit stronger glue.
a glue that helps me to keep the good changes i have made. a glue that encourages me to continue improving myself. a glue that makes me stronger, more like the person i am meant to become.

i wonder if this time around my glue can be God.

why?

it seems as though lately everyone is breaking up and breaking apart. learning of cancer and of death are starting to seem common place.

it's timed to be healed.