Only You Can Love Me This Way

So I think last time I posted, or maybe the time before, I was "pulling a Shannon." This time, I'm totally "pulling a Mike."

We talked a couple weeks ago about how or where we experience God in our daily lives. I didn't quite get around to mentioning another big God place for me: my car. As much as I hate driving, I tend to have major God moments in my car. More specifically, I tend to think that God is speaking to me through my radio.

I realize that God using the radio to communicate with Karyn is crazy people talk, but haven't you ever been stalked by a song? You get in the car and the song is playing. You change the station, and there it is again. You leave your car and enter a store - there's the song. You leave the store and get back in the car only to catch the DJ announcing the next song... surprise surprise... same dang song. This happens to me more often then I care to admit. Today, I'm being stalked by Jesus and Keith Urban.

I'm pretty sure that Keith Urban doesn't know he has a worship song out. But this song of his, the latest one, it breaks my heart. The lyrics are simple, and lovely, and the melody is perfect and pretty and sing-a-longy. It has become my mantra and my prayer today, and I thought I'd share the chorus and second verse with you:

You're always in my heart
You're always on my mind
And when it all becomes too much
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
'Cause only you can love me this way

I could've turned a different corner
I could've gone another place
But I'd a-never had this feeling
That I feel today

Cause you're always in my heart
You're always on my mind
And when it all becomes too much
You're never far behind
And there's no one that comes close to you
Could ever take your place
'Cause only you can love me this way

Right? Dude. It's my new favorite thing. Go get it stuck in your head too.

How awesome is it that no matter how alone or unlovable we feel, we are loved completely by a God who knows all of our darkest parts? To be loved this way... wholly, selflessly, magnificently loved... we are lucky, lucky kids. I'm grateful today for God FM, Keith Urban, and agape love.

Oh, wait, here's my last "pulling a Mike" bit:

Cool? Cool.

:)

I knew this was going to happen

In December I wrote this post detailing both my pseudo-obsession with Jennifer Nettles and my hope that nothing happens to her. I love her without actually meeting her but I'm scared she's going to wander down the dark road of fame and fortune. In short, I said, "we're only about six months away from google searches where half the results for her name bring back sites called "Jennifer Nettles is hottttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It appears that particular prediction was, unfortunately, right on the money. Sugarland's "All I Want to Do" is the top music video on iTunes, ahead of slightly more famous acts like Michael Jackson, Mariah, Carrie Underwood and others.

Why is it so popular, you ask? Well, the whole thing starts with JN surfing in a bikini, then dancing in bikini, then...you get the picture.

So this is how it's going to be. Jennifer Nettles the hot girl. Sigh. Lord, please don't let anything happen to her.

Or, more accurately, please let her seek you when it all comes crumbling down.

When in doubt, write about country music

For those of you who somehow missed the news, Sugarland – pretty much my all-time fave country band but whose summer tour I will torturously miss – won two American Country Music Awards this past week for “Stay.” I’m ecstatic. No, no, that doesn’t even cover it: I’m like a proud parent.

But the song I want to talk about in this here blog post isn’t “Stay.” It’s “Settlin’.” This song is basically my new life mantra. Why settle, in relationships or in life?

I don’t have a particular Bible verse to reference, but the gist of today's thought is this: God has plans for each of us. Those plans probably involve feats and duties of which we think ourselves incapable. Thing is, what significant Biblical figure ever feels ready for what God calls them to do? I think – and I’m talking from experience here – a lot of us tend to settle for our comfortable little world instead of obeying what God wants for us to do. Kinda communicates a lack of faith, don’t you think? As my friend Jennifer Nettles reminds us, we shouldn’t settle for “just getting by”; instead, let’s listen to God, “raise the bar high”, stop settling for comfort and make a difference in this world.

Inspirational Country Music Lyrics of the Day

Feeling down? Like life on this world is a bit overwhelming? Let's allow Faith Hill to inject some hope into your life:

It's not easy trying to understand
How the world can be so cold, stealing the souls of man
Cloudy skies rain down on all your dreams
You wrestle with the fear and doubt
Sometimes it's hard but you gotta believe

Chorus: There's a better place, where our Father waits
And every tear He'll wipe away
The darkness will be gone,the weak shall be strong
Hold on to your faith
There will come a day, there will come a day

Wars are raging, lives are scattered
Innocence is lost, and hopes are shattered
The old are forgotten, the children are forsaken
In this world we're living in Is there anything sacred?
There will come a day, there will come a day

The song will ring out, down those golden streets
The voices of earth with the angels will sing
Every knee will bow, sin will have no trace
In the glory of His amazing grace
Every knee will bow, sin will have no trace
In the glory of His amazing grace

There will come a day, there will come a day
Oooh there will come a day
I know there's coming a day, coming a day

Why I love country music

1. Because country music reminds me of open roads, mountains, rural areas, places where you glance out the window and see for miles and miles. In short, country music reminds me that I am very, very small. When I’m at my wits end worrying about [insert issue here] it’s comforting to recall that there is there is an enormous, all-knowing, all-powerful God who controls everything. We miss out on that feeling when we live in cities, a mere bowling ball’s throw away from our neighbors. Country music reminds me how big God is.

2. Because, as my friend Las Frijoles once said, San Antonio in country songs is always just San Antone. I love that.

Please don't let anything happen to her

(Note: This is kinda long but I promise it eventually relates to the gospel.)

Talk to me for long enough and you're sure to hear about my toeing-the-line-between-healthy-and-unhealthy crush on Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles. Beautiful voice, perfect dressy/thrift storey style combination, always seems like she's both sincere and having fun, wonderful stage presence...She even plays the tambourine (how cool is that?). She had me the first time she said "ah" (I). I'm like a PG version of those early 90s black and white Denis Leary commercials on MTV where he would obsess about Cindy Crawford. And you know what? I'm fine with that.

What I'm not fine with is where I fear her career is headed. This girl is about to be wicked famous (not always a good thing). First there was the duet with Bon Jovi. Then the tour with Kenny Chesney. Suddenly they're receiving a standing ovation at this year's Country Music Awards, culminating in the CMA for Best Duet (an award Brooks and Dunn had won six years in a row). Now JN is being picked up in the non-country world, where publications like the Boston Globe are lauding her as being "poised for breakout stardom."

In short, we're only about six months away from google searches where half the results for her name bring back sites called "Jennifer Nettles is hottttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sigh.

Have you ever loved someone you've never met? Where there's just something about him or her that speaks to you, that makes you think you could be friends? But the problem is that we're not friends. There's no advice I can give her, nothing I can do to keep her away from the lures of stardom and power. All I can do is sit here and hope that nothing happens to her.

It strikes me that this has to be similar to how parents must feel about children --
Please don't let anything happen to them.
Please let them stay innocent.

On a deeper level, it must be how God feels about us, at least to some degree. We're His children, people He loves, people for whom He desires the very best. He doesn't want anything to happen to us.

Somewhere along the way, we screw it up. We stop believing in His plans for us, we try to go our own way, we squander our lives on things we can't take with us to the grave. We grow proud in our own spirituality and lead others away from their faith. It's not always pretty.

Yet in spite of our selfishness, He extends us the offer: simply accept Jesus as our savior, and all will be forgiven. When I think of passages like the parable of the Prodigal Son, it warms my heart, makes me eternally grateful and filled with hope for others. Even when something does "happen" to us, we can find salvation in the Lord. We are saved.

I know it's cliche to write words like this but that doesn't make them any less true. It is so freaking awesome to feel that love. That's the most important thing of all. After all, if God is for us, who can be against us?

Inspirational Country Music Lyrics of the Day

Courtesy SHeDAISY:

Life is funny, life's a mess
Sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing
Don't worry 'bout a thing, don't worry 'bout it

Life gets sticky, life can bruise
Sometimes you win sometimes you're losing
No matter what it brings
Don't worry 'bout a thing

Rather than "bla bla bla bla" being the next line, as in the actual song (seriously...gotta love country music), I'll add this: instead of worrying, pray. As we're reminded in Matthew 6:25-27, all the worrying in the world cannot add a single hour to our life.

Life according to Kenny Chesney lyrics

My man Kenny Chesney (who even three months ago I would have derided but who I'm now comfortable calling my man) sings this song "Beer in Mexico" that's been fairly constant in my head over the past couple months. The idea is that Chesney is at this crossroads of his life (he even says as much...actually those are his exact same words) and is trying to figure out where to go next. He's too old to be wild and free but too young to be over the hill. He's asking all these questions before feeling overwhelmed (my interpretation) and saying "screw it, I'm going to sit on the beach, have a beer and worry about this tomorrow."

Anyway, the song builds to a point where Chesney asks "Should I settle down and get married or stay single and stay free?" I'm not sure if I'd ever admit it, but I've totally felt these lyrics before. Marriage = social death. No more friends, no more staying up late. Buying houses, having to spend like $200 on things like blinds and shower curtains. Dinner parties. Pot luck. Shopping. Talking about my day. Was it a good day today or a bad day today? Well what kind of day was it?

Staying single = freedom. Doing what I want. Spending money on me. Eating foods I like, never devoting more than 11 minutes to preparing a meal. Coming home and watching four straight episodes of Prison Break not because I think it's a great show, but just because I can. Emailing for hours. Reading blogs. Occasional loneliness but it's certainly offset by the freedom.

Um...what has become very obvious to me (and which is even more obvious on e-paper) is that "freedom" isn't so much being free as it is being self-centered. Me me me. I can't get outside of myself. Yikes.

This is not to say that marriage is the answer to avoiding self-centeredness. As I learned (or at least heard a sermon about) long ago, marriage is not the answer to all of life's ills. Instead, I need to focus on drawing closer to God. True freedom lies in giving my life to Him, not in being able to play video games whenever I want. What I'm doing is not good enough.