WHOA!!!

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!!! (sorry, but I just had to copy that line:)

It's been the theme of the day; and I'm declaring it the theme of the weekend!
I've been in Birmingham since yesterday; and I came to spend time with my friend, to see an awesome concert of worshippers, and also, to find rest in the LORD, and to spend time away from work, and searching HIM. Now, of course, once again, I'm overwhelmed by HOW GREAT our God is:

I spent Thursday on the airplane, then getting a haircut, and sipping on a Mocha at my favorite Starbucks (at the Summit; there's no place like it!). I got to read iamnot but i know I AM (by Louie Giglio), and was reminded that God is really big and I am really minuscule, and also that He's in charge and i am not. Then, my dear friend Marla finally got off work, and we spent some time at Barnes and Noble, learning about the five ways of loving others: time, touch, gifts, words of enncouragement, and acts of service. It was an insightful time, and led both of us to the resolution to learn to love those around us much better. After a taco dinner, we went to see/hear/worship with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Louie Giglio, and a bunch of other brothers and sisters -- it was a party without "PARTY." But great, nonetheless. If any of y'all are reading this were there; thank God for you all!

Today, I slept in while Marla went to work. As I was leaving the home; HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD was playing on the radio. I visited Marla to pick up a key; she works in the neonatal intensive care unit for this month (she's a resident, too, so she rotates around). Seeing tiny babies, so sick, fragile and helpless made me both "wonder at YOUR gift of life" (Matt's words), and reminded me of God's presence with all of us. Needless to say, I was spoiled to lunch and fellowship by the UAB transplanters... they are my family, in a way... apple pie and sweet tea...mmm, but I digress. So, Marla and I left together (her friend gave her an early day off), and sat around wondering what to do tonight. Then we had girltime and chatted, not about boys, as you all would like to believe, but about the church, its suffering from divisions over little details such as baptism, and how it was really neat to see last night (thanks, Chris, for pointing it out) that there is ONE church of believers. We ended up calling one of our "old" mentors from med school, and went for Johnny Ray's BBQ for dinner (I got BBQ and fried okra with sweet tea... and thought I was in heaven with heavenly company!). We shared, prayed, and even the waitress said "AMEN!" (I prayed so long, she didn't want to interrupt and she waited with the corn until I was done -- thankfully the Spirit had me pray for her, too:) Now, on to more amazing things: so, Marla was supposed to be on call tomorrow (i. e. stuck at work). But, God made a way (through someone else's illness) for her to be off instead. And we decided "to go to BJCC and scalp tickets for Beth Moore." (so we told our "old" mentor, who broke out into laughter trying to picture women in baseball hats holding up tickets trying to make money off them). We arrived just before 7, and as I went out of the car to find us super-expensive tickets, Marla went off to park the car. Needless to say, we prayed on the way there (as we did Thursday night) for the conference, hearts to be changed, and people to be saved... all over town and the world. And we prayed for tickets, but not with nearly enough faith. So I walked in, and asked for tickets where people were checking them, and was told to check at will call. TO HIS GLORY, God provided us FOR FREE with two tickets; not only for tonight, but also for tomorrow morning. So, I called Marla to tell her, and sang to her HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD. Once she found me with the tickets, she just had to tell me that the minute she heard me say I had tickets, she realized that she hadn't really believed God would provide the tickets, and she could tell by how excited she got. As a bonus, God timed it so that HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD was also on the radio the minute I hung up the phone with her telling her we had tickets. Of course HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD was again sung during the conference... and by two girls walking back to the car thereafter...

All thanks to GOD, who orchestrates our lives PERFECTLY at all times and in all circumstances. I praise HIM tonight for allowing me to live, and to live with friends like Marla and Marsha, and many others, and with leaders like Beth Moore, Louie Giglio, John Piper, Chris, Matt, David, Charlie, and many, many others on the same planet at the same time! What a blessing! Can any of you picture Crowder 100 years ago, singing his songs? Or Chris in his "holy" jeans? God made a place for all of us to fit together right here and now, to be... to BE.

Sorry, this is long, but i get to do homework now. For any of you interested, here's the list of questions:

1. Who do I want to be?
2. How much of my actions are a result of supernatural power vs my natural past (in %)?
3. How could God use my past to cause me to BEGIN TO BE that person?

You see where this is headed... Beth kept saying things like "you and i" and talking about "who we were meant to be..." mind you, questions both Marla and i have been confused about the meaning of our future, and just where God is leading these days, not sure what He has in store for us, but fully aware that He's up to something so incredibly good; we can't wait to see "who we were meant to be..." (thanks SO much for that song at this time, GOD you rule!!!).

Amen, and much love,

Silke

WOW!

I just lived through a "mini" snow blizzard! We had 10 inches of snow in 2 days! While it snowed, it even had lightning (in purple!) and thunder! It was literally, AWESOME! Yesterday, I got to make snowangels, shovel my driveway (to get INTO the garage); got stuck in the snow in the driveway... and enjoy a warm cozy fireplace while watching a movie last night... because all events (class and Access) were cancelled! Then I woke up, and it's 9 degrees out (Fahrenheit; so it's freezing!), all white, frozen, and full of clear blue skies and sunshine! This is winter like it ought to be!!!

Silke

Just another day...

It was just another day here in Madison. Grey, cloudy, and lately, just a hint of snow... I baked a lot, for a little Valentine's Tea Party I'm having at my place tomorrow, and I decorated and made small Valentines... All that was much, much fun. Never mind the cleaning, mail, laundry, and taxes still aren't done... I'll put up some pictures for you all to see; Gina, there was the snow from the other night (sorry you weren't here; I got the camera out just to share with you), and then, to go with it, the warm fireplace. For Gail, a picture of us at the "Beat the Winter Blues Ball" last night, and, the best part, of my first fried piece of work, a homemade German Donut (Fastnachtskrapfen)!

Silke

Ultimate Worship...

So, does it ever happen to y'all that you run into worship when you don't plan it, but when you go somewhere in order to worship, it's a little out of focus? Yeah, it was like that tonight... I was leaving work around 10:15 (that's late, even for me), walking to my car in the dark, listening to "Blessed be the Name" and then "Steal Away." And as I walked, I felt like God was singing to me, a love song (so timely in February), in the middle of a dark, starry night, that I just realized how infinitely loved I already am... and how even leaving work late was God's perfect timing for my life, for that night, for our "little moment together." All I had to respond with was: "God, I love you, too!" and "All glory to You!"

Silke :)

P.S. Jess, Karen, and I went to the concert last Friday... (I'm the little one:)