My Chains Are Gone

It's natural to worship.

On Friday afternoon, as the result of a series of random events, I ended up at Furman with my beautiful friend Abigail. Don't you love a good unplanned reunion? It's sweet and unexpected like finding your favorite t-shirt that you lost and thought was gone forever.

It was a gorgeous day.  The kind of day that would be perfect for an outdoor wedding.  Abigail grabbed her ukulele and we headed to the outdoor amphitheater to jam out.  She has just recently started learning how to play the instrument, and is already quite good at it.  We sang a few worship songs and then got stuck on Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone). We must have sung it at least three times.  We were singing with reckless abandonment,  in an unabashedly,
slightly embarrassing,
 free your soul kind of way.
The way you would sing in the shower if you thought no one was listening,
 praising the Lord,
hopelessly in love with the God who created ukuleles and vocal cords.

My chains are gone
I've been set free
my God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy rains
Unending love, Amazing Grace

After we had stopped to give our throats a break, a man and his son walked up to us in the amphitheater.

"Just wanted ya'll to know, your voices are carrying all over this place.
It sounds beautiful. I'm a christian, and this is a spiritually dead place, and your voices are a light. Keep singing."

We thanked him profusely for the encouragement as he turned and left, pushing his baby son in a stroller back through the grass.

Guest blogger: Jabez Waters

It's natural to have opinions.


I have never done a book review on my blog, so I though today would be a good day to hire a guest blogger to do the job. 


 My 12 year old brother, Jabez Daniel, recently read a book.


Here's what he thought of it...

The book The Golden Goblet was a good book at first but my overview is I despised it.  I really did not like it at all.  If I am to persuade you, DO NOT read this because I loathed it.  The book isn't great, and not really my type of read.  Honestly, I really didn't like it much.  I hope next year the books are a lot better, chosen maybe by the kids themselves.  But I don't understand why the teachers don't see that the kids think this book is horrible, boring, and hard to understand.  Another overview of mine is that the book was the worst book I ever read in my entire life.  I could sum this book up in less that a minute- "There is this kid named Ranofer he works in a gold shop and his step brother Gebu steals a lot of gold THE END." If we were allowed to have the book I would definitely burn it.  So in my opinion this book was awful, boring, stupid, dumb, horrible, and I extremely disliked this book.  I will go to every kid in my neighborhood that is going to 6th grade and tell them all the stupid books that the teachers pick out for us but maybe they will be lucky and get to choose their own books.  Good day to you teachers reading this essay and good luck trying to get kids next year to read the Golden Goblet.

Jabez says: if any of my teachers are reading this than I'll be giving this same paper to Mrs. Herring on 5\31\11...just give me a day. I am Natalie's brother Jabez Waters and I am in 6th grade. I like collecting model air planes and boats. My favorite movies are Jaws and Godzilla.  I think my sister's blog is nice.

Oh Eye See

It's natural to look backwards. 


Yesterday, I got new glasses. My first new pair since 8th grade. I remember the day that I found out I had to get glasses.  It was about three days after I was told I would need braces. Yay adolescence! 


When I picked up my glasses from the eye doctor, I opened the seemingly ordinary case to discover this:

I think they are Elizabeth Taylor's. 

Even though I have renewed vision, today I cannot help but look backwards. 

Adele rocks. 


Also, watch Tarzan and Jane have a conversation. 

1 Samuel 12:16

Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!

Summer Ten

It's natural to have a summer playlist. I've pick some of my favorites tunes of late for you. These are the  kind of songs that beg for you to role down the windows, forget that you did your hair that morning, and serenade whatever is listening.

Enjoy!

She & Him- Sweet Darlin' 

"Sweet darling, come hold me, just a little bit longer now"

Edward Shark and the Magnetic Zeros - Home 

"Man, oh man, you're my best friend
I scream it to the nothingness
There ain't nothing that I need.
Well, hot and heavy, pumpkin pie
Chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
Ain't nothing please me more than you"

Joshua James - Coal War 

"I ain't cutting my hair till the good lord comes- arrive upon the mountain just to see what we have done"

Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? 

"We were sittin' up there on your momma's roof
Talkin' bout everything under the moon

With the smell of honeysuckle and your perfume

All I could think about was my next move"

Ingrid Michaelson - You and I 

"Oh, let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the South of France
let's get rich and give everybody nice sweaters

and teach them how to dance"

Avril Lavigne- What the Hell (Don't judge me....it's super catchy and there is more to Avril than her dad's ties and sk8ter boy) 

"Whoaaa what the hell"

Lady Antebellum- American Honey 

"She grew up on the side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows

She grew up good
She grew up slow

Like American honey"

Ryan Adams- Oh My Sweet Carolina 

"Up here in the city feels like things are closing in
The sunsets just my light bulb burning out
I miss Kentucky and I miss my family
All the sweetest winds they blow across the south"

The Avett Brothers- Go To Sleep

"Lay back, lay back, go to sleep my man
Wipe the blood from you face and your hands
Forgive yourself if you think that you can
Go to sleep, go to sleep my man"

Ray LaMontagne- Jolene

"I found myself face down in a ditch
Booze in my hair
Blood in my lips
A picture of you holding a picture of me
In the pocket of my blue jeans
Still don't know what love means"

Two Emotions

To make you laugh,
http://www.scribd.com/doc/56238687/Is-Everyone-Hanging-Out-Without-Me-by-Mindy-Kaling-Excerpt

To make you cry,

Stuck In My Head

It's natural to get a song stuck in your head.
I cannot stop listening to these two.
Duos don't get much better than The Civil Wars.  Their voices blend perfectly together, in a beautiful and often haunting way.
 I'll let you guess which one looks like Johnny Depp.

"Did that full moon force my hand?
Or that unmarked hundred grand?
Ooh underneath the water
Please forgive me father"

"Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine
Oh you think your dreams are the same as mine
Oh I don't love you but I always will"

Possibilites

It's natural to have a slight obsession with Emily Dickinson. My father is actually the one who introduced her to me.  Having loved her for a while,
he felt like the two of us would get along.

I Dwell in Possibly
 Emily Dickinson

I dwell in Possibility--
A fairer House than Prose--
More numerous of Windows--
Superior--for Doors--
Of Chambers as the Cedars--
Impregnable of Eye--
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky--
Of Visitors--the fairest--
For Occupation--This--
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise--