#oneshotonly

This is the reality of Seika-Saiden (生花祭壇), where Japanese florists dedicate their lives to creating a miracle of beauty in just one moment.

👉 Watch the full short here:

I don't need to be your everything.

Just let me be someone.

Let me be me.

While you can be you.

So then if life let's us be ourselves together,

http://oneshotonly454.blogspot.com/2011/11/you-hold-me-now.html

I first heard this song probably my 8th grade year at SFC's annual Spiritual Emphasis Week. The song is beautiful, but it's the lyrics that really touched me.

On that day when I see All that You have for me When I see You face to face There surrounded by Your grace All my fear is swept away In the light of your embrace When Your love is all I need And forever I am free Where the streets are made of gold In Your presence healed and whole Let the songs of heaven rise to you alone No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now You hold me now No darkness no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now In this life I will stand Through my joy and my pain Knowing there's a greater day There's a hope that never fails When Your name is lifted high And forever praises rise For the glory of Your Name I'm believing for the day When the wars and violence cease All creation lives in peace Let the songs of heaven rise to you alone No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now You hold me now No darkness, no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now For eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your name For eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your name For eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your name For eternity All my heart will give All the glory to Your name No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now You hold me now No darkness no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now You hold me now No darkness no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now No weeping, no hurt or pain No suffering You hold me now You hold me now No darkness no sick or lame No hiding You hold me now, You hold me now

I know we've all gone through enough to say that we don't want anymore pain in our life. I know I don't.. Here on earth we are offered many ways to achieve this painfree life. But in truth, only through God we will receive it. God takes away all the sin we've made and will make. His blood washes it white as snow.

Isn't that amazing though? One day there's going to be no pain.. no sickness.. no crying.. Just joy in Him. There's still hope.

I'm super psyched for tomorrow cause I'm singing this with the Worship Team during chapel. We're doing You Hold Me Now* & How He Loves Us*. Both are great songs. When JC announced that we were going to sing this, I was so happy. This song has touched my heart in ways I can't begin to expand on. I hope some students in the pews will be touched too.

http://oneshotonly454.blogspot.com/2011/11/blessings-in-disguise.html

Blessings in Disguise

On Thanksgiving we look back on the year and at all the blessings that God's given to us. We sit down at the table and hold hands and say a prayer. “Dear Lord, thank you for everything you've done this year. Thank you for keeping little Sally and little John safe this year. Thank you for providing for us. Thank you that we've had food on our table all year long. Thank you for another day of life. Bless this food that we are about to eat. In Jesus' name, amen.” Then we all smile and dig into our food. But why is it that on the fourth Thursday of November we think more upon the blessings in our life. I mean, yes, we should be very thankful for them. Like it says in James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” But what about the trials we had to go through the past year? Without any of that, we would not be where and who we are today. So much as I hate everything that I've had to go through. . . As much as I would gladly like to take back all my tears and anger, I know I can't. But above that I know I don't want to. I mean 2011 has been so good to me yet so bad. I have both some of the greatest memories and some of my worst contained in these eleven months. If I had not gone through all of the bad, I would have never seen the good. Like they say, you have to have some rain in order to see a rainbow.

One Sunday I went with Sergio to attend K'lla's church. They were having this PAAM thing going on and had the people in the church perform. One woman sang a solo. Though I didn't know the title of her song, the bits and pieces of its lyrics spoke to me.

“'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops” “What if Your healing comes through tears”

I actually completely forgot about the song but last night I was listening to Pandora in bed. The station was based off of Hillsong, and a really nice song start playing. The lyrics sounded so familiar! I bookmarked it and searched it up today. Then I remembered where I had heard this.

The song's message is something I am still trying to learn this year. For years I have been angry at God and myself for the abyss I've fallen into. Bad choices kept piling one after another over and over and over again until finally I didn't know how to get out. It's taken be about. . . three years to turn around. In those few years, I searched for a way out but never turned to God fully. I mean I prayed to Him and believed in His Word, but still something was missing. I kept going my way. I kept pushing for what I thought was right. I kept running to places where I thought I'd be happy. But honestly? It left a hole that still is present today. The more I ran, the more lost I became. But no matter how hard, how far, how long you run. Eventually someone will find you or you will find someone.

Everything- every word, every action, every choice, every fight, every tear, every cuss word, every sleepless night, every happy day, every smile, every laugh, every breathe- has led up to this. Everything has brought me back to God. It took me a long time to realize that I was running from Him. It took me a long time to come back. And it might even take a long time to still fix up this mind, heart, and soul of mine. But the thing I know and am certain of today? I know it can be done. We go through trials and sufferings so that we might be transformed and become like Christ.

So thank you, God, for the blessings in disguise you've placed before me. For without them I would have never realized that I have to change. For without them I would have never had the chance to grow closer to my family. For without them I would not be the person I am today. For without them I would have never discovered my motivation. For without them I would have never found You.

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops What if Your healing comes through tears And what if a thousand sleepless night Are what it takes to know You’re near What if my greatest disappointments Or the aching of this life Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy And what if trials of this life The rain, the storms, the hardest nights Are Your mercies in disguise

-LaniForonda.

November 24, 2011

http://oneshotonly454.blogspot.com/2011/11/14365.html

What God wants : For me to love What I'm going to do :

I will remind myself that I need to forgive daily

I will constantly tell myself that love is not holding grudges

I will tell myself that if I love God, I will love others too

I will let at least one person a day know that they are somebody

I will be nicer and show kindness even when I don't feel like I need to

I will remind myself how it feels to not be loved and keep in mind that no one should feel that way