Updates

Since it recently occurred to me that I hadn't posted any updates on the CD I'm working on for over a month . . .

(Sorry the pictures are a little grainy.  I hate to use the flash, and I wanted to keep the original lighting.)

Well, in the past month, I've gotten pretty much nowhere.

I've been so busy

(And so lazy)

That I haven't been recording half as much as I should've . . .

I finally sat down today to do one more,

And was reminded of why I've had no motivation to record . . .

The thermometer read eighty-three when I entered my un-air-conditioned room,

An open door and a fan blowing cooler air down the hall brought it down a whole degree to eighty-two.

I stood in front of the fan for as long as I could warming up,

Kept the door open as I went through the song a couple of times,

But once the microphone was on and the file name typed in there was no way to avoid it.

The fan had to be turned off.

The door had to be shut.

My room was hot.

I don't know how I ever would've survived before the invention of air-conditioning.

I was far too warm and got a tad bit dizzy once or twice.

It didn't help that I had a giant pair of headphones on my head.

After I recorded the song the first four times, I took a break.

Shortly thereafter, I returned to record four more times.

I managed to record one more before I heard voices down the hall.

Two siblings were talking as they prepared to go outside.

I reminded them what I was doing and asked them to be quiet,

Then returned to my room to record again.

The next recording went pretty well,

But, when I finished, I found out where outside my siblings were going -

Right outside my bedroom window.

So, after six recordings, I had to call it quits.

Hopefully one of them will be good enough.

If not, I'll have to record the song again.

On the bright side, the experience was somewhat enjoyable, as the song I recorded is one of my favorites,

Based on a couple of verses I'd heard a sermon on,

(Though not based on the sermon at all -

At the time he was preaching it, I was writing the song instead of paying attention.)

Accompaniment with all minor chords.

Personally, I think it sounds pretty cool,

Though it might be a tad repetitive.

(I do have a somewhat biased perspective, after all.)

The lyrics are some of my favorites, though,

So I'm really looking forward to seeing this on the CD.

Here are the numbers:

1 song mixed,

8 songs recorded (including the one that's mixed),

4 more to record,

Of those 4,

1 has an accompaniment,

3 only have chords.

Total of 12 songs (I miscounted last time; reconsidering the bonus song idea.)

(Compared to what I think was 1, 5, 7, 4, 0, and 12 from last month's -

I guess I've made some progress.)

Also, I've been working on a few ideas for cover art . . .

Hoping to start executing them soon . . .

Well, that's the update!

I'll let you know when something more gets done . . . I hope :)

Thanks for reading!!!


 

The Inside

I'd put too much soap in again.

As I plunged the washcloth into the plastic cup, it squirted out into the other side of the sink.

I began to move the cloth around inside the cup,

Cleaning away the grime.

I always clean the inside first.

Whether it's habit or common sense, I don't know.

After all, the inside of the dish is where the food goes.

The outside hardly gets dirty.

I tell my siblings to do this, too, when they wash dishes,

To make sure the inside gets very clean.

I tell them that Jesus said this, too -

That the inside is what's dirty.

If you clean the inside,

The outside will be clean, too.

The problem is,

I find myself applying this wisdom to dishes so often

That I forget that it was meant to be applied to my life.

When a dear friend shared some of her deepest secrets with me,

It got me thinking about my own secrets,

The things I keep tucked away in the darkest recesses of my own heart.

I spend so much time presenting myself well,

Acting like I'm something I'm not,

Like I'm better than I really am . . .

I am so good at acting like I'm perfect

(Well, as close as humanly possible)

That sometimes I forget I'm not.

I work so hard to clean the outside of the dish,

That I assume the inside is becoming clean as well,

Or maybe even believe that it is clean.

I forget all of the filth I have stored up in there,

All the stuff that's going to take a lot more scrubbing than I'm capable of.

In fact, that might be why I ignore its existence.

I can't control it, so I focus on what I can control -

My outward appearance.

I wipe away the tiny specks from the outside of the dish,

And no one ever sees what's going on in my heart.

As I stand at the sink and piece together all these thoughts,

Start to really look at the state of my heart,

I can see just a glimpse of how ugly I really am,

And I remember sermons and verses

And one night when my friends and I decided to do what we were supposed to,

Split up into groups and started confessing sins,

The deep, dark places of our hearts,

The things we just don't tell people -

Caught up the way we are

(No matter how hard we try not to be)

In this culture -

Even this church culture -

Where we're so occupied with how we look on the outside

(Whether or not we go to church every week,

How much time we spend in prayer,

How much money we give away, . . .)

That we forget that it's the inside of the dish that needs to be clean.

So I decide it's time to do what I should've been doing all along -

Should be doing on a regular basis.

I tip the cup

And let someone else see the mess I really am.

I struggle with things that most Christians think are acceptable -

TV, computer -

Not that I think they're bad, just that I use them too much,

Let them shift my focus away from God.

I can be very mean to my siblings,

Yell far more often than I should,

Not show them the love I feel for them.

I complain about things that don't really matter -

And enjoy it.

I'm a control freak and a perfectionist,

Yet I'm also lazy at the same time.

I make myself appear much more humble than I am,

Don't let anyone know that I struggle with pride and too much self-love.

I run away from those I don't agree with,

Rather than correcting in love

Or agreeing to disagree.

I don't use my imagination the right way,

Thinking up all kinds of dark scenarios,

Even making it a form of idol-worship.

I don't fight the sin in my life enough.

Sometimes, I don't think I really fight it at all.

When I do fight it, I find that I'm losing, and quickly give up.

I don't hate it the way I should.

I don't weep over it the way I should.

I just let it be.

See?

Told you I was dirty -

And that's just the things that are easy to identify.

It's such an abundance of grace and mercy

To know that someOne loves someone as ugly as me

Enough to scrub away the filth that's built up,

The product of my naturally-messed-up heart,

And change me into something so different from what I have been,

Though I still have a long, long way to go.

Almost as beautiful

Is to see that grace and mercy working in someone else,

To know that you can tip the cup

And let them see

And they will never leave your side,

No matter how ugly you really are.

 
I run clean water over the outside of the plastic cup,

Washing away the suds,

But first I rinse the bubbles out of the inside,

Now shining and white and beautiful.

Acts 19:18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.

Proverbs 28:13

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
    but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

James 5:13-16

New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

I'm sorry, I was gone a lot this week,

But reasons 1708-1732 today,

Looking at who God is,

Contrasting it with who I am,

Letting it bring a whole new meaning to everything I thought I knew:

1708. He takes people from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appoints them as rulers over His people (1 Chronicles 17:7)
1709. He is with those whom He has chosen wherever they go (1 Chronicles 17:8)
1710. He cuts off all enemies from before the one whom He has chosen (1 Chronicles 17:8)
1711. He makes the name of the one He has chosen like the names of the greatest men on earth (1 Chronicles 17:8)
1712. He provides a place for His people (1 Chronicles 17:9)
1713. He keeps the wicked from oppressing His people (1 Chronicles 17:9-10)
1714. He subdues all the enemies of the one He has chosen (1 Chronicles 17:10)
1715. He raises up the offspring of the one He has chosen (1 Chronicles 17:11)
1716. He does great things for the sake of His servant (1 Chronicles 17:19)
1717. He makes known great promises for the sake of His servant (1 Chronicles 17:19)
1718. He makes known great promises according to His will (1 Chronicles 17:19)
1719. What He blesses is blessed forever (1 Chronicles 17:27)
1720. He gives victory to His servant, wherever His servant goes (1 Chronicles 17:6)
1721. He does what is good in His sight (1 Chronicles 17:13)
1722. He punishes His nation for commands that are evil in His sight (1 Chronicles 21:7)
1723. His mercy is very great (1 Chronicles 21:13)
1724. When He speaks to the angel, the angel puts his sword back into its sheath (1 Chronicles 21:27)
1725. He grants rest to His people (1 Chronicles 23:25)
1726. His wrath comes to His people on account of numbering which He did not approve (1 Chronicles 27:24)
1727. He searches every heart (1 Chronicles 28:9)
1728. He understands every desire (1 Chronicles 28:9)
1729. He understands every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9)
1730. He allows those who seek Him to find Him (1 Chronicles 28:9)
1731. He rejects forever those who forsake Him (1 Chronicles 28:9)
1732. He will not forsake those who do His work until all the work is finished (1 Chronicles 28:20)

Counting 10,000 Reasons to worship Him: 

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Counting in community:

Wind and Rain

We were in the car when we got the call.

We had been inside,

But I saw the lightning and suggested we leave,

Drive the less-than-a-mile to where we had to go

So the two of us who were participating that evening would not get wet.

We went out to the car,

Started driving,

And then we got the call.

Everything for that night was cancelled.

We wouldn't be participating in anything.

I wouldn't get to say the part I'd spent weeks working on.

We were to get back to the building we were staying in and go as low as we could,

Get under the ground, away from the windows.

The storm was going to be very bad.

I started praying.

I remembered what some of my friends from another part of the state had said earlier,

How they'd found out about a tornado that had struck their town,

How worried they were, being away, not knowing . . .

Looking through the windshield

At dust - dust!  even with all the grass there that should have been holding it down - blowing everywhere,

Tree branches breaking and flying sideways,

Sky showing hints of green,

And,

Never having seen a tornado,

I wasn't terribly sure I'd still be able to say that in a couple more hours.

I'd never seen a storm like it in my life.

Thank You, God, for the warning.

We drove up in front of the building.

I struggled getting out of the car in my fancy dress,

Lifted my floor-length, poofy skirt up a few inches,

And "walked" as quickly as I could (in a bit of a heel) into the building.

We went immediately to the stairway

And climbed down a flight

To find the friends whose hometown had been hit earlier,

Along with some other girls,

Hiding there already.

There was some space at the bottom of the stairwell

And a door that opened into a tiny room full of doors:

The elevator,

The boiler room.

Something in the boiler room was making strange sounds.

We decided not to hide in there.

Instead, we all stood in that small space.

And I prayed.

The lights flickered.

Girls still afraid due to the news they'd received voiced their fear.

Something made a creepy noise.

Then the lights went out.

Standing in that small room,

Hearing strange noises,

In that moment when the lights went out,

I felt like I was riding Disney's Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The room was the right size,

The elevator was right behind me,

There was definitely a storm going on outside.

There were so many similarities that I could almost hear the theme music.

Fortunately, the floor was still firmly beneath my feet.

Thank You, God, that we're safe.

I took out my cell phone and dialed a number,

Afraid not for myself,

But for my mom and my grandma who had been driving down to see me.

I talked to them just long enough to tell them that what they'd wanted to see had been cancelled

And then someone must have lost service.

I called them several times in the next hour,

Usually not reaching them,

And with every time that I couldn't reach them,

I worried that there was a reason more serious than a lack of service.

And I prayed.

Experienced teachers calmed the frightened girls.

We ventured out a little and sat down on the stairwell,

Then it was deemed safe enough to go up to the first floor lounge.

Someone allowed me to quickly go up to my room and change,

Even came with me to get me out of the fancy dress with the lace-up back.

I finally got ahold of my mother.

She and Grandma made it safely to the building where we were staying,

Talked with me for fifteen minutes before starting the long drive home.

They spoke of pouring rain and fallen trees.

I thanked God that He had gotten them there safely.

The storm had almost passed.

Thank You, God, that it's over.

We sat in the lounge listening to the annoying, high-pitched emergency sounds for awhile,

Then we went outside and sat on the picnic tables.

Someone brought popcorn that had been popped for a now-cancelled party.

Someone called someone and someone came and turned off the horrible emergency sounds.

Someone told us that everyone in our group was safe.

No one had been hurt.

Those who had been at dinner were returned to the buildings they were staying in.

Those who hadn't had dinner were ferried over to the dining hall.

We went up to our rooms and opened the blinds,

Left our doors open to let light into the hallways.

Despite the power loss, our floor still had water.

I was able to take a hot (albeit dark) shower.

We went to bed not knowing what would happen the next day.

And I prayed.

While we were asleep,

Roads were cleaned up,

Branches and fallen trees moved out of the way.

The emergency generators died.

All light that had been in the dorms was no longer.

The Red Cross declared the entire county a disaster area

(A thunderstorm - a natural disaster!)

And took over the building our group had been using to meet in.

I got a wake-up call,

Got out of bed,

And got dressed for what I assumed would be happening that morning.

Then I heard it through the halls:

Meeting.

I hurried over to where the other girls were.

The adults told us that everything had been cancelled.

We were packing up and going home.

  
There were tears in my eyes as I saw all that I'd been looking forward to all year come to an end in a single instant,

But I did as I was told and packed as quickly as possible.

When we drove off, the future was uncertain.

Would we come together again?

Would we be able to finish what had been started?

Thank You, God.  Even now.

Two weeks later, some of us went back -

Probably less than half of what had been there originally.

We wrapped things up quickly,

Made an all-day event take half a day,

Left some things undone,

But at least there was a sense of closure.

One year ended, and the next began,

And the God who was with us through the storm,

Who heard our prayers in the midst of the wind and the rain,

Who answered in the way He wanted, not the way we wanted,

Reminded us again of the rainbow He stretched across the sky,

Reminded us of the covenant He made,

Reminded us of His promise that the waters would never again destroy all life,

And reminded us that He is faithful.

Always.

No matter what. 

Counting reasons 1627-1707 today,

Looking at who He is -

Faithful,

In control,

The One and Only God,

And letting what we see cause us to praise,

Even in the midst of the wind and the rain.

1627. He does not turn away from the heat of His fierce anger (2 Kings 23:26)
1628. He does not turn away from the heat of His fierce anger, which burns against His nation because of the great evil done to arouse His anger (2 Kings 23:27)
1629. He sends raiders against evil kings to destroy His nation (2 Kings 24:2)
1630. He sends raiders against evil kings to destroy His nation in accordance with the word He proclaimed through His servants the prophets (2 Kings 24:2)
1631. He sends raiders against evil kings to destroy His nation according to His command (2 Kings 24:2-3)
1632. He sends raiders against evil kings to destroy His nation to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh (2 Kings 24:2-3)
1633. He sends raiders against evil kings to destroy His nation to remove them from His presence because of all Manasseh had done, including the shedding of innocent blood (2 Kings 24:2-4)
1634. He is not willing to forgive the filling of Jerusalem with innocent blood (2 Kings 24:4)
1635. Events happen as He has declared (2 Kings 24:13-14)
1636. Because of His anger at evil, He thrusts His city and His nation from His presence (2 Kings 24:19-20)
1637. He grants the requests of the honorable who cry out to Him (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1638. He blesses the honorable who ask (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1639. He enlarges the territories of the honorable who ask (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1640. His hand is with the honorable who ask (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1641. He keeps the honorable who ask from harm (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1642. He allows the honorable who ask to be free from pain (1 Chronicles 4:9-10)
1643. He delivers the enemy into the hands of His people when they cry out to Him during the battle (1 Chronicles 5:20)
1644. He answers the prayers of those who trust in Him (1 Chronicles 5:20)
1645. The battle is His (1 Chronicles 5:22)
1646. Many enemies are slain, because the battle is His (1 Chronicles 5:22)
1647. One hundred thousand people are taken captive, because the battle is His (1 Chronicles 5:21-22)
1648. Many livestock are seized, because the battle is His (1 Chronicles 5:21-22)
1649. The land is occupied until the exile, because the battle was His (1 Chronicles 5:22)
1650. He stirs up the spirits of enemy kings (1 Chronicles 5:26)
1651. He causes enemy kings to take the unfaithful into exile (1 Chronicles 5:25-26)
1652. Those who are unfaithful to Him He puts to death (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
1653. Those who do not keep His word He puts to death (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
1654. Those who consult mediums for guidance and do not inquire of Him He puts to death (1 Chronicles 10:13-14)
1655. He turns over kingdoms from those He had put to death to those whom He chooses (1 Chronicles 10:14)
1656. He provides shepherds for His people (1 Chronicles 11:2)
1657. He provides rulers for His people (1 Chronicles 11:2)
1658. His servant is anointed king, just as He had promised (1 Chronicles 11:3)
1659. He makes people powerful (1 Chronicles 11:9)
1660. Those whom He is with are powerful (1 Chronicles 11:9)
1661. Those whom He is with become more and more powerful (1 Chronicles 11:9)
1662. He extends the kingship of those He has chosen over the whole land (1 Chronicles 11:10)
1663. He extends the kingship of those He has chosen over the whole land, as He had promised (1 Chronicles 11:10)
1664. His army is great (1 Chronicles 12:22)
1665. His anger burns against those who put their hands on His ark (1 Chronicles 13:10)
1666. He strikes down those who put their hands on His ark (1 Chronicles 13:10)
1667. His wrath breaks out against those who put their hands on His ark (1 Chronicles 13:10-11)
1668. He blesses those who care for His ark (1 Chronicles 13:14)
1669. He blesses all that those who care for His ark have (1 Chronicles 13:14)
1670. He establishes His servant as king over Israel (1 Chronicles 14:2)
1671. He breaks out in anger because the Levites did not bring up His ark (1 Chronicles 15:13)
1672. He breaks out in anger because His people did not inquire of Him about how to move the ark in the prescribed way (1 Chronicles 15:13)
1673. He helps the Levites who carry His ark (1 Chronicles 15:27)
1674. His Name is to be proclaimed (1 Chronicles 16:8)
1675. His acts are wonderful (1 Chronicles 16:9)
1676. His Holy Name is to be gloried in (1 Chronicles 16:10)
1677. He is Strong (1 Chronicles 16:11)
1678. He does wonders (1 Chronicles 16:12)
1679. He does miracles (1 Chronicles 16:12)
1680. He pronounces judgments (1 Chronicles 16:12)
1681. His judgments are in all the earth (1 Chronicles 16:14)
1682. He remembers His covenant forever (1 Chronicles 16:15)
1683. He remembers the promise He made for a thousand generations (1 Chronicles 16:15)
1684. He confirms His covenant as a decree (1 Chronicles 16:16-17)
1685. He confirms the oath He swore as a decree (1 Chronicles 16:16-17)
1686. He confirms His covenant as everlasting (1 Chronicles 16:16-17)
1687. He confirms the oath He swore as an everlasting covenant (1 Chronicles 16:16-17)
1688. He allowed no one to oppress His people (1 Chronicles 16:19-21)
1689. For His people's sake, He rebuked kings (1 Chronicles 16:19-21)
1690. He did not allow His anointed ones to be touched (1 Chronicles 16:19-22)
1691. He did not allow His prophets to be harmed (1 Chronicles 16:19-22)
1692. His salvation is to be proclaimed (1 Chronicles 16:23)
1693. His Glory is to be declared among the nations (1 Chronicles 16:24)
1694. His marvelous deeds are to be declared among all peoples (1 Chronicles 16:24)
1695. He is most worthy of praise (1 Chronicles 16:25)
1696. He is to be feared above all gods (1 Chronicles 16:25)
1697. He made the heavens (1 Chronicles 16:26)
1698. Splendor is before Him (1 Chronicles 16:27)
1699. Majesty is before Him (1 Chronicles 16:27)
1700. Strength is His dwelling place (1 Chronicles 16:27)
1701. Joy is His dwelling place (1 Chronicles 16:27)
1702. He is the Lord of Glory and Strength (1 Chronicles 16:28)
1703. He is to be worshiped in the splendor of His Holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29)
1704. The earth ought to tremble before Him (1 Chronicles 16:30)
1705. He has firmly established the world; it cannot be moved (1 Chronicles 16:30)
1706. He reigns (1 Chronicles 16:31)
1707. He comes to judge the earth (1 Chronicles 16:33)

Counting 10,000 Reasons to worship Him:

(Take the challenge with us!)

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Counting in community:

Yes

I hope I was never this bad as a child.

It was rough.

I was told that one of the kids in my cabin probably had the worst attitude of them all.

I gave instructions frequently,

Yelled as little as possible, but still more than I usually yell in a year.

I hope I was never this bad as a child.

I made it through most of the week.

Friday, they started screaming at each other.

I had one girl crying because another was being mean to her in the pool,

The other girl was intentionally trying to irritate her.

I was going on my second week of very little sleep at night.

I finally managed to separate them,

Talked to them one at a time,

Starting with the irritator.

She said that she didn't care about anyone but herself,

That, if someone yelled at or hit her, she had the right to hit back,

That she didn't care who that person was or if they got hurt,

That she wasn't going to be nice because she was not a nice person,

That she wouldn't ignore the other person because she had the right to retaliate,

That . . .

And I'm just sitting there,

With no idea how I'm going to survive the next twelve hours,

No way to get through to this girl,

No way to make her understand,

And I'm sure I should've had some profound Biblical wisdom at that point,

But nothing I could think of would've gotten through to her any more than anything else I'd said that week,

And how do I make this girl understand?

I felt like I would go crazy.

I talked to the other girl, too,

The one who was being irritated,

Asked her to try to ignore the irritator,

Try to stay away from her,

Not to talk to her.

"She hates me," she said.

I couldn't dispute that.

The irritator had told me as much herself.

I got them out of the cabin about twenty minutes late.

We went up to hear the storytelling.

I recounted the events to a higher authority,

Someone with more experience.

The best she could tell me?

"It's only twelve more hours."

I wanted to cry.

In fact, I was on the verge of a total meltdown for the next hour or so.

My nose kept running,

My eyes kept filling with tears.

Fortunately, I had stocked my bag with plenty of tissues.

My mind was still in the cabin,

Still trying to sort through everything that had happened,

How I was going to survive with those two living in the same room for one more day.

I didn't hear much of the story of Jonah and the Whale,

Barely registered the story of Jesus calming the waves,

But when he got to the next "story", my ears tuned themselves in.

"The Lord is my shepherd . . ."

The tears filled my eyes again.

"I shall not want."

I know every word of this Psalm,

Had to memorize it a long time ago for Sunday School.

It's never meant quite this to me before, though.

It has to be one of the most beautiful promises in the Bible, this Psalm,

That He is taking care of us, no matter what is going on outside -

Or inside.

I tried to stop myself from crying -

Crying because that promise had never seemed more distant,

Crying because I was as spiritually exhausted as I was physically exhausted,

Crying because I was dying to get away -

To pray,

Preferably somewhere in the middle of the woods,

Maybe sneak away to a piano,

Play "How He Loves"

- And I couldn't.

But the promise remained,

And, as long as he was speaking,

Those tears didn't leave my eyes.

I survived the next twelve hours,

Managed to get through on not enough sleep.

After they'd all left and all was quiet,

We went down to the benches overlooking the cross,

White and hidden there among the trees.

We spoke of all that had happened that week.

Everyone agreed -

Even those that had been counseling back when I was a camper -

That it was the most difficult week of camp they'd ever experienced.

But one person said something I didn't notice -

That, when he told the stories,

Every single child,

Every child who could never sit still for more than ten seconds,

Every child who would never be quiet,

Devoted all of his or her attention to the words of the storyteller,

Hardly moving,

Not speaking at all.

We told a few stories of hints that we might've made a difference,

Might've helped these young and difficult kids to grow, learn to listen,

And we just sat,

There in the presence of the hope that had been there all along,

The promise that made even the most wild kids sit and listen in wonder.

"Let us know next year, when we send out the emails again."

And,

Exhausted and overwhelmed,

Far too close to the craziness of week,

I already know I'll say yes.

Yes, I'll do this again.

Even if next year is as bad as this year.

Even if it doesn't make a difference.

Why?

I don't know.

Maybe it's just that promise,

Just that hope,

Just that symbol in the woods,

Symbol that's been standing there for as long as I can remember -

All it represents.

Yes.

My answer is yes.

Counting reasons 1575-1626 today,

Because the promise depends on who He is,

The hope on what He is capable of,

And my soul on understanding it all to the best of my ability.

1575. He is with those who hold fast to Him (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1576. He is with those who do not stop following Him (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1577. He is with those who keep the commands He has given (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1578. He makes successful those who hold fast to Him (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1579. He makes successful those who do not stop following Him (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1580. He makes successful those who keep the commands He has given (2 Kings 18:6-7)
1581. He allows those who violate His covenant to be captured (2 Kings 18:10-12)
1582. He allows those who violate His covenant to be deported (2 Kings 18:11-12)
1583. He makes enemy kings want to return to their own country (2 Kings 19:7)
1584. He has enemy kings cut down with the sword (2 Kings 19:7)
1585. He is enthroned between the cherubim (2 Kings 19:15)
1586. He alone is God over all the kingdoms of the earth (2 Kings 19:15)
1587. He is the Holy One of Israel (2 Kings 19:22)
1588. He ordained all things long ago (2 Kings 19:25)
1589. He planned all things in days of old (2 Kings 19:25)
1590. He brings to pass that which He has planned (2 Kings 19:25)
1591. He knows where people are (2 Kings 19:27)
1592. He knows when people come and when they go (2 Kings 19:27)
1593. He knows how people rage against Him (2 Kings 19:27)
1594. He puts His hook in the noses of those who rage against Him (2 Kings 19:27)
1595. He puts His bit in the mouths of those who rage against Him (2 Kings 19:27)
1596. He makes those who rage against Him return by the way they came (2 Kings 19:27)
1597. He provides enough food for His people – just from what grows by itself – for two years (2 Kings 19:29)
1598. He defends His city for His sake (2 Kings 19:34)
1599. He defends His city for the sake of David His servant (2 Kings 19:34)
1600. He saves His city for His sake (2 Kings 19:34)
1601. He saves His city for the sake of David His servant (2 Kings 19:34)
1602. At His command, His angel puts to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in one night (2 Kings 19:35)
1603. He sees tears (2 Kings 20:5)
1604. He heals those who were going to die (2 Kings 20:1-5)
1605. He adds fifteen years to the life of one who was going to die (2 Kings 20:1-6)
1606. He makes shadows move back ten steps (2 Kings 20:9-11)
1607. He brings such disaster that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle (2 Kings 20:12)
1608. He stretches out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria (2 Kings 20:13)
1609. He stretches out over Jerusalem the plumb line used against the house of Ahab (2 Kings 20:13)
1610. He wipes out Jerusalem as one wipes out a dish (2 Kings 20:13)
1611. He wipes out Jerusalem and turns it upside-down (2 Kings 20:13)
1612. He forsakes the remnant of His inheritance that has done evil (2 Kings 21:11-14)
1613. He gives the remnant of His inheritance that has done evil into the hands of His enemies (2 Kings 21:11-14)
1614. He allows the remnant of His inheritance that has done evil to be looted and plundered by all their enemies (2 Kings 21:11-14)
1615. His anger that burns against those who do not obey the words of the Book of the Law is great (2 Kings 22:11-13)
1616. His anger that burns against those who have not acted in accordance with all that is written in the Book of the Law concerning the people is great (2 Kings 22:11-13)
1617. He brings disaster on the place and the people who disobey what is written in His book (2 Kings 22:16)
1618. He brings disaster on the place and the people according to everything that is written in His book (2 Kings 22:16)
1619. He brings disaster on the place and the people because they have forsaken Him and burned incense to other gods (2 Kings 22:16-17)
1620. He brings disaster on the place and the people because they have aroused His anger by all the idols their hands have made (2 Kings 22:16-17)
1621. He hears those whose heart is responsive when they hear what He has spoken against the place and the people (2 Kings 22:19)
1622. He hears those who humble themselves before Him when they hear what He has spoken against the place and the people (2 Kings 22:19)
1623. He hears those who tear their robes and weep in His presence when they hear that the place and the people will become a curse (2 Kings 22:19)
1624. He hears those who tear their robes and weep in His presence when they hear that the place and the people will be laid waste (2 Kings 22:19)
1625. He hears those who are responsive and allows them to be buried in peace (2 Kings 22:19-20)
1626. He hears those who are responsive and keeps them from seeing the disaster He is going to bring on the place and the people (2 Kings 22:19-20)

Counting 10,000 Reasons to worship Him:

(Take the challenge with us!)

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Counting in community: