Lounging out in the sun for hours on the beach is exhausting.

My room is almost clean.

I can finally say "toy boat" three times fast.

Paisley is the most adorable girl name I have ever heard.

I need to find a money tree.

Philippians 4:19

I played in the rain today and instantly felt amazing. And cold.

I went for a power walk and then the next day was experiencing a great amount of chest pain. Pretty sure my friend's right... exercising is detrimental to one's heath.

Yesterday, a friend and I were going out to eat by boat. Glory asked if she could come along. Her first answer was no. I saw her face just sink as she tried to hold back tears. I felt like holding back tears just from the look on her face. There was no way I could leave her behind. I asked her a little later after talking it over with my friend, "Glory, do you want to go with us to eat?" "CAN I?!?!" "Sure." I wish I had captured her reaction on video because there's no way on earth I can accurately describe how precious it was. I can say, however, that it involved everyone in ear-shot being informed "I'm going on the boat to Senior Frijoles!!!!" I could hear the violins soaring and I wanted to run in slow motion and embrace my sister... so I did.

And I would have posted pictures of our little adventure out to lunch (it was my first time being out in the boat unsupervised) but this blog is being stupid. Thus, I shall retire for the night and bid thee farewell.

Farewell.

Brief visit to my brain.

I'm so tired of cleaning my room.

I went jogging again today and didn't almost die!

Sojourn CDs are 6$ a pop. happiness.

I miss PBA.

A lot needs to happen before I go back.

Matthew 24:36

So many melodies. So few lyrics.

My sister is running around the house quoting/memorizing Scripture. She's awesome.

Dark chocolate snickers.

Where did all these mismatching socks come from?

My God has broke the serpent's teeth and death has lost its sting. - Watts

The graceful and the not.

My life is a story of grace.

Well that was profound.

No, really. Originally this blog was going to be a place where I would hash out song ideas, post bits and pieces, and so on (which I still plan on doing here and there), but now the direction has changed a bit. I've decided to use this here blog as an avenue for recording random happenings in my life that would fall under one of two categories:

1) the graceful
That would not be referring to me. Not until a few years ago did I really begin to grasp the concept of grace (I'm still figuring out the meaning of this word). My definition of grace: unmerited favor; Getting what you don't deserve (and usually in good terms) with the main example being salvation. More and more I am realizing that my life is my name. A quick glance and I see so many areas where the Lord has poured out His grace on me. I was a sinner, deserving nothing but eternal separation from God, and yet I have been spared (mercy) and given new life and the hope of spending eternity with my Savior (grace). And as wonderful as that is, God's grace doesn't end there. I am baffled by the fact that I was an enemy of God, and He not only saved me, but He continues to bless me. Even with mundane pleasures. Every good and perfect gift certainly does come down from the Father of lights who does not change. (James 1:7 continually comes to mind)

2) the not.
Ok, now I am referring to me. Grace in earthly terms seems to refer to... well, as the dictionary on this computer says "simple elegance or refinement of movement; an attractively polite manner of behaving." Oh. Dear. I can not count how many times I have done something clumsy and gotten some crack.... "That's why they call you grace, right?" Right. (See previous blog post... talk about not feeling graceful)

So, in simple terms, may I just say that anything good that happens in my life is from the grace-giving God. Anything not... must be something I come up with on my own. And this blog is a record of both. Some serious stories. Some pointless stories. Some life lessons learned... probably the hard way. Either way, it's a combination of the graceful and the not.

Once upon a time, Grace was out of shape

After a semester of being cooped up in a dorm studying, I’ve been feeling quite motivated to run. Hard. My sister has been running every morning (so proud of her) so I joined her today. I figured it wouldn’t be that hard...

And it wasn’t. Started off fine. Every now and then I’d get tired, but I lasted longer than I thought I would. Even sprinted at the end. Then we got our bikes.

After a half a mile or so, I started feeling a little queasy. Glory was talking about road kill and I had to ask her to stop. I could feel my stomach start cramping up, and I was hoping that with continuous movement it would eventually go away. Nope.

By a mile, I was bad news. I just wanted to get home. Unfortunately, home was a mile away. I told my mom that I needed to ride ahead. All I could do was pray for mercy :-/
Eventually I felt the strength leave my legs. I couldn’t pedal anymore. My head started swimming. I had to get off. I laid down in a random neighbor’s front yard. I couldn’t do anything. I was a mess.

My mom and sister quickly caught up with me. Mom said she’d go get the car. Glory stayed to make sure I didn’t die or anything. I mentioned dying cause I felt like it could happen any minute, and Glory came back with, “Well, it wouldn’t be so bad... you’d go to Heaven.” I was hoping no one would call an ambulance because that just meant prolonged pain. All I wanted was a shower. A hot one.

Unfortunately, I was laying out in a yard on a busy street. I kept wondering if a car would stop, and I would have to explain my situation... hoping that wouldn’t happen, but also kinda shocked that no one wanted to stop and help a poor girl who had fallen off of her bike (at least that’s what it looked like) and couldn’t get back up.

Finally, I saw our Tahoe come over the bridge to the rescue. I somehow found the strength to get up and climb in. For 2 seconds the pain went away and I thought I was going to be OK. Then the 2 seconds were up. I mentioned to my mom that if this is what labor was like, I didn’t want kids. (pretty sure my mom has learned to take statements like these with a grain of salt when I’m in physical or emotional pain)

Well, after an excruciating car ride that lasted approx. three blocks, I was home. I ran inside, shaking from a mix of pain and exhausted muscles. I jumped in the shower and instantly felt better. The end.

five. one. eleven.

I remember exactly where I was. Sitting against a wall in a dentist’s waiting room. I was 10 years old and was listening to Michael W. Smith’s Freedom CD, specifically “The Giving.” I looked up at the TV and saw a jet fly into a tall building. We never watched the news in our house, so I had no idea how big this was. The two ladies sitting across the room were laughing in disbelief. I turned my eyes away from the TV and continued working on my project.

I remember getting into our blue Grand Voyager minivan to go home and my mom crying profusely. I didn’t understand. Apparently there was a TV in the dentist’s room to take the patent’s mind off the pain of a root canal. My mom explained that this probably meant that we would go to war. I started to cry. I also started to sing a song to try to calm us both down.

I remember going to church that night for a last minute prayer meeting... for our country. I met my friend in the back room while the adults prayed and we chatted about the cities we were born in. I still hadn’t grasped what had happened that day. We did talk, though, about what it would have been like running from a fallen building. My friend said he thought it would be fun. I guess he hadn’t grasped it either.

Exactly one year later, I remember standing in a crowded hospital hallway. There were women in rollaway beds with curtains around them in full labor. My mom was fortunate enough to have a room of her own. My sister was one of dozens of children born September 11, 2002. I couldn’t help but think there were so many because of the thousands of lives that were lost on that day the year before. We had a little phrase... “9/11 went from being a tragic day to a joyous day for the Coleman family.” When my dad told the nurse that her name was Glory, she replied “well, that’s patriotic!”

After that, whenever I would look at the clock and it would be 9:11 I would pray. I would pray for those suffering from the attack. I would pray for my sister. I would pray for the other children born on 9/11. They had no choice in the fact that their birthday would forever be tied to a national disaster. My sister is 8 years old and still doesn’t know what happened a year before her birthday. And with good reason.

I remember visiting ground zero in May of 2003. It was moving. I remember wearing red, white, and blue with pride. I remember how our nation was shaken enough to turn back to our Creator. Why was that? Why was it suddenly back to In God We Trust? Why was God supposed to Bless America? Why is it not that way anymore?

I remember, namely, one other thing. I remember praying that God would save Osama Bin Laden. Many times. And now, May 1, 2011, I can’t help but think. Yes, Bin Laden is probably experiencing the unquenchable fires of Hell right now. Yes, it’s normal to think that damnation is only what he deserved. But I also can’t help but think that that’s only what I deserved, too. I can't forget that Osama had a soul that was just as worth saving as mine.

I suppose if I have to have a concluding thought... this is yet another time to rejoice in the salvation we have in Jesus Christ.


Read it slowly, don’t miss the mercy.

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:1-10