The blogs are lacking as of late. I know. As I mentioned in earlier blogs, this month is different. I know the Lord is calling me to fill up at every opportunity. I previously called it "carb loading," which was a mistake. Kristin keeps bringing up my "carb loading" in reference to food and I keep having to shout back at her "I meant spiritually speaking!" This dramatic interaction is made more entertaining to us two because my name in her phone is "Carbonator." One rather enjoyable afternoon I was eating some delicious bread and singing its praises. In my excitement over the bread, and all the delicious carb-filled foods, I exclaimed "Just call be the Carb-o-nator!" And thus, she has.

So yes, carb-loading. Where last month was more about fasting and sacrificing, the Lord changed my focus for this season to be more about 'displacing.' When you focus on eating vegetables and salads, you naturally don't have room for the other (less healthy) foods. Likewise, asI am focusing on reading, studying and memorizing scripture, my Max Lucado book, The Seeking Heart, praying, journaling, worshipping, doing homework with excellence, and strengthening specific relationships. I just don't have as much time to blog or facebook. So, as you see less blogs these days, hopefully it will begin to pay off by better blogs. And if it doesn't, look forward to what is to come.

That said, I had such an excellent week. I'd been looking forward to it for the past month. Knowing I'd be done with my Daniel Fast, and that school would be slowing down slightly this week, I'd made all sorts of fun plans weeks and weeks out. Coffee date with Rose Ruiz (one of the BEST ways to begin the day!), snowboarding day with Elsa and Madison, dinner with Linda Cline, sleepover with Mac and Jordyn at the Clines, my Coffee Seminar (one of the final steps for my Coffee Master's program at Starbucks). It was incredible-- and now it is over.

I found all of these experiences this week had a congruent affect on me. It was most visible in my dinner date with Linda, but the others stirred the same waters in my spirit: The Lord has a plan, and it's going to be great! Linda encouraged me so much to be 'expectant' and excited for what is coming, and to trust that all the little pieces that may seem random or aimlessly hard will surprise me years down the road with how they played together. My life has felt scattered- I've been sowing here and there- faithfully, but to seemingly disconnected aspects all at once. The plates are beginning to merge.

It just came to me in fact that on our drive home from snowboarding, Madison was surprised to hear I happen to LOVE a certain song on the United Pursuit Band's recent CD. She had deleted it because it bothered her, namely the singer's voice. I love it. It's one of my favorites. To me, the words are so raw and unexpected.

It is called "Come Away," which already makes me love it. I love "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones, and I love Bethel Worship's "Come Away With Me" and I love Evan Earwicker's "Come Away." And I love the Song of Solomon's for the same reason. Being drawn away- aww, yes. Something in me just comes alive at that invitation.

But back to the story. Madison was shocked. As I told her, I love it because typically when someone is 'full of themself' it is a negative trait. But here, when the Lord is singing and He says, "It's gonna be full of Me" - what better thing could be said?! What better promise could He make? The whole song continues:

Come away with Me
Come away.
It's never too late
It's never too late
It's not too late for you

I have a plan for you
I have a plan.

It's gonna be wild
It's gonna be great
It's gonna be full of Me.

I sincerely love surprises. And He knows that; furthermore, I think He loves that. :) It is not just in the surprise, but the knowing that I don't know, that I revel. I don't think a Lover could tell me something better than that they have a plan, for me, that's going to be wild, great, and full of the Lord. For that Lover to be the Lord- and to involve 'coming away' to some amazing place- yeah, my heart is flooded. I could continue, but I'm pretty sure the point is clear.

I think that might be my anthem right now. My promise I'm holding on to. I'm not going to try to figure things out, manipulate any situation to make it orderly or controlled, I'm not going to set my hopes on any specific picture... I'm just going to trust He has a plan for me, and it's gonna be wild, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be full of Him!

And with that, I'm finishing up what He's set before me and waiting 'expectantly' to see where He is about to draw me to next. I'm waiting for His voice, and as soon as I hear Him say, "Come away with me.." I'm going to run.