Open Your Hands

"LORD, I have heard of your fame;

I stand in awe of Your deeds, O LORD.

Renew them in our day."

Habakkuk 3:2

Sometimes, I am so anxious for God to renew His deeds in my day and for the promise of accomplished goals, I forget to enjoy and be blessed by the renewING He is doing. I want His works to be, well...done. We live in a society where everything is fast. I am in no way bashing technology, I love it!! I am so grateful for the advances we've made. These are tools to bless God with because He has blessed us with the gift of technology. But sometimes, I take for granted the precious gift of time. Sometimes time passes slowly. Ok, sometimes it ALWAYS passes slowly, haha!! But this morning, I am grateful for time. After a year and a half of doing the 9 week "Believing God" Bible Study from Beth Moore- yes, you read right: a year and a half- I am glad that I'm not the same person who started it in the late Spring of 2009. I am so glad it is January 2011. It took that long for God to accomplish the work in me of believing Him. And I'm not done. I'm just finally done with the study!! Life will be the test as I live and breathe what I learned.

I believe God more, so I'm anxious for His work in my life. I want to see it and I want to touch it so badly; I know THAT He's working but sometimes I miss out on the joys of HOW He's working. My uncle told me last summer when I was struggling, "Fast forward to joy." I fast forward alright: straight to losing my joy because I miss being with Jesus and walking with Him. I miss the daily changes because I want the full makeover NOW. I love the look of fresh manicures; I actually kinda hate getting them. They're boring and the stuff the ladies have on TV is garbage. Ugh!! I spend a lot of time texting my mom while I'm getting manicures. I know someday my poor phone will pay the ultimate price for that, but it's better than falling asleep. That's kind of how I think I view my walk with God. I want the glory and the fulfilled promises NOW.

"Therefore, I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her...."

Hosea 2:14

The desert, in the Bible, is the place God courts His Bride. Where, despite all the struggles and human tantrums we throw, we learn to love God and depend on Him for everything. This society doesn't give much opportunity for the "desert experience", but I believe that whether you experience "The Desert" physically or not, you can experience it while you feel the fullest in your world. My life can be so full and my heart can be so empty and I miss my God. The desert becomes my heart and mind as He leads me to a place where I become whole again and then I'm ready to face the world.

I read this yesterday as I picked up my devotional. "If you want to stay close to Me and do things My way, ask Me to show you the path forward MOMENT BY MOMENT. Instead of dashing headlong toward your goal, let Me set the pace. Slow down, and enjoy the journey in My Presence." - "Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence" by Sarah Young.

Yeah, that's me to a T. And it's also the solution to finding joy. Enjoy the moments while I anticipate the fulfillment of dreams. Enjoy TODAY even if I don't feel like I'm working toward my goals: Author, Photographer, Believer/Follower of God.....and believe that it's ok to rest because "He who watches over (me) will not slumber" Psalm 121:3. He doesn't sleep, He's never resting. He wants me to.

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because He has roused Himself from His Holy Dwelling." Zechariah 2:13

Here's a side note to me: I did an all day photoshoot on Saturday; and I am writing right now. And I believe God more today than I did a year and a half ago. I think the joy gets stolen when I think about my dreams instead of focusing on that I AM DOING MY DREAMS!!!! Thank God I didn't have this mindset as a baby learning how to walk!!!

I am done having my joy stolen. I'm looking around and realizing I'm taking baby steps. Every day I get stronger, every photoshoot makes me a photographer, every word I type makes me an author and every day I say, "I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE YOU, JESUS!!" makes me a woman who truly believes God.

So, I don't know what your dreams are. But if you're like me and you're having a hard time accepting that what you're doing is one step toward fulfilling your dreams, let me just say this to you and to me: Be happy about what God is accomplishing in you!! He is proud of you and even if it's a baby step, it's a STEP!!!! Accept His blessings, ALL of them, and if you're afraid to accept that what He's doing might be big, remember:

"GOD DID NOT GIVE (YOU) A SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT A SPIRIT OF POWER, OF LOVE AND A SOUND MIND!!!!" 2 Timothy 1:7

Will you join me? Let's do ourselves a favor and hold our hands out to God and this time, not flinch when He fills them. He has done mighty things and He wants to do more. It can't be that much of a blessing for God, if when He hands out blessings, we flinch or even drop our hands out of fear.

"Let us live up to what we have already attained." Philippians 3:16

"We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10: 39

I hope you listen to this song and that you are blessed as you realize the joy does lie in the journey, you just have to trust God for the outcome. He is to be trusted. He can be. And He loves you.

~ Hymns and Powder Pink Sunrises ~

I love hymns. They have grown somewhat obsolete as the contemporary style of worship has taken over, and part of me is really glad because I am so not a pew sittin’, organ sing-a-long type girl. I love believers who are and I respect you, if you happen to be one who is ministered to by that kind of music ministry. But give me some guitars and drums, keyboard, and throw in a bass and I am there. Especially if the hymns end up sounding country in style. Give me a different melody even, but speed that baby up and I am listening to the words. I realize as I listen that those people got who God is and what the relationship is between Him and us.

This morning, my mom and I had an early start and we were driving as the sun was coming up. The air was brisk and clean, the clouds were few but God turned them the most beautiful shade of pink. They reminded me of my old phone; a friend called it a powder pink phone when he saw it. THAT is my favorite color and God accommodated me with that beautiful color as we got closer and closer to the mountain range. The mountains were a salmony pink. And no, I have no pictures of it. I don’t think I would have been able to take a picture and convey what I felt when I saw the creation lit up in MY favorite color. It’s a “you’d have to have been there and you’d have to know me to know how it blessed me to get it” kinda moment.

Add to that the majesty of worship music sung by Susie Luchsinger- I hate to do this, but she’s Reba McCyntire’s sister; I know she has her own identity, but for you to get the magnitude of her voice if you’ve never heard it, it’s a sweeter version of Reba’s. And I love Reba’s voice. It was a morning to behold. I didn’t just hear the hymns and see the beauty of God’s creation. I felt it to the core of me. I experienced God’s beauty this morning and I worshipped Him as I listened to the words of people who knew God that way. The blind Fanny Crosby, knew God this way when she wrote, “Blessed Assurance”-

“Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blessed: watching waiting, looking above, I’m filled with His goodness, lost in His love.” (I couldn't find a youtube video with Susie singing this, so Third Day will have to do and I'd have to say, they do a darn good job.)


Horatio G. Spafford knew intimately the God who gives and who takes away and who in his own way said, “Blessed be Your name” as he wrote “It Is well”-

“My sin- Oh, the bliss of this glorious tho’t: my sin not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” (and yes, to my Facebook friends who saw my status this morning, I butchered that line as only I can, haha!! Please forgive me!!) This video, while more of the "pew/organ" variety, explains his journey.



The hymn writers of that day had beautiful ways of expressing their worship and their God. From them we can learn something. They embraced their pain by writing love letters to God. I’m not against today’s writers, if you keep up with my blog, most of the stuff I post is from the modern worship of today. But there’s just something about the old words sung in new ways and with such SOUL that just touches my soul and I just had to share it with you. So, whatever your style of music for worshipping the Lord, I’d love to encourage you to listen to the old words of some hymns and be blessed. And if you happen to live in the great state of Colorado and you saw this morning’s sunrise, remember your God who created all of that, loves you more. If you are blessed by nature and your soul is just filled to the brim by experiencing it, it’s God saying, “I love you. I would trade all of creation just for you, you are mine.”

Since I couldn't find the hymns above on youtube sung by Susie Luchsinger, I had to add this one as a bonus. I absolutely love this song written by John Newton and Chris Tomlin, and I love Susie's voice and style.

~ Happy New Year ~

Happy New Year!! Do you have any goals, any resolutions for the new year? I know I do, but I'm leaving my calendar open for the possibility that the Lord might have something else in mind.

Here are a few of mine:

~ Lose the Grandpa inch or two I gained this past year; all that food was to fatten him up, not me.

~ Actually write the book God has put on my heart; note to self, the backspace key doesn't erase my life, only letters....stop using it and put these acrylic nails to good use.

~ Explore and pursue all the possibilities of becoming a photographer.....and then be one.

~ Fall in love with the Person of Jesus Christ and live in the wide open place of His love.

Haha, did you notice I put the girly one first? Seriously, I need to get back in shape. It is a goal of mine.

Writing is a calling. I was conceived with a story and born with the first chapter half written. I have grown up overcoming one thing after another, and today, I have to let my fingers do what God has created them to do: pound out His story so people will see Him in me. That's why I was created. That is my purpose. A calling is something you struggle with until you step into the shoes the Master puts in front of you and walks when He says, "Walk." I have a feeling once I get started, you won't be able to recognize me. Really.

Photography, on the other hand, is a gift from God. I have been telling people that I get nothing but pleasure out of it and put nothing but pleasure into it. I love it. Some dear friends approached me this past fall with doing a Senior Photoshoot for their soon to be high school graduate. I didn't even have to ask God for this job, but He gave it to me. Michayla and I had a fabulous time doing it; so much so, I got a new camera and I'm doing practice shoots with her just to see what this new baby will do. My mom is jealous of my new camera and she doesn't take pictures....ever!! Haha!!



Speaking of my mom, she told me that I could make calendars and stuff. I'm trying not to shy away from that. So, I thought I'd show you my work and see what you think. Almost two years ago, my only brother got married and I caught my sister-in-law's bouquet. I hung it upside down in my room to dry and I've just left it because it looks so pretty. I was playing around with my new camera the other night and then played around with editing. Here is the result.

"I have called you by your name; and you are Mine." Isaiah 43:1

"Since you were precious in my eyes, you are honored, and I love you." Isaiah 43:4

"The ones waiting for Jehovah shall renew power." Isaiah 40:30

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." John 14:1

My last goal is the goal that sets the other plans in motion, if they are indeed His plans for me. I have been tempted to be a recluse this year. Avoid all people and just spend time with Jesus. The problem is that what I gain as I spend time with Him, must be shared, and I enjoy being around people too much, haha. I can't spend time with Jesus and not hang out with people, He is too big for me to hog, His presence in my life is too much for me to keep my joy contained. If I try, I become less and His presence is reduced to how much Priscilla can handle. I don't want to live like this. I really don't. The life of a recluse is not for me, it's just sometimes I need time away, time to think, time to pray, time to regroup because it's a mean world out there. Thank GOD He understands and that He is that place of rest for me. As I read and study the very words of God and as I grow and change, I start falling in love with Him. And sometimes, He speaks to me. I struggle with it because I wonder if it's real, but I have some treasures of Scripture to share with you that proves to me it's real:

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

"We have the mind of Christ." 2 Corinthians 2:16

"No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us." 1 Corinthians 2:11-12

And this is the one I thought of when I wrote my last sentence:

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. BUT GOD HAS REVEALED IT TO US BY HIS SPIRIT." 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

I don't know what you're facing as you look forward to 2011. But I do know that God has given us all a New Year to do it all over again: LIFE. I want to live it and I want to love Him and let Him direct my every move. I want His blessing this year. I want to be a blessing this year, both to God and to you, dear friend, as well as to my world. I can only do that if I'm walking with Christ, and letting His light into every part of my life, reaching every dark corner.

"Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on His God." Isaiah 50:10

Before I close, I want to share my new theme song for the New Year as well as my life right now.

P.S. Another goal of mine would be to blog more this year. Once a month would be awesome, once a week would be ideal.....