Something more...

Paul's words to the Romans were:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."

This song just got stuck in my head today as I was at the gym. It kinda goes with what I said in my last post and the verse I just mentioned :)

Something more (by Kristy Starling)

Everything's changed, and I want to believe
There must be a reason, there just has to be
Cause my faith is strong, till it all hits home
And it's not enough for me to trust
When it hurts too much

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I need to praise You
For I am Yours, I'm Yours

Where is the power, to give what I gave
Give back the strength
Give back the faith I had yesterday
Cause you are my God
You are my Great I Am
And I know I have fallen but..
I have landed in healing hands

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I need to praise You
For I am Yours, I'm Yours

And in my fraility, you lead me to something more
So I close my eyes, cause inside my heart
I believe, that I'm not alone
You'll always be there for me

On the days I feel like I've failed you
The days I feel I've been failed
I know that I need to praise You
For I am yours, still yours
Cause I believe you lead me to something more
Something more, something more

I want to post a part of another song (by Steven Curtis Chapman) that also relates to this. This is a piece from the middle of it:

When I'm feeling loved and happy
When I'm feeling all alone
When I'm failing to remember
All the love that I've been shown
Every single beat of my heart
Is another new place to start
To know

This is a moment made for worshipping
Cause this is a moment I'm alive
And this is a moment I was made to sing
A song of living sacrifice
For every moment that I live and breathe
This is a moment made for worshipping

The choruses of the songs are really great, because they talk about praising God in EVERY situation, - every moment is made for worshipping. On the good days and the bad. That is living life as a living sacrifice.

What can I bring to God?

What does God want? What can I bring to Him? On good days I could give Him praise and thanks for everything. But what about when I feel broken and like a failure, when I know I've done wrong? Can I bring Him anything?

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.
-Psalm 51

14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,

15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
-Psalm 50

Sacrifice thank offerings... Thanks offerings on a good day, would you call that a sacrifice? Maybe, but it's easy to give thanks on a good day. Giving thanks in hard times... now that I can really see as a sacrifice. Just thinking about the word sacrifice - it is something that is hard to do, right?

8 The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
-Proverbs 15

As far as I can see I can still bring something to God on my bad days. God is pleased when I come to Him in prayer, even when all I have to bring is a broken spirit and a broken heart. God does not despise that. I can bring the broken pieces or my life to God and He'll put it back together.

Top team in Iceland!

My team won two of the three tournaments we have in volleyball here. We're in the top league so I think we can say we're the top team after this performance, don't you? I couldn't go with the team yesterday 'cause the final game was in Neskaupsstaður in East Iceland :( Bummer! But they did a great job and they brought back this:

Running a victory round :)

I feel.... empty...

Yea, I think that's the best word to describe how I feel today. I just feel empty. Sometimes God confuses me and I don't understand a thing. I keep asking the same questions and my prayers will sound like this: "Why, God? How come? Every day I pray for Your guidance and that You will lead me Your way. If You led the way then how come it led to a dead end, a place where dreams were shattered? What are You teaching me? Where do I go from here?" Not a very glorious prayer, I know... but it's honest. I just pour out my heart. I think God wants honest prayers.

Actually I can find similar prayers in the Bible... WHAT? Yes, just read this:
"Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? Why have you rejected me?"
These are the words of king David (taken from more than one Psalm). Think about that! Even king David asked God those kinds of questions. BUT the great thing is that the Psalms that start with those questions don't end there. Just read this one:

How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.

-Psalm 13

Just look at how this Psalm (and many others) develop from beginning to end. David goes from being caught up in the questions and being confused, to praying for understanding and guidance, to praising the Lord and putting his trust in Him. He goes from hopelessness and misery to hope and adoration. That is just awesome!

In time... maybe I'll see the answers to some of my questions, I don't know. Maybe they are unimportant. All I know is that I need to put my trust in God again and again. I need to set my eyes on Him and not myself and my problems and questions. Maybe that is what God is teaching me, that He is bigger than all my problems and disappointments, that He's the one who can be trusted when everything else fails.

I was on TV this morning!

Yup! I was on TV this morning. NFS has a show every Sunday morning at 11 am about different countries. This morning it was about Ethiopia and my father and I among others were asked to come. I was so nervous, but I think it went ok. For those of you who understand Icelandic or if you want to check it out anyway it's here:

Þetta fólk

If this doesn't work go to visir.is and click on Vef TV (in the middle of the page) and find "Þetta fólk".

Easter in Hungary!!

I got back from Hungary last night. I had the greatest time over there with my friend Tóta and her friends. Thank you guys for everything! Thought I'd post a few picks from my trip:

Here I am with Tóta :)

This pick was taken on one of the two sunny days I got in Debrecen :oP

One of the days we went to a thermal bath. It was SOOOO nice! Oh, and you know what?! While we were there we saw an 8 or 9 year old girl wearing a g-string bikini bottom. A little disturbing!

They had waterslides and a playing area for kids as well as hot pots and a wave pool. We had so much fun!

A sleepover at Jeane's house. Playing UNO and watching movies.

Here we are :) Thanx for a great time girls!

Goofing off and having fun! :oP

This was taken after the Sunday service.

After the service we went out to eat to celebrate Jeane's birthday!

Quite a big group. Great food, yummie!

The last night before I left. Here we are playing pictionary without the board. It was so much fun. I was one of the loosers :(

I did a lot more than this, just don't have picks of it. I went to a few classes with Tóta, which was really interesting. I got to participate in an anatomy class where they dissect the muscles of the body, study the vessels, nerves and all that good stuff. I aslo got to see a pathology dissection. I was sure I would faint or at least need to leave the room a couple of times but to my surprise I didn't. It was all so interesting and I didn't have a problem watching. It was a bit weird to walk into a room with over 10 bodies laying on steel tables ready to be dissected. I watched as they opened the thorax and abdominal cavity and took out all the organs, dissecting them one by one. I touched and held some of the organs and took a closer look at them. They also opened the scull and took out the brain. I got to see quite a few abnormalities in the organs like tumors and ulcers. Very interesting indeed! Hope I'm not freaking you out! :oP

Anyways! That was a little bit about my Easter break. This seems like the longest blog, but that's just because it contains so many picks ;) I hope you had a great Easter too!

Deep thoughts...

19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3

I thought I'd expand a little bit on these verses... I've been thinking about them today. I don't know about you but sometimes I want to skip the first part of verse 18, do you? "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline" says the Lord. WOW! Or how about verses like these...

17 "Blessed is the man whom God corrects;
so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

18 For he wounds, but he also binds up;
he injures, but his hands also heal.
(Proverbs 5)

11 You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth—
each man is but a breath.
(Psalm 39)

Don't we often just skim through them or even almost leave them out entirely when we read the Word of God? Saying to ourselves... No, God wouldn't do that! God is LOVE, He is ALWAYS good. Let me ask you a question then. What is a good parent? Someone who gives their child all he asks for? Someone who doesn't discipline? Someone who doesn't teach what is right and what is wrong? Someone who doesn't teach that there are consequenses to doing wrong? No, I think good parents would teach their children all those things and discipline them... BECAUSE THEY LOVE THEM! How much more will God discipline me BECAUSE HE LOVES ME. That's maybe the part I forget when I read these verses. He does it out of LOVE, not to hurt me but to teach me - maybe tough - but valuable lessons, to mold me and shape me into the person He wants me to be. THAT is something I need to keep in mind. So I can say that God is love AND He is good :)

7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
(Proverbs 1)

11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline
and do not resent his rebuke,

12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.
(Proverbs 3)

7Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?...10Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
(Hebrews 12)

Back to the first verses I posted. Verse 19 says "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock..." I've never actually thought about this verse in the way that I did today. I thought: Is my life so messy that I'd rather have Him standing at the door knokcing than inviting Him in? Am I that ashamed of things in my life? There are definitely things in my life that I am ashamed of. The great thing is that He wants to help me tidy up in my life. He wants to come in and dine with me anyway! He wants a fellowship with ME. That is just breath taking! Oh, and ofcourse me leaving the door shut doesn't keep Him from seeing EVERYTHING, so why don't I just lay down my pride and open the door? I need to do that every single day!

I want all the junk, my mess, out of my heart so this is my prayer today:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalm 139)

The craziness is over :)

Yesterday I had my seckond final this semester. It's over for now! Wooohooo! Don't have finals again until the end of May, so it's all good! I'm happy. Don't know what to do with my time now. I get kinda restless after such a stressful time. I will take it kinda slow now... need some break time from crazy studying ;) The great thing is that Easter break is almost here! And guess what! I'm going to Hungary! I leave on Monday and get back a week later. That's going to be so much fun!

I'm going crazzzzzzzzzy!