Valborgsafton in Sweden!

I'll just let the pictures tell the story... I had a fun day :)

Just havin' fun!

Thought I'd do another photo-post :) I'm havin' a lot of fun!

Had a hair-cut and some high-lights the other day.

Took this on a walk around the neighboorhood one evening:
Magga came for a short visit! I love her!
Walking towards the beach...
Then we went to a small lake cloes by... The weather was warm but the water was COLD.
Enjoying the sun :)
Göteborg in spring time! BEAUTIFUL!

Eating dinner outside:

Enjoying the sun again...

People enjoying a nice day in Göteborg centrum:

On My Own

I don't know about you, but I can see myself in these words:

On My Own

I can't believe that I'm here in this place again
How did I manage to mess up one more time?
This pattern seems to be the story of my life
Should have learned this lesson by the thousandth time.

'Cause I promised myself I wouldn't fall
But here I've fallen
I guess I'm not as strong as I thought
All I can do is cry to you.

Chorus
Oh God you have to save me
You're my last and only hope
All my right answers fail me
I can't seem to make it on my own.

Always thought that I would be strong enough
What made all of them fall couldn't take me down
Yeah, did I think that I was above it all?
I have learned that pride comes before the fall

I can't promise myself that I won't fall
'Cause here I've fallen
I know I'm not as strong as I thought
All I can do is cry to you.

Chorus

So many times I fail others, myself and God. I do things I shouldn't do, say things I shouldn't say and think things I shouldn't think... Yet every time I'm in that place... when I feel like I've failed... AGAIN... when all that goes through my head is: "But I promised myself that I wouldn't..." When I feel like that, and cry out to God He is already there with outstretched arms ready to help me up again. It amazes me... Grace and forgiveness... And I get up again with a clean slate.

Time for some PICTURES!

Just a few high lights...

Sara and Lovise, two girls I've gotten to know :)

Karin and I

Vilborg came for a visit and we went shopping... amongst other things ;)
Here we are on a walk around a little lake in the forest.
Hilli invited us out to eat one of the days... Indian food, mmmmm.
On my 25th birthday we went to the Opera... and had some Champagne afterwards to celebrate my age. Hahaha!
The sunset on my birthday:

Raggi and Rósa visiting.
Never a dull moment with these people ;)

I spent easter in Norway...

Ingunn and Hlíf at the Ethiopian Restaurant we ate at. YUMMY!

A beautiful day for a pick nick and a walk in the forest.

Walking towards the farm.

Playing cards... and easter dinner...

A great time so far! I am really enjoying myself! And next week my friend Magga is (most probably) coming for a visit! YAY!

Mercy Said NO

What a peculiar heading. Mercy said NO? When? How can that be? Hmmm... It definitely caught my attention when I heard it. But it does make sense if you just read on.

Mercy Said No

I was just a child, when I felt the Savior leading
I was drawn to what I could not understand
And for the cause of Christ, I have spent my days believing
That what He'd have me be, is who I am

As I've come to see the weaker side of me
I realize His grace is what I'll need
When sin demanded justice for my soul

(Chorus)
Mercy said no
I'm not going to let you go
I'm not going to let you slip away
You don't have to be afraid
Mercy said no
Sin will never take control
Life and death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank You Jesus, Mercy said no

For God so loved the world, that He sent His son to save us
From the cross He built a bridge to set us free
Oh, but deep within our hearts, there is still a war that rages
And makes a sacrifice so hard to see

As midnight fell upon the crucifixion day
The light of hope seemed oh so far away
As evil tried to stop redemption's flow

(Repeat Chorus)

(Bridge)
And now when heaven looks at me
It's through the blood of Jesus
Reminding me of one day long ago

(Repeat Chorus)

Let me just emphasize something:
Oh, but deep within our hearts, there is still a war that rages And makes a sacrifice so hard to see. As I've come to see the weaker side of me, I realize His grace is what I'll need. When sin demanded justice for my soul Mercy said: no, I'm not going to let you go!

The Hiding Place

I'm reading this book by Corrie Tem Boom - The Hiding Place. It's a book I highly recommend!

Corrie is a woman of wisdom and to proove it to you here are a few quotes of hers. (The first quote is one of my favorites.):

Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our path, is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.

When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to faultfinding.

Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.

If God has called you, do not spend time looking over your shoulder to see who is following.

Good Friday

Here I am, sitting with my computer in my lap on this beautiful farm in the countryside of Norway... The sun is shining and the air is filled with beautiful notes of classical music and I feel... peace...

Today is Good Friday. In Icelandic and Norwegian we call it the Long Friday. I am sure it was the longest Friday Jesus, His family and His desciples ever experienced. That day can't have felt like a good day... although the purpose of what happened that day was the greatest there is.

Here is how it might have been for a little girl to experience what happened that day:

Why

We rode into town the other day
Just me and my Daddy
He said I'd finally reached that age
And I could ride next to him on a horse
That of course was not quite as wide

We heard a crowd of people shouting
And so we stopped to find out why
And there was that man
That my dad said he loved
But today there was fear in his eyes

So I said "Daddy, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why is He dressed in that bright purple robe?
I'll bet that crown hurts Him more than He shows
Daddy, please can't you do something?
He looks as though He's gonna cry
you said he was stronger than all of those guys
addy, please tell me why
Why does everyone want him to die?"

Later that day the sky grew cloudy
And Daddy said I should go inside
Somehow he knew things would get stormy
Boy was he right
But I could not keep from wondering
If there was something he had to hide

So after he left I had to find out
I was not afraid of getting lost
So I followed the crowds
To a hill where I knew men had been killed
And I heard a voice come from the cross

And it said, "Father, why are they screaming?
Why are the faces of some of them beaming?
Why are they casting their lots for My robe?
This crown of thorns hurts Me more than it shows
Father, please can't You do something?
I know that You must hear My cry
I thought I could handle the cross of this size
Father, remind Me why
Why does everyone want Me to die?
When will I understand why?"

"My precious Son, I hear them screaming
I'm watching the face of the enemy beaming
But soon I will clothe You in robes of My own
Jesus, this hurts Me much more than You know
But this dark hour I must do nothing
Though I've heard Your unbearable cry
The power in Your blood destroys all of the lies
Soon You'll see past their unmerciful eyes
Look there below, see the child
Trembling by her father's side
Now I can tell You why
She is why You must die"

Clich HERE if you want to listen to the song!