Thoughts on the New Year

     The end of a year. The beginning of a new one. This time around, the shift from one year to the next feels more significant than before. For me, this transition marks a lot of change that has happened and will continue to happen. In 2014, I turned 18, a weird milestone since I never thought that I would reach it. I began taking college classes. A whole lot of other things have happened that have made me feel so darn old! As 2015 arrives, I know it will bring with it more changes and unexpected twists and turns. In the spring, my brother and I will graduate high school, Lord-willing. This also means that my brother and I will be "graduating" from our church youth group as well. Which is sort of sad to think about. I've been in the youth group for five years and boy is it going to be sad to leave!
     But, of course, the biggest change looming ahead is college. Ah, the dreaded word. It seems that with this one step into that next chapter that all that is familiar and special to me is left behind. It's a scary and sad thought to think that I will leave all of my family and friends and everything that I've known for my whole life!
     So, the shift from 2014 to 2015 is significant. A lot of change is heading my way. Thinking back on all the indescribable memories that I've made with my family and friends in 2014 and beyond makes me wish so badly that I could go back! If only for a moment. I have these thoughts sometimes.
     But then the good Lord comes in and reminds me of His faithfulness. And His love. And His goodness. And His sovereignty. And I am reminded that my job is not to dwell on the past or worry about the future. My job is to be still. To look ahead with hope, knowing that my Father has a perfect plan for my life, hardships and all. He did not spare His own Son. He will provide. He will bring me through.
     So let the change come. Because no matter what familiar things I leave behind, my God and my Rock will always be at my side.


Here's some lyrics to a song I wrote while considering some of these things:

Sometimes I wish that I could start over

Looking back to the past is almost too much to bear

All the memories that have been created

Now they're just memories and nothing more

Every good thing must come to an end

And though it might be over, I'll never forget

I will open my eyes and look ahead

I will remember Your faithfulness

It's not over yet

It's not over yet

Brother, sister: God is not done sanctifying you. And He will be glorified as you draw closer to Christ. Happy New Year.

--Rye Bread

Meditation

     The Psalms is a wonderful book. The words used are so poetic, yet it goes far beyond mere poetry.  I find that I am almost always refreshed after reading the Psalms, meditating on the character of God. Now I`m not some super-saint who does five-hour long meditation in my prayer closet every day. Far from it. But when I do get those opportunities to soak it in, the time is so sweet. One of my favorite Psalms lately has been Psalm 34. I hope you find time to read it and meditate on it. Maybe tonight or some other time this week. Speaking of Psalms, there is a band called Loud Harp and they made an album this year called Asaph. It`s a collection of songs based off various Psalms. I really really encourage you (with even more enthusiasm than usual) to please listen to it! Here`s the link to the YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjIh8-EdjtM&list=PLpfomyYwEfP-pcd0XV4Dgb3ezGbqYOkWi   










Hope you check it out. And actually, there`s 11 songs, not 10 so if you have Spotify or something you can just listen to the whole thing on there. My personal favorite is "The Nearness of You". So you should at least listen to that one. ;) Alright, have a great weekend everyone!


--Rye Bread

Simplify

     Hey people! I can`t believe I`m posting again so soon! But this time I am actually doing a post for a specific reason and that is to officially tell you guys my "album" has been "released"!! I sort of eluded to it in my previous post, but just to give you a refresher.

     Okay, so, the photo credit for the cover goes to the awesome Zhenya! She`s a fantastic photographer!! And, I will have physical copies sometime, but for now I just put the whole thing on a playlist on SoundCloud which I will put at the bottom of this post. Also, I will hopefully put it on Noisetrade or Bandcamp or something sometime. Yeah, so, physical CDs coming if you really truly want one, but for now, check it out on SoundCloud! You can download it for free on there, and then you can just burn your own CD if you want. Or wait until I can burn one for you haha. ANYWAY, I`ll post the link now. https://soundcloud.com/ryan-nordstrom-1/sets/simplify

So, check it out if you want, and be in awe of our great God. Worship Him.


--Rye Bread

Momentary

                 Psalm 103:14 "For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are but dust."

There are times in my faith when I feel so strong. There are times when I feel invincible. Times when I have such a bring-it-on mentality. These times are some of the sweetest times. But they can also be the most dangerous. For though God always remembers that we are dust, we are quite capable of forgetting. I know I forget. And it`s almost always in those strong times that I do so. I begin thinking things that suggest that I am self-sufficient. That I have the strength I need.

                                       "I`ve gotten this far, why not a little more?"

When all along, I have done absolutely nothing, and my Father has done absolutely everything. And God is slowly, bit by bit, taken out of the equation. Of course, we would never admit that we would ever think things like this. I mean, that`s not what Christians do. Right? So, even thinking about thinking those things is completely ridiculous and impossible. Ridiculous, yes. Impossible? Eh...

God, by His grace, has been showing me and reminding me of my weakness. Teaching me humility. After all, when I think of how weak I am, humility is really the only proper response.

We are not invincible.

We are not here forever.

We are but dust.

So, let`s give thanks. Let`s give thanks that we`ve been given breath today. Let`s give thanks that, despite the fact that we were in sin and darkness, the Almighty God sent His only Son to redeem us.

Also, let`s pray that He might give us strength to fight against dependence on ourselves. After all, we now call Him Father. Think on that. Hit your knees. And tremble.



--Rye Bread

More Christian music...

http://faithlikes.com/2014/04/05/this-is-why-switchfoot-wont-sing-christian-songs-anymore/


"Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach`s sonatas Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset?"

--Jon Foreman--

Well said, Mr. Foreman. Well said. Read the whole thing. It`s not too long, so go for it!



--Rye Bread

Good tunes...

    Hey everyone! I just thought I`d share some good music with you. It`s some good stuff by Robbie Seay Band. And honestly, I never really ever listened to them because I thought their band name was lame. Haha pretty weak reason. But I`ve actually been giving them a chance the last couple weeks and I`m digging it!! So, you can get their album Rich & Poor for free on Noisetrade (pretty much my favorite website). Yeah, so here`s the link. I think it`ll do your soul some good. It did mine. Alright, so now that I have shared yet MORE music with you, I`ll get going on signing off. Seriously though, pretty much all I do on here anymore is share music. Haha oh well. I do hope you give it a listen. Okay, so if you don`t listen to any of it, at least listen to this one that I will post:





I love the simple cry in this song:
I wanna live for the King!
I wanna live for the King!

That sounds so simple and it really is. But can it not also be the longing that is found deep in your soul? I know when I listen to this song, my heart sings along with these words with such a passion! Because I want my life to glorify my King. And it`s not by my strength that I can do this. So, it`s almost a plead to God, saying, "I wanna live for You!" And that`s all wrapped up in this simple, yet deep phrase. Oh, my King. Do not let me live simply for Christianity.



Don`t wanna live for an ideology
Oh I want to know You, not just know about a God who saves



--Rye Bread

Endings and Beginnings

   So, whether we like it or not, the summer is drawing to a close. Soon, the leaves on the trees will be turning all sorts of beautiful colors and falling to the ground below. The end of summer. The beginning of fall. Right around that same time, school-books will be "dusted off" so to speak, and the school year will be upon us once again. The end of summer vacation. The beginning of school.

   But, the saddest of these endings and beginnings is the end of my sister living at home and the beginning of her life in a college dorm room. Sunshine is moving her stuff in this Saturday. Then she will officially move in the next weekend. Just the other day I think I finally realized, "Wow. She`s going to be gone for nine months." And, eesh, that`s no fun to think about. :( Thankfully, Omaha isn`t horribly far at all, but still...no more goofing around while making lunch, no more talking late into the night, no more watching SpongeBob together. Hmph. Well, thankfully, I serve a God who is bigger than anything. I serve a God who controls the atoms and molecules of every tiny square inch on this earth, and holds the universe in the palm of His hand. And if this same God says that He will take care of me, who am I to doubt Him? So, yeah it is an ending. And yes I will miss my sister more than you can know. But Sunshine moving out is also a beginning. And God has it all in His hand. That`s a pretty cool thing to know.


--Rye Bread

By the way, I will be posting pictures of our crazy vacation(s) in the next blog post. :)

The Fourth and stuff

    Here I am again! Two consecutive posts two days in a row?? Is that even possible? Apparently. Anyway,   I will just post a few pictures of our Fourth of July fun and such. All photo credit goes to my father.

The punk is lit!

Lighting smoke bombs!! Those things are the bomb. Haha, ok that was really lame.

Probably discussing what to light next...probably another smoke bomb.

Looky here, Jack! I`m drinking from my Uncle Si tea glass!!

   Okay, so there weren`t as many pictures as I thought there were, but oh well. Thanks for reading! Or skimming. Or just scrolling really fast down the page. Whichever you did is appreciated. :) Now to go swimming and then go help out at our church`s first VBS tonight!! Whoohoo super pumped! Keep your eyes on Christ y`all. He`s everything. Later...


--Rye Bread

Hopeful Lamentation

  In my quiet time, I found myself in Lamentations, a very sorrowful book if you haven't given it a read. I was reading the third chapter, which, although it is one of my favorite passages, I had read it so many times that I thought I couldn't possibly derive any more from it. But everything that I had ever found to be sweet in this chapter before, returned again, this time almost sweeter. The whole first bit of the chapter is, to put it bluntly, depressing. The author writes of despair, hopelessness, a sense of distance from God, even comparing God to a hunter who is determined to take him out. But then, the author recalls God's faithfulness. He recalls God's steadfast love. He remembers that God's mercies never come to an end. And this should be so encouraging, especially to those who are going through a time when they have no idea what God's up to. Because we don't need to know. All we need to remember is that God is faithful and that whatever He's doing right now, He's doing it because He loves us and wants us to be conformed to the image of His Son. At the same time, I hope you understand that I'm not trying to encourage a "sit-back-and-watch" mentality where we do simply just that and hope that God takes care of us. Does that make sense? Anyway, I think one of the most beautiful parts is verses 55-57. God is so loving and gentle to say to His children, "Do not fear!" And yet this same God is holy, almighty, and terrifying. That's one of the things that you will see in the Bible; fear and love, severity and kindness, lamentation and hope.

Romans 11:22

--Rye Bread

It's been awhile, eh?

Yeah, like I said, it's been awhile. I have been doing school like a madman and stuff like that. But it's all good. :)  Although, a lot of the time it's hard to focus on that stuff when I just want to sit and think on all that happened on the Ethiopia trip. All the people I met. All the kids that I played with. All the needs. How on earth do you go back to America and resume your daily life? As if nothing's happened? Those people are still there. They are still real. Those kids are not statistics. They're real kids with real laughter, real tears, real smiles. They're just like my little siblings. They're also kids with real needs. Don't get me wrong. The orphanage they are in is the best place that they can be right now. But they need a mommy. They need a daddy. One of the little guys that I really bonded with constantly wanted me to hold him. He would let me know by raising his arms and saying, "Uppa! Uppa! Uppa!" And he was so content to simply sit in my arms. He and all of those other kids are still there. Still without a family. Their faces constantly come to my mind. But above their need for a family, they, like everyone else in the world, need the gospel.

We all inside of us have a need, a hole, a desire for something to satisfy.

Nothing but grace.

Nothing but mercy.

Nothing but Jesus' blood.

Nothing but the gospel can fill us.

And oh does it fill us! Daily, faithfully our Father reminds us of this hope. There is always hope while you draw breath. That includes these kids. It includes every person on this planet.

There is hope for the lost

Hope without cost

Hope for the orphan

Hope for the forgotten

The sound of His Name turns the night to day

Father show Your face

Show Your face

Lift your eyes, lift your eyes

For hope and joy are on the rise

No matter what you've seen, child

No matter where you are

There is always hope

--Rye Bread

Until next time...

    Hello again! This is basically a post to let you all know that I am leaving for Africa tomorrow!!!!! Therefore, I won`t be posting for awhile. :) I`m not really sure how much I can say about the trip in this public setting, so I`ll just say that it`s a mission trip to Ethiopia. Exciting stuff!! I am super pumped! And definitely nervous too. But hey, my God`s bigger than all that. Looking forward to seeing how He`s gonna stretch me, grow me, mold me, and challenge me on this trip. So, anyway, this will be my last post before the big trip and we arrive back home May 6th. So you can probably expect a post sometime after that. Or not. :) Well, until next time...


--Rye Bread

P.S: Just by the way, prayer would be greatly appreciated while we`re there!! Don`t want to be all demanding or anything, but it really would mean a lot! Thanks. :)

"His sweet voice soundeth..."

Jesus calls us o`er the tumult of our life`s wild, restless sea
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth, saying "Christian, follow Me."

Jesus calls us from the worship of the vain world`s golden store,
From each idol that would keep us, saying "Christian, love Me more."

In our joys and in our sorrows, days of toil and days of ease
Still He calls, in cares and pleasures, "Christian, love Me more than these."

Jesus calls us: by Thy mercies, Savior, may we hear Thy call,
Give our hearts to Thy obedience, serve and love Thee best of all.

-Cecil Alexander

Just thought I`d share this...have a great day! :)


--Rye Bread

New post...finally

Tear-Filled Eyes Hey everyone! If you`re wondering, to your left is a random song that I felt like recording, so if you want to check it out, go for it! :) Anyway, there has been quite a bit of stuff going on in my family`s life lately. Such things as T-bird and I doing drama (it`s been super fun and I encourage you all to come to the performances), everyone doing school, school, school, birthday parties, basketball practices/games, youth group and AWANA, and in a week from today T-bird and I will be attending the IGNITE conference with a bunch of awesome friends. But it seems all this was kind of put aside and forgotten when we got a call Monday night and were informed that my mom`s dad was in the active stages of dying. Scary thought. And not something we often like to think about and dwell on. After all, we would rather think ourselves invincible than what we really are: weak. The scariest thing of all about this phone call though was the state of my grandpa`s soul. It has been very apparent his whole life that he has not put his trust in Jesus. So, really, that was the most shaking thing to think that if my grandpa dies tonight without Jesus Christ as his mediator, he will face God`s wrath. Eternally. A word we will never fully grasp until we are experiencing it. But. There is still hope. While he still draws breath, and he does as of now, God is still able to save him. And while he is not audibly responding to most things, one thing that Mrs. Henn told me and T-bird the other day that I found so encouraging as I thought about it was that when our bodies are dying, the last thing to fade away is our hearing. Did our Creator not design it that way? So that even while living out his final days, God can still use vessels like us to speak truth to his ears? Wow. Our God is so good. Our God is so kind to even use us as ways to plant seeds in people`s lives. So, anyway, that`s kinda what`s been going on in our life. But God is always faithful. And He does all things well.


--Rye Bread

John Piper sermon jam

     Ok, so I know by personal experience that people don`t usually watch the videos that people post on their blogs. And if they do watch it, they only watch about the first few seconds or so. But I really really really think that you should watch this one. It`s really good. It was something that I needed to hear and I didn`t even realize it. Oh, how sweet it is to KNOW that God is sovereign over EVERYTHING. Lately it`s been kinda hard for me to really trust and rest in this awesome truth due to my bro`s situation for the past six months or so. But it seems that every time I have just a little doubt, or I`m scared, God shoves the truth of His sovereignty right back in my face again. There is not a square inch on this planet that Jesus Christ does not declare: MINE. My God is so good!!! He makes plans to prosper us and not to harm us!! No matter what it looks like to us. So, I know this video is kinda longish, but please give it a listen.





      Cheers,


--Rye Bread