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BeneathTheVeil
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Name: Ally Jo
Country: United States
State: Minnesota
Metro: Minneapolis
Gender: Female
Interests: Dance, Photography, Road Trips, International Destinations, Filmmaking, Plane and Car Rides, Freedom, Photoshop, Writing, Flowers, Water, Clothing Design, a Hard Days Work, Blessing People, Serving, and God
Expertise: Making a Fool of Myself
Occupation: Filmmaker
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  dancingharebell
Member Since:
8/22/2004
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| Recently I've been reading Emily illustrated bible stories before bed. I've pulled them out of boxes and shelves from my childhood, dusted them off, and in part sung them to her the way I used to sing them to myself.
It's been a bit of a walk down memory lane. Remembering why certain ones were my favorites, rediscovering the beautiful illustrations, and the funny concepts that the writer had as well as profound ones that were once far beyond my ability to even recognize they existed.
But, what surprises me most is the absolute goodness of God as I read these bible stories.
Ruth.... David & Goliath... the Good Shepherd... The Conversion of Paul...
"Goliath roared, 'You Israelites,
Let's let our soldiers rest
Just send one man to fight me
to decide which army's best.'"
With each new story, without fail, I begin with the happy tune and rhyme of the words cadencing softly across the pages, and as the story continues it changes.
"David asked, 'Why do you fear
Goliath's shouts and fuss?
We are all God's people;
He'll take good care of us.'"
My voice now strained and hoarse, matches the cadence of the tears streaming down my face.
"David went before the King
And said to him, 'King Saul,
I want to fight Goliath
Who is almost ten feet tall.'
At first King Saul refused him.
'You are but a shepherd boy
Goliath is a giant
Who can break you like a toy.'"
Emily looks at me rather quizzically at this point and smiles softly. She doesn't understand what about this story could have undone me so. Why I'm struggling so hard to hold to my ability to speak. She cannot comprehend the way these simple words pierce my heart. As a few new tears stream down my face, I'm lifting up a silent prayer that somehow, even though, it's just a story to her, the Spirit will minister in her heart the same things that he's placing in mine. Though the words may carry little meaning, that her little spirit would resound with the revelation of God who is faithful beyond any faithfulness that humanity can comprehend, and God who delights in using the foolish of man -- our foolishness--- my foolishness --- and yes, even hers --- to glorify himself.
"Then David said, 'You come to me
With armor, javelin, and spear
But I come in the name of God
And so I have no fear!
The Lord, My God, will conquer you.
He needs no spear or sword.
And everyone who follows Him
Will have a just reward!'"
A hush falls over the room, and Emily begins to hum softly to herself, still not understanding the harsh and raspy tone to my voice--- but here, here are the words that undo me most of all.
" The soldiers of the Israelites
laughed and cheered with joy
For the Lord had won the battle
With a stone and just one boy..."
And as just one child, who's carrying stone
With no great knowledge of the battle
Standing, all alone.
I am left in tears to know
That I am serving the most faithful God
Whose brilliant love is shown
In a simple story written for a child
And I remember that this stone bearer
Is a child he has called his own. | | |
| "Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness stretches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36: 5-7
Familiar--- most beloved.
The phrases of this chapter are to me as smooth as wine and comforting beyond measure. Hours have poured over them, again and again, finding new meaning with their new application as life progress.
Still, I found myself today weeping anew at their beauty.
As I stood on a rock in the middle of my river, singing to the air, the familiar song by Third Day, a single phrase stuck with me, undid me, and remade me in the beauty and majesty of who our Father is.
"... Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains...."
His righteousness is like the mighty mountains. It is strong and unmovable. Visible for miles and end, breathtakingly beautiful. Impossible for us to fathom the complete majesty of. We could not see all his righteousness if we wanted to--- but instead must survey it in part. If a small bit of his righteousness were to fall on us, it would crush life from us, for so great and strong is his righteousness in comparison to the frailty of our unholy being.
.... but then, another thought filtered into my mind, and this is what brought me to tears. Instantly, Zechariah 4, besieged me as new (or perhaps, old, and renewed) revelation broke upon me.
"...'Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. "What are you, O Mighty Mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone with shouts of 'God bless it, God bless it!" Zechariah 4: 6-7
Here before us we have the King of all Kings, whose righteousness extends beyond our comprehension. We see only one side of the vastness of its outward appearance, and have no comprehension of its majesty beneath the ground. Here the symbol of all that is unchanging, all that man is fruitless to take dominion over.... and yet, here God has taken his righteousness, just as the mountains, and in his love granted us the authority as Sons and Daughters of God to call it near to us, to call his righteousness to no longer be to us as something unattainable. With shouts of God bless it, with cries to the father that he would fufill his promises--- he brings his righteous near, as level ground that can be perceived with our eyes, and no longer a mystery.
Here woven through the Old Testament is a beautiful picture of the Messiah who was yet to come. The very righteousness and glory of God made manifest in a man who had no beauty, drawn near to us, come that he might be righteousness in us. He is the capstone brought forth from the mountain of Righteousness, he is the level ground on which we are called to walk.
And ever, ever, he lives to bring his righteousness near to us.
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| Sometimes I consider myself to be a conundrum. People never seem to classify me the same way twice. No one can seem to determine whether I am an introvert or an extrovert (I'm an introvert, just for the record), whether I'm a quiet, stay-behind-the-scenes sort, or the leading entrepreneurial sort (both, actually), but most of all, the question goes on as to where I fall on the scale of femininity.
While it would be unlikely that someone would classify me a tomboy, I'm often perceived as the sort of no-nonsense woman with no use for frills, that you might find stereotypical of a novel-bound medieval cook.
On the other hand, from time to time, I'm perceived as the absolute icon of everything flouncy and feminine.
How these two drastic opposites can exist is somewhat beyond me, but I have been told numerous times that I am the LEAST romantic person on the face of the planet who cannot see beyond her own practicality. I've also been told numerous times that I am the most feminine woman that particular person has ever come across in their life.
Oh, confusion.
In the end, I'm simply me.
However, in looking at these two extremes, I must concede that both are somewhat accurate. I am a personality of extreme paradoxes. This is one of the simpler ones. And if I were to define the extremes in a single activity, I would pick shoe shopping.
Shoe shopping is a dilemma for me. The Pros? I love shoes. It's that simple. The Cons? I hate shopping. I'm extremely picky. And I'm way too practical with my money to spend it on shoes. Shoe shopping is always to me more frustrating than rewarding, as it normally involves six or seven stores to find one silly pair of shoes.
The result of this being that I really don't shop for shoes all that often (okay, let's face it, I don't go shopping all that often) and I am very unaware of most shoe shopping places.
Today, on a whim, I decided to enter DSW Shoes.
I had never been there before, and I thought to myself, "Oh, a new cute little shoes boutique to check out."
When I opened the door I nearly had a heart attack.
My lady friends will laugh at me.
But I was in complete shock.
Moral of the story?
I think my shoe dilemma is over. | | |
| Turns out it's better for you than all the insomniac hype would suggest.
=D | | |
| In general, I have a strange knack for receiving some of the most bizarre compliments. They really are compliments--- it's just sometimes they are Tobias Funkesque or just hilarious that they would be said of me. This week kind of capitalized on them.
"No, no, the soup makes you look good cause, it's putting life on something that's dead!" -- EJ after accidentally splurting soup all over me. Then, noting the look on my face, and realizing what he'd just said, proceeded to blush profusely and pretend to cheese-grater his face as penance.
"Just because he thinks you're in a cult, doesn't mean he doesn't respect you." -- Jesse, in regards to a mutual friend--- this really truly was a serious conversation, but talking it back over produced much laughter.
"It was cool to read all your stuff because it shows me how abstract and deranged you are." -- my mom, after looking at my facebook. ...gee, uh... thanks, mom? :)
The list goes on, but my time does not.
Oh the funny life I lead. :) | | |
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