Only the end of the overture

When we die, it's only the end of the overture. ~(said by a good friend of mine)

Have you ever listened to an overture? Sometimes old movies will play them in the beginning, while the credits roll. I believe "The Sound of Music" is that way. Before you even see the movie, you hear strains of "How do you solve a problem like Maria?" "The hills are alive..." "Do re me," and more. An overture pretty much gives you little tastes of each song - just enough for you to recognize them later.

Our lives are like an overture to heaven. Have you ever thought about this? For the Christian, when we die, it's not the end. It's only the end of the tastes we've gotten of heaven. We'll finally be in the real thing.

In our overture, all the melodies God weaves by and through our lives are simply snatches of the eternal song. Even the songs of sorrow, tragic tunes, refrains of remorse - God will transpose them to the major key in heaven. Then we'll see how much beauty He can make from tragedy.

It's a beautiful and comforting way to think of this life, isn't it? Yet these truths only apply to the one who has put their trust in God and is seeking to live by His Spirit and His standards here on earth. God only promises to work all things out for good for those who love Him and who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Is this you? When you die will the God of the Universe transpose the melody of your life into major and weave it in with the eternal song - or will your song continue to be one of sorrow and regret?

Thoughts on Words (Guest Post)

Hello everyone! My name is Miss ALK and I’m the author of the blog Confessions of a Maine Teenager. I was so honored when Melody asked me to guest post for her! My post today is similar to one that I posted a couple months ago on my blog, with the same title… 

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ~Proverbs 16:24 NIV 

One night back in July,  I was flipping through the book of Proverbs in my Bible, and the words “Pleasant words” caught my eye, and I stopped to read the worse, which was Proverbs 16:24. It really stuck out to me, and I felt as though that was just what I needed to hear, since speech and language are such important tools that we all use every day. This verse reminded me that they are a gift from the Lord, and we have to bless him in the ways that we use them!

As Christians, we need to be extremely careful about the words that we say, either in real life, online, or in our thoughts, because Christians are called to be an example to others. (Note: This doesn't mean that Christians are "better" then other people. That is entirely false, and all are created equal in God's eyes.) What I mean though is that typically when someone who is not a believer finds out that you are a Christian, they may begin to watch your actions and words a bit more closely, and we should try extra hard to be good examples, and show the "right" uses for words.

Cursing and using profanity is a sin, especially when it’s the Lord’s name in vain that is being used! Disappointing Him should be enough reason not to use these types of words, but another good reason not to is that foul language can help to ruin someone’s reputation. However, choosing not to curse doesn’t mean that you can never express anger. It just means to think twice about the type of language that you do to do so. For example, when I’m upset, I use words like “oh man,” “shoot,” and “oh gosh,” which are much better alternatives to cursing, and still get the point across!

Another thing that I thought about after reading this verse was how we can use words to encourage and uplift. This verse describes kind words as “sweet to the soul.” I think that everyone could use a little sweetness to the soul! Isn’t it nice when someone gives you a genuine compliment? It always brightens my day. :) Instead of complaining all of the time, how about trying to make someone else happy by telling them something kind? You’ll be surprised at how much better you will feel!

Now remember, no one is perfect, and there will be times when we will make mistakes with our words, and say things that are cruel or wrong. But amazingly, we serve a wonderful God who forgives us when we mess up! The most important thing is to thank God for his forgiveness, and learn from your mistake.

I hope that this post was an encouragement to you!

Blessings
xoxo Miss ALK


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About the guest poster: Miss ALK is a soon to be 17 year old teenager from Maine. She blogs at Confessions of a Maine Teenager, where she blogs about faith, friendship, fashion, music, entertainment and her life! She loves the ocean, bunnies, jewelry shopping, scrapbooking and the color aquamarine. She'd be honored if you visited her blog!

Summer in a Jar

I wish I could capture summer. Bottle it up, so it would always be with me.

All images via pinterest

Don't get me wrong, I love fall & am getting pretty excited about the school year. But there's just something about summer...

Summer embodies freedom.

Summer in a Jar

© Melody 2010

Scoup up some wind,

Mold a mound of brilliant blue sky,

Pour in bird calls, cicada buzzes, and echoing laughter,

Sprinkle on some slurpy juciness, cold creaminess and grilled goodness,

Press together sun-washed grass, refreshing pool water, and a fragrant wildflower meadow,

Shake it all together
Stirring vigorously,

And there you have it.

Summer in a jar.

Do you wish you could keep summer with you always?

Sometimes...

(all images via pinterest)

Sometimes those who spread the most light struggle the most with darkness.

Sometimes the roughest people turn out to be the softest.

Sometimes those who look like they have it all together are the ones who need the most encouragement.

Sometimes the strongest are only completed by the weak.

Sometimes those who say "You are beautiful," don't believe that about themselves.

Sometimes the prickliest people are the ones who need the most love.

Sometimes those who say they'd rather go it alone simply want someone to hold their hand.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful.



Sometimes sometimes happens most of the time.

To spread beauty

I've been reading Lynnette Kraft's excellent posts on the reasons for blogging. (I would definitely encourage you to read them - she gives a lot of helpful tips on what makes blogging beneficial for you and your readers.) As I've read them, I'm finding my goal for this blog narrowed and strengthened. I've typically posted thoughts on what God has been teaching me, events in my life (especially musical ones), samples of my writing, and devotional/encouragements. And I believe the thing that ties these all together is one word: beauty.

To me, beauty is more than just something that strikes you as "perfect" or "pleasing." Beauty is more than something external - it is the evidence of God.

The subtitle of my blog says "Painting beauty across the palette of life," and that is exactly what I desire to do with this blog. Sharing the beauty in the everyday, the fictional, the musical, even in the painful. I want to detect and magnify the evidence of Christ that I see everywhere around me. And I hope that in painting beauty through my words, pictures, and music, that you may see it and be encouraged to do the same in your own life.

All that said, I am in need of bloggers to help me continue in spreading beauty throughout this school year. The school year is coming up fast, and with it, sadly, will be a much diminished amount of free time for me. So I would like to recruit at least ten guest posters for the school year.

If you would like to guest post for me, send me an email (find it up at the top right under "contact me"). Let me know what you'd consider writing on, and I'll pick the top ten. Thank you so much, sweet bloggers - and continue spreading beauty!