Proud to be an Auburn Alumnus

Auburn 28, Alabama 18!!!!

War Eagle, Baby!!!

For the first time ever in my life, I didn't see the Auburn/Alabama game, BUT it was for a very good reason. The family and I drove 12 hours to pick up my sweetheart of a stepson who will be with us for the next week. Yeah! We are all very excited since we don't get to see him nearly enough (lives in Chicago area). I wouldn't have missed that for anything. But, we did bring the laptop so we could listen to it via the web and it was totally awesome, or as Ethan would say "totally wicked!" Auburn stomped Bama by scoring 21 points in the first quarter. It was a surprise to a lot of people since Alabama was ranked ahead of Auburn, but not to us. This is one game that always exists outside the realm of logic. It may seem strange to those of you who aren't from Alabama, but believe me, college football is KING down here, and this matchup always proves to be a great one. Having grown up a Bama fan (my parents got their graduate degrees there) it wasn't until my sister went to Auburn to major in Speech Pathology that I found out what an awesome place it is. After visiting her there for one weekend, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I did and it became home to me very quickly. It's a beautiful campus in the heart of a small town rich with history. My Tuscaloosa-born husband fell in love with it as well and horrified his family by becoming a huge fan. That's okay, though, they still love us, we just don't talk on game day! I'm kidding, of course...my mother-in-law is one of my best friends and we pretty much talk daily, regardless of football.

Well, I have to go. I am just very excited and since I can't be at Toomer's Corner tonight, I guess blogging is the next best thing!

Oh yeah, and one more time, War Eagle!!!

Discovering Selah...

Wonderment. Awe. Reverence. Love. All of these are states of being brought on by the listening of an album of hymns I happened upon in the aisles of Target one day. By a group named Selah, this collection of songs which ever so gently rocked my world every Sunday morning of my life, stirred within me feelings so overwhelming I was moved to tears. I attend a comtemporary Methodist church which I love, however I grew up spending about 7 hours a week in a Southern Baptist church and it is here that I came to know the Lord as I do. With a very cool rendition of "Amazing Grace" and an extremely moving and upbeat "By and By" (be sure and read the story behind this one), this album has captivated me and my car stereo for the last several days. The first track is "Be Thou My Vision" which is a melody and lyrics unknown to me, but has quickly become one of my favorites. The rest of the songs are old familiar hymns whose words are still and forever will be, locked inside my heart. My absolute favorite is "There Is a Fountain" which is the very hymn the congregation sang as I, clad in a white robe, waded the waters of the baptistry in a small Baptist church 20 years ago and, clutching the hand of the man who had led me to the Lord, was "buried in the likeness of His death and raised in the likeness of His resurrection" and symbolically left my sins behind in the cloudy water. I found myself wondering why, even though I sing what we call worship songs every Sunday with 3 guitars, 2 keyboards and a full set of drums, we have dubbed the hymns of yore as dull, boring or not indicative to modern life. For those of us who grew up holding hymnals in a sweaty hand while the other clung to back of a wooden pew, this album is more than a mere trip down nostalgia lane. It is a moment of worship, endearment and a reminder that some things transcend time, and among those are the outcries of the human heart to it's God and the amazement of his mercy.



There Is a Fountain

1. There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel's veins;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains,
lose all their guilty stains;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains.

2. The dying thief rejoiced to see
that fountain in his day;
and there may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away,
wash all my sins away;
and there may I, though vile as he,
wash all my sins away.

3. Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
shall never lose its power
till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more,
be saved, to sin no more;
till all the ransomed church of God
be saved, to sin no more.

4. E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream
thy flowing wounds supply,
redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die,
and shall be till I die;
redeeming love has been my theme,
and shall be till I die!

Hear the tune here http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh622.sht .
"Selah" online http://www.selahonline.com/ .