"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart." -Winnie the Pooh


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Put On My Blue Suede Shoes

Note: Make sure you read this blog to the end. This is not one for you to give up on reading!

If you know me well, you know I LOVE music!  I'd use it to write a theme song for my life any day!  I should note that my love of music comes from my dad (who doesn't read the blog).  Maybe I'll send him the link today.  When I was little, my dad used to play many songs for us.  He still does!  It's a well known fact that if you want to go to a concert, just tell Dad.  He'll arrange it!  From Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Journey, Kenny Chesney, John Mayer, and Nsync, Dad's taken us to a lot of concerts.  He's even been to the Eagles, U2, Rolling Stones just to name a few more.  I can't even keep up with all that he's seen.  He taught me some of the greatest music of all time.  Today, I have a few on my mind though.  Perhaps you've heard a few of these:

Put on my blue suede shoes
And I boarded the plane
Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues
In the middle of the pouring rain
W.C. Handy--won't you look down over me
Cause I got a first class ticket
But I'm as blue as a boy can be

Walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
Do I really feel the way I feel

Saw the ghost of Elvis
On Union Avenue
Followed him up to the gates of Graceland
Then I watched him walk right through
Now security they did not see him
They just hovered around his tomb
But there's a pretty little thing
Waiting on the King
Down in the Jungle Room

-Marc Cohen

For those of you like David who have never been to Graceland, the Jungle Room is one of the COOLEST rooms at Graceland!  And if you've never been to Graceland, go NOW!  Christmastime is the best time to go!  All of Elvis' decorations are up!

Maybe this one:

Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
Till I hitched a ride on the Riverboat Queen

Big wheels keep on turning
Proud Mary keep on burning
And we're rolling, rolling, rolling on a river

-Creedence Clearwater Revival

And then this one:

I met a gin soaked bar-room queen in Memphis

It's the honky tonk, honky tonky woman
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues
It's the honky tonk, honky tonky woman
Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues

-Rolling Stones


What about this one?

Up in Memphis the music's like a heatwave
White lightening, bound to drive you wild
Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle
The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for

Black velvet and that little boy's smile
Black velvet with that slow southern style
A new religion that'll bring ya to your knees
Black velvet if you please

Can't forget this one:

Well I went to bed in Memphis
And I woke up in Hollywood
I got a quarter
in my pocket
And I'd call you if I could
But I don't know why
I gotta fly
I wanna rock and roll this party
I still wanna have some fun
I wanna leave you feeling breathless
Show you how the west was won
But I gotta fly, I gotta fly

Like Steve McQueen
All I need's a fast machine
I'm gonna make it all right
Like Steve McQueen
Underneath your radar screen
You'll never catch me tonight

-Sheryl Crow

And I'd never heard this one, but it sounded good!

Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley
With his pointed shoes and his bells,
Speaking to some French girl,
Who says she knows me well.
And I would send a message
To find out if she's talked,
But the post office has been stolen
And the mailbox is locked.

Oh, Mama, can this really be the end,
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis blues again

-Bob Dylan

Did you hear that?  That groan all the way from Starkville?  It was my mom saying "Ugh...enough already! Get on with it!"  (she doesn't like it when I blog too long).  Sorry mom. Just wanted everyone to know what that huge noise was from so far away!

Enough with the song lyrics.  Can you tell what's on my mind? Ding, ding, ding. Memphis.

When I was a little kid, I grew up traveling through Memphis with my family on the way from Arkansas to Mississippi to see grandparents and other family members.  My parents would take us to Memphis for fun weekends, and as I got older, since our voice teacher was based in Germantown, we'd come to Memphis frequently.  The ducks at the Peabody, Rendevouz ribs, the Memphis Zoo, two Mississippi State Liberty Bowls, two Bob Westbrook Liberty Bowl pre-game performances, Bob Westbrook practices, voice lessons, & workshops, and singing walking in Memphis with Dad as we walked down Beale Street are all fond memories.  August 2009, Dad took me to see Journey on Mud Island two days AFTER David asked him if he could marry me and two days BEFORE David asked me to marry him.  Memphis has always held many special memories for my family.

We're so excited to report (and finally be able to put it on the blog) that David was offered a job last week with International Paper in Memphis, TN.  We're so excited!  Did I mention, we're so excited!?  David is truly elated about the opportunity with IP.  I keep asking him if he's sure it's the job he wants!  And he reassures me over and over that it is.  So as of around Christmas, we're moving to Memphis. His potential start date is January 4th.  We'll be renting a house in Memphis (ask David for specifics), and your welcome to facebook or email me to get the new address.  The fact that my stats say someone is reading from Canada, India, and Slovenia kind of creep me out. If you read from there and know me, a comment would be much appreciated since I don't THINK I know anyone in any of those three countries.  And for that reason, among others, I won't be putting the address of the house on the blog! Haha!  I don't need any creepy people showing up on my doorstep, but you are different. We'd love for you (if you are in fact someone that would message me on facebook and I would give our address to) to come visit!  We'll eventually have a spare bedroom, though I feel obligated to let you know we'll only have one bathroom.

As for me, I'll be living in Memphis and working on writing my thesis full time. I'll probably be back to Starkville once a week for meetings and face to face conversations.  However, we are blessed to live in a technological age with email and cell phones!

David and I have been overwhelmed this week by God's incredible plan.  I meet with two incredible girls once a week and we've been working on memorizing scripture together. This week, our verses are:

"God's way is perfect
All the LORD's promises prove true
He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection
For who is our God expcet the LORD
Who but our God is a solid rock
God is my strong fortress and He makes my path perfect."
-2 Samuel 22:31-33

and...

"I raise my eyes towards the moutains
where will my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD
The maker of heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip
Your protector will not slumber
Indeed the protector of Israel
Will not slumber or sleep.
The LORD protects you
The LORD is a shelter right by your side
The sun will not strike you by day
Or the moon by night
The LORD will protect you from all things
He will protect your life
The LORD will protect your coming and going both now and forever."
-Psalm 121

We've been studying Genesis together and we've made it to the life of Abraham.  Talk about a dude that had to live by faith.  In fact, he's "counted as righteous" because of it in Genesis 15 and Hebrews 11.  It is incredible to me that with all of the stupid stuff Abraham did (see telling Sarai to say she was his sister not once, but TWICE, having Ishmael with Sarai's servant, etc.), God still counted him as righteous because of his faith.  Hebrews 11, aka the faith chapter, is full of people that followed God and believed him.  That's so powerful to me. Even in his messups and pitfalls, God didn't give up on him and still counted him as righteous.  I want God to say that about me.  I DESIRE to have faith like that!  I feel like that's what David and I have been trying to do since June 19th when it was so unclear of which way we should go.  When David, king David--not David Adams, says in 2 Samuel 22: "God's way is PERFECT, all the LORD's promises prove true," I can't help but think of us right now.  God has been faithful to us because we believed he'd be faithful.  And don't get me wrong, there have been bumps along the way and we in no way have mastered it.  He's just taught us a lot through a time when we had to fully rely on his faithfulness and that he did have a perfect path in mind.  God doesn't say 'my path will be perfect, easy, and fun if you have faith.'  No! He's definitely had to teach us some things along the way. And I only feel like I've grown closer in my walk with him and my relationship with my husband.

I told one of the girls that I meet with that the day after we got the call, I thought would be freeing, life changing, and like a weight had been lifted off of our shoulders.  But it really wasn't. It was like, "wow God...you were just as faithful last month as you are today."  I thought on several occasions during the day after the call that if He had given us this in August, I would have been elated about "stuff." About having money for stuff and unpacking stuff, and stuff, and stuff, and stuff would be all I'd have to think about.  And you know what I thought about the next day?  It can be summed up in a song.  This is what I thought.  And I'll leave you with it to think about since it seems appropriate to end with song lyrics.  God's faithfulness day after day.  New mercies no matter what He brings that day.  We don't need a "job" to see his faithfulness.  He's been showing it all along. 

"Great is thy faithfulness, oh God my Father.
There is no shadow of turning with thee.
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not.
As thou has been, thou forever will be.

Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.
 Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is thy faithfulnees,
Great is thy faithfulness.
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness
Great is thy faithfulness
Lord unto me.

3 comments:

  1. Okay First. Walking in Memphis is hands down in my top 10 favorite songs of ALL time. LOVE LOVE it. I am so excited for the Adams and your new adventure to Memphis. I cannot wait to come and visit as well. You know that I will need that address as well. :) I think that the 2 Samuel verse is going to become of my breath prayers. Yay for New Adventures.

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  2. Yay! I'm so happy y'all are moving to Memphis!

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  3. How exciting! Congratulations on everything! So wonderful to hear how Faithful the Lord is those who seek Him!

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