Secrestsong's Xanga

What do you say?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:50:13 GMT

The following is a question on my Christian Experience Essay I am writing for my Grad Application. I never really ask you guys this question, so before I'd answer I wanted proof. Love from Korea,

Mel

6. What would those who know you say about your character and sense of integrity?

Faces of Malasia

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:44:32 GMT

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28370&l=cac31&id=510961388

Check out this link for pics from Malasia! More to come, happy late V-Day friends!

Journeys of Delight (Turkish) and Tower (France)

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:46:17 GMT

Thankfully, the school did have my passport and a few minutes before I had to get the bus, I had my passport in hand. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip. So many, so these are only a few. Thanks for your prayers. Enjoy! Mel

If you don't know what this means, its STOP in Turkish! Dur!

Kapadokia and a new picture to add to my Natural Frames Collection (aka amature photography by Mel)

Frescos carved in the cooled lava of Turkey still preserved and telling the story of our Savior!

Montmartre or the Sacre' Coeur (You can't hear it but I'm typing this with a French accent...this is one of the only words I know how to pronounce, so don't be impressed)

Courtyard of the Muse'e du Louvres

Geometry, I'm loving it! Oh, and a working fountain in Winter!

It's even bigger in real life than it looks here! Eiffel Tower!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 13:18:42 GMT

As soon as I find my passport, Lord-willing the school has kept it after I turned it in for the missions trip I am going on to Borneo, I will be off to Turkey and then France. Please pray that all will go more smoothly than this past week has gone. I'm pretty exhausted and in need of a lot of rest. Thanks so much! Love in Christ,

Melody

Merry Christmas

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:40:57 GMT

With Love from South Korea

Pictures of girl's night out

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:53:15 GMT

Keep in mind this is not a typical Saturday night, but a very special Christmas celebration with friends. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22634&l=63816&id=510961388

Not Even a Hint

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:14:06 GMT

I have recently decided to scrap my original book title, Emotional Tonsil Hockey and decided to change my book title to Are You the Biblical Type? How to be the ideal woman to attract your ideal mate. This is actually my third try to come up with a catchy title after my second try was revealed to me to already exist, Not Even a Hint by Joshua Harris, I think. I'm finally willing to read the book I tried to avoid in college, Lady in Waiting; Becoming God's Best While Waiting for Mr. Right. But it has been exactly what I needed to hear, as well as probably much better than any book I could possibly write about relationships. So, I guess the whole write a book thing is on hold, but the living the good truth in the ones I have already read and learning from the good bad examples I have been privileged to experience is enough to handle right now...oh and grades are due Friday morning as well. Anywho, Here are some of my verse meditations today, hope they bless you guys.

Love from Korea,

Mel

Proverbs 13:12
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 31: 12 "She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life."

Proverbs 31:25-31

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

29 "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

31 Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Psalm 37 Of David.

1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

Ephesians 5:1ff

1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.

Mom ventures across the Pacific- A successful trip

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:22:55 GMT

My amazing mother waited in the huge backlog, and payed a lot of money to have her passport rushed so she could come and visit me for Thanksgiving this year. She has never crossed any border, save for viewing the Canadian falls, Canada back when you didn't have to have a passport for that trip. She has seen so many things in the past year, and its been amazing to watch her grow and be encouraged by her life and faithfulness to our family. We did many things, but I think the thing that means the most to me is that as much as I wanted to serve her, she constantly fell into serving me. I really needed it too! I miss her presence, I miss having someone to come home too, or to go home with, I miss my mommy making me a healthy breakfast, or just being around to delight in me. What a rare and precious thing to be single and living on the other side of the world, and have your mother come and visit you and enjoy such conveniences as a peticure, sauna/jim-jil-bang, talking on our computer to friends and family over Thanksgiving, traveling to Songtan to shop for blackmarket American goods, visiting Seoul, singing with her in church on Sunday, having her teach me anew how to change the strings on my guitar, to love and be loved is the greatest gift in all the world. Wow! she even did two new bulletin boards for me in about 1/3 of the time it would have taken me, let a lone all of the photo copying and picture taking, oh and eating we did. She's my hero, and I hope I will make her as proud as she has me to be her daughter. I miss yesterday today...Christ is my only constant, the only one who fills every little part of my heart and life. Thank you for loving me here and her as she travels back to the home we all grew up in. Memories of our time in Korea will always be precious to me. A dream fulfilled and now maturing into a sweet memory. Blessings, Melody

"Exceedingly Blessed" my newest song

Sat, 03 Nov 2007 14:19:40 GMT

"Exceedingly Blessed"

Music by Melody Secrest and Laura Shoop

Lyrics adapted from NKJV Ephesians 3:14-21

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

VERSE:

This is my prayer for us, that we can know the height & depth & width & length of love.

That Christ may dwell in our hearts through

faith and we may know His love which far surpasses knowledge, and we’d be filled with all the fullness of God.

CHORUS:

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. To him be glory, glory in the church

by Christ Jesus to all generations Amen

(ending Tag -Amen, Amen, Amen)

BRIDGE:

Our thoughts are not your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8)

Our ways are much lower than your ways (Isaiah 55:8)

You never cease to amaze us (Mark 10:24,26)

You are our King! (Matt. 27:11)

good, bettER, BEST!!!

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:08:03 GMT

Why do we seem to settle so quickly on good things, and even on better things than we had before, but never wait for the BEST! The saying, "The best things are worth waiting for!" Has truly been my heart commitment. Take the Christian walk as compared to a race. Is training, sweating, stinking, sacrificing food, and time for yourself for a greator goal easy? Of course not, but is it worth enduring to the end to win the prize? You betcha!

The spiritual warfare has been intense...always wearing me down or targetting me when I am most vulnerable.

Initial attack: Sending of constant lies which are masked in twisted truth, "Did God really say... ?" He would provide a godly husband for you without you doing anything about it? Well, he didn't exactly say that, but what I am doing about it I don't feel comfortable with, (anything not done in faith is sin).

Second line of attack: Make sin look good: When your with him don't you feel so content, so loved, so protected. (Trying to interest me in something good, at least on the outside, and entice me to compromise truth even further.)

This one is extremely hard right now, as things are looking pretty lonely and bleak here in Korea land with very few Christ-centered men to even enjoy a group friendship or fellowship with.

Third line of attack: Make God look bad. God must be a pretty strict father if he says you can only date more mature Christians than you, does it really matter? As long as they love him, and are attracted to you, what does it matter. Doesn't God feel far away, isn't it really hard talking to a spirit rather than a person who you can call and have near you in just a few minutes?

Scripture he has given me for this attack: Ephesians 5:25-27 are my future husband expectation verses "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." If he can't fulfill this scripture, then he doesn't make the cut! And that would be waiting for the BEST!

Normally this one works, I doubt God's goodness and give into my sinful desires. And then the 4th line of attack.

Fourth line of attack: GUILT The messages bombard my brain, "What a horrible Christian you are, thinking sinful, selfish thoughts and trying to get your own way. What kind of a person do you think you are? He doesn't even like you and you keep obsessing over him...and on and on..."

At this point, messages of his grace, and resecuring my helmet of salvation are very appropriate, remembering I am but dust, and yet he died for me, while I was still a sinner, Christ died for the ungodly. I also have recently heard his faint whispers of renewal of our love commitment...Melody, I love you and I'm jealous when you run after broken cisterns, cisterns that hold no water and you have forsaken me the fount of living water. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you, take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Stop trying to make things happen that aren't my will. You asked me to take away distractions, and then when I do, you get angry because there are no good guys around...be patient my sweet princess, your prince is me, and I have beautiful things for you, no eye has seen nor ear has heard what God has prepared for those who love him. Delight yourself in me and I will give you the desires of your heart, seek first my kingdom and be obedient to me in the small things and all of these boy things will be added to you in due time, do not give up for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you keep working. I am a God of Yes, I say no only because I have even better things awaiting you that I will say yes to. The good things, no, but YES to the best things! How amazing it is to be loved by you oh Lord my rock and my redeemer. I couldn't ask for better because you are the BEST!

But there is hope, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our wekanesses, but we have one owho has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15-16

vs. 17, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may recieve mercy and find grace to help in our time of need."

I hope my ramblings will bless one of you...they certainly did help me process once again.

In Christ,

Melody