T.J.B

Tragedy is never easy. But I am thankful for songs that speak to the heart. I share with you a song that has spoke to my heart since the loss of my sweet cousin Tyler. 


There are no words in times like these 
When tears don't hide the tragedies 
And all you want is a reason for the world 

No comfort in the greeting card 
Cause God is good 
But life's still hard 
and your heart just wants a reason for the world 

Maybe the reason for the pain 
Is so we would pray for strength 
And maybe the reason for the strength 
Is so that we would not lose hope 
And maybe the reason for all hope 
Is so that we could face the world 
And the reason for the world 
Is to make us long for home 

For God so loved your broken heart 
He sent his son to where you are 
and he died 
To give a reason for the world 

So lift your sorrows to the one 
Whose plan for you has just begun 
And rests here in the hands that hold the world 

Maybe the reason for the pain 
Is so we would pray for strength 
And maybe the reason for the strength 
Is so that we would not lose hope 
And maybe the reason for all hope 
Is so that we could face the world 
And the reason for the world 
Is to make us long for home 

Well I know your past the point of broken 
Surrounded by your fears 
I Know you're faint and tired and lonely 
from the road that you walked down here 
But just keep your eyes on heaven 
and know that you are not alone 
remember the reason for the world 

No ear has heard 
No eye has seen 
Not even in your wildest dreams 
A beauty that awaits beyond this world 
When you look into the eyes of grace 
and hear the voice of mercy say 
Child, welcome to the reason for the world
~Matthew West




I can't believe it's been 10 weeks since we lost my cousin Tyler in a tragic car accident. It still doesn't make sense why at 17 years old he had to lose his life. And I may never know why this side of Heaven, but I'm believing in the hope of Christ that I one day will see him again. 


Through the pain...I'm praying for strength....and through the strength only God can give....I'm not going to lose hope....and maybe the reason for the hope is that we can spend one more day as we face the world....longing for Home. 


You Are Truly Missed!! Tyler James Bisbee 7.21.93~2.9.11

But God!

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall 
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the kings horses and all the kings men
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again.


He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. 
Psalm 147:3




Hooded Wonder sat on a wall...But God.
Hooded Wonder had a great fall...But God.
All her family and all her friends couldn't put 
Hooded Wonder back together again...But God!


But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.  Ephesians 2:4-5


Life is like the wall and things knock us down - break our hearts - leave us lonely - feeling empty...But God is So Rich in Mercy that He's not willing to leave us there, He has a better ending to our story. Special thanks to Pastor Kendall for sharing this in your sermon. It spoke to me as it found me in my brokenness and heartache and reminded me that God is not done yet and He will use all my broken pieces for a bigger story ~ The Story that He is Creating in Me. 


But God... 

S.O.A.P ~ Take 2

When the Hooded Wonder doesn't know what else to BLOG, God just seems to blow her away in her time in The Word and using S.O.A.P notes...so here it is!

S ~ "How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?...But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation." Psalm 13:2 & 5

O ~ God's timing isn't always our timing. God's perfect picture isn't exactly how we were viewing things. Constant trust in Him is required to get through it all.

A ~ Thoughts and sorrow in my heart aren't always for myself but for those I love and care about. If I would just leave those thoughts with God, how much less would my heart stop wrestling and hurting?! I can't see the pain in our lives that I CAN'T FIX! It's heavy - too heavy to carry! I must stop and trust in God's unfailing love to see it through. His timing not mine. (Isa. 55:8-9)

P ~ God,
          Life gets to me sometimes and is so overwhelming. I want to take the pain away in other's lives as well as my own. But, I know I need to trust You and your unfailing love - yes Your unfailing love to take us through each circumstance. God, help me to rejoice in you through it all even when to me, my timing seems quicker - never better though. Thank-you for your unfailing love for me. Cause permanent change in my heart and life that I would constantly trust you. I want to strive to fit into Your plans, not fit you into my plans. 




I don't know about you but I just feel like I am sometimes the only one who deals with this. I hear about something going on in the lives of those I care about and instead of taking it to God, I lay awake at night with a broken heart for them pondering how to fix it. If I would just learn to give it to God maybe my heart would hurt less. All I can do is ask God for permanent change and believe that I am a change in the making. :)

Tool for the Toolbox

This summer I was given a new tool to add to my Christian Life Skills Toolbox. It has helped me so much and I have enjoyed doing SOAP notes through the book of Romans and now working on getting through Psalms. Thank you God for the opportunity to counsel at Camp MACC, and thank you Pastor Heath for sharing SOAP notes with us.

So this is how it goes....

S(scripture)~write down the main scriptures that stood out to you.
O(observation)~write what you see in the scriptures.
A(application)~write how can I apply this directly to my life, how will I be different today because of these verses.
P(prayer)~close with a written prayer asking God for change, permanent change in your life because of these verses.

So here it is one of my SOAP notes that has caused change in my life. :)
S ~ "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong -that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Romans 1:11-12
O ~ Giving and receiving. Sharing with each other brings fellowship, growth and comfort.
A ~ Mentoring - allows impartation of life experiences and to encourage and be encouraged. Give and receive, but giving your all without the intent of receiving. 
P ~ God,
           Thank you for mentoring. Thank-you for giving me a Paul(Pam B) in my life to show me how to live out Romans 1:11-12 and 2 Timothy 2:2, and how to give without the intent of receiving. Poured out! May I be the Paul in the lives of Molly and Tegan especially, but also in the lives of teens and young women that you allow to cross my path of influence. Continue to blow me away at how much of an impact Christian influence and mentoring has in the lives of your people. May this opportunity to mentor bring permanent change in my life for Your Glory.


And there is one of many SOAP notes for me. This tool in my toolbox has just inspired and encouraged me to read more and to be excited about what I am reading.

God in it all!

       Today was just one of those days where I realized it was about time for me to have a BLOG. How could I not want to share the things I can see God doing in and around my life. Today...He showed me His faithfulness. 

       I felt like He was dancing around me doing the "I Told You So Dance." 

Last night I was freaking out about money. Go figure! I knew I had less money than what I needed to register my car, and then I was borrowing Dad's truck and the gas light came on. "Oh LOVELY, I thought!" And I recall me screaming Nooooooo! Part of me wanted to avoid the gas light, then part of me only wanted to put $5 in the tank. But that gut wrenching feeling inside me said....Crystal, put $20 in. I didn't want to. I wrestled with God for the whole ride to the gas station. (Since I drove straight to the gas station, you can guess who won that battle?!) I even came to tears because I was afraid of the lack of money that I have, and that my pay check wasn't going to cover my car registration OR fill my own tank for 2 weeks. UGH! Ever wrestled with God? I dare say...He knows best. So with tears in my eyes I put $20 of gas in Dad's truck. I felt like God was saying, "Crystal, it's going to be ok, let me handle it, don't you trust me more than money?" 

      Today I got my paycheck which was almost twice as much as I thought it was going to be, I had plenty of money to register my car and enough money to put gas in my car as well. Is God good? Absolutely! Did He do the "I Told You So dance?" More than likely! 

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes." Matt 6:34 The Msg.