Wow! I can't believe it! I actually have an iPod now! ;-) It's kinda funny, because I've been hearing about iPod's for at least a couple years now...and I always thought..."Whatever! Just another new-fangled electronic device that teens use to fill the air-space...I certainly don't need one of those!" I always get a bit annoyed with those that walk around all the time with wires in their ears anyway...so I certainly don't plan on joining the crowd.

However, this past March, as Jennifer and I were talking about some good "give-away item" to use for a drawing for the Creator's Call booth at the "Just Claim It" youth Conference in Dallas, I thought of the iPod! "That seems like the hot thing on the market for teens right now....why don't we get a small one to give away?" Sure enough....it was a hot thing, and as a result of our iPod drawing, we had almost 1,000 surveys filled out and gave away even more flyers and DVD's! It was incredible. Just say "Do you want to win an iPod?" and everyone flocks to sign up! In the process of uploading some profitable material to the iPod (before we gave it away), I saw a little how it worked...the small compact design, and the incredible memory (up to thousands of songs or sermons) was astounding! "Maybe someday, I'll have to get one of these." I thought.

Well, I didn't get one then...but I told my Mom in Arkansas about them as they always like to listen to CD's and sermons as they work and travel, and this seemed like an efficient and easy way to do it...rather than carrying cases of CD's around. So she got one...and was so impressed with it, that she sold the idea to the rest of the family. So now my brothers and Dad also have one to use when they work in the fields and travel! (She's a great "sales women" too...because she even has friends buying them now!) Anyway...when I arrived home to visit this last week...one of her first gifts to me was my very own iPod!!!! Wow! I was about speechless...

So now...I have joined the world of iPod users! If you catch me with the white wires in my ears though (when I should be free to socialize) please reprimand me! While I'm excited about the ability to have something to listen to now while I workout at the gym, hike and climb mountains alone, or just sit in my living room and study...I don't want it to replace the friendly voices of those around me, nor detract from that "Still small voice" that is sooooo important to hear. So...while it's a good thing...it too must have its boundaries.

It's pretty exciting though...what this thing can hold! I have the entire Bible on it (read by Alexandar Scourby), a bunch of sermons by John Piper, the entire Revelation series by David Assherick, the Set-Apart Life series by the Ludy's and tons of my favorite music. And I plan to upload a bunch of sermons from http://www.audioverse.org/ that I haven't had time to listen to yet. So the possibilities are endless...

As I close today's thrilling and exciting blog entry though, I have to tell about the first thing that I uploaded on my iPod. (I know everyone is just dying to know, right?!) It was a song by Steve Green called "I will Go." While it's been one of my favorite songs for a few years now, as I listened to it this time in light of where the Lord has been leading me and how life has been changing the last couple years...the words impacted me in a new way. So as way of inspiration, I wanted to share the words here. It goes like this:

Give me ears to hear your spirit, give me feet to follow through...
Give me hands to touch the hurting, and the faith to follow you!
Give me grace to be a servant, give me mercy for the lost,
Give me passion for your glory, give me passion for the cross!

And I will go where there are no easy roads, leave the comforts that I know!
I will go and let this journey be my home, I will go....I will go...

I'll let go of my ambition, cut the roots that run too deep,
I will learn to give away what I cannot really keep, what I cannot really keep.
Help me see with eyes of faith, give me strength to run this race...

And I will go where there are no easy roads, leave the comforts that I know!
I will go and let this journey be my home, I will go....I will go...
I will go Lord, where your glory is unknown, I will live for you alone!
I will go because my life is not my own, I will go...I will go...I will go!

My prayer is to stay surrendered...for wherever He calls, "I must go!"