Psalms and Songs

So to start out with, I am terribly frustrated right now because I have twice spent more that 30 minutes trying to post a picture, any picture, on my profile page, but have been unable to do so because every single picture that I can get my hands on "exceeds the 68 character maximum limit" that has arbitrarily been placed upon it by blogger.com! Now that this is off my chest, on to more important things. I have been reading in Psalms for the last two months or so and have just recently come across some verses that really struck me. The first is Psalm 84:5 and it says:Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." (NIV) Now I know some of you are not so happy with NIV, but after reading several translations of this verse, I think this one states it most clearly. Some others simply say "whose heart is the highway" and others add to this "to Zion", with a footnote that says these words are not in the original Hebrew. None the less, I really like the thought that my heart should be set on pilgrimage, on the fact that I am just temporarily going through this earth. I really love to travel and I like the thought of being a traveling pilgrim. In fact, if any of you know of a job in which I can do this regularly, please let me know. I have noticed that when I stay in one place for too long, I let my thoughts get bogged down with what is going on right here around me in my life and don't focus nearly enough on the big picture, the picture of Pilgrimage. And I want my strength to be in God! OK, on to the next Psalm: 33. This one helps me to remember that God has put the dream of being a literal pilgrim, a traveler, in my heart, and I can trust Him to fulfill his purpose for me, whatever it is. Verse 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (ESV) This one was pretty much the same in both versions, so I chose the one that is usually more reliable. I love that thought of hope in the last line. I can trust God, and hope for the desires He has put in my heart, trusting that He will either fulfill them in His time, give me the strenght to live without them, or replace them with new desires. I can't wait to see what He has for me next! Now, on to other things. While I have been trying to untangle this picture mess and also catching up on some e-mailing, I have had the time to listen to two of my favorite musical artists today, via the web. I have conveniently placed links to both of thier sites for you, faithful readers, on the LEFT of this post. Over the Rhine is having some phenominal sales right now, for example, 3 CDs for $25. Wow! And I discovered that Jake Armerding has a myspace music page where you can hear 3 of his best old songs, as well as a new cover, full length and free. I don't have a myspace page and was able to access it, so I guess anyone can. You can link to it from the News section of his website. I heartily recomend listening to "Little Boy Blue" if you only have time for one selection. I love you all! Lates