thanks-giving, day one: flyleaf

Inspired by one of my dear friends (check out her blog), I've decided to intentionally give thanks everyday this wonderful month of November. Maybe some days I'll make a list of things I'm thankful for, some days there will be one thing. This post will be the latter and I want to go a little more in depth on it.

Today, I'm thankful for God's blessing through the band Flyleaf.

Flyleaf is a band not a lot of my friends get. To be completely honest, it doesn't make much sense to me why they're my favorite band. I don't relate with much of Lacey's (the lead singer's) story, which serves as a background for a lot of the lyrics. Their style and recent cover art doesn't appeal to me. And a lot of the music I listen to ranges from the likes of Hannah Montana to Simon & Garfunkel, both a far cry from the genre Flyleaf fits into!

It was recently announced that Lacey stepped down as lead singer. The rest of the band members will continue without her under the same name; but honestly, Lacey was Flyleaf for me. It was her distinct voice, story, lyrics and just her presence that connected me to this band. So hearing that news, I've been in a funk. Which is weird, because I haven't been this attached to a band since... like, Jump5 when I was 13.

My connection to Flyleaf's music doesn't make much sense, but neither do most blessings.
So this is what I'm thanking God for today:

I'm thankful for six years of music that brought me out of
           a frustrating love for darkness 
                 --> and into a passionate obsession with
                                    the God who sits closer than my pain,
                                    the Spirit who thickens the air I'm breathing,
                                    the Christ who remains despite my twisted thoughts,
                                    the voice that cuts through the war in my head,
                                    the hands that break my shell,
                                    the eyes that see down inside my stomach,
                                    Glory that exposes me,
                                    Truth that out-screams these lies,
                                    Life that swallows up death,
                                    Love that fills me up inside,
                                    Strength that breathes on these bones,
                                    Grace that calls me by a name that I lack,
                                    and the King that holds my favor with love much greater than I had dreamed.

Words from the songs "Sorrow," "All Around Me," "So I Thought," "Guilty," "I'm Sorry," "Eyes to See," "In the Dark," "Red Sam," "Uncle Bobby," "Great Love," "Stand," "Saving Grace," and "Set Apart This Dream."