Friday, January 13, 2012

New Name, Same Great Taste

So. It's a new year, I turn 30 in a couple of months...I think it's long past time for me to abandon "Lavender *Sparkles*". I've wanted and needed a blog name change for years now, but my terrible-at-titling self was completely at a loss for ideas. For lack of creativity, Lavender *Sparkles* it was, long after I'd outgrown the silly name, despite the fact that it's the blog version of Grape-Nuts.

The name Choosing Hallelujah came to mind several months ago, the last time I was tossing around the possibility of officially changing names. I wasn't 100% sold on it, and I just left it be. But the more I think about it, the more I think it's really appropriate. It captures one of the main themes God has been writing on my heart over the last several years. It really crystallized through my pregnancy with Jude and his birth, as I explained when I wrote about how he got his name (which means "praise," fully "This time I will praise the LORD"). 

It comes from a song I love--one that was on my birth playlist for Jude, actually. Bethany Dillon's album Imagination includes a lovely song called "Hallelujah." Oh, how this chorus needs to be my theme song: Hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
Help me to sing hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Whatever's in front of me
I'll choose to sing hallelujah

Choosing Hallelujah summarizes what I am often trying to do in my more thoughtful blog posts: preach truth to myself as I fight for joy. Motherhood has been for me a journey of choosing to trust, choosing to praise. So I think changing the name of my blog will first of all better describe what my blog is about (and be less awkward for people who link to my blog...I imagine my pastor, for example, feels a little weird when he shares an article on Facebook from someplace called "Lavender *Sparkles*"!).

And I think it will be yet another way to preach to myself--a built-in reminder, every time I open Blogger, that this is what I am called to do, this is what I want, this is what God will provide grace for: to choose hallelujah, to say in my weakness, Lord, I trust that You are good. In Your presence there is fullness of JOY. Give me grace to praise You. Or in other words, "Whatever's in front of me, help me to sing hallelujah."

9 comments:

Danielle said...

I LOVE the new name. And it's a much better description of your blog. ;)

Stephen Gambill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stephen Gambill said...

I love the new name! Very appropriate.

BTW, I never thought twice about posting your blog because of the name. :)

Keep blogging for the glory of Christ!

Bethany said...

Awe Beautiful. Okay I need to go look at why Lavender sparkles.

Zoanna said...

I like it a lot. It's a timeless name, since you'll always be challenged to choose hallelujah.

BTW the word verif word is "endins." I guess it's happy endins to Lavendar Sparkles and happy beginnins to Choosing Hallelujah.

Unknown said...

Excellent change! :)

Ann Kroeker said...

Excellent. Excellent name.

Anonymous said...

Perfect. That has indeed been your journey the past several years. So glad to have been on it with you! I'm choosing, too!
Love you.
Diane

TulipGirl said...

*grin* Love the new name, too!