Lent, Day 38: More Lewis

And for this busy Friday, more C. S. Lewis... He's just so good! Today's thoughts are more on the changes God makes when we let Him. I read these online and had to share!

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” - from Mere Christianity

Lent, Day 38: The Love of a Friend

I feel like I'm running out of things to talk about... Maybe it's just me having to get used to updating on a daily basis. Either way... I've been reading "The Four Loves" and it has reminded me of how much I enjoy reading C.S. Lewis. He really was a brilliant man. So today I will leave you with some of his quotes on love and friendship that will hopefully make you think.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” - from The Four Loves

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'”

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” - from The Four Loves

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person's ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

“Love is something more stern and splendid than mere kindness.”

Lent, Day 36: Music says it all

Yesterday's subject of Christ as my beloved is still running around my mind. And as a lover of music, especially that which points me toward heaven, I thought I'd share a couple songs that remind me of Him. I hope they touch your heart - enjoy!

"Make You Feel My Love" by Adele:

"All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera:



"Anchor" by Mindy Gledhill:

Lent, Day 35: Romantic Notions

Okay, so I have not completely given up my romantic notions as some call them. Let's face it, I would be a very different person if I did. But instead of desperately obsessing over a husband, I have begun to delve into God's romantic heart for me. Instead of thinking of prayer and reading the Word as an obligation that I should make a habit, I have begun to see it as a rendezvous with my love. And instead of praying as though I'm speaking to a friend, I converse with my bridegroom. This has done wonders for me! Though I still sometimes daydream of my life with my future husband, I am not constantly obsessing over it. I can face the day knowing I am loved, sought after, and longed for, and that that will never change.

Some may say, and I'll admit I struggled with it too, how can I resolve a desire for a husband with a "romantic" relationship with Christ. Well, while this concept does still baffle me, I do have some thoughts on the matter. God invented marriage as a means for us to further understand both the Holy Trinity and one of the many ways He relates to us. So it follows that experiencing the bonds of earthly marriage will only strengthen my grasp on my relationship with Christ. Also, and this is probably my oddest revelation on the subject, but my "romance" with Him is unique in that it wants to be shared. I know that sounds wrong, but it is a reminder of the trinity again. (This revelation really has me wondering how guys relate to God as the lover of their soul - something I've contemplated for a long time!) And lastly, God knows, and I feel safe in saying He even placed, that desire in my heart. I know that it is part of His will for me, but I am grateful that He is with me for the journey both before and after Mr. Right comes our way! ;)

Lent, Day 34: Still Free

I am so thankful for the freedom I have in Christ! And, as I shared before, though I have experienced His power to overcome a few times before, I never truly felt free from my struggle with lust (because let's face it, that's what obsessing over romance is, or at least leads to) until my weekend in Lubbock. Today I had to remember that freedom does not mean I won't be tempted; in fact today it apparently does not even mean I won't give in... You see, today I slipped up and gave in; but I surprisingly do not feel any less free. As I quickly repented and shifted focus I realized that the power of the Holy Spirit helped keep me from the chains of sin! So I was not ensnared in the cycle again, but remained free in Christ! Today I have to thank and praise Him for that!!

Lent, Day 33: Give God the Glory!

I can't believe how quickly Lent has gone by - we only have a week until Palm Sunday! And it's the last Sunday in March already!! Which, at least for Euless Nazarene Church, means it's "Give God the Glory" night! (If you're scratching your head, I'll explain. We have set aside the last Sunday of every month as an evening of praise, worship, and testimony. It's a night to share what Christ is doing in your life and to be encouraged by His work in the lives of others, all between great praise music. And to top it off we celebrate that month's birthdays and anniversaries with finger foods and fellowship after service!)

It was a great GGG night as a hand full of people spoke about God answering prayer by providing extra gas, healing a cousin after a horrific car accident, and comforting them as they faced a rough patch. And then a lady on our worship team shared about how she felt privileged to share God's love and provision with a man at Hobby Lobby. What I loved about her story was that as the man repeatedly asked why, her only response was that God loves him! The man was so touched by her gesture (she shared an extra coupon) that he got flustered and had to walk around the store a little more before he could leave! What an awesome picture of how to share the love of God in a personal way!!

P.S. Last night's party was pretty great! Rachel had a blast! And was surprised by a few friends that were able to make it, so I guess it was a success!! :)

Lent, Day 32: More lovely quotes

As you know, it was my sister's 30th birthday on Thursday, and tonight we celebrate with friends!! I tried to make it a surprise, but she clued in so only bits and pieces will be a surprise for her... I can't wait, I know she's going to have a great time! With this on my mind and making me rather busy, I'm turning to quotes again today. I hope these touch your heart and make you think:

"Lust tastes like tequila and love tastes like whiskey...Love burns for longer and warms you up on the inside and sometimes it makes you do stupid things. Tequila just makes you wasted." - Jackson Rathbone

"Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." - St. Aurelius Augustine

"Love is a fabric which never fades, no matter how often it is washed in the water of adversity and grief." - Unknown

"To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven." - Karen Sunde

"In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities." - Janos Arnay

"I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you." - Roy Croft

Lent, Day 31: Unique & Personal

I've been thinking about the subject of sharing the message of salvation. And I've come to the conclusion that while it's great to have some "methods" or analogies in mind, we must remember that our God is personal, so everbody's relationship with Him and experience of His love will be personal and unique. This is why I know I am not cut out to be a door-to-door, tell every stranger I meet kind of evangelist. I feel it's better to know who you're speaking too. This way you can share a part of Christ that has both spoken to you and will speak to them. At that international leader's conference I mentioned before, J. John spoke and he shared this analogy that truly touched my heart and totally syncs with my heart message to other women... Enjoy!

Lent, Day 30: Issuing the Invitation

With yesterday's subject, I thought it only fitting to share one "method" of speaking to someone about Christ. For some reason it makes me think of the 1995 movie version of "Sense and Sensibility" when Colonel Brandon (played brilliantly by Alan Rickman) meets Elinor and Marriane on the road and excitedly says, "I've come to issue an invitation!" Oddly Brandon is very much like Christ as he desperately longs for Marriane's acceptance, knowing she is distracted by her infatuation with another... Anyway, I love Ps. J John's explanation of the his invitation analogy in this article: http://www.citynews.sg/2012/02/canon-j-john-what-have-you-done-with-jesus-invitation/. Here's the best part in case you don't want to read the whole article:

What is Christianity?

"Think of it like an invitation. We appreciate an invitation even when we can’t go, because it’s nice to know that someone thought of inviting us," said Canon J. John in his introduction to a message on salvation.

You’re Invited…

John said the three things most people want to know about an invitation are firstly, who is it from? Secondly, who is it for? And thirdly, what is it about?
Drawing from the famous piece of Scripture, John 3:16, the speaker told the congregation that the invitation is from God, delivered to all of mankind through Jesus Christ.
"When I say, you’ve been invited by Jesus Christ, most people would simply nod nonchalantly. But if I say the Queen of England is inviting you to tea at Raffles Hotel, I’m sure you would try to slip that bit of information into any conversation you are having.
"But I tell you, there will come a day where every queen, every king and prime minister who had ever held office will bow before Jesus Christ and say to Him ‘You are King’, because He is the King of Kings. Your invitation is coming from Him today!"
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus gave an invitation to all who are weary to come to Him. John paraphrased it for today’s people: "Come to Me if you are burned out, stressed out, sick and tired or sick and tired of being sick and tired!"
At a lecture he once gave, a student challenged John with this: "Isn’t Christianity just a crutch?" John replied, "Yes, it is—because we are all broken."

... John asked what everyone in the room had done with their invitation from Jesus—had they RSVP’d? "If you accept, you become the invitation. You become the Bible to people—are you good news or bad news?" he challenged.

Though I would recommend reading the whole thing, it's pretty great. :)

Oh, and P.S. It's my sister's 30th birthday today! Happy Birthday Rach!!

Lent, Day 29: Just love them as He does

Well, it looks like I'm not the only one who carried home the commission to spread the Good News... Our youth pastor has put his lesson plan aside to teach and discuss with our teens how to "win people to Christ." Now, while I really like this idea and I hate to sound mean and critical, I hate that phrase! It makes evangelizing sound like a game or competition with people as some sort of prize. Yes, salvation is a gift with the prize of eternity in heaven. And the Bible says all of heaven rejoices whenever someone repents (Luke 15:7). But, I have very little to do with someone making that choice - all I can do, in fact, is show the love of Christ in the way I live, point to Him when asked about the blessings in my life, and tell them how they can have Him too. I have learned that after that it's up to the Holy Spirit and all I can do is pray. So, having the mind set that I can win someone to Him just leads to stress and feelings of defeat or guilt if someone does not immediately accept Christ as Lord. We cannot beat ourselves up because of someone else's decision, we can only love them as Christ does.

Lent, Day 28: Freed to set free!

I finally posted about Y-A-R!! I have to admit that I'm still getting back into the swing of things after such an amazing weekend... There are times when I wish we could just stay hold up in a state of praise and encouragement as a body of believers. But then I am reminded of the changing, healing, and saving power of Christ's love and the urgent commission He gave us to share His love with the world. How can I selfishly stay locked away with my Kingdom family when I have an open invitation of adoption for the world?! I find I cannot, will not keep His love to myself; I must share it with all who I claim to love!

Lent, Day 27: Victorious!

Ps. Noe's reminder that we are overcomers has been resonating with me. You see, it's not the first time I've been taught about or reminded of the power of heaven that's been placed in us. The first time was at a woman's conference when Ps. Betsy DeTeirre reminded us of the significance of our "clothing." She pointed out that the Bible tells us that God removes our robes of shame and guilt only to replace them with robes of righteousness and overcoming! And to emphasize this she had us stand, picture the things that weigh us down with guilt and shame as we "removed" that robe, and then remember Christ's resurrection and any time that He has helped us overcome as we "put on" this regal robe. This was a pretty amazing experience and it's not very often that we think about the attitude we're wearing! Not to mention, spiritual clothing is not often talked about, but it's very Biblical.

But, Ps. Noe's marching demonstration really reminded me of an amazing experience at an international conference for leaders. It was at the beginning of this conference that the founder of C3Church sense we needed to battle before we got the week started. So he reminded us that the power and authority that raised Christ from the dead lives within us! Then he had us stand, grab our swords from our scabbards, thrust them in the air, and give our loudest, fiercest battle cry as we pictured the Holy Spirit conquering the demons that were holding us back! Let me tell you, that conference room was loud as hundreds of us cried out with the power of heaven and slayed whatever was in our way! It truly was an overwhelming experience of overcoming!! And, after our voice died down, Ps. Phil proclaimed our victory as he said he could almost smell the blood of the demons that were slain! (A bit graphic, but the Bible tells us it really is a battle.)

Lent, Day 26: Overcomers with Christ

I can't believe Y-A-R is already over! This weekend went by all too fast as we enjoyed basketball and volleyball games, talent competitions, and late night dodgeball championships. And, to top that off, it was a far too short, shared experience on the mountain with Christ! Ps. Noe didn't give a long message this morning, but reiterated his point that we are not condemned, we are overcomers in Christ! To take this point home for us, he had us come forward and begin marching around the room. After we marched all the way around, he had us come forward again and raise our hands and declare our freedom as overcomers. Following this we had more praise and worship which no one wanted to end as we had the band do two encore songs! This celebration was an amazing, encouraging, and powerful way to end the weekend!! And a great message to carry home with us!

Lent, Day 25: Free to Pray

Tonight was another incredible night! Ps. Noe spoke more about the freedom Christ gives us. As he referenced Romans 7 and 8, I felt as though God was speaking directly to me. You see, after I recommitted last night and I had an incredible experience with the Holy Spirit as He filled me with a real sense of freedom from my sins and my preoccupation with romance coming my way... After that, almost immediately after in fact, I saw a fellow youth worker who happens to be my "type" and I began to daydream about the possibilities! So I can totally relate to Paul in Romans 7:14-25 as he describes his struggle. But, Romans 8:4-14 gives us hope and reminded me that I am a child of God - as long as I recognize where my thoughts are taking me and seek His help to cut them short, I am allowing His Spirit full control over my heart and life. I just have to do my part so that together the Holy Spirit and I can take every thought captive. It's not easy, especially as a hopefull romantic with a tendency to dream; but I know that obsessing over possibilities and day dreams generally leads me to selfish thoughts and actions instead of pointing me to heaven and God's will. So, it's definitely a challenge, but it's so worth the effort and collaboration!

Anyway, the end of service was what really made it an amazing night... Ps. Noe still had the youth ministers and workers/volunteers on his heart, so he had all of us come up front for the senior pastors to pray over us. After this he had every youth group join their pastors & volunteers for a time of corporate prayer as a youth group. Our little group of 13 got together and truly prayed from the heart. We were all praying out loud at the same time for the first time that I remember and the Holy Spirit was so present it was overwhelming! We ushered in the Kingdom of God in a very real way!! And to see and hear our kids call out to their heavenly father was so amazing!

(Pray for us that we share this incredible experience; that we don't just let it happen and move on, but let it change us and tell people about it!)

Lent, Day 24: Set Free

So, I didn't intend for these Y-A-R posts to read like journals, but that's the easiest way to share what I took from the day... Tonight was incredible! The guest speaker spoke from Romans 6 about how we are not to continue sinning after we are saved and about how Jesus conquered sin and death, once and for all. He encouraged us to truly give up the things that distract us in our relationship with Christ and to allow Him to make us truly free. At the end of his sermon, Pastor Noe spoke not only to the kids there, but also to the youth pastors and volunteers. He called out to those of us that were feeling burned out after years of service, those that were about ready to quit, and those that felt they weren't doing anything in their ministry. He asked us to respond to the heart tug of the Holy Spirit so He could refresh us, uplift us, and encourage us. He reminded us that we are making a difference and we cannot give up.

Now, I have only worked with the youth for about 2 1/2 years, so I don't exactly feel burned out. But, as I was kind of thrust into this ministry, I do often feel that I'm not doing much or really effecting the lives of our teens. Well, I had already been feeling a tug of war in my heart after Ps. Noe's message, but his encouraging words almost had me racing to the alter! I needed to re-commit to a life of repentance and freedom and I needed refreshed and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. And, man, what a refreshment! After all those who came to be refreshed or to accept Christ as their savior had been prayed over we went straight into praise and worship! It was so great to praise up front, surrounded by young people that had just made a radical move for Christ!!

Lent, Day 23: God Moves

It's only day one of Youth-A-Rama here in West Texas and already God is moving and lives are changing. Over a dozen teens gave their lives to Christ at the end of service tonight! I am so excited to see what more He has waiting for us!!

On a slightly different note, I wanted to share a song with you. One of our sponsors played it on the road to Lubbock and, as it really relates to the theme of our guest speaker's messages, it kind of set the tone for the weekend! I hope you enjoy it and it speaks to you:

Lent, Day 22: Perfect Love

On the subject of love from yesterday, I wanted to share my favorite passage of scripture:

"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us first.
If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters."

- 1 John 4:16-21 (NLT)

As a woman that struggles with fear, this passage has always been uplifting. To think that His perfect love drives out, expels, banishes fear and any reason to fear!! And that we can truly trust in His love as He fills us with that perfect love and confident hope in Jesus. But we cannot, must not forget the call to show our love for Him by loving His creation. So, I challenge you to accept the perfect love of God, allow Him to change you by and through that love, and go out and share that love with His beloved creation!

P.S. Tomorrow I leave with our youth group for a youth based conference in Lubbock, TX. I am very excited to see what God has planned for all of us as we share the weekend with him. But, as I'll be pretty busy, I probably won't be posting until Sunday evening or Monday. I do plan on writing, I just won't be able to post right away.

Lent, Day 21: Pure Love

Can you believe we're halfway through the season of Lent?! And I was looking more carefully at the calendar, and I had it wrong. Lent ends on Palm Sunday when "Holy Week" begins. So it'll be more like 47 posts for me as I can't imagine not posting during that week.

Anyway, yesterday I was inspired by the idea of love, marriage, and God's beautiful plan of purity - this all came from a great video someone posted on Facebook. I know I've shared a lot of videos recently, but I feel some of you may need to hear this. Not to mention they sum up my feelings on the matter so well!

Lent, Day 20: Powerful Speech

Since we just spoke about worship I thought maybe we should discuss language/speech today... As an artist dabbling in the world of writing, words and language are rather important to me. But to the world at large, or maybe it's mainly in big English speaking countries, I feel that words have begun to lose their significance. If you're not so sure of this, you should ask an average teenager to define an intermediate level word like "ensconce" or "rescind." Or you can ask to have a look at a couple of their text messages.

"If our vocabulary dwindles to a few shopworn words, we are setting ourselves up for takeover by a dictator. When language becomes exhausted, our freedom dwindles – we cannot think; we do not recognize danger; injustice strikes us as no more than ‘the way things are.'
Some of the Ayia Napa delegates came from countries ruled by dictators, either from the right or the left. In both cases, teachers are suspect; writers are suspect because people who use words are able to work out complex ideas, to see injustice, and perhaps even to try to do something about it.”
- by Madeleine L’Engle

Though I have always been a book worm, fascinated by language and linguistics, it's been in the last ten years or so that I have truly begun to understand the significance of words. And, contrary to the old saying, words are rather powerful and can hurt or encourage deep within. In fact, the Bible tells us that God spoke things into existence! So words have the power to create, to awaken, to give life. And as children of the King, we have a great responsibility to create peaceful, loving atmospheres and relationships as we are called to share the love of God - we can do this just by the way we speak and the things we say!

"We need to be careful what we call ourselves and what we speak over ourselves because words have power. We must decide to agree with God's views and not the devil's views about who we are. ... With our tongue we can either bless or curse ourselves and others."
- Making Your Mess Your Message by Betsy de Thierry

So, I said all that to remind you to speak positively about yourself, about life, about God, and especially about others. You'll be amazed how doing this, even for those people you don't care for, will change the way you see the world and yourself.

Lent, Day 19: All Creation Sings

Our pastor shared this video with us before speaking about worship today. I know we all worship in different ways, but as a budding vocalist/worship leader, music is my favorite way to worship. Music has always spoken to me, always made me feel more alive and closer to heaven, and always filled me with confident hope. So, obviously, music is very near and dear to my heart as it speaks of beauty, freedom, and love. Maybe because of this, this video gave me chills and made me so excited to sing along! Or maybe it's just amazing to learn that the vastness of creation cries our to glorify God!

Lent, Day 18: Fashion & Beauty

Today fashion has been on my mind as I went around the mall with my sister. So many women would probably agree with me that going shopping does not always make you feel beautiful. For me, trying on piece after piece and only finding two or three that look good is actually pretty discouraging. I think this is why we shop together - that way we have someone there to encourage you when you are about "shopped-out" as my sister and I say.

Thinking of this made me hope all the more for a boutique of my own. I want to fill women with confidence, acceptance, and hope the moment they walk in the door. And from there they are no longer shopping, we are embarking on an adventure together to discover, unveil, and awaken their beauty! I cannot wait for the opportunity!!

"Clothes are the like the wings of birds." - Korean proverb

Lent, Day 17: Beauty that Invites

I think I am a little burned out on the subject of Lent, repentance, and sacrifice. So, I'd like to start discussing other things, and as this was initially a blog about beauty - about recognizing your own beauty and learning to see the beauty of our Father's creation - I'd like to share about beauty today.

"I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do an interview with photographs people desperately want to change me - dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that. Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, ‘I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt, have a look at everything I’ve got?’ My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.”

- Emma Watson

This quote is so inspiring! I totally agree with Emma: a conservative beauty is mysterious and rather alluring. This beauty invites the observer to get to know her personally, rather than just admire her physically. And how encouraging it would be if we all lived this way! If we only revealed enough of our beauty to invite others to know the real us and not just our outer facade. I truly believe this would be a much less critical world that fills girls with confidence and hope rather than self-criticism and bitterness. Oh, what a sight that would be!

Lent, Day 16: Forgiveness

Once again our youth pastor's message reminded me of a great point to share. His message was about forgiveness - how we should be forgiving and seek forgiveness not only from God, but anyone we have wronged. This made me think, Lent should not only be focused on repentance and leaving one habit for another, better one, but it should also be about forgiveness.

As we confess our sins and repent by turning our backs on them, we are seeking forgiveness from God. One things we must remember is the He does forgive us. Instead of fussing over rituals to relieve our guilt, we must have faith and accept that He forgives us by His grace and that it is only by His power that we can truly turn from sin. Sometimes to truly accept His forgiveness we must forgive ourselves.

And then there's the idea of forgiving others and seeking forgiveness from our neighbor. The Bible tells us that if we are asking God for forgiveness and remember a brother has something against us we must first seek his forgiveness before coming to God. It also tells us that we cannot be forgiven if we cannot forgive. Truly unforgiveness not only drives a wedge between you and another person, but also between you and your heavenly father. And who does a grudge benefit but the enemy as it allows him to lay bitterness on your heart. So, I say let the binds of bitterness drop, forgive those who've hurt you, and allow God to grow a bridge of love from you to them through Him!

Lent, Day 15: Quotes for inspiration

It seems I am a little under-inspired this week, so today all I have to share with you are a few random, interesting quotes for inspiration:

“Doubt your doubts before you doubt your beliefs.” – Chace Crawford

“What lies before us & what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. When we bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen.”

- H.D Thoreau

“Hope is passion for what is possible.”

- Søren Kierkegaard quoted in Contagious Compassion

“Compassion, at it’s heart, means willingly taking another’s pain as our own – serving those who will never be able to repay in any way.”

- Neil B. Wiseman in Contagious Compassion

“I truly believe God is ready to do tremendous things through all of us if we are willing to endure the journey to get there.”

- Smoke That Thunders by Gary D. Sidle

Lent, Day 14: He inhabits the praise of His people

My Gramma is doing much better and got to go home today. And... as I praise Him for keeping watch over and healing my Gramma, Psalm 22:3-5 (KJV) seems to sum things up nicely:

"But you are holy, O you that inhabit the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in you:
they trusted, and you did deliver them.
They cried unto you, and were delivered:
they trusted in you, and were not disappointed."

Lent, Day 13: Let Him overwhelm you...

Today I am glad to put my faith in a God of miracles, a God that heals, that cares, that comforts. I am praying for a miracle of healing in my Gramma's life, along with a few other friends that need His healing touch. And I am praying that if you've never known His caring, comforting, healing presence that He would reveal Himself to you today.

That's it for today, just that His love would overwhelm your spirit today.

Lent, Day 12: Overwhelming...

I absolutely love Kari Jobes' song, "The More I Seek You." We sang it this morning, and, as it always does, it filled me with a sense of peace and comfort as His love truly overwhelmed me!! As my point to ponder for today, here are the lyrics:

The more I seek you,
The more I find you.
The more I find you,
The more I love you.

(Chorus)
I wanna sit at your feet,
Drink from the cup in your hand,
Lay back against you and breath,
Feel your heart beat.
This love is so deep,
It's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace,
It's overwhelming.
(repeat from top)

(Bridge)
from: It's overwhelming,
Oh, my Love, your love
Is overwhelming me
Overwhelming
(repeat chorus)

Lent, Day 11: I Hate Religion, But I Love Jesus

I went to visit my Gramma in hospital today - she's been having heart problems. So, with her condition on my mind I am at a loss as to what to post. Please join me in prayer that she heals soon and does not have to have another invasive procedure to do so. And, I know this video has been circulating, but I thought it pertained to yesterday's post and would leave you with something to contemplate:

Lent, Day 10: Relationship vs. Religion

On Wednesday we discussed Lent with our youth group and I thought of something that I don't think I've mentioned here yet. While our youth pastor spoke he mentioned that when we fast we often begin to think that just giving up that little thing will make us right with God. We remember that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17), and so we say, "Well, I'm sacrificing this or that, so I must be in good with God. I'm glad that's all I need to do."

But with this attitude we are completely disregarding that God would rather have relationship over religion any day! He wants to know us and be known by us, not to just know that we followed some procedure that makes us look like we know Him. He wants to work within us and change us so that we begin to want to sacrifice the things of this world to know Him better. As He said in Hosea 6:6, "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."

I say all this not to imply that practicing Lent, or any other season of fasting, is bad or offers nothing for our relationship with God. I just believe that we must check our motivations in fasting. We should not just give something up, but replace it with acts of worship, whether that's singing His praises, reading His word, serving His people, or having a quiet conversation with Him. And, hopefully, in doing this we create new, refreshing, and sustainable habits of worship.

Lent, Day 9: "It's called the Church! Have you heard of it?"

Over the last few days as I've contemplated what I should share with you I keep thinking of this great quote from a hilarious, amazing minister named J. John. I've posted the quote below, it's a fantastic way to define the church. But this quote, along with a few others from him, is better seen and heard because he is quite funny! So, here's a video introducing J. John; the quote for today is the first little segment:



“I sat next to this lady on an airplane at Heathrow airport and I said, ‘Hello!’ and she said, ‘Ooh hello.’ And I said, ‘Where are you going?’ and she said, ‘Well I’m going to Singapore’ then she said, ‘Where are you going?’ and I said, ‘I’m going to Perth, Australia’. I said, ‘What do you do?’ so she told me, then she said, ‘What do you do?’ and I said, ‘Well... I work for a global enterprise’ She said, ‘Do you?’ I said, ‘Yes I do’ I said, ‘We've got outlets in nearly every country of the World. We've got hospitals and hospices and orphanages. We do marriage work; we've got feeding programmes; we’ve got reconciliation work; we've got justice work.' I said, ‘Basically, we look after people from birth to death and we deal in the area of behavioural alteration.’ She said, ‘Wow!’ She said, ‘What’s it called?’ I said, 'It’s called the Church, have you heard of it?”