you can have it all, Lord
every part of my world
take this life and breathe on
this heart that is now yours

God of the Comeback

"we always think we need to be in the right place at the right time - no, it's only important that Jesus is in the right place at the right time"

~louie

Destruction

Been reading / hearing a lot about destruction / end times lately. Part of it is listening to current Macarthur series on GTY titled 'Jesus is Coming' - working through Armageddon / Apocalypse end times. In my daily readings, going through Joel, which is all about plagues, destruction, locusts etc.

In my mind I keep coming back to:
He's gonna turn it all around, just wait and see
He's gonna make everything beautiful, just in time

There's something special about enduring pain, suffering to press on towards the goal of knowing Christ and seeing him in the end day. No one likes to pray for trials but we must be willing to embrace them in order to be refined in the fire and proved true.

Sermon vs Sharing

The speaker gets up there, tells a few stories, makes a few points and references a couple of bible verses and how they fit into the main point, then close with a word of prayer. Was that a sermon you just sat through or a sharing? Anyone can share about what they're learning or going through. Can (and should) anyone give a sermon? Is there a difference?

Anyone who's ever been to a self-help talk or a motivational seminar can tell you that there is encouragement and growth that can come from such talks. Heck even a christian one can be useful and edifying. But can true transformational change come outside of / apart from God's word?

On the other hand, we should be quick not to cheapen the whole thing, as sharings can also be quite encouraging and God can / will use them to speak to you. But really, if you came for a sermon and didn't get one, do you leave disappointed? The better question is did I come to hear a sermon or did I come to hear God speak to me?

Maybe this all goes back to the church's interpretation of the authority of Scripture.

is it Your Word that I'm in love with, or the sound of Your voice?

tiny

with my tiny words, in this tiny song
i will sing my heart to you
on my tiny knees, with my tiny dreams
i will give my life to you

~tiny, enter the worship circle

when everything changes

when life rearranges again

when everything's fading

you’re the constant in my life

you’re the rock that is higher

I lean not on my own understanding

Often I try to plan out every variable in life to make sure that I have contingencies built-in and ready in case anything goes wrong. With a kid coming this is no different - making sure you have enough funds in the bank account to cover your monthly spending, getting the room ready and buying the items that you need, etc. These inherently aren't bad things, but really what does it mean to lean not on my own understanding? I think this means letting go of trying to control everything in life and trusting that God has your life in His able and sufficient hands. I love the promise of God when He says 'Behold, I make all things new!' or even 'I am making all things new!'

Trusting that God will take our lives and turn it into something new, something beautiful is a trustworthy statement to hang on to. Not for me only, but for my child as well.

I give it all to You God, trusting that You'll make something beautiful out of me.

Isn't it Love?

Isn't it love to look down from the sky 
And see Your only Son on the cross asking "Why?" 
And somehow let Him die that way 
And not call the whole thing off?

Quintessential Marriage Advice

There are two rules in marriage when you start living with someone new for the first time.
1. Don't be lazy / a slob.
2. Don't nag.

If both parties follow these rules, you'll avoid the majority of the arguments that arise in marriage.

sweet communion

that my eyes would behold Him, in all of His beauty
that my eyes would behold Him, in all of His glory

heartbeats

And then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
He was looking at me, looking at Him, staring through me
I could not escape those beautiful eyes, and I began to weep and weep

He had arms wide open, a heart exposed
Arms wide open; He was bleeding, bleeding

Love’s definition, love’s definition was looking at me
Looking at Him, hanging on a tree, I began to weep and weep and weep and weep

This is how I know what love is, this is how I know what love is

And as I sat there weeping, crying, those beautiful eyes, full of desire and love

He said to me, “You shall love Me, You shall love Me
You shall love Me, You shall love Me”

With arms wide open, a heart exposed
With arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

Valentine's Day Reflections

No one else can love You like I love You Lord
For I was made unique in Your heart
I was made to bring You joy

It's not my zeal, it's that Your love is strong It's not my strength, it's that You're faithful

catch the song above your head,
Jesus is singing over us
hear the melody of heaven
it's time to sing with Jesus!

The days that love began to grow
The days that fears began to fade
Those are the days that I'll never trade
The time it took to fall in love with you

do you want to walk on the water?
do you want to run on the mountains?
come away, come away!

The darker the night,
The brighter the day,
The fiercer the fight,
The stronger the faith,
The deeper the sin,
The stronger the blood,
The more to forgive,
The more reason to love.

the love of christ

Love cannot from its post withdraw; Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law, Can turn the Surety’s heart away; He’ll love His own to endless day.

o the blood of jesus washes me o the blood of jesus shed for me what a sacrifice that saved my life yes the blood, it is my victory