Take my life I lay it down
At the cross where I am found
All I have I give to You oh God
Take my hands and make them clean
Keep my heart in purity
That I may walk in all You have for me
Oh here I stand
Arms open wide
Oh I am Yours
And You are mine
Take my moments and my days
Let each breath that I take
Be ever only for You oh God
My whole life is Yours
I give it all
Surrendered to Your Name
And forever I will pray
Have Your way
Have Your way
I spoke with a woman today who is going through quite a bit with her family. She is a smart, talented, motivated gal who is committed to being the best mom and wife that she can be. She wants to do so many things.. to use the gifts that God has given her, to serve in the areas that she loves so much, but is unable to pursue these things because of the emotional and physical energy that is required from her at home. I really respect her. I think it was a total "God thing" that I ended up chatting with her today, because God has been showing me lately that I need to focus where HE wants me to, not always where I want to. That is just so difficult sometimes! I know that for her (and I,) He is preparing us for our future "ministry" by teaching us things through where we are NOW. God is laying some pretty interesting things on me lately, and most of them are so far out of anything I would ever want to do. My first inclination is to say "NO WAY!" but maybe He wants me to get over MYSELF and the things that will make ME happy or build ME up, and put my efforts into things that will build HIS kingdom. Hmm.. Imagine that : )
"If anyone would come after me he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for me will find it." Matt.16:24-25
"He who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who builds his house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent strikes that house, it will collapse and be in complete destruction." Luke 6:49
"You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you! You were called to be free, but do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather, SERVE one another in love." Galatians 5:7-8, 13
O.K. Lord, I'm waiting. I've learned so much from listening to You, from putting my faith in You, and from trusting You to take care of me. You always come through, regardless of the limits I put on You. In the midst of really trying times, You have encouraged me to keep giving, and I do. Honestly, it's to the point that I refuse NOT to give of my time, talents, etc., because You always bless me so abundantly when I do! After all that You have done to provide for me, why am I still so afraid? I continue to do what I know You want me to, but it's getting harder and harder. I feel like I'm running on empty in more ways than one, and I am getting more than a little scared about what is around the corner. Please help me to continue to trust in your amazing provision for me. I know You love me, and want the best for me, but walking in that truth has never been more challenging. Thank You for your reassuring love.. Amen.
So, Im in Gottchalks the other day..They are going out of business, and I thought I might find a few of the Willow Tree collectibles I love so much, and be able to get them at 40% off. No such luck. They were completely cleaned out of them. On my way out the door I saw a rack of fairly "granny" looking bathing suits, and began to touch them. Yes, I am a "touchy-feely" shopper. I usually walk by the racks, and even if something is REALLY cute, if it has even a hint of itch or scratch, I will pass it up for sure. I grabbed a suit that had a pattern that seemed a little less elderly than the rest, and felt it. Oh, It felt like heaven! I pulled it out, and saw that it was your basic bathing suit style, o.k.. maybe a little low cut on the leg for extra coverage, and a bit high cut on the neck for the oh so modest woman, but I had to try it on. It just looked so COMFORTABLE! In the dressing room all of my speculations were confirmed. It fit like a dream! Was it flattering? Not particularly. Did it flatten my stomach and lengthen my torso? Not at all, but I did not care! I truly did not care.I would never have to worry about lack of coverage, or about having to pull at it all day because it was uncomfortable. I was SOLD! I walked up to the register and shelled out a mere $18.97 for the suit, and went on my merry way. I tried it on again today, and while it's far from the cutest suit I've ever seen, it feels great! Sand Harbor anyone?
I just have to say this.. Our world, our culture has completely cheapened marriage. We all know numerous people who have been married and divorced. People get married, and then something bad comes their way in the marriage and they get divorced. We as people are messed up, and EVERY marriage has it's trials.. Maybe the person you married isn't who you thought they were. Maybe they have "issues.." Like you don't? In some cases, there are things like infidelity, addictive tendencies, or destructive behavior patterns. I'm not saying these things aren't terrible, and don't need to be confronted, because for a marriage to thrive, they do, but are these things really reason, biblical grounds, to just up and leave? When two people enter into a marriage covenant, they have become ONE flesh. In God's eyes, they are no longer two, but ONE. Why have we justified breaking that union when God says that no man should separate it? We do it because it is what we think is best for us, not even considering the effect it will have on our children. They are FOREVER scarred. Yes, God can heal all wounds, but why would we chose to inflict them on our own children if there is any way that it can be prevented? So that we can run away from a messy relationship and take all of our problems right along with us into another one? I know that there are marriages that literally can't be saved because we have our own free will, and God will not force His on us, but He HATES divorce.
I just met with a young woman who has been manipulated, abused, and devalued. She has every right to RUN away rom her marriage, but she desires God's will more than her comfort. She is willing to do whatever it takes to make it out the other side if this relational mess because she takes her covenant seriously, and does not want to do something to her children that she herself can never fix. The world thinks she is crazy. I think she's a little crazy too, but I admire her. I don't know what will happen with her marriage.. only God does, but I'll tell you what; she will fight tooth and nail to preserve the union that she stepped into 10 years ago, and if there is a divorce in her future, it will not be because she did not do everything in her power to persevere. What if we were all like that?
Yep, I am an avid American Idol watcher, and I have to say I was completely thrilled to see Anoop (Dog) Desai and Lil Rounds hit the road last night. I'm hoping they get it right again next week and send Allison and Matt on their merry way. I really think that Adam is going to win. I can't deny that his vocals are UH-MAY-ZING, but he's not my top pick. He's just a little too weird for me. That guy needs to be on Broadway for sure. I can't decide between Danny and Kris. (By the way, isn't that how you spell "Kris" if you are a girl??) I was really leaning towards Danny because after all he is a WORSHIP LEADER, but Kris really won me over with his smooth acoustic rendition of "She Works Hard For The Money" on Tuesday. That was one of my favorite Idol performances EVER! Who is your top pick?
or
????
Inspired by my friend Sunny's recent post, I thought I'd answer this question too. There are SO many things, but here are a few that come to mind. I've always wanted to:
1. Climb half dome with my husband and girls
2. Be an apprentice/intern/assistant for a big time movie director.. How fun would that be??
3. Create a soundtrack for a blockbuster film.
4. Learn to speak Spanish and play guitar well.
5. Play tennis
6. Decorate a large home from scratch with NO budget. (yeah right..)
7. Spend a week or so in a beach house right on the water with the fam, sunning, eating seafood, reading, having bonfires, reading, playing games together, etc.
What are some things you've always wanted to do? Maybe you should write them down so you don't forget!
I just had the chance to catch up on a couple of blogs from other churches in our nation, and it was very interesting to me that the very things that our creative team felt that God was telling us to focus on this past Easter, were quite similar to what other churches felt God calling them to also. We used a scrim (which casts a shadowy veil) to resemble the obstacles keeping people from experiencing the love of God. In our drama, some of these obstacles were anger, fear, loneliness, abandonment, guilt, shame, and failure.. People wrote their obstacles on cards, and put them in a chest onstage, and then we dropped the scrim at the end of our service so people could come to the cross after they gave their "obstacles" up to Jesus.. Another church (Willow Creek- pictured above)built actual walls onstage that were examples of finances, relationship struggles, and grief or loss.. They had people bring prayer requests onstage, and actually split one of the walls to show that with God's help they could break through anything.
My prayer is that the experience will reach far beyond just what happened last weekend.. That people will know that each time they let their guard down and Satan gets a hold of them and begins to reconstruct walls and barriers to Christ within them, that they will remember and KNOW that God is the answer. He is almighty, and there is NOTHING that can separate us from His love. NOTHING!
Wow, It's been a long time since I've posted anything of any real content.. I think my brain has been on overload for the last month or so with Easter planning, rehearsals, and services. I had so much fun directing this year, God moved in people's lives (including mine) and it was pure joy to be a part of it. In the midst of all of it, there were some major things I was supposed to be doing, and I just kept putting them off..
You see, I am not as good at multitasking as some of my friends and co-workers may think. When I am working on something, I put all of my heart and soul into it, but then other things in my life (sometimes really important things) fall by the wayside until I have time to pick them back up. Well, it was a productive week after Easter, and here are a few of the tings that God has been nagging me about doing, that I finally DID!
1. I FINALLY hired a realtor to sell our home. I'd been putting this one off for months. I really thought we could just stick a sign out front and it would happen, but obviously that was not the case. I'm not looking forward to having to keep the house show-ready all of the time, but we're really hoping and praying it will sell soon!
2. We finished planning and making all of the reservations for our summer vacation. This took an entire day, but I feel so much better now that it's done, and I'm beyond excited to go. We are taking two weeks at the end of July, and taking the trailer up through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado. Camping, rafting, fishing, biking, mountains, fresh air.. YIPPEE! I can't wait!
3. I picked up my guitar again for the first time in months. I love it when I make time to just sit, play and sing. I have a really hard time with this one, as it seems there is always something more important to do, but I always feel so refreshed after I play for awhile, even if it's only 20 minutes or so. I really want to start lessons again.. Dave?
4. We re-started our family devotional time. It hadbeen hit and miss with weekday commitments and rehearsals, but I know God is calling us to make this a priority, and we are committed to making it happen at least once a week!
5. I started a book. In addition to trying really hard to keep up with daily bible reading, I started a novel. Yeah, not a big deal for some of you, but lately I have not been able to sit and just READ! It's been since last summer that I did that, and it's honestly one of my favorite things to do.. I LOVE to sit down with a cup of coffee and get lost in a really good book for an hour or two, LOVE IT!
I'm learning that there are things that I need to get done right away, and things that really CAN wait. I have become a little more relaxed and less regimented about the time frame in which I get my to-do's done, so I can still get some of the "good stuff" in there every now and then. I'll probably never have a perfectly "balanced" life.. but hey, a girl can try! : )
On this Good Friday morning as I think about what my God did for ME, I am in awe. He orchestrated, and then watched his only son suffer a horrific death so that I would be forgiven and free from MY sins. Who am I to deserve such love? When you really try to grasp the intensity of a love like this, it makes sense that people in the world just can't believe it. Why would you sacrifice your only son, who has done nothing but obey and love you for someone you do not even know yet? But He DID and does know us! He knew us before we were conceived, and He knew that we would fail, that we would mess up over and over, and that the only way we could be saved from ourselves was through His son. Amazing, and quite frankly, for someone who has not chosen to accept Him and experience this love.. it's unbelievable. It's our responsibility to bring this amazing truth to others so they CAN believe. I've come to realize that I may never fully understand why, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that His amazing love is real, and true, and here.. now.
