My "Heaven Songs."

Free by MercyMe


Home by Natalie Grant


This is Home by Switchfoot


Heaven Song by Phil Wickham


At Your Feet by Casting Crowns

We give You all the the glory...

It's crazy how hectic life can become and how I can become distracted as a result.  Over the past days, I really have come to see how my complete motivation in life is to worship Jesus Christ, my Lord.  I feel like sometimes my motives in ministry/missions are too often replaced with less-worthy goals.  I must keep coming back to worship.


As if on cue, last week my church hosted a huge worship conference.  I was able to see Phil Wickham in concert for the second time.  I also went on to my church's big worship night the next evening.  It was much needed.  I needed to lift my eyes away from the world and look to Christ.  I am realizing how much I desperately need this sweet communion with my Savior, this beautiful time worshipping Him on a regular basis.


Phil's song "Shining" really touched my heart.  The lyrics really speak of my thoughts:


"God, shining like the sun
Let your kingdom come
I want to be with You in Your presence
I'm here to bring you praise
You take my breath away
And now I'm here with You in Your presence."


I want God's kingdom to come.  I just want to be with Him.  I desire for all my actions to be reflective of my worship of Him.  I want my missions to come from my worship, as it says in the first chapter of Piper's Let the Nations be Glad.  God really does take my breath away when I think about who He is and what He has done.  He's sovereign and loving and just and good. He's shining.  He deserves ALL the glory.

“Lord, let me make a difference for you that is utterly disproportionate to who I am.”

John 15:4-5:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Swans and Magnifying Glasses.

My grandpa is home now; he passed away on Friday.

As I thought about all he meant to me, I read parts of the book he wrote years ago.

He fought in World War 2, and death was always on his mind in those days.

He thought about dying at 24,

Who knew God would grant him 93 full years of life?

Make me more eternally minded Lord,

as I remember my grandpa and his life.

Don't let me forget those people in my life who taught me lessons,

those family members who loved me.

I don't want to forget.

To the audience of {1}

Friday I had a little meltdown.  Okay, it wasn't that little.  I kind of may have lost my cool because I found people were using my kindness to take advantage of me.  It kind of hurt.  However, a huge part of it was rooted in this tiresome desire in me to always please everyone.  I have spent a large portion of my life living to make other people happy or like me.  Then when I can't seem to make them happy or please them no matter if I am trying hard to please them, it's hard.
  
What I realized through a good talk with a friend of mine later that evening is that I can't keep living for others to see.  I need to live to the Lord- unto that audience of one.  Then I also need to let God do the work AND get the credit.  He deserves it, not me.  Instead of focusing so much on what others see in me and what others need to do themselves, I will focus on God.  He loves me all the time.  He has made me "fearfully and wonderfully," a workmanship he wants to use.  If I start looking to God to define me, hopefully I will not keep swinging between this intolerable self-pride and awful self-pity.  Though I am a sinful human being, God has chosen to use me.   How blessed I am to be able to partner with Him in service and live for His glory all the days of my life.


Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and race, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,  for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me." ~2 Timothy 1:8-12~

The Waking Dawn.

No.  I will not give up.  I refuse to give in.  I will continue to serve, to pray, to hope.  God is gently working in people's hearts.  No, I can't see it all completely, but I still believe it. Prayers are slowly but surely being answered.  The Holy Spirit is convicting.  Hearts are waking.  Lives are changing.  Hope is arriving.  Gradually, the dawn is coming.  

"...to give knowledge of salvation to his people 

in the forgiveness of their sins, 

because of the tender mercy of our God, 

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

Luke 1:77-79

God, teach me how to love.

"To love a person means 

to see them as God intended them to be."

~Fyodor Doestoevsky