Sunday, September 30, 2007

Remedy.


"Never Let Go" Lyrics

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul

Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go

When clouds brought rain
And disaster came
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul
When waters rose
And hope had flown
Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul

Oh, my soul
Overflows
Oh, what love, oh, what love
Oh, my soul
Fills hope
Perfect love that never lets go

Oh, what love, oh what love
Oh, what love, oh what love
In joy and pain
In sun and rain
You’re the same
Oh, You never let go

So basically, if you haven't bought the new David Crowder cd, Remedy... i don't know what you're waiting for. Another amazing album by dcb... his lyrics are always powerful.

It's kinna funny that this entry is called Remedy considering my last one was Exhausted. I'm not going to say that God came in and cleaned up everything that's going on right now... (I've pretty much learned that that's not really how He works)... but He has given me peace. I love what Anne Lammot said, "God isn't there to take away our suffering or our pain, but to fill it with His presence." There's nothing more comforting than to know you're not alone... and I so often forget that God is right here with me... he's hurting with me. Because it's not like he's never experienced pain... I mean He took on the weight of the entire world... all our sin... He experienced death... He had to experience darkness for us... He had to experience "the abscence of God" in a sense... so that we never have to.


I am not alone. You are not alone. He is the Remedy. He's the cure to your pain... to your suffereing... to your hurt. Not because He necessarily takes it away... but because He's there.

He's there.

And he never lets go.


Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Exhausted.

I'm so tired... in fact I'm exhausted.. fatigued.. just plain worn out.

I mean weariness in the physical sense mainly, but I am also emotionally and mentally exhausted. Spiritually.. I don't know... can we become spiritually worn out? Maybe. I guess I just feel the need for peace and rest. Peace and rest... I really really need it.

It's funny cuz before I felt this way... several days back... I read Matthew 11:28. It says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Beautiful... I know I say that a lot. But that's the word that comes to mind when I read scripture like this. Such a comforting verse... so encouraging and up-lifting. Thank you, God.

Something quite profound has really hit me lately. Well i guess you could call it profound... maybe after I say it though, it will seem like common sense... but see, God has really revealed to me his power and his sovereignty lately. Pena talked about this at BC this morning... she shared a little bit of her journey with God. She said that when she was at her weakest possible point God picked her up and showed her where His place in her life should be.. and she became strengthened through Him. And that helped me realize that when we are our weakest.. when we are at our lowest low... when we are tired... exhausted... that's when God's strength is the most. That's when, if we allow Him, God can make us stronger than ever because it is Him who is holding us up... not ourselves.. not our own strengths.

So I guess I should be joyous to say that I am weak.

I'M WEAK!


AND GOD IS STRONG.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

East to West.

There is this song by Casting Crowns. The lyrics of this song are beautiful. I don't listen to "Christian" music that much, but this is a good one. It just gets me thinking about the person I would be without the Lord in my life. It's scary to think about it because I know my sinful nature loves this world. I know I would give in to the empty promises it holds. I know... because I have turned my back on God before, and it's scary to think where I'd be right now if I wasn't wrapped in the arms of the Lord, accepting his grace and forgiveness.

"As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."
Psalm 103:12

Check the lyrics...



Here I am Lord and I’m drowning,
in Your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me,
I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind
Keeps me awake tonight
I know you’ve cast my sin as far as the East is from the West
And I stand before You now as though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
From You leaving me this way

Chorus:
Jesus can you show me just how far the east is from the west
‘Cause I can’t bare to see the man I’ve been
Rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins
Endless reminding of my sin
And time and time again
Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in
Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away
from You leaving me this way

I know You’ve watched me whine
Turn my darkness into life
I need Your peace to get me through
To get me through this night I can’t live by what I feel
About the truth Your word reveals
I’m not holding on to You
But You’re holding on to me
You’re holding on to me


Thank you, God for your Son. Thank you for making me white as snow, Father, when I know I'd be stained without the blood of Christ. Thank you for making me clean. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Embrace.

The word embrace...it makes me think of things like intimacy and real love and close relationship. There's nothing like a true embrace with a close friend... And i think it's quite beautiful that the bible talks about God embracing us.

And God has really been showing this to me lately... I talked about some of this at Breakfast Club today.

See in Luke 15, the parable of the prodigal son, it describes the father's reaction to his son returning home. It says in verse 20, "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." He threw his arms around his son... he embraced him. And that is God to us. Standing.. waiting.. ready with arms outstretched to embrace us. All we have to do is choose to fall into his arms!

It's taken me up until very recently to completely be vulnerable enough to fall into His open arms. Seems crazy right? Why wouldn't I want to dive into the Lord's welcoming embrace... I guess the same reason a lot of Christians don't... Fear.

I don't know but it kinna makes me think of the "trust fall"... you know that stupid activity we all have to do at some kind of camp or as some sort of team-building activity. Yea, I hate it. Because during that split second between leaning back and landing in the arms of the group... I am certain that I am going to die. I mean my body is limp and I know I have no control what so ever... which is beyond scary to me. But once I hit the arms of my friends... I realize I had nothing to be worried about.

And that's what God has finally allowed me to do... to not rely on myself.. but to give it to Him... give my entire self to Him. And it's something I have to do daily... every morning I wake up and I have to remember to die to myself... and sometimes.. most of the time.. it's hard. But like I've said before.. once I allow myself to be captured by the love of God... once I am wrapped completely in His embrace... i know there is nothing better.

I long for His embrace more than anything in this world.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Unconditional Love.

God never ceases to amaze me. Seriously.. I dishonor his name everyday and yet he still listens to me. I sin against him all the time and yet he still heals me. I forget to praise him and yet he still answers me. I screw up huge again and again and yet he still forgives me. I forget that I need him when things are good... and yet when I realize my weakness, he still takes me and holds me as his child. What unconditional love! Such a loving God we serve.

But oh how I can be so ungrateful... it pains me to think about it this way. I mean really think about it... The almighty God, the creator of everything, speaking to this low disrespectful sinner. And the fact that sometimes I don't even listen! How can I ignore the one who gave his life for me after I took advantage of the life he originally gave me? Why does he still continue to even acknowledge me? It's something I will never understand.. but I'm so grateful for. Love without condition.

"Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away." Song of Songs 8:7

Friday, September 7, 2007

a Prayer.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

-Sir Francis Drake