Verse 1:
your holy grace surrounds me
your eyes of love see through me
Your mercy endures through my trials and suffering
Chorus:
Faithful you are faithful
Your Love never Fails
Sovereign You are Sovereign
Your Glory never ends
So I give my life in worship, a fragrant offering
Father, King
Verse 2:
You search my heart completely
and you take me as you find me
You love me as I am no matter where I've been
Bridge:
No one has ever loved me like the way you love me , Jesus
Your love knows no end
5.29.2009
1.21.2009
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back- an arcticle By Kary Oberbrunner
This is a great article!
Change is happening. Actually three weeks from today is the due date for my first son. Because I was a good student in the childbirth class, I know that he could come any day. My cell phone is always on, ready to receive the call. Our bags are packed. His name is picked. The room is ready. We are embracing this wonderful change about to happen in our lives.
Normally an avid reader of books on theology and spiritual formation, I’ve been reading very different books lately. I find myself watching one-hour shows with my wife about new parents on cable channels I never knew existed. Somehow these are supposed to help me prepare for the big change.
My vocabulary has increased a hundredfold.
I thought concepts like pneumatology and hermeneutics were difficult to grasp. Now I find myself talking with people in Wal-Mart about words like “breech” and “bag of waters.”
If change is such a natural part of life, why does it seem that change is so often absent from Christendom? In fact, change is the only uninvited guest in many of our churches. An older pastor friend of mine often says the famous last eight words of the Church are “that’s not the way we’ve always done it.”
Chances are that many of you have deeply agonized over the lack of change in your church. Although our culture has changed rapidly over the last few decades, it seems as if we are doing church the same way we did 50 years ago. People are stuck in their ways and have become obstacles to the change process. You probably struggle seeing how your church is dying, how it’s missing the people in the pews, how if it were just a little more open-minded, tremendous growth and change could happen. Yet it doesn’t. To put it another way, you are a progressive in a stagnant church.
So what are your options? Should you just leave? Should you dig in your heels and go to battle? Should you cause a church split? You’ve probably entertained all of these options. What’s God’s perspective in all this? Does He even care?
Well, for starters, God is all about change. Salvation is intertwined with change. It’s the essence of sanctification. We are being changed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). In fact, it’s God’s plan for each one of His children (Romans 8:28). It’s been said that God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.
Be encouraged. Although you think you have a deep desire to see change, God’s desire is much greater. God doesn’t want minor change. He wants deep transformation for His Church and every individual who makes up His Church.
In my journey, I’ve had to learn quite a bit. I’m still learning a lot. I challenge you to learn from my mistakes. So I have 10 suggestions to keep in mind when attempting to be progressive in a stagnant church.
1. Embrace the hypocrite within.
Jesus said it best. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). And, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).
I’ve noticed in my pursuit for change that I often have blind spots. I can clearly see how everyone else around me needs to change. You cannot expect change until you are willing to change. Until we allow God to change us, we cannot expect Him to change others.
You must look in the mirror and embrace the flaws and hypocrisy in your own life. Carl Rogers says in his book On Becoming a Person, “We cannot change, we cannot move away from what we are, until we thoroughly accept what we are.” If you are not willing to do this, then don’t bother trying to change your church. Why? Jesus is opposed to the proud. It was these types of people who have no need for a Savior. Instead, they think they are saviors. It is only as we allow God to change us that we can be used to change others.
2. Realize that God doesn’t need you.
You can easily fall into a trap where you think God needs you to make His Church relevant. This could not be further from the truth. You are not irreplaceable. Just because you have the eyes to see the need for change doesn’t mean that God can’t allow other people to see that same need for change. Don’t think too highly of yourself.
3. Realize that God wants to use you.
Hopefully, you’re beginning to see that being progressive is closely linked with paradox. You’ve seen that in order to change others you must first change yourself. And now you must understand that although God doesn’t need you, He does want to use you.
Throughout the pages of Scripture, God uses willing men and women to transform nations, kingdoms and families. This is His plan. Scripture says, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9, NAS).
The process of transformation is always bigger than we are. Robert E. Quinn, in his book Change the World, refers to transformation as “joining God in a dance of co-creation.” Being a change agent is a spiritual activity. It’s what many of us long to do, but few of us actually do.
Transformation is God’s heart and His story of redeeming humankind. No wonder change is such an inherent desire. It is etched into the very fabric of our hearts.
4. Surround yourself with truth tellers.
There are few things more important than truth tellers. Such people are individuals who know you and your context. Make sure these key people aren’t afraid to confront you. There is nothing worse than having a bunch of “yes men” who lack strong backbones. In my journey I’ve had a couple key truth tellers who told me when I was wrong, strengthened me when I needed courage and loved me when I was unlovely.
You will lose courage along your way. You will want to throw in the towel and leave your church. Maybe you should. But more often than not, these are times when you’re feeling the fire. God is using circumstances to extract all the impurities inside of you. Don’t forget. As you play a part in changing your church, God is in fact changing you.
The way you react and respond in your trials indicates what’s going on inside of you. Truth tellers help contextualize your reactions. Because they know your situation, they can speak to it from a more objective point of view. They can help you when you feel like you’ve lost your way.
5. A type of death is inevitable.
Most people fear death. We resist it. We won’t even speak of it. Even when our churches are experiencing a slow death, they would rather do anything than acknowledge it. As a progressive, you dare to verbalize the slow death taking place, and sometimes your church will seek to kill you as a result of it. By speaking up, you are breaking the rules.
Most of us are driven by fears of what will happen to us if we fail to conform to the will of the system. Yet despite our fears, we must refuse to conform. We have to kill our fears in hopes of preventing the slow death of our churches. Someone or something is going to die. Will it be your fears or your church? Quoted in Managing Transitions by William Bridges, 19th-century French literature critic Charles Du Bos said, “The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we would become.”
It really comes down to how much you care. For many of us, even though we have a lofty desire to be a change agent, we also have a desire just as strong to simply exist. We don’t want to rock the boat too hard. But if we don’t overcome our fears, then we’ll end up living lives of quiet desperation. Also quoted in Managing Transitions, French writer Anatole France said, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.”
It’s very possible that there are others in your church also craving change. Just like you, they lack courage to transcend their fears. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it. Do you love yourself or the God who is asking you to initiate change? Jesus said the one who loves his life will lose it and the one who hates his life will keep it (John 12:25).
6. Be ready to give up control.
Many cynics and critics talk about their love for change. Such change is usually incremental change. “Deep change usually requires letting go of control,” Quinn wrote. “It means facing the unknown, walking naked into the land of uncertainty. We spend most of our lives striving to avoid that very prospect.”
Quite possibly, you have no idea where change will lead you or your church. There are a couple reasons for this. One reason is that if you really knew, you would become overwhelmed and paralyzed. Another reason is that it’s impossible for you to know. You are not God. More often than not, change means letting go, not taking charge. You can’t know where change will lead, for if you did, you would inevitably control things and obstruct change.
True transformation is letting go of knowing the next step. David didn’t know what would happen when he stepped out to fight Goliath. Esther, when asking the Israelites to fast for her as she talked to the king, had no idea if she would survive. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even added that if God didn’t deliver them, they still would not worship the idol (Daniel 3:17-18).
This is what faith is all about. It’s about not having control, not knowing the outcome and not knowing the steps to get there. Rather, faith is reliance upon the One who does. It’s our faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). God is actually pumped when we trust Him and relinquish our illusion of control.
7. Address the imposing threat.
Why is your church scared of change? People have different reasons. Perhaps they’ve wrapped their identity in the way your church has always done things. Perhaps the old thick King James Bible sitting at the front of the church, the one that intimidates guests and really annoys you, was donated by their deceased Uncle George. Maybe they’re willing to part with it, but they simply need to be honored and grieve through the process.
Maybe other people feel that if they change, they’ll no longer be needed or have a ministry. When organists transitioned out of Sunday morning services, did we empower them to find new ministries? I am convinced that the people most opposed to change are the ones with the biggest fears they need to work through.
Brash decisions and thoughtless comments might actually hinder the change process. Instead, talk to people about what the change will bring. What are the underlying factors that contribute to the imposing threat?
8. Ask questions.
There is only one way to get to the underlying factors. We need to be people who ask more questions. Forget about the manipulative leading questions proposed in so many leadership books. Ask people questions so that you can understand them. I am convinced that if people feel honored and understood, they’ll be more likely to play a role in the change process. In fact, they might become your biggest supporters. Don’t shortcut the process by assuming you know what others are thinking.
9. Be patient.
We don’t change overnight. God doesn’t put unrealistic pressure on us. Rather, He invites us to change one step at a time. Your church will not change overnight either.
A good tool that I’ve come to appreciate is the six-month test. I think back to my teen years. There were times when my friends were growing much faster than I was. I saw them everyday at school and was frustrated at how much shorter I was. Then one day I stood next to my friend and realized that we were the same height. Nothing magical happened. Rather, it was the slow process of steady change.
It’s the same within church. If you look at how much it hasn’t changed from one day to the next, you’ll get frustrated. Rather, as you daily employ the first eight steps, look back six months later. Has your church experienced transformation? Are there any ministries that have fingerprints of change? Is there one more person in the church who is “getting it”? These are small signs that represent growth. Celebrate them.
10. Embody change.
You need to model the very behavior you are hoping to see in others. You need to incarnate change. Let others see how open you are to change. As mentioned before, the end road might be far different from where you first started. Others will watch how you respond to things that you didn’t expect.
God has a funny way of providing real-life examples for us. He often gives us the chance to live out the very behavior we are trying to work within our churches. In such cases, ask yourself, “Am I responding to change the way I want others to respond.” Again, it is not about us changing them. Rather it’s about us changing together.
Change. “The only thing that’s certain is that nothing stays the same,” the old adage goes. Believe it or not, even stagnation is change. Stagnation is slow death, and death is slow change. We can settle for slow death or we can be used of God to be agents of change within our local church.
As for my wife and me, our lives are going to change very soon. Deep change is only one phone call away. If only it were that simple in the local church. Who knows? Maybe it is. After all, although I’ve never given birth, I’ve sat in enough church meetings to feel the agonizing birth pangs of the change process. Sometimes things can get pretty unbearable. But if we stick with it, just like in life, we have a beautiful little bundle of joy on the other side. And although I can’t control the process with the church or with my child, I can’t wait for my life to change forever. It’s a next step I’m thrilled to take.
Kary Oberbrunner and his wife, Kelly, are soon to be proud parents of a brand new baby boy. He is author of The Journey Towards Relevance (Relevant Books) and founder of Redeem the Day Ministries, a gathering of sojourners on a quest to buy back time
Change is happening. Actually three weeks from today is the due date for my first son. Because I was a good student in the childbirth class, I know that he could come any day. My cell phone is always on, ready to receive the call. Our bags are packed. His name is picked. The room is ready. We are embracing this wonderful change about to happen in our lives.
Normally an avid reader of books on theology and spiritual formation, I’ve been reading very different books lately. I find myself watching one-hour shows with my wife about new parents on cable channels I never knew existed. Somehow these are supposed to help me prepare for the big change.
My vocabulary has increased a hundredfold.
I thought concepts like pneumatology and hermeneutics were difficult to grasp. Now I find myself talking with people in Wal-Mart about words like “breech” and “bag of waters.”
If change is such a natural part of life, why does it seem that change is so often absent from Christendom? In fact, change is the only uninvited guest in many of our churches. An older pastor friend of mine often says the famous last eight words of the Church are “that’s not the way we’ve always done it.”
Chances are that many of you have deeply agonized over the lack of change in your church. Although our culture has changed rapidly over the last few decades, it seems as if we are doing church the same way we did 50 years ago. People are stuck in their ways and have become obstacles to the change process. You probably struggle seeing how your church is dying, how it’s missing the people in the pews, how if it were just a little more open-minded, tremendous growth and change could happen. Yet it doesn’t. To put it another way, you are a progressive in a stagnant church.
So what are your options? Should you just leave? Should you dig in your heels and go to battle? Should you cause a church split? You’ve probably entertained all of these options. What’s God’s perspective in all this? Does He even care?
Well, for starters, God is all about change. Salvation is intertwined with change. It’s the essence of sanctification. We are being changed into the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). In fact, it’s God’s plan for each one of His children (Romans 8:28). It’s been said that God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.
Be encouraged. Although you think you have a deep desire to see change, God’s desire is much greater. God doesn’t want minor change. He wants deep transformation for His Church and every individual who makes up His Church.
In my journey, I’ve had to learn quite a bit. I’m still learning a lot. I challenge you to learn from my mistakes. So I have 10 suggestions to keep in mind when attempting to be progressive in a stagnant church.
1. Embrace the hypocrite within.
Jesus said it best. “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). And, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).
I’ve noticed in my pursuit for change that I often have blind spots. I can clearly see how everyone else around me needs to change. You cannot expect change until you are willing to change. Until we allow God to change us, we cannot expect Him to change others.
You must look in the mirror and embrace the flaws and hypocrisy in your own life. Carl Rogers says in his book On Becoming a Person, “We cannot change, we cannot move away from what we are, until we thoroughly accept what we are.” If you are not willing to do this, then don’t bother trying to change your church. Why? Jesus is opposed to the proud. It was these types of people who have no need for a Savior. Instead, they think they are saviors. It is only as we allow God to change us that we can be used to change others.
2. Realize that God doesn’t need you.
You can easily fall into a trap where you think God needs you to make His Church relevant. This could not be further from the truth. You are not irreplaceable. Just because you have the eyes to see the need for change doesn’t mean that God can’t allow other people to see that same need for change. Don’t think too highly of yourself.
3. Realize that God wants to use you.
Hopefully, you’re beginning to see that being progressive is closely linked with paradox. You’ve seen that in order to change others you must first change yourself. And now you must understand that although God doesn’t need you, He does want to use you.
Throughout the pages of Scripture, God uses willing men and women to transform nations, kingdoms and families. This is His plan. Scripture says, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles 16:9, NAS).
The process of transformation is always bigger than we are. Robert E. Quinn, in his book Change the World, refers to transformation as “joining God in a dance of co-creation.” Being a change agent is a spiritual activity. It’s what many of us long to do, but few of us actually do.
Transformation is God’s heart and His story of redeeming humankind. No wonder change is such an inherent desire. It is etched into the very fabric of our hearts.
4. Surround yourself with truth tellers.
There are few things more important than truth tellers. Such people are individuals who know you and your context. Make sure these key people aren’t afraid to confront you. There is nothing worse than having a bunch of “yes men” who lack strong backbones. In my journey I’ve had a couple key truth tellers who told me when I was wrong, strengthened me when I needed courage and loved me when I was unlovely.
You will lose courage along your way. You will want to throw in the towel and leave your church. Maybe you should. But more often than not, these are times when you’re feeling the fire. God is using circumstances to extract all the impurities inside of you. Don’t forget. As you play a part in changing your church, God is in fact changing you.
The way you react and respond in your trials indicates what’s going on inside of you. Truth tellers help contextualize your reactions. Because they know your situation, they can speak to it from a more objective point of view. They can help you when you feel like you’ve lost your way.
5. A type of death is inevitable.
Most people fear death. We resist it. We won’t even speak of it. Even when our churches are experiencing a slow death, they would rather do anything than acknowledge it. As a progressive, you dare to verbalize the slow death taking place, and sometimes your church will seek to kill you as a result of it. By speaking up, you are breaking the rules.
Most of us are driven by fears of what will happen to us if we fail to conform to the will of the system. Yet despite our fears, we must refuse to conform. We have to kill our fears in hopes of preventing the slow death of our churches. Someone or something is going to die. Will it be your fears or your church? Quoted in Managing Transitions by William Bridges, 19th-century French literature critic Charles Du Bos said, “The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we would become.”
It really comes down to how much you care. For many of us, even though we have a lofty desire to be a change agent, we also have a desire just as strong to simply exist. We don’t want to rock the boat too hard. But if we don’t overcome our fears, then we’ll end up living lives of quiet desperation. Also quoted in Managing Transitions, French writer Anatole France said, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter into another.”
It’s very possible that there are others in your church also craving change. Just like you, they lack courage to transcend their fears. Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it. Do you love yourself or the God who is asking you to initiate change? Jesus said the one who loves his life will lose it and the one who hates his life will keep it (John 12:25).
6. Be ready to give up control.
Many cynics and critics talk about their love for change. Such change is usually incremental change. “Deep change usually requires letting go of control,” Quinn wrote. “It means facing the unknown, walking naked into the land of uncertainty. We spend most of our lives striving to avoid that very prospect.”
Quite possibly, you have no idea where change will lead you or your church. There are a couple reasons for this. One reason is that if you really knew, you would become overwhelmed and paralyzed. Another reason is that it’s impossible for you to know. You are not God. More often than not, change means letting go, not taking charge. You can’t know where change will lead, for if you did, you would inevitably control things and obstruct change.
True transformation is letting go of knowing the next step. David didn’t know what would happen when he stepped out to fight Goliath. Esther, when asking the Israelites to fast for her as she talked to the king, had no idea if she would survive. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego even added that if God didn’t deliver them, they still would not worship the idol (Daniel 3:17-18).
This is what faith is all about. It’s about not having control, not knowing the outcome and not knowing the steps to get there. Rather, faith is reliance upon the One who does. It’s our faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). God is actually pumped when we trust Him and relinquish our illusion of control.
7. Address the imposing threat.
Why is your church scared of change? People have different reasons. Perhaps they’ve wrapped their identity in the way your church has always done things. Perhaps the old thick King James Bible sitting at the front of the church, the one that intimidates guests and really annoys you, was donated by their deceased Uncle George. Maybe they’re willing to part with it, but they simply need to be honored and grieve through the process.
Maybe other people feel that if they change, they’ll no longer be needed or have a ministry. When organists transitioned out of Sunday morning services, did we empower them to find new ministries? I am convinced that the people most opposed to change are the ones with the biggest fears they need to work through.
Brash decisions and thoughtless comments might actually hinder the change process. Instead, talk to people about what the change will bring. What are the underlying factors that contribute to the imposing threat?
8. Ask questions.
There is only one way to get to the underlying factors. We need to be people who ask more questions. Forget about the manipulative leading questions proposed in so many leadership books. Ask people questions so that you can understand them. I am convinced that if people feel honored and understood, they’ll be more likely to play a role in the change process. In fact, they might become your biggest supporters. Don’t shortcut the process by assuming you know what others are thinking.
9. Be patient.
We don’t change overnight. God doesn’t put unrealistic pressure on us. Rather, He invites us to change one step at a time. Your church will not change overnight either.
A good tool that I’ve come to appreciate is the six-month test. I think back to my teen years. There were times when my friends were growing much faster than I was. I saw them everyday at school and was frustrated at how much shorter I was. Then one day I stood next to my friend and realized that we were the same height. Nothing magical happened. Rather, it was the slow process of steady change.
It’s the same within church. If you look at how much it hasn’t changed from one day to the next, you’ll get frustrated. Rather, as you daily employ the first eight steps, look back six months later. Has your church experienced transformation? Are there any ministries that have fingerprints of change? Is there one more person in the church who is “getting it”? These are small signs that represent growth. Celebrate them.
10. Embody change.
You need to model the very behavior you are hoping to see in others. You need to incarnate change. Let others see how open you are to change. As mentioned before, the end road might be far different from where you first started. Others will watch how you respond to things that you didn’t expect.
God has a funny way of providing real-life examples for us. He often gives us the chance to live out the very behavior we are trying to work within our churches. In such cases, ask yourself, “Am I responding to change the way I want others to respond.” Again, it is not about us changing them. Rather it’s about us changing together.
Change. “The only thing that’s certain is that nothing stays the same,” the old adage goes. Believe it or not, even stagnation is change. Stagnation is slow death, and death is slow change. We can settle for slow death or we can be used of God to be agents of change within our local church.
As for my wife and me, our lives are going to change very soon. Deep change is only one phone call away. If only it were that simple in the local church. Who knows? Maybe it is. After all, although I’ve never given birth, I’ve sat in enough church meetings to feel the agonizing birth pangs of the change process. Sometimes things can get pretty unbearable. But if we stick with it, just like in life, we have a beautiful little bundle of joy on the other side. And although I can’t control the process with the church or with my child, I can’t wait for my life to change forever. It’s a next step I’m thrilled to take.
Kary Oberbrunner and his wife, Kelly, are soon to be proud parents of a brand new baby boy. He is author of The Journey Towards Relevance (Relevant Books) and founder of Redeem the Day Ministries, a gathering of sojourners on a quest to buy back time
1.09.2009
Make Me Whole Again
You have torn me
but you will heal me
The pain I feel today will not destroy me
You will save
Because you love me
I'll fall unto your grace once again
Make me whole again
Set me free again
Light my soul on fir
With your holy desire
I am broken
But not forsaken
My soul tho' weary cannot be overtaken
You will find me
And bring me healing
And purify my heart through the pain
I may wander and I may stray
But you grace is brand new everyday
but you will heal me
The pain I feel today will not destroy me
You will save
Because you love me
I'll fall unto your grace once again
Make me whole again
Set me free again
Light my soul on fir
With your holy desire
I am broken
But not forsaken
My soul tho' weary cannot be overtaken
You will find me
And bring me healing
And purify my heart through the pain
I may wander and I may stray
But you grace is brand new everyday
12.15.2008
Activity Vs. Humanity
I ran into a wall today. I knew the wall was there, heck I've smacked into it before. Yet, somehow I can't stop myself from running at it as fast as I can no matter how many times it knocks me on my butt.
When do you reach a point where you just need to turn around? You see lately I've really been struggling. I feel like I know the things that God wants for me but nothing ever seems to come as easily for me as others. I long so deeply to grow in the gifts that God has given me but I just don't have the people around me to guide me. So in my loneliness I pray. "God am I wrong? Is there something else I need to be doing? Do I want this or do YOU want this?" I mean what else can I do? I live in world of busyness and everyone around is too busy to bother with me. When did activity begin to override humanity anyway? Of course, I'm as guilty as the next guy. I used to be consumed with activity. so much so that my marriage, career, and whole life fell apart without me even noticing. The "Church" is consumed by this battle and nobody seems to recognize it. I've seen it in all types of churches, big or little, progressive or conservative. As i sit here feeling like a casualty of this battle I can't help but feel the need to repent for all the wounded left in the path of my own 'activity'. Is the western church just a bunch or "Martha's'? What is this plague of 'activity'? Where is the balance? What are your thoughts? So I just have to keep talking to God. In all of his wonderment He's never too busy to sit down and have a chat with little 'ole me. Oh, how he heals my heart, how he calms my soul.
When do you reach a point where you just need to turn around? You see lately I've really been struggling. I feel like I know the things that God wants for me but nothing ever seems to come as easily for me as others. I long so deeply to grow in the gifts that God has given me but I just don't have the people around me to guide me. So in my loneliness I pray. "God am I wrong? Is there something else I need to be doing? Do I want this or do YOU want this?" I mean what else can I do? I live in world of busyness and everyone around is too busy to bother with me. When did activity begin to override humanity anyway? Of course, I'm as guilty as the next guy. I used to be consumed with activity. so much so that my marriage, career, and whole life fell apart without me even noticing. The "Church" is consumed by this battle and nobody seems to recognize it. I've seen it in all types of churches, big or little, progressive or conservative. As i sit here feeling like a casualty of this battle I can't help but feel the need to repent for all the wounded left in the path of my own 'activity'. Is the western church just a bunch or "Martha's'? What is this plague of 'activity'? Where is the balance? What are your thoughts? So I just have to keep talking to God. In all of his wonderment He's never too busy to sit down and have a chat with little 'ole me. Oh, how he heals my heart, how he calms my soul.
11.30.2008
Onward and Upward.....
Do ever feel like no matter how hard you push or how fast you run you will simply never get there? i struggle with this feeling of insufficiency often. Then i was reading God's Word today and I stumbled across Philippians 3. I particularly zoned in on verses 12-16 Here Paul writes this:
"2 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind."
I also like The Message paraphrase version too:
"2-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it."
When we look at ourselves it is so easy to zone in on everything that we lack, but here Paul tells us to not worry about. Keep our eyes on the goal. I love how Paul admits to his own imperfections here. I often find myself looking with envy at the people around. I think man, why can't i be where they are in their faith? Today i am sitting here asking God to help me change my perspective and realize that I am right where I need to be. I know that if I continue to look backwards eventually I will trip but when I look forward the road looks painfully long. I know everybody has been there so you know how hard it is not to be discouraged. God has placed such a path before christians that we either have to be "totally committed" or not at all. It's hard to just be 100% committed to God's will. Very hard but that's how it has to be if we really want to impact the world for Christ. The more I seek God, the more I put Him first, the more I can see His vision and will for my life and that brings me hope. Then the road doesn't seem so long or so hard. I think the message here is to keep on keepin on and just commit yourself to the vision that God gives you no matter how difficult or far off.
"2 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind."
I also like The Message paraphrase version too:
"2-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
15-16So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it."
When we look at ourselves it is so easy to zone in on everything that we lack, but here Paul tells us to not worry about. Keep our eyes on the goal. I love how Paul admits to his own imperfections here. I often find myself looking with envy at the people around. I think man, why can't i be where they are in their faith? Today i am sitting here asking God to help me change my perspective and realize that I am right where I need to be. I know that if I continue to look backwards eventually I will trip but when I look forward the road looks painfully long. I know everybody has been there so you know how hard it is not to be discouraged. God has placed such a path before christians that we either have to be "totally committed" or not at all. It's hard to just be 100% committed to God's will. Very hard but that's how it has to be if we really want to impact the world for Christ. The more I seek God, the more I put Him first, the more I can see His vision and will for my life and that brings me hope. Then the road doesn't seem so long or so hard. I think the message here is to keep on keepin on and just commit yourself to the vision that God gives you no matter how difficult or far off.
11.29.2008
What is Worth?
In our society today we are surrounded by images and people that tell us what "worth" is; what makes us "worth" something to this world. I've been reading through Ephesians, which is my favorite New Testament book, and it has really made me consider my view of what "worth" really means. In the first few chapters Paul talks about what Christ did for us and then he begins to talk about the church and how we approach ministry. If you have never read it before you should Ephesians is an excellent read. The part that made me think today was 5:2-6 "2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know,[a] that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Covetousness, coarse jesting, empty words; isn't that so what our society is. This is what made me ponder my measure of worth and then repent for my own heart. It is so easy to let ourselves believe that we need to be smart, rich, beautiful, or talented to be worth something. For many of us we have even doubted our worth to God and His Kingdom because of lacking these things. But God doesn't want us to measure ourselves in this way. I believe that Satan wants to deceive everyone, even the church, with these empty words and promises. You know "If you can get this promotion, you'll be happy", "If you just wear this, you'll be happy" "If you build a bigger, high tech sanctuary, you'll be happy" and so on. I know for me as a woman, Satan tries to tell me that I am not vital to God's work because I'm a woman. There are a million lies he tells and so many of us believe them. So what is worth something? ?According to the Bible our worth is found in our calling in the Kingdom of God and serving God wholeheartedly. All of us have a calling in God's Kingdom. Paul writes in 1:18 "18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," "HOPE" I love that word :) It's in that calling that we find hope for the future. No longer should we allow ourselves to be deceived by what society says we "need" to be or have but allow ourselves to let God dictate our futures and let God dictate the Church's future. It is to easy to allow ourselves to be held back by what we think life should look like or worrying about what others think our life should look like. I know from experience this only leads to misery and pain. We must submit ourselves to God as a "sacrifice to God" and let Him direct our steps. It is only when we live in that place that we can truly know our worth to God and to the world.
"1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;"
Ephesians 4:1-5
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know,[a] that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." Covetousness, coarse jesting, empty words; isn't that so what our society is. This is what made me ponder my measure of worth and then repent for my own heart. It is so easy to let ourselves believe that we need to be smart, rich, beautiful, or talented to be worth something. For many of us we have even doubted our worth to God and His Kingdom because of lacking these things. But God doesn't want us to measure ourselves in this way. I believe that Satan wants to deceive everyone, even the church, with these empty words and promises. You know "If you can get this promotion, you'll be happy", "If you just wear this, you'll be happy" "If you build a bigger, high tech sanctuary, you'll be happy" and so on. I know for me as a woman, Satan tries to tell me that I am not vital to God's work because I'm a woman. There are a million lies he tells and so many of us believe them. So what is worth something? ?According to the Bible our worth is found in our calling in the Kingdom of God and serving God wholeheartedly. All of us have a calling in God's Kingdom. Paul writes in 1:18 "18 the eyes of your understanding[a] being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," "HOPE" I love that word :) It's in that calling that we find hope for the future. No longer should we allow ourselves to be deceived by what society says we "need" to be or have but allow ourselves to let God dictate our futures and let God dictate the Church's future. It is to easy to allow ourselves to be held back by what we think life should look like or worrying about what others think our life should look like. I know from experience this only leads to misery and pain. We must submit ourselves to God as a "sacrifice to God" and let Him direct our steps. It is only when we live in that place that we can truly know our worth to God and to the world.
"1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;"
Ephesians 4:1-5
11.23.2008
Break My Heart
When shadows surround Me
And My sorrows seem never ending
You break through
the darkness and free my soul
I cry out to you
Break my Heart
Make it new, Make it new again
Here's my Life
God it's all, God it's all
for you
Break my heart
Let Your Peace, Oh God rule within me
As a thankful song my soul will sing (2x)
And My sorrows seem never ending
You break through
the darkness and free my soul
I cry out to you
Break my Heart
Make it new, Make it new again
Here's my Life
God it's all, God it's all
for you
Break my heart
Let Your Peace, Oh God rule within me
As a thankful song my soul will sing (2x)
11.12.2008
Find Rest Oh, My Soul
Find rest, oh my soul
In God alone
My hope
My rock
My salvation
When my soul is weary and my heart has broken
Where can I run to hide?
I need you Lord, my strength, my refuge
Your love so deep and wide
Find rest, oh my soul
In God alone
My hope
My rock
My salvation
In God alone
My hope
My rock
My salvation
When my soul is weary and my heart has broken
Where can I run to hide?
I need you Lord, my strength, my refuge
Your love so deep and wide
Find rest, oh my soul
In God alone
My hope
My rock
My salvation
11.06.2008
Worship
As I crawl up to the cross
I remember the cost
Your love and grace so deep
Then I can hardly speak
I look upon your face
As you bear my disgrace
And all at once I feel my burdens
Lifting away
I worship you my God
I worship you my King
Your sacrifice has set me free
So I can worship you
I lay my fears to rest
no more fears, no regrets
And all my hopes and dreams
I lay down at you feet
I feel your spirit close
As I gaze upon the beauty
Of my Holy Lord who's never-ending
Grace covers me
I worship you my God
I worship you my King
Your sacrifice has set me free
So I can worship you
I will worship
I will worship
I will worship
Jesus Christ, my king
I remember the cost
Your love and grace so deep
Then I can hardly speak
I look upon your face
As you bear my disgrace
And all at once I feel my burdens
Lifting away
I worship you my God
I worship you my King
Your sacrifice has set me free
So I can worship you
I lay my fears to rest
no more fears, no regrets
And all my hopes and dreams
I lay down at you feet
I feel your spirit close
As I gaze upon the beauty
Of my Holy Lord who's never-ending
Grace covers me
I worship you my God
I worship you my King
Your sacrifice has set me free
So I can worship you
I will worship
I will worship
I will worship
Jesus Christ, my king
10.29.2008
Love Song Lyrics
You are the Lord of my life
The only on I see
You've given me more than I could earn
So I give you my everything
You Are Love, You are Grace
You are Mercy Divine
God almighty, Emmanuel
Jesus, The Lord
Lord I could never know
All the wonders of you
So I'll just kneel here at your feet
And offer my love song to you
You Are Love, You are Grace
You are Mercy Divine
God almighty, Emmanuel
Jesus, The Lord
The only on I see
You've given me more than I could earn
So I give you my everything
You Are Love, You are Grace
You are Mercy Divine
God almighty, Emmanuel
Jesus, The Lord
Lord I could never know
All the wonders of you
So I'll just kneel here at your feet
And offer my love song to you
You Are Love, You are Grace
You are Mercy Divine
God almighty, Emmanuel
Jesus, The Lord
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