So, for all you who like to sing in the shower...every afternoon as we would gather in the small village church in southeast Asia, for worship or intercession we would hear one of the teachers walking down to the river to bathe and he would be singing at the top of his lungs, unashamed! It was often my favorite part of the day, because no matter how exhausted we were from hard labor in the morning we would be in the presence of Jesus and then get to laugh at that familiar voice singing in his own language every day as he walked down to the river to take a bath!
The other day I was working out at the YMCA on the mat and the woman beside me was humming to whatever music she was listening to on her iPod. It made me stop for a minute and turn my head to look at her. I had music playing from my own iPod, but isn't it interesting how often we turn our heads in America to the sound of music coming from someone's lips, unless it's on a concert stage? It took me back to the teacher going to bathe in the river and made me happy to think of people who just aren't afraid to sing! Whether its your shower or stretching on a mat, whatever your element, "I will sing and make music with all my soul. Awake, harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn. I will praise you, Lord among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples." Psalm 108:1-3 Whatever helps you praise Him the most, please do that!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 17, 2014
Song of Songs 2:4
"Our God is Intimate"
Like a peaceful river His mercy flows
Reflecting from the sunsets is the joy of His face and longing to pour down delight on His children
He is a Lover looking for the lost
Calling His Beloved to arise
It doesn't matter the season, He is simply yet overwhelmingly there, like a resting place His grace overflows
Do not wait, "Arise my darling!" He beckons leaping over the hills
His longing is intimate as He beckons the broken to come close He announces His presence by wrapping His arms around the dirty
He is waiting for His beloved's
The prostitutes, orphaned, suburban alike each and everyone precious in His sight
The moon high up in the sky reflects His love for those down high
His jealousy for them like a hurricane they are a tree
He is holy all creation will cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty the earth if filled with His glory."
He is smiling, delighting, hopeful for those to waken to their call to rise up as Beloved Ones
His banner over us is love
"Arise come my darling, my beautiful One come with me."
This is our God.
~Amen
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Stepping in the Gap
"Do you need help?"
I ask, as the little boy has finished washing his hands and is having a bit of trouble opening the door by himself, because it is a heavy bathroom door to be able to open and close for a boy his size.
I help push it open for him and he walks out. About halfway in the bathroom, I see more clearly how he also is helping push the door open. I look into his big blue eyes and say, "You are strong!"
His face lights up and he says nothing, but there is a confidence in his walk as he goes back to the classroom.
Soon, we are on our way to the gym and I am in the back of the line holding a little girl's hand. I reach to open the door to the gym and then almost out of nowhere, as I now look back at it, the same boy whose strength I encouraged, rushes up to the door and looking up into my eyes proclaims, "I am strong! I can hold it!"
I smile widely and in gratitude reply, "Yes you can!" Together, we hold open the door, for the rest of us filing in, in the back of the line.
This happened to me today at the daycare I work at and isn't this how it was meant to be? We have the voice of God on our lips that can encourage and help people on the other side of the door. They might not see it right away as we try to push the door open for them, they might try to help push it too, because the door will be too heavy for them to open by themselves, but although it may seem small or not a big deal, the impact of the words that come out of our mouth daily are intensely powerful! So, who are you stepping in the gap for? I feel such a strong tug on my heart towards discipleship. I do not want a every once and a while meeting to get the label for mentoring. I want a daily fulfilled lifestyle of speaking out that truth to the other person behind the door who is pushing, but might not be able to see their own strength right away.
As I came to this conclusion while journaling I almost laughed out loud at how simple this truth was, "I can eternally trust God through any trial, is the joy of the Lord as my strength." The is might not make sense to you, but it really clicked for me. For it is through trust and walking forth in that ability when the storms come, that our true selves are tested and it is up to us to help push that door fully open. The joy of the Lord will then become our focus and thus, the ultimate One who really helps push open each and every door of our life.
I ask, as the little boy has finished washing his hands and is having a bit of trouble opening the door by himself, because it is a heavy bathroom door to be able to open and close for a boy his size.
I help push it open for him and he walks out. About halfway in the bathroom, I see more clearly how he also is helping push the door open. I look into his big blue eyes and say, "You are strong!"
His face lights up and he says nothing, but there is a confidence in his walk as he goes back to the classroom.
Soon, we are on our way to the gym and I am in the back of the line holding a little girl's hand. I reach to open the door to the gym and then almost out of nowhere, as I now look back at it, the same boy whose strength I encouraged, rushes up to the door and looking up into my eyes proclaims, "I am strong! I can hold it!"
I smile widely and in gratitude reply, "Yes you can!" Together, we hold open the door, for the rest of us filing in, in the back of the line.
This happened to me today at the daycare I work at and isn't this how it was meant to be? We have the voice of God on our lips that can encourage and help people on the other side of the door. They might not see it right away as we try to push the door open for them, they might try to help push it too, because the door will be too heavy for them to open by themselves, but although it may seem small or not a big deal, the impact of the words that come out of our mouth daily are intensely powerful! So, who are you stepping in the gap for? I feel such a strong tug on my heart towards discipleship. I do not want a every once and a while meeting to get the label for mentoring. I want a daily fulfilled lifestyle of speaking out that truth to the other person behind the door who is pushing, but might not be able to see their own strength right away.
As I came to this conclusion while journaling I almost laughed out loud at how simple this truth was, "I can eternally trust God through any trial, is the joy of the Lord as my strength." The is might not make sense to you, but it really clicked for me. For it is through trust and walking forth in that ability when the storms come, that our true selves are tested and it is up to us to help push that door fully open. The joy of the Lord will then become our focus and thus, the ultimate One who really helps push open each and every door of our life.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Why Wait?
A triangle, a snowball a shape
How grateful I am for these little escapes!
A little something new amidst this broken season, that seems to have no end
How grateful I am that our God is a great God of joy!
That as we ask him to take away what freezes us, He can shape us into something new
Get ready for the new shape
He can warm us with His grace
The grace of His simple pleasures taking shape amidst the fog of white,
That although we cannot see,
All there is, is white
This is the something new taking shape
He graces us...
And through the warmness of His grace
Is a new shape taking place,
If only we could see amidst the white, what He is doing, we can see the grace of warmness of His continual presences warming us
Take a look today amidst the frosty white
When you can't see clearly out the window
He is ushering us in
It's our choice to say yes, to the grace of His warmness
We don't have to wait until summer because the freshness can already start within us when we choose to open up the window of our hearts
It is then that the ice can freeze off and a fire can be set ablaze
Get ready 'cause its coming
HE IS COMING
Invite him to start taking you into Him, you are His desired one you've always been desired in His eyes
For it is then that we don't have to wait for the snow or ice to melt
It can already start in our hearts
Invite others to see that green grass of a river of life flowing out of you today
For as we say yes to Him the easier it is for us to invite others to see out the window
And summer will come much more quickly as the newness of life begins to spring up in our hearts
Why wait?
How grateful I am for these little escapes!
A little something new amidst this broken season, that seems to have no end
How grateful I am that our God is a great God of joy!
That as we ask him to take away what freezes us, He can shape us into something new
Get ready for the new shape
He can warm us with His grace
The grace of His simple pleasures taking shape amidst the fog of white,
That although we cannot see,
All there is, is white
This is the something new taking shape
He graces us...
And through the warmness of His grace
Is a new shape taking place,
If only we could see amidst the white, what He is doing, we can see the grace of warmness of His continual presences warming us
Take a look today amidst the frosty white
When you can't see clearly out the window
He is ushering us in
It's our choice to say yes, to the grace of His warmness
We don't have to wait until summer because the freshness can already start within us when we choose to open up the window of our hearts
It is then that the ice can freeze off and a fire can be set ablaze
Get ready 'cause its coming
HE IS COMING
Invite him to start taking you into Him, you are His desired one you've always been desired in His eyes
For it is then that we don't have to wait for the snow or ice to melt
It can already start in our hearts
Invite others to see that green grass of a river of life flowing out of you today
For as we say yes to Him the easier it is for us to invite others to see out the window
And summer will come much more quickly as the newness of life begins to spring up in our hearts
Why wait?
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Set Free to Dance
After a crazy day yesterday, at last I could sit down and take in a deep breath and relax in a calm atmosphere at a coffee shop. After a few different conversations between my best friend and I about where to meet and apologies back and forth because we were both late as usual, finally, we were together with kids from the high school we used to go to and relaxed listening to good music.
We stayed for about an hour at this coffee shop and then left to go Ballroom dancing in Minneapolis. After almost turning around once because we thought we were lost, we finally made it and I walked in a little freaked out, not having any idea what to expect, I had never been ballroom dancing before! "Its ok we are all really bad!" My friend reassured me as I met a couple of her friends and we got to have fun and laugh together. By the end of the night I was told by our new Italian friend, who we met there that I was like an energetic magnet! Apparently I was always ready to dance! I got special attention since I was just learning and was consistently told to be calm and relax, face my partner and I would try not to step on their feet as I learned these fast new steps to a cha, cha, cha or tango, oh my goodness it was so much fun! As I had my quiet time this morning and thought about last night and the new memories I get to make as I really feel settled in again, I thought about how Jesus wants to have our, 'Special Attention,' as I was just learning these new dances last night. I got a lot of grace and patience as I laughed and slowly learned these graceful steps. Jesus tells us, "Now look at me and face forward..." just as I would learn to do last night I'm trying to put into practice, without looking to the right or to the left what Jesus is trying to tell me to do. "Now look at me and face forward, this is a slow dance, relax into it." So He wants to tell us even in the storms of life. That our trust in Him, would be such a constant abiding that we would be an example to others because we are choosing to face forward to Christ. Even in the storms of life they can also be a slow dance because we know we can dance in the trust of steps to who our partner is.
We stayed for about an hour at this coffee shop and then left to go Ballroom dancing in Minneapolis. After almost turning around once because we thought we were lost, we finally made it and I walked in a little freaked out, not having any idea what to expect, I had never been ballroom dancing before! "Its ok we are all really bad!" My friend reassured me as I met a couple of her friends and we got to have fun and laugh together. By the end of the night I was told by our new Italian friend, who we met there that I was like an energetic magnet! Apparently I was always ready to dance! I got special attention since I was just learning and was consistently told to be calm and relax, face my partner and I would try not to step on their feet as I learned these fast new steps to a cha, cha, cha or tango, oh my goodness it was so much fun! As I had my quiet time this morning and thought about last night and the new memories I get to make as I really feel settled in again, I thought about how Jesus wants to have our, 'Special Attention,' as I was just learning these new dances last night. I got a lot of grace and patience as I laughed and slowly learned these graceful steps. Jesus tells us, "Now look at me and face forward..." just as I would learn to do last night I'm trying to put into practice, without looking to the right or to the left what Jesus is trying to tell me to do. "Now look at me and face forward, this is a slow dance, relax into it." So He wants to tell us even in the storms of life. That our trust in Him, would be such a constant abiding that we would be an example to others because we are choosing to face forward to Christ. Even in the storms of life they can also be a slow dance because we know we can dance in the trust of steps to who our partner is.
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