I am listening to a new song. It's not a worship song. It's not even a Christian song. But it spoke to me. Or rather, Papa spoke to me through it. Even now, as I listen to it again, it is as if his words are pulsing through the melody line.
"It's time for new dreams. You are going to conceive dreams that are bigger than yourself. You feel that you are not strong enough, or significant enough to carry them. But I AM the author, the Father of big dreams! I will not plant something within your heart, only to see it die."
I am excited and scared! Scared in a good way. Now is the time to meet with my Maker in the secret place... and just dream together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILm6BNVmv7I
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Rest.
there is a reason for everything.
today, i am sick and home from work and school. ive got bronchitis, which has been coming on for a long while. i have been fighting to keep life going as usual, unaware that maybe God wanted me to just rest and recuperate. so now i am, and it is so good!
i have spent today sleeping, listening to music, and watching youtube videos of some awesome speakers. already, i am receiving so much. it is like a vacation for my soul. i was just listening to allen hood speak about the third heaven, the city built by God. it is ridiculous. he talks about how God revealed to him how we strive and strive and yet it carries no power because we have no vision of the Holy City. we dont know anything about it! we are CITIZENS of that city! how can we not know???
Allen mentioned that the apostle John fell down three times in the New Testament: once before Jesus, once before the Bride in Revelation, and once before the Holy City.
Where are you living?
Colossians 3:1-2
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not the things of this earth.
today, i am sick and home from work and school. ive got bronchitis, which has been coming on for a long while. i have been fighting to keep life going as usual, unaware that maybe God wanted me to just rest and recuperate. so now i am, and it is so good!
i have spent today sleeping, listening to music, and watching youtube videos of some awesome speakers. already, i am receiving so much. it is like a vacation for my soul. i was just listening to allen hood speak about the third heaven, the city built by God. it is ridiculous. he talks about how God revealed to him how we strive and strive and yet it carries no power because we have no vision of the Holy City. we dont know anything about it! we are CITIZENS of that city! how can we not know???
Allen mentioned that the apostle John fell down three times in the New Testament: once before Jesus, once before the Bride in Revelation, and once before the Holy City.
Where are you living?
Colossians 3:1-2
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not the things of this earth.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Back in the mix!
Yeah I haven't blogged for a while. But life has been crazy busy. Again.
So busy that I didn't even go on facebook for five whole days.
THAT is busy.
But here I am again.
I have actually been at starbucks with Carla "I'm not white" Beaver for the past four or five hours. It has been a huge breath of fresh air for me, having been fully immersed in the world all week with very little respite. I have realized that even those of us who are naturally very extroverted and would love to be around people all the time need to take time out daily to eat and drink from the Word. I've always known it, but now I've experienced it in such a profound. When there is literally no time at all to be alone with God, I feel like I'm starving with a hunger that no material can satisfy. I have felt so spiritually crappy all week, and I could feel my eyes, usually alight with life and love and innocent wonder, begin to grow dim and weary.
Today, I've had some really weird experiences. God works so creatively. I was lying in bed this morning, and I looked over at my bookshelf. I saw a book there that I bought a while ago and have never read. It was called "why good arguments often fail" and was written from a Christian POV. All of a sudden, I had the impulse to throw it away. I don't hardly ever do this to books, so I wondered why I would do that. It was more than the thought that I would probably never get around to reading it. I realized that it was not in step with the purpose that God has for me. We are not called to argue with logic. God has granted us wisdom and insight, but he has also given us the Holy Spirit, who can enable us to do things that are out of our power and nature. It is not logic that overcomes logic. It is not logic that casts out demons and clears confusion. It's love. It's the word of the Spirit that all other powers bend to in defeat.
This afternoon, I felt led to type in "worry" in Bible Gateway to lead me to something to blog about. I was intent on NOT blogging about Matthew 26, because I have done so before. What really caught my eye was Luke 12:11-12. It confirmed what I knew in my heart, and gave me a lovely reference point for it. It places boldness in my heart once again, and makes me excited for school to start again! Life is so good when we continually ask God for new opportunities to share with people, in confidence that he will honor that desire. All I have to do is listen and follow. Everything that I need and that anyone else needs is already available.
I don't want to defeat anyone with my carefully crafted logic. When I do that, I am using the mere powers of men, and I leave the person feeling judged and ostracized. When I argue, I argue not with an ideology, a religion, or a belief. I argue with a person.
God > my brain. Thank you, God.
The second thing that hit me was the song "Your Love Never Fails." I think I've referenced it in previous blogs. It has been the anthem of my year. Anyways, I had that song in my head earlier... later on, I knew that God wanted to share something with me from my journal. So I flipped open to the page from this day last year. All that was written was the lyrics to a song, "Your Love Never Fails." I read through them, and they are so good, each and every time. I flipped through a few more pages, and the journal fell open to another page. Top corner, sprawled in fancy script and surrounded by hearts, was written "Your love never fails." It is something that I really needed to hear today. I have felt distant from God lately, and frustrated because I felt helpless to do a thing about it. In addition, it sometimes felt like no one really cared. Not that they didn't like me or whatever, but it's difficult to be in a setting with a lot of people who don't know you well and feeling like, even though they liked me, they probably didn't care all that much whether I was there or not. I know that these are lies that are whispered in your ear to keep you silent and insecure, but it is very easy to believe them sometimes. So God is so good, and he knows exactly what we need to hear at each and every moment. I love Him. So. Much.
Lord, I pray for new opportunities for tomorrow and even tonight to reach people and show them your glory! I ask that you fill us all with boldness to take a stand in you. Give me a mouth that boasts of You and Your wonder! Eliminate all of our insecurities and earthly mindsets, and instead fix our minds in the heavenlies! Lord, I ask that You reveal yourself to anyone reading this. I pray that You drown them in the experience of Your love, and set them on fire to burn for you forever! Remove all the lies that we have believed in, Papa, and help us to serve You better. Let us not be quick to argue and let every word from our mouths be motivated by Your love. Let us not be silent. We need You, God.
Luke 12:11-12
When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you are to say.
So busy that I didn't even go on facebook for five whole days.
THAT is busy.
But here I am again.
I have actually been at starbucks with Carla "I'm not white" Beaver for the past four or five hours. It has been a huge breath of fresh air for me, having been fully immersed in the world all week with very little respite. I have realized that even those of us who are naturally very extroverted and would love to be around people all the time need to take time out daily to eat and drink from the Word. I've always known it, but now I've experienced it in such a profound. When there is literally no time at all to be alone with God, I feel like I'm starving with a hunger that no material can satisfy. I have felt so spiritually crappy all week, and I could feel my eyes, usually alight with life and love and innocent wonder, begin to grow dim and weary.
Today, I've had some really weird experiences. God works so creatively. I was lying in bed this morning, and I looked over at my bookshelf. I saw a book there that I bought a while ago and have never read. It was called "why good arguments often fail" and was written from a Christian POV. All of a sudden, I had the impulse to throw it away. I don't hardly ever do this to books, so I wondered why I would do that. It was more than the thought that I would probably never get around to reading it. I realized that it was not in step with the purpose that God has for me. We are not called to argue with logic. God has granted us wisdom and insight, but he has also given us the Holy Spirit, who can enable us to do things that are out of our power and nature. It is not logic that overcomes logic. It is not logic that casts out demons and clears confusion. It's love. It's the word of the Spirit that all other powers bend to in defeat.
This afternoon, I felt led to type in "worry" in Bible Gateway to lead me to something to blog about. I was intent on NOT blogging about Matthew 26, because I have done so before. What really caught my eye was Luke 12:11-12. It confirmed what I knew in my heart, and gave me a lovely reference point for it. It places boldness in my heart once again, and makes me excited for school to start again! Life is so good when we continually ask God for new opportunities to share with people, in confidence that he will honor that desire. All I have to do is listen and follow. Everything that I need and that anyone else needs is already available.
I don't want to defeat anyone with my carefully crafted logic. When I do that, I am using the mere powers of men, and I leave the person feeling judged and ostracized. When I argue, I argue not with an ideology, a religion, or a belief. I argue with a person.
God > my brain. Thank you, God.
The second thing that hit me was the song "Your Love Never Fails." I think I've referenced it in previous blogs. It has been the anthem of my year. Anyways, I had that song in my head earlier... later on, I knew that God wanted to share something with me from my journal. So I flipped open to the page from this day last year. All that was written was the lyrics to a song, "Your Love Never Fails." I read through them, and they are so good, each and every time. I flipped through a few more pages, and the journal fell open to another page. Top corner, sprawled in fancy script and surrounded by hearts, was written "Your love never fails." It is something that I really needed to hear today. I have felt distant from God lately, and frustrated because I felt helpless to do a thing about it. In addition, it sometimes felt like no one really cared. Not that they didn't like me or whatever, but it's difficult to be in a setting with a lot of people who don't know you well and feeling like, even though they liked me, they probably didn't care all that much whether I was there or not. I know that these are lies that are whispered in your ear to keep you silent and insecure, but it is very easy to believe them sometimes. So God is so good, and he knows exactly what we need to hear at each and every moment. I love Him. So. Much.
Lord, I pray for new opportunities for tomorrow and even tonight to reach people and show them your glory! I ask that you fill us all with boldness to take a stand in you. Give me a mouth that boasts of You and Your wonder! Eliminate all of our insecurities and earthly mindsets, and instead fix our minds in the heavenlies! Lord, I ask that You reveal yourself to anyone reading this. I pray that You drown them in the experience of Your love, and set them on fire to burn for you forever! Remove all the lies that we have believed in, Papa, and help us to serve You better. Let us not be quick to argue and let every word from our mouths be motivated by Your love. Let us not be silent. We need You, God.
Luke 12:11-12
When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you are to say.
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