Singin' it loud and proud

I love music. Playing, arranging, creating, praising with, dancing to, listening to, and especially singing! I LOVE it all.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." -Colossians 3:16

Naturally one of my favorite ways to worship Jesus, My Savior, is by singing. Loudly and proudly, mind you. When I was younger I couldn't wait to sing the hymn of the week for my Sunday School teachers at church- often winning prizes for singing more than one per week and finishing early. I used to get all the fancy solos in the church musicals. I always looked forward to talent show each year as a youngster in a Christian school. Don't worry- I 'kept it cool' in first grade with that stylin' number and some great sunglasses. I think you get the point.

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise." -James 5:13

Somewhere in time (I know exactly when, but doesn't it sound better to pretend like I don't?) I lost my yearning to praise Jesus through song. This lasted about 5 years. I am not a quiet person- and especially with how much I love(d) singing, I could not stand seeing myself stand in silence at church while everyone around me burst forth with songs of joy. I was no longer the one to be found singing solos and certainly not the one to be begging to bust out the old hymns at any given time. I prayed for quite some time that the Lord would renew my longing to sing and praise Him for all He had done for me. It started off slowly and I saw a morph in my spirit, attitude, and ability to sing. I know the initial prideful, human, and selfish reasons why I lost my yearning to praise Him through song, but it is something I've forgiven myself for and been given it as well. In the past couple (I mean 5) years I have gained back my willingness to PRAISE THE LORD! And, ohhhh, how refreshing it is!! One of my favorite times during the week is leading worship with my Sunday School class while playing the keyboards. Nothing else matters at that time! I am loving serving the Lord through song!

 "A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" -Psalm 100:1-2

My prayer is that well all continue to do worship through song and never lose sight of why we do so. It is such a sad time to see those who love the Lord refusing to use their voices to make beautiful music. No matter how musical or un-musical, let's all REJOICE!

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the lord!" -Psalm 150

Will You, or won't You?

Recently I was at a concert where the story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego was referenced. The fiery furnace is a story that most people are familiar with, I mean there is even a Veggie Tales story about it. And yet, rereading it again this weekend, I was reminded of just how in control God is when we allow Him to be.
The story is about 3 men who were made "administrators over the province of Babylon" by the King, under the request of the dream-interpreter Daniel. To sum up the story, the King had a golden idol made and asked that his servants bow down and serve the idol when they heard the music being played. And everyone in the town did as they were told, they worshipped a golden statue out of fear and obedience, except for three. These three refused to bow down and they were forced before the King to explain themselves:

 "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" - Daniel 3:13-15

It was a do or die moment for these three brave men. They had the choice to act on their own fear and obey an earthly master, in an effort to save face and escape death. Or, they could trust in their Lord and His will and risk it all. They had a difficult choice to make - the King's will or the Lord's will?

Before we talk about their answer, I want to mention another way that God was speaking to me this weekend. I had gone with my boyfriend to a wedding outside of Dallas. We took my mother's car and ended up sloshing through a few muddy pastures in our quest for the wedding venue. I returned the car to my mother looking a little worse for the wear. I decided to spend some time washing the car and returning it to the state with which it was loaned to me. My 3-year old son asked to help and I agreed, seeing an opportunity to teach him about hard work and responsibility. We worked alongside each other - me washing and him slapping the car with an overly wet cloth. I allowed him to help me, knowing that I would likely have to rewash the areas that he had "washed" himself. I spent some time upfront, explaining and modeling how to wash the car and then left him alone to practice. Part of me wanted to correct him and take over, knowing that my work load would be easier if I did. But he seemed to enjoy the process of trying and doing and he was trying so hard to do what mommy was doing. It struck me in that moment what an illustration of free will that was. 

God can do everything perfectly, He does not make mistakes. He can handle any situation that is placed before Him, without our help. But, He allows the opportunity to try things on our own and to work things out the way we want to. God knows that sometimes this means that He will have to come back and "rewash" the things we think we have washed. And He knows that at times we are making a mess of things and giving Him more work to do in the long run. And still, He does not take over. He does not get angry at our efforts. The Bible is our instruction manual, in that way we have received the lessons and modeling that we need to live a life that echoes Christ. I think God knows that those who love Him want to look like Him and enjoy trying to follow in His footsteps. He allows us free will because He knows that our heart's desire is to choose and follow his lead and He enjoys teaching us how to do that. 

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were offered that same opportunity. They were allowed the choice of whether to follow their earthly King or the Heavenly King. God did not choose for them, or force them to choose Him. But here is what happened:

 "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel - 3:16-18

They chose to follow God, even though doing so would lead them in to the fiery furnace. They knew that following God would save them and that God would honor their choice. They submitted to God's will and trusted that He would save them. But, they added, "EVEN IF HE DOES NOT". This phrase is so huge. Did they hope God would save them? Absolutely. Did they trust that He could? Certainly. But they knew enough not to assume anything about the will and power of God. They trusted that even if He didn't save them, even if He chose to let them suffer a fiery death, that His will was higher and bigger and better than the alternative.

And what happened in the end was that God did show up, and He saved them from death. He joined them in the flames and allowed them to be untouched by the heat. You see, God allows us to choose. We can choose many things in our life. That is the right that His son's blood gave us. What we do with that privilege is up to us. Will we crack against the "king's" of this world and the threats and pressures they put us under? Or will we choose to follow the will of the Father, knowing that it is always best, EVEN IF, it means the fiery furnace for us? 

** I admit that part of this blog is stolen from an idea that I recently heard at a Shane and Shane concert. I heard something there that resonated with me and that stuck to my spirit long after the worship experience had ended. I used that nugget as a jumping off point for this post. While it may have been slightly stolen it is still sincere.

I thought studying was over.

After recently completing 'Radical' by David Platt I was encouraged by the 5 challenges at the end of the book. If you want to see them all, visit this website here.

One of the challenges was to read through the entire Bible in one year. I was initially estimating that I've read through 90% of the Bible in studies, classes, lessons, sermons, and devotionals. But have I before purposely and consistently sat down and read the entire Bible before? No. Should I? OF COURSE. The Bible is our guide for life and we should trust in these truths only and actually spend time meditating on the Word. It's easy to say that you can meditate on the Word more than you listen to music or watch TV, but we shouldn't be comparing those spiritual and worldly rituals when we should be reading God's Word, applying it to our lives, and praying as much as possible- even if it means none of anything else.

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified." -Acts 20:32

Sooo even though I was encouraged by the 5 challenges, did I really have the motivation to be challenged? No. A friend recently asked if I had been following along with the reading plan and I hesitatingly said no. I had just been practicing the terrible habit of "ehh I'll start tomorrow." Why are we humans so good at procrastinating?

"The Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it." -Joshua 1:8

I am rarely the person to back away from a challenge- especially one that I felt convicted of already. So, in response to my title, I'd like to reiterate that the studying is never over for us! I would like to encourage you all to join me in my daily readings, as I promise to not miss a day from now on. Watch out, world- we are coming prepared with The Word. You can join me by seeing the plan here or finding one that suits you best.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." -Psalm 119:105

Sweet Providence

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.

-Romans 8:28-30

It has been surprising to me how many conversations that I have had with people about God's providence lately. I asked one of the girls that I disciple which book of the Bible she would like to go through and she said Ruth. I was really excited about that and was even more excited when I found out just the next day that that is the book that Pastor Mark would be going through on Sunday mornings as well. Beyond that just being a funny and seemingly coincidental story, the book of Ruth is all about God's providence!

Last week I spoke with another girl and our whole conversation was centered around God's providence and how amazing it is when we step back or we are just far enough removed from a situation to see how God worked everything out and how I do not see how it is possible for anyone to come to any other conclusion except that it was God who did it. No one in the world could ever work so many different situations in different people's lives together so perfectly and all the while for their GOOD! We serve an awesome God.

Just a day or so after that encouraging conversation I spoke with another girl and our conversation also seemed to lean towards God's providence. The things that happen in our lives that we think are just small and insignificant are never as they seem. God uses EVERY experience and every situation to grow us and for His glory.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

-Romans 5:3-5

As if all of that was not enough I had yet another conversation with a girl this week about a situation she is going through. We all need reminding sometimes, as she did, that God does not put us in any situation by accident. Nothing is going on in our lives that God has not perfectly orchestrated and let's not forget, for our GOOD.

I have shared with some people in the past about how I have personally seen God's providence in my own life. One of the sweetest and most memorable was in the time leading up to and even after my brother Scott's death. I'll share just a few. When Scott was in Iraq they did a "random" drawing of social security numbers to see who could go home for two weeks leave. It "just so happened" that Scott was one of the first to get that privilege and he got to come home and spend two weeks with us in October. At that point it had been a while since we had last seen him. The two weeks he spent with us were sweet but short. At the end we took him to the airport and said our goodbyes. Never did the thought enter my mind that that would be our final goodbye. As some of you know, Scott was killed in Iraq in April of 2004. Beyond just God allowing us to spend those precious two weeks with him, God was also working in each of our lives separately in the time leading up to April 5. I have described those months before as a time that I have never felt closer to God. I know that that was by design and not mistake. God had done that for me because He knew what was going to happen and because He LOVES me, He pulled me close in those months before and was able to comfort and hold me in a way that would not have happened if He had not. This is just a small glimpse into the many ways that God made Himself known to me and my family during that time. I am so grateful for those times and that God is now allowing me to see and recognize them. What a gracious and loving God we serve!

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

-James 1:2-4

I want to challenge you to think about the situations in your own life that have been hard and examine them with Biblical lenses. If you still are unable to see how God has used that situation for your good then I challenge you to ask Him to show you. And if you have not thanked God for them, I challenge you to do that as well.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Grace Upon Grace

^"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

In my personal life I am reading a book about God's grace. It is a study on how to recognize and receive God's grace and then how to also apply it in your own life. As is normally the case, the more I look for grace the more I see it in my own life. I am quite certain it has always been there, waning and waxing in differing amounts, as needed, but because my eyes have been opened I am seeing the evidence of grace a bit more clearly. One of those ways has been through the people God has placed in my life. I consider myself deeply blessed to have the inner circle that I have. If Christ's church is the body then we should be in the business of making sure our body stays healthy.  

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thess. 5:11

And while that sounds well and good, sometimes it isn't. This week I have had the pleasure and pain of accountability and grace. And what I have come to realize is that these two things go hand in hand. On the one hand I was able to speak my conviction to a friend who received the information in love and extended grace to me in my time of need. There was no lecture, or condemnation, just a reminder to dwell in the Spirit.

^"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16

And this act blessed my spirit because of the relief I felt at being forgiven and finding mercy where it was not required. But on the other hand, I spoke to another friend about a complaint, feeling that I was just in my concerns and aggravations. This friend listened, and then spoke the truth. It was a truth I had not wanted to hear, one that ultimately broke me and made me cry. But, it was a truth that I needed to hear. It took me somewhat longer to feel appreciative of this message and blessed by the giver.

"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:1-2

Obviously, it feels better to offer mercy and forgiveness. That is a role that we, as Christians, should look forward to fulfilling. This is the role that sets us apart from other people in this world. We forgive, because we have had the ultimate forgiveness shown to us. We allow grace for wrongdoings, because God the Father was gracious in His love and kindness to us. And while showing grace and mercy and forgiveness may be hard to do, it nearly always feels like the right thing.

It is that other act that is the harder pill to swallow. Speaking harsh truths hardly ever feels good and it is not an act that we should enjoy doing. However, it is equally as important to the spiritual life of the believer. Sometimes we can not see the log in our own eye. At times, we are blind to the sin that so easily entangles us. And occasionally, we choose to not see the obviously dark path that we have stumbled upon. It is in those times that we need to be reminded of the truth, gently and in love.

^"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works..." Hebrews 10:24-25

It may not feel great to speak this truth and it certainly will not feel great to hear it. But this is true love. This is how other people will know that we are  Christians, by our love for each other.

"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." Proverbs 27:6

If you consider yourself a believer, then you have an obligation to love others, especially the Body of Christ. If you also consider yourself a friend, then you have an obligation to walk beside your brothers and sisters and spur them on to "love and good works". I encourage you to pray throughout your day and think on the people in your life. Ask God how you can show grace and mercy to those He has placed around you. Think about those that you know who are caught up in bad habits, who are chasing after false gods and believing empty promises. Ask God how you can speak the truth to them today, in boldness and in love. Let God use you to show someone else a little more about His love and character.

A hole lot of Jesus

"There's a God-shaped hole in all of us

And the restless soul is searching
There's a God-shaped hole in all of us
And it's a void only he can fill"

 - Plum

Lately, I have been feeling like I am walking in the wilderness in my relationship with God. The fact is that I know He is there and I know that I should be desiring to be closer to Him. And in theory, I absolutely want this. But in truth, today, I am just not feeling it. Ever have those days when you just can't seem to make what you need equal what you want? The Apostle Paul said it like this:

" For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing." - Romans 7:18-19 (ESV)

It makes me feel better to know that even Paul struggled to get his wants and his reality to line up. The problem is this sin that lives inside me, the selfish desire to only do what feels good and right to me. In today's times, especially in this American society, we are rooted in the pursuit of freedom which translates in to feeling that we have the right to have whatever we want or can earn ourselves. But here is the deal, we don't really earn anything in this life, it is given to us 

" Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God." - 2 Corinthians 3:5

And it is not given to us for our own discretion and delight, but for the works of the Kingdom

" And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work." - 2 Corinthians 9:8

Yes, I am in the wilderness right now and that is natural. And in this weakened state it is also natural to be in thirsty and in want. And just as surely as God provided manna form Heaven for the Egyptians, He will also provide for our needs. He will give us OUR daily bread if we would just ask. 

"And my God shall supply all you need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:9 

Paul knew what it was like to struggle and to fight his own desires. But in his time of need He realized that what He really needed was more of Jesus and less of himself. To really be of use, He needed to fill those empty holes with the things of Jesus, knowing that those things were gifts to use for God's glory and purposes. I think I miss most of that lesson in my everyday life. I understand that I fall short, and that there is an emptiness that happens when I rely only on myself. What I tend to forget is that these empty spaces signify a need for Christ. They are God-shaped holes that can not be fully quenched with the empty trappings of this world. God wants to fill them with Himself, but He also wants us to do something with the stuff He gives us. Something for Him, and not for ourselves. So today I find myself asking what it is that I really need today? And if I had it, how would I turn it back to God?   

In Remembrance

This past Saturday I attended my Grandpa's funeral. He was the only Grandpa I ever knew because my dad's father passed away when he was 4, which would make me negative 30 years old. As I sat there remembering him I could not think of a SINGLE time he raised his voice, said a harsh word, or was inappropriate. It was a great feeling!

At the same time I was kind of annoyed, because I sure can think of reasons for people to not think very highly of me. If I passed away today I don't think I'd be very happy with what legacy I'd leave behind. Moreso, I'd be unsatisfied with the amount of effort that I put into sharing The Gospel with others- friends or not. My Grandpa's favorite song of all time was "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference." He would tell people this all the time- no matter who they were. I'd say this is a good favorite song to have :)

We also took part in the Lord's Supper at church on Sunday night. "Do this in remembrance of me" gets me every time. We remember the blood Jesus Christ shed for me, which gave us grace and granted us mercy, and provided salvation for eternity. How awesome!

I know that others will not (and should not) remember me the same way we remember Christ, but we should be working to resemble Christ in every way- that way when they remember us they will really be remembering Christ and magnifying his name! That's how I see it now anyways.

How do you think people would remember you when you pass this worldly life? What would you like for them to remember? How will you work on that now? Hopefully good things...So now, let's all commence being the followers of Christ that we should be and show the world who we really would like them to remember!

Stumbling Blocks

"Thus sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble". 1 Corinthians 8:12-13

A friend of mine brought this verse to my attention earlier this week and I have been thinking and praying on it a lot since then. I have read this verse maybe a thousand times over the course of my life yet I don't think that I ever really got the gravity of what it is that Paul is saying here. Paul tells us that if we do something that causes a brother or sister in Christ to stumble, we are sinning against Christ. I guess in my pride and arrogance I always thought that if they had a problem with me doing something that I have every right to do, that is their problem. I don't think that I really understood that it is a sin against my Savior. This is just one part of it...

Later on in chapter 9, Paul talks about surrendering his rights. He talks about being free in Christ to do as he pleases (so long as he is not sinning himself) but choosing not to for the sake of advancing the Gospel. In verse 19 of chapter 9 he says "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them." And later on in verse 22 he says "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some." How selfish and prideful I am to not sacrifice (I use this term lightly because it is really no sacrifice at all...) something so meaningless for something that couldn't mean more. If my not participating in something that, having freedom in Christ I am at liberty to do, could win souls for the Kingdom, WHY WOULD I CONTINUE TO DO IT? It says a lot about where my heart is if I think that my desires for a moment mean more than someone's salvation. Now, I may not ever say that out loud but isn't that what I am saying by acting this way?

I know that there are things in my life that I can cut out and "sacrifice" for the advancement of the Gospel; what about you?

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..." -Ephesians 4:1

Brothers and sisters, we should constantly be examining our own lives through the eyes of our Lord.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." -Ephesians 5:1