My family recently had a big garage sale, and my precious friend Tessa came over to help with the sale. While she was here, we had a deep conversation about sharing the gospel, and the LORD led us to become evangelism accountability partners, to encourage one another to share reach out and share Jesus with the world around us every week.
As we were sitting at the garage sale, we decided to write a pass-it-on poem just for fun, and below is the poem we wrote together. To us, this poem - which began as a simple way to pass the time - is now a potent reminder that everyone has a story, and life is a mission field.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I see a woman in floral attire
She has a soothing voice that could inspire
Look at the man in the worn-out jeans
But everything about him is not as it seems
So many faces, stories untold
Even the young, not simply the old
Frown lines, empty eyes, scars on the inside
All of the pleas they're trying to hide
Yet hope for tomorrow can come from another place
To capture their heart and lift up their face
Then joy can be theirs, beauty can fill those eyes
No longer will they feel alone or despised
If only they'll look to the One who frees us
Please, call out His name, beg for Jesus!
So I won't sit back and watch from afar
I will love these souls, wherever they are
Monday, July 22, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Wedding Song
I'm overwhelmed by my thirst for Heaven, for Home - and my consuming desire to see Him face to face. Sitting at my beloved piano, overcome by my longing to be with my Savior, I wrote this song.
Now I leave this world
behind
I’m flying home where I belong
My heart and soul cry out for You, Lord
I’m finally here at Your gates
How lovely is Your dwelling place
Besides You I desire nothing
I will hunger no more
Neither thirst any longer
For You fill my cup with Your love
You are the Bridegroom and I am Your bride
Your love is wonderful
Your love is deep and wide
______________________________________________
CHORUS:
This is my wedding song
This is where I belong
I’m finally home at last
Now I can see Your face
Breathe in and out your grace
You wipe the scars from my past
_________________________________________________
Now I’m in Your throne room
And I fall on my knees
But You pick me up again
Surrounded by glory, clothed all in white
This is our love story
Filled with beautiful light
I’m flying home where I belong
My heart and soul cry out for You, Lord
I’m finally here at Your gates
How lovely is Your dwelling place
Besides You I desire nothing
I will hunger no more
Neither thirst any longer
For You fill my cup with Your love
You are the Bridegroom and I am Your bride
Your love is wonderful
Your love is deep and wide
______________________________________________
CHORUS:
This is my wedding song
This is where I belong
I’m finally home at last
Now I can see Your face
Breathe in and out your grace
You wipe the scars from my past
_________________________________________________
Now I’m in Your throne room
And I fall on my knees
But You pick me up again
Surrounded by glory, clothed all in white
This is our love story
Filled with beautiful light
{CHORUS}
Better is one day with You
Than a thousand spent elsewhere
In Your presence is fullness of joy
Whom have I in heaven but You, Jesus?
My soul yearns for You alone
Your love is glorious
{CHORUS}
I thirst for You like a parched land
I’m finally here holding your hands
You’re so beautiful, You are beautiful
You pull me into Your embrace
I feel your love, I see your grace
This joy and peace is overwhelming
This is my wedding song
This is where I belong
I’m finally home at last
Now I can see Your face
Breathe in and out your grace
You wipe the scars from my past
This is my wedding song
Better is one day with You
Than a thousand spent elsewhere
In Your presence is fullness of joy
Whom have I in heaven but You, Jesus?
My soul yearns for You alone
Your love is glorious
{CHORUS}
I thirst for You like a parched land
I’m finally here holding your hands
You’re so beautiful, You are beautiful
You pull me into Your embrace
I feel your love, I see your grace
This joy and peace is overwhelming
This is my wedding song
This is where I belong
I’m finally home at last
Now I can see Your face
Breathe in and out your grace
You wipe the scars from my past
This is my wedding song
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Resting in His Steadfast Faithfulness
He is so faithful - always faithful.
And I have so much to learn about resting and trusting in His faithfulness, not fearing the future, leaning on Jesus.
Corrie ten Boom once said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
I’ve often struggled with fear, worry, and uncertainty about the future. I like feeling secure and knowing exactly what’s coming next. But when you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, nothing is predictable. Life is an adventure full of miracles and crazy expeditions. The only thing that never changes and never fails me is Jesus.
“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” – John 14:18
" The LORD also
will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that
know your name will put their trust in you: for you, LORD, have not forsaken
them that seek you.” – Psalms 9:9-10
“And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are called according to His purpose.”—Romans
8:28
“…cast
all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” –1
Peter 5:7
And finally, another quote: {Can you tell I like Corrie ten Boom?}
And I have so much to learn about resting and trusting in His faithfulness, not fearing the future, leaning on Jesus.
Corrie ten Boom once said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
I’ve often struggled with fear, worry, and uncertainty about the future. I like feeling secure and knowing exactly what’s coming next. But when you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, nothing is predictable. Life is an adventure full of miracles and crazy expeditions. The only thing that never changes and never fails me is Jesus.
“On
Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”
No man can serve two masters. You can’t effectively serve both fear and God.
The most common command in Scripture is: “Do not fear.” DO NOT FEAR. Jesus often told us not to fear, not to worry about tomorrow. He repeated it often because it's so important. Fear robs us of joy and strangles our trust in God.
God just asks us to follow Him one step at a time:
“Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a
light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105
It's not a headlight. You can't see down the path and the light doesn't shine ahead for you to see what's coming up in your future. But as a lamp to your feet and light to your path, the LORD will lead you one step at a time.
Why do I have such weak human faith in Someone who is
perfectly faithful? I do believe in Him
with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, but when it comes to living
daily life, I easily get caught up with distractions, challenges, and anxieties and I
start relying on myself rather than Him. I start fearing the future.
That's when I'm reminded of an old hymn I love:
“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy Faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided. Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”
My world is so unpredictable, constantly changing
and shifting. But through it all, God is
still…God. Still the same. Unchanging.
Always faithful.
“All
I have needed, Thy hand hath provided.” And it’s true. Sure, I often don’t feel like my needs are
met. But God truly has provided
everything I need. In fact, He's gone above and beyond and given me everything I need for life and godliness. I am richly blessed in so many ways. How often do I take it for granted?
Now I just want to let the Bible speak for itself. I want to share a few of my favorite verses about God’s
faithfulness:
“Be
anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians
4:6-7
“So
do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”—Matthew
6:34
“God
is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”—Psalm
46:1“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” – John 14:18
“Do
not be afraid any longer, only believe.” –Jesus, (Mark
5:36)
“Surely there is a future, and your hope will
not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:18)
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not
anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’
declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future
and a hope.’ - Jeremiah 29:11
“Come
to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for
I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light.”
-Matthew 11:28-30
“With
men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
-Matthew 19:26
"So then, banish anxiety from your heart." --Ecclesiastes 11:10
"Remember
my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and the bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down
within me. This I recall to my mind,
therefore I have hope. The Lord’s
lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy
faithfulness.” -Lamentations 3:19-23And finally, another quote: {Can you tell I like Corrie ten Boom?}
"When a train enters a tunnel and it’s dark, you don’t
throw out the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."~Corrie Ten Boom
What are some of your favorite verses about God's faithfulness?
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