PEACE

 

(Don’t you hate it when you write something, you save it and move on to something else because of another thought, then when you come back, it didn’t actually save and so its all gone. then it just frustrates you….that just happened with this blog.)

but alas, one must persevere. and still rejoice in the LORD!

I love my work. What God is allowing me to do with my life. I love quiet. I’m realizing that quiet just allows me to focus more on Christ, otherwise I get distracted. I love listening to people, because when we actually take time to listen and stop making assumptions and judging people, we can see what God sees. we can see the hurt, and see why people do what they do, and this is what I love! because I know it is not me, but the Holy Spirit alive, working inside of me to love these people. I also am always encouraged by the body of Christ.

I also love how God looks after me. He knows what bothers me, and He knows how to relieve me, and bring PEACE! I love His peace.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”"Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!"
Luke 12:24

I find comfort in knowing life is not about myself

 

I just love my precious alone times with Jesus. Whether it’s prayer, listening to music, His Word, playing music, silence, talking about the Word with dear friends…or all in one setting. Ive come to highly value these moments. There is nothing else in my day better. and I desperately need these times. We need to protect these times. God gives us these times, to encourage us, to empower us for what we will face in the day, to build us up, to challenge us.

My heart just longs to worship, and be with Him. I need Him to live. I need to be intimate. I need to be in love with Him.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes.”
James 4:14

JESUS

 

Even when you think that you can’t seem to fall more in love with something or someone, you realize you are wrong and that yes, in fact, you can always fall more in love with something or someone.

the name of JESUS, is so wonderful. and I think the reason His name is so wonderful, is because of who He is. JESUS, the name, is so  great for me to hear, and to speak, and to sing because I know Him. I know who He is. I don’t just know what He has done for me, or about Him, but I know Him. Intimately. He is my most intimate friend. and that intimacy will never stop growing. and I am so grateful for that.

Just His name brings such a peace and such a contentment and love and joy and spring of life to my soul and my heart. I have so many things to be grateful for, so many…that I should always be Praising. and my prayer is that I am and that I do.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.”
Psalm 21:6

p.s.
i think what I love most about worship through music, is the humility that is needed in true worship. realizing worship has NOTHING to do with YOU but EVERYTHING about JESUS.

Beauty of Holiness

 

I love God’s Holiness. I love hearing about it, reading about it, seeing it, and being in the midst of it sometimes. Sometimes when worshipping, its almost like its wrapped around me, like what is described in Revelation with all the angels and the creatures i can’t even picture in my head! and I know that thats not even close to what worship is going to be like in heaven what I experience here on earth, therefore, I cannot wait until Heaven!

But, I love reflecting on God’s Holiness. I get fired up when it seems that people don’t understand His Holiness, and I’m sure that I don’t even understand it like I could, nor will I ever fully understand God’s Holiness. but God’s Holy, therefore, he can demand things from us, He can’t do anything that altars or dirties that Holiness. and because He is holy, we should be holy. To meet with Him, because He is Holy, we must cleanse ourselves, from ourselves, our sin, our flesh. (just erad the Old Testament…and you get an idea of His Holiness!) and with reading through the psalms, i love how in so many of them, the author starts off with some kind of emotional response to what life is throwing their way, and always ends the psalm with this incredible display of affection towards God, of Who He is and all He has done!

I love that God is Holy! and in that, He has bridged the gap through Jesus Christ to meet with us, and to make us holy!

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”
  Psalm 29:2

Psalm 78

 

I am amazed at God’s faithfulness.

The Israelites, His chosen people are always going back and forth with Him, and yet He still shows them compassion. Yes, there are times when His anger does go down on them, and there are consequences for disobedience and not listening to the Sovereign Holy God, but ultimately, His faithfulness to His beloved people is completely astounding. This world has never seen faithfulness like it. In reality, God defines faithfulness.

I want to be more faithful. to my Father in heaven.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.”
Psalm 78:38-39

My God is All-Powerful

 

We have been designed to be in community. We are not meant to be alone. and I love how God uses people to refresh us, to speak truth to us, to challenge us, to encourage us, to laugh with us, to cry with us, to pray for and with us, and to just be there with us. This summer I’m really learning the importance of people in my life and just in general, and learning to appreciate them more. and I am super thankful for that, considering my job that God has given me is to look after people!

Be grateful. Be appreciative. Don’t take anything given to you (which in fact, is everything) for granted.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.”
Psalm 83:18

humility

 

Had dinner and chats with my mentor tonight. Always am super blessed to sit and talk and listen to her. I always leave encouraged, inspired and challenged. and i love how God just uses people in our lives, and how we are so designed to be in community and to be in relationship with people.

I still find this humorous coming from me..who growing up, just hated people and wanted nothing to do with them. and now, i love people so much. and one thing that I have definitely learned this summer, is that I actually need people in my life. We are not meant to do life alone. We need people, I need people!

Another thing from tonight that is just a good reminder, because I tend to get on a high-horse of myself at times, is that I really don’t know. I really don’t know what God is doing sometimes, I really don’t know all that I think I know, I’m not as wise as I think I am, I’m not as knowledgeable as I think I am…and so on. I’m always going to be growing. and I’m always going to be learning new things and realizing that I just really don’t know everything.
  It’s one thing to say that, and it’s another thing to live that and believe that in your head. Humility is such a need in the believer, for so many things and for so many different reasons. and is such an admirable trait, because it is such a rare trait. to be truly humble. one that should be most desired.

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the LORD, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer;s; he makes me tread on my high places.”
Habakkuk 3:17-19

when our voices fail, our hearts keep going

 

I suppose I should start blogging again, and doing the purpose of this blog.

 

So this summer ive had this underlying fear of losing my voice. because its become really difficult to sing often. to where it physically hurts sometimes. i’m not sure what this is, i have my ideologies but nothing for certain. and today was definately one of those days where singing was just super difficult, and it makes it difficult when you are leading worship. but one thing I realized, and am extremely thankful for, is that to lead worship, you don’t actually have to sing. you can delegate (i love delegation).

and today with a song from this morning, and a song from tonight at church, a phrase has stuck out to me…
  “my heart will sing…”

this came up in 2 songs today. and i know is in multiple songs. and im not sure of the exact meaning for the writers of the songs, but for me, with struggling vocally, this is perfect. even when my voice fails me, my heart can still sing. even if i were ever to completely lose my voice, my heart will still sing praises to my King. I’m not sure what this physically looks like, but for me, i know when my heart is singing and its one of those sweet sweet precious moments with my Creator.

no matter what, my heart will sing. and it has been singing for years!

 

VERSE OF THE DAY:
”Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
  Psalm 37:7