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myTunes Monday

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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

The lyrics to “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us” powerfully convey the Gospel message and the depth of God’s love for us that led Him to send His perfect son to redeem a world far from Him. Let these words sink in as you bask in the love of your heavenly Father. Have a blessed week!

How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

[Heart Fuel] Jesus Is Better

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Jesus

The Austin Stone has an incredible worship team that released a single titled “Jesus Is Better” this Fall. Those three simple words carry a lot of weight. I’ve asked myself if, at the core of my being, I believe Jesus is better than anything this world offers, good or bad. My conclusion? He is.

“In all my sorrows, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.

In every victory, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.

Than any comfort, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.

More than all riches, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.

Our souls declaring, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.

Our song eternal, Jesus is better.

Make my heart believe.”

Written by Aaron Ivey and Bret Land

2013 Austin Stone Music

It’s simple: Jesus is better. Lord, make our hearts believe.

To download a FREE copy of “Jesus Is Better,” visit this link: http://www.austinstoneworship.com/freedownload

For the story behind the song, watch the video below:

myTunes Monday

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I think this one speaks for itself. Enjoy “You Love Me Anyway” by the Sidewalk Prophets and have a blessed week!

The question was raised
As my conscience fell
A silly, little lie
It didn’t mean much
But it lingers still
In the corners of my mind
Still you call me to walk
On the edge of this world
To spread my dreams and fly
But the future’s so far
My heart is so frail
I think I’d rather stay inside
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
How You love me
It took more than my strength
To simply be still
To seek but never find
All the reasons we change
The reasons I doubt
And why do loved ones have to die?
But You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway
See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
But You love me anyway
Oh, God… how you love me
You love me anyway
It’s like nothing in life that I’ve ever known
You love me anyway
Oh Lord, how You love me
You love me, You love me
You love me, You love me
How You love me
How You love me
How You love me

Awestruck

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I’m repeatedly blown away by how The Lord can use a sinner like me to exalt Himself. Yesterday, I had an interview and I prayed God would use the interview to glorify Himself. I knew I would have one hour with the interview committee, and in that time I wanted the light of Christ to shine, even at the expense of getting the job. Part of the interview included giving a 10 minute presentation about what I wanted to tackle the first 90 days on the job. If hired, my purpose would be to market sustainability. Earlier this week, I decided to begin my presentation with an image from Haiti and sharing how that experience reformed my view of sustainability.

IMG_8090God designed Haiti to be a rainforest, but due to deforestation it’s become a wasteland of dead grass, treeless plains and rocky soil. I attribute this sad reality to sin. God gave us dominion over the earth, but when sin entered the world, perfect peace was disrupted and we’ve since failed to steward what’s been given to us well. The eight days I spent in this incredibly broken, yet beautiful country opened my eyes to the importance of sustainable living. That’s one of things I love most about Mission of Hope Haiti. Their vision isn’t short term. They use Christ’s method of discipleship to equip Haitians in Christian leadership and sustainable practices that will impact Haiti for decades. During my presentation, I shared my experiences in Haiti with the committee and they were enamored with my willingness to serve. Question after question was asked about why I went, what I did and how I would promote sustainability internationally. For those of you who know me, I light up when given the opportunity to talk about Haiti. In a mere eight days of my 22 years of existence God changed my heart in so many ways. There’s not a morning I don’t think about the sun rising over the Haitian mountains at the dawn of a new day full of new mercies. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the 30 minutes I spent playing frisbee with a 6-year-old boy whose stolen my heart. I can only praise God for giving me the courage and peace to clearly share the heart He’s transformed from the inside out.

There’s a chance I may have spent hours preparing for this interview and won’t get hired. Honestly, the outcome doesn’t matter to me. What matters is that for the one hour I was given, the Lord graciously answered my prayers and exalted Himself. I’m awestruck by His goodness.

 

[Reflection] The Porch: Enjoy Your Life

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As promised, here’s the link to the message from The Porch mentioned in my most recent post: http://s3.amazonaws.com/Wccaudio/20131112Porch.mp3

Take an hour or so to listen to the message and reflect on what it means for your life.

Be blessed!

[Reflection] Abounding Grace

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I’m constantly blown away by God’s grace towards rebellious people. We repeatedly miss the mark, yet He continues offering us grace after grace. When I was new to the Faith, the Old Testament terrified me. Why? Because it tells stories that reveal God’s power to destroy disobedience. As I’ve matured, I now see these stories in a new light – laced with grace and hope in the coming Savior, rather than wrath. Traces of grace can be seen throughout the entire Old Testament, beginning with the moment we first tasted death.

At the fall (Genesis 3), God had every right to kick Adam and Eve out of Eden without caring about their livelihood. He didn’t even owe them a “Sayonara!” God clearly stated they were not to touch or eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, and all it took was a serpent spitting promises of false wisdom for them to break God’s only ground rule. I’m not a parent, but I’ve spent several summers coaching. I’ve felt disappointment towards athletes I’ve invested in when they’ve disregarded clearly stated instructions, and can only imagine how much more disappointment and anger God felt towards the very people He breathed into existence. He had no reason to show an ounce of compassion towards Adam and Eve, but…

…the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. -Genesis. 3:21

The very same God who was betrayed, showed grace. My heart can only praise Him for that undeserved gift and what it foreshadowed…Jesus.

At the fall, we became incapable of communion with God because of our sinful nature. We needed someone or something to bridge the gap. We needed to be clothed by robes of righteousness, not rags of corruption. A little over 2,000 years ago a man named Jesus was born, lived a perfect life, preached the Word of God, was beaten to the point of being unrecognizable, spat on by the very people He came to save, and hung on a cross to die with criminals. Three days later He conquered the death we ate in Eden and bridged the gap.

At the cross, God clothed us – again. The leather garbs from Eden foreshadowed the coming of a greater garment – the righteous robes of Jesus Christ. Those who’ve confessed with their mouths and believed in their hearts that Jesus is Lord are no longer draped in rancid rags, but instead are covered in the righteousness of Christ. We’re given grace upon grace upon grace. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. -Isaiah 61:10

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:21

LADIES: You need to hear this.

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FaithIt is a place of encouragement where Truth and examples of Christ-like love are shared. Based on that one sentence, you can understand why I’m attracted to the site. We all need encouragement as we walk the road less traveled. If you’re a Woman of God and have fallen victim to lies from the enemy, enjoy the video below and revel at your identity in The King.

Thursday Thoughts

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I got off the phone this morning with a woman from West, Texas. When I made the call, I wasn’t expecting to speak to a woman. After a few seconds, I learned that the man I intended to speak with was a firefighter who lost his life trying to save the lives of others in the West fertilizer company explosion in April. Upon hearing his story and the pain in the woman’s voice as she tried to explain the lack of organization at her office due to his passing, I was convicted. I hung up the phone, wrote down the man’s name as I removed his contact information from my database and mourned.

praying-for-west

Although cognizant of the West tragedy, I had long since stopped praying over the situation and the people who were still experiencing the wounds of April 17, 2013 daily. I hate that I am so quick to think those deep wounds have been healed and no longer need prayer after a mere six months. I mourned for this man and the people still hurting from that fateful April day. I mourned for my own ignorance to the pain that ensues after emergency response leaves and people attempt to reconstruct the puzzle of their lives despite major pieces missing.

I think about West, Texas. I think about Moore, Oklahoma. I think about Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I think about Indonesia. I think about New York City. I think about the Pentagon. When tragedy strikes, we hastily rush in with aid, but as days, months and years pass, we forget that those same people we were so quick to help are still trudging through each day dealing with wounds that may never fully heal.

A child is forced to face life without a parent. A wife is forced to hold herself together after losing her other half. A parent is forced to lay a child to rest. A friend is forced to look at pictures that freeze a moment in time with someone they will never see on this earth again.

That pain is real and doesn’t leave when emergency responders pack up their bags and head home. I’m convicted that the least we can do is enter into that pain through prayer, which is powerful beyond measure. While we may not be able to provide anymore physical relief, we can bombard the throne room with pleas for healing, restoration and peace.

October 7th

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I’ve dreaded October 7th for a while because it symbolizes the end of a chapter and a leap into the unknown. I’ve had a full-time seasonal job to occupy my days for the last eight months. A job with people I adore. A job that was joyful. A job that was fun.

October 7th marks the end of eight months of consistency. I’m not a huge planner, but knowing where I’ll be from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday is something that gives me comfort. I’m surrounded by amazing people who encourage and support me in times of need, and fortunately I’ll be working part-time for an incredible woman of the Lord for the next few weeks. Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides. I have income for another month as I continue job seeking and interviewing. PRAISE THE LORD!

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

But what’s next? That’s the unknown that sends chills down my spine because honestly, I have no idea. For the first time in my life, my next days don’t have a specific plan. I know what my passions are, and I know I am blessed with intelligence and useful skills. I have so much joy to offer, and I’m searching for the place where my passions and career ambitions intersect. Am I called to stay in marketing? Am I called to ministry? Am I called to write? Am I called to missions? Am I called to stay in Austin? These are just a few of the thoughts that launch me into a whirlwind of confusion over where I’m headed next. After the confusion sets in, I start questioning who God has created me to be and the purpose of my life. In these moments, I hear the sweetest Voice whisper in my ear that He brings peace, not confusion. The Voice reminds me that He has me in the palm of His hand, and He has plans for my future that were ordained before time. I find myself stepping out in blind faith, trusting that I’m not walking off of a cliff, but rather into a life lived for the Voice’s glory. The Voice overwhelms me with peace. The Voice brings me joy. The Voice gives me purpose.

photo2

Here’s what I do know about tomorrow: it’s never guaranteed, Jesus is the same and my purpose to glorify Him remains. So cheers to what tomorrow brings, and the vulnerability of walking by faith, not by sight. It’s amazing to me that when we are most vulnerable, we are the most secure.