South Africa 2007
“From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose.” Isaiah 46:11
Lead Me To the Cross June 3, 2009
In Brooke Fraser’s song she sings . . . “lead me tot he cross.” As I was preparing for musical worship this week I was thinking about what that meant. The cross an agent of death – a method of execution. It was the place that Jesus died the final death. So we come to the cross with our sins so that they can die. It is a place that we rid ourselves from our human error and accept the grace of God in his resurrection and his victory over sin and death. When I am on my knees in of Christ I am letting go of the “prison of me” and taking on the “freedom of God”.
Savior I come, quiet my soul, remember
Redemption’s hill, where Your blood was spilled or my ransom
Everything I once held dear I count it all as lossLead me to the cross where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself, I belong to You
Oh lead me, lead me to the crossYou were as I, tempted and tried, human
The Word became flesh, bore my sin in death, Now Your risen
Everything I once held dear, I count it all as lossTo Your Heart
To Your Heart
Lead me to Your Heart
Lead me to Your HeartBrooke Fraser
No Place For Fear May 27, 2009
There is no place for fear. In the Esther study last night, Beth Moore, reminded us that God isn’t going to give us strength in our fear because there is no place for our fear. We have a God who is fighting our battles for us. We need to lift up our hands and give our fears and our battles over to God.
He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approchaing the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ Deuteronomy 20:3-4
Surely there is victory in Him.
Take Me All The Way May 19, 2009
This is my deep desire – to go all the way, like Matthew West asks in his chorus.
How do we take the step? How do we jump without letting worry getting in our way?
I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if i had given everything
Instead of going through the motions
God – Develop in me a faith and trust so deep that I take the leap. I can’t do it on my own – I need you.
and then I remembered . . . the Good News May 10, 2009
that I have to keep writing in this little space . . . for it centers me back on my Greatest Love – my Lord . . . even in the middle of the day.
Today we were reminded at church by Caren that there is a difference between Good Advice and Good News. Good Advice doesn’t take affect until it is put into action and therefore is only good as our intentions are . . . and well you know how good intentions can be when we really have to do them. Good News however has been done – it is news – a report out of what has been accomplished and what God has done for us is a miracle. He has clothed us in righteousness and made us presentable to Himself. His Power – His Sacrifice – His Love has SET US FREE. This is undeniably Good News. It makes me what to shout out the Good News of Jesus – His Power and Love have set us free . . .
oh yes . . . I feel a song welling up inside of me.
Set my heart Free March 20, 2009
Psalm 119:32
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.
Valley of Dry Bones November 13, 2008
Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ “
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.
11 Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ “
making You my First October 28, 2008
It seems like I am oh too much like Paul when he says in Romans 7:15-16
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. “And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.” and 7:19 “For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
How do I create the spiritual habit of making God first? For it is my desire to put Him first and yet I write this post instead of spending time with Him. Ugghh
Okay – so I stopped writing the post two hours ago and spent some time with God – reading – listening. He welcomes me back every time. So that’s part of it – making the choice – not letting other things get in the way. It is a spiritual battle and it demands my choice to say “Yes God, You are First.” God doesn’t want me to do the things that get in my way of spending time with Him. He wants me to get rid of them. As it says in Matthew 18:7-9
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
So for me the second step is to write a list and cut out the things that rob my time with God. I have to get rid of them even if I love them. I have to make some hard choices.
the ocean swirls and the wind blows October 23, 2008
Oh Lord – the ocean swirls around me – the wind blows hard against my body – the pressures crush me – the world is in disarray – and You are the same – FOREVER. Lord – would you lift me from the waters and shelter me from the wind and lift the weight from above? Take it all Lord – for I am incapable. Amen
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Psalm 81:6-7He says, “I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
Your Love Never Fails October 19, 2008
And THIS I MUST remember.
Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never failsI know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never failsChorus:
You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morningAnd when the oceans rage
I don’t have to be afraid
Beause I know that You love me
Your love never failsVerse 2:
The wind is strong and the water’s deep
But I’m not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never failsThe chasm is far too wide
I never thought I’d reach the other side
But Your love never failsBridge:
You make all things work together for my good
Your love never fails written by: Chris Quilala
