Monday, December 29, 2014

I AM steady

This isn't exactly how I wanted to start.
The race for perfection;
the pressure of perfection;
the pain of perfection.
It crushes.
No one's standard for me but my own.
I put this weight on myself.
My perceptions allowed the weight --however wrong those perceptions.
I live in one of two extremes:
Perfection, or not trying at all.
So naturally, I only live in the one extreme --not trying at all.
You fall, because you've forgotten.
You've forgotten, because you've been distant.
I've been down this road before.
Further down it.
The off-road walk back isn't far off at this point.
I've already gone ahead of you --trail is blazed. 
Come home.
The robe is washed and ready to put on your back.
Its weight doesn't crush, it fits --perfectly on your shoulders.
The crown is polished and shining.
It doesn't fit anyone's head but yours.
Come home.
Actually --you are home. Already.
Come back into the palace.
Stop wandering around the courtyard in circles.
You have access to the inner courts.
Come past the curtain you've so carefully rehung.
I need you.
I need you.
I need you.
I need you.
No matter how many times You say those words,
my whole self can't find a way to connect them to belief.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
I love you.
No matter how many times You say those words,
my whole self can't find a way to connect them to belief.
Yet, I hear them.
There is nothing wrong with these ears of mine.
They hear everything.
Every word.
Every encouragement.
Every correction in love.
Lackluster feeling does not indicate stagnation.
Uneventful does not indicate wrong.
What makes you think I don't have you right where I want you?
What makes you perceive defeat?
This transition from just being to also doing, does not feel good.
This transition from doing sourced from law to doing sourced from being feels like failure.
It's not.
It's simply transition.
It's simply progression.
It's connecting and unifying the whole.
I see no defeat.
Steady heart keep going.
Your foundation is solid gold.
Nothing shaken there is damaged. 
It's time to build the rest of the house.
Steady heart keep going.
The pounding of the hammers;
The dust in the air;
These are just the rest of the house being put into place.
Steady heart keep going.
Rest on the Foundation.
It was so carefully and intentionally and solidly built.
Steady heart keep going. 

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

He is with us.

This is perhaps my favorite Christmas song.  
All I hear in every lyric, is how He is with us.  
SO powerful.
Give it a listen or two. 
I included some lyrics (with a few additions) below.
It's worth your time.



Lauren Daigle
Light of the World





The world waits for a Miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of Hope [the heart longs for Him]
O come, O come, Emmanuel [o come, o come, be with us]
A child prays for Peace on earth
And she's calling out from a sea of hurt
O come, O come, Emmanuel [o come, o come, be with us]
And can you hear the angels singing

Glory to the Light of the world
Glory the Light of the world is here [in us]

The drought breaks with the tears of a mother
A baby's cry is the sound of Love
Come down, come down Emmanuel [come down, come down and be with us]
He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah
The Prince of Peace has come
He has come, Emmanuel [He has come, to be with us]

Glory to the Light of the world
Glory to the Light of the world
Glory to the Light of the world
Glory to the Light of the world

[For ALL]

For ALL who wait
For ALL who hunger [and ALL hunger]
For ALL who've prayed
For ALL who wander
Behold. Your. King.
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel [God with us.  In us.]

Glory to the Light of the world
Glory to the Light of the world
Glory to the Light of the world

Behold. Your. King.
Behold Messiah
Emmanuel, Emmanuel [God is with us.  God is with us.]

The world waits for a Miracle
The heart longs for a little bit of Hope
O come, O come, Emmanuel [He's come. He's come. He's with us]

Friday, November 28, 2014

This Wilderness


And now
I will allure her
Lead her off into this desert place
Speak softly toward her
She will respond as in the day
When she was fresh out of bondage
The chains they fell
Freed her hands 
With Me she came
And said...

I will meet You in this wilderness
See You through all of my pain and my distress
The confusion and hunger
I won't be crushed under
For You my rock supply me with a life giving water
And I will meet You in this wilderness

And now
She'll call Me husband
She will no longer be called slave
I will betroth her
To Me forever and always
In deepest love and compassion
See through her flesh 
And past her stains
Call forth this daughter
And she'll say...

I will meet You in this wilderness
See You through all of my trials and all my tests
All the doubts and the fear
Will not cover the real
For You oh Lord my manna 
Spread and cover this field
And I will meet You in this wilderness 

And now
You've called me higher
Shown me glimpses of promised lands to come
Flowing with milk and honey
I won't believe the reports that say there's none
Just one foot forward
The water's gone 
Ground is dry
And I'll walk on
And say...

I have met You in the wilderness 
Saw You in and through every single step
In wanting and plenty
In all seen and unseen
My heart it trusts Your heart
You've put Yourself right into me
And it is time to leave this wilderness


Thursday, November 13, 2014

until it was completed.

(This is literally just scripture folks.  A few add-ins here or there.  Not each chapter in it's entirety. Just the parts that stood out to me.  Choppy excerpts and highlights of a powerful story.)  


Numbers 13-14; Deuteronomy 1,3, & 31; Joshua 1-8


Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the people of Israel.
We went to the land to which you sent us.
And, oh!
It does flow with milk and honey!
Just look at this fruit!
The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce.
Their cities are huge and well fortified.
Worse yet, we saw the descendants of the giant Anak.

Caleb interrupted,
called for silence before Moses and said,
"Let's go up and take the land-now, 
we can do it!"

But the others said,
"We can't attack those people.
They're way stronger than we are.
--it's a land that swallows people whole.
Everybody we saw was huge.

Joshua and Caleb ripped their clothes and addressed and assembled the people of Israel.
"The land we walked through and scouted out is a very good land
--very good indeed.
He will lead us into that land,
a land that flows,
as they say,
with milk and honey.
And He'll give it to us.
Just don't be afraid of those people.
Why, we'll have them for lunch!
They have no protection and God is on our side.
Don't be afraid of them."

God said to Moses:
"How long will they refuse to trust me?"

Joshua will go in.
Build up his courage.
He's the one who will claim the inheritance for Israel.
Give him courage.
Give him strenth.
Single-handed he will lead this people across the river.

Joshua:
Don't be afraid of them.
God, your God,
He's fighting for you.
Be strong.
Take courage.
And I'll be right there with you.

Get ready to cross the Jordan River.
Into the land I am about to give to THEM.
[Yes, Joshua, this is for you.
And yes, Joshua, this is not just for you; It is for them]. 
I will give you [you singular and you plural]
every place where you SET. YOUR. FOOT.
[You must set your foot; You must claim it].
Your territory will extend.
No one will be able to stand against you.

Get going.
Cross this Jordan River.
You and all the people.
Cross to the country I'm giving to the people of Israel.
I'm giving you every square inch of land you SET. YOUR. FOOT. ON.
It's ALL yours [yours singular and yours plural].
You are going to lead these people to inherit the land that I promised to give to their ancestors.
Give it EVERYthing you have [all in].
Heart and soul [all in].
[This is not just for you.  It is for all my people].
[If you claim this land, they too will claim it].

But you, tough soldiers, all must cross the river in battle formation.
Leading your brothers.
Helping them until God,
your God,
gives your brothers a place of rest.
Just as He has done for you.
[Milk. Honey. Rest.  These await you].

He arrived at the Jordan and camped before crossing over.
When you see the covenant-chest of God,
your God,
--start moving.
--follow it.
[Follow Him].
And you'll see clearly the route to take.
You've never been on this road before.

This is how you will know that God is alive among you
--He will completely dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hittites, etc.
When the soles of the feet,
of the priests carrying the chest of God,
touch the Jordan's water,
the flow of water will be stopped,
the water coming from upstream will pile up in a heap.

And that's what happened.
The people left their tents to cross the Jordan.
Carrying the chest of the covenant.
And people crossed,
facing Jericho.
Finally the whole nation was across the Jordan,
and not one wet foot.

When the WHOLE nation was finally across, God spoke to Joshua.
From right here,
the middle of the Jordan,
where the feet of the priests are standing firm,
take 12 stones.
Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.
Each of you heft a stone to your shoulder.
So you'll have something later to mark the occasion.
When your children ask you,
"What are these stones to you?"
You'll say,
the flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the chest of the covenant of God as it crossed the Jordan
--stopped in its tracks.
These stones are a permanent memorial for the people of Israel.
All told,
about forty thousand armed soldiers crossed over before God to the plains of Jericho,
ready for battle.
Yes, God, your God,
dried up the Jordan's waters for you until you had crossed.

When all the kings heard how God had stopped the Jordan River
before the people of Israel until they had crossed over,
their hearts sank;
the courage drained out of them,
just thinking about the people of Israel.

At that time, God said to Joshua,
circumcise the people of Israel a second time.

A land flowing with milk and honey.
Right away,
the day after Passover,
they started eating the produce of that country.
As soon as they started eating food grown in the land,
there was no more manna for the people of Israel.

And then this,
while Joshua was near Jericho,
he looked up and saw right in front of him,
a man standing,
holding his drawn sword.
Joshua stepped up to him and said,
"Whose side are you on--
ours or our enemies?"
He said,
"Neither. 
I'm commander of God's army.
I've just arrived."
Joshua fell,
face to the ground,
and worshipped.
He asked,
"What orders does my Master have for His servant?"
God's army commander ordered Joshua,
"Take your sandals off your feet.
The place you are standing is holy."
Joshua did it.

Jericho was shut up tight as a drum,
because of the people of Israel;
no one going in,
no one coming out.
God spoke to Joshua.
I've already given Jericho to you.

And then,
a long blast on the ram's horn--
when you hear that,
all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs.
The city wall will collapse at once.
All the people are to enter,
every man straight on in.
Shout!--God has given you this city!

As for you,
watch over yourselves in the city under holy curse.
Be careful that you don't covet anything in it and take something that's cursed,
encouraging the camp of Israel with the curse and making trouble for everyone.
All silver and gold,
all vessels of bronze and iron,
are holy to God.
Put them in God's treasury.

When the people heard the blast of the trumpets,
they gave a thunder clap shout.
The wall fell at once.
The people rushed straight into the city and took it.

Joshua said,
"Oh, oh, oh... Master, God.
Why did you insist on brining this people across the Jordan?
To make us victims of the Amorites?
To wipe us out?"
God said to Joshua,
"Get up.
I can't continue with you if you don't rid yourselves of the cursed things."

God said to Joshua,
"Don't be timid and don't so much as hesitate.
I have turned the king over to you."

Joshua didn't lower his outstretched javelin until the sacred destruction of Ai,
and all it's people,
was completed.




Sunday, November 2, 2014

I AM full of Him and ice-cream.

I asked the Lord to show me my heart.

So He took my hand and began to lead me down the hallway of the house of my heart.

And as we are walking, I notice that all of the rooms are empty.
And I immediately start feeling...ashamed?  Guilty?  Disappointed?
Why were all the rooms empty?
Why is there nothing in here?
What had I done wrong?


And the Lord keeps leading me.
With a spring in His step.
Excitement.
He loudly and excitedly says, "Look at ALL this SPACE! I've got SO much room!"
He keeps saying this as we pass empty room after empty room.
We enter a room and before He flips the light switch, I expect to find something in this room.
Nope.
Nothing.
Empty.
And He says again, "Look at ALL this SPACE! I've got SO much space!"
"Look how BIG this space is!"
I continue following.
Trying to understand.
Trying to see what He's seeing.

And all along, I feel as though there has got to be a room somewhere with something in it.
Wondering, when we get to the far back depths of the house, what we'd find there.
He had just recently shown me someone else's heart.
The most amazing room in them was way in the back.
I knew something was far back in mine.

The Lord spoke to my spirit.
There was a room.
Did I want to see it?
I did.
But I was held back.
Almost not wanting to look.
I knew it was good.
But would I trust what I would see?
I didn't look that day.
That day, I just trusted the Lord's excitement about my abundance of empty space.
Not understanding it.
But knowing that it must be good.

The next day He took me into the house of my heart again.
He took me through the empty rooms like the day before.
And I longed to see the room in the back.
We were further back than the day before; the Lord still flipping light switches and revealing empty rooms.
And my eye caught the end of the hall.

A single door at the very end.
A solid gold door.

The Lord noticed my distraction from the empty rooms.
He shifted.
He was still excited. But.. it was a more gentle, restful, savory, inwardly full and satisfied kind of excitement.
"That room is SO valuable," He said softly.
"That's my inner sanctuary."
"Do you want to go inside?" He asked.
 I wanted to, but I was overwhelmed.
The. Door. Was. GOLD.
GOLD.
Solid. Gold.
HUGE.
HEAVY.
Nothing was going to get through that door.
Nothing was going to destroy that space with this door.
That space was safe.

"Do you want to go inside?" He asked.
"Yes," I said.
I grabbed the doorknob.
It was gold too.
The door opened and the lights were off.
Another moment of doubt came upon me.
Would I trust what I saw?
I almost turned around.

He flipped the light switch.
And I saw a trampoline.
I chuckled to myself.
There would be a trampoline in this room.
I began to look around some more.
And there was candy EVERYwhere.
It basically looked like a carnival.
And I immediately said, "is there an ice-cream stand?"
(I love me some ice-cream).
And then His exuberant excitement like before rose up in Him again.
"YES!"  "It's over here!"
And He took me over to the stand, "There is EVERY flavor.  EVERY flavor."
And then He noted, "EVEN those flavors you knew should exist but never have before.  SEE-- Dark Chocolate Oreo!" "It's all here!  EVERY flavor!"

Not long after this, He grabbed the ice-cream stand and started running out the back room and down the hall.  Shouting to me, "Let's go handout ice-cream!"
I was a bit hesitant.
This room was nice.
Safe.
Secure.
Full of ice-cream.
I didn't really want to leave.

But I followed.
And the Lord went the whole way out to the door of my heart, at the front of my chest.
And He swung the door opened and screamed, "FREE ICE-CREAM!"
People began to come to get icecream.
And they came right into my heart and sat in the empty rooms (at tables that weren't previously there) and started eating.
And everyone was satisfied.
Everyone had a different flavor.
And I asked the Lord, "What if we run out?"
"Oh NO --we won't run out!" He said, "There is PLENTY more in the back!"



I think I was empty for two reasons:
1.  So that He could be the only thing in those rooms.  Lots of space for Him alone.
2.  So that I could bring others into those rooms with He and I.  And bring them in with my "ice-cream."

I am full of Him and ice-cream.








 




Sunday, October 12, 2014

He is our prize

HE is our prize.

Yes, the Bible is very important. 
SO important. 
SO good. 
The greatest book ever written. 

I think we again ought to be aware and reminded of its purpose: 
to show us Jesus. 
Draw us closer to Him. 
To know Him. 
To remind us who we are.
To bring us into relationship with Him.
To ultimately grow the family of The Lord.

Let us be careful not to worship this book. 
Let us be careful not to worship the Bible.
It is a tool. 
God-inspired.
A way for us to know Him.
And there are other ways we can know Him too.
We get to know Him through people.
Through other books.
Through just being with Him and talking with Him.
Through songs.
And please hear me...I take the Bible very seriously. 
I scour it's pages and am hungry to read it. 
Other books are great but this book is like no other.
I take life's situations and thoughts and ideas and run back to scripture. 
And yet-- I don't think it's about the book. 
I don't think all this is about the Bible.
We don't worship the book.
We don't worship the Bible.
We worship the One whom the book reveals-- Jesus. 
When we read, may we search for Him. 
May we read to find Him.
And may we find Him. 
And may we become like Him. 
Every page; 
Every story;
Every literal part, every symbol;
EVERYthing is there to show us the Son.  

As the pastor was saying-- it is good to have the scriptures in us. Let me present that from a different angle. May we have spent such valuable time in the scriptures getting to know Jesus, that He is so apart of who we are, SO in us. The goal is not scripture in you. The goal is Jesus in you. And the scriptures contain Him. 

The world is hungry for Him. And when we spend time with Him, and when we become like Him --the world then gets to taste and see that He is good. They will taste and see the Jesus in us. The Father in us.
And Jesus, Father-- is SO good.

Yes, please read the Bible.
Look for Jesus there.
He is our prize.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

I AM raised with Christ


Colossians 2:20-3:4

"Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to it's rules...These rules...are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations have an appearance of wisdom...but they lack any value in restraining...Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is."

The season of law is over. Christ has come. "Why, as though you still belong to the world, do you submit to it's rules?" You can't be in the presence of The Lord unless you have clean hands? No. That's before Christ. We no longer live there. We died with Christ and have been raised with Christ. Freely "set your hearts on things above, where Christ is." Come be with Him. Clean hands or not. The veil is torn. Come on in. Shift into His presence. 

Later--you'll find yourself cleaning your hands with Him.  


Thursday, August 21, 2014

I AM a king


[Hear these words from the perspective of the Father.
See us as the king.   
And see Him awakened by us, His love.
See us fighting.  See us fighting for victory.
See Him running to see us standing in victory.
See us --seeing ourselves as kings, doing anything for our kingdom.
Our Father's kingdom is our kingdom.
Taking Him higher.
Opening the sky to reveal Him.
We are kings.]

_________________________________________

BETHANY DILLON "DREAMER"

love woke Me up this morning...

imagine a beautiful castle 
and a beautiful king
he left the comfort of his throne
to fight for victory

love woke Me up this morning
and I ran to see
the king in the winner's circle
on the horse he won for Me

only a king
would do anything
for his kingdom
only a king
would do anything
for his kingdom
only a king
would do anything
for his kingdom

take. Me. higher.
open the sky up 
start a fire


_________________________________________


We have got to start seeing ourselves as kings.
"Only a king 
would do anything 
for his kingdom."




Somehow that took me here...
MATTHEW 16:13-20

"But what about you?" he asked.  "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 

I like verses 18  & 19 in the Message version,

"And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock..."
"You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is a yes in heaven.  A no on earth is a no in heaven."



We are rocks.  Peters.
On His rocks, He will build His church.  
We are kings.
We are given the keys. 
The keys to the kingdom.  
Keys denote power and authority.
Keys have power to open.
Keys have power to shut.
Keys can cause the heavens to withhold rain;
Keys can obstruct the entrance into the kingdom.
With keys;
We can open the heavens.
With keys;
We can unlock the kingdom --for ourselves and others.
With keys;
We can reveal the Father.
With keys;
We. Are. Powerful.
With keys;
We are kings in the kingdom.


We have got to start seeing ourselves as kings.
"Only a king 
would do anything 
for his kingdom."

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

I AM an Investment

MATTHEW 25:14-30
God's Kingdom:  "It's also like a man going off on an extended trip.  He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities.  To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities.  Then he left.  Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment.  The second did the same.  But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money.

"After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them.  The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment.  His master commended him: 'Good work!  You did your job well.  From now on be my partner.'

"The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment.  His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well.  From now on be my partner.'

"The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error.  I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money.  Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.'

"The master was furious.  'That's a terrible way to live!  It's criminal to live cautiously like that!  If you knew I was after the best,  why did you do less than the least?  The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have goten a little interest.

" 'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most.  And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb Throw him out into utter darkness.' "



This isn't about my money.
It's about what He has put in me. 
Given to me.
I'm often given the one thousand.
And I cautiously hide it away; afraid to misuse it and lose it.
" 'That's a terrible way to live!' "
He only gave me one thousand, because I don't know how to handle two or five yet.
But that fact is: He gave me one thousand.
He gave me one thousand, because He trusts me.
He gave, "depending on their abilities."
I have it in me.
It's there.
Don't let me take my one thousand and hide.
When I hide it, I'm not just hiding it from Him --I'm hiding it from you.
This is an investment. 
I am an investment.
You should at least be partaking in my interest.
You should be "after the best."
Don't let me take my one thousand and hide.
Don't take your one thousand and hide.
Don't take your two thousand and hide.
Don't take your five thousand and hide.
That is meant to be doubled and experienced among us all.
That is not just for you.
That is not just for me.
May it be said among each other and by the Father:
"You did your job well. From now on be My partner."

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

I AM Strong and Courageous

Moses is dead. 
Joshua will lead from here. 
Get ready, we're crossing the Jordan.

I am strong and courageous. 
He is always on my lips.
I meditate on Him day and night.

I am strong and very courageous.
I am not afraid.
I am not discouraged.
For my Father is with me wherever I go.

I am strong and courageous.
Brave. 
Fear does not lead me.
My identity in the Father does.

I am strong and courageous. 
I am more aware of Him than I am of any fears. 
I fix my eyes on Him. 
And I don't look away, 
not even for a second.

I am strong and courageous.
I am headed for the Promised Land.
A place for me. 
A place of rest.
A place of freedom.

I am strong and courageous.
I enter the land.
I take the land.
I possess the land.
The land the Father has given me.

I am strong and courageous.
With Him.
In Him.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

I AM His

Hey there Mariah Carey.
I almost forgot about you...








_____________________________________________

[individually and collectively]
We have always been His...
We will always be His...



We were as one babe
For a moment in time
And it seemed everlasting
That you would always be Mine
Now you wanna be free
So I'll let you fly
'Cause I know in My heart babe
Our love will never die


You'll always be a part of Me
I'm part of you indefinitely

Boy don't you know you can't escape Me
Ooh darling 'cause you'll always be My baby
And we'll linger on
Time can't erase a feeling this strong
No way you're never gonna shake Me
Ooh darling 'cause you'll always be My baby


I ain't gonna cry no
And I won't beg you to stay

If you're determined to leave boy
I will not stand in your way
But inevitably

You'll be back again
'Cause you know in your heart babe
Our love will never end



I know that you'll be back boy
When your days and your nights get a little bit colder
I know that you'll be right back baby
Oh baby believe me it's only a matter of time

Monday, June 30, 2014

I AM...Whole




I say it every day with math students:
Frustration is not a bad thing.
Frustration is healthy.
Of course you’re having trouble understanding it, you just learned it.
Of course you’re going to make mistakes. 
Mistakes are not a bad thing.
Mistakes are healthy.
Of course the fact that you just spent 20 minutes on that problem and got the wrong answer is not a waste of time.
It is so obvious to me.
Of course.
And the one who surrenders to that process comes out stronger.  Fuller.  Whole.

And constantly, as I encourage this very thing to students –day in and day out;
Reminding them that the process of frustration and mistakes is healthy and necessary;
Constantly as I know this in math—
I forget it in every other part of life.

Frustration.  Mistakes. 
These are not designed to take us further from our vision.
They are designed to more fully, more wholly, more foundationally take us into our vision.
When they rise their head, see them for what they are: Tools.  Spring boards.  Insights into the whole.

We are a family that does not give up. 
No. Matter. What.
Let whatever may rise, rise. 
Keeping our eyes, our vision—fixed on Him. 
Full in Him.
Whole in Him.

Friday, June 13, 2014

I AM...worth it.

I can't hear this song without hearing Isaiah 55 and Hosea 2-3.


Justin Timberlake "Not a Bad Thing" 
All I want from you is to see you tomorrow,
and every tomorrow;
Maybe you'll let me borrow your heart?
And is it too much to ask for every Sunday?
And while we're at it,
throw in every other day to start?


I know people make promises all the time;
then they turn right around and break them.
And someone cuts your heart open with a knife;
while you're bleeding.
Don't you know I could be that guy,
to heal it over time;
And I won't stop until you believe it;
cause baby you're worth it-- So-o...


Don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love-- with Me.
You might look around and find your dreams come true-- with Me.
Spend all your time and your money just to find out that My Love-- was free.
So don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love-- with Me.
It's not a bad thing to fall in love-- with Me.


And EVERY MORN-ING,
I just wanna see you staring back at Me.
Cause I know that's a good place to start.


And if you fall,
you'll always land,
right in these arms.
These arms of Mine.


_________________________________

Isaiah 55: 1-3
Come,
all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money;
come,
buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen,
listen to me,
and eat what is good,
and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
listen,
that you may live."
_________________________________
Hosea 2-3
Then she'll say,
'I'm going back to my husband,
the one I started out with.
That was a better life by far than this one.'
She didn't know that it was I all along who wined and dined and adorned her.”

'And now,
here's what I'm going to do:
I'm going to start all over again.
I'm taking her back out into the wilderness where we had our first date,
and I'll court her.
I'll give her bouquets of roses.
I'll turn Heartbreak Valley into Acres of Hope.
She'll respond like she did as a young girl,
those days when she was fresh out of Egypt.' ”

'And then I'll marry you for good-- forever!
I'll marry you true and proper,
in love and tenderness.
Yes,
I'll marry you and neither leave you nor let you go.
You'll know me,
God,
for who I really am.' ”

They'll come back chastened to reverence before God and his good gifts,
ready for the End of the story of his love.”
_________________________________

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

I AM trusted.

Father has been talking to me lately:
"I trust YOU."
"It's not about making a 'wrong' decision here."
"What do YOU want to do?"
"What do YOU want?"

We are scared to be given authority, let alone walk in it.
The thought of failing or messing up seems much more detrimental than perhaps it is in actuality.
But He has GIVEN us authority.
He WANTS us to walk in it.
It is His JOY to have us walk in it (EVEN if we mess it up!)
That authority,
that freedom,
releases us to fully become.
It prepares us to be able to carry more.
Steward more.
More. And more.

The very thing, as a child, I asked of from the Father:
To have the power, the choice.
And now, when given that --
My initial reaction is to shrink back.
To say, "No."
To cry out for someone to guide me.
To cry out for someone to tell me what to do.

I am scared.
Freedom.
Power.
Authority.
It's scary to me.

and yet I still hear Him whisper, "I trust you."
He trusts me.
I am trusted.
When I have His heart---I go and HE follows ME!

...now I just need to figure out where to go...





Thursday, March 20, 2014

I AM...sometimes offended.

I am sometimes offended.
Offense.
Makes me feel: Ehh. Yuk.
I get frustrated when I see others respond in it.
I get frustrated when I see myself responding in it.

I think the more and more we mature, the less and less we find ourselves offended.

Instead of offense, seek true understanding.
Instead of offense, see hidden opportunity.
Instead of offense, self reflection.
Instead of offense, Jesus reflection.
Instead of offense, vulnerability.
Instead of offense, walking with each other amidst our process. 

Why are we offended? THIS IS GOOD.
Why are we offended?  THERE IS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY HERE.
Why are we offended?  WE SIMPLY HAVE DIFFERENT VISIONS.
Why are we offended?  WHAT'S THE REAL ISSUE?

I think offense is more often a ME problem than it is a YOU problem.
I am offended because I need to work through something in ME, not because of what YOU did to me.
What YOU did simply revealed what needs worked through in ME.


Let our hearts not be offended. 
On the other side of our offense, is opportunity. 

And I don't want to miss out...




Wednesday, February 26, 2014

I AM...tamed.

So...you want to know what's been stirring in me this week...well here it is... 


Relationship.
I believe in it.
It is a good thing.
Marriage.
I believe in it.
It is a good thing.

A good, healthy, fruitful relationship/marriage allows two individuals to grow each other into who they really are.

I realize we don't all have 100% awesome experiences of relationships.  Whether that be past or present personal experiences or the past or present experiences of those close to us.

And still...
My heart says YES to marriage.
It says YES knowing, that seasons (both short and sometimes so terribly long) could possibly sit around the corner waiting to pour in.
It says YES knowing, that commitment is hard-work.
It says YES knowing, that it's never only about me anymore (but was it ever only about me?)
It says YES knowing, that sometimes my heart will be broken.
It says YES knowing, I could break someone else's heart.
It says YES knowing, at any moment, out of my control, the other person could call it all off and despite all my efforts and fights and commitment, it could be over...
It says YES.

I say YES.
YES, Marriage.
I believe in it.
It is a good thing.

Relationship is always worth it.

We are not alive unto ourselves.  We are alive in unity with those around us. 

In marriage with Jesus the bridegroom or in marriage with earthly man:
We invest in each other fully only to become more fully alive --each of us.


Love is worth the risk of pain. 
My heart screams this.
My spirit believes this with everything that's in me. 


I can't describe it any better than with some quotes from one of my favorite books, "The Little Prince.":


“ONE RUNS THE RISK OF WEEPING A LITTLE, IF ONE LETS HIMSELF BE TAMED."

“Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence.”

“…but if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow.”

“What does tamed mean? It's something that's been too often neglected. It means to create ties.”

“I am beginning to understand," said the little prince. "There is a flower... I think that she has tamed me...”



I'm sorry but isn't that crazy beautiful?  Does this make anyone else just burst into tears? 
AMAZING. 
I want to tame. 
I want to be tamed. 
I don't want to stay in my burrow hiding from potential pain. 

It is SO worth it. 
Let our walls come down. 
May we open ourselves up, vulnerability come forth, trusting.

It is SO worth it. 
We are SO worth it.
HE is SO worth it.

I hope you hear my heart in this...

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Math Video

Before I retire from my music-video / math-rapping career, I have decided to produce one last video.
Please review the brief math notes below so that you may easily follow the concept that is being covered in this video.


Brief Math Notes

When multiplying and dividing numbers, the sign of your answer is:
1.  POSITIVE (if the signs of your numbers were the SAME)
2.  NEGATIVE (if the signs of your numbers were DIFFERENT)

Signs don't matter in these cases:
1. Zero multiplied by any number is ZERO.
2. Zero divided by any number is ZERO.
3. Any number divided by zero is UNDEFINED. ("Divided by zero" means the zero is on the right or bottom.)



And now, for your viewing pleasure and your mathematically educational experience, I present to you:

Wild Ones (Multiply-n-Divide Remix)