30 June 2012

Life lessons from glowsticks


Glowsticks......

I was crew leading at VBS the other night, and as glow sticks were handed out someone said something so insanely profound.

He bent to hand the little girl her glow stick, and he told the kids clustered around.
"You have to break them to before they can be light."
They nodded, knowing that, bending them in all directions to get them to work
..and I stood there a little frozen as those words washed over me.

All the last couple of days these thoughts are echoing around my head

The more broken they are.... the more light they give.

The more light they give the more beautiful and useful they are.

What about us?

Love:)
R

25 June 2012

Identity

Who am I?
Who are You?
Just when I think I know,
I realize I don't.

 Maybe it's supposed to be like that.


Love:)
R

Psalm 23

God is my Shepherd
And I am His little lamb

He feeds me
He guides me
He looks after me
I have everything I need

Inside, my heart is very quiet
As quiet as lying still in soft green grass
In a medow
By a little stream

Even when I walk through the dark, scary, lonely places
I won't be afraid
Beacuse my Shepherd knows where I am

He is here with me
He keeps me safe
He rescues me

He makes me strong
And brave

He is getting wonderful things ready for me
Especially for me
Everything I ever dreamed of!

He fills my heart so full of happieness
I can't hold it all inside

Wherever I go I know
God's Never Stopping
Never Giving Up
Unbreakable
Always and Forver
Love
Will go, too!


(From the Jesus Storybook Bible.)

19 June 2012

Awake and Alive- Skillet

I'm at war with the world and they
Try to pull me into the dark
I struggle to find my faith
As I'm slippin' from your arms

It's getting harder to stay awake
And my strength is fading fast
You breathe into me at last

I'm awake I'm alive
Now I know what I believe inside
Now it's my time
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life
here (right here), right now (right now)
I'll stand my ground and never back down
I know what I believe inside
I'm awake and I'm alive

I'm at war with the world cause I
Ain't never gonna sell my soul
I've already made up my mind
No matter what I can't be bought or sold

When my faith is getting weak
And I feel like giving in
You breathe into me again

I'm awake I'm alive
Now I know what I believe inside
Now it's my time
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life
here (right here), right now (right now)
I'll stand my ground and never back down
I know what I believe inside
I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up

In the dark
I can feel you in my sleep
In your arms I feel you breathe into me
Forever hold this heart that I will give to you
Forever I will live for you
I'm awake I'm alive
Now I know what I believe inside
Now it's my time
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life
here (right here), right now (right now)
I'll stand my ground and never back down
I know what I believe inside
I'm awake and I'm alive

Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up
Waking up waking up

15 June 2012

Psalm 34


I will bless the Lord at all times;
    his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
    let the humble hear and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together!
sought the Lord, and he answered me
    and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
    and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
    and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
    around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
     Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
     I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
    and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
     and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
    to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
    and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
    and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
     but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
     not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
    and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
    none of those who take refuge in him will becondemned.

11 June 2012

Sing it out- Switchfoot



I'm on the run
I'm on the ropes this time
Where is my song?
I've lost the song of my soul tonight

Sing it out
Sing it out
Take what is left of me
Make it a melody
Sing it out
Sing out loud
I can't find the words to sing
You'd be my remedy

My song
My song
I'll sing with what's left of me

Where is the sun?
Feel like a ghost this time
Where have you gone?
I need your breath in my lungs tonight

Sing it out
Sing it out
Take what is left of me
Make it a melody

Sing it out
Sing out loud
I can't find the words to sing
You'd be my remedy

My song
My song
I'll sing with what's left of me

I'm holding on
I'm holding on to you
My world is wrong
My world is a lie that's come true

And I fall in love
With the ones that run me through
When all along all I need is you
Sing it out
Sing it out
Take what is left of me
Make it a melody

Sing it out
Sing out loud
I can't find the words to sing
You'd be my remedy

My song
My song
My song
I'll sing with what's left of me

10 June 2012

for when you are drowning in the emptiness

One thing I have discovered over time is that I am not always filled.

Sometimes I am empty.
I remember writing during one such time
David asked You where he could go from Your spirit.
I'd like to know where to find it. 
The emptiness begins to ache.
You start to echo around in it.

You start to lose hope.

It isn't what I want.

But,
at times when I am put into a situation where I don't know what I'm supposed to say,
He speaks.

I certainly don't.
He comes,
fills me,
consumes.

Always.
Maybe later then we'd like,
but always.

Also, though,
you are never alone,
never truely empty.
He's always walking beside you.
Sometimes the fog is just to thick to tell.
Seek Him
Seek His face.
Be in good standing before Him.

He always fills when it will further His name.
When we are drowning.

 But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will result in your being witnesses to them.  But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
(Luke 21:12-14)

A promise for us.
When we need words,
He will give them.

Do not worry about what you will say.

Be in good standing before God.

Do not worry after that,
whether you are filled,
empty,
in between.

He will speak for you,
and through you,

Because you are His.

Love:)

R

07 June 2012

Him in the broken

I wonder....
that if you cannot see God in the ugly,
you maybe are not truly seeing Him?
I think He shows all the more in beauty,
when you see Him in the broken.

Because in the end....
it's all grace.

All beauty.

All for His glory,
His fame.

Not that I see it in everything.
I'm still wondering
where He is in
some of
this pain.

Where He was
in all of that.

Where He is now.

But I am learning to look for his hand
in the ugly.
In the broken.

It takes work,
practice,
faith.

Nevertheless, He is there.

in the ugly-beautiful.
The broken-healing.

Even in the darkest of times.

Only one time has He ever turned His face away,
and that was 2,000 years ago.

I don't think it will ever happen again.

Even there,
His grand plan was being orchestrated.

Even there.

Even here.

Even now.

Always.


Love:)

R