Peace

It's raining outside right now. The kind that pitter patters on the roof. The kind that makes you want to curl up under a blanket with a good book until you get so tired you can't keep your eyes open... and you must fall asleep.

After eating lunch, I decided to curl up with a good book.. the book of Psalms from the Bible. And find some peace. Some perspective. Some prayers from my heart. Some hope from my God.

But you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and He answers me from His holy hill.


Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.


When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? 


You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted, you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.


And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

And my favorite... O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

I find great comfort in the Psalms. They remind me how close God is to me. If I will draw near to Him, He will draw near to me. He's close enough to know every single thing about me. And to still love me. Wow. This knowledge in my head and ultimately me heart... brings me peace.

I love you God my Father.

Here is a little boy and his father playing around. I hope that Ethan sees a reflection of the Psalms' declarations in the love that his Daddy has for him.

Easter Sunday at JPJ

There is a picture of me as a little girl going to a church event where a person was dressed up as an Easter Bunny. I was put in this person's lap, took one look at the "bunny" and burst into tears. A lovely picture was taken to capture this moment.

Is this what Easter is all about? Bunnies? A celebration of springtime?

I also remember becoming a Christian. I understood that Jesus was God. He lived a perfect life and taught about His Father- saying that those who know Jesus know His Father. God the Father asked Jesus to take on all the sin of the world and be the propitiation for our sins. Make the payment for sin that we could never pay. For you see, the wages of sin is death. Jesus asked His Father to take this cup from Him because Jesus knew how big of a price this was to pay. Jesus knew the plan. God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believe in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life. That Jesus is the way, the truth, and life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus knew that without paying the penalty for our sin, there would be no way and no eternal life for us. So, He died. He paid what we could never pay. He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way, but God has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. So, how are we to know that this death paid for our sin? Easy. Jesus triumphed over it. He rose again. Therefore as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. Jesus' resurrection is a sign of what happens in our heart when we believe in Him. A sign that He really can overcome death and therefore overcome sin. We are made new. Made as if we never sinned. We are as close to God and His faithfulness, gentleness, and love as Jesus is. That because we know Jesus, we know His Father. Christ Jesus is the one who died- more than that, who was raised- who is at the right hand of God who is indeed interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus became my Lord the day I became a Christian.

That is what Easter is a celebration of. Spring is just a hint of that. Once you have the Holy Spirit, you see the gospel in everything. God is continually pointing to himself. In our hearts, in creation, in our circumstances. He wants us to know Him. Spring is a time of renewal. Of coming out of winter and coldness into life and new things. Just like coming to know Jesus. 

So, decide this Easter. Will you celebrate the bunnies and eggs only or will you celebrate with the angels in heaven? Will you decide for yourself if Jesus could be what He said He was? 

My church is hosting an Easter service at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA. Come and hear about Jesus. See His people and His church. Look into what Jesus is about. Look into His heart. For yourself. It will be the biggest decision you have ever made. 

I will be there. I hope to see you too. 

http://www.porticoeaster.com/

    

My Confession

I confess to you I have never had an abortion. But I'm sure I know someone who has. They are so common nowadays... I'm sure that at least one woman I know has had one.

Yesterday was the 39th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade...bringing abortion back into the spotlight...bringing it back into my spotlight.

I can remember when I first got pregnant. When I found out that there was a little baby inside of me. I was overjoyed. There was no sense of dread. The fatigue and nausea seemed worth it, but it didn't seem real. Not until we had our first ultrasound. Something about seeing Ethan kicking around inside  my belly made us feel like parents for the first time. He had arms, legs, and a little mouth. We saw him and knew he was really in there. That day changed everything for us.

When Ethan was born, he used to put his arms up when he was sleeping... as if to say, "Touchdown!". I looked back at his sonogram pictures and sure enough, I found a familiar one of him doing his "Touchdown" routine inside my belly. He really had a personality in there.

My heart goes out to women who have had an abortion. Thinking that the only way out is to get rid of their child. I know my child has caused me so much happiness and delight. I can't imagine my life without him. I pray that women considering abortion would be brave and have their baby. That they would stand up to whatever is looming over them and take a chance that their child can bring happiness and delight into their lives, no matter the circumstance.

Psalm 127:3-5

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
         So are the children of one’s youth.

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
         They will not be ashamed
         When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Thankful

Today is playgroup day. In a couple of hours, I will put some cookies in the oven and break out the toddler mum mums. A small group of women and their toddlers will show up at our house and we will play the afternoon away. At least the kids will. The moms will undoubtedly catch up on what happened over the holidays and mull over the latest milestones and worries that go along with them.

Tonight, Jason and I will eat the leftover Chicken Curry I made last night. We will play with Ethan and possibly watch the Netflix movie that has been sitting on our console table for about a month.

Right after this, I will send out the prayer requests from community group last night. I will pray for the women in our group. I will reflect on God's goodness to us and ask for His continued provision in our lives.

I love the tempo of my life in this season. There are times it is stressful- like flying with a wee little child or trying to clean a bathroom with Ethan at my heels- but for the most part, things are good. I am so thankful.

Passion 2012

Our Community Group is awesome. There is a girl in our group who is in college and wanted to attend Passion. It happens once a year and it's basically a Christian conference with amazing worship leaders and speakers. It's like Woodstock for Christians. It's geared toward college students.. claiming Isaiah 26: 8 "Yes Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for You, for Your Name and Your Renown are the desire of our souls."

She wanted to go, but couldn't afford it. So, our group collected money and surprised her with $300 + to attend the conference. It was in Atlanta and she was traveling there with some friends.

I talked with her this Sunday about it and she of course said it was amazing. She said that God did a lot of things there not only in her heart but in other's hearts. One of the workers at the Georgia Dome (where the conference was held) became a Christian... just from hearing what was happening there. Awesome.

Another thing was this song. She said this song did it for her. She was so in awe of Our God and how big He is. That He is all over the world working... and we are in one place having our one experience, but He is vastly bigger than our one experience. Check out the song for yourself.



The words are.... How great is our God. Sing with me how great is our God. And all will see how great how great is our God. The name above all names. Worthy of all praise. And my heart will sing how great is our God.

I was thinking about what she said. And I see it too. Some of our greatest friendships have been with Christians from other parts of the world. God is the same wherever He is. And worthy to praised in all the nations.

Amen!

Real Faith

Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Who names their kids such things? Crazy. Imagine being the teacher who stumbles over those names calling them out on the first day of school. Ridiculous.

These are the names of some of the men involved in my next favorite passage from The Bible. Actually Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were teenagers or "youths" at the time. (Daniel 1:3-4)

Nebachadnezzar is the king of Babylon. He thinks he is so awesome that he builds an image that he thinks is worthy of worship. The thing is huge. 90 feet tall, 9 feet wide, and made entirely of gold. I'm not quite sure what the image was shaped like exactly, but it was a hunk of gold nonetheless. (Remember, this did not work out so well for the Israelites at Mt. Sinai.)

Everyone is told to bow down and worship this image. If you don't, you get thrown into a "fiery furnace". A furnace may have been used to make bricks- heated at a couple thousand degrees. (So my Study Bible says...) Babylons liked to use it as a form of punishment, so there may have been one exclusively for executions. (Also a note in my Study Bible.)

And as you might have guessed- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse. So they are ordered into the fiery furnace. Before they are thrown in, Nebuchadnezzar taunts them and says, "And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?" (Daniel 3:15b)That little g was about to become a big G for the king, because by the end of the story he will believe that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the real and true only God of the universe- able to do whatever He wants. It takes a little fire to strike fear into the king's heart.

But that is not why I love this story. I love it for the next part. vs. 16-19. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O, Nebachadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God who we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you , O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Ok, I added some italics. Because that is the best part. They knew the God whom they served. They knew God is able to deliver them. I love the But if not part. It shows that their faith in God was set. It wouldn't move depending on what happened to them in that moment. They had faith even if God did not do what they wanted Him to do right then. To me, that is real faith. Having trust in God even when you know things may not turn out ok, Trusting that God is able to perform miracles. That He can handle all that seems so hard for us. That in the end, He will make all things right.

The rest of the story turns out well for these teenage boys. They are thrown into the furnace that is heated 7 times hotter than usual-- so 14,000 degrees. Yikes. So hot that it kills the men who throw the teenagers into the fire. But, of course, the boys are not burned. They live... and get to hang out with a mysterious 4th man who appears in the fire. Angel? Jesus? Not sure, but would love to know one day. The king hauls them out of the fire and doesn't even smell a hint of smoke on them. Amazing. But if not? He is able to deliver us from anything. And the little g turns to a big G for the king. He believes that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is the true God.

Nebachadnezzar declares, "Blessed  be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in Him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve any god except their own God. Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way." vs. 28-29.

God had a lot of work to do on the king's heart. The king was still using violent means to enforce decrees and didn't know what to do about addressing God. All he knew was that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's God is real and able to save us. An amazing jump from where he was at the beginning of the chapter.

My God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save. Love it.

Grace Amazing

Mephibosheth. Not likely to be found on any baby name lists. But in fact, it is a name of a man.

One of my favorite stories from the bible involves this man. You'll find his story in 2nd Samuel 9. There was a guy named Saul who was Israel's first king. God finds his heart wicked and takes his royal status from him. Saul has a son named Jonathon who became good friends with the man who became the next king- David.

Now David did not seek to be king. In fact, he was the furthest thing from a future king when Samuel found him. Samuel is the priest whom God sent to anoint the king that God chose- because he had a heart that longed for God. And David had this. Being a shepherd prepared him to lead God's people even when they became bitter or strayed from God. He had led sheep before.

David is put into power and Saul is killed. David should be happy right? He is, but he mourns the loss of Saul. He mourns the loss of someone who is supposed to be his enemy.  And he mourns the loss of his friend Jonathon. In chapter 9 David says.... Is there anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him kindness for Jonathon's sake?

And there is. Mephibosheth. Now, Mephibosheth was supposed to run away to another place- far away from David. What king wants a potential heir to the throne he overthrew to survive? Not many. But this king did. So much so that he brought Mephibosheth into his kingdom and gave him a place at his table- with his sons. Mephibosheth at one point says... What is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?. He understands the weight of what should happen to him. His family is an enemy of the now king. But David wants to elevate him and bring him into his household because of his father Jonathon.

And he does. David even gives Mephibosheth all the land that was Saul's and provides workers to plant and harvest crops for him and his family.

Amazing. I see the gospel so clearly here. I am associated with sin that is an enemy to God. But, Jesus has been made my co heir because He shed His blood for the forgiveness of my sins. God, seeks me out so that he can elevate my position before Him simply for the sake of Jesus. I should run away and be scared of God's judgement on me, but instead God brings me into His presence and provides more than enough for me and my heart. Amazing.

Only your blood is enough to cover my sin.

Grace. Love it.

That's My God

God is so good. Some friends of ours had a yard sale this weekend at our church.They are adopting a child from Uganda. You can visit their blog to find out more. I went to help sort some clothes on Wednesday afternoon thinking it would be easy peasy. I walked into our church and it was wall to wall stuff. Amazing. Furniture. Books. Video game systems. Clothes. Home Decor. You name it, it was there. I was blown away by the shear amount of things that were donated. A friend and I sorted through little girl clothes and it took us over an hour to get through the mound of stuff. And that was just little girl clothes.

April and Chris went from this much stuff on Monday.....

To this much stuff by Saturday.....

Incredible. They were hoping to raise $3k for their adoption. They raised $8k.

It's amazing to see God's hand on someone. To take faith so simple and blow them away. That's my God. A God who loves us with an everlasting love. That cares for each and every thing we care for. Who hears us when we pray and answers us. Who takes a little yard sale and shows off and shows my friends how much this adoption matters to Him. That's my God. I am so glad to be counted as one of His children.

Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! Psalm 117

Night Night

Ethan is so fun. Last night we were putting him to bed and Jason started to play his animals that make noise. Ethan thought it was the best thing ever....

I have started praying this verse over Ethan. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 4. People ask me if I am praying for Ethan's future wife. I respond by telling them that I am praying for his salvation first. It would give me no greater joy than to know that the little boy that I love is securely in the hands of my Savior and my God.... to know that Ethan understands the depth and breadth of love that God has for him. That it even outdoes Mom and Dad's love for him. That would make me so happy! I pray that this is true for Ethan one day. Then, I will start praying other things for him. Right now, that is the most important prayer coming from this Momma to her God for Ethan.

Tuesday Nights at our House

Tuesday nights at our house are Community Group nights. Jason and I are blessed to host a group of Christians in our house every Tuesday night. We start with some dessert and conversation, move onto prayer and discussion of the sermon that was taught on Sunday at church, then we split up guys and girls and have prayer time.

It is so fun to hear the heart of other Christians. You think you know someone, and then they reveal a piece of themselves that God is working on. It's beautiful. I love how God uses what people say in our group to teach me more about Himself. I am sharpened as Proverbs 27:17 says and my heart is encouraged. I find myself taking notes during the sermon so that I can meditate on it later and be familiar with the passage preached on before Tuesday night.

We are so blessed to have each other. I am so thankful for each and every one of them!

Favorite Song

This was my favorite song from camp this week. It is so simple but so true. Jesus, you are so good. :)

10/40 Expedition

Whew! I just finished going on an expedition for the 10/40 window. Or at least I helped lots of kids to.Our church hosted a morning camp all week for kids to learn about Jesus. I volunteered to help out with games.

The camp was really fantastic. It was all centered on the 10/40 window and sharing the gospel and praying for people in that region. The 10/40 window is 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. It is origination point for all the world's major religions. It contains the most people who don't believe in Jesus in the world. They believe in their gods, but not the one true God.

Each day was a different place and a different focus. It gave the kids some exposure to different cultures in the world. For snack, they would have rice or noodles or whatever kids in that region eat. For games they would play things that kids in that region play.Each group of kids had a "base camp" that was a scene from a different part of the world. We would pray for the kids and people in each region everyday and talk about how God loves them so much. It was a really cool way to explain Christ to the kids and teach them about prayer and sharing the gospel.

There was this character called Addison Venture that showed up each morning. He was a guy in our church who was playing a part- where he was looking for the 10/40 window. He kept having crazy things happen to him. On the last day he finally understood what all the people on his journey were trying to tell him and he "Jumped to J". He accepted Christ as his savior.

I had a lot of fun with games. Each game had a spiritual connection. We would play the game and then talk about a spiritual truth. For example, we played a game similar to duck, duck, goose. At the end, I explained that in our game we had a hole in the circle that we were trying to fill, and we have a hole in our hearts that only Jesus can fill. We were created to know God and only with Jesus in our hearts can we know the one true God. We played a game where the kids had to pretend to be a dragon today. The head had to reach the dragon's tail and pull on it. I explained that the church is like a dragon. There are all different parts- head, tail, body, legs just like there are different kinds of people with different kinds of gifts in the church- singing, cleaning, teaching, saying hi and we need all these different kinds of people to worship God together. It wouldn't work if we were all a head or all a tail. And just like we had to be strong and hold onto one another to be a dragon, we need to encourage each other in the Body of Christ. We need to be strong for people who are having a hard time and need encouragement and help.

I'm glad that I got to be a part of what God did this week. Now I need a good night's sleep! :)

The gaming area... minus all the wild kiddos.

 Ethan enjoying himself in the nursery.

True Beauty

I've been meditating a lot this week. I went to a great women's event at our church on Saturday. It gave me a lot to think about. An older woman at church held a seminar on biblical womanhood. It was her, a whiteboard, and an outline. There were about 15 women who came and we all sat in a U around the woman teaching. It was wonderful. No hype. No fluff. Just real stuff. I went in thinking most of it would be a refresher on biblical womanhood for me. How wrong I was. God has so much to teach me yet. Being a Godly woman is a lifelong task. I am just getting started.

I have been thinking and praying through the material we went through. I feel humbled. I feel loved and given so much grace. The thing that I hear God telling me is - press in. Listen for my voice. I love you and have so much to give you. Press into me. That is where you will find rest and peace and where it feels like home.

So, I am doing my best. But it is hard. I find myself sorting through my thoughts and holding them up to scripture and what I know God has taught me. I want that to be the thing I think about the most. Not comparing to my parents or my siblings or my friends. But resting in the plan that my God has for me. It's unique and beautiful. Press in.

One of the passages I have read this week in meditating is 1st Peter 3.

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word,they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,  when they see your respectful and pure conduct.  Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear--  but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 


Do you hear it? My value and my worth come from hiding my heart in Jesus. Not in what I look like or what my husband does. I can be beautiful with buck teeth and moles and a crooked, big nose. I can be beautiful while wearing a shirt that has spit up all over it and hair that has been tied back to keep a child from pulling on it. Do you hear it? I am beautiful because of where I put my hope and my thoughts. Not in the future. Not in my circumstance, but in my beautiful Savior. 


Amen Jesus. Amen. 

G.O.S.P.E.L.

Baby Dedication Sunday

I have been struggling with a few things since having Ethan. Namely, wanting to protect him from anything that I consider harmful to him. A book I was reading suggested that you create a "Protective community" for your child. Their little hearts will absorb anything so the people and situations they interact with should all be pointing them to Jesus. I was really struggling with that. I don't want Ethan to live in a bubble that I create for him, but I want him to know God in a intimate way. How does this work?

So, I prayed. God calmed my heart and reminded me of Hannah in 1st Samuel. She wanted a child for so long and was unable to have one. Then, she gave her boy to God. She sent him to serve in the temple-- where she had been mocked and she knew there were some very unholy people and shady practices going on right  under the priest's nose. She trusted God with Samuel (her son) and knew that she was giving Samuel to her Creator and not the circumstances around Samuel. Her faith was well placed, because Samuel grew up to be the spiritual leader of Israel.

God said-Look I can do this- I can show Ethan who I am. Just be faithful and trust me. Pray that he will have discernment to see me. Pray that Ethan will know me and love me. That's the most important thing. So, I am. I am trusting God to see Ethan through. To love Ethan better than I can and to protect him when he needs it and strengthen him when he needs strengthening.

Dedication Sunday came right on the heals of this lesson. God has a sense of humor and timing. :)  God reminded me that He is the author and perfecter of our faith. It is my job and our church's job to point Ethan to Christ. But it is not my job to save Ethan- because I can't. There were lots of friends and family who came to the service. Ethan is a loved little boy!

Ethan loves Pastor Matthew as you can clearly see in this picture. He used to do somersaults in my belly when he would preach on Sundays when I was pregnant.

Ethan doesn't understand the whole praying concept yet. :)

John and Barbara (Jason's grandparents) and Tom and Lucy (Jason's dad and stepmom) came.

Love is like fire

Our little family is proving to be quite the attraction. People want to be close to us, to watch us, to enjoy our warmth-- like a fire. Just like a marriage is undoubtedly a picture of the gospel- Christ and His church, a family is a picture of the gospel.

The gospel- the good news about Jesus. He loves us-- like we love Ethan. He is so patient and tender towards us. He delights in us. I can't tell you have many moments we have spent just admiring Ethan and enjoying his little personality. He is such a delight. God loves us and is the best Father we could ever have. Jason is doing his best to be a great Dad and I am doing my best to be a great mom. To love Ethan the way God loves us.

I've heard people say they would do anything for their kids- even throw themselves in front of a moving train to save their life. I can honestly say that Jesus did that for me. He threw Himself in front of me to protect me from sin and death. He did everything for me.

Everytime I hear that song- your love is like fire, that burns for all to see. This is my desire, to worship at your feet. Let this fire consume my life. Let your love take me deeper, draw me closer to where you are. All I want is more of you. I think of our family. I pray that this is true of our family. That we would see God clearly for who He is and put Him first.

John 15:12-13
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

The Night Shuffle

I am about to hit the sack--but am tempted to stay up for another hour- because I will be getting up then to feed Ethan again. I am so thankful this season is just that... a season. We had dinner with some friends tonight who have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. How sweet was it to have them admire Ethan? They loved and loved on him. When Ethan sneezed on the 5 year old, he jumped up and yelled how disgusting it was that the baby had just sneezed all over the place. Then, he wanted to show the baby his room. :) Too cute.

Here begins the nightly shuffle. Up at 1 am, up at 4 am, up at 7am. Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. How sweet it is to know that Jesus shuffles for me. Constantly interceding on mine and the church's behalf. I am so loved by such an amazing God. I hope that this truth helps me to keep going and not succumb to feeling sorry for myself and my nightly shuffle. :)

Ethan, I hope that one day you will understand how much you are loved and cared for. Your mommy and daddy would do anything to keep you safe and show you love. I hope that you understand that. I hope that one day you understand God's love and that you see a glimpse of it in our love for you. That's why we shuffle.

Hero?

I was singing Hero in the shower the other day- you know the song by Mariah Carey. And I was a little baffled by the words. I don't think I ever questioned them until that moment. Let me refresh your memory if you don't know the song....


There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
And you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold

You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

Oh ho, Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away, hey yea

Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time, you find the way, hey

Then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

That a hero lies in you
Mmm, that a hero lies in you


I grew up with this song. But I know that if I look inside myself to find a hero- to find comfort and what I need to "be strong" and "cast my fears aside". I will be sadly mistaken. I need to look elsewhere for that. Like this song....


You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost it's sting

Oh, I'm running to your arms,
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I'm running to your arms
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing
no other name
Jesus, Jesus

Oh, I'm running to your arms
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign


What a difference a song and it's lyrics can make to your heart. :)


http://youtu.be/0IA3ZvCkRkQ -Hero Music Video


http://youtu.be/au3EGgISYMc - Forever Reign Music Video

Good Friday

As a person who is usually distracted by kiddos during a service when there is no childcare, Jesus gave me a new perspective this year. I had Ethan of course, but he was good. He slept the entire Good Friday service and never made a sound. The children around me were not always as quiet. I saw a little girl run down the aisle in the middle of prayer time. Another boy had to be taken out for yelling, " I want Daddy!" repeatedly. And anytime there was a quiet moment- it was surely not quiet. It was filled with the sounds of children.

Jason and I went to a church in Texas where every Sunday morning a large freight train would pass right behind the building drowning everything out with its whistle for a few seconds. It was so distracting. One Sunday, our pastor stopped in the middle of the message when the train passed. I thought he was waiting so he would not be drowned out by it. Instead after it had passed, he said, "Did you hear that?". As if we could have missed it. He went on to explain that he was thankful for that train every Sunday. The train is barreling towards its destination- warning all who stand in the way of the danger coming. Letting everyone know to get out its way so they will not be hurt. He said the church is like the train. We are commissioned by God to be heralders of the gospel. We are all headed for sure death and an eternity away from God. The church's responsiblity is to loudly proclaim the gospel warning the world of the danger that is to come. Letting the world know that they can be saved from their sin and have new life in Christ and spend eternity with Him. After he said that, when the train would pass sometimes he would just stop and smile and point at the cross behind the pulpit. We all knew what he meant. We were all encouraged and not distracted.

So, on Friday I was thinking of how kids can be a distraction, but can also be an encouragement. We need young ones to be raised up to be a part of the church. To help build the church up. We need worship leaders and Sunday school teachers and Pastors. That little girl running down the aisle during prayer or the kid screaming for his daddy may surely be one of those one day. It is encouraging to me that Jesus cares so much for these little ones. He takes great joy in them being there even if they don't understand it. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news- even to the little ones. I hope that these kiddos will understand how deep and wide and tall God's love is for them. That they will understand what the Jesus dying on the Cross means. That it won't just be a tradition, but a time of rememberence. I hope that they will be drawn close to our God and that He will save them. I pray that for Ethan every day. I so want him to know his maker.

Good Friday was good- to remember what Jesus did and to see what He is still doing- even in my little family. :)