Redeemed

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you." Isaiah 44:22

Wow. He has redeemed us. We are redeemed. You have swept away everything we've done wrong. I will return to you Father. You are my father. I surrender all to you. My job, my school, my friends, my family, my decisions, my future, my plans, my desires, my thoughts, my ways, my entire life and being; I commit them all into your arms, your loving, caring, and powerful arms. The arms that created life and everything in it. I commit my spirit to you. I will follow you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. You make beautiful things. Thank you Jesus, for all that you have done for me, for the world. I am new because of you. You hold the universe. You hold everyone on earth.

There is No Other

Oh Lord, how sovereign are you my King. How majestic are your ways. Father, you are so holy, so huge, so powerful. You don't need me and my acknowledgment. You are Lord and there is no other, with or without me! You are so powerful and majestic Jesus, you don't need my worship or praise, but I choose to worship you, because you are worthy of every breath that comes from my mouth, every thought that my mind conceives, every will my soul desires, you are worthy of it. And I love you. I need you. You don't need me, and you never will. But Father, I will die without you. I can't go on without you! Show me your glory! Show my yourself. Show me more of you. I want to know you. I want to know you and I want to share in your sufferings! You have suffered everything for me. Break me Jesus. Forgive me for being selfish, lazy, and inconsiderate. I am ashamed of myself. But I am not ashamed of the Gospel and what I know is the truth. You are the way, the truth and the life. All life is found only in you, Lord Jesus.

"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things." Isaiah 45: 5-7

Be All There

"Wherever you are, be all there."

- Jim Elliot

Give Thanks to the Lord, Our God and King

Warm turkey, pumpkin pie, grandmother's sugar cookies, card games, laughter, family jokes, brand new babies, smiles, football games, leaves, windy mornings, the sound of the train going on its way, a big black dog and small orange cat. All of these blessings are among many others that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy this past thanksgiving. Though, relatively speaking, this year it is no different than the last. There is far too much to even express gratitude for through my words. I can't even begin attempting to describe everything that God has so graciously blessed me with. For as long as I can remember, I've always been 'thankful' on the last Thursday of every November. But this year, it seems much more real. Much more, special. I think part of the reason is because life is changing so rapidly. And I'm realizing more and more how special people are to each other and to me. And that life is so fragile. Life is so precious. Life is so deep and emotional and worth every second we are living. For life in and of itself is a gift. Something to be thankful for. Having lost two relatives last year, my grandmother and my cousin, the more and more I think about life, the more it makes sense to me; and the more I wish to cherish as many memories and smiles as humanly possible.

This past weekend, spending time with my cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparent's felt so special. More special than most. I felt this overwhelming sense of God's love through my family. At times, I just sat and listened. I sat and watched everyone go about their ways. Everyone has blessed me in some way, and for that, I am thankful. For that, God deserves my praise.

From the generous gift my grandparent's gave to each of their grandchildren at the supper table, to the morning I went to buy milk and dog biscuits at the grocery store with my grandpa; it all felt so special. The atmosphere, the warmness, the smells, the familiarity of it all; that is what I'm most thankful for. I'm most thankful for the people in my life. For without them, I would be a lost soul searching. I would have an empty heart. I am most thankful for my relationship with my creator. Without Him, the people in my life would not exist. Even the thought creates a deep sadness in me. Therefore, let us give thanks to the Lord, our God and King.

Thank you Jesus, for everything.

The House with Green Shutters

Through and through
The woods we drive
Past rows and rows of seed

To my left
And to my right
A drop of rain they need

"How much longer?"
Let's start to count
1, 2, 3

Upon arrival
My heart will beat
For it's waiting there for me

The house with green shutters sits
Sits, sits, sits
The house with green shutters sits
Waiting patiently

Set the plates
Pour the drinks
Spread the napkins about

"Potatoes here!"
"A turkey there!"
The little children shout

"Let's quiet down"
My grandpa says
Now let us give our thanks

And say a prayer
For all are here
And He deserves our praise

For on this day
We celebrate
All that God has made

At grandma's house
Where love is lit
A light that shall not fade

When we depart
A tear is shed
A hug to hold us near

For soon enough
We'll meet again
"Soon we shall, my dear"

And how I long
To see it now
Waiting there for me

The house with green shutters sits
Sits, sits, sits
The house with green shutters sits
Waiting patiently

His love

Death is not His fault. Death is not His will. It is not God's intention. It is not what He wants. Bad things happen. When they do, God is watching for us to trust in Him, to see if we will still live for him, to see if we will still stand firm, still draw near to Him. Still long for Him. Still want to fight for Him and His glory. It is God who will hold you close when death occurs. It is God who will hold you close when you question disease, when you question disaster, when you question tragedy, when you question misfortune, when you question reason, when you question death, and even when you question your own belief. One cannot comprehend why things happen. We will never know the real reason why death happens, even when it doesn't seem right. When it feels so inhuman. One cannot pretend to know. But one thing I know, that God does not like death. He is all about life. He does not enjoy our pain. When we weep, He weeps. When we run to Him, He will hold us. When we're afraid, He will protect us. When we are confused, He will guide us. When we struggle, He comforts us. When we feel weak, He gives us strength. When we feel limited, He is unlimited. When we doubt, He will assure us. When we don't know why, He does. When we feel lost and alone, He loves us! His love overcomes evil. His love rules over all. His love will prevail. His love will conquer death. There is no need to worry. There is no need to doubt. There is no need to weep. There is no need to be afraid. There is no need to wonder why. There is no need to question. For God is love. And His love is everlasting. His love is universal. His love is international. His love is unconditional. And on that, I will stand. On His love, I will live, move, breathe, and believe.

The Beauty Behind it All

Everything we go through, must first pass through His hands. Everything. All of the pain and heartache in our lives, He allows it it happen. He knows when it is happening. He knows why it is happening. It is human to want to know why things happen. God is mysterious. His ways are not our ways. Nor His thoughts our thoughts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we've done in our lives. All of the sin we've committed towards Him, yet HE still chooses to love us. He still wants to set us free. Will we then, in turn, choose to follow Him where He might lead us? Are we willing, as selfish and ignorant people at times, to love Him by choice? For if it were by choice, He would love still us. But it is not by choice. He is love. God is love. That is the beauty behind it all. We can't escape it. And He doesn't want us to, because He wants to get to know us. That's how extreme His love for us is. We belong to Him. He is our father and we are His beloved children. How wonderful this is. How amazing. How breath taking! Thank Him today, yeah?