Mostly What God Does is Love You

Ephesians 5

Wake Up from Your Sleep

1-2Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.

I want to always "love like that" Father, and I know I'm incapable of it, unless I camp out with you. Keep company with you. Learning from you. Allowing you to change my heart and love through me. I want to love not holding anything back. Not being cautious. Never trying to attain something for myself...but just the opposite, willing to give everything of myself. May "thy kingdom come" into my heart, and my mind, teaching me to always love like you love.

A few places I’ve Seen God Work This Week…

In my relationship with my friend Jona, and the abundance of love that God has poured out on us

In the life of my friend Jill, and how God is directing her path so clearly

That God has encouraged my friend Christa to pray for me and express His love to me

That on Monday, an overwhelmingly busy day, when I was thinking, “I don’t want to go out to eat, but I don’t want to cook.” My friend Jennifer called and invited herself and her family to our house for dinner, and said that she was bringing homemade pizzas. Thank you Jesus.

That same night our boy Josh, who is 7, was having trouble sharing…just so happened that his bedtime devotion was on the topic of “sharing”…

That God led Kathy Lay (from our church) to write an article and submit it to Today’s Christian Woman Magazine, that He led TCW to publish it, that he led a sweet girl in Minnesota who was facing some possibly serious health issues to read it, that she began corresponding with Kathy and they developed a relationship that eventually brought Bethany and Stephanie (also from our church) in to minister to her, that Stephanie sent one of my songs that also touched her, and that she got a good report from the doctor yesterday…Tammy, I’ve never spoken to you, but I’m astounded by how God orchestrated all of those details, and I know I’ve not even scratched the surface of everything that actually happened…oh my how He loves you…He is so amazing…

These are just a few places I’ve seen God this week…but there’s more…so much more

I Needed Something Funny :-)

Oh my....every once in a while Contemporary Christian Artist Shaun Groves will write a hilarious blog post. This one made me laugh until I cried. :-)

However, I should say that I AM concerned about Shaun's eye...so please say a prayer for him...

Crazy Days...

At one point today, I was talking on my land line, had someone texting me on my cell phone, had someone instant messaging me, and was receiving and responding to e-mails all at once. Seriously. I think I could now work a McDonalds drive thru.

Pour My Love on You

This is one of the songs that we'll be doing in worship this morning...and in preparation for worship, this song is really resonating with me. Not only because I want to pour my love on Jesus, but because I want to pour my love on those that he is loving thru me...that I want to be of encouragement. But it doesn't stop there either. What I also know the truth of this song to be is that as we are loving Him, and as we are loving others, that He also is pouring His love out on us.

Like oil upon your feet. Like wine for you to drink. Like water from my heart. I pour my love on you...

May you today "Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord..." Lamentations 2:19

Chief of Sinners...

There is a teaching that I have on CD by Jentezen Franklin that I just absolutely love, and everytime I hear it, it just melts me.

He's talking about the Apostle Paul.

In 59 AD, Paul says in his letter to the Corinthian church, "I am the least of the Apostles."

Five years later, in 64 AD, he says to the church at Ephesus, "I am the least of the Saints."

One year later, while talking to Timothy, he says, "I feel like I'm the chief of sinners."

Understand this. First Paul says, I am least of the Apostles. Just five years later he says, I am least of the Saints. In other words, I'm not just least of the Apostles, but I'm least of all Christians. One year later, he says, I'm not just least of the Apostles, and least of the Saints, but I feel like I'm the chief of sinners."

You see, most of us, when we first come to church, we feel like we're the "chief of sinners". but then we move on, we graduate, and we become the least of the Saints...and then we move on and we graduate, and we become the least of the Apostles...and we keep making ourself "bigger"...

But not Paul. The more he walked with God, the closer he became to God, the more he served the Lord, the smaller and purer he became. Paul became less, God became more. He didn't get puffed up, but just the opposite, the closer he became to God, the more he realized his own unworthiness...if not for God's grace.

Father, thank you for your grace. In serving you, may we be like Paul. Not becoming puffed up, but serving humbly. More of You Lord, and less of us. Yet not feeling condemed, just feeling free to serve you, knowing we can trust where You lead, making more of You and less of us.

And The Featured Speaker is...

This years Featured Guest at the 2009 Wabash Valley Ladies Unity Night is Lysa TerKeurst!!! YAY!!!

The event is Friday, May 15th, 2009 at the ISU Hulman center...

Lysa is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. She is the co-host of the Proverbs 31 Ministry's national radio program, which airs daily on over 1,200 stations as well as a writer for the ministry's e-mail devotions called "Encouragement for Today," reaching over 180,000 subscribers every day.

I'm so excited that Lysa is coming!! You will love her! You can find out more about her ministry at http://www.proverbs31.org/ and www.lysaterkeurst.blogspot.com

A few of us in our church have had the pleasure of meeting and ministering with some of the Proverbs 31 speakers, and can tell you that they are the "real deal". They love Jesus with all their heart and soul and mind and strength. God's love flows mightily through Lysa...you will laugh, and cry, and be encouraged, as you draw near to God.

Please pray for this event, and for me as well as I prepare for and lead worship there. As many of you know we've put together an all female praise team to lead. We led worship last night for the first time at WVLUN Promo night. The team did excellent!! I thank God for each of them!


Tickets are free, for more information on how to get them go to http://www.wvluv.org/

So Much Love

My new favorite song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjPVvP6jBEQ

"You got so much love in you...You got so much love in you...I'm amazed that I'm talkin' to you...You look like the songs that I've heard my whole life coming true"

Finding Him

There are times in our lives when it seems as if we are searching for God...sometimes it's before we know Him...but sometimes, it's after we know Him. At times, even after we've established a relationship with Him, it's sometimes hard to feel His presence, so we search for Him. I heard this song this week, and it touched my heart. Thought I'd share the lyrics (wish I had a way for you to listen) this song was written based upon Song of Songs 3:1-4...here are the lyrics:

When I Find Him

Have you seen my lover?
Have you seen Him here?
Walking down the streets or anywhere....
All my life I looked, For the one that my heart loved
He is all I want and all I need...

When I find Him...I will not let go of Him.
When I find Him...I will hold Him close
When I find Him...I will not let go of Him
When I find Him...I will hold Him close....
And not let go... Jesus hold me close (repeat)

I have found Him....I will not let go of Him
I have found Him...I will hold Him close
I have found Him...I will hold Him close,And not let go...
Jesus hold me close

(Jessie Rogers Goodman/Jason Rogers)© 2002 Music Missions

Thanks to my friend Dawn for giving me the Mary Alessi CD that this song was on. An interesting side note is, it was my seven year old, Joshua, who actually made me listen to this song. I hadn't heard this particular one yet. Josh LOVES this song...it moves me to hear him sing, "I have found Him, I will hold Him close and not let go...Jesus hold me close..."

The Relationship

After all these years of being a Christian, I'm still amazed. I'm still amazed by the relationship that is to be had with Jesus. The Real, Raw, Fresh, Loving, Intimate, Passionate, Relationship.

I was reminded of it once again, as I read 2 Chronicles 7 this morning. Let me back up by saying that in 2 Chronicles 6, Solomon offers up this incredibly amazing, heart felt prayer to God as they are dedicating the Temple that was just built.

Solomon cries out, "Lord, if the skies are shut up and there is no rain beacuse your people have sinned aginst you, and then they pray toward this Temple and confess your name and turn from their sins because you have punished them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sins of your servants...teach them to do what is right, and send rain on your land...and if there is a famine in the land, or plagues, or crop disease, or attacks of locusts, or whatever the trouble is, and if your people offer a prayer concerning their troubles or sorrow raising their hands toward this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and forgive..." Portions of 2 Chron. 6

What I LOVE LOVE LOVE is that after all the commotion of the dedication of the Temple settles down, The Lord appears to Solomon one night, and He responds to His prayer by saying, (my paraphrase) "you know what Solomon? At times, I might shut up the Heavens so that no rain falls, or I might command locusts to devour your crops, or I might send plagues among you...but...Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land. I will listen to every prayer made in this place, for I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be my home forever. My eyes and my heart will always be here."

You know what fellow followers of Christ, you are now the temple. And His eyes, and His heart are always with you.

At times it may seem like your prayers fall to the ground, but they don't. For God says this, "YOU have ravished my heart my treasure, my bride. I am overcome, by one glance of your eyes." SOS 4:9

Think He doesn't hear your prayers? Friend, when you even GLANCE His way, you touch the very heart of God.

I've never had a favorite verse of the Bible, but more and more I'm thinking if I did, it would be this one, "call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know." Jer. 33:3

Father, thank you for hearing me...you always hear me... John 11:41,42

I call your name, Lord you reply
you bring your kingdom and stand by my side
giver of life, more than I need
Father you're everything that's precious to me
there is no one like you Lord, in all the Earth

Salt and Light

Our praise team just learned this song. We worshipped for the first time yesterday with it...I love it!