great is the Lord, so worthy of praise
great is the Lord
one generation will
commend Your kingdom
to one another
they will speak of You
and i will meditate
on Your wonder
and they, they will speak
of Your glorious splendor
of Your majesty
everyday i'll praise thee
forever and ever
everyday i will praise
for You open Your hand
and satisfy desires of all things
my God the King
the Lord is gracious
and slow to anger
He is rich in love
He is good to all
all who call on Him
in truth He is near to
and He hears their cry
and saves them
--- Shane Barnard
Father, if nothing else, draw me back unto you...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, January 19, 2009
One hope
Let us no longer suffer the pain that comes from a divided heart. This world will pass along with any idols that we have put before the Father. Let us give our lives to the source of all things good, the God of all creation.
Amen.
Amen.
Lighter still
I spent some time recently caught up in myself and unwilling to do the one thing that God had been calling me to do... To get completely honest with people around me and with myself.
I never really noticed how much we all hide, at least I know I do... I have been hiding and practicing lies since birth but I speak specifically about after my salvation. When recalling stories before my friends I always leave out the things that I find humiliating and exaggerate the things that I believe made me look tougher or more masculine.
For example I often have no problem telling people about the many fights I have been involved in. The problem comes when I know I am called by God to be honest, to say that I was scared to death of fighting, rarely ever did, and when I did I was forced. I try to protect my old image all of the time.
I am coming to realize that as long as we protect this old image, a piece of us holds on to it, building and strengthening it, keeping us from walking fully in our new man. When someone protects the old image or gives it power, what they are doing is giving it means to survive and until we get truly, deeply, and painfully honest with each other and with the Father, this "old man" nature WILL survive.
I encourage you all to get real. Find someone to lay it all out to, and I mean everything. No longer defend or glorify that beast that lives within but instead strangle it with the very light of our Lord. Stop letting IT strangle YOU.
So I leave you all with a question I was asked that has changed my life. Have you ever been truly, deeply free and unhidden?..... If no then why not?....
I never really noticed how much we all hide, at least I know I do... I have been hiding and practicing lies since birth but I speak specifically about after my salvation. When recalling stories before my friends I always leave out the things that I find humiliating and exaggerate the things that I believe made me look tougher or more masculine.
For example I often have no problem telling people about the many fights I have been involved in. The problem comes when I know I am called by God to be honest, to say that I was scared to death of fighting, rarely ever did, and when I did I was forced. I try to protect my old image all of the time.
I am coming to realize that as long as we protect this old image, a piece of us holds on to it, building and strengthening it, keeping us from walking fully in our new man. When someone protects the old image or gives it power, what they are doing is giving it means to survive and until we get truly, deeply, and painfully honest with each other and with the Father, this "old man" nature WILL survive.
I encourage you all to get real. Find someone to lay it all out to, and I mean everything. No longer defend or glorify that beast that lives within but instead strangle it with the very light of our Lord. Stop letting IT strangle YOU.
So I leave you all with a question I was asked that has changed my life. Have you ever been truly, deeply free and unhidden?..... If no then why not?....
Friday, October 3, 2008
No control.
Throughout my entire life I have tried to control everything around me. I have tried to control the small things and the big things of life. I can look back now and see that I really had no control over...anything. For some reason I still try to control things. You would think that looking back on a life of destruction and chaos would show me just how unable I am to control situations. If I had any control along the way then why have I been hurt by people? why was I drug addicted? why am I not free from every one of my flaws or issues? Because I have no control...
I find it weird that I still try. I still freak out when things don't go as planned. I still lack trust in so many areas of my life...
God I thank you that you have been in control. I thank you Father that you have kept me. I thank you for your grace in my life and for the patience that you have extended to me. I ask God that you would teach me how to surrender fully to your will, your plans, and your hand in my life. Father will you remove from me the false sense of control that I have held onto. Father will you teach me how to trust you with everything in this life you have given me. As Proverbs 3 says, let me not lean onto my own understanding but acknowledge you in all ways so that you can direct my path. I thank you Father for the work you are doing in me and I thank you that you love me enough to see these things released from me. You are Holy Father and you are so faithful to complete the work in me. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
(1 Samuel 2:6-9) "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. {7} The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. {8} He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them. {9} He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.
I find it weird that I still try. I still freak out when things don't go as planned. I still lack trust in so many areas of my life...
God I thank you that you have been in control. I thank you Father that you have kept me. I thank you for your grace in my life and for the patience that you have extended to me. I ask God that you would teach me how to surrender fully to your will, your plans, and your hand in my life. Father will you remove from me the false sense of control that I have held onto. Father will you teach me how to trust you with everything in this life you have given me. As Proverbs 3 says, let me not lean onto my own understanding but acknowledge you in all ways so that you can direct my path. I thank you Father for the work you are doing in me and I thank you that you love me enough to see these things released from me. You are Holy Father and you are so faithful to complete the work in me. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, amen.
(1 Samuel 2:6-9) "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. {7} The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. {8} He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them. {9} He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Slaves to Righteousness
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. -- Romans 6:20-23.
Let us not walk in the Old man nature that is so easily taken up. Let us truly become who you have destined us and set us out to be. Show us the reality of our freedom and let us accept and embrace it in fullness. Teach us to be led by you in our minds and our hearts in every matter and to trust you fully. Thank you Father for who you are and your grace that flows over each one of us. Amen.
Let us not walk in the Old man nature that is so easily taken up. Let us truly become who you have destined us and set us out to be. Show us the reality of our freedom and let us accept and embrace it in fullness. Teach us to be led by you in our minds and our hearts in every matter and to trust you fully. Thank you Father for who you are and your grace that flows over each one of us. Amen.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Guatemala
Recently a team of about 10 of my close friends and I went to Guatemala for 10 days to share life with, and minister to the people of a village called Panimaquin.
I started the trip out, to be honest, with my heart in the wrong place. I was disconnected from the group in my heart and had a general pissed off kind of attitude. After a day of traveling, we got to the Village. This really called a lot of things back to my memory of a trip that I had taken there last year. I almost instantly felt connected with the people of the village again. It was very interesting to see how people had grown both physically and spiritually.
After the first two days I really felt back on track and was able to get closer to some of the young men that worked and went to school on the project. Me and a couple of the guys put a new styrofoam (Yes, very far from the comforts of home) ceiling in the church building. This helped for insulation and better sound quality throughout the building. The ceiling project allowed me to just hang out with the male employees on the project and really helped me in my times of prayer for them.
About halfway into the trip we had a youth rally and the first night we split into girl/guy groups. Both groups turned out to really recieve from the messages that were spoken. In the guys group one of the young men told us that he loved us. This was extremely rare because of the hardness of many mens hearts in that culture (It actually made the pastor that was translating cry).
The second night of the youth rally we had some worship and then we got to pray over the teens of the area. This meeting was truly amazing and the Father showed up in a mighty way in many peoples lives.
Ministry continued throughout the week and God really put upon peoples hearts that they would be returning to Panimaquin for a much longer time. In fact some have changed majors in college and began to shape their lives around the ministry that is to be done in that area.
This trip truly changed alot of things in me and it broke me to see just how blessed americans are in some ways and in others, they are anything but blessed.
I would like to write more about the experiences and the people but I am running short on time so I will be posting excerpts from my journal in a couple of days.
In the meantime and in the future I would ask that anyone reading this would pray for this village of Panimaquin, that they would recieve revival and that God would be established as king over that region.
I started the trip out, to be honest, with my heart in the wrong place. I was disconnected from the group in my heart and had a general pissed off kind of attitude. After a day of traveling, we got to the Village. This really called a lot of things back to my memory of a trip that I had taken there last year. I almost instantly felt connected with the people of the village again. It was very interesting to see how people had grown both physically and spiritually.
After the first two days I really felt back on track and was able to get closer to some of the young men that worked and went to school on the project. Me and a couple of the guys put a new styrofoam (Yes, very far from the comforts of home) ceiling in the church building. This helped for insulation and better sound quality throughout the building. The ceiling project allowed me to just hang out with the male employees on the project and really helped me in my times of prayer for them.
About halfway into the trip we had a youth rally and the first night we split into girl/guy groups. Both groups turned out to really recieve from the messages that were spoken. In the guys group one of the young men told us that he loved us. This was extremely rare because of the hardness of many mens hearts in that culture (It actually made the pastor that was translating cry).
The second night of the youth rally we had some worship and then we got to pray over the teens of the area. This meeting was truly amazing and the Father showed up in a mighty way in many peoples lives.
Ministry continued throughout the week and God really put upon peoples hearts that they would be returning to Panimaquin for a much longer time. In fact some have changed majors in college and began to shape their lives around the ministry that is to be done in that area.
This trip truly changed alot of things in me and it broke me to see just how blessed americans are in some ways and in others, they are anything but blessed.
I would like to write more about the experiences and the people but I am running short on time so I will be posting excerpts from my journal in a couple of days.
In the meantime and in the future I would ask that anyone reading this would pray for this village of Panimaquin, that they would recieve revival and that God would be established as king over that region.
Monday, July 7, 2008
A look back...
This past week has been a big one for me. I must say this week has been a hard one for me as well. I have taken a lot of time to think about a lot of things. I have taken a look at the things I have slacked on recently and I have taken a look at the things that I should have given less attention to. There are some things that I would like to share, in hope that it would encourage you all as it has encouraged me.
Most of the people I spend my time with know a lot about my past. They know the things I was involved in and the things that meant the world to me. Drugs enveloped my mind and my actions. Lust for the things of this world was stronger than I can even recognize at this point.
As I took a look back at that life, my heart began to pound and I became instantly nauseous. I was shocked. I was shocked to the point that my immediate reaction was that of disgust and the first thought that came to my head was something like this... "I could never live that life again. Never, ever, ever, again."
At this point I am so filled with gladness because it has been a while since I have taken the time to slow down and see what my Father has taken me from... I have been delivered from sure destruction. That idea can usually be tossed around quite easily with me to be completely honest (not something I am proud of). It can be tossed around because I have rarely taken the time to slow down enough for that reality to set in. Right now, in this moment, that reality has me stunned.
I thank you Father for the Grace you have consistently extended to me. I thank you Father for being my Redeemer, my Savior, my Leader, my Father who has loved me in my time of need. I thank you Jesus for shedding your blood so that I can be free from my prison.
Father let me never again begin to lose sight of who you have been and what you really mean to me. Amen.
Most of the people I spend my time with know a lot about my past. They know the things I was involved in and the things that meant the world to me. Drugs enveloped my mind and my actions. Lust for the things of this world was stronger than I can even recognize at this point.
As I took a look back at that life, my heart began to pound and I became instantly nauseous. I was shocked. I was shocked to the point that my immediate reaction was that of disgust and the first thought that came to my head was something like this... "I could never live that life again. Never, ever, ever, again."
At this point I am so filled with gladness because it has been a while since I have taken the time to slow down and see what my Father has taken me from... I have been delivered from sure destruction. That idea can usually be tossed around quite easily with me to be completely honest (not something I am proud of). It can be tossed around because I have rarely taken the time to slow down enough for that reality to set in. Right now, in this moment, that reality has me stunned.
I thank you Father for the Grace you have consistently extended to me. I thank you Father for being my Redeemer, my Savior, my Leader, my Father who has loved me in my time of need. I thank you Jesus for shedding your blood so that I can be free from my prison.
Father let me never again begin to lose sight of who you have been and what you really mean to me. Amen.
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