New Day.

Lamentations 3:23
Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin new every morning. 

Confidence.

Psalm 27:13-14  I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart 
and wait for the LORD.

cr2010 & hume2010

This morning I sat down and my desk and turned on my computer. This is pretty much the usual routine for me upon arrival at work. My desktop background is a running slideshow of pictures and this morning it caught my eye and I was frozen in the moment. I sat watching as one picture after another flashed before my eyes of our summer mission trip to Costa Rica and summer camp at Hume Lake. It was just a few months ago but let's be honest, it feels like a lifetime ago. Nothing in my life is the same. Everything, literally everything has changed. I don't even feel like the same person. Those three weeks were glorious, God-breathed weeks with His people. I felt so alive. I would give anything to go back to those moments in time and savor them. I am so thankful that God gives us a super-charge like that before we face the fire. It's like he gears us up for going into battle. I learned last summer that there is nothing more valuable than His Word. Heaven only knows that is a lesson that I needed to learn. I've been clinging to His Words, holding on to His every promise because life depends on His faithfulness. Today, I'm holding on and holding out ... waiting for God to do His thing. 

The Valley

And I heard the voice of the Lord whisper to me, saying:


This isn't a never ending desert. This is a valley. It doesn't go on forever without end. It is a valley. It had a start. It will have an end. It is a time of lowness, of deep sorrow and shadow...but it will end. 
There will be a glorious uprising out of this valley because it is very different than a desert. A desert stretches on and on without end. It is hopeless and dry and without end. This is not a desert. It is a valley.


"even though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your perfect love is casting out fear...."

Untitled

Verse 1:

Sitting in this fire

My knees too weak to stand

I’ve counted all my treasures

My power as a man

Pre-Chorus 1:

I come to you now

Asking for joy somehow

Revive this heart of mine

Help me trust your time

Chorus 1:

I will open up my hands

As you help me to stand

Take my tired hands, my weary knees

My dreams of lesser things

So that I can know you through

Your pain and suffering

Verse 2:

There’s one thing I know

To one thing I cling

Christ inside of me

Eternal hope, my King

Pre-Chorus 2:

Now I dare to hope

As I wait on you

Comfort in your hands

As I trust your plan

Chorus 2:

I will open up my heart

As you help me to restart

Take my tired hands, my weary knees

My dreams of lesser things

So that I can know you through

Your pain and suffering

Ending:

The world creates distortion

Where lies feel like the truth

Lord, You will be my portion

And I will trust in you

Where is the Healer?

Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture."


I need the Healer to step out and do something amazing. God, I trust you with those that I love the most. Heal them. Restore what you have created. With you, nothing is left unredeemed. 

Weak heart.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just don't think you can "do" the day?


I have. Today.


After a splitting headache last night, I woke up anticipating that I would feel refreshed and renewed after a night of Tylenol PM-induced sleep. No such luck. Instead... my morning began with a painfully long wait in the Starbucks drive thru followed by one small irritant after another. 


I sat at my desk this morning, an emotional disaster. Wondering what in the world was my problem, I said to the walls  (who seemed to being ignoring me) "I can't do today. I'm just not strong enough and I don't even know why."


Great. Now what?


I looked up and saw my answer. (At least the desk wasn't ignoring me too) On my desk is my little verse-flip-doo-dad. Crazy as it is, it said this... 


2 Chronicles 6:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."


Totally convicting. I got the message loud and clear. My heart was weak. Guess whose fault that was?? Not God's. Nope. It was my fault. All mine. I hadn't committed myself fully to Him. Instead, I was looking around at everything else in my life, the issues, the noise. 


So, here's my re-boot effort for the day. Let's see if I can get it right this time.