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Ever wondered if you even belonged on this planet?! I know I have.. be it my quirks, and perks =) or something as simple as how I perceive and process any given day or situation...people are different. I have laughed way too hard in the wrong moments, and cried watching the Animal Channel because I can't stand to watch when the baby deer loses mother deer and the lion comes and ---- you know what happens next. My heart can't take it!!! :( #circleoflife
But I've digressed. Back to the point. God is so creative in His placement that we often come into contact & even do life with people who are so different from ourselves. At times, it's wonderful, but other times it can cause us to question our belonging. It may cause us to run from problems we carry the very solutions to, and sometimes, we feel like aliens in our own homes - or countries, :-/ But - what if I told you that every bit of your different takes nothing away? ...That your difference only validates the reason for your existence. You are God's very intention.
One thing I love about God is that He's not found scratching His head when questions arise or trouble comes. He's not at a loss for words, wisdom or solutions. He's not non-chalant or disengaged. He's concerned. A portion of His glory is wrapped up in our living. He's committed to our victory. He's committed to our testimonies.. even if they're not always what WE think they should be. All things work together. He secures the wins?
His role in this relationship is to lead us to triumph. Our role is to follow Him. "I'll take care of you..." He says."Because your problems are my problems." OK, I promise... I do understand that I've been an adult for at least the last 5 years, but THIRTY? What. The. Flip? My cutesie twenties are officially leaving the building, but I hear it gets better from here, and that's nice... I'll take it :)
Are you a Perfectionist? Perfectionism rarely works out for the carrier, and I've been a bona fide perfectionist way more than I've allowed myself to just live and let live. As freely as God's grace is given is about as hard as it's been for me to receive - but that's an exaggeration... because grace, even in its smallest form, is still much greater than my occasional inability to simply exhale & take it all. 
Reminds me of a conversation I had last night.. ⭐️ so grateful for those who share truths to challenge my now and challenge my process...
"You don't always have to over-prepare to care about what you care about, to stand for what's in your heart to stand for, to be who you were created to be. Not all the time......"
Your passion will lead your life & your truth will shape it.
If you have the courage to acknowledge what moves you & the will to do something about it - DO.
Be.
And BECOMING is in the doing.. your practice will make YOU perfect. Perfectly you. Authentic. Enough. So move.
I'm learning and I am challenged..
Faith has more than a voice with which to speak, it has legs, with which to walk...
#allconditionsapply #Godleading
#lessonsfromthebest
#sheawasinspired #soSheawrote.
Happy 2016 : )
I LOVE Kierra! Ever since "The Safest Place" duet with her mom in '96 KiKi has been singgging...!! And not just singing -- ministering, worshipping... and introducing Jesus in a way that is so unique and tangible to young people. My absolute favorite song on this project is "In YOU." It takes me somewhere else!! But I couldn't find it on YOUTube, so ... here's my 2nd favorite : ) #MOVINGFORWARD
Honorable Mentions: "Flaws," "Kill the Dragon," "2nd Win," "Reppin' My God," "No Graceland,"and every interlude that reminds us of her family's legacy of singers. That spin on The Clark Sisters' "Balm??" I LOVE. Basically the whole album is amazing, but she's from Detroit ya'll... so you kinda have to be cool to blast this in your car ; )
What can I say about Mrs. Steffany Gretzinger and her latest project, "The Undoing?"
Well, it can leave you undone in God's presence... Her sound is sweet, it's strong, it's full of heaven.
It's the perfect musical interlude to a brand new day, and I'm thinking she knew that since the first song on play is titled "Morning Song.." Out of Hiding is a favorite of mine.. but to be honest, I can't get away from "Constant One," "I Spoke Up," "Steady Heart," "No Fear in Love," and "Open Up Let the Light In.."
This project is a wonderful accompaniment for quiet time ..
MALI!!!!
OMG(oodness) ; )
When this project came out, I couldn't stop listening to it. It gives words to those things we see but don't often discuss... Favorite song? "I BELIEVE." If I was thinking, maybeee I could've written it! Not really though.. = ) Not at all lol.
... The way he mixes pain and faith, brokenness and dependency, real life and love... unreal. Other listens bound for repeat are "Royalty," "Fight for You," "Johnny and Donna," "Heavy Love," "Beautiful, and "Walking Shoes.." "I'm just one of them people that God's got a hold on... " - I Believe
Kari Jobe is an angel. We all know this.
Here is another refreshing song for your quiet time, enjoy :)
"Holy Spirit"
BETHEL Church.
If I lived in California, I'd crash all their Sunday mornings.
I don't, though, so I can't.
Instead, I listen to their latest project with no plans to stop "You Make Me Brave" is so FULL.
It gives life. It's sobering. It's healing. It stirs your faith.
It's yours for whatever they're charging on iTunes :)
Kristene Demarco leads "It is Well" with a newness. Always loved this hymn.
Love it more..
Honorable Mentions: "Shepherd," "Joy of the Lord," "Wonder," and "We Step into Freedom..."
Enjoy these songs, and if I'm missing a project you think I'd like.. let me know!!
XO.#sheaWrites
It was a little over a week ago when I was sitting in Newark airport waiting for my flight to clear. Delayed twice with storms in our destination - I had no idea when we were going to make it into Orlando. I was in no rush given the report, but I still didn't want to spend my day stuck in a blue, soiled, leather seat.. watching the digits on the clock increase by the hour.
It's a work trip so I'm surrounded by people I know. We board the plane with a 2.5 hour delay, and the conversations begin. I'm sat in between a man and a woman, a Director and an Account Executive. Let's call her "Sally." Let's call him, "Jim."
I'm sharing this article because I've always wondered. Always had this question. Because people around me are facing loss and I want to be of sure and sound heart when I open my mouth to comfort them.. When my Nana passed, my great grandmother, and even one of my schoolmates at age 9... I needed to know... Do we really get to see them again? Will we even recognize them? How would I cope with the devastation of even thinking that the last time I saw this person was indeed, the LAST time? ... I loved them too much. That would hurt most.
For years I have known that to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord. But for years I've heard friends mention their relatives were watching from above. And I knew what they sensed - because I have, too. That loved one's pleasure when goals were achieved. That acute, warm recollection of what he, or she would say in "a situation like this." That loved one in a dream - giving the big hug that you or I needed. Their nearness. Their talk time... Yes, they are our angels. They'll remain in our hearts..
But I wanted to know my loved ones would be more than a memory. What I did know was that as believers, in death, there is no sting. We meet life as we've never known it. We have heaven. Perfect peace. His Perfect Presence. Nothing missing. No longing. No sorrow. No heartbreak. No desire greater than the will to celebrate and feast away. Just Joy. Just Fulfillment. Why would our loved ones be paying attention to us? Would what they see at times hurt or disappoint them because we are often hurt or disappointed on earth? Wasn't there to be no hurt or disappointment in heaven? Questions. I have at times just settled for not knowing if I'd recognize or see lost loved ones again. I've even been told 'We're all going to be too busy rejoicing to care who's with us.' I didn't like that.. I knew God created family, and fellowship, love and joy and that all of these should be shared with others. I knew that God was love, and love was eternal. That love lasted, it lingered, and that rather than slipping through the cracks of what we know to be loss, it would trickle into eternity. I knew we were made for reunions. I felt like we were made for more. I learned a bit when I read this article. And if nothing more it was food for thought. We don't know all but cheers to what God reveals in His word. I think you will enjoy the read, too. Thanks, Dr. Pritchard. "Some time back I was asked some very personal questions about heaven. A young boy asked about a schoolmate who died. What if he lived a long time and then died. How would he recognize his friend when he got to heaven? The very next day the question was put the other way. A mother, now advanced in years, talked about the child she lost in infancy many years ago. How would she recognize her daughter in heaven? The Bible does not tell us everything we would like to know about life after death. That lack of information does not lie in any reticence on God's part, but rather with our own inability to understand the answer. Heaven by definition is a realm unlike the world in which we live. God could tell us everything we wanted to know but the answers wouldn't make sense to us. It's like trying to explain the color green to a blind man. Heaven will make perfect sense to us once we get there. So the Bible doesn't directly tell us how we will recognize each other in heaven. But I think there are hints that tell us that we will indeed know each other (and all the redeemed) for that matter. I Corinthians 13:12 says that "now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." Today we see each other dimly. Our vision is blocked by our human limitations. In heaven, the imperfections of age, sickness, weakness, disease and disaster will all be removed. So will the taint and mark of sin. The result will be that those in heaven, while retaining the essential core of their personality, will shed all marks of human weakness. Will we know each other in heaven? Yes, of course. How else could it be heaven if we wandered throughout eternity not recognizing those we have loved in this life? We will be the same, yet strangely and wonderfully different, transformed by the grace of God. One other small hint helps us. When Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared with him on the mountain. That's amazing, considering Moses died and Elijah was taken directly to heaven hundreds of years earlier. But James, Peter and John immediately recognized them. That brings me to the answer. Heaven does not abolish human personality; it perfects it in ways that we can hardly imagine. In that day we will know each other completely, far beyond our limited knowing in this life. In the same way that a mother recognizes her daughter's cry in a crowded room, even so we will recognize our loved ones although we have been separated for dozens of years. Age will not matter. The passage of time will not matter. The young boy will recognize his schoolmate and it will be as if he last saw her yesterday. The mother will know her daughter and the daughter will know her mother. How that could be is a mystery to me. I would not understand the answer if the Lord himself explained it to me. But I believe with all my heart that it is true. For the children of God, heaven will be the ultimate family reunion, a place where we will have no difficulty recognizing our loved ones who have gone on before us. "
If there's anything in life about which we typically love to lament, it's when we find that someone loves us, but not for the entirety of who we are ---our strengths and weaknesses, our quirks, and our flaws. It's when the idea of you, or me, stirs interest, excites, and draws someone close for a moment, but as the relationship grows in intimacy, "who you turned out to be," isn't exactly who they had in mind. That maybe, who you are - or have been all along - is now a bit off-putting. The relationship stalls. It ceases to grow... or maybe it ends. I see posts about it all the time.
Like. Like. Like... And I agree sometimes, I do.. But I can't help but liken this to our relationship with God.
Only because I think He wants to be loved for more than the obvious. I think He wants to be adored for more reasons than because He first loved us. I think He wants us to embrace more than His sufficient, irrational grace -- extend our gratitude for more than His provision and protection. I think He wants us to live in awe of so much more than His inexplicable mercies. I think He wants to be sought out for more than His timing when it comes to our dreams and His orchestration. I believe He wants to be loved for His core.
"Love Me for my Holy..."Because He loves us SO much, and would love to be LOVED wholly, in return.And there's so much room for us to acknowledge the more.. His otherness. His GOODness. His GOD - ness. His being set apart. His DIFFERENCE from all things created. His... creation of ALL things. His wisdom, and knowledge. His way... Do we love Him for His HOLY? And how about, for instance, the very thing that makes Him God - and us, in need of a Savior..? His Righteousness. .... Literally... His being RIGHT, all the time.I'm afraid far too often we get stuck at loving Him for His love... we stop there.Yes, love drove Christ to the cross and love kept Him there...but it was His holiness that made the cross worth the suffering and sacrifice. It was His holiness that qualified Him to pay the price. How could He be God if not for His ability to do what we couldn't? ...If not for His ability to conquer and have victory over sin without ever even having to be delivered?
Without His HOLINESS, His death would have accomplished nothing at all.
Without His Righteousness, our lives would be a mess.
It's His holiness that compels me to love Him for more than His love.We MUST love His Holy. We NEED His Holy.If He is indeed our Father, we cannot just love "the idea of Him," choosing which parts of who He is we'd like to acknowledge today and appreciate tomorrow. I don't want to live life having occasional run-ins with His way. I don't want His characteristics to be an afterthought when I consider how I treat other people. I don't want to LOVE the concept of having a home in heaven, but lack the maturity and commitment to be His where it counts -- right here, right now in all of life's inconsistencies and moments of stretching. It's so easy to over-esteem what the world values - to, over-calculate the worth of what it looks like to have it all together without actually having the whole of who we are, settled in Him. This, I know. It's so easy to want to be called and chosen, forgiven, conquering, overcoming, and victorious...to want all of His benefits and none of His discipline. This, I know. It's so easy, to miss the mark clinging to every other convenient, accommodating characteristic of our Father. And so easy, still, to lose our souls, chasing the wind --- chasing the carnal, chasing non-factors. PROVEN. In my life. I know what it's like to have a hard time embracing holiness. We all do - we're human. Everyday we drop the ball somehow, but I must ask the question... ...Is it easy to be like Him..to be like my Father?"Love Me for My Holy," He says. "And whatever you love about me, you'll inevitably imitate."HOLY is exactly what we'll cherish if we ever want to look like our Father..
..if we ever want to enjoy the life He intended us to live.
It's understanding God's ever-present.. everywhere, and would love to play a huge part in our decision making.
I'm convinced - that the more we love His holiness, and the more we open our lives to His way, the more room we give to every flower that could blossom in the garden of His perfect will.
And please know ... I don't speak as my own best example of holiness -- that's for sure. But I am a daughter - who's learning daily, and still, re-learning... to love God for all of who He is. Not just what's easy to celebrate; not just what's easy to imitate.
I have learned to cherish what challenges and changes me.It's this heightened awareness of His Holiness, our necessary, that can only work to our benefit. It's our intentional attention to His nature that will show us our depravity. It calls us higher... It calls us closer... I think we'll fear it less, if we love it more.
Are you going to land atop the mountain of perfection within the next 24 hours? Probably not... Have I? Nope. But, you will look more like your Father.. sooner than later:) My prayer is that the posture of our hearts be fixed on loving God for His HOLY. We love Him for His love. We love Him for His grace. Let's love something else. Let's love it more.
And oh, there's so much beauty in His holiness...
#LoveMeforMyHoly
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QUOTE*** "Worship the LORD in the beauty of His holiness; tremble before him, all the earth." Psalm 96:9 "Walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you unto His own kingdom and glory"
1 Thessalonians 2:12 "Search me, Oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" Psalm 139: 23
"For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’"
Acts 18:28
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