Yearn - By Shane&Shane

Holy design
This place in time
That I might seek and find my God
My God


Lord, I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion over You
And only You
Lord, I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion over You
And only You
Lord, I wanna yearn


Your joy is mine
Yet why am I fine
With all my singing and bringing grain
In light of Him?


I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion over You
And only You
Lord, I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion over You
And only You


Oh You give life and breath
In You we live and move
That's why I sing


Lord, I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion over You
And only You
Lord, I wanna yearn for You
I wanna burn with passion
Over You and only You
Lord, I wanna yearn

I Dare You

When I was a little girl, I remember getting bullied. I remember being called names that at that time, I didn't even know existed, and every day getting insulted about my weight.  I remember choosing to stay after school until 4:30 every day, so that I could take the late bus because according to the other kids, I was not allowed my seat on the regular bus. I remember getting physically sick every Sunday evening, with the knowledge of the horror I had to deal with for the week coming up. I remember getting things thrown at me, sitting by myself at lunch, and even being hated by teachers. I could never stick up for myself at that time, so instead I just swallowed it all. 

dare

   [dair]  Show IPA verb, dared or ( Archaic ) durst;dared; daring; present singular 3rd person dares or dare,noun

1.

to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; be bold enough

What if just one child at my school DARED to have the courage and boldness to take a risk and do the opposite of what everyone else was doing?


Friends, before I go any further here, I need you to know that this post was not so that you'd feel bad for me. I harbor nothing and am healed by God's grace. What hurts me is that many people are not yet at that point.


I just watched a video that broke my heart. I just watched a video of a 68-year-old woman who is a school bus monitor, who had to deal with being verbally harassed and insulted for an entire 10 minute video. (I could only stomach about 5 minutes of it.) They called her names that no human being should ever have to hear. They pained her to the point of tears. It brought back awful memories.


It reminded me that this is just a small instance of the pain that exists in this fallen world.


I dare you this week to do something remarkable.


Not something for your own benefit. 


I dare you this week to take one opportunity and do the exact opposite of what others are doing, or might be normal, acceptable, or even justified to you or to others.


I dare you to bless someone. 

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. -2 Timothy 1:7 

I dare you to make a difference.


And once you've done that, at the end of the day I dare you give all of the glory only to the Lord.


I dare you this week, to be extraordinary.

In Christ Alone

I'm going to post the lyrics to the song In Christ Alone. Many people know it, but it's so easy to simply hear a song instead of really listening with your heart. Please take a moment to read the rich lyrics below, but read them keeping in mind that the words below are TRUE, they are REAL, and if you are a Christian, they apply deeply to your life.


In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm


What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand


In Christ alone who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save


Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live


There on the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again


And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ


No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny


No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Driving With the Lord

One of the most difficult things for me to do sometimes is spend time with the Lord. They say that the busier you are, the more you need to spend time with the Lord. I feel as if I am constantly driving from one thing to the next and my mind is thinking of a million different things at the same time.


One thing I've learned though, is no matter how busy I am, I know that with all of the driving I do in a day, (roughly 90 minutes give or take) the only thing I am able to do is either think about things I have to do until my head blows off, sing along with the radio, or pray. The more time I spend "driving with the Lord", the more I actually look forward to driving to work every day because I know that is my special time with the Lord.


I do suggest, however, that if you worship...please do not close your eyes or lift your hands in the air. That could be fatal. :)

Blessed, By Definition

I am truly blessed.

I know that might sound cliche, or old, or tired, but on the contrary it's actually vibrant and fresh all the time, and the feeling of being blessed never gets old. When I say that I'm blessed, I don't mean blessed with superficial things of this world. I am blessed with a feeling of hope, that no matter how bad things get, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will always bounce back. This is not because of my own strength, but because of Him who is within me. My entire world could shatter tomorrow, but I know there is a greater picture and a grander plan and that no matter what happens to me, my God never leaves me. That is more valuable than anything I can put a price tag on.

I am also blessed with purpose. Painfully, I must admit that I was a Jersey Shore fan at one point. I think I watched the entire first two seasons. (Don't hold that against me though.) I noticed something, though. These young adults go out and drink, act promiscuously, and party every night. Seems glamorous on the outside. If you look closer you can see much anger and emptiness. I want so much for them to experience what I experience, that is a sense of purpose and fulfillment in Christ alone. That is the second example of something more valuable to me than anything I can think of. Being aligned with God's will, making an eternal impact on someone's life, feels so much better than those temporary means of fulfillment that ultimately lead to destruction. (Think about it, they do.) There is not even a comparison.

The third thing that I am blessed with are my friends. It is so rare to have so many people in your life (not including family, of which mine is also amazing) who truly love you, care for you, pray for you, are willing to look past your sin and love you anyway, and would be there for you in a second. It's rare to find even one person that genuine. I have a whole church full of them, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I am not trying to say things are easy or all my problems are magically gone. They are not. I can't even begin to describe to you how lonely and stale I can feel at times. That is probably the most difficult thing for me to get past, almost every evening. And yes, I cry. A lot. But just when I think I get to the point where I can't handle anymore, God comes right in and intervenes in some miraculous way, giving me that refreshing feeling that is God's presence. I guess the gist of it is that a lot of my circumstances from before I was 19 have not even changed, but there is one difference - now I am full of life, joy, peace, hope, and purpose. And I don't wear so much black makeup around my eyes anymore. :)

I can't even ask for anything more than that. So I just want to take a moment to thank my God for BLESSING me, and I pray that each person who reads this allows themselves to feel the joy that I am talking about. It starts with Jesus.

Be blessed.