Learning to live for HIS glory

Wait, When did those eyes staring back at me change? When did the girl become a woman? There's a story behind her eyes. Was it when she realized love hurts... But is still SO worth it? When the world became a little more black than white? Was it when life became a series of routine days? When joy became a choice? Or, I know, When the perfect walls came crashing down? Actually, no, I don't know. When does the face of a girl change? Behind the story in her eyes, I still see joy. Still see the girl inside. She's just . . . aware. Aware that joy is a choice, Love is a choice. Hard choices, Worthy choices. Her smile comes from the inside. Beauty shines as she chooses each day: Christ rules this life. May His glory shine.

It's a perfect night for dreaming, Ooh, oh, And I'm dreaming of you. As the sun kisses the autumn leaves, Colors clouds with a rose hue. It's a perfect night for dreaming, Ooh, oh, And I'm dreaming of you. As the sun kisses the autumn leaves, Colors clouds with a rose hue. Ooh, Oooh, oh, oOh, Ooh, oh, oOoh,  Ooh, Oooh, oh oOh, Ooh, Oohoh Oh Come soon,  Oh, come soon, Come soon, Oh come soon. It's a perfect night for dreaming, Come soon, Come soon. As the sun sets 'or the horizon, I'm wondering when, When will I see your face, Know Your smile and embrace Ooh Oooh, oh, oOh,  Ooh, oh, oOoh, Ooh, Oooh, oh oOh, Ooh, Oohoh Oh It's a perfect night for dreaming, Ooh Oh, Come soon. P.S. This post now has a song recording to go with it... :)   Dreaming

Yesterday in church, we watched and listened as one of Keystone's family members shared his story of once being a violent drug dealer, and how the Lord has worked in changing his life.  It was a hard but beautiful story to hear.  Afterwards, Pastor Keith was sharing about how God often uses stories like that in powerful ways because people think that if God can save someone like that, if He can love someone like that, then He can love and save them too.  As I sat there and listened to all this, I was once again amazed at the power of my God to take lives and turn them around, but I was wrestling with this question: "Lord, why me?"   See...I don't have a crazy story.  I grew up in a "Christian" home.  I first asked Jesus to save me at the age of three!  I can't point to my life before and after becoming a Christ-follower and say, "See the difference?!"  This is not by any means to say that I am not a sinner who needs the Righteous One'...

As the little one cries himself to sleep . . . I'll sit here and pray. Pray for these moments, That he'll know he's loved; Know Love. Pray for the future, For Life. And as I pray, I'm reminded of the others. Little ones near and far With pieces of my heart. Some, like A. Not so little anymore. 18? Lord, protect him from the gangs, The drug dealers. Continue to place in his life way-signs pointing to Jesus. F, her life has changed, Haiti's no longer home. Bless that family, Use their love. Then there's D, & B, S, P . . . & a handful of A's & H's. In all of these young hearts, Jesus, Stir a love for You, A yearning for Your kingdom come. Draw whole families to You, Use their lives. Amen. " 'Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child; break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed; for the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous than the sons of the marr...

I came home from class last week and journaled this: "Realizing how much I need to get on my knees. Jesus!  God!  Holy One! I am SO self-focused. The world does not revolve around me. You do not revolve around me. Who am I kidding? The God of the universe. Revolve around me? No. It's ALL about You, You receiving glory. From my life and all  other lives. Be lifted high, Jesus. Burn away everything, Everything that's of myself. Teach me to shine Your glory. To revel in Your praise." As He convicts, I want to change.  This isn't about learning something and putting it on a shelf.  Life is about so much more than that.  He is SO much more than that.  The name of God is great and glorious.  He is abundant in loving-kindness, slow to anger, and yet will not leave the guilty unpunished.  His Kingdom is perfection, goodness, and light. My life . . . with open hands I release it to the Glorious ONE.  May all I am be spent f...

I walked out into the yard this evening. The sunset colored the sky with light pinks and blues . . . a few patches of blazing orange. Trees and insects raised their branches and voices to heaven. I really wanted to raise my hands to the sky and spin around. To dance. To sing. But... My neighbor was out mowing his lawn. I don't really want him to think i'm a crazy lady. (He might already?) My self consciousness got in the way of unhindered praise. I still have SO far to go. The irony of my blog title hit me today . . . I don't think I had the faintest idea what it meant when I named it. "Learning to Live for HIS Glory." Well, maybe I did. I at least realized it was a process! Do you realize, friends? Do I realize? God's GLORY! It's the only thing worth living for! At all. Nothing else will ever fulfill, Give hope, Be accomplished. His glory? We can be confident it IS being displayed. That's His purpose! We can join Him ...

"Fatigue robs us of wonder. Rest reveals it." ~Billie Cash. Sometimes I just need to stop . . . Sit by a creek and listen to the water flow. Sleep in. Marvel at creation. Turn my phone OFF. Spend unhurried time in the Word of God. Cause in the middle of the craziness of life, Sometimes I get too focused on the normal. Eyes lose their sparkle. Laughter loses it's frequency. I forget to stop and smell the roses. "Be still, and know that I am God!     I will be honored by every nation.     I will be honored throughout the world."             ~Psalm 46:10 When was the last time you did that? For me it was this past weekend.  But it doesn't have to be a weekend. It can be just an hour, just a moment, where you are STILL. That means your mind isn't going a million miles a second! In that stillness, know He is God. He will receive glory from this world . . . look at how that's happening. Breathe . . . He gave y...