"Paper Hearts"

I read this post the other day and found it very thought provoking, so now I'm sharing it with you!!

"Everyone is probably familiar, in one way or another, with the method of cutting a heart out of a piece of paper. It’s really only four simple steps:

1. Fold piece of paper in half
2. With folded side in, trace ½ heart shape
3. Cut on line, making sure not to cut along fold
4. Open and enjoy

Simple. Still, it always amazes me that no two hearts ever come out exactly the same. This is because they are handmade. Handmade items, even replicas, are never exactly alike. Some variation always exists, no matter how minuscule. Like paper hearts, we as individuals are handmade, handmade by God himself. Even God never cuts out two hearts that are exactly the same. We are all a unique expression of Him. This can make understanding one another more complicated, but also far more intriguing and exciting than if they were all the same. We each offer our own variation of who God is. This couldn’t be more evident to me, than in the variations that exist in my own kids. In them I see pieces of their daddy, I see pieces of me, but even more clearly I see a completely one-of-a-kind little person. They each have their own unique thoughts, perspectives, and abilities. This is exactly how our Father views each of us. In fact, it’s how He intended us to be.
I attend LCBC and for the past two weeks the message has been centered on, what I recently heard described as, the Jesus Creed. The creed comes from Mark 12:29-31, which reads...

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Sure it sounds simple, but application is always a different story. So what does it look like to love God and love others, what does that mean? These past few weeks I’ve really been challenged by the reality that no handmade being can do so in exactly the same way. Which means this creed is not limited to one expression of love, because God is not limited to one expression of love. Rather, this is an opportunity for us as unique individuals; cut out by Him, to display the many unique ways He loves. However, learning to be true to the way you were created and operate freely as yourself can be difficult. We are bound by our fears, for me specifically I’m often bound by my fear of what others will think of me. What if my heart isn’t the right shape, color, size, what if, what if, what if. All too often I find myself holding back God’s love because of my fears. My desire for myself outweighs my desire to be true to the heart God cut out for me. Likewise, learning to value and appreciate the uniqueness of the hearts of others can be just as complicated, especially if their heart operates in a way that is unfamiliar or different from our own. This has also been a struggle of mine, learning to let God and others love me outside of my comfort zone, and in accordance with their heart’s unique message. I’m realizing that in order to see the many shades of His colorful love and appreciate the unique hearts in which it is birthed, I have to allow His grace to be the translator between hearts that speak different languages.

By His grace and our willingness to be true to ourselves we can encounter His love in deeper ways. The same happens when we allow others the grace to be true to the heart He has given them. Maybe your heart is long and narrow, or short and wide; maybe it is tiny, or ripped on one side, even lopsided. Whatever its appearance, it has a unique message to deliver, one that only it can say and in exactly the way it was made to say it."

Susan Ferrari

.: DON'T CONNECT THE DOTS :.

How many of you have completed a connect the dot puzzle? You know what I'm talking about...those puzzles that have little numbers or letters with dots all over the page. The activities that helped us learn our alphabet, how to count to 100 or revealed a picture of a bible story?? Well what if I showed you a connect the dot puzzle and asked you to tell me what the final image would be WITHOUT connecting a single dot? Some images would be easy to pick out, but the more numbers or letters that are added, the harder it would become. OK now what if I told you that there was a connect the dot puzzle of your life? Interesting thought isn't it.

OK lets take this one step further. Looking at your puzzle, what do you see? Is it neat and organized with dots that are easy to connect? Or maybe your puzzle is full of clusters of dots here and there? Or maybe your puzzle is ONE. BIG. DOT in the center of the page? Like I said before, this puzzle represents your life. More specifically this puzzle represents the times you've heard God's call/whisper and obeyed.


Take a look at the puzzle again, what do you see? Has God been working in your life? Have you been listening to His voice? Do you know His voice of truth among all the other voices SCREAMING for your immediate attention? Maybe you've started thinking about all the times you've heard and disobeyed...STOP! That's your enemy attacking. He knows your weaknesses better than you do, but he's a liar and can't be trusted. What I need you to do is focus on your puzzle. Your job is NOT connecting the dots. God's already done that! Your job is NOT determining what the puzzle will look like in the end. God's already knows! Your job is NOT critiquing the artist. See Romans 9:22-33 The Message.


Romans 9:20-33 (The Message) Who in the world do you think you are to second-guess God? Do you for one moment suppose any of us knows enough to call God into question? Clay doesn't talk back to the fingers that mold it, saying, "Why did you shape me like this?" Isn't it obvious that a potter has a perfect right to shape one lump of clay into a vase for holding flowers and another into a pot for cooking beans? If God needs one style of pottery especially designed to show his angry displeasure and another style carefully crafted to show his glorious goodness, isn't that all right? Either or both happens to Jews, but it also happens to the other people. Hosea put it well:

I'll call nobodies and make them somebodies;
I'll call the unloved and make them beloved.
In the place where they yelled out, "You're nobody!"
they're calling you "God's living children."
Isaiah maintained this same emphasis:
If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered
and the sum labeled "chosen of God,"
They'd be numbers still, not names;
salvation comes by personal selection.
God doesn't count us; he calls us by name.
Arithmetic is not his focus.

Isaiah had looked ahead and spoken the truth:
If our powerful God
had not provided us a legacy of living children,
We would have ended up like ghost towns,
like Sodom and Gomorrah.

How can we sum this up? All those people who didn't seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their "God projects" that they didn't notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. Isaiah (again!) gives us the metaphor for pulling this together:

Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion,
a stone you can't get around.
But the stone is me! If you're looking for me,
you'll find me on the way, not in the way.


Your job is to focus on one. dot. at. a. time. In other words...listen, obey, trust, die to self, let the Spirit take control. Don't take over your life and miss out on what God has planned for you like Israel missed it. God shouldn't be the rock that we stumble upon on this journey of life. He should be the rock we cling to, the rock we build our life on.


Who's connecting your dots?

Time for an UPDATE!

I'm so excited to start The Truth Project with our small group. We watched the promotional video last night and WOW! Here's a little bit about The Truth Project....

In a recent study, the Barna Research Group revealed a stunning statistic that continues to reverberate throughout the evangelical world. Only 9 percent of professing Christians have a biblical worldview.
Because of this, today's believers live very similarly to non-believers. A personal sense of significance is rarely experienced, we spend our money and time on things that fail to satisfy and we begin to wonder what life's ultimate purpose really is. We are, in short, losing our bearings as a people and a nation.
To counter this slide within the body of Christ, we are launching one of the most ambitious and powerful projects in the history of our ministry—Focus on the Family's The Truth Project.
The Truth Project is a DVD-based small group curriculum comprised of 12 one-hour lessons taught by Dr. Del Tackett. This home study is the starting point for looking at life from a biblical perspective. Each lesson discusses in great detail the relevance and importance of living the Christian worldview in daily life.
We believe this one project represents the possibility for exponential change within the body of Christ, as we expect that thousands will be transformed by this curriculum. As it has been throughout history, God continues to call ordinary people to make an eternal difference in our world.

Check out http://www.thetruthproject.org/ for more info!

Obedience....

DEFINITION:
the act or practice of obeying; dutiful or submissive compliance

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. ~2 John 1:6~

Obedience is something we are taught at a young age. Well yesterday I had a new experience with obedience. First, I need to say that I am sharing this story with you because God deserves ALL the glory!!

Last week I heard the song "Clear the Stage" by Ross King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sKURkM3Es&feature=related) Even though I had heard the song several times before, this time I was overwhelmed by the lyrics. The rest of the week these lyrics keep playing over and over in my head. I heard the same prayer echoing over and over again in my heart. God had given me this revelation and I needed to share it. The closer Sunday got, the stronger the stirring from within. Was I supposed to share this with my praise team before we lead worship or was I supposed to share this with the congregation?? I had shared with the congregation before, but would they want to hear me talk again?? How can I NOT share what God had made so clear to me? There was a battle raging inside of me. After we sang the first two songs I knew what to do. I closed my eyes and prayed the prayer that had be stirring within me all week. When Eric returned to the pulpit he thanked me for my prayer and said that as I was praying this verse came to him...

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ~Romans 12:1~

Wow! I was so encouraged to see how the Spirit had united our hearts. I was obedient and God connected the dots.

This expedience was uncomfortable, but I knew it was what the Father was asking me to do. I know that when I take a step out in faith that God will not always respond immediately. However, His immediate response was the encouragement I needed to keep running the race.

May God add His blessing and may you be encourage to take a step out in Faith today!!

Let's Get Real

I'm sure many of you know what I mean when I say I've reached a "dry spell" in my spiritual life. The high has worn off and I'm left waiting for the next encounter with the Spirit. I'd like to say this is the first time this has happened to me, but we all know that's not true. This life is a journey and we need to praise God through it all.

A little while ago someone prayed over me and said that they saw that my "outside" was stronger than my "inside". They told me that my words/actions were different from my heart. In other words I felt like he/she was telling me that I was a FAKE. Those were hard words to hear and at the time I dismissed them. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I really started evaluating my actions. I started asking myself, "why am I doing this? For my glory or His?" It's been a real struggle and I'm beginning to see how selfish I really am. I also started reading
So, You Want To Be Like Christ?: Eight Essentials to Get You There by Charles Swindoll. WOW what an eye opener. It's been a HUGE help in my search to be more like Christ. I'll share one phrase that really hit home for me. "Growth is change, but change is not always growth." This has helped me realize that I need growth in my life not change. If I try to change something I will fail. If I allow God to help me grow, I know the end result will be a success!

So to all of you who are down in that valley and need a change....I encourage you to GROW!! Let God mold and shape you in this time of desperation. In our weakness HE is strong!

Glory to God!

Fun at the 1st Friday in Lancaster

We visited the Prince Street Cafe....

Played piano....

and had a photo shoot!!

.:~ WORSHIP ~:.

For those of you that don't know me very well I really enjoy music. I like listening to music, I like analyzing music, I like creating music, I like learning about music, but more importantly I LOVE WORSHIP! For most of my life I've viewed worship as music. After a recent conversation with a friend I've been starting to see things a little bit differently. Here's what I've learned so far...



Worship is NOT:

Music, songs, singing, dancing, instruments, painting... these are only expressions of worship


Worship IS:

Our connection to God


Worship cannot be confined to a box. It has to change, it has to grow and it has to move forward.


It's so easy to worship God at church on Sunday mornings because that's why we are there, but what about during the week? I don't know about you but I can get really caught up in LIFE during the week. Things like work, school, family, friends, hobbies, finances, errands and maybe if we can find the time, relaxation. All these things distract us from our connection with God. They scream at us for attention while God lightly taps us on the shoulder reminding us that He IS still there. Then before we know it Sunday rolls around again and it's time go to church. So we go and say, "OK Sunday school teacher, worship team and preacher man, get me connected again!" So we sing a few songs, hear the word of God proclaimed and fill ourselves for another week. Sound familiar? Is that really worship?

So WHAT IF...we all came to church on a Sunday morning already connected to God? What would services look like? We wouldn't need to sing songs to get connected we'd already be connected and we'd be ready to GO! Ready love God with all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds and all of our strength. This means we'd have to fight during the week. We'd have to fight to keep our connection alive. Are you ready to fight? Am I ready to fight?

AMAZED

Last week I was listening to my ipod at work and somehow through all the noise I heard this song LOUD & CLEAR. I've heard the song plenty of times, but for some reason this time was different. The words pierced my heart, wanting so desperately to be accepted and received. How could I not accept these words, this promise from my Lord, my Creator and the Love of my life? "You dance over me while I am unaware, you sing all around but I never hear the sound" WOW. The Spirit is always leading, always directing, always loving and scripture tells us that the Spirit even prays for us. "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Romans 8:26



Have you felt His AMAZING LOVE today. Will you stand in His presence amazed at what He's done for you and for what He will continue to do?



Amazed

You dance over me

While I am unaware

You sing all around

But I never hear the sound



Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed by You

How You love me



How wide

How deep

How great

Is Your love for me



How wide, O how wide Lord

How deep, O how deep Lord

How great, O how great

Is Your love for me



Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

Lord I'm amazed, amazed by You

How You love me

I Will Boast In The Lord My God

So....I haven't posted anything on here for a while. To be quite honest there hasn't been much going on. I have a feeling that's about to change!!

Last night we had Youth Fellowship. Our youth group tried to have one every month but over the holidays and with all the snow we've had this winter (not complaining it was BEAUTIFUL) we haven't had a Youth Fellowship this year. The evening went on like normal, ping pong, pool, board games and lots of conversations happening. Then around 10:00 when everyone was getting ready to leave Anthony and Matt got out their guitars. There's a group of us that enjoy sitting around and sing praise songs. It doesn't always sound wonderful but we're here to give Him all our praise! But last night, God desired so much more than our praise....He wanted US!!! We shared scripture with each other, we prayed with each other, we cried with each other, we affirmed one another but it was ONLY by the power of the Holy Spirit that all of those things were possible. I can't even begin to describe how I felt....all I know is that it was VERY UNCOMFORTABLE!!! The best part was that I left that house at 2:00AM wanting more of CHRIST! Today I woke up wanting MORE OF CHRIST!!! My mind has been filled with countless songs of praise, countless thoughts my first love and what brought me to Him. I'm tired, weary and broken but I WILL BOAST IN THE LORD MY GOD!!!! For when I am weak, HE is strong! Glory to God!

I will boast in the Lord my God

I will boast in the One how is Worthy

I will boast in the Lord my God
I will boast in the One how is Worthy

I will make my boast in Christ alone

AT LAST

God finally provided a snow free day to have our Christmas Party/Outreach!! It was totally worth the wait.

After we filled our bellies and assembled the kits (blankets, tissues, chapstick, hand lotion) it was time to head for the shelter. Before we left we were given instructions to pair up with a friend, but at least one of us had to be comfortable praying out loud. As we drove some of the younger guys expressed their concerns about what was expected of them. They weren't sure what they were going to say to these women, or how they could pray for them. I told them that many of the women may just want you to listen. God had been laying that on my heart for sometime so I made sure I shared that with the guys. I encouraged them to take some time on the way there to pray that God would give them the words to speak and the ears to listen.

When we arrived, there were already some women waiting at the shelter. It was a little awkward at first. The women were standing in line and our group of about 40 were standing at the other end of the parking lot. Once the doors were opened the women filed inside and signed in for the evening. We followed close behind them. We were told to ask for Brian, but to our surprise he had no idea our group was coming. The bad news doesn't stop here.....because it was a women's shelter, men were not allowed into the "sleeping area". What a bummer right? Kelly explained to Brian that our idea had already been approved by the board and we were really excited to be there. Thankfully there was a "common area" that we could invite the ladies to join us...men included! Brian did warn us that most of the ladies have a routine and he wasn't sure how many would be willing to come down and fellowship with us. Kelly, Nichelle, Kara and I took a deep breath and headed upstairs to invite the ladies to join us. Kelly made an announcement saying that we had a few things down stair that we would like to give to them and that we would love to spend some time with them as well. To our surprise about 7 ladies marched right up. The first thing they asked was "can we sing"? If you know me at all you know I enjoy music...that question made me smile, inside and out! We went down to the rest of the group and sang for about 15 or 20 min then everyone kind of did their own thing. I was blessed to talk with two women, Tracy and Chakira who was from Montego Bay, Jamaica! :D





Chakira enjoyed singing gospel music, writing poems and beat boxing...she was a real entertainer! When I asked her how I could pray for her this was her response, "I want to be able to use my voice". WOW! This beautiful girl had very little but the one thing she valued most (her voice) she wanted to use to glorify God! What a good lesson for all of us.



The second lady I spoke with was Tracy. I could tell that she was kind of like the mother of the group. Earlier in the evening two of the girls were arguing and started to get a little physical. Tracy told them to stop and they listened to right away. She later told me that everyone in the shelter called her mom. My heart was saddened as I listened to her story. She had just become homeless in the last month, her current husband was staying at a men's shelter and she was the mother of 6 children none of whom were with her. She asked me to pray for her family and her housing situation. In the next couple weeks she was going to be getting an apartment through a housing agency.

I praise God for the women in that shelter. It was such a blessing to spend an evening with them. Everyone really does have a story to tell.....we just need to be willing to listen.