One Thing Remains

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains

Your love never fails it never gives up it never runs out on me

On and one and on and on it goes
It overwhelms and satisfies my soul
And I never ever have to be afraid
One thing remains

In death and in life I'm confident and covered by the power of your great love
My debt is paid there's nothing that can separate my heart from your great love

The lyrics above are from one of my favorite songs right now. It's entitled "One Thing Remains" by Brian and Jenn Johnson from the Bethel Church in Redding, CA.

This morning while I was at the gym sprinting my legs off on the treadmill, I listened to this song and something hit my soul that I can't really explain. It's like the lights when on and I discovered that what I knew about God's love doesn't even compare to what it actually is.

Higher than the mountains that I face, Stronger than the power of the grave, Constant through the trial and the change, One thing remains. Really think about that. God's love is HIGHER than the mountains that you face. It's STRONGER than the power of the grave. CONSTANT through the trial and the change, this ONE thing remains. In life we often think we NEED so many things. But ultimately could the only NEED we have is God's love? Sure we need clothing, food, sorce of income - but what about Matthew? Don't worry about the clothes you wear, the food you will eat - look at the Sparrows with all their needs met. Are you not more important to God than a Sparrow? My translation :).

Could it be that God is really the GREAT I AM! Not just a statement you read in a book, not just someone you hear about from your family, Pastor or significant other, what if God really is SO great that the best way to describe Him is just I AM! The I AM over your finances, the I AM over your family, the I AM over your emotional struggles.....THE I AM OVER EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE, if you WANT Him to be.

With all the things that are going on in the World it's so easy to turn to the things which are tangible around us. Relationships with others, food, alcohol, endless TV watching...the list goes on and on. We turn to things in this world which numb us when ultimately, we are not turning to the One Person that is higher and above it all.Higher than a mountain, stronger than death, constant when everything else is falling apart. I want to turn to Him rather than the things that cause me to sway to and fro like a wave in the wind. I want to hold onto the CONSTANT when things are changing daily my World, while tornadoes are ravaging our country and while there is no guarantee for the next day or next minute of my life.

His love is SO powerful and the more I think about it the more I can't explain it. His love is deep, He love is Wide and it covers up completely - we just choose to sometimes ignore it.

Is God Still Good??

Even in the noise, God will speak to you. I discovered tonight that though there may be noise consuming your ears and people on each side of you - Holy Spirit will still speak to your heart in a way so soft, but yet so distinct that everything else fades as you hear what the Lord is trying to tell you.

Have you ever noticed that there are times in your walk with the Lord where you are struggling to get your mind around something and things just aren't making sense? It's like you know all the stories, you've seen Him show up in a great way in your life, you KNOW He's real but yet sometimes there are just these moments where we stop and think "Where are you in this God?" This kind of standstill has happened in my life recently where I am watching God bless many people around me with healing, increase in finances, a family given a house TOTALLY rent free and I'm just watching God bless all of these people - but not me. Here I am sitting in my room of unanswered prayer waiting for Him to do for me what I see Him do in the lives of so many others but yet, I feel like I'm on a stand still watching other people play the game while I'm benched from the team.

As I've gone though this time questioning and sadly to say sometimes doubting God, tonight, He stopped me dead in my tracks. The Wednesday of every month my church has a service that is full of nothing but worship and prayer. The first song that was played tonight was about God's goodness. The service going on around me, I was signing, people were clapping next to me and I got the urge to stop singing and to just listen. I then felt the Lord speaking to me saying "Do you still believe that I am good in the middle of your circumstances?" I said "Yes, God, I do." I then felt the strongest conviction as I felt this truth go into the core of my being "Then why don't you act like it? Don't just wait for me to DO something for you so you are convinced of my love and goodness. Live out my goodness in everything you do because you love and trust me." WOW....I know right!

It was then that I discovered I was having a performance driven relationship with God. I sometimes feel like others want me around and love me just for what I can do for them. If I have nothing to give, they don't want anything to do with me. It's when I have something they want that they are then enjoying relationship with me. As much as I HATE feeling that way, I discovered tonight that I put God in the same box other people put me and it devastated me. Why can't I just be thankful enough to God for my life! I should have been dead by now given the way I used to live. I would have never thought I would be at this place in life that I am today but yet there is always something I am ungrateful for.

The more I walk with God the more I discover that the further away we get from our past and the first time we encountered Him, the more entitled we tend to become. When we first are introduced to Jesus we realize how GOOD He is and how in need we are for Him. As time goes by, we (or at least myself) start to forget how much He has already given us and we lose sight that even though He may not be answering our current prayer right away, He saved our live over 2,000 years ago and that is the most important thing of all.

With all that said, let me encourage you with this. The next time you find yourself comparing yourself to others, doubting God in your life, looking at what you don't have - sit back, breathe and let God talk to you about your situation. No matter what happens is God still good, yes. Does God still love you no matter your actions, YES! Even though it may not look like it now, is God still Just? Yes. He's in every situation, every life, every thought - we just have to choose to look at Him rather than what's surrounding us.

Clean Towels

Every now and again I have these moments in life. Moments, that I can't really describe but I know there are revolutionary in my thinking. As I sit down with my laptop along with Misty Edwards playing off of ihop.org in the background, I'll do my best to translate my heart into mere words so you can share this moment with me.

First let me give you a little history. Growing up, I didn't have a lot. I grew up in a household that consisted of my Dad, my Grandmother and my Uncle all living together trying to make ends meet in the midst of addictions, dysfunction and abuse. With all those dynamics we never had a lot of money. I remember times where I would sleep on a bed with out sheets, food wouldn't be in the refrigerator and my wardrobe for Jr. High consisted of 1 pair of jeans and 2 t-shirts. I wasn't familiar with a home life that consisted of luxuries such as different outfits for each day of the week, options of food to pick from in the kitchen or even more than one pair of shoes. I wasn't taught how to do laundry so I wore the same clothes for multiple days and cleaning consisted of shoving everything out of sight when people came over. That was the only reality I knew and I learned how to live and be content.

Tonight I was doing laundry (which is my ULTIMATE favorite chore) and as I was rolling up my Egyptian cotton towels, I took a whiff of the great smell and thought "How did I get here??" As I sat there looking at a small pile of folded up jeans, a huge pile of socks and other items of clothing, I sat and I just thanked the Lord for what He has given me today. To be able to not only be alive but to be able to enjoy the sweet fragrance of clean clothes, to feel the softness of good quality items and to feel the honor of. managing MY household far better than I had been shown as a child - I was taken back at how good God has been to me.

There are others from backgrounds similar to mine that either end up incarcerated, dead or living in the same dysfunction they were shown as a child. I realize I am fortunate and I have come to the conclusion that even though I may not have the life I ultimately want for myself, I have done far greater than I ever would have imagined 9 years ago. The only thing I can think that separates myself from those that have continued to carry on their family misfortunes is I choose a God who could redeem me from all of it. I recently saw the Disney movie Tangled and I think my life is a lot like that. I was kept in this dark place. I knew there was more out there, I knew there was light and goodness out there somewhere, I just didn't know where to find it and was filled with so much fear from the lies I was told that I didn't think it was possible for me. Then one day I got bold enough to say "I'm going to try this. I'm going out into the World" and as I stepped into the light I saw others walking in, I met Him. A God, a Prince and a Redeemer that looked at everything going on in my life and said "I know this is what life is right now for you, but it wont always be that way if you will just take my hand, get on this white horse with me and I'll take you on an adventure of a lifetime."

I know for others laundry may not seem like much, cleaning your kitchen is tedious beyond imagination and putting away groceries can be a bother. For me, it's such a gift. I don't take any of the things I have in my life today for granted and I know that all of it comes from the Lord. I have seen what my life is like with out Jesus and after tasting Him, I know that He is far better than anything of this world. Even though there are times I prefer to eat the cheap McDonald's meal of the World rather than the 4 course Italian dinner prepared for me at His table, He always welcomes me back and He blesses me simply because He loves me. There is nothing like having your eyes opened to life and coming to the realization that you are at a place you never thought you be, experiencing things you never thought you'd experience all because of the Lord.