02
He is mighty to save,
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
I love this place.. So holy and there is such freedom & immense joy.. God has used this place and people to show me how He redeems the deepest parts of my shattered heart.. Teaches me the meaning of everlasting joy and the true presence of …peace.. I set foot on this sacred ground and my heart shifts and misses a beat - at the beauty, at the presence of the Lord in a deeper, more immense and powerful presence than I have never known.. Thank you from the deepest parts of my heart for this place, this time, these people, these hard questions, these moments of angels singing and for the absolute gift of loving You more intimately…
Love heals your heart - Third Day
Did you think you were immune to this
Did you think you could escape without infection
You do all you’re able to resist
Just to avoid the danger of rejection
Memory warns you of the past
When it all went wrong
When you think your life is shattered
And there’s no way to be fixed again
Love heals your heart
At a time you least expected
You’re alive like you have never been
Love heals your heart
Everybody has a wall to climb
That was built to guard the pain that holds them captive
Every smile that they would hide behind
Will try to mask the hurt beneath the surface
Sometimes it’s hard to understand
How we’re trapped inside
Fringes by Shane and Shane
FRINGES
by Shane Barnard
He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing
And how faint a word we even hear of Him
And yet – our eyes and ears and minds get all the candy
I sing for grace
For grace it lets me sing
And all I’ve ever seen or heard
Or haven’t seen or heard
It’s His
There is no other
All of this is but the fringes
And these are but the fringes
And all the world hinges
On His grace and on His word
It speaks things into being
And the spoken things revealing
The glory of our God and King
I’m stumbling upon things that aren’t mine
Things he spoke to life before time
Name one thing that’s not
One law or thought
He taught the clay
Molded it
Behold, He called the sheep
That’s why they came
Sheep! Who by grace get a peep
And make it cheap by calling it mine
“Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?” (Job 26:14)
that wasn’t supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You’ll have
your heart broken and you’ll break others’ hearts. You’ll fight with
your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you’ll cry
because time is flying by. So take too many pictures, laugh too much,
forgive freely, and love like you’ve never been hurt. Life comes with
no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances. you just have to live
life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell
someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone’s hand,
comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late,
be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don’t be afraid to take
chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because
every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can
never get back.”
Trust..
In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise – in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (vv 10-11)
Each passing day seems to chip away at our trust as we succumb to the temptation to rely upon ourselves rather than God. We trust him for the eternal protection of our soul but our personal safety seems to be regarded as our domain, not His. Think about David’s words at the end of verse 11; ‘What can man do to me?’ If you were to take just a few moments you could probably come up with quite a list of offenses that could be visited upon you.
Now, take that list and ask the same question of each offense. What difference will it make in eternity? Is my current safety and security going to affect my eternal life? Eternal life depends completely on the grace of God and your acceptance of His mercy. When our trust begins to shift back toward God we worry less about what man can do to us and we become bolder as Saints. There is much to learn from King David in this grouping of prayers. Meditate on them and be strengthened.
- by Doulos Christou
So, a theme of me and Jesus right now is really figuring out what it means to love and be loved. My soul craves to know, without a shadow of doubt, that I am His beloved. That I am desired, that I am known, that I am wanted. That I am part of a love that is bigger than me, more intimate then I even know and have grasped yet, deeper then thecracks of my heart, more vast then all the stars in the sky on the clearest night, more adventurous and joyful then I have yet to expereince and more completely then I can even comprehend..
My Dearest Love,
My Dearest Love,
I watched you today, just a whisper away, as you lay on the hard ground weeping. I felt a knife cut right through my heart as I sensed your pain, fear and weariness with the burdens you bear: shame, disappointment and the dark despair of loneliness. I know sometimes it is so bad you want only to run away from the world—disappear and find a place to rest. You want to close your eyes and make all of it just fade away into the blissful surrender of sleep. I know how you feel….
So many times have I longed to scoop your battered body into my arms and hold you close as I could—to place your head against me so that the beating of my heart would drown out all the sorrow and all the pain. How I have wished to be the place where you could hide away from the cruel and cold demands of this world! I would cover you with my kisses and whisper the vow of my undying love for you.
You are mine, and nothing you could have ever done, nothing you have ever felt or said, can ever pull you away from me. You are the very passion that drives me; and it is for the love of you that I would willingly walk to hell and back just so you would know how precious you are in my eyes.
Your beauty takes my breath away; there is not one anywhere in this universe or in any other time that could ever take your place. You are rare; a precious jewel I have fashioned and created, for which I willingly lay down my life. You are always in my thoughts, and there is nothing in your mind so small that is not of greatest importance to me.
How I long for you to seek me— to run into my waiting arms and let me release once and for all the chains that bind you and keep you from feeling free! How I long for you to seek my gaze, and tell me from your heart all it is that you think and feel; all it is for which you desire, hope and dream! What is it that makes you smile? What brings you greatest joy? Ask of me, that I might grant your every need, and in myself I shall fulfill them all. I wish to bring you sweet mercy and peace; a salve to heal all the wounds you have received from those who cannot see the treasure you are.
Love me— reach for me, come to me and only me, and I will give you a love you have never known in return. It is a love without condition that burns bigger and brighter than the sun and all the stars in heaven. All the oceans of the world could not contain it; it is unbound even by the parameters of time. Seek me and I will never disappoint you. Put all your hope in my hands, and discover wonders for which you never even dared to dream! I am here, just a whisper away; call my name, and see how swiftly I will come running to your side to hold you, carry you, protect and shield you. There is nothing that could ever keep me from you; no place so dark, no enemy so strong, no storm so threatening and no sin so scarlet that I cannot defeat it all for the love of you. See, reach out and touch my hands, and my feet. Run your fingers along the scar on my side. I have taken on the powers of death, itself and won! My dearest beloved, I did all of this for you!
Come to my arms, feel my warm embrace, look into my eyes; I am your long awaited prince who wishes only to take you, my own, away to my kingdom. There, I will wipe away all of your tears, and kiss away all of your regrets until there is nothing but purest joy to fill your heart and soul. Never forget, my love, you are mine; I have written your name in the palm of my hand - you belong to me. I could never leave you, nor forsake you. I am waiting and watching you; always at your side, through every valley, across every desert and into every fire you will face. I am yours, my beloved, and you are mine; not for just a lifetime, but across the skies of all eternity…..
With all my love, I remain forever yours…
Jesus
(written by kristen caroway)
