I want to set
The story straight
It's time to tell
The truth
I never could
Have come so far
If it were not
For You
You covered up my sin
You covered up my silence
You covered up my shame
You made me new again
Chorus:
It's all because of You...
They tell me to
Abandon You
To make my dreams
Come true
So what am I
Supposed to do?
I only dream
Of You
You covered up my sin
You covered up my silence
You covered up my shame
I am new again
It's all because of you...
____________________________________
This song is one of the simplest songs lyrically, but the talent of Tree63 brings it to life! This is by far my favorite song right now. I encourage everyone, whether you are a new believer or if you have been a believer your whole life, to listen to as much worship music as you can. God has given so many people on this earth the ability to play music, and there isn't a better way to connect to God then through musicians that are praising him with the talents he has given them. Music is an amazing gift from God, and look how the world is tainting it. Amen to those who use it the way it was suppose to be used. To praise our Father for everything he has given us. To me, music is one of the closest ways for us to connect to God and to show him we love him. So next time you hear that song you love on the radio, or in church, don't be afraid to close your eyes and raise your hands to praise our Lord, because he rejoices in it. He has joy in our love toward him.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
In Tune With Reality
You know that feeling you get deep down inside when you know that life is just going how it’s supposed to. That feeling that makes you constantly smile and laugh to yourself even though there isn’t anything funny going on. That feeling that makes you smile at every stranger that walks by, and say hello to them just because. Do you know that feeling? That feeling where you don’t know why you are so happy, but you don’t care because life has never felt better. Where you want to tell every person in the world how much you love them, and you’re not afraid to. The feeling that makes you experience life like a kid again, where you don’t know what to do with all the happiness going on inside of yourself. Do you know that feeling? Because for the past few day I’ve had that feeling non stop, and I don’t ever want it to end.
The past few days in my life, some pretty bad stuff has been going on. I know; it’s ironic isn’t it. After all I was saying about how great I’ve been feeling; now I’m telling you that some horrible stuff has been happening in my life. School wasn’t going good, and no matter how hard I tried, I just didn’t seem to ever get good grades on tests and homework. Work was even worse. We started new wine test that every employee had to take in order to keep working. I had no time to study wine because of all my school, YoungLife, and worship band stuff I had going on in my life. I need money just like everyone else does to pay bills, and my job wasn’t looking like it was going to provide for much longer. These were just the start of my problems. But for some reason, I still had this amazing feeling inside of me. I had no idea where it was coming from and that’s the exact question I starting trying to answer.
How?
To be honest I hadn’t been reading my bible as much as I would like to. I hadn’t been praying as often, and I started to get that feeling that everyone gets. That feeling that makes everyone always say, “I’m starting to fall away from God.” Remember that that sentence for me, because I’m going to talk about it later on. But to continue with what I was saying, I felt myself slowing taking that path opposite of the narrow one; that easy path in life. We’ve all been there before. We do and make whatever decisions we can to makes ourselves feel better and to make our own lives easier (I spoke about feelings in my last blog, read it over to learn more about them).
At first I tried to rule out God. After all I hadn’t felt as close to him as I have in the past. And during those times, when I felt like God was touching me with his own hand, I had not always felt the way I was feeling now. After a night of praying for clarity and vision, God decided to let me in on his little secret of life.
Jesus Christ. Have you heard of him?
He was there the entire time, and I just choose to not see him. But I forgot one little thing, that is a lot bigger then most of us understand it to be.
You see, God is. God is then, now, and forever. The writers of the bible, the most holy book, had trouble explaining God. They used the word “Yahweh” which translates from Hebrew as “I am”. God is everything. God is everywhere. He is always with you, in every part of your life, and the things surrounding you. God made the world and everything in it. He made it all for a reason, and he is part of everything in the world for a reason. He is in our bedroom, in our car, in our classrooms, in our work, in our kitchen; anywhere you have been or are going. He is. He is always there in everything going on in our life. And the greatest thing about it all, is that even if we don’t realize he is there working, he is still there. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I just decided to not realize God in my life. I decided (not on purpose), to forget he is the reason for everything. Remember what I said earlier on, about falling away from God? There is no way for us to “fall away” because he is in everything. Always there. How can you fall away from everything? You can’t, you just tell yourself you are, because we aren’t in control of your feelings like you should be. We let them take over again, and they try to tell us God isn’t here. And the whole time, He is present.
A while ago I decided to change the way I live to the way Jesus did, and do everything I can to live like him (or at least try). I did this because I decided that living like Jesus did is just a better way of living life. And scripture tells me that through God, I can do anything (Philippians 4:13). We are all living a “way” in life, and the way I chose to live is like Jesus. I try my hardest to be generous, to forgive, to have compassion, to listen to wisdom from others, and to be honest. All of these things I learned from Jesus, and reading scripture to learn how he lived. And over time I have realized that living like Jesus has started something deeper in my life. I have felt this constant feeling of joy and happiness. It’s because I have realized that this new way of living is “rooted in profound truths about how the world is” (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis). I have this feeling inside because I am learning that I am living in tune with perfect reality.
Jesus’ intention was just this. He wants us to be in tune with everything going on around us. To completely be connected to reality at its deepest level. He wanted to show us God through his actions and words. And God is the ultimate reality. There is nothing more beyond God. Tie it all together. I try to live like Jesus, who is completely in connection with God, and this is the best possible way for me to live. This is the best possible way for me to be connected with all reality. And when I am connected to ultimate reality (God), I am happy.
I urge all of you to take one thing out of everything I have talked about. Understand that Jesus will expose you to reality. He won’t try to tell you that the world is about religion, but that it’s about reality. So I ask you, try your hardest to live like Jesus, and line yourself up with the way things are. And you will feel this happiness and amazement that I have been feeling, because you will be one with reality.
You will be one with God.
Dear father,
How perfect you are. Your words created the universe and everything in it. How majestic your love is. Your beautiful creations aw me day after day, and for some reason I still manage to make mistakes. You sent your only son to show me how to live, and how to understand reality; how to understand you and everything going on in my life. Lord I will try my hardest to live like Jesus, because I love you with every ounce of what I am. I want to know more about who you are, and I want to try to understand your love. Father take me and make me new through your son. Guide me and give me wisdom on my journey through life. And one day, I know I will understand. But until that day comes I will give me life over to you, for the glory of your kingdom.
In your precious name, Amen
The past few days in my life, some pretty bad stuff has been going on. I know; it’s ironic isn’t it. After all I was saying about how great I’ve been feeling; now I’m telling you that some horrible stuff has been happening in my life. School wasn’t going good, and no matter how hard I tried, I just didn’t seem to ever get good grades on tests and homework. Work was even worse. We started new wine test that every employee had to take in order to keep working. I had no time to study wine because of all my school, YoungLife, and worship band stuff I had going on in my life. I need money just like everyone else does to pay bills, and my job wasn’t looking like it was going to provide for much longer. These were just the start of my problems. But for some reason, I still had this amazing feeling inside of me. I had no idea where it was coming from and that’s the exact question I starting trying to answer.
How?
To be honest I hadn’t been reading my bible as much as I would like to. I hadn’t been praying as often, and I started to get that feeling that everyone gets. That feeling that makes everyone always say, “I’m starting to fall away from God.” Remember that that sentence for me, because I’m going to talk about it later on. But to continue with what I was saying, I felt myself slowing taking that path opposite of the narrow one; that easy path in life. We’ve all been there before. We do and make whatever decisions we can to makes ourselves feel better and to make our own lives easier (I spoke about feelings in my last blog, read it over to learn more about them).
At first I tried to rule out God. After all I hadn’t felt as close to him as I have in the past. And during those times, when I felt like God was touching me with his own hand, I had not always felt the way I was feeling now. After a night of praying for clarity and vision, God decided to let me in on his little secret of life.
Jesus Christ. Have you heard of him?
He was there the entire time, and I just choose to not see him. But I forgot one little thing, that is a lot bigger then most of us understand it to be.
You see, God is. God is then, now, and forever. The writers of the bible, the most holy book, had trouble explaining God. They used the word “Yahweh” which translates from Hebrew as “I am”. God is everything. God is everywhere. He is always with you, in every part of your life, and the things surrounding you. God made the world and everything in it. He made it all for a reason, and he is part of everything in the world for a reason. He is in our bedroom, in our car, in our classrooms, in our work, in our kitchen; anywhere you have been or are going. He is. He is always there in everything going on in our life. And the greatest thing about it all, is that even if we don’t realize he is there working, he is still there. And that’s exactly what happened to me. I just decided to not realize God in my life. I decided (not on purpose), to forget he is the reason for everything. Remember what I said earlier on, about falling away from God? There is no way for us to “fall away” because he is in everything. Always there. How can you fall away from everything? You can’t, you just tell yourself you are, because we aren’t in control of your feelings like you should be. We let them take over again, and they try to tell us God isn’t here. And the whole time, He is present.
A while ago I decided to change the way I live to the way Jesus did, and do everything I can to live like him (or at least try). I did this because I decided that living like Jesus did is just a better way of living life. And scripture tells me that through God, I can do anything (Philippians 4:13). We are all living a “way” in life, and the way I chose to live is like Jesus. I try my hardest to be generous, to forgive, to have compassion, to listen to wisdom from others, and to be honest. All of these things I learned from Jesus, and reading scripture to learn how he lived. And over time I have realized that living like Jesus has started something deeper in my life. I have felt this constant feeling of joy and happiness. It’s because I have realized that this new way of living is “rooted in profound truths about how the world is” (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis). I have this feeling inside because I am learning that I am living in tune with perfect reality.
Jesus’ intention was just this. He wants us to be in tune with everything going on around us. To completely be connected to reality at its deepest level. He wanted to show us God through his actions and words. And God is the ultimate reality. There is nothing more beyond God. Tie it all together. I try to live like Jesus, who is completely in connection with God, and this is the best possible way for me to live. This is the best possible way for me to be connected with all reality. And when I am connected to ultimate reality (God), I am happy.
I urge all of you to take one thing out of everything I have talked about. Understand that Jesus will expose you to reality. He won’t try to tell you that the world is about religion, but that it’s about reality. So I ask you, try your hardest to live like Jesus, and line yourself up with the way things are. And you will feel this happiness and amazement that I have been feeling, because you will be one with reality.
You will be one with God.
Dear father,
How perfect you are. Your words created the universe and everything in it. How majestic your love is. Your beautiful creations aw me day after day, and for some reason I still manage to make mistakes. You sent your only son to show me how to live, and how to understand reality; how to understand you and everything going on in my life. Lord I will try my hardest to live like Jesus, because I love you with every ounce of what I am. I want to know more about who you are, and I want to try to understand your love. Father take me and make me new through your son. Guide me and give me wisdom on my journey through life. And one day, I know I will understand. But until that day comes I will give me life over to you, for the glory of your kingdom.
In your precious name, Amen
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