May God put you together

Hebrews 13:20-21 (The Message)

"May God, who puts all things together,
makes all things whole,
Who made a lasting mark through the sacrifice of Jesus,
the sacrifice of blood that sealed the eternal covenant,
Who led Jesus, our Great Shepherd,
up and alive from the dead,
Now put you together, provide you
with everything you need to please him,
Make us into what gives him most pleasure,
by means of the sacrifice of Jesus, the Messiah.
All glory to Jesus forever and always!
Oh, yes, yes, yes."

He's gonna be worth it!

"Worth it all"
- by Rita Springer

"I don't understand Your ways
Oh but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it You are pulling me closer
And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing
That the sight of Your face
Is all that I need
I will say to You

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this

You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this"

I believe this too. Everything that we experience on this earth is going to be so worth it when we finally see His face. Oh how I long for that day when I will be in the actual physical presence of my King, forever and ever and ever.

But, for now, I am here on this earth "for such a time as this." He put me here for a reason, in this very generation. It strikes me as utterly amazing that as messed up as this world is, we can still have an incredibly abundant life while we are here in it - simply by realizing our need for Jesus Christ. He loves us enough to give us a complete and satisfying life in Him, despite our ups and downs. He has fulfilled and continues to fulfill every need I've EVER had!

He is my EVERYTHING!

As a young girl, all I ever wanted was for someone to notice me, someone to think I was special, that I was beautiful, that I was the best. I never sought that out from God and I never believed I would ever find that kind of love for myself. I never found the complete and perfect love in a person that I was so desperate for because it does not exist. I was looking in the wrong place. Jesus is the one thing I had been looking for my whole life. He loves me like no human being ever has. You cannot put a price on His kind of love. He's all I've ever wanted and needed, and then some.

His love is radical, special, incredible, irresistable, priceless!!!

The same love He has for me, He has for you too!

John 16:33
"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world."

Immeasurable

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."
Ephesians 3:20



"Jesus, thank you for being even bigger than I think you are. Please forgive me for putting you in a box and not expecting more from you. I am humbled by the fact that you WANT to do immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine – you even delight in the opportunity to out–do my requests. So, today I will put my trust in you, MY God, and I will wait in hopeful expectation for you to move in my live in a remarkable way. In Jesus Name, Amen."

- Carrie Rogers

He's all I've got in this world!

When my husband and I were on our cruise a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but notice the loud music that is always playing in the background on different areas of the ship. I guess it is part of Carnival's culture of fun. Well, one of the songs that I heard twice was one performed by Whitney Houston. As I listened to her beautiful, booming voice belt out these lyrics, I couldn't help but notice that I was singing along, but I was singing her words to Jesus:

"He builds me up,
He gives me love,
More love than I've ever seen.

He's all I've got,
He's all I've got in this world;

But He's all the man I'll ever need."

This absolutely defines my heart for Jesus, the lover of my soul. He is all the man I'll ever need. I am rock solid in my confidence that He is passionately pursuing and totally in love with me. This kind of love has transformed my life. It has also changed the way I view my relationship with my husband. Ironic that this came to my mind at this time, considering the purpose of our cruise was to spend some much needed alone time together and enjoy each other and build up our marriage.

Yes, I absolutely have a wonderful husband and he is a gift from God, to me; a nice added bonus considering many women never experience great marriages while on this earth. You see, Jesus satisfies me completely, heals all of my insecurities, He is my rock, my savior, my redeemer, my restorer, my prince charming, my best friend. He is perfect because He is God and God is Love! If I were to look solely to my earthly husband for these things, I would be setting myself up for disappointment because, my husband is a human being just like me and a sinner, just like me. He treats me beautifully and respects me and is a wonderful father and provider, but He is not God to me. He is a great person, but imperfect, just like me.

You must understand, I spent the first 28 years of my life "looking for perfect love in all the wrong places" - searching for all of those qualities I listed above in whatever man was in my life at the time. Guess what? They all failed me. Those poor guys - they never had a chance to succeed in pleasing me because none of them were God. I was trying to fill the God-shaped hole in my heart with something or someone that would never do the trick.


Finally, now that I live in the realization of who I am in Christ, I have let men "off the hook" - including my husband. Our marriage is so much more secure, so much more relaxed and so much more fun because the pressure is not on him to be my everything.

As Beth Moore puts it, "Yes, we should love our husbands with everything we've got but we must love God first, then we can be healthy enough to love our husbands well."

I never want to be too needy for my husband. If I am, then that is evidence that I am not getting all of my needs met by the only one who can meet every one of them - Jesus Christ!

Psalm 45:10-11
"Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say.
Forget your people and your family far away.
For your royal husband delights in your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord."

So when you are hurt, when you are offended, when you are let down - just take it to God - the perfect love of your lifetime. He will meet your deepest needs right there where you stand. Then, you will be free to go a little easier on the people in your life whose imperfections rub you the wrong way. I am still working on this in my life and by no means do I have it all figured out but one thing is for sure, He is especially fond of me!

And guess what? He is especially fond of you too!!!

A Forgiving Spirit

"I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness.

Many are the times when I have seethed in anger at a word or deed thrown into my life by an unthinking or uncaring person. I have wasted valuable hours imagining revenge or confrontation... I will now and forever more silently offer my forgiveness even to those who do not see that they need it. By the act of forgiving, I am no longer consumed by unproductive thoughts. I give up my bitterness. I am content in my soul and effective again with my fellowman.

I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly.

Knowing that slavery in any form is wrong, I also know that the person who lives a life according to the opinion of others is a slave. I am not a slave. I have chosen my counsel...I now know that criticism is part of the price paid for leaping past mediocrity.

I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself.

For many years, my greatest enemy has been myself. Every mistake, every miscalculation, every stumble I made has been replayed again and again in my mind. Every broken promise, every day wasted, every goal not reached has compounded the disgust I feel for the lack of achievement in my life...

I realize today that is is impossible to fight an enemy living in my head. By forgiving myself, I erase the doubts, fears, and frustration that have kept my past in the present. From this day forward, my history will cease to control my destiny. I have forgiven myself. My life has just begun."

- Andy Andrews, The Traveler's Gift

Luke 23:34
"Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots."

Forgiveness has been my theme lately. God has provided me with plenty of opportunities to extend it to others and to ask for it. I am thankful for the practice I've been getting. The more I "get it", the more I understand the absolute joy and freedom that lies in the realm of walking in forgiveness. There is no bondage there. We are no longer chained to what happened to us, to hurtful words that were said to us or to what we did to others. The grace of God breaks all chains! It is scandalous, it is radical. It involves giving people exactly what they DO NOT deserve and it doesn't come natural to us! But, isn't that what we want God to do with our sins, "forgive us and act as if it never happened?" Don't we get a clean slate with God through repentance? He said that is exactly the kind of grace, mercy and forgiveness we are to extend to others.

Wow, sometimes I can't even believe the things Jesus has asked us to do, as followers of Him. Think how radical it was for him to forgive those who placed him on that cross. Amazing!!

It simply is not in my power to extend that kind of forgiveness to others so I have to ask God to give me the forgiving heart of Jesus; to see my offenders as people whom He loves, whom He created!! Because of what Jesus did on the cross for us, we just don't have to get offended any more!

Thank you God for your very spirit that lives inside of us, empowering us to live out miracles in our every day lives!!

That's Amazing Grace!!

ALL things are possible

There are things that don't seem possible with man, but with God ALL things are possible!! (Luke 1:37) This is a verse my children have memorized last week. I love hearing the sound of their little voices as they say it. It gives me such hope that they might grasp this truth someday......hopefully much sooner than I did!!

This verse is true, God can do anything!!

Have a blessed day!

,Brandi

The Son

1John 4:12
"He who has the son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

So simple, so straightforward.....I love it!! I've lived with Him and I've lived without Him and I can say, without a doubt, there is no comparison!!

This sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico took my breath away on our cruise last week. God's creation speaks to me and gives me peace.......especially the ocean with it's vast, incredible power. It is so great and we are so small. It's bigger than we can even get our minds around. Perhaps it reminds me of God and His strength and love and that is why it moves me so much!

God bless you!

,Brandi

How wide, how long, how high, how deep

Ephesians 3:14-21

Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth:

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen."

This verse has spoken to me so much recently. I feel as though the more I grasp and understand God's great love for me, the more power I have in my life. The power to pray, the power to serve, the power to love others, as Jesus did. Of course I've got a long way to go on my journey but it is getting sweeter and sweeter every day! Praise to Him!!

The Lord has blessed my husband and I with the gift of a 5-day Caribbean cruise. So we are taking advantage of some much needed time alone. What an awesome time to rest in His presence, experiencing His beautiful creation and enjoying each other!

See you in a week!

God is so good!!

He knows exactly what we need, when we need it!

Well, you haven't heard from me in almost a week. This is because I was experiencing computer problems that left me with no internet connection. This forced me to take an involuntary sabbatical from my computer. What began as a frustrating time, turned out to be a wonderful blessing. Without the temptation of checking my e-mail, I was freed up to spend more of my time with God, and with my family. He showed me that I was spending way too much of my time tied to my computer. Not that the computer is a bad thing in and of itself but, I was allowing it to come between me and my precious time with my Heavenly Father! Wow, He knows exactly what I need, when I need it.

Of course, His timing is so perfect! He gifted me with the pleasure of spending this past Saturday on a day-retreat with a few other sisters in Christ and Him. In my 3 hours of quiet time with just God and myself, He revealed some amazing things to me. First and foremost, that He wants me to spend much more quiet time with Him. He is jealous for my time and attention. I am so thankful for His gentle conviction about this. Of all the beautiful things I experienced and heard at this retreat, these words , prepared by a friend, were the words that God chose to use to reveal a deeper level of his amazing love for me:

"My Daughter, in these hours of solitude that you have chosen to set apart for Me, be assured that I will be found by you, if you search for Me with your whole heart and soul. As you seek Me in prayer, in rest, and in My Living Breathing Word, may you sense My presence and My love surrounding you. May you be filled and controlled by My Spirit. Come to Me, My Daughter, and I will give you rest. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your soul. You are precious to Me. You are honored, and I love you."

(Deuteronomy 4:29, Ephesians 5:18b, Matthew 11:28a & 29b, Isaiah 43:4b)

I hope these words are a blessing for you as well!

Wow, God is good!!