Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

Did you know that there is an ultimate, true Reality?  There is also the reality of what we can see, touch, and feel. I have been asking the Lord a lot lately to please reveal more of His Reality to me.  This is because like you, I can get bogged down in the earthly, daily "reality" of life. The Lord tells us to hope in Himself.  When we hope in earthly things, accomplishments, places, people, and things, we miss the mark.  Did you know that that is the literal definition of the word sin?  To miss the mark, as in when we aim an arrow at the target and miss. How to straddle Reality and reality?  After all we are not in heaven quite yet.  We live in these earthen vessels for now with all of their issues and problems.  We do not waft on a cloud of perfect peace most days.  At least I don't. Instead, I welcome anxiety and confusion.  "Come on in!" I say.  But they do not have a place in the life and heart of a Christ-follower.   Christ has promised to give us His pe

If you travel in Christian circles at all, you have undoubtedly heard somewhere along the line that God has a plan for your life. You may have even heard that God has a wonderful plan for your life. Only problem is, our definition of wonderful is not the same as God's. How do I know?  Experience. We're American.  So our idea of "wonderful" has been molded by idealistic dreaming - as long as you are living the American  dream, you are doing well. But is that God's idea of wonderful?  What exactly is God getting at with His plans for our lives? Our hearts. Pure and simple. He wants our hearts. The seat of life, emotions, dreams, hopes, affections, desires - these are what our hearts hold. Once our hearts belong to Christ, His plans are able to fully work in and through and for us. He has and wants good things for us because He is a good God. But if we've lived any length of time, somewhere along the way - either frequently or not - our hearts have been broken, b

I've been touchy lately.  Irritable.  Short-tempered.  Letting every little - and big - thing get to me.  I've been a nervous wreck. I think it's the cumulative affect of being in lock down for so long. I keep thinking that I need a vacation, that some R&R would do the trick. Then today, as I was reading in Hebrews chapters 4-6 about the rest of God, I got thinking about how Jesus never took vacations (as far as we know).  And though Jesus was always in God's peace, He was a very busy man!  Every day, everywhere He went, He was in demand as a teacher, healer, and rescuer.   Now Jesus went away frequently to pray.  And He spent time with His Father.  This rejuvenated Him. But I spend time every morning with Jesus, too.  Without fail.   Yet just a few hours into the day, depending on what is happening around me, I find myself getting upset about something or someone. How to stay in the rest and peace of God? What causes us stress?  How do we manage it?  Was Jesus ever

Whenever I hear the song, "Mary, Did You Know?" I cry.  I can't help myself. The combination of the melody, the poetic lyrics, the depth of truth and meaning in the lyrics all leave me in a state of worship and weeping.  So beautiful. The other day in the grocery store, the song came over the loud speakers.  I thought to myself, "Oh know!  I am going to cry right here in the store!"   As I pushed my cart down the aisles, I worshiped the Lord in my heart.  It was so powerful and moving.  I did my best to hold back the tears, and I succeeded somewhat.  My eyes welled up but I didn't blubber like a baby! I am always moved to worship the Lord when I hear this song.  Every. Single. Time. There aren't many songs that do that to me.  This song is special. It may surprise you to know that the lyrics were written by Mark Lowry, a Christian comedian.  Buddy Greene wrote the music.  When I first learned that Mark was the writer, I was a bit surprised.  I did not kn

Christ lives in our hearts by faith once we receive Him as Lord of our lives.  So it would stand to reason that since He lives in our hearts, that if we "follow our hearts," we are following Him.  But that is not the case. Scripture tells us that the heart is deceitful above all else. (see Jeremiah 17:9 ) The heart is the seat of our emotions.  God gave us emotions as gifts.  But they are not to be trusted as gods or sources of truth and wisdom.  Emotions are ever-changing and unreliable.  No, we need more than our hearts to guide us. For truth and wisdom there is only one place to consult: God's Word.   We know that what our heart "tells" us can be the furthest thing from God's Word.  "But I feel  like this is the right thing to do."  "I am overwhelmed with emotion, so it must be God's will."   As women especially, our emotions run deep.  They can also be all over the place! That is why it is crucial to know and study God's Word.