Poems

Here's some poems I came across recently that I thought were very uplifting. In short, they spoke to my soul, and I hope they speak to yours as well.

From all my lame defeats and oh! Much more

From all the victories that I seemed to score;

From cleverness shot forth on Thy behalf

At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh;

From all my proofs of Thy divinity,

Thou, who wouldst give no sign, deliver me

Thoughts are but coins. Let me not trust, instead

Of Thou, their thin-worn image of Thy head.

From all my thoughts, even from my thoughts of Thee,

O thou fair Silence, fall, and set me free.

Lord of the narrow gate and the needle’s eye,

Take from me all my trumpery lest I die.

~Clive Staples Lewis

“This life, therefore, is not righteousness,

but growth in righteousness,

not health but healing,

not being but becoming,

not rest but exercise.

We are not yet what we shall be,

but we are growing toward it;

the process is not yet finished,

but it is going on.

This is not the end, but it is the road;

All does not yet gleam in glory,

but all is being purified.”

~Martin Luther

O Lord, against this bosom blast

Of coiled and seething feelings,

Batt’ring passions, ebbing yearnings,

Oozing ache of inner man,

Raise Thou the flinty walls of stuff of

which Thy son was made.

Yea, build in me the buttressed

bastions of faith

That shall resist the undersucking flow

of soulish tide,

And make me to endure this late attack,

I pray in Jesus’ name.

~ Jim Elliot

The Main Thing

What is most important to you? What is it that makes you happy? What fills most of your waking thoughts? What do you think about when you go to bed at night? These are some questions I've been asking myself lately. I have a lot of interests and hobbies, and I have friends and family members that I love. Often enough, I go to bed thinking about everything that must be done tomorrow, or about that new book I've been wanting to read. Sometimes, I think about what I'll be doing on the weekend with friends. But how often, I ask, do my thoughts turn toward the Saviour of my soul? How often do I think about Jesus and his love as I drift of to sleep? As a Christian, He is the one who should fill my every waking thought. I should find peace and rest in His presence. Jesus Christ and Him glorified is what should be most important to me. But all too often, the desires of this world and the thoughts of the sinful nature make up the majority of what I care about. The real reason why I hardly ever find my perfect peace in His presence is because I do not enter into His presence. When I come before my Lord, and lay my burdens at His feet, He gives me the peace I need to get through the day. When I am willing to put aside all that so easily besets me, and simply be still and know that He is God, all the disorder and chaos of my life comes to an end. All my confusion and fears and worries and anxiety is handed over to Him, and in return, by his marvelous grace, I am given strength and determination to carry on. Oh Lord, grant that I may remember always to come before you. Give me the grace to lay all of myself, my dreams and hopes, plans and failures, at your feet, and be renewed by the transforming of my mind. Do not leave me where I am, but change me, God of my Salvation!

Worldliness

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:15-17
How often have you heard a sermon on worldliness? Just think about it for a minute. It's a topic that's not often touched upon by most pastors. I wonder why. I would like to hypothesize that the reason worldliness is not often chosen as the subject for Sunday's sermon is because the spiritual leaders of our churches are often catering to the wishes of their members, as well as themselves, in this area. Let's face it. No one likes to feel convicted, and we certainly don't want to feel convicted about our media and entertainment choices. We enjoy our movies, t.v. shows, music, websites, magazines, books, etc., and we don't want to give them up! All too often, our entertainment choices are a huge area of compromise in our lives. We make decisions about what we will view or listen to or read based on what we think is "the limit". A few swear words are okay, but not a lot; one objectionable scene is okay, but if that is the whole premise of the movie, than it's a definite no. When the reality is, we as Christians should never be okay with viewing or listening to things that glorify the things of this world and the devil rather than the things of God. This week, I've been listening to a great sermon series entitled "In the World but Not of the World". I have been so convicted and encouraged by what I heard, and it is my hope that you will be too. Here's the link for the sermon series: http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1170-00-51
I encourage you and challenge you to check it out. Although we may look strange to the rest of the world, and although it might require sacrifice and determination on your part, remember that you are doing it for the Lord, who was willing to give up his only son for you. As Jim Elliot so wisely said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose".

Steadfast Love

When I was little, there was one particular song my dad always sang to me when he was tucking me in bed, or comforting me after a bad dream. It was called "Steadfast Love". The lyrics went as follows:
The Steadfast Love of the Lord never ceases.
His mercies, they never come to an end.
They are new every morning, new every morning.
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Oh Lord, great is thy faithfulness.
As a little girl hearing "Steadfast Love", I knew that everything would be all right. Daddy was there, God was with me, and my favorite teddy bear Walden was sleeping at the head of my bed to keep an eye on things. I still think of bedtime when I hear that song, which is rather an awkward feeling when one is standing in church singing it. :-)
This past week, God's amazing, steadfast love has been with me. For several days, my heart was extremely distant from God. I wasn't spending time with him, I wasn't praying, I wasn't doing anything that had to do with God. My heart felt extremely cold, and although I knew what I was doing was wrong, I didn't do anything to change my behavior. I felt extremely depressed and angry, my moods were up and down, I succumbed over and over to temptation and sin. In short, I was an unholy mess. But by the grace of God, I realized my sin, and asked for his forgiveness. And, just like the sunrise, his mercies were new for me that morning. God revealed areas in my heart where I had been giving space to Satan, and living to fulfill my selfish needs and desires rather than following His will for my life and deepening my relationship with Him. Oh, how merciful and gracious is the Lord! His mercies are indeed new every morning. I praise Him for His faithfulness, for His sovreign grace, and for His steadfast love.

Helping the Poor

Well, once again, it's been a while since I've blogged. Practically the whole summer in fact. You see, the thing is, when I write, I like to have something worthwhile to say. I don't just want to write about random things that have happened to me, or interesting tidbits of trivia that will have absolutely no impact on the daily lives of my readers. When I write, I want to inspire. I want to create in my readers a desire to know God more fully and to grow in their faith. In truth, my heart echoes St. Paul's desire to "impart some spiritual gift" to make my readers strong in the Lord, so that together we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

Unfortunately, opportunities for inspiring are few and far between in my life at the moment. Right now, I am just beginning to solidify my own beliefs, and to truly understand what it is that I stand for. At times, God opens my eyes to see many wonders in His word. Sometimes they are things that could be shared and would mutually benefit my readers and myself, but at other times, they are more personal things, things that speak directly to my own soul and to my own path that God is calling me to follow. It would be foolish to expect that everyone would understand what I am going through and the significance of such things to me. As Aslan would say, "No one is told any story but their own." However, I have recently found, among the many Christian books I have been reading, a common thread, and one that is extremely important for all Christians, whatever their walk in life, to understand.

First of all, take a look at the life of Job, one of the most amazing and righteous men in the Bible. Before God allowed the Devil access into Job's life, Job was rich and powerful. He was a respected man, one whom others turned to for answers. But what exactly was the source of Job's popularity and success? Listen to his own words: "Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him. The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing, justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger. I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth." This was why Job was successful. This was why he was considered a righteous and upright man. Because he helped those who had no helper, and protected those who were without protection.

All over the world, there are people who are suffering, people who need help. In Africa, there is the boy-soldier, forced to fight and kill like a man in a senseless war at the tender age of nine or ten. In Haiti, there is the orphan who is starving in the streets in a land left destitute and ravaged by war in the wake of the white man's control. There is the child-prostitute, the persecuted brother or sister in the Lord, the slaves who are still being bought and sold 149 years after the Emancipation proclamation freed slaves here in America. And then, there is the homeless, the addict, the poor and destitute who live within your own city limits. And what are we doing about it? Some of us do research so we can be more "informed" about the "issue". Some of us hand a dollar to the guy at the corner just so that we can ease our conscience. A few of us do a little more. We visit our local homeless shelter or soup kitchen, and as soon as we get back we return to our self-centered, consumeristic American lifestyle. We can't do more, because we might miss our Friday night movie, or our weekly sitcom. We rush to the movie theater or the book store, expending all of the passion and energy we could be using for God's glory on the worthless pursuit of entertainment. We spend hours on Facebook or Twitter, keeping up with all the meaningless chatter and playing all the mindless games that we can find "just for the fun of it". Our society seems to be always searching for "fun". But where is the love, the compassion, the servanthood? In a world where all the largest churches have coffee shops and gift stores, we are sadly lacking the desire to help the poor and the outcast, the orphan and the widow.

I am just as guilty as anyone reading this. I waste countless hours of my time watching movies, reading novels, spending it all in the pursuit of having fun. I am just as self-centered as anyone else. But by the grace of God, I want to change! There is nothing wrong with entertainment in moderation. I am not saying that all movies, and music, and books are bad, or that Facebook is an abomination. Goodness knows I love and enjoy all of these things just as much as anyone else. But it is when they become the sole focus of our lives, when every leisure hour is spent in mindless entertainment, that we have a serious problem. It is when we don't want to remember the fatherless because we might feel guilty that the issue arises. It is when we are too concerned with self to care about any other person that we desparately need to change. And in our materialistic world, such a conviction can become a monumental struggle. As we attempt to slowly change the focus of our lives, we will be assailed on all sides by the Devil and his minions. Because he knows that once we give up self and deny it what it wants and craves, he is losing his hold over us. Are You willing to take the challenge? Will you fight along side me in the battle for those who have no one to fight for them? God has a special place in his heart for the widow and the orphan and the poor, and I want to have the same love for them that he has. And by his grace, this desire can become a reality. Jesus Christ has already died on the cross and delivered us from our sinful selves, but we have yet to take him up on his offer. He will transform us into his very nature, the nature of the one who sought out the poor, the sick, the lame, the blind, the orphan and the widow, if we will only allow Him to do so.

Story-Teller

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved telling and writing stories. I started with simple ones, just little stories with pictures I colored myself to illustrate them. Then I moved on to poetry, which is still one of my favorite pastimes. In 9th grade, I wrote a fantasy novel entitled "The Dragon Slayer". It was extremely fantastic and dramatic, I can assure you. In 11th grade I attempted a Jane Austen- style romance. None of my efforts at authorship seemed worthy of publishing, however. I wasn't satisfied with any of them. I tried and tried to put the images in my head onto paper, but it just didn't seem to work. I could envision the scenes and conversations and characters (believe me, I have a great imagination), but they just wouldn't go onto the page.

One night last year, as I lay in bed trying to come up with a good story line, an image popped into my head. It was a girl, dressed in dirty rags, staring up at a mansion, brightly lit from the inside. She clung to the iron bars surrounding the building as tears streamed down her dirty face. Instantly, the entire story line came into my head. I drifted off to sleep shortly after, and the next morning sat down at my computer. The minute I began to type, the words flowed from my fingers. In half an hour, I was done. I was amazed. God had given me a story. Actually, it was God's story. All I did was write it down. For several months, I have pondered getting it published. But the more I think about it, the more I feel I should simply give it to you, my readers, the same way it was given to me. Freely. So here it is, and I hope you enjoy it.

The Masquerade
A God-inspired story written down by Kara Martus

You stand outside the wall, with your face pressed against the immense, wrought-iron gate that reaches all the way to the sky. On either side of you, the unscalable walls stretch as far as the eye can see, and along them are piles of dirty, smelly garbage. You’re cold, and you’re bone tired. You’re dirty, but there’s no water to clean yourself with, not even enough for a drink, and no comfort. Through the gate, you can see the beautiful ballroon with walls of purest gold, its brilliant lights shining out of the large windows. Music plays, and parts of the joyful melody waft out of the open windows, along with the laughter and voices of the happy participants inside. Other outcasts, like yourself, are standing with you outside the gate. You keep up a tough front, and hide your desire from them, but no one is fooled.
“No way am I going in there!” you say, but your heart is aching even as you say it. As the others wander away into the fog, you stand all alone, still staring at the ballroom, and wish that somehow, someway… but it is too late. You look down at the rags you are wearing, stained and crusted with filth. You tremble as the bitter, icy wind blows across you, and push your matted hair out of your eyes. Silently, as a tear trickles down your muddy cheek, you turn to go. Suddenly, the gate creaks open behind you. Amazed, you turn and stare in wonder. A handsome stranger, dressed in an imaculate white tuxedo is standing in the gateway. He holds out his hand to you, and smiles.
“May I have this dance?” he asks.
“But sir!” you gasp. “Look at me! I am filthy! My clothes are in rags. Why would you want to dance with me?”. You turn your back to him, ashamed to have this wonderful stranger see you in all your misery and weakness.
“Come,” he calls, softly and tenderly. “Come just as you are. Take my hand, and trust me. I can make you clean. Dance with me.” Could it be possible? Do you dare to trust him? What if it’s not true? What if he’s only making fun of you? But then you look into his eyes, full of love and longing, and your hand reaches for his.
Instantly, you are standing in the doorway of the ballroom. The room is filled with people, all dressed in spotless white. They twirl and glide around the room, some of them dancing better than others. You can hear the music clearly now, and its beauty fills you with joy and peace. You wonder what the dancers must be thinking of you, a filthy stranger clothed in rags. But it doesn’t matter; you are dancing with the handsome stranger now, and he tells you his name is Jesus. Jesus: what a beautiful name. You look down for a moment and, astonished, find your rags are no longer there. Instead, a dazzling white ball gown covers you. You are clean! Your hair has been washed and curled. Satin slippers cover your once-bare feet. Your skin is beautifully white, white as snow. Joy fills your heart, and you laugh in pure ecstacy. Your partner, who is just as delighted, laughs along with you.
For a while, nothing else matters. Only that you are dancing with Jesus, and he loves you. Then, you being to notice the other dancers around you. Some are happily dancing, like yourself, but others seem different. For one thing, their faces are covered with white, expressionless masks, and their cold eyes glare scornfully at you from behind them. The masked ones have stopped dancing, and parade about the room, holding the masks to their faces. You look down, puzzled at what the could be staring at. Is there a stain somewhere? Is your hair falling down? You see nothing, but you still feel uncomfortable. Maybe something is wrong with your face, or maybe you aren’t dancing well enough. For the first time since you entered the room, something else matters more than dancing with Jesus. As your partner twirls you around, you notice a table in the corner of the room. Masks, like the ones covering the faces of those watching you, are stacked neatly on the table. A man, dressed in black with a hideous mask over his face sits behind the table. You want to keep on dancing, but now that you’ve seen them, you can’t bear the cruel looks of the masked guests. You must have one of the masks! You drop your partner’s hands, and rush over to the table.
“You desire a mask?” the man in black asks, rubbing his hands together. “The price is your joy.”
“My Joy?!” you exclaim. Must you give up the joy that has filled your heart ever since you walked into the ballroom? It seems like such a high price to pay. “I won’t be happy anyway if they are staring at me all night,” you reason with yourself. And so, you give up the priceless treasure of your joy, for a porcelain mask.
You put it to your face, and run to join the other masked ones. It’s harder to breath behind the mask, and the music no longer sounds as lovely as it first did. However, the others no longer stare at you, and seem to accept you as one of their own. They criticize the other dancers as they pass them by, commenting rudely on their skill (or lack of it) and causing consternation and embarrassment in the hearts of many, while puffing up the pride of others, and causing them to stumble. From time to time, as you parade and stare right along with the rest of them, you catch a glimpse of Jesus. He is dancing with someone else now, but his eyes, as they catch yours, are filled with sadness. Remorse fills your heart. You wish you could still be dancing with him, but you’d need both hands, and you’d have to hold the mask up. If you let it down, even for an instant, the others might see you for who you really are. You force yourself to turn away, and continue walking. Your arm begins to get tired, but you can’t let the mask down. The woman beside you seems tired too. Her steps are slow, and her breathing is labored. She is trying to hold up her arm with the other, trying so hard to keep the mask up to her face. With every ounce of the little strength she has left, she hangs on to the mask, but it isn’t enough. The mask starts to slip away. As if on cue, all the masked ones turn and form a circle around her, glaring at her, but still maintaining a nerve-racking silence. Then, the mask falls away, and breaks into a thousand pieces. Behind it, the woman’s face is filled with anguish and despair. Her eyes are rimmed with red, and countless wrinkles speak of anxiety and exhaustion.
“No!” she cries, weeping as she clutches the broken shards of porcelain to her chest. Her violent sobs rack her body, and she cries as if her heart is breaking. Suddenly, Jesus is there. He kneels down by her side and looks into her eyes. The room is still, but the music continues to play softly.
“Sweetheart,” he says gently, “Didn’t you know that you mean more to me than anything? All these others, their opinion means nothing to me. If you let them, they can destroy your happiness and steal your joy, but as long as you only care about what I think of you, your joy will remain full.” The woman wipes her tears away, and looks into his face. “I can give you your joy back, but in order to do so, you must give me your mask.” She looks down at the broken fragments in her hands. A doubtful look is on her face, but she looks into Jesus’ eyes, and trustingly places the pieces in his hands. He smiles, and whispers something in her ear. Her face lights up, and as she gazes adoringly at her savior, she is once more transformed into the beautiful, confidant woman she was before the mask enslaved her. Jesus stand and helps her to her feet, and she smiles radiantly at him as he leads her to the dance floor.
You watch them, dancing happily, and your heart aches. What will be your decision? Will you join the dance once again, or will you hold on to a mask that will only cause you grief and pain? Slowly, you pull the mask away from your face, and look down at its placid red lips and empty eye sockets. Your mind is made up. As you start towards the dance floor, the mask slips from your hands and falls to the floor, cracking in half. You turn around and look down at it. A smile spreads over your face, and as you look up, you catch Jesus’ eye. He’s smiling too. Joy once again fills your heart. The mask is broken, and the masquerade is over.








This story certainly has a very special place in my heart, and means a great deal to me. Throughout my short existence here on earth, I have seen many, many times, the effects of masks worn by the princesses of God. The result is always frustration, anger, anxiety, fear, worry, insecurity, and judgment. God created us as women to be confident in our roles as wives and mothers, or simply as his daughters. We were made to shine, to be radiant for Him, and to pour out ourselves in sweet abandon for him. But all too often, the masks that we wear rob us of our God-given strength, and keep us from reaching our full potential, which is to serve and love him in the area he has placed us in, whether it be raising children, or bringing his good news to the masses. The effort of wearing our masks, of keeping up a good front, causes us to pour out all that we have into that one meaningless task of holding our fake face up to the world. We judge each other, and rip each other apart, while behind the mask, we are falling apart too.
Through this story, I hope to issue a call to all the women who are our have ever worn a mask of porcelain perfection. Because that’s all it is. Underneath, you are still you, and no mask will ever change that. Porcelain is great for looking beautiful, but porcelain is also great at one other thing: breaking. So, come, break your mask with me. Stop hiding behind it, and show the world who you really are. Start reaching out to your sisters in Christ. If we continue to hide, to glare and criticize, we will tear each other apart. United we stand, divided we fall. Think of the impact we could have on this world, if we would ignore our differences, and unite under the common banner of Jesus and his good news. What are you waiting for? Break your mask.

Entitled "Warrioresses?" or "Are Women Called to Fight?"

I know it's been an awfully long time since my last post. Things have been pretty crazy, and I've been like a chicken with my head cut off, running here, there, and everywhere. Be that as it may, I am back, and with your permission, I will write about something that has been troubling my mind for quite some time.
I don't know about you, but I love a good adventure story, and it's even better if it's a true one! Scottish Chiefs, Ivanhoe, and Lorna Doone are some of my favorites. Anything filled with knights and battles, chivalry and honor, strength and courage is my delight. Strange, I know, but I prefer boy's books to any others. Medieval history is my favorite. And one of my favorite websites is The Bravehearted Gospel. If you haven't visited it yet, you need to. I so enjoy reading the blog posts, which are always an encouragement to fight for the truth. This is going to seem very strange, but I scored a 21 out of 23 on Eric's "How filled with the manly stuff are you?" quiz.
Now those of you who know me well realize that I am as girly as they come. I hate snakes, and bugs, and frogs, and anything slimy. I love dressing up in frills and ribbons. I like to paint my toenails different shades of pink. But the one thing I am passionate about is the Truth. Anytime I read The Bravehearted Gospel, I find myself wanting to preach the gospel loud and long to crowds of people. I want to stand up straight and proclaim from the mountains that Jesus Christ is Lord. And I want to fight, fight, fight for all the He stands for and all that He is. Now, the question is, is it wrong for women to fight?
My answer is no. I am not condoning women joining the army. That is something I do not agree with at all. I am not saying that women should be preaching from the pulpit. I don't agree with that either. What I am saying is that there is a gap in the spiritual army of God, and we women need to be willing to fill it. No offense to any gentlemen reading this, but you are few and far between. Men that are willing to stand up for what is right, and true, and holy are lacking in this generation. Look at the biblical example of Deborah and Jael. When godly men were lacking, God raised up women to fill their place. I understand that they may be the exception to the rule, but our times call for exceptions. If you notice, when you read the stirring passage in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God, Paul had just finished speaking to men, women, and children. It wasn't as if he was only talking to the males of the congregation. He was talking to everyone!
So, what should we as the mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives be doing? We should be using our God-given gift of nurturing and encouraging to raise up the men in our lives to be strong and valiant men of God. We should praise every effort made on their part to stand for the truth, no matter how small it may be. And in the meantime, we should stand in the front lines in their place. We should fight for what we hold dear. We need to fight for our homes, for our right and privilege to be women. We need to stand up for the millions of precious lives lost through the horror and abomination that is abortion. And we need to make the Truth known, the Truth that Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and will come back to earth in order to judge the living and the dead, the good and the wicked.
How ashamed I am that I am such a helpless creature. How frusterated I become with my sinful self. I am a selfish, defiant and rebelious being, at emnity with God and Man. In my own strength, I can do nothing. But praise be to the God of heaven and Earth! He has saved me from my sins, and called me to live a brand new life in Him. On my own, I cannot fight for the truth. My strength is worthless, and my striving is as that of a tiny ant attempting to move a mountain. But God's strength in me is enough to move not just one mountain, but the Himilayas. Oh, how I wish I remembered that fact more often! How much time I would save if I just let him take over! Praise God for his infinite patience with me. I am as far from the lofty calling I have described as any of you. I am not asking for miracles. I am simply asking that you join me on the journey to reaching that calling. God did not call us to live a comfortable life in Suburbia. God called us to do great and mighty things for Him. Will you join me on my quest? Will you come with me so that God can accomplish his eternal purposes through our lives? May our prayers together be an echo of this prayer written almost 400 years ago by a princess facing martyrdom for her Lord.
O Lord, Be Thou Unto Me
A Strong Tower of Defense,
I humbly entreat Thee.
Give me grace to await thy leisure,
And patiently to bear
What Thou doest unto me;
Nothing doubting or mistrusting
Thy goodness unto me.
Only arm me, I beseech Thee,
With Thine armor,
That I may stand fast.
Above all things, taking unto me
The Sheild of Faith,
Praying always that I may revert myself
Wholly to Thy will,
And comforting myself in such trials as it shall
Please Thee to send Me;
Seeing such trials are profitable for me;
And I am assuredly persuaded that all that Thou doest
Cannot but be good;
And unto Thee be the glory and power forever,
Amen.
~Lady Jane Grey

Calling out Your Name

One of my favorite artists is Rich Mullins. Every time I listen to his music, my soul rises up and soars. What an incredible man of God! In every one of his songs is a deep love for his savior and a faith that is beyond compare. I'd like to share with you all the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. It's entitle "Calling out Your Name", and I think it's one of his best.

Well, the moon moved past Nebraska
And spilled laughter on them cold Dakota Hills
And angels danced on Jacob's stairs
There is a silence in the Badlands
And over Kansas the whole universe is stilled
By the whisper of a prayer
And the single hawk bursts in to flight
And in the east the whole horizon is in flames

Chorus:
I feel the thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And I hear the prairies calling out your name.

I can feel the earth tremble beneath
The rumbling of the buffalo's hooves
And the fury in the pheasant's wings
It tells me the Lord is in His temple
And there is still faith that can make the mountains move
And a love that can make the heavens ring
Where the sacred rivers meet beneath
The shadow of the Keeper of the plains

Chorus

From the place where morning gathers
You can look sometimes
Forever till you see
What time may never know
That the Lord takes by its corners this old world
And shakes us forward and shakes us free
To run wild with the hope
I know that this thirst will not last long
And that it will soon drown in the song not sung in vain
I feel the thunder in the sky
I see the sky about to rain
And with the prairies I am calling out your name.

Rich Mullins fulfilled one of his dreams by living on a Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico and teaching music to the children there. He desperately wanted to bring them the gospel through his music. This song, filled with Native American imagery, is such an amazing testament to his life-long goal.
Some called him rebellious because he didn't follow the guidelines laid out by society. Sometimes he went barefoot to church. He didn't really care for the world's opinion. But he gave everything he had. His home at the Navajo reservation was practically empty. He never had any money in his pockets because he was constantly giving it away.
"Like Thoreau, I love to suck the marrow out of the bones of life," Rich Mullins had said. "People want to know God's will for them. In one of his most explicit statements on the subject, Christ said, 'I come that you might have life and have it abundantly.' One day it won't make any difference how many albums I sold, but I will give account of my life to God. What I think He'll be most pleased with is to see that we truly lived, that we were the person He created us to be."
All I know is, I've been incredibly blessed by his music, and I will count it a great priviledge to meet him someday in heaven.
(Click on this link to watch a music video of "Calling out Your Name" on YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaNwTYJrYtA

Low Expectations

I'd like to remind everyone reading this of the great and powerful God we serve. I'm sure He's tired of the low expectations we have of Him, and I know I am. It's time we start having faith in what he can do, and quit settling for less. God's word tells us to pray without ceasing, to seek and we shall find. God delights to give us what we want, if we will only have the faith to ask!
This is a quote from the book Set Apart Femininity by Leslie Ludy.
He will supernaturally protect us from harm.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling, for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Psalm 91:5-12)
He will save, heal, and rescue us from destruction and fill us with good things.
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. Who forgives all your iniquities? Who heals all your diseases? Who redeems your life from destruction? Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies? Who satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles? (Psalm 103:1-4)
He will do even beyond what we ask or think.
Now to HIm who is able to do exceedingly abudantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
He will give us victory over sin.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death;but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romands 8:2-6)
These are just a few. God is GOD!!!!!!!!!! Never forget it.

More Wisdom From Narnia

"Is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "If there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking together, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Than he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you." ~The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Over and over again throughout the Chronicles of Narnia, the children are reminded that Aslan is not safe. "He's not a tame lion, you know". Aslan comes and goes, doesn't like to be tied down, and does what he will. He is not to be pressured into anything. When he chooses to come is when he will come. He is not safe.
How much like our great Lion of Judah this is! God cannot be locked into a formula, he does not have to do what we think he must do. God is GOD. So often we try to say, "If I just pray this way, or if I just do this, God must give me what I want". God is not to be ordered about. We must learn to trust him. He delights to give good and perfect gifts to his children, if we will only let him. As Jim Elliot once said, "God gives the best gifts to those who leave the choice with Him".
God is always in control, and he knows what is best for his children. Loving God is not a safe thing. God is dangerous, and following him is even more so. In the process, you may lose your friends, your family, your belongings, and even your life. But just like in Narnia, at the end of this world, what treasures await use in the next!

Being "Different"

Recently, I've been listening to audio books in the car as I drive to work. I'm not really a morning person and I find it extremely hard to look forward to the 45 minute drive in crazy rush hour traffic, but listening to a book on the way makes the trip go by faster and keeps me from going insane. My latest book is Ted Dekker's Saint. It's the story of a man who was brainwashed and became a trained mercenary assasin for the X Group, a secret organization in Hungary. Interesting choice, I know. The funny thing is that although the book reads like The Bourne Identity, complete with car chases and snipers, I've been able to glean some very important spiritual truths from it. The main character, Johnny, struggles to accept the fact that he will never be normal. His training and talents have set him apart from the rest of the world. For Johnny, this is a huge tragedy. We human beings want so much to fit in, to be part of a group, to be accepted. Johnny's best friend Samuel tells him that until he accepts that he is a freak, ostracized from society, he will never be able to wield his powers fully. As Christians, we are different. We are freaks. We have been given the amazing power of Jesus' love, and we will never be the same. We are not apart of the world. We are called to be in the world, but not of it. Until we accept this fact, like Johnny, we will never be able to reach others with the Love of Christ. How often in my life I've wanted to fit in. I hate to be thought of as different. I want everyone to accept me, but that's not my goal in life. God has accepted me, and I need to accept my true calling, which is to be set-apart for him. The sooner I learn this, the sooner I can bring greater glory to my Heavenly Father.

Welcome to the Wardrobe

One of the very first books I read was The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I was 5, and it was a birthday gift from one of my mom's friends. The book was magic. I entered the wardrobe right when Lucy did. I stepped on the fresh white snow with her, and walked home with a faun for tea. I was with her when she first met Aslan. I saw his great, golden eyes, and felt his wonderfully soft fur. I played with the Pevensies, laughed and cried with them, shouted with victory when the battle was won. In a way, I grew up in Narnia. I went on to read all the books, from The Magician's Nephew to The Last Battle. It was a world that I entered readily, over and over. And through entering the wardrobe with the other children, I also entered on a deeper relationship with my savior. In Aslan's eyes, I saw my Jesus. I watched him die, and realized more fully the price he paid for me. I felt more of his love, and felt my heart yearn towards him. When I learned to love the lion Aslan, I learned to love the Lion of Judah. Now, as an adult, and reading the books again, I see even more than I did when as a little girl I poured over the books under my covers with a flashlight, long after I was supposed to be asleep. I see the child-like faith of Lucy, and wish I had more of it. There are still parts of Narnia I have yet to explore. I have come to compare my childhood journey into Narnia, with my spiritual journey into the great unknown frontier of GOD. I've gone through the wardrobe door, yes, but I have so much more to explore. I hope you enjoy coming with me.