I'm in the River: 08/01/2012

Friday, August 24, 2012

THIS IS WHY

This is Why

I’ve been through the desert.

I’ve lived in that place —

So barren, so dry —

That I wondered if I would ever drink again.

I saw mirages, fantasies.

I thought, “Maybe this will satisfy.

Maybe this will be enough.”

But that person,

That situation always disappointed.

So I got on my face and repented.

I decided to turn to You as my only source of comfort.

And somehow — though it was a long and weary night —

I came through on the other side. With You.

I am the one coming up from the desert

leaning on my Beloved.

I once was lost and You found me.

I once was blind and You gave me eyes to see.

Jesus, this is why I love You.

This is why I trust You:

You love me.

*******************************************************************************

Psalm 63:1 (New International Version)

¹ O God, you are my God,
       earnestly I seek you;
       my soul thirsts for you,
       my body longs for you,
       in a dry and weary land
       where there is no water.

Song of Solomon 8:5 (New King James Version)

⁵ Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?

1 John 4:19 (New King James Version)

¹⁹ We love Himbecause He first loved us.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

This is an excerpt from the first lesson of the newest kids series that I'm writing. I've taken each Bible passage where Jesus talks ABOUT children and tell it as a story of Jesus interacting WITH children. Introducing Josiah and Hannah, a brother and sister who meet Jesus:

"...So he said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children'...

Hannah and Josiah were two of the children that Jesus held on his lap that day. Now we are going to pretend to be there. If you are a girl, you are going to pretend that you are Hannah, sitting on one of Jesus’ knees. If you are a boy, you are going to pretend that you are Josiah, sitting on Jesus’ other knee.

Now I want everyone to close your eyes and use your imagination. Imagine that you feel Jesus’ soft robe underneath you. Imagine that you feel Jesus’ strong arms around you. Imagine feeling Jesus’ scratchy beard above you. Imagine hearing the sound of the river behind you. In your mind, look around and see what everything was like to Hannah and Josiah on that day.

Now I want you to imagine that you look right into Jesus’ eyes. Notice how he looks back at you and smiles and blesses you. (Give a brief pause.) OK, now very slowly, you can open your eyes again. What did you notice about Jesus? What did you see or hear in your imagination?"

BORN FOR GREATNESS

(A Conversational Paraphrase of Eph 4:17-5:2)

Don’t live like a homeless wanderer, with an absence of true purpose and meaning. Don’t be in the dark, blind to reality. Don’t be distant from Me because you don’t know any better. Don’t have a hard heart that can’t feel or understand love and truth. Don’t lose your sensitivity to Me by giving yourself permission to indulge in every possible pleasure.

Your desire will never quit and you’ll never be satisfied. That’s not the way to know Me.

Once you came to Me and I taught you the truth. I showed you how to take off that old way of thinking: selfish, inconsiderate, grasping, fearful, desperate, prideful, broken, and hopeless.

I took your twisted mind and shaped you to think straight again—fresh, forgiven, and eager to learn.

I gave you a full makeover from head to toe, inside to out. I made you new, looking like Me… beautiful, glowing, confident, considerate, peaceful, courageous, steady and firm. Don’t let go of your new image. Don’t slide back into old ways.

Beloved, you were born for greatness!

Sunday, August 19, 2012

FOR THE LOST AND THE FOUND

I once was lost.

I pursued other people, other things, and
Other experiences to fulfill me.
I wandered from one unsatisfying high to another.

And I did not realize that You were the One
Who lavished on me everything I have and everything I am.
You gave me my mind, my personality,
A place to call home and money in my pocket
And I used those things
To chase other loves — lesser loves.

All You wanted was for me to be faithful.
All You asked was for me to acknowledge
What You’ve done for me.
And I wasn’t faithful… And I didn’t acknowledge You…

You had every right to take away
Whatever You’d given.
You had every right to expose me —
My secrets laid bare —
My pride and rebellion revealed for all to see.

But You judge me for the sake of love,
Not to destroy me.
You call it like it is
So that I can see what stands between us—
My unfaithfulness and my ungratefulness.

You took away Your gifts and lured me —
To the wilderness, to the desert — to win back my love.
And in time, I chose to return to You, acknowledge You.

Now I’ve got a new song and a second chance:
No longer desolate — I am wanted.
No longer left behind — I am chosen.
No longer broken — I am whole.
No longer bound — I am free to love and be loved!

*******************************************
from Hosea 2:7-15; Hosea 6:1, 3; Isaiah 62:4 (The Message); and Hosea 2:23 (below).

Hosea 2:23 (New Living Translation)
23 At that time I will plant a crop of Israelites
and raise them for myself.
I will show love
to those I called ‘Not loved.’
And to those I called ‘Not my people,’
I will say, ‘Now you are my people.’
And they will reply, ‘You are our God!’”

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Letters of Freedom: Epilogue: Freedom Song

Once a slave

But no longer.

Once in chains

But never again.

Once crying out with desperation

But now – the

Song of the freed.

Dear God,

May the freedom song be in me.

*******************

Isaiah 49:9 (The Message)

⁹I tell prisoners, 'Come on out. You're free!'
and those huddled in fear, 'It's all right. It's safe now.'

Psalm 30:5 (New Living Translation)

⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
      but his favor lasts a lifetime!
   Weeping may last through the night,
      but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 16:9 (New International Version)

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices…

Psalm 40:3 (New Living Translation)

³ He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.

Matthew 9:28 (New International Version)

²⁸When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.

Letters of Freedom #4: "New Song"

Excerpts from Isaiah 61:1-3, 10 (NIV).

Little one,

You may feel as if you are poor and needy, but the Lord has anointed me to give you good news. He sent me to bandage your broken heart. He sent me to proclaim freedom over you because you have been a captive. You’ve been a prisoner in the dark; I’m here to release you. I’m here to proclaim that this is the year of My favor on you!

I will comfort you when you mourn and provide for you when you grieve. That’s my job. That’s what I do. But I also want to give you some gifts-- invisible--but noticeable to everyone around you.

I want to give you a crown of beauty to replace what you’ve been wearing – hopelessness. You’ve been mourning long enough… I want to give you the oil of gladness, a spiritual lubricant to make everything work better even in the midst of troubles that surround you everyday.

And you know what? It’s time to take off the spirit of despair. I know you’ve been wearing it a long time, but you’ve outgrown it. I’m ready to help you remove it forever.

You might be asking yourself what I want from you in return. I want you to explode in praise from deep in your soul!

Now is the time for a new song!

Love,

Jesus

Letters of Freedom #3: "New Life"

Excerpts from Ephesians 1 (The Message) and I John 3:1 (NIV).

Dear Child,

Long before I laid down earth's foundations, I had you in mind, had settled on you as the focus of my love, to be made whole and holy by my love. Long, long ago I decided to adopt you into my family. (What pleasure I took in planning this!) I wanted you to enter into the celebration of my lavish gift-giving by the hand of my beloved Son.

Because of his sacrifice, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, you are free. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! I’ve thought of everything, provided for everything you could possibly need. I want to let you in on the plans I took such delight in making. In Jesus, I’ve had a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.

It's in Jesus that you find out

who you are and what you are living for.

Long before you ever heard of Me and got your hopes up, I’ve had my eye on you, have had designs on you for a glorious life, part of the overall purpose I am working out in everything and everyone.

I want to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing Me personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is I am calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life I have for you and the utter extravagance of my work in you!

You see, My love is extravagant. Come join me in the secret place. I want to have an intimate friendship with you. Let me wash your feet. Let me pamper you and surround you with beauty.

How great is the love that I want to lavish on you!

Love,

God