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Unfolding

My dreams are each like a petal on a flower,
Looking inward at the center until the time of its unfolding
As each passion is realized, it opens to the sun, revealing a piece of the center for the world to see
But the picture is incomplete

My dreams, they seem compartmentalized, like disjointed members of the same mind
All a part of me, yet unrelated to the full reality

But now I can see that as each petal unfolds its beauty, it’s beginning to form a whole

Every dream points to the center, then springs from that source to be seen
And when the flower is complete, each seemingly separate piece
Reveals a whole image—one dream formed from different compartments of my heart

So when I can’t see clearly, and it seems my life is incomplete

I’ll just remember that some petals are still turned inward
But in time they will open and reveal the full center

Truth is Stronger

I hope you know that the enemy will do everything in his power to remove you from the places where you are supposed to have the most influence. The thoughts and the lies can overwhelm. Fear can paralyze you. But don’t let it. Saying no to fear is equivalent to stripping the liar of his power.

Don’t let your heart grow weary. The key is to not focus on the accuser and enemy of our hearts and dreams. Focus on Jesus. Believe what he says, and only what he says. Nothing can stop your influence. Only your willingness to give in.

If you think you haven’t changed, that is a lie. If you think you aren’t good enough to do what God has put in your heart to do, that is a lie. He has called us pure. He uses the least of us to do the greatest works.

Remember that the truth is always stronger than the lies.

And let’s change the world together.

Interrupted: The Thrill of the Unknown

            Something interesting has dawned on me recently in regards to the fact that I am a fairly organized person. Organization often requires planning and routine, and sticking to a schedule. This is easy for me. When I have a schedule that barely varies from day to day, I know what to expect. My life is predictable. What I’ve realized is that for so long I’ve tried to live a predictable life. Because it’s easy. It’s comfortable and secure. If I take a job that guarantees to keep me long term, that is good, because I don’t have to worry about the uncertainty that accompanies a job search for several more years. I tend to feel safe and feel that things are right when I can fit everything into tidy boxes, when I know exactly what I’ll be doing at noon tomorrow, and probably even at noon a year from now.

            But there’s this other part of me. It’s the part that’s always been there but has taken more time to awaken because it’s scary. It’s the desire in me to live adventurously, to think outside the box, to dream big as if limitations don’t exist. I live in this tension and seeming paradox of being a daydreamer while at the same time wanting to stay comfortable. When life is predictable, I can be in control. Fear isn’t an obstacle to overcome because there just isn’t anything to be afraid of.

            There are two things I’ve come to realize over the past few years about being a Christian. One, it isn’t safe or predictable. There are a lot of unknowns. When Jesus’ disciples decided to follow him, they chose to drop everything that gave them any sense of security in the world and follow a guy who wouldn’t tell them what to expect but who expected them to have faith in him. The second thing I’ve come to realize is that the Christian life is adventurous and exciting. I find myself becoming disappointed or angry when things don’t turn out the way I had envisioned. I see now that most of the time, this is because I thought I was in control, and when my time, life, circumstances, whatever it was got ripped out of my grip instead of me willingly letting go, it tore me open. It made me vulnerable when I wasn’t ready. I believe that any adventure requires courage. First, it requires letting go of expectations and what I know to be safe, then it calls for great courage.

            What if an adventure consists of some of the things we would never have thought to put in that category before? Such as forgiveness. Let me explain. If I want my life to be predictable because it’s comfortable and easy, what happens when someone does something to me that I don’t expect and can’t control? Something I don’t like? A reaction on my part will certainly take place because my prediction has been broken. So, what if I don’t place unreasonable expectations on life or people? What if the act of forgiveness can be an adventure because of the courage and love it requires? What if I let my imagination create a new story for someone that has hurt me? Not the predictable kind where I react and get angry and they get punished, but the kind where redemption is possible, the kind where this person gets so filled up with love that they turn around and start forgiving the people in their life, and there is this huge ripple effect that changes the whole world.

            Crazy, right?

            But then again, Jesus used twelve people to turn the world upside down because they were willing to step into the unknown and even get hurt sometimes.

            If my life is too predictable, it becomes boring, and then when the inevitable unexpected thing comes up, I don’t know what to do with myself. Where is the courage? Where is the passion? Where is the love? I am a person who both appreciates routine and is a daydreamer. For the most part, I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow, but I know that I really don’t. Because there are those moments waiting for me that God has in his heart but hasn’t revealed yet. There are those people I’ll see on my walk that need me to smile at them, and if I’m so stuck in just going through the motions of my predictable life, I’ll forget to do it. I’ll miss the adventure of brightening up someone’s day with joy. Of possibly changing someone’s story.

            I have realized how much I live in my own little world. Even when my thoughts are big, they are limited by inaction. I don’t know about you, but I want to see. I want to be present and aware because at any moment, God could drop something into my little world to make it shatter, and I fear I might not even notice the shards breaking on the ground. And at that point, I am no longer living.

            The Christian life is full of glorious interruptions calling us to adventure. Let us let go of control, step with joy into the unknown, and embrace the kind of passionate life that makes walking on water seem like child’s play.

 

 

The Brilliant Writing of Tosca Lee

I just want to write this post to give a shout out to an incredibly talented author named Tosca Lee. Today, her paperback version of Iscariot is out, and I highly recommend you go grab a copy! It is a book about the life of Judas written in first person.
So here is a little bit about why I love Tosca's writing. First of all, she has a way with words that is both poetic and simple at the same time. It's not so poetic that it's hard to understand, but the way she strings words together really creates a beautiful masterpiece. It's like listening to well-performed harmony. Secondly, I love when she writes in the first person. She has been able to portray characters so in depth in ways we haven't thought of them before. I know she does a ton of research for her historical books, so a lot of work and thought goes into her character creations, and it just shows!
Another thing I like about Tosca's writing and why I believe it is so unique is because she explores chracters that are notorious or perhaps have been looked over or have had a bad reputation, but she helps us to see them in a new light. Basically, it makes you think. And that's good, especially when it comes to the Bible. Because so often we either skim over the stories and the characters so we don't get any sense of personality or motivation for these people's actions; or we just go by the Bible stories told to us when we were children, which hardly ever give us a wide or a deep perspective.
You may think the hero of the story, or the main character, needs to be redeemable. Tosca takes a risky approach and writes about characters such as a demon, Eve(the first woman/also the first sinner), and Judas(who is known for betraying Jesus to death.) I appreciate her endeavor to reveal more about these characters primarily because one: they are human and we can relate to some of their feelings and motives(excluding the demon;)), and two: they help to portray the other characters around them in a new light.
I love the book Demon because essentially it is about a demon telling a man the story of Lucifer's fall from Heaven and the creation of the world and man from his bitter perspective. Even though this demon is hateful and cynical, the story he tells is true, and it helped me to be even more grateful for what Jesus has done for us. This demon character's version of the story reveals how much God loves people and the lengths he went to in order to redeem his prized creation, and how audacious that is. The demon is angry about it because he has not received the same favor, but I am left with a sense of wonder and gratefulness for God's mercy as a reader.
The book called Havah is the story of Eve from her creation to her death. I enjoyed this book because it was fascinating to me to grasp what her life might have been like from start to finish with all that she went through. It helps us connect with the first woman on a more personal level, as we journey from her days in bliss in the garden of Eden, to her and Adam's banishment, to them starting their family and living life with this sense of loss because they are no longer in paradise. It was also very interesting to see how, because she lived so much longer than we do now, she saw several generations of her lineage be born. I mean, everyone on Earth came from her. I've never thought about Eve and Adam that in depth until I read this novel.
And finally, I love the book Iscariot, which is about Judas, because it explores his early life as well as some of the possible motivations for his decision to follow Jesus as well as to betray him later. It makes us think about it differently, that maybe his motivation was not what we think. Judas was a man who loved Jesus, just like us. This book makes you ask the question, would I have done the same thing he did? I also appreciate the character development in this book and how we get to see Judas' life from childhood to his death. He is a very well-rounded character. And last of all, my favorite thing about this novel is how it reveals Jesus in such a personal way. Judas, of course, was one of the disciples, who were Jesus' closest followers. I love how Tosca potrays the intimate friendship the disciples shared with Jesus. It made me feel closer to him as well, just to see how real and human Jesus was to his friends.
The last reason you should read Tosca's books is that she co-authored an incredible trilogy called The Books of Mortals with author Ted Dekker, who is a New York Times Bestselling author and pretty much my favorite. ;) Anyone brilliant enough to write alongside Ted Dekker is worth reading in my opinion. But she is good on her own anyway!!
Alright, so if you actually got through this, congratulations! And now go buy one or all of Tosca Lee's books! http://www.toscalee.com/
While you're visiting her website, make sure to sign up for her newsletter, where there are give-aways, bonus chapters to read, and a free magazine subscription. Go for it!

Why I Write

I write because I believe words have the power to create. In the beginning, it was words that made the mountains spring up and the flowers unfold. It was words that shed light into what was once only darkness. It was the Word Himself who came to show us what life and love really mean. The Word becoming flesh: the Word creating life.

            I am convinced that our words and our stories literally have the creative power to restore what has been broken, to birth new callings and identities, and to instigate encounters with the Creator Himself. They have the ability to awaken dormant dreams and change the course of a person heading for destruction. I write because stories have awakened me in ways that have left me changed forever, in the best way possible. And I want to be a part of that. Stories show us that we are not alone in this life. Characters remind us that there are countless others out there who share our pains, our joys, and some of our experiences. Stories incite the imagination, and imagination possesses the power to help us become. Become that person we were always intended to be from the beginning. Stories call us to adventure, and words paint pictures in our minds that make us think of greater places. They help show us what we really care about and the beauty we were fashioned to enjoy.

            Every single word carries with it a seed, and when sowed in the right place and time, that seed can grow into something so much more significant than the sight of that word in the first place. Words strung together in the proper harmony create life and can reveal truth. They can show us circumstances we’ve always thought of a certain way from a new perspective. New perspectives breed growth and change.

            I write because God has given me words, and if I don’t write they will remain caged up inside where they will produce nothing. The gift of writing give wings to the influence my Creator wants to have through my life. Writing has also given me a way to commune with my Savior and worship Him. It is both a gift He has given me as a way to know Him better as well as a gift to be given away.

            I write because there are more stories to be told and poems to be written to match the beating of people’s hearts or refurbish a rhythm that has diverged from its original beauty. I write because I was created to write, and I feel my Creator’s pleasure when I do it.

Bride: A Christmas Poem

When your words formed life

A story began that would end with a glorious bride
All the tension of Heaven climaxed to this point of creation
This beginning of Earth, Eden
From whose inhabitants would spring the origination for all nations
With every exhalation from your lungs
And every note of the songs sung
A new breed sprung
And you, all knowing the outcome of our betrayal
Spoke the words just the same
And from your heart man was made
Recognizing that one day another new breed would have to come
From your own seed
The only way to redeem
A species who too readily received
Lies and false realities
But when that day came
Oh, when that day dawned you opened up your heart so wide
It tore at the sight of your soiled bride
And broke with a love that only your son could provide
So God became a little boy
You infiltrated our world as a baby born to an unmarried girl
As one of us you showed that a new chapter would unfold
And before our very eyes you grew
Until you realized that the reason you had come
Was to speak life
Yet at the mercy of death
With every breath you drew in you knew it was merely a matter of time
Before you would hang upon that Roman beam and die
For the souls of your beloved bride
When your words formed life
You knew the pain it would require
But you were writing a story that would be like no other
That would start an unending fire
Unite brother to brother
And create possibilities
That would invade our sense of reality
And then through this incarnation we would see
That becoming a part of your Kingdom
Was the only route to life and freedom

The Freedom in Affection

I want to allow myself to receive God's affection.
I mean, how often do we really do this? If we were all to sit down and evaluate our daily lives and the way we function and the fumes we run on, how much of our energy and actions come out of this place of affection from God? I think most of us, whether we realize it or not, are trying to live our lives on empty tanks. And we wonder why we get worn out. We wonder why we feel distant from those around us. If we do not know our true value and that we are loved for simply existing, we cannot love others. We have nothing to give. What we give will be empty duty fulfillments, void of life.
Stagnant.
But love moves us forward. Love stirs and awakens us to become who we are meant to be. Love moves those around us, arouses hunger just by the sight of us, because they wonder how someone can bask in light and joy and never tire. If this seems like a distant reality for you, think again. Why did Jesus come anyway? So that we would still walk in the futility of our efforts? No--He did not come so that we would struggle through life, He came so that we could live. True living is having no worries, not being concerned with the affairs of tomorrow, giving ourselves away because it is our joy to do so, and though we may or may not die tomorrow, we have right now to make a difference. It is living without regrets because the past is forgotten. It is living with hope because the best is yet to come.
So, I want to allow myself to receive God's affection. Too often do I forget. Too often do I get caught up in details and duties and not even realize I'm coming to the end of myself until I collapse in weariness of heart or mind or body. Too often do I run on empty fumes when all along I had an abundant supply of favor, love, joy and peace to propel me forward. Too often do I grow bored with the mundane when God promises us His constant presence. And too often do I forget who I am. Because who I am is not what I do or how many people like or appreciate me. Who I am is how I'm loved.
And we cannot love when we do not have love.
I have such a deep desire to see others through God's eyes, but I find myself struggling to do so. It is too easy to see the faults, to see the fallen man. And it is because whether I know it or not, I am also looking at my own shortcomings.
Here's a challenge (one that my good friend actually suggested to me once): Ask God how He sees you, and then close your eyes and quiet your mind and wait for the answer. He might show you a picture, you may hear words or a sound or a song. But be astounded at what He shows you, because believe me, it will be beyond your wildest hopes. Let Him define you, and soak it all up. Let His perspective inflate your spirit. Then keep asking for it

.
Our generosity and love and energy will never run dry if we allow ourselves to see the truth. Because the truth supercedes circumstance, time, feelings, human reason, or bodily needs. The truth will set us free to live lives we've never imagined possible.
This place is closer than we think. Open up, and see what God will do.

(This post was inspired specifically by Ted Dekker's new book Outlaw as well as Dan Hamann's Nov. 3rd Sunday sermon at CCK.)

When I woke

When I woke from the dream of my pale, empty life

And came face to face with all my disgrace
I cried in the night mourning my plight
To be seen and be known when I couldn’t see light
I had known the right answers, my heart proved them true
But the one thing missing was You

I woke from the lies that were shocking my hopes

Into dead, futile dreams of a child who couldn’t cope
When I saw that my world was much bigger than me
I gave you the keys

Your nearness blasted through the walls I never knew

Enveloped my blindness, told me I was new
Your whispers of love broke every chain
And I could see that my life would never be in vain

See, you bled from your veins

A sacrifice too deep for words
And if I were to discard or discredit its worth
You would have died and I a prisoner would remain
A slave to the pain of this Earth

But your love conquers all

It ruptured every wall
Until all I could do was fall

In my flight in the night

When I wanted to give up this fight
You came and you held me tight
When I woke from the dream and only your truth lingered
Like edges of hope lining my heart with your Word

Memory's Door: A Book Review

Memory’s Door is a novel by author James Rubart and is his second installment of the Well Spring series which began with Soul’s Gate. The book is essentially about four people who are part of a prophecy who are called to enter into spiritual realms and fight against a spirit known as “The Wolf.”

This book was just as enjoyable as the first for me and captured my attention in many ways. Rubart’s writing has a way of stirring up in me a desire to see beyond the physical, to be a part of the spiritual world in a deeper way. He also skillfully weaves in the concept of freedom into his novels, and Memory’s Door is no exception. I found myself desiring greater freedom in my own life as I read about the journey the characters were on. I believe Rubart’s writing is extremely anointed and that God has given him a unique gift to bring healing and freedom to people through the craft of story. That excites me because as a writer I want to do the same. For me, stories are not just about entertainment: they are a vital way to communicate truth.

I think that most people will be able to find themselves relating to at least one of Rubart’s characters in this book.  I love the way they learn and grow throughout the story. I found it interesting (and somewhat comical at first) that towards the beginning of the book some of the things they thought or said seemed immature. I thought, man they shouldn’t be acting like that at this point, or they should have more faith! But in reality don’t we all lose our faith at times, and don’t we all do or say silly things? By the end of the story, after all they went through and all that was revealed to them as they fought the enemy, they are different people. They are softer, more open, more loving towards each other and their faith is stronger.

Memory’s Door has a lot of lessons to teach and it is also a page turner, which is a bonus! I believe that if you allow God to speak to your heart through Rubart’s words and story you will find yourself longing to step into new realms of faith and adventure with God.

You will find healing and freedom just like the characters.

James Rubart has deep insight and wisdom about the spirits of our culture as well as the lies and thoughts that we all struggle with in our minds. Memory’s Door is quite worth the read!

The New Creation: An Eternity of Discovery

The air was charged. Not with electricity, but with excitement, anticipation, wonder at the prospect of spending a lifetime in discovery of this good thing I had found. Or rather, had found me.
How could it have found me? How could He have found me? So little, so insignificant, tucked away in this little corner of the world. And yet my tiny heart had always had a home, had always been destined to be caught up in the greatest story of all time.

I remember being a little child surrounded by blessings. Parents who knew Jesus, a church full of loving and caring and nurturing people, 3 meals a day and a roof over my head that offered comfort and peace and shelter. Sure, I had struggles. We all do. We all have to wrestle with the pain of life, and childhood is not without its painful and harsh learning moments. But tonight God has reminded me of some of those moments where honestly all I can really remember is what I just described above: an electric air. Someone bigger than the universe had found me and loved me like His own child.
I didn't know how to describe it back then--I didn't know fully what it was. But I remember being in worship services or chapels when I just felt excited. My heart was beginning to come alive to a hope that had already been active for centuries before my birth. I was just starting to see who God was--small sparks igniting in my imagination of what this life with Christ could really look like.
I didn't know it back then, but what I was experiencing was the wonder of being a new creation. As a little girl I virtually only looked forward. I had a lifetime of adventurous discovery ahead of me, years upon years to spend diving into the heart of my Creator and learning through his eyes. Learning my role in His story. Learning what the Kingdom really looked like, really felt like.
Anything could happen.
I find myself today in a different place, yet I long again for this same wonder I experienced as a child. Because I still have a lifetime; in fact, an eternity of discovery before me. I am writing a novel called "The New Breed." It's a story full of wonder, the supernatural, and faith. The characters are discovering that there is more to life than what they have seen with their physical eyes.
Writing this story truly has taken me on a journey. It has challenged me to see things from new perspectives, much as it has for my characters.
What I don't want is to stay where I'm at. I've realized that I've given something up. And to be brutally honest, a lot of what I've given up is the faith to believe that anything is possible. That I can live in wonder and anticipation of the great things God is going to do next. That I can experience and see for myself what is taking place in the spiritual realm. My own book is coaxing me on to enter into new levels with God.
What is this Christian life supposed to look like? "The New Breed" is another phrase for the new creation. If we are a new creation, we do not act like or experience life the same as we used to before the blood of Christ set us free. We don't think like those who are still in darkness.
You will find that the air is charged if you just reach out and touch it. God's presence is here and he inhabits our very hearts. I think so many of us have hesitated to just take that one simple step forward; because I believe that if we do, we will see that there never was a real wall blocking us from living a supernatural life. Those walls, those blocks are a figment of our imaginations.
Let's use our imaginations for good, for faith, and not for hindering the possibility of a limitless life.
We are the New Breed.

God Knows Best: Embracing the Waiting

Why did you put this dream in my heart if I don’t ever have the opportunity to do it?

 

A question I used to ask God a lot. I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t understand how there could be something that made me come so alive and yet time after time I was let down by it. There was something inside of me that needed to be released, and for me, dance looked like it would offer that release.

If only I had the chance to learn, to perform.

Growing up the only dance classes I ever took were one year of ballet in sixth grade and scattered classes here and there offered in my church. I always wanted to learn, but I suppose I never felt like I had the opportunity, and I don’t think my parents knew how deep the desire ran, so they didn’t feel the need to put me in regular classes.

I thought my time would come when finally, after high school, I entered a one year ministry program in our church. Dancing was a big part of the ministry tour the team took every summer. Surely, I would get to dance.

So, we began to learn some choreography, and then the time came to be “picked” to be in the dances. I remember being disappointed a lot. After several times of not being picked, disillusionment began to set in.

But I’m the one who loves to dance! Some of the others have never danced in their lives, or don’t even like it.

It didn’t make sense to me. My time hadn’t come when I thought it would.

It turned out that God had other things to work on in me that year. He was not denying my desire; rather, he was working on my heart so I would be ready for his timing.

I had to trust him and to learn to be excited for other people. I also had to learn that ministry was not about my opportunity to show off my skills, but about loving people.

Waiting is not easy, especially when a fire burns inside your heart. But for me, it was necessary.

After that year, it was two more full years before I finally had the opportunity to take a regular ballet class. I was twenty-one.

The previous year I had done a second year of this ministry program in another state, in which I did have some more opportunities to dance. I was grateful for this, and yet, I knew I really needed a lot more training to hone the skill and gain strength and flexibility. I do remember at one point in the year when a dance instructor from my own church came to teach us. When he saw me dance, he said, “It’s really good to see you dance.” That meant more to me than he’ll ever know.

So at twenty-one, I took one year of ballet from an amazing instructor at my church, and the following year actually had the opportunity to go to the art school at the church and focus solely on dance. I finally had the chance to do something I know God created me to do.

Most dancers start their training early in childhood. I don’t know all the reasons why I didn’t learn until I was an adult, but I do know that while there is pain in waiting, there is also beauty. God focuses on different things with us in different seasons of our lives, and what we have to remember is that he always knows what is best for us.

In my waiting time, God taught me to trust him, to trust his heart and his love for me. He taught me to turn dance into something used to worship him and to share his heart with others, not something to draw attention to myself. He taught me grace.

Today, at twenty-five, I am still dancing. I really am amazed at how much I’ve been able to learn in such a short time and I know I will only get better as I continue to give myself to the process.

In our culture today especially, we tend to want things right away. It doesn’t feel good to wait, or to put things off, or to have to go through years of training to obtain what we want.

But it’s worth it. And if we miss the process, we miss the beauty of the gifts.

I can be content with the level of training I have in dance at this moment, knowing that this journey of learning is not over.

I’m still waiting. I’m waiting for a lot of things. But every day, if I remember to, I live loved, knowing that my Creator stands outside of time, and that he knows best.

No Limits: Overcoming Imaginary Hurdles

Imagination can either daunt us into dormant vision or entice us to create what we see, to build other universes. Fear is a very real enemy to creativity. Courage is our ally that we must take up arms with to stroke the canvas that will bring our imaginings to life. Others can't see what we see unless we make it visible to them. I often find myself standing before a wall that I want with all my heart to scale and yet my foot won't take that first step. It is lulled to sleep by fear of failure. I want it so bad that I'm afraid what I create won't live up to the high standard of my imagination.
Words are tricky creatures. They carry so much meaning, but they can also cause confusion. They can be translated even by someone who shares the same language into something entirely opposite of what the author meant. Words are alive, but they don't have a mind of their own. Fear of man has for centuries been an unnecessary enemy to productivity, invention, and creativity. We make the people's projected reactions our stumbling block, when really it is our own lack of faith in possibility. I know that with God there is no limit. He is the Creator of everything. If you really indulge in the wonder of the complexity of his handiwork, you realize how magnanimous he is. Let your heart dive into this miracle and it will cause unadultereted laughter to bubble up and make your eyes twinkle like a child's.
It is incredible.
That word, incredible, doesn't quite do it justice though. And I think that's what we fear. We fear the insufficiency of our feeble words.
Yet if our God is limitless, are not our words as well? Does our simple language have the potential to carry the power of Heaven?
Why not?
So don't let imagination daunt you anymore. Don't let the fear of man or the inadequacy of your words, your strokes, your moves, your strums keep you from creating the impossible.
The world needs to see what you have been shown.
Fear is your only enemy. A lethargic creativity can always be pushed past. If discouragement discounts your courageous attempts, do it again.
And remember, no limits!

The True Us

God is so gracious. He uses us even in the midst of our selfishness. I am convinced that God is always seeing the true us, the person He made us to be in the beginning. And even if we are not living up to that, he will intentionally highlight the things we do that model that true identity more than the things that don't. He knows that as he acknowledges the gifts we give to him, our desire to give will grow and grow. This is how we become. By receiving God's approval and love. Despite what we've done that we are ashamed of. When we throw off the shame is when we will change. It is never too late. So be encouraged today in whatever process you find yourself in. You are not there yet, but God looks at you as if you are, so you can become. I feel his favor and his approval. He is a good Father, and sometimes we just need a reminder of that.

Covered

Can you hear the beat of distant drums?

Do they resound inside the reserves of your heart

Rhythm unto rhythm, calling you apart?

The sound is faint to those of the Earth

But within Heaven’s gates it erupts like new birth

You can hear if you’re still

If you quiet your mind

Inside Heaven’s reach your heart is not blind

Can you see a distant light like a star in the night?

Does it speak to your life and call you to rise

Light unto eyes, identifying your drive?

Become who you are

Stare the lie in its face

Remove all your shame and disgrace

By one simple embrace

You are covered by blood and stand under grace

See and Speak

I want to see people the way they were originally intended to be, because that is the essence of who they are. I want to stop looking through judgmental or circumstantial eyes and see the beauty of a person. Not because of what they've done that's so great or of merit, but because the One who created me also created them, and they are no less and neither am I.
Maybe the phrase "to see through God's eyes" is overused, but even so, this is my prayer. I want to see people with spiritual eyes, and then go beyond that seeing and actually speak, actually release the words of encouragement to call their true identity out of them. This is how identities open up and blossom, just like a flower. I know, because I am a testament. So many people have spoken things into me and called things out, and so much of the time I didn't fully believe it. But I am believing more and more.
I just want to be faithful to encourage people. I think we all need to have this in mind. Everyone you encounter needs encouragement. Everyone. Let's stop seeing the outward, whether that's appearance, actions, or
words, but ask God for his eyes so we can see the truth in a person.
And don't forget to call it out.
Encouragement is powerful.

Stars

Last night I stepped outside and my eyes caught sight of the stars. It struck me then how long it had been since I looked at them, and I realized how desperately I need a bigger perspective in my life. I love looking at the stars, because they along with the expanse of the night sky remind me first of all how big God is and second of all that there is so much more to this life than I see most of the time. I say we need to indulge in the "bigness" of life, not in a sense of getting overwhelmed, but in knowing that God takes care of all of it, including our small and large struggles.
I've recognized how small my view of life is lately. Whether I'm viewing the world through my little computer screen or through the eyes of my current circumstances, I fail to look beyond the box. I forget how big and glorious and beautiful my God and Savior is, and how big and glorious and beautiful my own life can and is meant to be as a result. I forget how to be loved; hence, I foret how to love. I so often see life in a cave, when there is a whole universe out there declaring the glory of the One I claim to love the most.
God created beauty and put us in the midst of it, but sadly somehow we've managed to hide ourselves from it. I know this is not what our hearts long for. We long to be swept up into beauty and adventure, to be loved and to live for something bigger.
I say let's step into the fullness of life.
Let's see the stars and let them remind us how insignificant and powerless our daily enemies of doubt, worry, weariness, and dullness are. Let us see the majesty of our God and be caught up in His embrace and His story.

Truth Meets Desire

This poem came out of a time we had today to ponder the story of the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus at Simon the Pharisee's house, as told in Luke 7. I found myself mostly relating to Simon in this story, which somewhat surprised me. I believe in addressing this man who was both disgusted with the woman's actions as well as skeptical of who Jesus really was, Jesus was calling to his heart, speaking to his desires if he was willing to listen. Jesus was not rejecting him for his judgmentalism, his sin, or his lack of faith. He was calling him by name, acknowledging him as a man who needed grace, if he was only willing to lay down his pride, receive forgiveness, and become as extravagant with his love as the woman, the "sinner,"
 was with hers as a result of that receiving.
Jesus' truth was calling to Simon's desire that had been overcome by his doubts.

The one who sees me sits in this room tonight
The one who knows and looks right through my pride
He is my shelter, glowing heart
A voice that speaks my name
An eye that pierces through my shame

I am here, I am now

I don’t know why or how
Creator’s breath, Creator’s touch
Moves through the invisible
Notes the imperceptible

When I sit alone afraid of my thoughts

Not wanting to utter the whispers that shudder
All through my mind, the unseen, the blind lies
He is the one who is privy to my pain
The one who gives me a safe place, who calls me sane

My safety, my guide

Who understands my thoughts better than I
Who calls to my heart when I’m tied by my mind
Arouses desires that stir and make known
The path I long to tread, to love and to yearn

When I don’t know how to learn

He opens me up so I can kneel and unwind
Lay before him my pride
The dirt and the grime
So audacious to assume
That my tears could undo
The filth on his feet
But his blood says they do

The one who hears my doubts

When they remain in my head in the crowd
Picks me out, confronts straight up what I’m about
And his words bring me back to desire
The longings that once were on fire
Before they were consumed by my qualms

The one who looks and sees
Pierces through every encroaching disease
And speaks truth that meets
A desire that knows my deepest needs

Art: The People's Safe Haven

Last night I had a revelation about art in a way I hadn't really thought of before. I was attending this concert and just observing all the people around me, thinking about what brought them here, why they went out of their way to come and enjoy this night of music.
Many of us hear and know that people tend to use art as an escape. I believe this is true, but I also think the reality of this runs deeper than we may realize.
People came to that concert last night to lose themselves, to get carried away in the beauty of the music and the talent and passion that was expressed. To take a night off from the every day grind that wears us all down. I think people look to various forms of artistic expression as a safe haven. It's a place they can go, something they can experience where the inner depths of their identity and longings are known. It's a time where they can let down and just feel, instead of doing and producing.
I believe artists have a very important job, and it goes way beyond entertainment. When people come to enjoy art, it is their time to get away, to find common ground with all types of people who all have the same desires and hunger deep inside. It's a way to connect with their Creator, even if they don't know that's what is happening.
Art has the ability to create a safe place. A place that welcomes you in and tells you that you belong and you are not alone.
That is why I believe it is so critical for those of us who are followers of the true Creator, our Father God, to create works of art with all the passion and life He gives us. If you are an artist, as I am, I encourage you to throw your whole being into what you create. And always do it with God's grace and power behind you and in you. Cry out for a greater release. Don't believe the lie that your job as an artist is not as legitimate as other professions.
Being an artist is a most important role in our culture today. Jesus is the people's safe haven, the only One who can truly speak to the depths of people's souls and not leave them empty at the end. As artists, we are the ones who provide that getaway that people need, that safe haven where people can come and let down all their worries and cares.
Let us draw people in to come away with Him. Let us leave people with a taste that lingers and warmly invites them to experience more.
Let us use the gifts God has given us and not hold back.

Steady and Sure

Jesus, every time I fall behind or bend under the weight of life
Please remind me you are here
Father, I don’t want to deny your attendance in my days
Your existence in my heart
Please remind me you are here
Not only here to stay but here to be my world today
That everything I do would travel a road back to you
That every endeavor, every act, every word
Would find its origin in you
That when I walk and when I talk
I would think of you and the love that you’ve shared
Not so I can hoard it
But so I can build a place of safety
A place of hospitality
Where my whole life is an open book
Ready to draw others into the story unfolding
As I lay down my life for your glory

Let me not look to myself anymore

What I can do, whatever waits beyond that door
The things too harsh to face
What I try to do without grace
My eyes you train to see you
To be fixed on your eyes that show me what to do
And how
And I will not fade or fall or waste away
When my heart is alive in your constant embrace
Steady and sure
I’ll lock my eyes on yours
So that I’ll remember why I was made