At that time.

My heart is stirred.
At that time, I was a gentile.
At that time, I was without the Messiah.
At that time, I was excluded from the citizenship of Heaven.
At that time, I was a foreigner to the promise,
At that time, I was without hope and without God in this world.

But now, I have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.

When Christ came, he proclaimed the good news of peace to you who were far away and peace to you who were near.
For through Him, we both have access by One Spirit to the Father.

Too often I forget what He did and who I was. But now, I have peace and hope and God in this world. He is too good.

the story.

This song speaks so much truth. the story of Jesus.

Rise up all you orphans, You got a brand new family

Rise up all you debtors, Its the year of jubilee

Rise up all you sinners, He's gonna chase your guilt away

I love this, not only is the Cross redemption, a baby entered this world and redeemed you and me.

He gives us a new family. He chases all the guilt in our lives away-woohoo-it's gone!! He ends our brokenness.

To the brokenness, to the loss, to the sadness, and hardships in our lives: Jesus came to redeem. He brought peace then, and living among us today, He still brings peace. WHOOP!

A baby saved the day.

worship.

i love this reminder.

Worship is the highest form of warfare. It takes the focus off of self. It takes the focus off your enemy. And it allows you to magnify your understanding of just how WORTHY....AWESOME...and LOVING our GOD truly is. So.......the answer today and always will be...is to WORSHIP.

mindful of the way I'm created

I just finished skyping with Miss Sarah Greeson, and I am beyond grateful for our delightful conversation.

My mind is wrapped around a prayer she prayed for me.
"Lord, thank you for Jac's mind, thank you for her body, and her emotions.
[thank you that you are/may she be...mindful of the way you created her].."

I am spent here pondering the phrase, "Mindful of the way I'm created." I've lost sight of that part of my identity, that I am beautifully and wonderfully created by a mighty King. This goes deeper than mere outward appearance and the issues that brought me to Mercy. It goes deeper, and mainly I think about my thoughts/emotions/identity in Christ. I know there is more to tap into, and I'm wondering if you girls have anything to share on that. You are who I wanted to ask, "What does it mean for you to be mindful of the way God created you?" Love and miss you dearly!

what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 8:4

You are Special

Yeah, so I never got back to playing the cello. I ignored it as it sat next to my book shelf, and when I moved into a smaller room in my house, I put it back in the case and in the laundry room. It was a good effort while it lasted.
__

For some reason, I was reminded of this book tonight and was sure I could find it online as I don't own it. You are Special by Max Lucado. I heard it in 4th grade as a camper at Sky Ranch and loved it, but I never knew what it was or where to find it until a few years ago. I was in awe--THAT WAS THE BOOK I HAD LISTENED TO AND HELD SO DEAR TO MY HEART FOR ALMOST 11 YEARS! I don't know if I read it at Mercy or what, but it is

so simple and childlike.

It reminds me of how I can become so caught up in what others think of me, how tender and eager to meet with me my Creator is, and that He doesn't care what others think of His sons and daugters.

One of my favorite parts:
One of the characters doesn't have any stickers or dots, and she goes to spend time with Eli, her woodcarver, every day :) Since I so love the concept of choice (Deut. 30:19), I can't not mention this one...Why doesn't she have any stickers or dots? Well, they don't stick on her because she has decided that what Eli thinks is more important than what the other wimmicks think. The stickers only stick if she lets them. BOOM. May seem petty, but it's not-- that's fear of man dead and gone.

You should really go read it here (click 'find our story out'), with pictures included, or listen to it here.
Ask the Lord to speak to you through this awesome children's book :)

"you are special because I made you. And I don't make mistakes."