New, Bigger than I Knew
OK, here we go. I have some “housecleaning” type issues to get out of the way before we get to chatting too much.
First off, there are a couple of books that I simply MUST get the word out about - again. God’s Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman keeps coming back to me as a must read for women everywhere. If you have not read this book yet, even though I keep talking about it over and over, please find it and read it. Ask your library to get it. Somehow. Someway. GET THIS BOOK!!!
Another must read that I seem to keep mentioning is One Thousand Gifts a Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. There is a reason this book has been on the NY Times list for months. Gonna say this one time, read it.
These two books just keep coming back to mind over and over and over and over again. Women need these books! Probably men do too. Thanksgiving and Grace, the themes of these books are powerful. God is good, all of the time. Please allow Him to whisper of His love to your heart and be set free to live fully in Him.
“Be set free to live fully in Him” now there’s a topic to visit about. The past several months have been amazing. Seriously, I can’t think of any other word. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.” “Amazing love how can it be that You my King would die for me. Amazing love I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor You. In all I do, to honor You.” “I’m forgiven because You were forsaken. I’m accepted; You were condemned. I’m alive and well; Your Spirit is within me because You died and rose again. Amazing Love how can it be …” The songs flow from my heart like water bubbling up and over stones.
No matter how long I serve Him, I will never cease to be amazed at how God takes the insignificant, ugliness of my life and creates a work of beauty, a living example of His magnificence. Sometimes in life it seems as if the hard will never end, like it is going to continue on forever. Then SMACK! all of a sudden, God. Seemingly out of nowhere, God appears and reveals Himself. It starts as a trickle, a little bit of Himself here and another dab over there. The trickle becomes a steady flow, then it’s tickling the ankles. Before long, there’s a rushing flood of grace and love spilling from the banks and saturating everything. While I’m bobbing along getting thoroughly soaked with Him, I happen to notice that the hard is still there. It hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s actually intensified. It’s just that now, my perspective is soaked with truth, with God Himself. Somewhere in the midst of love and grace, freedom came.
Jesus came to set us free. He told us that in this world we would have trials and tribulations but that we are to “Be of good cheer. For I have overcome the world and its power to harm you.” Jesus told me to “Be of good cheer.” He overcame the world. That’s not all He said. He also said that He has come to give me life and that more abundantly. More abundantly. Not just abundant, more abundant. So why was I living in less when Jesus bought and paid for more? That is a very good question. One that every follower of Christ ought to be asking themselves.
For me personally, life more abundantly has been a process, an ongoing, never-ending process. In the past several months I have been learning more about hearing the voice of God. My entire family along with two other families have been gathering every other Friday evening to learn of this together. Together we have begun a journey that for me has been absolutely life-changing. The most amazing thing to me is that it isn’t just the Bible Study. It’s everything.
Everything affects everything else. Every book I read, every blog, every magazine article, everything is connecting and tying into everything else. It is as if God has placed Himself everywhere. Oh, wait. He is everywhere. He’s omnipresent. That would mean the difference is that now, I’m looking for Him. Therefore, I see Him. Not only that, I hear Him. I hear Him like I’ve never heard Him before. Oh yeah, I’m listening like never before too.
It isn’t the study; it isn’t the friends. Though all of those are blessings beyond description. It’s me. The difference is in me. I’m looking and listening. He’s been waiting for me to come to Him. To seek Him, to listen for His voice. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve always looked and listened for Him, just not like this. Not this intently, not so completely.
When I wrote in an earlier post about this being a new season. I had no idea how right I was. I knew it was from God, and I knew that was what I was to share. I just underestimated the depth of new it would be. As I’m walking out this new season, this being real, this wild, crazy, spontaneous flood of grace, I can’t ignore the still, small voice telling me I haven’t even begun to know new. There’s a pulsating rhythm beating inside. Soft yet steady, the beat is alerting me. It hints of great strength, extreme intensity. The ear of my spirit is catching a hum that reveals the probability of being like nothing I have ever experienced before. New. More than I knew.
Here are more gifts to thank Him for:
First off, there are a couple of books that I simply MUST get the word out about - again. God’s Grace for the Good Girl by Emily Freeman keeps coming back to me as a must read for women everywhere. If you have not read this book yet, even though I keep talking about it over and over, please find it and read it. Ask your library to get it. Somehow. Someway. GET THIS BOOK!!!
Another must read that I seem to keep mentioning is One Thousand Gifts a Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. There is a reason this book has been on the NY Times list for months. Gonna say this one time, read it.
These two books just keep coming back to mind over and over and over and over again. Women need these books! Probably men do too. Thanksgiving and Grace, the themes of these books are powerful. God is good, all of the time. Please allow Him to whisper of His love to your heart and be set free to live fully in Him.
“Be set free to live fully in Him” now there’s a topic to visit about. The past several months have been amazing. Seriously, I can’t think of any other word. “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.” “Amazing love how can it be that You my King would die for me. Amazing love I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor You. In all I do, to honor You.” “I’m forgiven because You were forsaken. I’m accepted; You were condemned. I’m alive and well; Your Spirit is within me because You died and rose again. Amazing Love how can it be …” The songs flow from my heart like water bubbling up and over stones.
No matter how long I serve Him, I will never cease to be amazed at how God takes the insignificant, ugliness of my life and creates a work of beauty, a living example of His magnificence. Sometimes in life it seems as if the hard will never end, like it is going to continue on forever. Then SMACK! all of a sudden, God. Seemingly out of nowhere, God appears and reveals Himself. It starts as a trickle, a little bit of Himself here and another dab over there. The trickle becomes a steady flow, then it’s tickling the ankles. Before long, there’s a rushing flood of grace and love spilling from the banks and saturating everything. While I’m bobbing along getting thoroughly soaked with Him, I happen to notice that the hard is still there. It hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s actually intensified. It’s just that now, my perspective is soaked with truth, with God Himself. Somewhere in the midst of love and grace, freedom came.
Jesus came to set us free. He told us that in this world we would have trials and tribulations but that we are to “Be of good cheer. For I have overcome the world and its power to harm you.” Jesus told me to “Be of good cheer.” He overcame the world. That’s not all He said. He also said that He has come to give me life and that more abundantly. More abundantly. Not just abundant, more abundant. So why was I living in less when Jesus bought and paid for more? That is a very good question. One that every follower of Christ ought to be asking themselves.
For me personally, life more abundantly has been a process, an ongoing, never-ending process. In the past several months I have been learning more about hearing the voice of God. My entire family along with two other families have been gathering every other Friday evening to learn of this together. Together we have begun a journey that for me has been absolutely life-changing. The most amazing thing to me is that it isn’t just the Bible Study. It’s everything.
Everything affects everything else. Every book I read, every blog, every magazine article, everything is connecting and tying into everything else. It is as if God has placed Himself everywhere. Oh, wait. He is everywhere. He’s omnipresent. That would mean the difference is that now, I’m looking for Him. Therefore, I see Him. Not only that, I hear Him. I hear Him like I’ve never heard Him before. Oh yeah, I’m listening like never before too.
It isn’t the study; it isn’t the friends. Though all of those are blessings beyond description. It’s me. The difference is in me. I’m looking and listening. He’s been waiting for me to come to Him. To seek Him, to listen for His voice. Please don’t misunderstand, I’ve always looked and listened for Him, just not like this. Not this intently, not so completely.
When I wrote in an earlier post about this being a new season. I had no idea how right I was. I knew it was from God, and I knew that was what I was to share. I just underestimated the depth of new it would be. As I’m walking out this new season, this being real, this wild, crazy, spontaneous flood of grace, I can’t ignore the still, small voice telling me I haven’t even begun to know new. There’s a pulsating rhythm beating inside. Soft yet steady, the beat is alerting me. It hints of great strength, extreme intensity. The ear of my spirit is catching a hum that reveals the probability of being like nothing I have ever experienced before. New. More than I knew.
Here are more gifts to thank Him for:
*Hard that caused me to long for new
*All things working for good and being able to catch of glimpse of this truth
*Friends rejoicing in freedom through Christ
*Sharing words from God with sisters in Christ
*Learning that my ways are not His ways
*Singing through tired tantrums
*Giggles sneaking out from behind hands
*hair long enough for braiding
*young ladies who love Jesus
*young men becoming mighty men of God
*Coffee and a book instead of a card - My beloved knows me so well
*Flowers for daughters, ammo and a toy for sons that say “I love you”
*Energy gained from walking until the sweat runs