A Year In Verses

Hello Lovelies!
Before I even begin to write about Haiti, I wanted to end the year with a little tradition. For the past 7 years I have written a verse-a-day in my journal. I leave you with the verses that sustained me, encouraged me and got me through 2012. From the pages of my journal, I share with you one verse from each month. Remember, the Word of God never returns void, it accomplished what it sets out to do! Make it a new year's resolution to get God's word in your heart and mind daily!

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January 31, 2012
You are altogether beautiful, My darling, beautiful in every way. Song of Songs 4:7

February 24, 2012
The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. Proverbs 10:22

March 12, 2012
He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. Job 8:21

April 19, 2012
Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. Proverbs 19:11

May 6, 2012
You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. Psalm 71:20

June 13, 2012
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Hebrews 10:23

July 22, 2012
I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1

August 14, 2012
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are swept away, but the righteous stand form forever. Proverbs 10:25

September 22, 2012
The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know His name trust in Him, for He will not abandon those who search for Him. Psalm 9:9-10

October 6, 2012
My child, if your heart is wise, My own heart will rejoice. Everything in Me will celebrate when you speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16

November 19, 2012
Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. His faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God was able to do whatever He promised. Romans 4:20-21

December 15, 2012
I rejoice in your Word as one who discovers a great treasure. Those who love your Word have great peace and do not stumble. Psalm 119:162, 165

Year in verses: 2009, 2010, 2011

Lyrical Friday - The River

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Happy Friday! The day has finally arrived. I am all packed and ready for Haiti. Our team flies out midday. Please keep us in prayer. A few prayer points: that all our luggage arrive safely / team unity / safety from illness / a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit / safe and smooth arrival and departure with plane ride, customs and transportation / also, no stomach situations. THANKS!!!

Since I won't be blogging, probably till to the new year, I wanted to leave you with one last lyrical post. Today's song by Meredith Andrews is for anyone. Because everyone is in need of saving. God not only provides our very need but He invites us to it. What'a Gentleman! Why not respond to a God that is so loving? Yes, He loves you and accepts you just as you are. Won't you come? I invite you too! Come!

The River, Meredith Andrews 

-
Everyone is broken
And in need of a Saviour
So He came and was broken
For the mocker, for the shamed

Still our eyes are blinded
By the culture, by the lies
We can't see that we're filthy
We're fallen and so dry

But He invites us
Can you hear Him say?
He invites us
Hear Him call your name

Welcome to the river
Come drink, come wade
Come find your very life
Welcome to the river of God
Where your brokenness
Is washed away

Everywhere is the sorrow
And the pain of empty living
You can see it; look in their eyes
All the hopelessness of the world

But look closer, He is right there
In the midst of every fear
Living water is the offer
Restoration is the call

Find your healing
Find your freedom
In the river of God
Your healing here
Your freedom there
In the river of God

Waiting. Delighting.

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Earlier this week I was chatting with a friend. She asked me about my upcoming trip to Haiti. As I shared with her the minor and major details, I found myself saying, “This is different. It’s not something I was anxious about, or waited for. I truly believe that the Lord has seen my delight in Him and is now granting me my heart’s desire.”

Two years ago the desire to go to Haiti was planted in my heart. And though I prayed, I was not consumed by it. In my years of waiting, I could have hustled God, nagged Him, thrown fits, and questioned His purposes, or made attempts to make it happen. But for whatever reason, beyond myself, I did not. Looking back, I delighted in the Lord and now, well now I am about to experience God granting me the desire of my heart.

It seems that we are always waiting for something: a job, a raise, a deal to go through, a spouse, a child, deliverance, a response from Heaven, or, you fill in the blank according to your situation. Basically, we are waiting for life to get better. I do believe that most of the things we are waiting for are not selfish, but God planted desires that will satisfy the “abundant life” that is promised to us in John 10:10. I ask for us to stop and consider this question: How are you waiting?

In considering my waiting for Haiti and my waiting for other desires, I see a difference. I normally wait and wait and wait and continue waiting. Somewhere in between waiting and waiting, a series of happenings begin to unfold:

I over think

I doubt and nagg God

I become anxious

I am led by emotions

I contemplate methods of manipulation

I try to help God and accelerate His purpose

I grow weary, burdened and discouraged

Bitterness kicks in

Hold up! You too?! When we wait and our expectations aren't met within our time frame or in a less favorable manner we can spiral into a series of ugly and rebellious attitudes. Therefore, learning what delighting in the Lord is and it's benefits is instrumental for our waiting season. Delighting cannot happen if we are not in God's word, committed to prayer and active in His service. Delighting removes our constant fixation on the desire and causes us to focus on the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Delighting on the Giver will enable us to wait joyfully and patiently. Delighting through the waiting process will also guard our hearts from losing hope or lacking faith. Lastly, Delighting will change us, for it may be that the very outcome we are waiting for could differ from the outcome God has already chosen for us (which is always the better of the two). 

Whether you have begun to wait or have been waiting for x amount of time, know that God is fully aware of your desires. He has not forgotten you. He loves you and is working all things out for your good, and ultimately for His glory. My encouragement to you as you wait for ____________, is to not delight nor glorify a desire or its outcome, but delight fully and wholly in the Lord (not for what He can do or give, but for who He is). In His perfect timing He will grant you your heart’s desire and give you the abundant life He intended for you to live. 

May we be delightful people with delighting hearts. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:3-5 

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord! Psalm 37:13-14 

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. 

Sentence Tuesday

Just because you can't see or imagine 

a good reason why God might allow something to happen 

doesn't mean there can't be one. -Stephanie Landa 

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Dayspring

Because of the tender mercy of our God, 

by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven (Dayspring)

to shine on those living in darkness 

and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the path of peace.

Luke 1:78-79

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Monday morning I read  Zachariah's song found in Luke 1. His song ends with these two verses. There is one phrase, one word that can not escape me: Dayspring (the first appearance of daylight in the morning; the beginning or rise of anything; advent). God has given Jesus to us as our Dayspring, this is an accurate and appropriate name for Him. For He is the first and only appearance of light in our darkness that can deliver hope, mercy, grace and truth. Through Him there is a rising from the shadow of death, and with it a new beginning. He is our only guide into the path of peace. 

I have to say, if there is a Christmas name for Jesus that I favor, it would have to be Dayspring. I pray that these two verses may never escape you, and be a reminder that in your darkest hour Jesus is your Dayspring! May you celebrate Jesus every day. Merry Christmas. 

Sentence Tuesday

If people depended on your words for nourishment, 
would they be dying of malnutrition. -Brian Houston 

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Lyrical Friday-Laughter Comes Upon Us

Miami, Fl sunset

 Has life been difficult? For the most part, many of us can answer a loud and resounding, "Yes!" Perhaps this year has been more challenging than others or it may just take a nose dive into darker days. I've had my share of troublesome days, and through each hardship I've had a choice: to receive God in the midst of the trial or reject Him. In every situation, both good and bad, you too have been given a choice to acknowledge God or reject Him, to worship Him or reject Him, to trust Him or reject Him. And yes, lack of trust is a form of rejection even if you claim to love Him. It is my desire that both you and I be a people who not only say we're Christians but live as Christ-followers everyday, in every situation.

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. Proverbs 31:25

For you dear Friend who is caught up in a fiery trial, I encourage you to wrap yourself in God's word. At times you will not receive a word fitly spoken, which is not a bad thing... God still speaks to us through the beautiful mystery of His Spirit. But oh when you read those words that penetrate your heart and seep deep into your bones and your spirit is rejuvenated, refreshed and restored— nothing compares to these moments. The good news for you is that God yearns to speak to you. And never forget that what matters to you, matters to God; not matter how small or how big the matter may be. I encourage you to not give up on God, His word or praising Him. 

For you beloved who is found in the days of peace, sow for yourselves seeds from God's word in the vineyard that is your heart. Seasons will come where you will need to pluck a harvest of hope, encouragement and truth. Better to have a reserve of God's word than to find yourself helplessly begging for any word, any help, any truth. If you are not prepared for these difficult times, you may be easily swayed in the wrong direction. Enjoy these days of peace in the presence of God, in His word and in His praises.

Praying for you to know God's presence, His embrace and His strength. Oh, and here is a Psalm that I hold unto for dear life when I am in the midst of difficult times: Psalm 126

"When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, 

we were like those restored to health. 

Our mouths were filled with laughter, 

our tongues with songs of joy. 

Then it was said among the nations, 

“The Lord has done great things for them.” 

The Lord has done great things for us, 

and we are filled with joy. 

Restore our fortunes, Lord, 

like streams in the Negev. 

Those who sow with tears 

will reap with songs of joy. 

Those who go out weeping, 

carrying seed to sow, 

will return with songs of joy, 

carrying sheaves with them."

Sarah Macintosh's song is so fitting and right on.
He is for you, He is with you in the fire and He will get you through this! Many blessings to you.
-
Laughter Comes Upon Us, Sarah Macintosh 

-
I've wept until I made a visible trail
This path has not been kind or ever friendly
But if I thought I’d want it another way
I’d surely find that nothing else is for me

Cause He is closer to me this way
Drawn by the tears and pouring rain
Right here clutched in His embrace
Whispering breath against my ear
Tucked up against His scarred ribcage
Right here is where I want to stay

Laughter comes upon us like its lightning
Striking without wind or cloud or change
In knew that if I’m with Him it’d be this way
‘Cause promises are promises to Him