Waterfall Lyrics (United Pursuit Band)

"Oh Lord, I need you, capture me...
Take me deeper
into your heart.

Surround me with your love,
and hold me close.
And never, never let me go.

So close that I can feel your every breath
until my heart begins to dance
with yours

never let me go

won't you take me to a new place,
to a realm of mercy and grace
where love, love flows heavy

like a waterfall."

"If I give it all to You, will You make it all new?

If I open up my hands, will You fill them again?"

-United Pursuit Band

Notes My Sister Sent Me

Graham Cooke:

*Learn the joyful way of living from the inside to the outside- not the other way around
*Your starting place always guarantees your outcome!
*God allows in His wisdom what He could easily prevent in His power
*Warriors don't pray for rescue
*God allows situations that bring fear so that He can replace it
*Fear=time for more love
*He deals with things by bringing them to the surface and then exchanging them
*Rejoicing is a brilliant weapon
*If you miss the small thing, you'll miss the big thing. Life in the spirit is about the simple things.
*My default position is as a much loved child
*Every negative in my life has already been targeted by God for an upgrade
*Real humility is knowing what you're like without Jesus and knowing who you are with Him
*There's a time God no longer wants to meet your needs, He wants to give you a chunk of your destiny and say, "Go spend that!"
*Joy is teh abiding atmosphere of Heaven. We must learn to live in it.
*You choose the environment you live in
*You have to become accumulated to confident living
*Pay attention to your history..... wqhere are the areas you've been victimized or held back? That's a place for automatic ministry.
*Your mind cannot receive revelation, it can only process information
*Greatness is really doing the simple things well-to a point of excellence
*We just want things resolved, we don't want to become different
*some of us are living systematic lives instead of a life of rhythym
*Dreams are received in comfort, but birthed in adversity
*God is teaching us to trust Him and asking what can He trust in us
*create best life in "Egypt" or move into your inheritance in "Canaan"
*You dont have the right to be wounded. You have the right to be healed.
*You can't live in a high place if you are easily wounded; easily offended
*Ask the Lord for something in connection with your relationship..
what do I need right now from God?
What is the next installment of being Christ-like that I need?
what am I struggling w/ right now?

Kim Walker:

"I created this amazing track record with God (time spent with Him) and never once had to promote myself."

*Rest in God. Trust His perfect plan. At just the right time He opens up the door.

Favorite thing to ask God: "God, what do you think about me?"

*Having His thoughts running through your head all the time

*"There will be a day when I'll be walking in the fruit of these times and these moments."

*The most amazing thing to get married later

Sheri Silk:

"Freedom really reveals whats inside of you more than rules ever could."

wear your passion

xoxoxoxo

"Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating. Live your dream, and wear your passion." That's the part that really challenged me for today. Moving back to the city where I grew up after being away for about six years (minus summers home) I'm wondering where I fit. Not that I have ever felt completely at home in my city of origin, but now I do feel like I've grown into a place of realizing I can make an effort to make it more like home. Even if I don't settle down here, I have this chance, whether it's a few days, a few months, a few years...to do something that is lasting and beneficial.

So this is the stepping out of my own box challenge that I'm giving myself--

I am going to search out the art community here and find a way to start creating alongside them . I think there is something inside of me that will come alive as I take that risk and make that effort. I want to hear the dreams that are stirring in the hearts around town. I want to read what they are writing, see what they are painting, be changed and challenged by how they view the world. And I want to stretch myself to write creatively, to explore deeper places of God's heart for people, to even pick up a paint brush and start putting color on a blank canvas.

Why? Because I have this heart for art communities and a genuine passion for creativity, yet I'm full of talk and no action. I've got these big dreams of seeing simple stories transform even just one life, bringing healing, encouragement, identity--whether that be through a short story, a play (ooh! start a dinner theater!), a short film--or just creating a place that is safe and inspired, for artists to emerge and start to release the stories that they are carrying.

I'm not even sure that I will be a journalist or a filmmaker, even though that is what I studied in school. However, my passion for storytelling will always be a core to who I am, as I search out the meaning behind what makes us function. I want to steward well what I've learned, even if it's just the simple lesson to approach stories with gentleness. Even if the next part of my journey takes me down a different route, I want to know that I've used this in between time to develop the artist/storyteller in me, allowing the maturing process to continue instead of aborting all of the growth I've experienced in the last three years.

That's my challenge. There. It's written out. Now I can't run away from it.

My Week

This week I learned how to use a French Press for the first time. When I use the right coffee grounds and mix it with the right amount of milk, I literally feel like I'm back in Central America, enjoying a nice afternoon outside in the lovely beach breeze air.

That's a good feeling right there. Almost as good as it gets.

I made a pot roast! And it was good. That deserves a round of applause from myself, to myself.

It also snowed and rained this week, both of which I enjoyed immensely. Spring is on its way, and I can't wait. (I need to get in shape!) It hit me while driving around the other day, looking at the snow piled up on the hills around where I live, that if I didn't go through the cold of the winter, I would never be able to enjoy the spring in the same way. I like both seasons a lot. When the winter is coming to a close, I am so thankful that spring is on its way.

The joy!

My dad and I rocked out to Johnny Cash for a bit while I was driving him to pick up one of the cars that is in the shop. It was funny to watch him turn up the volume and really get into the song. Moments like that are not easily forgotten.

I also made a new friend. His name is Oliver. I keep forgetting what kind of dog he is, but he sure likes being around me. The fact that I am returning the sentiment is a big deal. As a kid, I had a long "what I want to be when I grow up" list, and veterinarian NEVER made the list. Call me heartless, but animals just aren't my thing. I like them from a safari bus in Africa or observing them at the zoo, but that's about it.

Considering the fact that I am the kind of person who quickly feels claustrophobic when I spend too much time with people, Oliver is unashamedly destroying that boundary. He follows me everywhere. Even if I go to the bathroom, he waits outside of the door til I come out! It's insane. I don't know of anyone else in the world who likes being around me quite that much. haha.

Well, except God. He never gets tired of me.

Oh the simple things. They are so beautiful.

Questions about legalizing morality

Can we really legalize morality? I've been asking myself that question. Goldwater says no, and I would tend to agree with him. However, God gave laws to Moses so that the people of Israel would know how to live. David wrote in the Psalms that he craved for that law, so that he could walk correctly. Paul spoke about how he would not know sin except by knowing the law, and without the law convicting his sin, he would not know grace. Jesus stated that he was not there to eradicate the law, but to fulfill it. He is still very much alive. The law was fulfilled in Him, but now I ask, what does that mean for us today? What does that mean when trying to create a just society? Can the Kingdom of God really fit into a "society" of man's making? I don't know. I'm asking.

Until Jesus returns (and He will, He promised), we have to learn how to work within the systems of this world, while not becoming slaves to ideology. (even Jesus seemed to have a respect for the government of the day when he said "give to Caesar what is Caesar's.) A theocracy won't happen til He is back and democracy seems to be the best we've got in the meantime. However, that democracy that was founded on freedom WITHIN the confines of godly law, is slipping away.

(and I am NOT an expert on government or law making or the Bible so everything I'm writing in this blog is MERELY a reflection of my own processing and thinking...and I am totally open to hearing the opinions of much wiser people than I.)

I still wonder if creating laws to enforce what some consider moral really works. Until the purpose behind the law is written on our hearts, and we actually start to crave righteousness, we will choose the easy way where the broad road compels us to walk. The condition of our hearts seems to, in many ways, reflect the laws that are made by legislators in a democratic system. Which is why deep down, I feel that stirring for true revival that brings transformation--that reaches hearts that have walked that broad path and find that all it brings in the end is hopelessness and confusion.

solidifying my stance.

My sister texted me from California, telling me the news. Yesterday, in Maryland's Baltimore Herald, one of the big stories of the day was titled, "Same-sex marriage bill passes first hurdle in Senate." The vote was 25-22, in favor of allowing same sex couples to marry.

In the midst of things rapidly changing all around the world on a daily basis, with everything in the Middle East being shaken, I'm doubtful that the pace will slow down or stay contained in that part of the world. I need to know what I believe and where I stand on different issues, including this one, without faltering between two opinions. We may not think right now that it's urgent to give thought to our belief system on the covenant of marriage--and covenant in general--yet in my gut, I feel as if we aren't going to have the convenience of time and freedom to really sort through what we believe for much longer. We need to know. Stand firm. Hold tight to eternal life.

My thoughts on this subject have brought up some ideas that I've been grappling with (and I want to back them up with Scripture once I have the chance to study out the issues that are coming up in my thoughts):

My belief system on same sex marriage has been extremely consistent my whole life. Romans 1. It's truth. Yet, last night my thoughts started sparking questions of WHY same sex marriage is against God's way and WHY He can't bless a nation that says that it is ok.

It's not okay. But we need to understand why. Because when the consequences of our choices start showing up in this nation, on our land, in the generations to come...we need to know that God is not to blame. Our lust is to blame. Our idolatry. Our self love.

When the next generation looks to see if there is anyone who is still standing for truth, I want to be one of those in that remnant. Not because I'm loyal to a political party. I'm not. This is not a democrat, republican, libertarian, whatever...issue. This is a human race issue. This is a separation from God issue. This is a sin issue that goes far beyond just the legalizing of same sex marriage. It is a reflection of the state of our hearts.

________

So WHY does it break God's heart?

I believe it largely has to do with the fact that God is holy and love, yet our lust separates us from Him. The carnal cravings of unredeemed man cause us to long for destructive lifestyles that in our mind seem good and right because we've not allowed truth to confront us.

I also believe that very few people today understand the foundational purpose of the marriage covenant. If we did, there wouldn't be people in office who are allowing laws to pass that violate the definition of marriage, nor would there be a generation tolerant to the point of wanting to love and accept everyone, without a plumbline of righteousness dictating how that acceptance looks.

However, I also think that the ultra conservatives who hate homosexuality just because they've been taught it's wrong without ever understanding WHY it is wrong, are just as deceived. Instead of a righteous anger that is birthed out of understanding the heart of God, there is a hatred that emerges towards people, which isn't God's heart at all. He wants all to know Him, all to walk in abundant life, all to experience His kindness in an intimate and real way.

I feel like this is an opportunity to press into God like never before, to let His voice and His love show me how to walk as things change and as the culture continues to reject His ways. I have hope that there are still those who are so hungry for what is true. I know that I am one of them. I've been both overly tolerant and overly staunch in my lifetime, so I know both extremes well. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if people define me as being kind or as being strong in my positions...what matters is if God is pleased with my thoughts and my actions. And if that means that He puts a righteous anger in my heart because of how we as a culture are disregarding Him, well then so be it. Because the truth is, lives are at stake in this. "The Valley of Decision" is for real. Freedom costs something to obtain.

God, help me to stand for you and don't let my love grow cold.

Shew. Enough thoughts for now.