My New Favorite Song

Okay, so I've probably told alot of you this, because when I find something new, I become a bit obsessed. Anyway, I'm getting old, and I'm a little "technologically challenged," but I bought my first iPod several months ago. And, of course, I didn't start out small with a regular iPod. I just had to have the iTouch! I'll have to say I love it! Since all of my friends and family have had iPod's forever, like the rest of the world, they have a ton of songs in their libraries. So, of the 1200+ songs on mine, I would say maybe 60 are mine, all the others I've mooched from other people (since I didn't really know how to download them on there at first anyway)! So, I kept seeing this song "When the Saints" by Sara Groves come up when I'd have my iTouch on shuffle. I honestly just thought it was a recording of the old hymn and have always skipped over it. Well, I decided on my drive to Dallas the other day to not skip through any songs. I was going to listen and appreciate all kinds of music! So, this song came on and I had to replay it like 3 times! It's amazing! I think you all should download it. You can actually look it up on YouTube and there are several videos of it. It's a beautiful expression of a desire to live a life that's completely sold out for Christ! I get chills when she goes through a list of modern-day saints! We are all saints because of Christ! Let's live our lives like it!

So, this will be the next song I'll be begging the praise band to play for me to sing at church. Hopefully this one doesn't have 7 sharps, because I was told last time, I wasn't allowed to do that again! Oh, the joys of not being able to read music!! HaHa!

Here are the lyrics:

Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me
And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

A Full Heart

I was fortunate enough to be off work tonight, so I went to the Beth Moore Bible Study. Tonight, I went solo, which is unusual, but all my usual companions were busy. I'm so thankful I went, because I realized it will most likely be my last chance this semester because of my work schedule. Anyway, my heart is so full after Bible Study, I almost can't stand it! These past months, when God has just been teaching me so many new things, sometimes I just almost have to say, "Hang on a second, I need to catch my breath!" He is so overwhelming, and can certainly fill my heart to capacity, even to overflowing so I don't have to keep trying to fill it with other things! Well, tonight, Beth continued her study on Inheritance and spoke about how God gifts believers. We have been talking about service and ministry with our students this semester in Rooted (Sunday School) and LIFEGroups, so it really just put a cap on all that God has been teaching me through that.

One thing that I have always gotten excited about is the giving of the Holy Spirit. I'm so thankful that the Bible makes it clear that when I was saved, the Holy Spirit took up residence in me and is here to stay!! The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked the beginning of the New Testament Church, and there was a shift from external blessing, to an internal transformation in the lives of believers. God has given us Himself as our inheritance! What more could we ask for? When we are saved, God gives us spiritual gifts. As we grow and mature in Him, we learn what those gifts are and are to use them for His glory. One point that Beth made tonight was that my spiritual gifts were given to me, but not for me. They are to be used to minister to the Body of Christ. If we don't use our gifts, we are robbing the Body! I'll close with a passage of scripture Beth read from The Message. The passage is Romans 12:6-8: ". . .let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't. If you preach, just preach God's Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don't take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don't get bossy; if you're put in charge, don't manipulate; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face."

Remember that as Christians, we are incredibly gifted! Let's use those gifts under the Spirit's guidance to make an eternal impact on those around us!!

Israel H. & C.T.

Well, tonight was the long-awaited Chris Tomlin concert. I have been looking forward to it for several reasons. I love Chris's music. He has a heart for worship and leading others in worship and it is very evident in His songs. Also, my niece, Isabella, absolutely loves Chris. You would think this was something we "brainwashed" her into (or at least that Shahla might have), but it's not. She's always loved his music and I think the first song she ever sang besides "Jesus Loves Me" was "How Great is Our God." This child knows every song on the "Hello Love" CD. It's crazy. Needless to say, she's been excited about going to this concert for a while!

The concert was amazing. It was such a sweet time of corporate worship. Israel Houghton opened the show, followed by Chris (who's back-up singer tonight was Christy Nockels... my favorite "girl" singer ever!). As I looked down the row at my 2 1/2 year-old niece singing her heart out to "Jesus Messiah," "Sing, Sing, Sing," and "Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)," you know I had to cry! I'm so thankful for parents who raise their children to love Jesus! I look so forward to the day when Isabella knows Jesus as her Savior and Lord! I'm thrilled to know that she'll grow up learning about a Savior who is absolutely crazy in love with her!

On that note, He is crazy in love with all of us! And, because of that we have a song to sing!! He has redeemed us by conquering death and the grave!!! WOOHOO!! What a blessing to worship Him together tonight with dear friends and complete strangers! He is so good!!

So blessed. . .

Do you ever have one of those moments where something just hits you like a ton of bricks?? I have them frequently, because I'm so stubborn, it usually takes moments like those to get my attention. Well, this week, I've had moments like that twice.

I've been struck by the hopelessness of our world. Over the weekend, I heard of two very tragic deaths that have a direct impact on people in my circle of influence. One of them was a suicide, and the other was a murder of a young man. When I heard about these deaths, my first reaction was sadness and an overwhelming sense that all the things I whine about in my life are so petty! I also am so broken-hearted that people are at a point in their lives where they have no where else to turn. We live in a broken world, and a world full of hopeless people. As Christians, we have got to quit worrying about ourselves and our own comfort and start recognizing hurting people! They are all around us: our neighbors, our coworkers, even our fellow church-members. Am I so busy that I don't even see the hurt around me?? There are people that I come in contact with on a daily basis who are living their lives without a hope for the future. I have the Answer to their hurts and I live my life like I don't care sometimes! Lord, please help me to be aware of the hurting around me.

It Has Begun!

WOOOOOHOOOOO! It's officially time for baseball! The pitchers and catchers have reported for Spring Training, and the weather is getting warmer. Laurie has purchased the Opening Day tickets (there are 18 of us going!). Now, if I can only talk someone into going to Florida for a weekend, I can see a game before opening day. I should probably save my money and be patient :).

Call me crazy, but I'm hopeful that the Astros will have a good season. I don't think it'll be 90 wins or anything, but lately a team doesn't need 90 wins to get the Wild Card. So, my prediction is our pitching staff is going to surprise us and some of our bench players from last year (specifically Geoff Blum) are going to rise to the occasion and give us some baseball worth cheering about! I'm just looking forward to spending time with friends and family watching my Astros at Minute Maid Park. Go 'Stros!

He's so into you!

I'm finally getting a few minutes to sit down and write a blog. So much has gone on in the last few weeks, and God continues to be faithful.

In a previous blog, I mentioned our DNow weekend with our students at church. It was an amazing weekend and God was honored. The students' learned all weekend about God's Word and how they can apply it in their lives. I can see a new appreciation and desire for His Word in so many of them already. God's promise is so true that His Word will not return empty.

This is something God's been re-iterating to me as well. Tuesday night, I felt God leading me to just sit and read the Word for an extended period of time. I decided to start in Psalms. When I sat down, it was about 11:15 p.m., and I decided to read until midnight. So, in about 45 minutes, I read about 15 pages. So, I decided to see how long it would take me to read the whole Bible at this pace, and I took the total number of pages in my Bible and divided it by 15. Do you know it would only take 70 days or so to read the Bible?? I was shocked! I even did the calculation in my calculator twice to make sure! I know that Psalms probably reads faster than other books, but this was completely eye-opening and convicting to me! If I'll just take even 30 minutes every day to read my Bible, I can read it through at least twice a year! Crazy!!! I'm so thankful that God has given me a renewed passion for His Word!

My mind is racing about all the things I've been learning, and what God has been convicting me of, but I think I'll leave you with this story. I went to see the new hit movie He's Just Not That Into You with some girlfriends Friday night. I have to say I laughed out loud alot as they portrayed the ins and outs of dating in the 21st century. Unfortunately, I could relate in so many ways! And, of course the movie doesn't end with some magic formula to figure out what a guy is really thinking. . .that's definitely still up in the air! I was just thinking about that whole thing today, and how people will continue to let us down even when they have the best of intentions. There is One, however Who is sooooooooo into each of us! I never, ever have to try to figure out if Jesus loves me! Just like the kid's song says, I know it because "the Bible tells me so." I also know it because He is faithful to His Word every time, without fail. There is no person on earth we can say that about. So, if you were doubting that all, I just want you to rest in the love of the One who cares so deeply about you! He's absolutely crazy about you!!

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1 John 3:1-3