To Him be the Glory

Thank God summer is here. Chicago is a bit crazy when it comes to the weather, when its winter it's super cold and when it's summer its super hot, both EXTREMES! This winter we hit the -30 mark and this week we had 90+ weather, Chicagoans can never be happy. But Praise the LORD He woke me up this morning and I was blessed with another day of life. It's sad how many of us take that for granted, something so simple as waking up. How many did not get to see another day?

So if you are reading this, praise God you are alive!!!! The other day I was in the car and I heard this song and OMG I stopped everything and I just listen, its called "Which Jesus Do You Follow", here are the lyrics:

Which Jesus do you follow?

Which Jesus do you serve?

If Ephesians says to imitate Christ

Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant

So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness

Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins

He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the rich

So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow

This picture of the American dream

If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion

Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins

But the Word says He was battered and scarred

Or did you miss that part

Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and the least of these

He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable

So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church

The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet

But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud

I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd

And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus

You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus

Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me

Can I be like You Jesus?

I want to be like you Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!

Hillsong United

I went to the Hillsong United concert last night and it was absolutely incredible. These guys are completely sold out to God and their spirits are so beautiful.

Here are some videos:

He rejoices in your praise!

Sunday was an amazing day... I got to church early as usual and before service we always pray for an hour. Well praise and worship started as usual but the atmosphere was not the same, as soon as Melody (she was leading praise and worship) opened her mouth and started singing the first song something happened, I said "My God please rejoice in the praises of your people" and that is when I saw Him. I saw Jesus, it was only for a few seconds and I only got to see His back because He was dancing, as we worshiped Him, He danced! It was incredible and so beautiful!

Many of us go to church and don't take praise and worship seriously, many of us don't close our eyes or lift our hands, instead we are looking around to see what the other people are doing. If we only knew that He takes pleasure in our worship and our praise, He delights in our singing and adoration. When I saw Him and He disappear shortly, I opened my eyes and I looked around and I wondered if any body else had seen Him? If they knew that He was in the house and He was taking please in our songs, He was dancing as we praised Him?! 

I love to worship and praise my God! And now even more so, now I not only know but I have seen that He delights in my praises and dances as I worship Him! God is incredible and deserving of all glory, honor, praise, worship. He is worthy of your time, devotion, love. He is worth of everything you have. So next time you are at church during praise and worship, close your eyes and give Him all that you have because He is dancing and rejoicing in your praise!

Sing praises to God, sing praises! 

Sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King of all the earth;

Sing praises with understanding.

God reigns over the nations; 

God sits on His holy throne.

The princes of the people have gathered together,

The people of the God of Abraham.

For the shields of the earth belong to God;

He is greatly exalted.

Psalm 47:6-9

Abandon Myself

I want to abandon myself for God, I want to come to a place where I no longer know who I am. The only thing that would matter is pleasing my father! the one who created me, the one who has set me free and broke the chains! I no longer live but Christ now lives in me! I want to be sold out for the Kingdom! I want to become DEAD! completely dead to self! I lay down my dreams, my hopes and desires! I want GOD to input HIS dreams and visions into my heart! I want to draw so close to His heart so that I may hurt for what He hurts for, so my spirit may be so sensitive to Him. That I may be able to hear the softest whisper, to feel His most gentle embrace! I want to get lost! I want to drown in His love! I want my hunger to rise daily! I will no longer be content at the level I'm at, I want more of His true divine love! It's time to rise! to rise and mark a difference, by prayer, fasting, and weeping! By becoming ONE with the father! my ultimate desire is to walk in the will of my father! To know that I am pleasing Him and making Him smile! For He is worthy! He is amazing! His love is unfailing! My Beloved the one who rescued me!

What do I know of Holy?

I was listening to the radio and I came across a song called, what do I know of holy? And as I listened I was able to relate to it in so many ways. How many of us have been there? or are there right now? I know I've been there, playing with His emotions, praising Him with my lips but my heart was far from Him. But my God is merciful and loving and incredible and always faithful, He is patient and He was and still is with me. I have surrendered ALL of me to have ALL of HIM and now I can say I know HIM, I know what He is like, I know what is like to be loved by Him. I know what is like to have Him in my room, I know what His touch feels like, I know what He sounds like. I read His book and its no longer a book full of stories but a book full of PROMISES and assurance that He is who He says He is!


Here are the lyrics to the song, enjoy!

What do I know of Holy?
by: Addison Road

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

Burning

Burning- Jason Upton

God says to Israel, “I wanted to speak directly to you but you were afraid of the fire” and I believe God is raising a generation of people that are not going to be afraid of the fire, you know He doesn't just share the mysteries of His heart with anybody, He shares it with those he has found trustworthy.

Raise us up oh God
Give us back bone in the spirit
We lay it all down for the heart of heaven

Sometimes no compromise means no compensation.
There's a power in Jesus' life because He was not bought by the world. There are a lot of people that run around in the church and we call ourselves Christians but we are bought by the world system, right inside the church.

Set us free oh God to worship you
Set us free oh God, children of the Lord rejoice
Set us free oh God, break off the man-pleasing spirit God!

One day I was sitting before the Lord and I said I want to be part of the army and I believe that is what God is raising up tonight His army, He is not raising up a chorus He is raising up an army and I believe the first way He does that is by making us sons and daughters attentive to hear His voice.

Open up our ears oh God that we may hear, some of us are intoxicated by the words of men its like we are addicted when we don't hear its like we can't even live.

But you know that God has a voice too, He doesn't magnify it, He whispers it, "You are my beloved."

God we are asking for your freedom tonight, go to the deep places Lord tonight.

...Love...

Love

Love is amazing and is life changing, those that have ever loved or have ever been loved know exactly what I mean. When you love you are capable and willing to do anything for the one you love. When you are in love that is all you think about day-in and day-out. Love consumes your life, every second of your day that is all you can think about that is all you want to think about.

Love transforms, it liberates, it changes, it forces you out of your comfort zone, it allows you to see yourself through different lenses and all the sudden the way you see yourself and the way you see the world changes. Love does not enter your life silently, it makes it known that it has arrived.

Love is capable of overcoming everything and anything that comes its way, we have all read:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

It is an amazing thing when that becomes a reality, when its no longer something you hear or read, when its no longer something you hope for, but its your reality.

As humans we tend to place this duty on another person and yes God has created for us the one that will "complete" us (Genesis 2:24) but we are to fall in love with Him first. We are to be satisfy by Him (and only Him). 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is a reality that we should experience with HIM before we can experience it with any one else. Humans learn by example and there is no better person to teach us how to love than God. His love is unconditional, there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more and there is nothing I can do to make Him not love me. He will love me today, tomorrow and forever the same, regardless of what I do or don't do. God is LOVE, he cannot deny His nature.

Let me tell you an old black and white love story

Originally uploaded by B a r c a <3

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense, because you share them. It makes you stronger, so that you can reach our and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone. 

Unknown

Heaven comes down to touch us when we find ourselves safe in the heart of another. 

Unknown

We never love our neighbor so truly as when our love for him is prompted by the love of God.

Francois Fenelon

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

Robert A Heinlein

Real love loves for love's sake and not because the loved one is lovable.

Eugenia Price