Saturday, November 5, 2011

Yay I'm writing again!


I STILL haven't written what I came here to write! 2 blog posts later and I really think I'm going to post the things I was thinking about before I opened up blogger. haha I guess I had some catching up to do.


John 10:6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared forwill FREELY go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have REAL and eternal LIFE, MORE and BETTER life than they ever DREAMED of. (I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the FULL, till it [b]OVERFLOWS [AMP]).

I read this after the videos I'm about to post. But the one thing that I have been thinking over the past few weeks when I've been in my funk is "I don't get this - I want more, I SHOULD be having more life then I feel. I have Jesus. What is going on? Something is off etc. etc. etc." My heart was hard AGAIN. But once I watched the videos my heart began to melt a little at a time and as I thought about the goodness of God and how much He loves me and how much power He has I began to believe and think about what it says in the bible that God has called us to have a life that is more and better then we've ever dreamed, abundant, full, and overflowing. As I read the scripture again I saw what happened. "Anyone who goes through me will be cared for - will freely go in and out... AND "the thief was there to steal and kill and destroy." I freely went in and OUT. And my joy and hope got stolen when I chose not to be in the safety of my shepherd, my Daddy, God/Jesus.

So first I watched Flyleaf's Lacey's testimony from being an atheist at 10 years old, to planning on killing herself at 16, to God chasing her that day and her allowing Him to come and heal the broken places that saved her life... This is just one of the many videos of her telling her story on YouTube.



and this was the part of the video I typed up and posted on facebook:

"He's seen you crying yourself to sleep every night & He didn't intend for you to live that way. He came so that you would have life and have it to the fullest. When we talk about sin, we need to understand what sin is - Sin is not God saying "you can't do this, you can't do this" because He wants to take something away from you. He's saying, "if you do this, it will be death - if you do this it will be life" & He says "Please, choose life so that you can live. Please I made you, I know how you work. I made this whole Earth, I know how it works, & please I'm telling You, This is Life, This is death. Please choose Life so you can live. ""

I never heard 'sin; put that way, even though it resonated so much within me and know I've heard something similar. I want to choose life and I want it to be ABUNDANT [John 10:6-10] life. Not "just get me through this day life"



And then I watched/listened/worshiped to this:
If you don't want to sit for the whole 8 mins then I recommend starting at 5:55


And this part stuck out -
I don't want to hide in the darkness anymore- You delight God - so break the chains off my heart
That is what I had been doing. Hiding in the darkness.
I soaked in each word of the song that I had heard so many times but prayed/sang the "You delight God - so break the chains off my heart"
And you know what? He did just that. He's so faithful to cut the ties that bind up our hearts and minds when we let go. I honestly felt comfort sitting in the darkness when I was - it was familiar and I liked it. But I really didn't like it...I didn't like what it did to me over time.

So now I'm feeling much better then I have in a long time. And I'm going to continue to pray that I live my life abundantly. And I hope you're encouraged as well :)





*If you want a written out quick story on Lacey Mosley here's something I got from - believe it or not - urbandictionary.com

Throughout her earlier years, she was an outspoken atheist. At age ten, she began dabbling in drugs, and at thirteen fell into it even worse. "I was trying to figure out who I was and anything to separate me from my family, or to separate me from my situation at home was good to me," Mosley said. "It was like a warzone going home."

When she was fourteen years old, she received a bass guitar for Christmas and began playing Nirvana and Green Day songs with her brother who played guitar.

At sixteen, Mosley was kicked out of her home after a fight with her mother involving the police, and moved to Gulfport, Mississippi to live with her grandparents. There she attended high school and joined a band that was in need of a bass player. She went on to sing for the band, and picked up guitar so she could write her own songs.

During that same year, she went through bouts of depression and had suicidal tendencies. "I lost my boyfriend, I lost my brothers and sisters that I watched every day, and I lost my drugs that I did. I really felt like that was the end," she said. "So I decided to kill myself the next day." After her grandmother forced her to go to church, Mosley experienced something supernatural that brought her to God. "My life totally changed after that."

"I used to be in a really negative band, and that seemed to almost fuel my emptiness because that's what the songs were about." After a while, she quit the band and began playing by herself.

Broken, Unbroken, Broken, Unbroken


“No heart is as whole as a broken heart and I would say no faith is as solid as a wounded faith.” –Elie Weisel

Broken: I've been feeling 'broken'. The bad kind - the kind that feels so 'broken' it can't be fixed. Dealing with the same issues in cycles is definitely not something you want to find yourself going through again, and again and - again.

Unbroken: So what do I do? I try to fix myself. Try to patch things up with some...scotch tape. It's supposed to be clear/translucent right? Yea...right. You can see that it's there trying to hold the broken pieces together. The heavy heavy broken pieces together. So now do I not only feel like I'm broken but I'm pretending to be 'unbroken' and hold myself together temporally - cause you know how well scotch tape works - and you know how "clear and translucent" it is. I'm not fooling anyone.

Broken: So now I'm finally back (again) to the place where I'm ready to say "yea I'm broken". And instead of trying to pick up the pieces, hold myself together and pretend I'm not broken - I'll embrace the fact that I AM broken and THAT will turn into the good kind of breaking:

Psalm 51:17 [Amplified]
My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 51:16-17 [Message]
Going through the motions doesn't please you,
a flawless performance is nothing to you.
I learned God-worship
when my pride was shattered.
Heart-shattered lives ready for love
DON'T for a moment escape God's notice.

Unbroken: So this is my broken prayer so He can reeaaaalllyyy put the pieces back together. And I will again be unbroken. (Psalm 51 - I'm doing this for myself more then the people who are reading this - but you're more then welcome to read it through, pray it through, sing it through... I'm sure you've heard lots of songs written from this if you've been in church so sing along if you decide to read all the way through haha. And if you do read it through - try to read it with new eyes and ears and heart...it feels good)

1HAVE MERCY upon me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to the multitude of Your tender mercy and loving-kindness blot out my transgressions.

2Wash me thoroughly [and repeatedly] from my iniquity and guilt and cleanse me and make me wholly pure from my sin!

3For I am conscious of my transgressions and I acknowledge them; my sin is ever before me.

4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified in Your sentence and faultless in Your judgment.(A)

5Behold, I was brought forth in [a state of] iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me [and I too am sinful].(B)

6Behold, You desire truth in the inner being; make me therefore to know wisdom in my inmost heart.

7Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean [ceremonially]; wash me, and I shall [in reality] be whiter than snow.

8Make me to hear joy and gladness and be satisfied; let the bones which YOU have broken REJOICE.

9Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities.

10Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a RIGHT, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from Your presence and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit.

13Then will I teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted and return to YOU.

14Deliver me from bloodguiltiness and death, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness (Your rightness and Your justice).

15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.

16For You delight NOT in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering.(C)

17My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

18Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

19THEN will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.

"It's been a while..." ♫


As I was about to write my first post in a few months the song "It's been a while" popped into my head. I don't even know the last time I heard it and it's definitely not a favorite song...It's not even in my itunes. I was just going to write it as a title and start writing what I was currently thinking about but decided to look up the lyrics and see if I could relate and...yep - I can...

So here they are: [with my notes]

It's been a while
Since I could hold my head up high [I've been feeling beaten down and discouraged]
and it's been a while
Since I first saw you [I was thinking about God and the things I've experienced in the past with Him in real ways]
It's been a while
since i could stand on my own two feet again [Back to the feeling beaten down part]
and it's been a while
since i could call you [I had put God on the 'back burner' & was looking to everything other then Him to try and help]
But everything I can't remember as f***** up as it may seem [Most of the time I don't know how I end up feeling down]
the consequences that I've rendered [self explanatory]
I've stretched myself beyond my means [I've been busy and need to take a step back and figure out what I'm spending my time and energy on]

It's been a while
since i could say that i wasn't addicted and [food, escapes, depression etc.]
It's been a while
Since I could say I love myself as well and [I'm getting much much better at this over time, Thank God!]
It's been a while
Since I've gone and f***** things up just like i always do [never ending self destructing cycle I find myself on]
It's been a while
But all that s*** seems to disappear when i'm with you [you as in God and yes it's true even with the language]
But everything I can't remember as f***** up as it may seem
the consequences that I've rendered
I've gone and f***** things up again [Hopefully this is where I can't relate to the song]

Why must i feel this way?
just make this go away
just one more peaceful day [My prayer - even though I know it can just be an escape and not dealing with the emotions in front of me]

Its been awhile
Since I could lok at myself straight [hiding from everyone including myself]
and it's been awhile
since i said i'm sorry [Sorry God!!]
It's been awhile
Since I've seen the way the candles light your face [mmm I don't know God is 'light'? haha]
It's been awhile
But I can still remember just the way you taste ["Taste" and see that the Lord is good - blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him]
But everything I can't remember as f***** up as it may seem
I know it's me i cannot blame this on my father [Although I know I still have father issues I also know this is true - You can't put the blame on everyone else. Eventually you have to take responsibility for your own actions]
he did the best he could for me [and this I definitely know to be true about my own popsi]

It's been a while
Since I could hold my head up high
and it's been a while since i said i'm sorry

So that's my first post in a few months. :) It's good to be writing again even if it's writing notes on a song that I don't even love.