Pure

This Music Monday post is more about the artist than the particular song. Pure is by Kari Jobe and I first heard her on Life Today singing it. I was immediately engaged to worship with her before she even sang a note. The purity (no pun intended) of her worship is amazing. Some of you may already know her and her music, but I'm just getting there and am loving it. I'm looking forward to enjoying more of her music real soon.

Lead Me to the Cross

This song has been on my mind and my heart for a few weeks. If I'm not singing it to myself, I'm hearing it in the car. It has become a prayer for me. Lead Me To the Cross is a strong reminder that whatever we're dealing with, whatever we need to let go of, whatever we need to be delivered from is worth it. Jesus hung on a cross to cover these things, all of them.

I realize that it's easier said than done sometimes. We get scared. We don't want anyone to know. We can't see how it will work out, but God can and will help. He will not embarass us. In fact the verses below say, He will honor us. Trust Him.

"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you." 1 Peter 5:6,7 NLT

Roller Coaster Ride

**This post is part of Rachel Olsen's Devotional Carnival** Be sure to check out all the other posts about pleasing God. **

This past week has been full of emotions. It's felt much like riding a roller coaster for me. Some of you may enjoy that sort of ride, but I really don't. I much prefer the gentler, predictable carousel ride. However this week would include the thrills of birthday celebrations and the company of good friends, the twists of missed deadlines and lack of sleep, and the stomach churning drops of inconclusive test results and the funeral of one lost way too soon. Typically this ride would make me want to crawl in bed and not come out for a few days. God, though, had been preparing me.

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7NIV

During the previous week, I had heard two different teachings on this verse. So I knew God was getting my attention for something. One teacher in particular talked about being stable minded. The focus was on facing life, whatever the circumstances, choosing to trust God and believe Him for what is best. Letting our response be to trust God, not the circumstances. When our flesh wants to be fretful, worried or anxious, to realize that we have a spirit of power, love and self-discipline. The ability to walk through these events differently is possible. Stable became my word of the week. When I would feel myself start to respond in a way that wouldn't please God, I would say it out loud-STABLE. I am choosing to trust God and be stable minded through this situation. Stable is defined as "not likely to change or move, steady, not excitable or given to irrational behavior." Maybe saying it out loud, o-k yelling it at times, is a little irrational, but you get the point! Sometimes we need to shake ourselves and be reminded that we do indeed have a spirit of power, love and self-discipline with us.

What about you? How do you handle those days or weeks with unexpected twists and turns?

Kid Favorite

Boomin' by Toby Mac-- Now that's a Music Monday song! My kids love this song and it makes me smile to see them in the back seat with their heads bobbing singing some Toby Mac!

Seriously, I was just playing it on my laptop and my son ran down the hall and said, "Mom you have to listen to the end. It's like an opera; so cool!" He's eight...that's cool to me.
Enjoy.

Temporary Home

Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood is one of my favorites by her. Besides the fact that her voice is amazing, the message in the song is so powerful. (She gives some insight on the story and the writing of the song here. )

Sometimes when I hear it, it makes me sad. I think about my friends in Puerto Rico that I met on a mission trip. Many of them are in the last place they'll live on this Earth. It's not a personal home but a women's shelter. Having an eternal perspective, though, can bring much hope in what may seem hopeless right now.

Sometimes when I hear it, I raise my hands and say Praise God! It's so amazing to think about the generosity and grace of God and how much more He has for us in eternity. It reminds me not to hold tightly to the fragile things of this world, but to cling to my Rock, my God. This stuff here-it really is just temporary.