You Are More

I heard this song for the first time this morning. I needed to hear this song. Perhaps you do too. Here is a link to the video and below are the words. Thank you Tenth Avenue North-this is beautiful.

"Therefore , if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

You Are More

There's a girl in the corner With tear stains on her eyes
From the places she's wandered And the shame she can't hide
She says, "How did I get here? I'm not who I once was.
And I'm crippled by the fear That I've fallen too far to love"
But don't you know who you are, What's been done for you?
Yeah don't you know who you are?


You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create, You've been remade.


Well she tries to believe it That she's been given new life
But she can't shake the feeling That it's not true tonight
She knows all the answers And she's rehearsed all the lines
And so she'll try to do better But then she's too weak to try
But don't you know who you are?


You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.


'Cause this is not about what you've done, But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been, But where your brokenness brings you to
This is not about what you feel, But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.


You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create,
You've been remade.

Game Changer

Last week I wrapped up the study of Jonah by Priscilla Shirer. While reflecting on what I had learned over the past six weeks, it occurred to me that there was one moment that changed my whole perspective on Jonah. I grew up going to church and Jonah was a popular Sunday School lesson. Most of the teaching was about Jonah disobeying God and being swallowed by a big fish. At some point my young mind decided that Jonah was being punished and that's how I've always viewed the story- until now.

During the early part of the study, Priscilla refers to the fish as God's grace. Huh? The game changer-Grace. Grace has been defined as God's unmerited favor. We don't deserve it, yet God lavishly gives it to us. You see God could have left Jonah to go where he wanted to- far away from God's calling. He could have left Jonah in the ocean to drown-no longer useful in God's kingdom. Instead God chose to extend grace and swallow Jonah up in a big fish and bring him back-back to the place of his calling and his usefulness to God.

It's sort of like making a u-turn when we realize we're heading in the wrong direction. We go back to the place that we know is right and start over. Grace allows for the mistakes and sets us back on the right track. It's a game changer.

A Timely Question

Today I finished a lesson in the Bible study, Jonah, by Priscilla Shirer. At the end of the lesson, Priscilla asked the question, " When you face dire circumstances, do you normally feel hopeful...?" I so did not want to respond...at least not kindly to that question, not today, not this week.

This week, almost without exception, every unexpected phone call or e-mail was bad news. Job changes were coming and they weren't very favorable. Sweet friends, the girlfriends for life kind, are facing tough battles with cancer. Family members are wrestling with painful decisions. While other family members are planning the funeral of their father and grandfather. Frankly it all stinks and I'm not feeling very hopeful. Not today anyway.

Today I want to stuff my face with chocolate, crawl back in bed and wake up next week.

Sorry for the ranting, the hopeful me will be back shortly.