Showing posts with label Mandisa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mandisa. Show all posts
Sunday, December 29, 2013

What I am Listening to Lately

I don't listen to rap often unless the singer is Lecrae.  He has been one of my favorite artists for quite a few years because, his lyrics are strong, powerful, thought provoking, righteous, honorable, edifying....and awesome.  His passion for Jesus is SO inspiring and his songs encourage my weary soul.  This song has been out for over a year now but, I could listen to it every day.  LOVE. I don't care who you are or what your sins are...Jesus loves you wildly and HE died for you....we've done nothing to deserve that kind of sacrifice but, he died to redeem, set free and forgive us of our sins and I can't tell you how grateful I am that he loves a wreck like me unconditionally.  Infinite.  Holy. Perfect love. 

Lecrae - Tell the World (one of the stanzas from this song)
I can't offer you nothin, but your care and kindness keep comin
And your love is so unconditional, I get butterflies in my stomach
I got the old me in the rearview, gotta new me, gotta clear view
I was so dead, I couldn't hear you
Too deep in sin to come near you
But you drew me in, and cleaned me up
And take me home and beamed me up
Before you do, just let me tell the truth
And let these folks know that I done seeing your love
And it's everlastin, infinite
It goes on and on, you can't measure it
Can't quench your love, they can't separate us from the love of God
It's no estimate
My face look the same, my frame done rearranged
But I changed, I promise I aint the same
Your love is so deep, you suffered and took pain
And died on the cross to gimme a new name
Aint nothin like I seen before
I gotta beam to glow
Was low, down, and dirty but you cleaned me Lord
You looked after me, you keep rockin me
Imma tell the world and aint nobody stoppin me


Mandisa is awesome. She is so positive and uplifting and this song, "Overcomer," is a favorite in our household. We played it several times a day for a while there. My kiddo knows hand motions to the chorus and we dance around the house with this song blasting.  It never ceases to put a smile on all of our faces:). If you ever have a bad day, week or a bad decade...don't ever forget that you are an overcomer in Jesus.  Hang on, keep fighting, keep pressing on or better yet, blast this song and dance around your house while belting out the lyrics with a fake microphone (or a kitchen spoon will do) in your hand.  It helps!  I promise:).  

Every time this song comes on the radio I'm drawn in.  I lived many seasons in my childhood especially and teen years where I was just a Christian because it was all that I knew.   It was easy to believe when life was easy but, when the heat turned up and I mean REALLY turned up...I struggled to hold on.  I lived seasons where I was so broken that I didn't know if God even cared anymore.  I've loved Jesus SO passionately at times and then completely surprised myself by doubting Him tremendously in others BUT, at my darkest hour in my loneliest valley, He always showed up to love on me in such a powerful way.  I can't tell you how beautiful His love feels when He joins you in the trenches and shelters you from the storm and lets you rest in his arms.   He is my only hope and He is my stay.  I NEED him..my one defense, my righteousness.  Hallelujah. 
And I'll wrap it up with this fun and happy song, "My Beloved," sung by David Crowder...I mean take a second to look at that crowd will yah...just look at all the people packed into the arena just to sing, dance and worship Jesus!!   Y'all this is just a microscopic, but beautiful glimpse of Heaven.  Someday, all believers, are going to gather together by the millions/billions to sing, dance and worship Jesus and He is going to be there in the flesh (if we are flesh in heaven?? but you get my drift)!!  We will be completely free, uninhibited, unrestrained by sin or division of any kind.  Folks in Heaven there will be no more pain of any kind.  No more sorrow.  No more struggle.  No more loneliness.  It's gonna be so, so, so awesome.



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Not Perfect


23" For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
24 But, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 
Romans 3:23-24

News Flash.

Christians are not perfect.

I mean, you already knew that right?

I hope you didn't ever get the impression that I thought I was perfect?  

Because, Christians are SO not perfect. 

We make lots of mistakes.  

We sin in our anger.

We covet.  We lust.  We think impure thoughts. 

We lie.  We cheat...you name it.  

We do things we shouldn't.

We look at things we shouldn't.  

We struggle with lots of stuff.  

We are broken. 

We are a mess.

But, at some point on our sinful journey we recognized our desperate need for a Savior.  
We finally saw our sin for what it was and we realized, WOW....I'm a hot mess.   

We were finally able to see that no one is truly good...no not one.    

We looked around at the glorious creation surrounding us and thought...there is just no way that this perfect balance just came to be.  

There is no way that life could be this miraculously designed without the existence of one able to do the miraculous. 

We felt a strong tug on our hearts...a beckoning, a warm and radiant embrace.  

We took a step of faith and asked Jesus to take the reigns in our life.  Surrendered control.  

We began to read our Bibles with a new sense of urgency and saw just how perfectly the dots lined up when viewed through scripture. 

 It's not as cheesy as it sounds.  But, it is mind blowing and eye opening.  

The meaning of life reached exponential depths and everything became shockingly vibrant.  

We never became perfect nor will we ever be.

But, we got covered for life.  We got forgiven because, we saw our desperate need for it. 

Every day we learn.  We fall.  We grow.  We trust in someone who never failed.

Jesus was in fact perfect and there is none wiser. 

So who else could better set the standard for morality and what is truly good? 

Man's morality changes with the tides and has no stable foundation.  

Man's definition of good is incredibly full of holes.  Have you ever really thought about that? 

Churches aren't full of perfect people.

Churches are just full of people.

People that want to learn more about the purpose of life.

People that are terribly broken and have come to realize that only one man can really put the pieces in their lives back together. 

People that finally surrendered to the tug on their hearts.

People that have asked Christ into their hearts.

People that want Him to take the lead.  People that love him and are deeply, passionately and infinitely LOVED by Him

So, please don't be so quick to judge a Christian.  

And Christians please don't be so quick to judge one another.  

Can't we just be real?

We are all on an imperfect journey with a perfect Jesus.  

And we are all in different places on that journey.  

And whew.

Jesus died for all of us sinners.

Even me.
YEAH!! 

I can't tell you how thankful I am.

If you haven't ever asked him to take the reigns in your life,

If your mind is open to the realization that maybe something is in fact missing...

I promise you don't have to get all your stuff together first.

You don't have to be perfect or anywhere near it.

You don't have to be fake or hide who you really are.

Just come.

  Call on Jesus.  
Then we can be sinners saved by Jesus together.
It's that simple. 

When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'.
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say… "I am a Christian,"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble,
And need CHRIST to be my guide.
When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak,
And need HIS strength to carry on.
When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed,
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible,
But God believes I am worth it.
When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches,
So I call upon His name.
When I say ... "I am a Christian,"
I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace somehow.
                                                                       Maya Angelou