God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay. Remember Christ our Saviour was born on Christmas Day. To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray. Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. Oh tidings of comfort and joy!
He has come for us this Jesus.
He's the hope for all mankind.
He has come for us the Messiah.
Born to give us life.
**********************************
This has always been one of my favorite Christmas songs. And Meredith Andrews' addition of a chorus has bumped it up even higher on my list. But singing it today, I just really focused on the words to this song. At the end of the day, it's more than a Christmas song. It's a peace-giving reminder of how to live our life: Be at rest. Don't let anything bring you down or worry you. Remember that no matter the battle, we know how it ends because Christ was born! To save us, while we were STILL sinners. Take comfort and be joyful!
He has come FOR US this Jesus.
I love that line. "This Jesus." That guy you hear about. This "Jesus." And yes he's the hope for all mankind. How beautiful? In the midst of so much ugly these days, so much chaos. This Jesus is the hope for ALL mankind….every problem, every issue, every stronghold, every mountain.
He was born to give us life.
Life. A life to be lived. A life of freedom, hope, redemption, grace, fulfillment. Life. Not fear, not insecurity, not anger, not anxiety. Life.
I pray that in the midst of this Christmas season (and i'm sure I'll have more to say before it ends!) that you not only remember the reason for the season, but that you fully appreciate that reason and rejoice in the life-giving gift of Jesus Christ.
He has come for us.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014
A Clean Shot
I cut my finger…apparently.
I don't even know when I cut it, but I noticed a little dried blood yesterday evening. So apparently at some point I cut it. And now it hurts. All day, every time I bump it or rub it on something or wash my hands with soap it hurts!
And this got me thinking: I don't even remember hurting it, but I sure feel the after effects! How many times in life is that us? We may not even recognize when someone hurts us, when we take an offense, or when we get bruised. But boy do we sure feel it for sometimes years to come when things rub against that wound!
And then you find yourself backtracking, asking what is this pain from? But that's only if you're careful and observant. If you're not careful, you may not even notice the wound itself, and just continue to live out of the pain and rawness that results from it's hidden place in your life.
How can something we didn't even recognize as a hurt leave a mark that takes time to heal? Whew. That's a question right there. And I'm really not sure I have the answer. But I know it happens. I have this image in my head of that scene in the action movies where there's a gunshot, and you think the hero is ok; until they look down and realize the bullet went right through them. And then the blood spills out…and I stop watching.
Sometimes a hurt does just that. It's a clean shot. Through and through. And until the junk starts spilling out, you may not know it's there.
Instead of bandaging it, I say let it out. Get the junk out of your life! Figure out:
1) where the hurt came from
What caused it? Why? When? You may have to journey back quite a ways…
2) what draws the blood?
What in particular causes the wound to surface? What rubs it the wrong way? Why?
3) how to let it heal
Do whatever it takes to get to the root of it, and let it heal! Don't keep living out of the pain, out of the discomfort.
The smallest grain of sand in the wrong place (like your swimsuit) can do major damage! Don't discount wounds because they seem tiny. And don't discount them because they seem too big. God did not create you to live that way. He sent His son so that we could walk in freedom.
Much love.
I don't even know when I cut it, but I noticed a little dried blood yesterday evening. So apparently at some point I cut it. And now it hurts. All day, every time I bump it or rub it on something or wash my hands with soap it hurts!
And this got me thinking: I don't even remember hurting it, but I sure feel the after effects! How many times in life is that us? We may not even recognize when someone hurts us, when we take an offense, or when we get bruised. But boy do we sure feel it for sometimes years to come when things rub against that wound!
And then you find yourself backtracking, asking what is this pain from? But that's only if you're careful and observant. If you're not careful, you may not even notice the wound itself, and just continue to live out of the pain and rawness that results from it's hidden place in your life.
How can something we didn't even recognize as a hurt leave a mark that takes time to heal? Whew. That's a question right there. And I'm really not sure I have the answer. But I know it happens. I have this image in my head of that scene in the action movies where there's a gunshot, and you think the hero is ok; until they look down and realize the bullet went right through them. And then the blood spills out…and I stop watching.
Sometimes a hurt does just that. It's a clean shot. Through and through. And until the junk starts spilling out, you may not know it's there.
Instead of bandaging it, I say let it out. Get the junk out of your life! Figure out:
1) where the hurt came from
What caused it? Why? When? You may have to journey back quite a ways…
2) what draws the blood?
What in particular causes the wound to surface? What rubs it the wrong way? Why?
3) how to let it heal
Do whatever it takes to get to the root of it, and let it heal! Don't keep living out of the pain, out of the discomfort.
The smallest grain of sand in the wrong place (like your swimsuit) can do major damage! Don't discount wounds because they seem tiny. And don't discount them because they seem too big. God did not create you to live that way. He sent His son so that we could walk in freedom.
Much love.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Just a few thoughts...
So last night I took a few of my youth girls to hear Kari Jobe and Christine Caine minister in Monroe, Louisiana. It was an awesome night with such powerful worship and words! Not to mention SO much fun on the car ride home. But as I sat there (on the front row, thanks to my girls) I had several revelations during the night.
The first, was how long it's been since i blogged….so I am going to TRY to be back with a vengeance! More to come on that later….
The second thing was thinking about how far we travelled to get there. It was a 3 hour drive, which isn't horrible but isn't close either. It was the first time I left my newborn son to be put to sleep by someone else (oh yeah, ps I'm a mom now! more on that later too…). And it was a weeknight, work night, stormy night. But, we still made it there. And despite so many reasons to cancel, I felt an expectancy that kept me determined to make the trip. So I got to thinking: what makes tonight different? I really could listen to this on a podcast I'm sure. I could stay home and worship to a Kari Jobe classic. I could revisit notes I have from all the previous times I've heard Chris Caine. And I felt God remind me of the people who travelled far and wide to come hear Jesus speak. Sometimes there is a great power in getting out of your seat, getting out of your norm, getting out of your routine and pursuing a moment with God. I can have them in the quiet of my own home, but seeking Him out brings a whole new anointing. Saying "God I know you are going to be in this place tonight, and so I'm going to meet you there." And He was…..
And lastly, I had another revelation during Oceans. (I mean seriously, could that song speak to me more often??? If you're not familiar with it, get it!) They had this awesome LED screen with these huge crashing waves behind the band. Not all storm waves, some were just huge swells like you see in Hawaii. And I thought of Peter getting out of the boat to meet Jesus….and I realized that somehow in my head I've always pictured the waters being calm when he got out of the boat. The image in my head is Jesus appearing on a flat lake, coming through the midst. And that's impressive enough! But as i watched the monster waves roll and crash, I thought about what it would be like to see Jesus standing in the midst of that saying "come walk to me." It's one thing to get out of the boat when the waters are calm, but it's a whole 'nother ballgame to get out when the seas are rough. When there is no flat water to even tread much less stand on! Would I get out of the boat?
So there you go. Just a few of my thoughts from the night. And no, those aren't even any from my notes after the awesome message! Just the random chats between me and God before the night really even started. More to come soon….
much love,
Jessica
The first, was how long it's been since i blogged….so I am going to TRY to be back with a vengeance! More to come on that later….
The second thing was thinking about how far we travelled to get there. It was a 3 hour drive, which isn't horrible but isn't close either. It was the first time I left my newborn son to be put to sleep by someone else (oh yeah, ps I'm a mom now! more on that later too…). And it was a weeknight, work night, stormy night. But, we still made it there. And despite so many reasons to cancel, I felt an expectancy that kept me determined to make the trip. So I got to thinking: what makes tonight different? I really could listen to this on a podcast I'm sure. I could stay home and worship to a Kari Jobe classic. I could revisit notes I have from all the previous times I've heard Chris Caine. And I felt God remind me of the people who travelled far and wide to come hear Jesus speak. Sometimes there is a great power in getting out of your seat, getting out of your norm, getting out of your routine and pursuing a moment with God. I can have them in the quiet of my own home, but seeking Him out brings a whole new anointing. Saying "God I know you are going to be in this place tonight, and so I'm going to meet you there." And He was…..
And lastly, I had another revelation during Oceans. (I mean seriously, could that song speak to me more often??? If you're not familiar with it, get it!) They had this awesome LED screen with these huge crashing waves behind the band. Not all storm waves, some were just huge swells like you see in Hawaii. And I thought of Peter getting out of the boat to meet Jesus….and I realized that somehow in my head I've always pictured the waters being calm when he got out of the boat. The image in my head is Jesus appearing on a flat lake, coming through the midst. And that's impressive enough! But as i watched the monster waves roll and crash, I thought about what it would be like to see Jesus standing in the midst of that saying "come walk to me." It's one thing to get out of the boat when the waters are calm, but it's a whole 'nother ballgame to get out when the seas are rough. When there is no flat water to even tread much less stand on! Would I get out of the boat?
So there you go. Just a few of my thoughts from the night. And no, those aren't even any from my notes after the awesome message! Just the random chats between me and God before the night really even started. More to come soon….
much love,
Jessica
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