friend of sinners

Jesus, Friend of Sinners
(by Casting Crowns)


Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away
We cut down people in Your name, but the sword was never ours to swing
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided


Oh Jesus, friend of sinners
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers
Let our hearts be led by mercy
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours


Jesus, friend of sinner, the One whose writing in the sand
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands
Help us to remember we are all the least of these
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees
Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded
What is we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like You did

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

You love every lost cause; You reach for the outcast

For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came

Lord I was that lost cause, and I was the outcast

But You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

And I was the lost cause, and I was the outcast

Yeah...

You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

This song has been on my heart so much today. It came on the radio, and I almost broken down thinking about the depth of the lyrics and what they mean.

This verse in particular hit me strong:

Jesus, friend of sinner, the One whose writing in the sand

Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands

Help us to remember we are all the least of these

Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees

Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded

What is we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like You did

In light of the current events going on, it's hard to remember that even the people we despise, the ones we long to see come to justice, are still loved by God.

He doesn't love their sin. He loves the person.

And I'm reminded... He doesn't love my sin. But He loves me.

My prayer for the victims of the CO shooting is that they will find rest, peace, comfort, and God's healing hand on their lives during this time. Physical healing, emotional healing, and spiritual healing. I pray that they will draw near to HIm.

My prayer for the suspect of the CO shooting is that He will feel conviction, guilt, shame, and sadness over what he's done.

But I also pray that through this, he will realize his sin and his need for God.

Our God is an amazing, outstanding, miraculous, and forgiving God. He is also a just God.

Praying for those whom we consider monsters is so hard.

But Jesus was a friend of sinners. Let us not be blinded by our longing for justice that we forget the need for God in every person's life.

3848

chasing the sunset

Izzy and I set out on a walk to chase the sunset tonight.

Well, I reckon we were really trying to find the sunset.

I could see above the houses in my neighborhood that it was full of pretty pinks and blues tonight. I couldn't wait to see it!

One thing that makes me want to live at the beach is the sunsets. An unobstructed view of God's beauty. It's so hard to catch in a subdivision.

So, Izzy and I walked. And walked.

I tried to choose the best no dog route I could think of. Since I run in my neighborhood so much, I remember where many of the dogs live. And since Izzy is not a dog type of dog (yeah, weird, eh?), I thought it'd be best to avoid the dog houses (ha!).

We had a hard time finding a good spot for a picture.

This was the best we could do.

We caught a few of the pinks!

And then we were racing the thunder and lightening back to the house.

Izzy insisted on pottying in every other yard though, so that slowed us up a bit. But we returned safely!

Have you chased any sunsets lately?

Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:25-26

Such a powerful scripture. In our weakness, we find God's strength. Out of heaven and earth, He is our constant, our purpose. Our portion.

Forever.

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the Lord is my portion -- 52 in 52

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."

Lamentation 3:19-24

Honestly? I haven't started working on this passage memorization yet for this week.

It's been a bit of a crazy week with something going on each evening, and this evening I find myself still sitting in my classroom, which is now silent outside of the occasional person wandering the halls and the praise music I have streaming on Pandora. The stillness is rather relaxing.

Later, I will make my way to an ice cream place down the road to scoop ice cream for Panther Spirit Night. Maybe I'll see a few faces from my classroom.

The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.

Wow.

As I memorize this verse, I have to really search myself and ask whether or not this is true reality in my heart.

Yes. I love God. I love Him with everything in me.

Does my heart long for things that I do not have yet though? Absolutely.

Talking with a friend a couple months ago, I realized the root of the feelings that I have in my heart and mind. They are not feelings of not being content. I'm content. I love living by myself, going home to a quiet house (aside from the barking of my little ankle biter of a dog), and the peace I find after a crazy (but fun) day at the school. I love it.

It's actually better than I thought it'd be. I was honestly a little concerned about getting lonely and such. That's only happened a couple times since I bought the house about 7 months ago.

Even though I'm content, I'm happy, and I wouldn't change the fact that I bought a house last year, my heart is still longing.

I don't feel fulfilled.

I don't feel whole.

Someone is missing when I wake up in the mornings. Someone is missing when I cook supper at night (which is obvious since I usually have enough for another two meals after I eat my supper). Someone is missing when I have exciting news to share late at night, yet no one to share it with.

No, it's not about being content at all. I absolutely love my life. However, I am not fully whole yet. My heart longs for my husband. It hurts not knowing who he is or where he is. And sometimes I wonder if he is at all. Or if he is not. And that it's just me.

As I typed out the verse for this week's 52 in 52, I had to ask myself whether or not I truly meant what I was typing. I didn't start this journey at the beginning of the year just hoping to store away some random passages. No, I wanted to learn, grow, change, transform, and mold into someone new. My desire is that through these 52 weeks, the 52 passages I select would have an impact on my heart and my life. And in turn, I will be a new creation in Him.

So, can I truly claim the Lord as my portion?

I pray that I can. I pray that my longings do not draw me away from God and from my desire to live solely in Him. I desire to love Him with an undying passion that grows every second of my life here on this earth.

Yes, I am content. I have my God. He is my Father, my Lord, my Savior. He is my Companion.

And until He introduces me to the man He has hand chosen for me to love, marry, live life with, and die holding onto, I will continue to seek God with every ounce of my being, and I will pray for him, his safety, his walk with God, his family, and his life. And even after I meet my man, my prayer is that through my relationship with him, I will never cease to seek God's face.

Yes. I will say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."

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wake up! and read about this week's 52 in 52 -- and click an ad!

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Ephesians 5:13-14

So I'm thinking I need this as a recording to use as my alarm clock in the mornings! I definitely feel dead to the world as I turn off the 4 alarms that I have set. Yes. 4 alarms. And I still wake up late!

But I'm not sure they mean me feeling dead in the mornings.

No, I think Paul meant spiritual death. Death that comes from sin.

When we wake up from the sin that has us trapped in disobedience and allow Christ to shine on us, we are finally able to see God's calling again. It's so easy to be blinded by sin and lose sight of what it is God has called to. Opening our eyes and becoming aware of Christ and His sacrifice can help us see what was once invisible. Christ, the Light, makes all things visible.

On a side note, take a moment to click the link on the right!! Scroll down a little....it's down there. On the right side of the page. I get couple pennies or nickels each time someone clicks an ad! :) 

Yay! You clicked it. Thanks. :)

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be still

I wonder what Jesus' closest friends, His mom, and His faithful followers felt on the days after His death but before His resurrection. Did they feel a sense of defeat? Maybe confusion? I can only imagine there was much heartache during this time.

What was God whispering in their ears on these days? As Easter approaches this year, one verse has been in my mind a great deal.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

I don't know this to be true, but I imagine God whispering words such as these to the people mourning and confused over Jesus' death in those days.



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He died for us -- 52 in 52

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:6-8

I don't know what is more humbling than thinking of my sin and knowing that Christ still died for me. Nothing I did warranted this display of love towards me. It had nothing to do with me, but everything to do with who He was...and still is.

As this Good Friday comes to an end, I'm reminded of God's goodness and His unfailing love towards us. I hope you've come to know this love.




2244

time to beat my time! ... and some precious promises (52 in 52)

It's Spring Break for me now!! Yay!

That also means I run the Cooper River Bridge Run in 2 days! Woo!! :D I looked up my time from last year. I ran it in 1 hour, 3 minutes, and 38 seconds.

My goal is under an hour. Think I can do it? Yeah. I have my doubts too. lol

My cousin Cindy and I are going down together (with her roommate Britney) and staying at a hotel tomorrow night. It'll be a fun little getaway for the evening, and we'll have plenty of time to catch up on the juicy cousin news! Can't wait. :)

Have you watched the new show Touch that started last week? I'm hooked! Jake, the little boy in the show, is absolutely adorable. His hair just melts my heart! Maybe I'll have a little boy with curly hair like that one day. ...maybe.

I was also watching the other new show Awake, but I'm not sure I can watch it anymore. It's become a bit too scary for me. But I may just be a wimp.

My grandpa's birthday is on Saturday. I'm not sure I'll have time or enough energy on Saturday to work in my yard, but I'm planning on doing some planting next week to celebrate his birthday.

I miss his smile and his blue eyes. And his voice. Such a rich voice.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:3-4

I'm drawn to this verse for some reason. I can't quite put my finger on it though.

God's very great and precious promises. Promises that some day, we will be able to see our loved ones again. We'll be able to see our Savior face to face. Promises of a life without tears, sickness, pain, or sorrow. A life filled to overflowing with worship and praise to our Father. Promises of life with Him.

Maybe I just put my finger on it. Promises of seeing my Uncle Mike, Grandma, and Grandpa again. Thoughts of that day are certainly very great and precious in my mind. 

It's almost midnight. I better hop in the bed before I turn into a pumpkin! I'll let you know if I beat my time on Saturday! :)



2020

booming visits, my run, and an undivided heart ... in reverse order

Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your love toward me; You have delivered me from the depths of the grave.

Psalm 86:11-13

What do you feel your heart is divided between? Maybe it's between following God and continuing a habit you've developed. Maybe it's trusting God, but also feeling as if you can't fully trust Him. Maybe it's between wanting to be obedient to God, yet still have that "little sin" in your life. Whatever it is, having a divided heart is terribly hard, isn't it?

I want to be undividedly (I made up that word!) devoted to God!

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I went running tonight at 7:00 again. It's SO much nicer running in the evenings than in the afternoons! First off, and obviously so, it's much much cooler in the evenings. An added bonus is that I've been able to see more people while I'm out running. Although I feel disgustingly gross when I run, and I feel like I look like a dying cow at times, it's still nice to see people outside going for an evening walk! And something about knowing people are around and can see me running makes me run just a smidgen faster. lol

I did 3.8 miles tonight in 38 minutes and 22 seconds. Pretty good pace! I'm getting closer to my goal of running 10 minute miles again. Once I accomplish that, my goal will then be to run under 10 minute miles. I know I can do it! Just have to keep working...er, running.

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So, I like to track how many people are visiting my blog between posts. Usually, I'll have about 40 or 50 people visit my blog in a span of about 3 or 4 days. However, since my last post (which was Sunday), I've had almost 200 people visit my blog. That's crazy! I'm seriously wondering if I really have had almost 200 people visit my blog since then, or if there is some crazy internet machine or something that's kicking the count up.

I'd like to think I've had that many people in that short amount of time because that would mean they're reading Scripture, being encouraged to get out and run (do I encourage people to do this?), and that my thoughts are being heard (a bit of a scary thought sometimes lol).

I'll just let myself think there really are that many people reading. A nice confidence boost, right? :)

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my security ... 52 in 52

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-39 

Ever feel like something you've done has totally taken you away from God and that there's nothing you can do to recover from that?

I've been there before too. But God isn't like that. He loves us, cares for us, and forgives us. Nothing we do, and nothing anyone or anything does, can ever take us away from His extreme love for us.

I can fully rest in this security.

52 in 52 Week 10, and my 10 week recap

Edit: So, apparently I can't count. Good thing [most] students come to first grade knowing how to count to 10, right? lol It's only been 9 weeks so far (I skipped 3), so this is now a 9 week recap, not 10. I'll keep everything else in the post the same though. I'm too lazy to go back and correct it. Enjoy!

I thought it'd be a good idea to have a 52 in 52 recap at each 10 week mark. So, here are the scriptures from the first 10 weeks (including this week). There will actually be 12 scriptures since I started early, but that's alright. You'll forgive me though, right?

I'd love to say that I could rattle off the scriptures week by week without needing a reference to remind me which scripture comes next. Or, I wish I could even just tell you all of the references without needing reminders of which scriptures I memorized. However, to do this recap, I brought in my flashcards that I've made over the weeks (these usually stay in my bathroom since I do most of my studying while I blow dry my hair each morning lol), and I just flipped through them to catch the scripture reference for each week. Everything else was done by memory though. :)

52 in 52 Recap:

Week -1 (sinceI started a couple weeks before New Years): Romans 12:1-2 - I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to present yourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Week 0: Isaiah 9:6 - For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Week 1: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 - So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you do not fall. No temptation has taken you but what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Week 2: Ecclesiastes 3:11 - He has made everything beautiful in its time, and He has also set eternity in the hearts of man, yet they cannot fathom what He has done from beginning to end.

Week 4: Proverbs 30:5-6 - Every word of God is flawless, He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Week 5: Romans 15:4 - Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.

Week 6: Psalm 96:4-6 - For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. He is to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the nations are idols, [here's my favorite part!!!] but the Lord made the heavens! Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and glory are in His sanctuary.

Week 7: 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 - Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others.

Week 8: Galatians 2:20 - For I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live [exist], but Christ lives [exists] in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Week 9: 2 Corinthians 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.

And this week's verse:

Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:8-9

Do you sometimes struggle with the fact that God isn't tangible? Of course, many of His blessings are very tangible: a new job, new babies, a loving family... but sometimes I just want to give Him a hug. Be held in His arms. Smell His aftershave. Surely that's what He smells like, right? I remember being a little girl and smelling my daddy's aftershave (or was it his shaving cream? Whatever he smelled like, I liked it!). Such a sweet, comforting, and secure feeling.

Okay, so maybe God doesn't smell like aftershave. But He does smell of gorgeous sunrises, stars twinkling in the sky, and sweet little baby cries. His "scent" is everywhere. And although I can't touch Him now,  and I can't be held by Him, I do have this outrageous joy knowing that someday I will! His outstanding love for me gives me such hope in where my future lies. Knowing that He loves me even though I've sinned and done stupid things, this gives me a reason to smile and be happy.

So, it's been 10 weeks so far. I must say that I'm pretty proud that I've stuck with it this long. I've never been that great at keeping resolutions, but I've been determined with this one. 

I have 42 weeks left in my 52 in 52. You could totally start now and do 42 in 42. What do you say?

1350

existing (52 in 52 wk 7)

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Have you ever had a thought, an epiphany so great that it just made you stop dead in your tracks and think? Like, really and truly like about its meaning. And then when you go to explain this epiphany to someone, you have a hard time putting into words what your heart and mind were just conceiving to be absolute truth?

Yeah, that's how I'm feeling right now. I'm having a hard time coming up with the words to explain this great revelation I've had. When I looked at this verse to be my 52 in 52 for week 7 (this week), I was stilled by a note I had jotted down.

In my Bible, I have written in the margins beside this verse, "live = exist!!!" (Yes, there are three exclamation points in there too. :) So, let's look at it with the word "exist" instead of "live" ...

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer exist, but Christ exists in me. The life I live in the body, I life by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

Dwell on that for a moment or two.

I no longer exist. Christ exists in me.

No wonder I had three exclamation points there! That's a mind blowing concept. When I think about my day to day life, is Christ truly existing in my life? Am I allowing Him the freedom to live through me?

I'm coming up short with ways to explain what this verse means to me. However, when I've been working on this verse yesterday and today, I can't get the word exist out of my mind. It seems so much more grand than live. I don't know why, but it does.

If I find that I've come up with better words for my thoughts, I'll share them with you. I'm sure you'll be anxiously awaiting another post! ;)

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In other, totally unrelated news, I ran 2.5 miles today. Well, it was actually 2.65 miles, but we don't have to be that technical, right? ;) I'm just proud that I was able to get through it with little troubles! I had a few "Oh gravy! There goes my knee!" moments, but I think they're mainly due to me figuring out my form again.

Tomorrow is a 1.5 mile run. Gotta keep myself moving!! :) I'm signed up for the Get Your Rear in Gear 5k on March 10th, and I'm also running the Cooper River Bridge Run again this year on the 31st! Yay!! It feels great to be at it again. I've missed it.

Happy Monday, my friends.

1180

come awake - again

I've come across this song so many times since yesterday. I absolutely love it. a lot.

It's a call to change. A call to turn from who you once were and to find new life in Christ again - even if you are already a Christian, it's so easy to be burdened by "the lie of inward shame." Come awake - awake to new life found in Christ, that you may already have but are not living in fully, or that you have never known before. Come awake - rise up with Christ just as He rose from the dead. That was the whole purpose of His coming - to live, die to our sins (not to His sins because He had none, but to our sins), and then rise up again, giving us new life in His new risen life.

Christ Has Risen by Matt Maher

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love

And bled for us
Freely You've bled for us

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bowed to none but Heaven's will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down

In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

O death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night

Sing it, o death, where is your sting?
O hell, where is your victory?
O church, come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive

Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave

Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Rise up from the grave


Will you come awake?



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