Alabaster Box.................

I am super excited!

 I have been searching for this song since I attended 

the conference Heidi Baker was at this summer,

  at Life Center. 

I guess Julie Meyer has a new album out, 

and this song is on it!!! Enjoy!

"I have come to a great awakening when I realised that Jesus will never do a thing for us except by the HS we will see immortality manifest in our bodies. I have been hungering for a move of God and looking for it in houses, churches on crusade grounds and stadiums but found that after seeing the greatest miracles, 400 000 people getting saved and the dead being raised that there was still a desire for revival or something more. I was and am 100% satisfied with my relationship with God and revelation on grace but felt that there is more. God revealed to me what it was and my race for revival ended. HALLELUJAH!!! If you are chasing and hungering after something that you will never find Satan will have you run all over the world chasing something spiritual that cannot bring satisfaction. The hungering Christians have is simply for the full revelation (manifestation) of Christ in us. When death will be swallowed up by life, this is when we will not die. This can be seen in 1 Cor 15, Rom 8 and many, many other scriptures. True revival is the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus arose we were revived from death. By the faith of Jesus this happened and by that faith that is poured out in our hearts we have access to it as well. The full effect of that revival will be in the return of Jesus. We should never see the outpouring of the HS or the new birth as the second coming of Jesus. That will take away all hope we have as Christians and we will have the same emotion of disqualification as under the law. We must realise that all has been done and the HS that we received is the proof thereof but the effect of all that has been done is not manifested as yet. The only thing that remains is the salvation of our human bodies. If the desire for that is mistaken for miracles and other outpourings as it is called we will fall into despair not knowing what will fulfil the desire in our hearts. All that there is for us is to believe the Gospel and preach it as we go as a result of our relationship with God. We should then simply give time as the Bible says for the return of Jesus. The proof that we have it all is in us and the HS that is in us will glorify our bodies.2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.Remember we also have a hope and if that is fulfilled why do we still hope. Rom 8" ~ Bertie Brits.................

Taste. and. See.

Taste. Tangible. Savor. Relish. Comprehension. Real. Concrete. Actual. Definite. Detectable. Discernible. Substantial. Tactile. Touchable. Sensible. Perceivable. Perceptible. Objective. Sense. Delicious. Savory. Sweet. Succulent. Substantive. Obtainable. Palpable. Sensation. 

AND

See. Behold. Envision. Experience. Observe. Examine. Recognize. Ascertain. Know. Visualize. Realize. Vision. Conceive. Perceive. Grasp. Fathom. Discern. Detect. Encounter. Ponder. Unearth. Discover. Determine. Distinguish. Investigate. Notice. Envisage. Inspect. Pierce. Survey.

Deluge of Joy.............

joy

joy joy

joy joy joy

joy joy joy joy

overflowing

bursting 

from within

uncontainable

 I delight

I marvel

I revel

in You

Your love

Your smile

Your affections

and gift 

of jubilant felicity

in abundance

freedom 

from 

that which 

once 

bound....

 now I

 indulge in 

great happiness

treasuring 

the greatest prize

ever given

to me

 YOU

my

JESUS

Jesus 

you won 

my 

heart

forever

you have 

given me

this gift 

of yourself

 which

my heart

my mind

cannot 

fully

 fathom

nor grasp

yet as i ponder

this great mystery

my heart leaps

my minds 

whirls and twirls

and 

I long to 

flip

dance

shout

sing

even fly

liveliness 

overtakes me

I become

animated 

with intense

elation

aroused by

the desire

that overtakes me

for you

and from you

you

are

extremely 

gratifying

satisfying

permeating

my whole being

with 

all consuming 

passion 

fire

for you

joy

bliss

glee

wonder

fill 

abound 

arise

cascade

exude

emanate

flow

to overflow

from me

like 

unstoppable

rushing 

waters

splashing

spurting

pouring

forth

in 

ceaseless 

profusion

I 

thrive

in 

You

alone

You

who 

I 

long for

my joy

and 

my crown

I 

will 

ever live

in 

this ceaseless

state

of 

joyful

exuberance

I 

have found 

in

YOU

Precious One........

Precious One...

Little child

Just rest

In Daddy's arms

Snuggled up

Safe and warm

Cared for

Delighted in...

Precious One

How I love these moments

Treasuring them more than you will ever know

I will always be here for you

Just like this

Never tiring

of holding you, keeping you

close to me

dear to my heart...

Precious One

Oh how I long to hold you tight

and let all of your cares melt onto me

Always know

Daddy is here for you

whenever you need

no matter what

I will always

love you

and hold you

in my arms

and in my heart

Need a laugh?

I found the following video today, while reading Christian Feminism, a blog I haven't read in awhile. (which by the way, I highly recommend if you are coming out of any kind of male dominant type teaching.) I am not sure what to think of this video or the preacher. I am not sure what the point is, but I do know one thing, I laughed my head off. So, I thought I would share this as some comic relief........!! Or maybe it's intended as a plug for a really great blog, who knows. 

Jesus is an Awesome Plumber.....

Okay, I realize that title may have you wondering, what on earth? Has she gone loopy? Just hear me out. I have pondered the goodness and blessings of God in my life of late, and I just can't get over how much some of the little things he does just bless my socks off. I felt that the Lord would have me share some of them with others as an encouragment. 

My car was due to be inspected at the end of December. We did not have the finances, nor did we have the time to spare to lose our car for a day, as we only have one vehicle these days. So a few weeks went by and we finally had the money and so I scheduled it to be inspected. The day prior to the car going in to get all legal and official, I was driving along, illegally mind you,  and a cop passed me. A bit of fear rose up inside me, as I peered out the window to see if he might turn around and follow me. Perhaps he had seen my sticker. Sure enough, he did a U-turn. I decided that I would not let fear take over me, and just began to declare the truth about myself. I am God's princess, I have the King of Heaven on my side, no one can come against me. I am protected and preserved and kept by the God of the Universe!! Despite the fact that I indeed deserved a ticket, I decided not going to worry! He followed me for 6 long minutes, right behind me. The whole time I was watching and waiting and laughing. Finally, as I turned onto my street he continued on. Pfhew. I was so relieved. I was beginning to live as though God was watching out for me even though I don't deserve his blessings. The next day we took in the car for inspection. For a month or more, we had the sense that we would need to drop $400-600 on the car. We seriously thought we'd need 2 new tires as our mechanic had told us in the summer we would, and we thought we may need brake work. I had set the money aside for this and was banking on dropping some serious dough that day. Imagine to my surprise, when I called at the end of the day, to hear the receptionist say, the car passed all you needed was one brake light!! I was elated! What a blessing!!

 The following day, Keith came to me with a dumbfounded look on his face. I wondered if something was wrong and asked what was up. He said, "You know that item I was trying to sell, that I thought I was going to only make X amount on, it sold for double that!!!" (He makes his living, believe it or not, as an ebay entropenaur and it was a BIG ticket item!)

I was delighted. I thought, "Yes, this is the blessing that God bestows upon his children! This is the New Covenant life! One blessing after another!!" 

I share all of that to encourage! I share all of that to speak the truth of Jesus, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. When you hear someone's testimony of the goodness of God, it should encourage you to have faith for the blessings in your own life. This may seem like a small example, but it came after a month of many other blessings, some little and some more significant. What I realized was, I am to expect my Daddy to bless me. I am to believe that He is good all the time and that it truly is His heart to pour out His abundant goodness upon me and my family in many ways. Perhaps He wants me to get a hold of this truth so securely that I won't waiver and doubt in His truly good goodness! 

Okay so on with the rest of the story that inspired the title to this post. Several days ago or maybe it's been a week by now, I found my laundry room flooded. Problem =clogged sink drain that the wash empties into, therefore overflow!!! 

I spent significant time cleaning up the mess, then bailing out the sink, pouring boiling water, vinegar and baking soda, and then the heavy duty stuff................still clogged. This was over the course of 2 days. I had no luck. I wasn't thrilled about all of this, but I chose not to despair or let this problem ruin my peace and joy in life. So, instead I began to believe that God could unclog it for me and I asked him if He would please do just that. I would have called a plumber, but Keith didn't want me to. So what did I do, I asked my Daddy to fix it for me! After days of not being able to do laundry due to a drain that just wouldn't budge, I decided to go to the laundromat. I didn't prefer to do that, but I couldn't call a plumber since my hubby just couldn't wrap his mind around that. Anyway, yesterday I went into the laundry room to deal with some of the laundry and prepare to take the rest of the dirty stuff to the laundry mat. To my surprise and utter glee, the drain was empty after having had a puddle of water standing still in it all week!! I quickly turned on the water to see if it would continue to drain, YUP!! I quickly started a load of wash to see if it would drain too.....................it did, and faster than ever!! I was elated, I yelled up to Keith, "Jesus is the best plumber ever!!" 

Now you make think I am crazy, and perhaps irresponsible even, but think about how huge this is to a mom of 4 small kids, who does at least 2 loads of laundry a day!! I was dancing and singing and just so grateful that I did not have to a) wait any longer to be able to do laundry in my own home, and b) call a plumber and prepare to shell out big bucks, and c) because my Daddy God saw fit to meet my need even though I simply did not deserve it!! You see it's all of the blessings no matter how big or small, that I delight in!! If any blessing comes my way, I hope to stop and take note, and remember that my Father is kind to me. That even the small things matter to him. That He is not just going to take care of me because I have needs, but because it is in His very nature and heart of hearts to bless me! And any of His children for that matter!! (And do you know what, it is just like him to unclog my drain, because isn't he all about releasing freedom!! haha....)

So, I share this to hopefully be a reminder that we are to expect His goodness in our life! My experience of His goodness has increased over the time I have been getting a hold of His grace. Not just in my circumstances, but inside of me, in my heart and mind! I find myself very content lately. Not everything in my life is perfect, it never will be, but I am content and have great peace, because of His great love and awesome goodness!! Thanks to His grace, I do not have to qualify for the blessings. Jesus qualified for me, so I can live in the blessings and abundance of my inheritance in Him!! Thank you Jesus!!

John 1:16 - "From the fullness of his grace, we have all received one blessing after another." 

O Taste and See

Confidence in Jesus...............

Psalm 91

 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

       will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

 2 I will say  of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, 

       my God, in whom I trust."

 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare 

       and from the deadly pestilence.

 4 He will cover you with his feathers, 

       and under his wings you will find refuge; 

       his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

 5 You will not fear the terror of night, 

       nor the arrow that flies by day,

 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, 

       nor the plague that destroys at midday.

 7 A thousand may fall at your side, 

       ten thousand at your right hand, 

       but it will not come near you.

 8 You will only observe with your eyes 

       and see the punishment of the wicked.

 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— 

       even the LORD, who is my refuge-

 10 then no harm will befall you, 

       no disaster will come near your tent.

 11 For he will command his angels concerning you 

       to guard you in all your ways;

 12 they will lift you up in their hands, 

       so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; 

       you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; 

       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; 

       I will be with him in trouble, 

       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him 

       and show him my salvation."

Blessings found..............

Isaiah 54

1 "Sing, O barren woman, 
       you who never bore a child; 
       burst into song, shout for joy, 
       you who were never in labor; 
       because more are the children of the desolate woman 
       than of her who has a husband," 
       says the LORD.

 2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, 
       stretch your tent curtains wide, 
       do not hold back; 
       lengthen your cords, 
       strengthen your stakes.

 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; 
       your descendants will dispossess nations 
       and settle in their desolate cities.

 4 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. 
       Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. 
       You will forget the shame of your youth 
       and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.

 5 For your Maker is your husband— 
       the LORD Almighty is his name— 
       the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; 
       he is called the God of all the earth.

 6 The LORD will call you back 
       as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— 
       a wife who married young, 
       only to be rejected," says your God.

 7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, 
       but with deep compassion I will bring you back.

 8 In a surge of anger 
       I hid my face from you for a moment, 
       but with everlasting kindness 
       I will have compassion on you," 
       says the LORD your Redeemer.

 9 "To me this is like the days of Noah, 
       when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. 
       So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, 
       never to rebuke you again.

 10 Though the mountains be shaken 
       and the hills be removed, 
       yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken 
       nor my covenant of peace be removed," 
       says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

 11 "O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, 
       I will build you with stones of turquoise, 
       your foundations with sapphires. 

 12 I will make your battlements of rubies, 
       your gates of sparkling jewels, 
       and all your walls of precious stones.

 13 All your sons will be taught by the LORD, 
       and great will be your children's peace.

 14 In righteousness you will be established: 
       Tyranny will be far from you; 
       you will have nothing to fear. 
       Terror will be far removed; 
       it will not come near you.

 15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; 
       whoever attacks you will surrender to you.

 16 "See, it is I who created the blacksmith 
       who fans the coals into flame 
       and forges a weapon fit for its work. 
       And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;

 17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, 
       and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. 
       This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, 
       and this is their vindication from me," 
       declares the LORD.

This is an exciting passage! Here are our blessings as New Covenant believers! 

Thoughts from the Book of Acts...........

I am loving reading the book of Acts again!! There are way too many wonderful powerful passages in this book. This book demonstrates what the first church, birthed after the New Covenant came, was like - full of power through the Holy Spirit. This is a better covenant, one with power and life! The promise of the Spirit was fulfilled, and the disciples began to move in power to spread the truth of Jesus! They modeled what church life should look like!! The Gospel continued to go forth with power and signs and wonders through the disciples! They continued in the same manner Jesus did, healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons and preaching the truth of Jesus!! Wasn't it kind of God to have demonstrated in such obvious, tangible ways! Why would he do this - to give faith to people, faith in Jesus who saves us from sin and sickness!! Everytime miracles were performed, eyes were opened, hearts were opened, faith was established! Faith!! And we know, without faith it is impossible to please God!! He is the author and perfector of our faith too!! This is a glorious gospel and covenant indeed!! 

Okay, so on with my random snippets from Acts.........................

After the Holy Spirit came upon those in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost;

Acts 2 - 14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17" 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25David said about him: " 'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, 27because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 28You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. 32God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand 35until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '
36"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

In the passage below, Peter knew he had nothing better to offer this man, other than to demonstrate the power of the gospel, of salvation in action - look at the response this powerful declaration and miracle received. Amazement and wonder and more who believed!! They all gave glory to God! 

Acts 3 - "1One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Then look at what Peter says to the astonished crowd................He clarified to them that they did not heal this man by their own power, but by the power of God. He then says;

"16By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see."

Did you see that? "It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that gave the man COMPLETE healing." 

Then in Acts 4, Peter and John were seized and then questioned by the Sandhedrin. Can you imagine this scene?!

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
13When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16"What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. 17But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."
18Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

I love the first line and the last line in that passage, don't you? Peter is so full of the Holy Spirit, he is compelled and can not be silent about Jesus! I love it! Even in the face of danger...........

Then in Acts 5 -"12The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil^[a] spirits, and all of them were healed."

That passage is awesome to me! Peter's shadow healed them! How could that be? He must have been overshadowed by One who indeed carried the power!!! And did you see that more and more believed as a result?!!!

Also, I loved this part in verse 42, after having been persecuted; "42Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ."

Further along in Acts we read Paul's message in Athens; 

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

Where is the church that moved in power like this? Was it really meant for just the early church? Do we believe in this same Gospel that the disciples preached, the one that came with mighty signs and wonders? If so, aren't we to move in power as the disciples did, and as Jesus did? If we are his offspring, and he is within us and we have been given the promise of the Holy Spirit - and it's in Him we live and move and have our being - wouldn't or shouldn't we be compelled to follow in His and the disciples footsteps! Not only compelled, but propelled and actually moving in signs, wonders and miracles! Proclaiming the good news of Jesus and demonstrating with signs, wonders and miracles to give faith to all those who hear....................why should we settle for less than what we see here in Acts? 

Sharing some fun........

A little birthday fun and some good ole' Southern Red Velvet Cake...........

I didn't have my camera, so we used photo booth on the laptop. Today we celebrated my husband Keith's birthday. Months ago, out of the blue, he told me he wanted Red Velvet Cake for his birthday. I was quite surprised at this request, but tucked into the back of my mind. In a recent email to Jamie, she mentioned Red Velvet Cake was her favorite and that she'd be happy to share her recipe. Of course I was honored. So this post is for her, and for fun and to share a piece of our family fun with my fellow blog family!! 

(By the way, it's not easy taking good photos on your laptop...........I had fun anyway!)

A treat for you..........

Many of you may have become aware of the fabulous grace filled, Jesus centered worship music done by Kelanie Gloeckler! (Thanks to my wonderful friend Jamie!!) If you aren't yet familiar with Kelanie, you are in for a treat!! I can't get enough of this music! I find that I can just let myself go and really enter into a wonderful time of loving up on my Father and him loving up on me!! He and I dance often to Kelanie! There is just something about music like this that seals the truth of who I am, how loved I am, how amazing this great Gospel of Christ and Him crucified truly is, in my heart and mind!! What a glorious privilege and blessing that we get to sing, dance and worship like this for the rest of eternity!! (swooning here....) Anyway, Kelanie has got a grip on who she is and I can assure you will too when you listen!! May I highly recommend you getting your hands on any of her cds!! Okay, now I want to make a repeat mention of another wonderful woman of worship, Sarah McMillan. I find that I am able to be so childlike in His presence while worshipping to her songs!! I feel like a little princess, so loved and so precious!! Seriously, I do!! Just being honest...............!! I have her site linked in my favorite worship music on the side and you can listen for free!!

So, today, I went to hunt down Kelanie's cds on Amazon, no luck they don't carry them, BUT I found the most wonderful duet done by Kelanie and Sarah (shriek!!), AND to top it off the most beautiful mandolin playing accompanying them!! Oh man, I am so in HEAVEN!!! Oh, and did I mention it's 10 minutes long, yeah I am happy!! And when I am bursting like this I just have to share with others!!

If you want to see what all the fuss is about go here, and click on Emmanuel/Do you recognize me. And for more Kelanie visit her MySpace page here. And of course you can always go hang out at Jamie's place for awhile!!

Let your light shine.......

I don't know what brought this verse to my attention, the Holy Spirit perhaps? I can't get it out of my head. Matthew 5:16 -"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." This was one of those bible memory verses years ago for my oldest son, but how do you explain this to a child? Unfortunately, the devotion book I read to my son back then suggested that letting your light shine, was about behavior. I want to clear the air and give a fresh perspective to this verse.  

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." And we know that "In Him there is no darkness at all." 

 Also,  in the first part of the passage I am referring to Jesus said ,"You are the light of the world." ( I believe he was talking to his disciples here.) 

We know as believers we have the very life of Christ alive within us. His Spirit is one with ours. He is light! We have His light inside of us! When we "let go and let God" or rest in Him, or walk by the Spirit, we are letting our light shine. I think He wants us to get comfortable with this and let it shine everywhere we go! Letting our light shine, is another way we die to our right to be in control and let Him live the life! We need to know this truth of, Christ in us, the hope of glory. We need to really truly embrace it as a deep heart understanding, else we miss out on many meanings of many Scriptures. When we know it's Christ in us, we know that the light that we shine is Him. Not our trying to behave well to impress non-Christians. Anyone can be moral enough and behave and show kindness enough to impress someone!! I know lots of moral unsaved people and their kindness outdoes that of many Christians! So how could we think for one second this verse has to do with our behavior or our good efforts to look like Jesus to a lost and dying world. If we truly know it's Christ in us, His light, and we appropriate that truth and let him live through us, the good works we do are the works that Jesus is doing through us. Not us doing the works out of our flesh, those would be dead, dung, rubbish!! They will burn! No, it's Christ in us, working through us. The only works that will please the Father are Jesus' works! All our attempts and efforts at works are like filthy rags. If we are to do the works that Jesus did, we must let Him do them, through us! He initates, we respond!! 

So, when we do this, letting our light shine so that they (the lost world) may see our good works and give glory to God in heaven - we are pointing the world to Jesus! When they see Jesus in us, they will give glory to God!! Remember wherever Jesus went, whatever miracles he did, people were amazed and many believed, many rejoiced and praised God, as well as put their faith in Jesus! (I say many, because unfortunately there were those who were angry and jealous of Jesus, the Pharisees, the self-driven and self-righteous ones who wanted credit for all there hard work and living up to the high standards of the law, they wanted to be glorified  instead of God!!) 

So, it's Christ in you - believer, shining His light through you, before others so that they may see the good works that Jesus will do through you, and glorify our Father in Heaven!!!! We have the life of Christ in us, for us to share with the whole world!! Let's let them see our light!! 

Pressing ON...

" I did not come to entertain the people in the court,

I'm here to please the King, I wanna love on You, Lord

I did not come to camp outside and view You through a haze

I've got to look into Your eyes in the Holy Place, in the Holy Place

There's no going back to where I've been

'Cause You're in me and I am free from sin

I'm pressing on....

I'm pressing on....

I fix my eyes on the prize, I'm lookin' at You, Jesus

I fix my eyes on the prize, I'm lookin' at You

I did not come to settle for the average or mundane

'Cause the Spirit of Jesus Christ is flowin' in my veins

I did not come to bow down and give in to fear of man

I'll prophesy, sing a new song and dance Your dance

I'm gonna dance Your dance

The blaze in Your gaze is drawing me into You

I'm being chased by the very One that I pursue................"

- Kelanie Gloeckler