Music to the Heart

Not sure there will be anything awe-inspiring about this post but just want to put to paper (keyboard to screen I suppose) what I have been thinking about God's blessing on our (my) life.

Do you know the Matt Maher song "Christ is Risen"? No, check it out here before you read the rest of this blog...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2KNvuscKRA&feature=fvw

The lyrics to this song are beyond amazing...

Let no one caught in sin remain Inside the lie of inward shame But fix our eyes upon the cross And run to Him who showed great love And bled for us Freely You've bled for us

This past few weeks our extended family has been so blessed by God through the answer to prayer. Hearing the inspiring daily updates from my cousins brings tears to my eyes even as I think about it now. God listens, God hears and God does give us the desires of our hearts.


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

On Saturday Erin and I leave on one of the biggest trips of our lives. We are on our way to Poland and the Czech Republic to spend some time with a missions organization there. For us, this is an answer to prayer. Over the past months, we have been seeking God's direction and call for our lives. He pulled me out of one situation and we knew He had something greater. It is and has been my desire to serve Him.

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

We have come a long way with this organization and are very excited by the potential opportunity to serve with them (don't worry...we will still be based in Victoria). It is our hope that this time we have to spend with them and them with us will reaffirm what we already feel is where God has led us too. Please pray for us!

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

If this wasn't enough already, God's incredible creation is set to bloom again. we will return from Europe to celebrate the birth of our new nephew. Hopefully he'll wait till we get back! We are so excited for Brian and Meryl...we cherish the role of aunt and uncle and will do all we can to love him, spoil him and show him Jesus in all we say and do.

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!

So, here I am at the end of this post. Hopefully you caught the two themes of blessing. God listens, God hears and God grants us the desires of our hearts. His blessing is evident all around us. One of the greatest blessings God has given me is my family...I love you guys!

That's it! That's all I've got...please pray for us!! And go do something special for your family today!

1Tim 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Drive-thru Jesus

A few years ago I made a conscious decision to stop using drive-thru's. Typically the stuff you get going through a drive-thru is crap...carbo-loaded, sodium-saturated, fat bombs. The least I could do if I was going to poison myself with this garbage was park in the lot and get the exercise from walking into the building.

Fast food was created because we are too busy in our lives to stop and have a meal and the drive-thrus were built to help out those that are so busy they can't even take the time to stop for the fast food. With work, school, sports, play, family, church, chores...life is complicated and busy...who has time to eat.

A week ago I was in church sipping my Tim Horton's "role up the rim" coffee (which I parked and went inside to get). It struck me as it has in the past...am I too busy for God? Have I chosen to make my life to complicated?

Am I just pulling up to the window and placing my order..."could I get one gracious and forgiving Jesus...oh, and can you SUPER-SIZE that...it's been a heck of a week?"

I often hear people talk about needing more discipline to pray, more discipline to read my bible more discipline to...well it's a crock. It isn't discipline we need, at least it isn't for me. It's actually a full-blown attitude adjustment.

I shouldn't need discipline. This isn't something I have to do...it is something I want to do and something I chose to do.

I should jump on it just like I do for the other things in life I love. I don't need discipline to go to Tim's, I just hop in the car and go (in fact, I might just do that when I finish this). I don't need disciple to jump on Facebook and message friends and family and play games, I just do it.

Putting God first in life isn't easy...we all have commitments...but it is biblical. Just check out Exodus 20:3...though shalt have no other God's before me. How can He be one-and-only if he isn't the most important part of our day.

So not quite convinced? Need to know the benefits?

...well scripture says in Psalm 72:12-14 that...

He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
He will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
He feels pity for the weak and the needy, and he will rescue them.
He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.

Aren't we all poor, weak, needy and oppressed? Seems He just needs to be our priority.

In the end we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Now I said it...now I have to show! No more drive-thru Jesus.

Thank you for the Cross!

Today is Good Friday and this morning Erin and I went to a city-wide church service to celebrate this significant day. It was cool to sit among the 1400+ people in the field house at G.R Pearkes and just celebrate Jesus. It was cool because it brought together His people from all backgrounds and denominations. It was cool because the worship was good. Most of all it was cool because we were there to celebrate
FREEDOM, FORGIVENESS and GRACE!

One of our local pastor's Neil Blackstock shared about the pain that Jesus must have endured...I get a headache I take a pill...Jesus took it full on...no Advil, no morphin, no tears!

Why? Why?

Well not long before His death, Jesus pulled his buddies, the disciples, aside and offered a bit of an explanation as to why when He said "...just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Mark 10:45 says something similar. So in my lingo...Jesus took it for the team. He paid my fees.

So we are covered by the blood of Christ and free from sin and guilt. I am a new creation in Christ! So...it's all good but...

Now...I look around (including in the mirror) and wonder...was His death all in vain?

You hear stats like only 20% of Canadians attend church on Sunday even less at 5% in Victoria. It must break His heart...it breaks mine (good blog topic for another time).

BUT it's even more personal that that. This is the mirror part...I heard the lyrics in one of the worship songs in the service...it was something like "I honour Him in all that I do". I was embarrassed to sing this and tears streamed down my cheeks.

I can't say I honour Him in all I do and still be honest. How many times in my life have I turned my back and made my choice and not His? Forget in my life...what about today...how many times today?

God...some days I don't get it...I don't get how you can extend you GRACE and MERCY the way you do. The pain we cause must take you right back to seeing your son Jesus, writhing in pain and bleeding out on the cross. You desire so much for us and we fall short...you knew that though...

Help me God to see the cross every day in every thought just as it was then! Steel shanks driven through Jesus' hands, and His side pierced . Help me God to see the cross every day in every thought just as it is today...EMPTY...so I can live free.



The lyrics of this worship song say it much more eloquently than I ever could.

And once again I look upon the cross where you died I'm humbled by your mercy and I'm broken inside Once again I thank you Once again I pour out my life.

The Experiment

Okay, so today marks the beginning of The Experiment! What is the experiment you ask? Me blogging!

So why is it an experiment...because I am too private, can't settle down long enough to write, too much rattles around in my head to be able to focus on a single thought and I am LAZY. Yeah, lazy...not gonna lie, if the experiment fails it is because I was TOO LAZY to write.

So with the simple "click" of the mouse, The Experiment begins!