The 2 Sides

This morning was a rough one for me. I blame it on pregnancy hormones. For whatever reason, I woke up sad. Not just “I feel sad” but the type of blues that Eeyore wouldn’t even know about. And let me say this, it was for no reason. Nothing happened to bring this on. It just quietly crawled into my life and got comfy in the corners of my heart and mind.

Who wants to start a day like that? Not me. But what do I do about it? I felt too sad to stand against it. Too worn down to pray. Too tired to sing some worship songs. So I thought to myself, “what now?”

And the answer came to my heart. Sometimes God wants us to put on our heavy armor and go into battle in His name. He wants us to pray and fight and stand and work through the things that come against us. This part of God I know very well. The fighting. The war mentality. The “everything is the devil’s fault” reasoning for troubles. But then God showed me the other side…the side that I don’t seem to know very well. The side where God does the fighting as He holds me in His arms and tells me everything is going to be okay. He allows me to hold onto his big strong arms and put my feet on His as He guides me into safety.

At this realization the tears formed, the smile appeared and my heart was crying out for God. I couldn’t handle the world and the emotions (and the traffic) today. But God can handle all things. So I took the long way to work that didn’t have much traffic and I put on my favorite worship band and I thanked God for being the daddy this little girl needed this morning. And suddenly, the cloud was lifted. It was a beautiful day. And my heart and mind felt free.

Today, don’t forget that God WILL be what you need. Don’t get stuck in thinking He’s only one way. He’s all things to all people in all times. He has exactly what you need – just ask Him for it.

The 2 Sides

This morning was a rough one for me. I blame it on pregnancy hormones. For whatever reason, I woke up sad. Not just “I feel sad” but the type of blues that Eeyore wouldn’t even know about. And let me say this, it was for no reason. Nothing happened to bring this on. It just quietly crawled into my life and got comfy in the corners of my heart and mind.

Who wants to start a day like that? Not me. But what do I do about it? I felt too sad to stand against it. Too worn down to pray. Too tired to sing some worship songs. So I thought to myself, “what now?”

And the answer came to my heart. Sometimes God wants us to put on our heavy armor and go into battle in His name. He wants us to pray and fight and stand and work through the things that come against us. This part of God I know very well. The fighting. The war mentality. The “everything is the devil’s fault” reasoning for troubles. But then God showed me the other side…the side that I don’t seem to know very well. The side where God does the fighting as He holds me in His arms and tells me everything is going to be okay. He allows me to hold onto his big strong arms and put my feet on His as He guides me into safety.

At this realization the tears formed, the smile appeared and my heart was crying out for God. I couldn’t handle the world and the emotions (and the traffic) today. But God can handle all things. So I took the long way to work that didn’t have much traffic and I put on my favorite worship band and I thanked God for being the daddy this little girl needed this morning. And suddenly, the cloud was lifted. It was a beautiful day. And my heart and mind felt free.

Today, don’t forget that God WILL be what you need. Don’t get stuck in thinking He’s only one way. He’s all things to all people in all times. He has exactly what you need – just ask Him for it.

New Music Tuesday:I Want Your Feedback This Time!

Have you ever reached that point where you love your music but you’re just craving something new? I reach this point every few months and this time I would like your help! I love to worship. But I’m not a huge fan of the traditional worship or even contemporary worship music. I can worship to a lot of different styles of music. Except rap. Just can’t get into that

What bands/groups/singers/songs do you recommend?

Who is your favorite worship artist?

What about jamming in your car — who do you listen to?

I want to hear from you!

(Not Necessarily) New Music Tuesday

Tuesdays are big days in the music industry. Usually this is the day of the week that new music is released to the world. So me, as a music lover, used to love Tuesdays. But since I’ve been a christian, Tuesdays have been less exciting. I’m not a huge fan of a lot of “popular” Christian music and a lot of new bands aren’t promoted through CCM newsletters….so I’m going to try and discover new bands and talk about them on Tuesdays. Since today is Tuesday and I’ve done no research – I thought I’d start with a band that isn’t new, but is sure getting better with every release. The band is Dizmas and they’re from California. Their first release was in 2005 and to my surprise (discovering them in 2007), it was nothing like the 2007 release “Tension” which was then followed by a 10-track 2008 release which I dig more than any other. The first release is hard rock. Good…but hard. The second and third releases are a bit more my taste. It has strong lyrics and fun melodies. It’s the type of music that will have you belting out words of worship and then 2 minutes later jumping around dancing. To me, it’s a musical representation of the perfectly balanced Christian life. 3 minutes of worship 3 minutes of praise 3 minutes of struggle confessions 3 minutes of hope and faith repeat. I’m living proof that this 2008 cd simply titled “Dizmas” is the type of cd that you can put in on a rainy Tuesday morning and not even notice that you’re stuck in traffic. They come highly recommended to Christians and non-Christians alike who like a mix of pop rock, party rock, and modern worship. Check them out!

A Night Without Words

Written during Tuesday night’s worship service.

A night without words is like a cloudless midnight sky. It’s so beyond words. It’s beyond what we can comprehend. We stare at the stars, not knowing how far away they are. We close our eyes and get lost in the peace. With nothing telling your brain what to think, all things are possible. They’re as real as you let them be.

Dare to let loose. Dare to break free. Dare to voyage to the world that’s unseen. The world unheard. The world beyond the darkness, beyond the clouds and beyond the stars.