His Redemption

The Lord is Sovereign and faithful over all!

For the Broken...

"Father they are broken

Broken to their core...

Their body, spirit, heart and soul are constantly being torn...

They are beyond recognition, 

to all our human eyes, but you Jesus take their heart, 

and only you can revive....

Revive their broken spirit, 

revive their broken lives

and may they not believe the world, 

when it feeds them lies.

Lies that they are ruined, 

lies that they're no good....

It's for these that are so broken,

 that Jesus shed His blood."

One of those nights...

It's one of those nights...
You know the nights that your heart is so overwhelmed....so burdened....so broken....that you know that sleep is no where to be found.

It seems that I've had quite a few of these here recently....
My heart is broken and burdened for children all over the world being sexually exploited and abused right now.  My heart feels a heaviness that it has never felt before.  As I'm sitting here in my home, with my family who loves me dearly, with food in my stomach, clothes on my back, and a bed to lay my head down, I feel broken because I know that there are so many right now being chained to a bed sold for sex.  For the past hour I haven't been able to move....I can't do anything but pray, I can't do anything but search through the word of GOD, I can't do anything but let the tears fall, I can't do anything but cry out to the Father on behalf of these precious girls.  I have the faces of so many girls running through my mind right now....the faces of the trafficked girls on the corner, when I was in SE Asia....the faces of the girls who were being trafficked in the spa we went to in SE Asia....the faces of the girls standing on the corner in Peru.....the face of the young teenage prostitute in NY that I everyday wish I would have talked to, and shared the love of Christ with....the face of Sweetie, a baby who was born into a brothel in India.  Not even 2 years old, she is not old enough to be trained yet, however she spends her days tied to a pole.  No one is allowed to touch her, for they want her to get used to the lack of love.  These girls don't know love...instead they have grown up experiencing cruelty, they don't know comfort, but instead abuse and brokenness.  Some never had the opportunity to be children, instead their body and spirit was broken into pieces and their lives have been shattered.

Father.....I pray that these girls are free....free not only physically from the chains that bind them....but free spiritually....free from the weight and sin of this world!

THE TRUTH WILL MAKE YOU FREE...

More than content in the Valley

Mountaintops....oh mountaintops how I love the mountains!  One of my favorite things about North Carolina is the mountains! I love being at the top of the mountain, wind blowing in my hair, the smell of the trees in the woods, sound of the birds chirping, and the view of all of the beautiful creation that our Father has created!  We have those moments in life where we are thriving and succeeding upon that mountaintop, however a lot of our time is spent in the valley.  The valley is viewed as a place where we struggle, face trials that seem to never fade, meet pain and heartache....the valley is the place where many times we are helpless, desperate, and cling to the hope, that soon we will be free from the valley, and once again upon the mountaintop.  
This valley and I know each other pretty well now....I could run this valley backwards with my eyes closed.  I've been in this valley for a while now, and at the beginning, I desired more than anything to see the top of the mountain again, I was desperate to feel the sun on my face, and to breathe in a deep breath of the fresh air, that came from the top of the mountain.  I waited....and waited....and waited....and I'm still waiting.... and the mountaintop is yet to come.....
However the Lord has given me something that is so much more precious than the mountaintop, something that I never would have expected or dreamed.  He has opened my eyes and my heart, to what being in the valley truly is.  He has taken away from me all the things that I try to find happiness in, and has brought me to the valley where it can be Him and I only.  The valley is where He teaches and grows us, and makes our heart to look more like Him.  
While in this valley, the Lord began with opening my eyes to who I really am, to sins that I have never acknowledged before, to my pride, selfishness, and self righteousness.  For the first time I saw my heart for how it really is, and I was broken over how dirty I am.  For months I have struggled with my sin and my flesh, forgetting the grace and mercy of our Father....Forgetting that He deeply cherishes me, even though I am filthy....forgetting that I have been redeemed through His sacrifice on the cross....forgetting that I am HIS child, but focusing on the grossness of my heart.  I then allowed the enemy, the one who's name isn't even worth mentioning, grasp a hold on my life, I focused more on my dirtiness of my flesh, rather than the grace of the Lord.  I couldn't see how the Lord could love me, or how I could be a follower of Christ when my heart looks the way it does.  After months of tears, heartbreak, confusion, and desperation, the Lord brought me further into the wilderness, and poured His grace, mercy, love, forgiveness and redemption over my heart and my life.  He had mercy on me just as He did Israel....
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her." ~Hosea 2:14                                                                                               
He brought me to the lowest point that I have ever faced, to a place where I was more desperate than I have ever been before.  He loved me, despite the dirtiness of my heart, despite the way that I continually treat Him, despite my pride and selfishness....He brought me to a place where He, and only He would have my full attention, devotion and love.  He carried me to the wilderness....to the valley.....to a place that has become so precious to me, because daily, He is transforming my heart.  
There is a danger of being on the mountaintop too long, we will eventually become boastful, prideful, and think that we do not need the help, or mercy of our Savior.  That is what happened to me, and it's a painful process to rid your heart of.  Mountaintops will come in our lives, however just like a real mountaintop, we must be careful that we don't get too close to the edge, and we must allow the Lord to lead us rather than take it in our own hands.  When the valley comes however, cherish those moments....allow the Lord to teach and mold your heart....allow HIM to break open your heart, and open your eyes to the wickedness of our flesh....and allow Him to pour His grace, mercy, and love over your life.  He desires more than anything, for our full and undivided attention...all of our praise, worship and love.  I have come to find comfort in being in the valley....comfort from the Father....comfort in knowing and understanding that He is all I need....comfort in His voice and His presence in my life!  

  

This pretty much is a perfect prayer to sum up my life right now:)

Have mercy upon me, O God,  according to Your loving kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.  

Blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  For I have acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me, against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight - That You may be found just when you speak, and blameless when You judge.  Behold I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.  Behold, You desire in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.  Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous 

Spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.  Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.  For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart- These, O God, You will not despise.  Do good in Your good pleasure

to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.  Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Psalm 51

Fishing & Cornbread :)

     “I love you princess.”  He wiped my rosy cheek with his rough thumb.  “love you too.”  I said in my high pitched voice.  I was growing like a weed, but at the age of five I was still small enough to crawl up on his lap and snuggle to his strong chest.  
     Sometimes I can still smell him.  He always smelled of gasoline and oil from where he worked in a garage, repairing transfer trucks.  I let the memories fade as I let my gaze pause on the freshly placed tomb stone in front of me.  Almost thirteen years had passed since that April day when I was five, but the memories were so real.  I felt like I had just lived that day not long ago.  
     I hesitated as I went up the steps into the house.  It was always painful to walk into their house knowing he would never again be there, waiting for me.  A smile played on the corners of my lips as I allowed my mind to drift back to a couple years ago.  I was ten and had just finished pushing around the red smelly beats on my plate.  “You hungry?  I saw you hide half of your food in that napkin.”  My eyes twinkled at the sound of his voice behind me.  I nodded my head and rubbed my growling stomach.  He leaned his head to my ear so only him and I would hear his secret.  “Follow me.”  He took my small hand in his, as he opened the freezer with his other hand.  He pulled out two ice cream sandwiches and we made our way back to the living room where we devoured our supper.  
     It was Sunday night and I couldn’t go to sleep, I was exhausted and just wanted to let the heaviness of my eye lids win the battle against my memories.  I never let myself go back to April, of this year, the day I lost my best friend.  
     “Pawpaw please don’t leave me!”  I stood beside his hospital bed in the ICU room at Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte.  It was three in the morning and I hadn’t left his side since he had the bleeding stroke on his brain yesterday at church.  Grandma and I were the only ones in the room, and she was asleep on the chair.  I tried to sleep but couldn’t.  I knew this would be the last time I had my Pawpaw all to myself before he went home to be with his Savior.  I slid my tiny hand in his cold and weak hand.  “Pawpaw I need you, you’re my best friend.  Don’t leave me…please.”  I whispered choking back the tears.    
     The next morning I woke to the nurse checking his blood pressure, my hand still wrapped in his.  I wiped my tearstained eyes and stood from the chair I fell asleep in, my family surrounding me.  “We’re going to give each of you a moment with him before we pull the breathing tube.”  The Dr. said before leaving the room.  We all said our last goodbyes to him.  It was the hardest thing any of us have ever done, to go and get the dr. and tell him we were ready for them to pull the tube.  Because the truth is, we weren’t ready, and never would be ready to say goodbye to the foundation of our family.  
     I watched as his breathing got slower and slower, as the uprising and falling of his chest didn’t happen but every thirty seconds.  I watched as his heart would stop, but then start again.  “He’s holding on, he’s fighting this, he doesn’t want to die.”  The Dr. checked his pulse.  “When you let go, he will let go.”  Although the Dr. was talking to the whole family he was looking at me.  While all my family was sitting and talking, I crept over to my Pawpaw’s side and slid my fingers between his.  “I know I said I needed you Pawpaw, and I do, and always will, but it’s time for you to go.  You’re fighting so hard and I know it’s because of me and because I asked you not to give up.  So it’s okay, you can go.  Just know that I love you so much.”  I felt his hand wrapped around mine squeeze a little tighter then release.  I looked at him with his eyelids closed in amazement.  He squeezed my hand.  I thought to myself as tears cascaded down my cheeks.  I don’t care what the Dr.’s say, even if he was brain dead and couldn’t move, I know he squeezed my hand to let me know he was going to be okay.  I sat there beside him holding his hand as he took his last breath, I watched as his chest rose and fell for the last time.  I watched as my Pawpaw…my hero, went to be with his LORD and SAVIOR. 
I wrote this three years ago when my Pawpaw went to be home, the place we all long to be.  I posted this story because sometimes the ache in my heart is so great.  After three years, the pain and ache in my heart is even more great than it was three years ago.  When something huge occurs in my life, he is the first one that I want to tell.  Sometimes I miss him more than my heart can take, and all I can do is pour my heart out to the Lord.  The simplest things remind me of him.....A fishing pole - I used to hate fishing, but when he wanted to take me fishing I would eagerly agree because those were the most precious times, and I just wanted to spend time with Pawpaw.  The smell of cornbread - I used to gag at the thought of cornbread, but I wanted to be just like Pawpaw so I would choke it down.  However now those two things are two of my favorite things in the world :) 

He was raised so we would not be guilty, He was raised to take away our sins

Well as you probably more than likely know, yesterday was Easter!! And Easter has been great and all, but up until this year, it never really hit my heart!  I mean I know that Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus, but I've never let that hit my heart before!  Until today, and man did it hit!  You know how you can be told something time and time again, but it never really does anything for you until you truly believe it?  Well that's kinda the turn my heart took this weekend.
Just thinking and talking about the blood atonement....the "once and for all" sacrifice that was made so that our sins and the things that separate us from God, could be atoned for.  As I was sitting in church yesterday morning I kept thinking about Jesus on the cross, and I've heard people say my whole life that Jesus took the sin of the world upon Himself that day.  I've always thought, man that's crazy because there's a lot of sin in this world.  And then a picture came into my mind, and it wasn't one of Jesus with the sin of the world on Him, rather it was the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross with my sins on Him.  I saw every one of my sins on the one who knew no sin, but became sin so that I could be apart of Him.  Everyone of my sins, was upon the shoulders of the one who loves me more than anyone else could ever love me.  My sins hung upon HIM so that I could share in everything that He had! My sins hung upon HIM so that he could pour His grace and redemption over my life!  It absolutely broke me when I saw that image, and gave me a desire stronger than I've ever had to search my heart and weed out every single sin in my life!  
All my life I have put so much focus on the birth of Jesus and His death on the cross(which is very important) however I've never really thought too much about His resurrection.  But the gospel would be pointless without the resurrection.  Going to church would be pointless without the resurrection...Following Christ would be pointless without the resurrection....without the resurrection our faith and our hope would be dead....we would still be dead.  But HE was raised so that we would not be guilty....HE was raised to take away our sins....HE was raised so that we would have hope...HE was raised so that we would have life in HIM!  The resurrection would be just another historical fact if the power of the resurrection didn't make a difference in our lives.  HIS blood....that blood sacrifice that HE made has never been more real, or more powerful in my heart and life than it is right now.  I praise Him that He opened my heart to see and truly realize and understand the power of the resurrection, and HIS Sovereignty for our lives.