Christ Alone

I read this today. A while back my focus in these things changed a bit.  I hope and pray that this will continue to refine my posts as God refine's my heart.

I am no longer my own blogger, but Thine, O Lord.

Refine me with each post how You will, rank me how You will.

Put me to service, or put me to suffering.

Let me post for Thee or be put aside for Thee,

Lifted high, only for Thee, or brought low, all for Thee.

Do with me and each post whatever you will, because You alone know best.

Let me not strive but submit Let me not compete but care

Let me not desire hits but holiness

Let me be a follower, instead of seeking followers.

Let my blog be full of Thee, and let it be empty of me.

Let me crave all things of Thee, let me care nothing of this world.

Let my words be worthy of the greatest of audiences: You.

And You are enough.

May I write not for subscribers… but only for Thy smile.

May my daily affirmation be in the surety of my atonement,

not the size of my audience.

May my identity be in the innumerable graces of Christ,

never, God forbid, the numbers of my comments.

May the only words that matter in my life not be the ones I write on a screen ---

but the ones I live with my skin.

I freely and heartily yield every sentence, every title, every post, every comment… or no comments… all to Thine pleasure and perfect will.

My only fame is that I bear Your name

My only glory is the gift of Your Grace

My only readership, Your eyes that seek to and fro to find a heart hard after You.

Make this so, oh Lord…

Yahweh, You alone are my God, not Google

Jesus, You alone are my Savior, not site meters

And Holy Spirit, You alone are my Comforter, not comments

So be it, today, yesterday, and every post to come.

This is my prayer I have made on earth and over this keyboard… let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Copyright 2010, Ann Voskamp @ www.aholyexperience.com   All rights reserved. Please do not copy, paste text or reprint.

Christian. Real. Music.

Click the playlist now. 


Seriously


Ok continue
I know about a year ago I said that I'd be featuring music on Tuesdays.  I apologize that it's a Friday.  I also apologize that instead of about 50 musical selections I've provided precisely 3 to date.  As I said back then if I don't start listening to new music I will become old.  I think that's the case.  I have a wife who is 30!  And I was a cradle robber. So I must be ancient.  To fight off the inevitable.  I bring you Mumford and Sons, a British band that's pretty folksy as per my liking, but even more than that this band writes about disappointment imperfection and this broken world.  Within that there are hints that God alone has the answer.  Check out  The Cave's lyrics and the playlist that is at your immediate right.


It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again


They aren't all Christian, but I do think that the main singer is.  The great thing is they bring these songs to the masses.  Most of the time the truths of Jesus aren't at the forefront, but the fact that we live in a broken world and that we ourselves are broken and want, hope and know that there is something more and better out there comes through over and again.  That's what people resonate with.


That's half of the gospel. In the past people didn't like to hear that part.  People didn't believe or didn't want to accept that humanity is the problem.  But today people don't try to pretend the brokenness doesn't exist.  Today people doubt the solution.  They doubt that God would allow bad things to happen to people at judgment.  But I do think this is where we start talking about the good news today. We talk about the problems with gov't we talk about the 27 million slaves, we talk about pedophilia and sexual slavery. We talk about how I hurt the people I love the most with angry words, by ignoring my kids when they keep pushing for more of my time, becoming frustrated and bored of my parents, friends, wife.  We share that we are broken people and that the solution doesn't come from a bunch of broken people, but from a perfect God.  


Grace and Peace to you all

Endings

As a church we voted to move and to change our church name.  We voted unanimously.  We voted because we want to be salt and light and provide ourselves with better opportunities to do that.  We'll be in a better location to reach Indians, we'll be in a better sized worship facility, we'll be in a more visible location. We'll be meeting on Sunday mornings, which makes sense for believers and is a bit easier on families with kids.  We have made all these choices in an effort to take a step forward as a church.


Shajan John our retreat speaker this year, talked about how to step forward you have to leave the ground you are on.  This is often the most difficult part. And in many ways, I'm sad about leaving the relationships and opportunities in Westchester behind. My eyes are opened anew to the opportunities here as I see chances to engage Gabe's kindergarten class and soccer team. We have neighbors who have been friends for the past couple of years. All of these things as well as the relationships with the people of Grace make this step forward difficult.  But, often it is the difficult things that are best.  There are still more difficult steps for us to take, things we need to change, ways we need to grow as a church.  This step is not the endpoint of the journey.  Only the very first step.  


Please pray for us. 

Utmost

Most of the church today doesn't really take Jesus lifestyle seriously.  We put a lot of pop psychology in there to make the calls to self sacrifice and eternally giving to others in there to make it palatable and sensible.  


I can do that pretty easily as well.  


Oswald Chambers devotional spells out that we need to give, trust follow Jesus at all times.  This faith is impossible without Christ.  Thank God he came to save us from ourselves.

Beginnings

My kids Gabe and Simone just started school.  I just started coaching Gabe's soccer team and our church is going to be starting to minister in a new setting.  It's got me thinking about new beginnings and how just starting something new opens up tons of new opportunities.  I know new things can be tough to take on.  It's a lot easier and safer to do the same old same old, but sometimes the same old gets boring stagnant and in need of change.  

So we take on these new challenges with prayer, because new beginnings have a lot of risk to them. Fortunately we have a God who can help since was around in the (very) beginning.

Retreat

Not long ago I wrote about being in God's creation and the affect that has on us.  How it reconnects us with His presence. How it demonstrates His creative power, and how awe of God restores us to right relationship with him.  Well this last week we went on a retreat at a beautiful conference center right on Lake Geneva.  Beautiful weather, perfect water and lot's of green. The perfect retreat.


Interestingly, we also talked about going on the offensive. About bringing the message of redemption and hope to a dark and overwhelmed world.  I think more than just being able to escape from the day to day, that is really the point of a retreat.  


In battle a retreat is strategic.  Things aren't working, we are overwhelmed, we are losing our position and ourselves.  So we take a step back.  Reorganize, re-prioritize and once settled re-deploy.  I usually think of a retreat as a diversion from the day to day.  But this year, I saw it as a call to renewed purpose.  It was an important lesson. 


Thanks be to God, who leads us in his triumph! thanks be to God who's got the victory!

Best websites

Time's list of best websites is out.  I didn't make it.  Maybe next year. When I post more than once a month...