It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly


This could easily be my lifetime goal. These words have had a special place in my heart since I first heard Santus Real sing them. It just clicks with me... know what I mean? It's so easy to just give it all to God, right? Or is it? Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. Why is that? What makes us hold on so tight to the things that can and should be given over to God? Why do we hold so tightly? Why do we want to maintain "control"? Human nature, I guess.

So, we just continue to hold on, or give it up, depending on the day. We just keep on keeping on. Little by little. But all the time, believing in God to the best of our ability. Knowing for sure that He's up to something, larger than life, bigger than me, something Heavenly!

Gonna climb this thing!

That's right! Next month is the month I've been waiting for. I'm gearing up now to satisfy a desire of mine for the last 10 years. And my best friend is coming too! To climb Mt. Hood. My only goal is to get up there, maybe even to the top end of Hogsback, or even into the Pearly Gates, but NOT to summit. I know... that sounds lame. But it's not my goal for the simple reason that it will be disappointing to set a goal of summiting and then not be able to for weather reasons. I won't push beyond my limits or drive forward with a storm blowing in. The goal is just to have fun. I've heard too many stories of people pushing on when they shouldn't have.

This is not an overly technical climb, at least on the south side. I wouldn't even attempt the north or west sides. So, in little more than 3 weeks we'll be there, giving it our best shot and having fun! If we actually make it to the top, I'll be thrilled, but like I said, it's not the all important goal of the trip. I'll keep you posted!

Banks

Don't you just love them! Don't you wish you could live your life without them? Especially the HUGE ones. Like Chase. You're just a number, a very long one at that. And the worse off the economy, the more vicious they get. You could be making double or triple payments for years and all of a sudden, if you're a couple weeks late, they come after you like flies on honey. And there's nothing you can do about it. Except, of course, make your payments on time! It kind of discourages you from making bigger than the expected payment. All but the part about shaving a few dollars of interest off. So, we are prisoners. Not of the bank, but of our own need for their money. If we could just learn to live on what we have, we'd be much better off. I mean, you have to be their prisoner to own a home. At least most of us do. But we could drive the auto industry into obsolescence by driving cars we can afford without a loan. And would that be so bad? It might even create a desire for banks, the auto industry and maybe even health care to think about the obsurd prices they are charging. It might just be the best thing that could happen to our economy. What do you think?

A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace

Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
my heart and my soul, Lord I give you control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise become my embrace
To love You from the inside out

Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise


These are powerful words. True words, but humbling too.
I could sing this song daily and it would be new and fresh each day.
Why is it, that we continually fail? Yes, I know the pat answer.
The one we always use. The passe reason we give for screwing up.

But how can we break free of the pattern we find ourselves in?
We give our life to God. We renew the convenant daily. We want
Gods will in our lives. We glory in his grace. We are thankful for His
love for us, yet we fail again.

Consume me from the inside out, Lord. This is my prayer today, and always.

There are moments on our journey following the Lord where God illumines ev’ry step we take. There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us, as we try to understand each move He makes. When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee; Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.
Bow the knee; Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity. And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan, in the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall, the cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow. And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel; We are tempted to believe God does not know. When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Joy? Really?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

This is a tough one right now. I mean, deep down, I know it's true. But right now, today, I'm having trouble with it. Oh, I lack wisdom alright. And I ask God for it daily. Sometimes I see those prayers answered. Other days, I don't. And, I don't feel like persevering at the moment. I feel like escaping. But, that never got anyone very far. So, here I sit, sharing my thoughts with the world. Typing them out may just help me convince myself that God really does care about me and want the best for me.

So, what to do? Really. I don't know. Trials are real. Trials are present. Trials are many, at times. And even though I don't feel like persevering, I know that running from it won't help. So, once again, I ask God for wisdom. I never get emails from God. I never get a TM from Him either. Sometimes I think I know what He's saying. Most of the time I don't. But I do trust Him. And I have faith in Him. Even though I face trials.

Thoughts?

God is good....

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

These are words I count on. The best words of encouragement that can be found. When you ask God for forgiveness, he grants it. No questions asked. No rememberance of the past! You've got to love that! That is what I call grace and mercy. It is our promise from God, just for seeking Him. We will continue to mess up. We will fail. We will disobey, but God will continue to pour out His grace and mercy on us. That doesn't mean we go looking for trouble, just knowing He will forgive us. We have to make a valiant effort. We have to try our best. We have to talk to Him daily, if nothing but to ask His help. He will come through! He will protect us if we ask Him to.

I don't believe God punishes us. I don't think He just hangs out, waiting for us to screw up so He can show us His power. Or take something away. Or set us back. On the contrary, He is there waiting for us to simply ask Him for forgiveness, just to help us move on. To try to do better next time. To be an encouragement to someone else.

This is my goal this week.