This morning I had a bunch of things I wanted to do; but then as I was spending time with Jesus, a song started springing to my mind.
So I ended up getting almost nothing else done.
But you know what? It was worth it. It felt good to write again.
Maybe it was a gift from Him. :)


You give me peace, when my world is crumbling down,
You lift me up when it seems that I'm about to drown.
You bring me hope, when my heart is crushed by pain,
And in the joy You bring, my losses become gain.

You are all I need!

You satisfy this thirst in me.

You are all I adore!

Come, help me love You more.

You make me smile, when You whisper to my soul,
You give my heart a song, You give my life a goal. 
You rescue me when sin has brought disgrace,
And when I cry in shame, You cover me with grace.

You are all I need!
You satisfy this thirst in me.
You are all I adore!
Come, help me love You more.

And when I've reached the end of this long race,
Then I will bow my knees and look upon Your face
And I will touch the wound that pierced Your heart,
And then we'll dance and laugh, for nevermore we'll part! 

You are all I need!

You satisfy this thirst in me.

You are all I adore!

Come, help me love You more.

Entered Glory 57 Years Ago Today:

(Re-posting this from a couple years ago because there's not a lot to add to what my brothers have said.)

Pete Fleming (Age 27)"[The Lord] has been leading my meditation to the stringent statements of Christ regarding discipleship specially those words of Christ to His disciples before He sent them out…’He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.’ I have been directed to these and similar passages again and again. I should like to put these truths to the utmost test … Seemingly God delights in many instances to place men in situations which magnify their weaknesses for the simple delight of showing Himself strong to all observers”

Ed McCully (Age 28)“I have one desire now-to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it..."

Jim Elliot (Age 28)

--> “God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”

Roger Youderian (Age 31)

"I will die to self. I will begin to ask God to put me in service of constant circumstances where to live Christ I must die to self. I will be alive unto God. That I may learn to love Him with my heart, mind, soul, and body."

Nate Saint (Age 32)

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted. ..If God would grant us the vision, the word ‘sacrifice’ would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short; we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ."

“God does not require that we be successful; only that we be faithful.”

-Mother Theresa

Back to School :)

Lately the story of Jesus' friends in Bethany (Mary, Martha, and Lazarus) has been special to me. As I've pieced together a profile of Jesus' relationships with these siblings--and Mary, in particular--I've been warmed by the Lord's tenderness and intimacy in His interaction with them, and theirs with Him. I love Mary, especially, because I want my priorities to be the same as hers (everyone does, I guess). I love how she sits at His feet when He comes to dinner, listening to Him speak, instead of rushing around serving Him. And how she and her sister are so raw and open in their emotions with Jesus after their brother dies. 

As the new year begins, I am asking Jesus to be my Teacher. There are so many aspects of Who He is that I love... He is my Father, my Friend, My Lord, My King, My Savior, My Lover, My Deliverer... but there are so many things that I want to LEARN from Him that I'm going to try to focus on being a Mary; sitting at His feet and soaking in what He has to share with me. Practically, this means digging into the Word instead of skimming the surface. Meditating on what it says instead of just quickly reading to glean an encouraging nugget for the day then move on. It means learning to communicate with Him in prayer. This will take time and effort. But I want to be a Mary, so I'm asking Him to be my Teacher. Psalm 86:11- "Teach me Your ways, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth! Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name."

I began my list this morning:

-Teach me diligence and ambition.

-Teach me flexibility.

-Teach me to be more organized.

-Teach me to be an evangelist. 

-Teach me to be proactive about meeting needs around me.

-Teach me to disciple.

-Teach me to sit at your feet; learning and basking in Your presence!

-Teach me to love Your Word!

-Teach me to control myself: thoughts, appetites, words.

-Teach me the "Beatitudes" from Matthew 5-- to be poor in spirit, to mourn over what grieves Your heart, mercy, meekness, an appetite for righteousness, purity of heart, to be a peacemaker, and to be persecuted for Your name's sake.

-Teach me faith and trust. 

-Teach my frugality.

-Teach me generosity.

-Teach me to pray; passionately, fervently.

-Teach me to relish small moments.

-Teach me to delight in Your fingerprints all around me.

-Teach me to value time, not squander it. To number my days and gain a heart of wisdom.

-Teach me to be a better daughter, friend, sister, granddaughter...

-Teach me to keep my word, and not make trite promises I don't remember to fulfill.

-Teach me to hurt with and cry for others.

-Teach me to value others' time more than I value my own.

-Teach me to grow and feel loved when you chasten me, instead of letting condemnation crush me.

-Teach me to abide in You- to practice Your presence.

-Teach me to speak tenderly, graciously, cautiously, lovingly. And often, not at all. 

-Teach me to hate sin. In any form. And to grieve over its presence in my life or others'.

-Teach me to guard my eyes.

-Teach me to crave spiritual food more than I crave mindless entertainment.

-Teach me how much you love me.

-Teach me to hate (and fight!) apathy in my own life and in your church.

-Teach me to grieve over sin.

-Teach me to live in peace; not to let myself get frazzled and overwhelmed by life so easily.

-Teach me that people are priority.

-Teach me to memorize Your Word.

-Teach me to hope for what I long for, and not let my hope die!

-Teach me to burn with passion for my God. To desire you supremely. As my highest treasure.

-Teach me not to give up on other people easily. 

-Teach me to think the best. 

-Teach me what I don't even know I need to learn, yet. What are YOUR priorities for me?

And, perhaps I should add another--"Teach me not to become OVERWHELMED by all I have to learn." :) This is a tall order. I won't perfectly learn all these things in the New Year or even in the next 10 years, for that matter. But, I have the Master Teacher who delights in me and has made me His special project, creating me for good works such as these (Ephesians 2:10)! So, I know He's not overwhelmed by my list. :) 

I think the Teacher's eyes light up when we ask Him to teach us these things. I'm determined, with His help, to prioritize the time spent sitting at His feet learning this year. 

Like Mary did.