Encouragement from Jeremy Camp

Same Power--Jeremy Camp




He Knows--Jeremy Camp



Even me

I dare to believe
You look on
Notice
And consider
Even me

Yeah, I know
My perspective is probably off
I'm not seeing correctly
I'm frustrated and overwhelmed
By problems
Many of which
Are my own making

And yet I dare to believe
I can come to You
Talk to You about it
You won't just brush me off
You won't nod and pretend You're listening
Meanwhile doing an internal eye roll

Whatever needs to be said
Whatever I need to hear
You'll look on me with 
   love
   grace
   dignity
And
   instruct
   lead
   guide

I dare to believe I can still come
Whatever it is
Whatever the reason

Oh I know
Arrogant or haughty is not the way
That might receive a different welcome
But 
   messed up
   confused
   overwhelmed
   disappointed in self
   the contrite and broken
These can come
And You receive

Even me


Press on!

I need to remember this...the thoughts that came after seeing and re-posting this picture and quote.

My initial thoughts:
I need to remember this, KEEP remembering this. 

"Never limit your vision based on your current resources." -Michael Hyatt

THEN I thought...

Hey wait, no I don't. I don't do this anyways! I don't "limit [my] vision based on [my] current resources." I consistently pursue vision beyond my resources. My problem is that I later get discouraged when the getting there is long, when I can't figure out how to get to the realization of the vision. What's up with that?  

Hmm...Maybe how I need to rephrase this is.

"Remember, you didn't choose/set your vision based on resources currently available to you. You're going to need to keep trusting God, learning, pressing forward--for a long, long time! Don't be discouraged. Don't give up. When you fall flat on your face, take a breather if you need to, figure out what went wrong, get the help you need, learn how to do better, but then, get up and keep going. (And don't mope, and don't complain either!)." 

Ha! Mine is a little more wordy and a little less pithy than Michael Hyatt's, but...it's probably more what I need to hear. I like it! Thanks Michael Hyatt​ for helping me process this!

Press on, toward the vision
that is beyond your current resources.

I am not alone

I am NOT
     forgotten by You

nor thrown away
     by You

And...
     I am NOT alone



I Am Not Alone
Kari Jobe

When I walk through deep waters
I know that You will be with me
When I'm standing in the fire
I will not be overcome
Through the valley of the shadow
I will not fear

I am not alone
I am not alone
You will go before me
You will never leave me

In the midst of deep sorrow
I see Your light is breaking through
The dark of night will not overtake me
I am pressing into You
Lord, You fight my every battle
And I will not fear

You amaze me
Redeem me
You call me as Your own

You're my strength
You're my defender
You're my refuge in the storm
Through these trials
You've always been faithful
You bring healing to my soul

Not Forgotten

I am
not forgotten

Thank You Lord
for the reminder
Just as through me
You reached out to a sister
on the other side of the world
You, through another sister
again, on the other side of the world
reached out to me
simply reminding me
I am not forgotten

It must have been You
that reminded her of me
in this oh-so-difficult time
We haven't connected in ages
she would have no way to know
except for You
putting me
on her mind
"You've been on my mind so much lately"
(and a little 'praying' emoticon)
Thank You

I am
not forgotten

We are
not forgotten
none of us
ever

This is the truth
This is what You promise
I will never leave you nor forsake you
With you always, to the end of the world
but we sometimes forget
or don't feel remembered
Yet You reach out to remind
Thank You


Thank you M.E. for listening to Him, hearing about me, for praying and for letting me know. No, I'm not on the verge of despair or anything that bad, but it has been a tough journey lately. Thank you for reminding me of His care, for letting Him use you to remind me. You blessed me today (well, actually, starting last night) sister!

the walking wounded

It's an amazing thing
that we can be
wounded
and yet walking
wounded
and yet reaching out to help others

we're just a community of broken ones
falling ones
stumbling ones
crawling ones

with strength enough

even when you are crawling
you can reach back
and give a hand to someone
stumbled in their crawl right beside you
or pause, to stop together and encourage
to keep crawling


I was amazed, three days ago, to be in a rough place myself, yet sensing the Lord tell me that a friend was struggling--to reach out, and ask, encourage. It turns out, she was struggling, really struggling. The next day, I was moved by the pain and struggle of another, and led to some tangible and specific ways to help, that really did help in the end. And then this became good for me too, to know His leading me, even in the midst of  my own struggle... and even there, in the absence of sensing His presence, ah, starting to note His presence. Mysterious, the way He works, the way He draws, the way He reminds.


All are justified freely

"and all are justified freely by his grace 
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
--Rom. 3:24

Why is THIS verse not more commonly known and memorized?
Why is THIS verse not often repeated as a stand-alone statement?

Instead we, or at least I, for years and years have known that Rom 3:23 says,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," 

All have sinned
All fall short
All, and that means you and me, have sinned.
It's part of "The Roman's Road," a simple, easy to memorize, and formulaic way of presenting the Gospel...through just a few verses in Romans.

So we know Romans 3:23, but we don't know it with 3:24 right after it.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 
and all are justified freely by his grace 
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
--Rom. 3:23, 24

But it's even better when you start a little earlier, reading from v. 21...and this might not work now already, because I've drilled in a reminder of verse 23, but try, just try for a minute, to read it fresh, and note what is emphasized as the main thing, and what is more background, in this passage.
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. --Rom 3:21-26 (NIV)
Whoa! Sure, Rom 3:23 is true, but if you read it in the context, the main point of the passage is righteousness--there is a righteousness that comes from God that is available to all. That all have sinned is the back story, the obvious reason why we need it, but our sin, or that all have sinned, is not the focus, not the main point at all! It reads as almost a side comment.

The main point, what jumps out to me today, is that there is a righteousness from God that has come, that is available. Hallelujah! Amen! Praise God.


I am justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Thank You, Lord!

Wrestling it through...

When You speak
When You break through
What do You want us to do with that?

Do You want us to just 
   listen
   receive
   and do it?
Perhaps, sometimes.
Perhaps, often even.

But is that always what you want us to do.

Jacob wrestled a blessing from You
You told Moses to leave You alone (Ex. 32:10)
So that Your anger could burn and destroy the people
But he didn't leave You alone
He argued that one with You
And You relented
It's almost as if You wanted Him to stay and argue
Was it a test?

Just a bit later (33:1-3) You told him
You wouldn't go with him, with them
You'd send an angel
But You wouldn't go
And again he argues with You
And...You let him
And seem to like it

I've always thought I could engage with You
I've always thought You could take my questions
But this, now, is the context of when You speak to me
When You speak to Your people
It makes sense that we should engage
And like the examples above, even
   question
   disagree
Your final answer
Might be a little different than the original

And now I'm thinking a step further
Of the times I thought You have spoken
And I did agree, I did like it
But then I just sat on it
And sometimes
They didn't happen
Could it be that my lack of wrestling it through
   praying that it would really happen
   became a hindrance?

Could it be
That when You speak
No matter what
You really want us
You really want me
   to engage
Hearing You speak
Hearing what You say
   is not quite enough
There are implications
There are always implications
And I need to learn to stay
   and work those out
To keep listening
   and wrestling

It is a whole life
Continually lived in Your presence
Always engaged

Grace pours down...

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, 
Lord who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness, 
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
(Ps. 130:4-5)

Thank You Lord, for forgiveness, for grace.
Thank You for being "the lifter of my head" (Ps. 3:3)

Sin is real
Shame is real and can be so crippling
But You
Offer forgiveness
You
Don't want to
Are not willing to
See us forever bowed down

And the body
The Christian community
Should be a place that lives this out
Where we can come broken, contrite
And find acceptance, warmth, forgiveness
And strength to go on

Thank You for forgiveness and grace
Thank You for a body that lives this out
Thank You for family, that is real with each other


Semi-related thoughts that have come on this: 

I was tempted, yesterday, to not go to the Bible study. "What's the point?" I hadn't prepared (done my homework, hadn't even read the chapter, only listened to it once or twice. Certainly hadn't prayerfully considered the questions or written anything down). Didn't even have my notebook to write down the thoughts of others. And...I was late...but, I somehow still thought it was good to go.

Then, I had a memory, from 20+ years ago--sitting in church in a weeknight Bible study. The rows of chairs were facing forward. My dad was leading or teaching, sitting in one of the front rows, but not facing the people straight on. He was angled back toward them so they could hear him, but he was looking at the floor the whole time. It bugged me that he didn't look at everyone. I kept wanting to get his attention, thought of writing a note and handing it to him, "Look up, look at the people."

I don't know when we talked about it...maybe that night in the car going home. 

What he said, "You know [my name]..." and then what came was just how low he was feeling right then--how broken down, struggling, hurting. I didn't know the details, still don't, but I've later heard more of the stories and struggle from those years...

And I thought (and I STILL think), "What a shame!" The church should be the place where we can come and share our struggle, our brokenness. This is where we can come to learn to live out the reality of this Book we read, these truths we hold to. If we can't come and wrestle it out here, with these people, pray tell, where and when DO we learn to live out these truths? 

How sad, then, that my dad couldn't be real about the struggle. How sad, then, that there were very few being real about faith intersecting with life, and the learning to live it as a Christ-follower. Ah--when it would get talked about--when things got to an extreme--a "fall," a need for church discipline...  

I hope we are doing better now. I think we are.

It makes me wonder--how did I become one who would be vulnerable and real about it all? When and how did I realize--that if this faith is real, if this God is real, then He must also be real in the reality of life...no need to hide it, or cover it...


Jesus Come

what do I do with this dull heart and head?
I so long for You to come close
to be able to hear You
see You
sense You

I want
I would like
for my life to be wrapped up in Yours
to somehow know, again
that You are leading, guiding, speaking
to know Your presence
and have that be
enough

But...
I don't know
Your presence now
I can't 
feel You
sense You
hear You

I wish I could hear You speak
I wish You would reach through
I'm still hoping You will
reach through the fog
into this space
somehow
give perspective

until You do
I will wait
I will hope
I will believe
beyond what I can see

more...

I must cultivate more
this desire
the desire to draw close to You
to be wrapped up in You
You holding me
wrapped around me

written Aug. 13, 2015, feeling it again today

Sharing the journey

Glad to be there today
for her
glad to be me for her
glad to have had my journey
and freedom found
for it is the freedom she needs
I wish there had been someone like me
for me (is that weird to say?)
when I was her age
someone to tell me
they understood
it was normal, in some sense
how to find a way through
that all could be talked about
what part to be concerned about
what part
might actually not be much of  a problem
for me the freedom and insight came
fifteen years later
(and I'm thankful for the people I had then)

I'm glad for her
and proud of her courage
I see a beautiful heart
a heart You have made new
deeper in her
than the sin and the struggle
is the desire to live clean and free
that is You drawing
You leading
Your life
   that is stronger
   than any evil or darkness
at work and alive in her

Thank You for the journey
for mine
for hers
for this chance to journey together
what a privilege to be
a safe place
the first one
with whom she has shared
and I'm thankful for those
who were safe for me


being formed

What is this that comes
It could only be You
A knowing the need for compassion
An asking for love for
Even the ones who have wronged

Oh, I'm still far from how You lived it Jesus
Not sure the asking for forgiveness for them
Would come quite that quick
While they were doing the hurting

But I see something of You
Growing in me

Grow more in me
The ability to love, to truly love
Even those who cause pain


All I know is weak

maybe I was supposed to lead
maybe I was supposed to show them
how to be strong
but all I know is weak

weak
broken
floundering
crying out for help
running to my only Refuge
falling on Him
knowing Him strong
knowing Him faithful
through the years
and many tears
the dark
the clouds
the wandering

flat on my face
crawling
holding on
just barely
or not even holding on
but knowing Him 
holding on to me

this is all I know to do
this is all I know to show you how to do
to be weak

be weak
and name it
own it
say it
with tears streaming down your face
sadness in your eyes
apologizing for the more that you can't give
make the changes needed
ask for the help needed
receive the strength that comes
from Him
directly
or through others

no, I am not strong
I can only show you how to be weak

but the weak
somehow
in the weirdest twist of all
becomes strength that rises
a deep, firm core
a deep stabilizing
so weak
but unable to be
thoroughly defeated
a weak that becomes strong
and frees others
to be weak
and eventually
grow strong

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