Suddenly

A couple of weeks ago we heard the news of TobyMac & Amanda's son Truett Foster sudden death. It rock the Christian Music world, as it may have touched your heart too. He was only 21. And then suddenly he was gone. Tears. My prayers and Love is sent in abundance to Toby's family. 

Please pray for their family. 

As some may know that my Mom passed away 17 years ago this past September and if I am honest, I still have not got past it. What I mean is I still cry at times, I still miss her, but I just wish I could get one more hug, one more I Love you, one more talk. But I can't. Yet I still cry. 

I Love these lyrics from "When We Fall Apart" by Ryan Stevenson 

It's ok to cry

It's ok to fall apart

You don't have to try

To be strong when you are not

And it may take sometime to make sense of all your thoughts

But don't ever fight your tears

'Cause there is freedom in every drop

Sometimes the only way to heal a broken heart is

when we fall apart

An you've got the gift of mercy

Don't ever think it's strange

Not a curse, but it is a blessing to feel other 

people's pain

So I come to you today with everything in me to Love one another no matter what. Do all you can to be at peace with one another. When it's over it's over. Don't live with regrets. What you might be fighting about will not even matter in the bigger picture. When you die and stand before God to give an account for your life, you want to hear "well done" my good and faithful servant.  

So make sure your living today to please Him. 

Dying isn't optional. We are all going to die. 

I pray today you do what you can to be right with others.

And no matter what never ever give up on them.

If today is my last day,  please know that your Loved. 

God Loves you.  He is with you. You are never alone.

Put your trust in Him. Live to please Him only. Keep Him first no matter what.

Love Jesus with everything you got, even if you stand alone. 

Never compromise. 

Stand for Jesus even if. 

Pray like crazy.

Love madly.

Be on the right side of Suddenly.

And if no one has told you...

You are altogether Beautiful there is no flaw in you.

- Song of Solomon 4:7

Your Loved Forever

YOU ARE ACCEPTED, NOT REJECTED.

- John 15:16

I want you to know that "Your Loved Forever". I don't know where you find yourself today, but I am here to tell you that You are Loved Forever, no matter what. So many things can come at us and we find ourselves in despair. But you need to know that God says you are... 

Accepted, Wonderfully Made, Forgiven, Loved, Blessed, Chosen, Cherished, Enough, Known, Strong, Delightful, Valuable, Beautiful and His Forever.

I recently went to a TobyMac Christian Concert in Tampa and like I Love all his songs. But one of the Artists "We Are Messengers" that he brought along with him sang one of my favorite songs called "Maybe It's Ok" The song is more than lyrics, it's truth. It is real. A lot of us have these huge walls up around our weakness when in reality letting them fall down and be vulnerable you are able to be truly free in Christ. No one is perfect. No one has the perfect life, like that isn't possible because we all fall short of God's glory. Today whether you are reading this from prison or the free world, please know that coming clean and being real makes you enough. We don't have to have it all together, but realness comes in being authentic, the real you. In realness we can willing share our struggles, laugh at ourselves, face fear, get back up when we fall, avoid gossip and just Love one another unconditionally. Your are Beloved, and I am thinking about you. Don't give up, miracles happen every day, like you are one of them...you are a miracle. Don't ever forget that! Ok, back to the song, I prayerfully hope these beautifully written lyrics touch your heart. 

If I didn't know what it hurt like to be broken

Then how would I know what it feels like to be whole

If I didn't know what it cost like to be rejected 

Then I wouldn't know that Your Love coming home

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

'Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me

Maybe it's all right if I'm not all right

'Cause the One who holds the stars is holding my whole life

If I didn't know what it look like to be dirty

Then I wouldn't know what it feels like to be clean

And if all of my shame haven't drove me to hide in the shadows

Then I wouldn't know the beauty of being free

Father, let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done

Here in my heart as in Heaven

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

'Cause the One who holds the world is holding onto me

Maybe it's all right if I'm not all right

'Cause the One who holds the stars is holding my whole life

Now I'm alive in You

The best that I deserved

Now I'm alive and I can see You in everything

Maybe it's ok if I'm not ok

Mistakes help us learn.

Sin is a choice we deliberately make even though we know better.

Mistakes are done with innocence.

Sin comes from a heart that holds rebellion.

Mistakes lead to growth.

Sin leads to decay

- Holly Gerth

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of The Holy Spirit.

- Romans 15:13 

You are so awesome! 

So Smile...

Your Loved Forever.

Your Priceless

Happy 2019! 

Mercy, peace and Love be yours in abundance.-Jude 1:2

I've read many post about a "word" for the New Year. Like a word you can take throughout the year to help you. I've ponder that and I seem to come back to the same thing, Love. I believe with all my heart it's always about Love, and it always comes back to Love and Love is all we need. We all need to be Loved and we all should give Love freely. When I think about Love, I think about the ultimate Love which will always be Jesus Himself. God gave us this gift of His Son Jesus, and died for us even while we were sinners. It's really crazy to think that no matter what you've done, or haven't done, God Loves you and Jesus came for you and for me. I Love this new song by 

Casting Crowns, called 

"Even When You're Running"

-because we've all found ourselves running-

  

Do you feel Him in your heartbeat even when you're running? You try to drown Him out with your life but you still hear Him calling With a voice you've never heard but it sounds like home, home You try to shut in out but you feel it in your bones And it won't leave you alone His Love is inescapable His presence is unshakable Right now you don't believe it's true A better day is coming And you don't need another place to hide He'll find you in your darkest night His Love is holding on to you Even when you're running Even when your're running As a kid you said your prayers, now they're bouncing off the ceiling They took your world away when you trusted Him for healing He's no stranger to your heartbreak, He knows how it feels to lose, oh From the garden to the Cross, He's been chasing after you He's chasing after you His Love is inescapable His presence is unshakable Right now you don't believe it's true A better day is coming And you don't need another place to hide He'll find you in your darkest night His Love is holding on to you Even when you're running Even when you're running Your fear isn't dark enough Your pit isn't deep enough Your lie isn't loud enough To keep Him away from you The Father made a way for you The Son killed the grave for you Let His Spirit come alive in you Are you tired of running? The Father made the way for you The Son Killed the grave for you His Love is inescapable His presence is unshakable Right now you don't believe it's true A better day is coming And you don't need another place to hide He'll find you in your darkest night His Love is holding on to you Even when you're running Even when you're running Your fear isn't dark enough Your pit isn't deep enough Your lie isn't loud enough To keep Him away from you The Father made a way for you The Son killed the grave for you Let His Spirit come alive in you Are you tired of running? His Love is inescapable His presence is unshakable Right now you don't believe it's true A better day is coming And you don't need another place to hide He'll find you in your darkest night His Love is holding on to you Even when you're running Even when you're running It's time to stop running now You don't have to have it figured out All you need to do is turn around And the Father will come running

I Love this because He will not forget us. He knows where your at, and He knows how to get your attention. Sometimes our offended hearts are the breeding ground for deception so let's set our hearts on God and things above. Other times we just feel like nobody cares.  And a lot of times we can find ourselves saying God where are you? But let me tell you that God does care about you, so much so that He calls you Priceless. 

Yes, your Priceless. 

And yes He will not forget you. God remembers you. 

If your feeling like your all alone I so understand. But one thing I can honestly say, God is with you and no matter what He Loves you. 

Even much water cannot put out the flame of Love. Floods cannot drown Love. 

-Song of Solomon 8:7

In this New Year, you can tell God

I surrender. I surrender my life.

I surrender my will.

I surrender my desires.

He will come and fill your life with joy unspeakable, lots of laughs and silly things even in your tears. But more importantly His relentless Love will be a banner over your life.

You've been doing it your way. Now do is My way. 

Purge anything in your life that could be polluting your heart and mind. That could be TV, books, music, social media and even relationships. These things should draw you closer to God, not away. Get into His Word, and stay in it, no matter what. Pray no matter what. And if you do have access to music, listen to Worship and Christian music to lift you up. 

He inhabits the Praises of His People.  -Psalm 22:3. 

The closest times like EVER I've had was singing to Him.

At the end of the day, whether your in a relationship or not, God must be our First Love. 

He must be First in everything. 

How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, 

and there is no God but you. -2 Samuel 7:22

We do not know what tomorrow will hold, so today know He Loves you so much and He is calling you to a relationship with Him. 

Your Priceless.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well. -Psalm 139:14 

Your Priceless. 

God...is my witness how constantly I remember you.

-Romans 1:9

Your Priceless.

But First She Prayed

“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. 

And if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:15

These are the very courageous words of the Queen of Persia, Esther, as she prepared to approach a very young, inexperienced and emotional King Xerxes to plead with him to stop the TOTAL annihilation of the Jewish people. If the king was in a bad mood that day, he could have her killed instantly, even though she was Queen, and more importantly, his bride. What courage this must have taken, what a magnificent statement of faith Queen Esther displayed as she unselfishly prepared to sacrifice her life for her people.

Do you know that the Name of God is NOT mentioned anywhere in the story of Esther in the Bible, yet we see such magnificent evidence of HIS Hand all over the story. And the greatest evidence that we see of His mercy and grace in Esther, the absolute beauty of what we call “Reversal of Destiny”.

 

In Esther, we are given a close up look at the ongoing struggle of satan against the purposes of God and especially against His promised Messiah. The birth of Christ into the human race was totally dependent upon the existence of the Jewish race. Just as Haman plotted against the Jews in order to destroy them, so has satan set himself against Christ and God’s people. Just as Haman is defeated on the gallows he built for Mordecai, so does Christ use the very weapon that his enemy devised to destroy Him and His spiritual seed. For the cross, by which satan planned to destroy the Messiah, was the very means through which Christ “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” Colossians 2:14-15

Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai, 

so the devil was crushed by the cross he erected to destroy Christ.

Esther proved to have a godly and very humble spirit that also showed great strength and willing obedience. Esther’s humility was very different from those around her, 

and this caused her to be elevated into the position of queen.

Woman everywhere would do well to emulate her godly attitudes in all areas of life, but especially in trials. Not once is there a complaint or bad attitude exposed in the Book of Esther. Many times we read she won the "favor" of those around her. This “favor” is what ultimately saved her people. We can be given such favor as we accept even unfair persecution and follow Esther’s example of maintaining a positive attitude, coupled with humility and the determination to lean on and fully trust in God.

So, in closing, it does not matter whether in prison or the free world, Jew or Gentile, white or black, rich or poor. We are all placed here to show love, grace, mercy, humility and unselfishness to ALL people, regardless of our circumstance, regardless of the cost!

Who knows but maybe God has placed YOU in such a position, for just such a time as this?