I’ve recently started running. I started earlier this year but I’ve been increasing more and more. Adding a few more laps every couple of weeks. My goal was being able to run 5K without stopping and I’m [now] doing that several times each week. Some weeks I only do 15K but my [new] goal each week is 25K. Now to all you runners out there, I know that’s not much but I don’t love, love, love running so it’s a big feat for me.

My sister-in-law was recently diagnosed with MS. I have an aunt who has had MS since I was in high-school and all around me I see beautiful, healthy people falling victim to disease that holds them captive. As much as I would rather meet my girlfriends for tea and sit around and chat, I feel like I need to be getting out there and using the legs that I have, that are still healthy, to move and live. [I'm stilling having tea with the gals, but I've just added something else - often running with my friends and then having tea!]

Each step I take I often feel like I’m taking each one for those in my life who can’t do it for themselves. My family members and others that I know can’t jog anymore. So if I can, why wouldn’t I?

In my ‘thank-you’ series that I began last month, I have been increasingly thankful for my health and in my thankfulness, I am responding by using the body and the life that God has given me. Using it for good, not to harm others as well as using what I do have, not just wasting it away.

I know my running isn’t going to change the world, or save any lives, but in a small way I feel like I’m becoming more and more aware of those around me and appreciating what I do have and living a little more the way I should.

Today I’m thankful for my health. That although I’ve wasted a lot of my time, days and life over the years, God still continues to entrust me with more. I will strive to be more faithful with what I have been given. This is a part of my [daily] worship to God.

…baby steps indeed.
♥er

Ok, well the verses that follow those at the end of Romans 11 come in … you guessed it, Romans 12, which seem to fall perfectly in line with what I wrote about from Romans 11:33-36. Listen to this:

[Romans 12:1-2] So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Isn’t that perfect. Romans 11 sets it up. Bringing this revelation about the sovereignty of God and His power – basically reminding us how praise-worthy He his and how deserving He is of worship. And then in Romans 12 we find out how we do that. How do we answer that call?

Romans 12 tells us that our lives are our offering of worship. Every detail of everyday can be lived out for God. It’s not that complicated. Worship isn’t some stressful, perfected activity that we aspire to offer to God for an hour each Sunday morning at best – no, God wants our hearts. Our lives lived for Him, so that He can be glorified in all we do.

In the words of David from Psalms 40:8 – which is the confession of all worshipers…
“I desire to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

Let’s answer the call….
♥er

I was reading through the book of Romans last week and I read something that I have probably read a hundred times before but this time when I read it I saw it as a call to worship.

Romans 11:33-36; Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out.

Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell Him what to do? Anyone who has done Him such a huge favor that God has to ask His advice?

Everything comes from Him; Everything happens through Him; Everything ends up in Him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.

I was leading worship this past weekend and I had to share that as we started the worship service. When I read things like this I’m [again] reminded of God’s sovereignty and power and in this place, there seems to be no other response than to simply worship. These verses just draw me to worship God. He holds our world in His hands. Everything is thru Him and because of Him. He is it. What draws me to worship is the fact that the Creator of this amazing universe has taken up residency within me [His choice] and He calls me His child, His friend, His daughter, His chosen. He chose me… I am His – not by chance, but by choice.

What could I say in response to this revelation? What could I possibly do? But to kneel down and just thank Him. He is worthy of my love, worship and obedience. What do I have that He hasn’t given to me anyways.?May you feel the call to worship also as we respond to our great God.
♥erin

I’m thankful today for the process God allows in us for change. I have discovered that when you want to be a different person, when you see your sin and authentically want God to change you from the inside-out, He does it!

I’m thankful that although I’ve spent most of my life the way I am, as I seek God and He shines His light on me, and as I’m made aware of my sin and darkness, I can change. He is changing me. Old thought patterns and habits are change-able because of Jesus. The coolest thing is that I’m seeing things that I don’t like – which before I never would have seen or acknowledged, but as I see them, I confess them and the more this happens, the more that default-thinking and default-acting is changing. I am not the same person I was even last year. Not to mention the year before that, or the year before that…. you get the idea….

I have a million miles to go, but today I’m just thankful that I don’t have to be the same as I was. I don’t have to accept old habits as ‘normal’ or acceptable. I don’t have to put up with the same old thing.

Thank-you God that I have a new start everyday and You are faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness. Because of that I am becoming a better friend, a way better mom and a much better wife… and that’s just the beginning, cuz my relationship with God is changing too. I’m getting to know Him based not on what I have done or am doing (performance), but based on what He had done and who He is… when I see myself thru Him, I look a lot better. Thanks God…

That’s what I’m thankful for, today.
xo

One of my favs from the new Hillsong United CD, Across the Earth – Tear down the Walls. Sorry nothing to watch here, but the song is great. It’s just a song of worship that expresses the power of God in our lives and our simple response to our very beautiful, powerful, Almighty yet so gracious, God. You’ll love it! ♥

Cliff has been inadvertently teaching me about thankfulness. Everyday his thankfulness abounds. Whatever we are talking about always comes with an attitude of gratefulness. It’s amazing.

Oh, I’m a thankful person. I’m full of gratitude, except there’s always a stipulation. “This is great, but….”, or “Wow, that’s wonderful, but just…”, you know? It’s just not quite good enough.

I think basically it comes from how I am with myself. I’m just ‘not quite there yet’, or overall ‘not good enough at just about, well, everything’. As hard has it must be to live with me because of that, it’s even worse *being* me. I’m just never totally satisfied.

Everything is good enough for Cliff. He sees everything through the providential hand of God. Everything happens for a reason and everything is good, perfect and pleasing. Sure, things need to be worked through and developed, because he strives for excellence, but in the meantime, it’s all good. You know what’s *all good*? My husband. Yeah he’s all good; he’s teaching me about thankfulness. Because God has taught him. And as Cliff leads our home, he is teaching all of us what God has done in and through his life.

So, last week I started thanking God for things throughout the day, writing them down, saying them out-loud, but stopping before the ‘but….’. See, I am genuinely grateful, but as soon as the gratefulness is thought, there is this other thing that pops up that tries to steal it away.

So, this past week, I’ve stopped AT the “thank-You’s” not AFTER the ‘but’. I never realized how many things I have to be thankful for and how aware I actually am of how amazing my life is. How wonderful my family is. How perfect and pleasing my relationships are. How blessed we are to have the church family we have and the love of so many people. How beautiful my home is and how outstanding my children are. The list hasn’t stopped.

These are things I am [and have been] actually feeling and thinking everyday, but I only think them and as soon as the big “but” comes along, those moments are robbed from me.

I will endeavor to be thankful without stipulation. I don’t need to clarity to myself or anyone else that “as perfect as something is”, it could be somehow better ‘if’.

Being a perfectionist is not all it’s cracked up to be (ask my family, geesh). *But* I’m releasing that to God. He knows my heart. I desire to do my Father’s will. I live for Him. I’m not perfect, but I’m also righteous in Christ and I live my life each day pursing holiness and peace as God’s grace allows.

So, I’m a thankful girl today and my thankfulness is a part of my worship. It’s something I’m offering to God because I so desperately want Him to know I see what He is doing, what He has done and I am expectant for all the things He is going to do.

Ephesians 5:29-20;
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I was out with some girlfriends last night and I just happened to mention how as a girl I never really dreamt of the whole wedding thing. I never thought about getting married until it happened. I never really thought about having kids until it happened.

I can honestly tell you today that I am married to the absolutely most perfect man for me. And my kids, well don’t get me started. Perfection on two legs, both of them… but my childhood was filled with other dreams. While most girls had visions of white dresses and changing diapers, I was fantasizing about something all-together different.

My friends laughed at me when I told them I hadn’t really thought about getting married…nor having kids… they simultaneously asked: “well, Erin – what did you dream about?”. I stopped, thought quietly to myself and said ‘ministry’. That’s what I have always dreamt about from as early in life as I can remember.

In fact, in elementary school I drafted up my programme for my funeral. It was full of worship and evangelism – and that was just the beginning. As I entered high-school I envisioned myself seeing my entire high-school get ’saved’. I would lie awake at night dreaming about taking over for Billy Graham when he retired. It was everything…His ministry, essentially was sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who realized their need for redemption and grace… like I myself have needed so desperately over the years.

Nothing fires me up more that the idea of the lost and broken finding healing, redemption and love. Today as I write, I know that has not changed. My passion for worship is all about the healing and redeeming presence of God. Yeah, I love music and I love to sing – but my dreams have always been and will always be about people finding their identity, their ‘new name’ in Christ Jesus.

Broken homes, mended. Broken hearts, whole. Broken lives, restored. Broken marriages and broken families reconciled. It is my passion in life to carry on the work of Jesus Christ and see the lost find their way home.

The life of a worshiper. There’s no life like it. Read Isaiah 61 below. This is what Jesus lived His life doing and in turn we can do the same.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

6 And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

7 Instead of their shame
my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs.

8 “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and iniquity.
In my faithfulness I will reward them
and make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

10 I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

Come and listen, all you who fear God. Let me tell you what He has done for me.

I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me. [Ps 66:16-20]

There is a testimony in the heart of every worshiper. There is an awareness of redemption; acknowledging the need of forgiveness. Let me tell you what God has done. There is not a moment in our lives that God is not at work. The worshiper is full of the testimony. The worshiper is full of “Let me tell you what God has done” moments because we are aware that God is at work. The cross is at work in our lives all day long. We are constantly being rescued, saved, delivered and redeemed. There it just happened again.

The worshiper is full of praise. Testimony and praise. Crying out to God is a response to a Mighty God in our weakness. We cry out to God simply because we desperately need Him… and we recognize our reliance on Him because of His faithfulness, majesty, power, consistency, forgiveness… ahhhh, these sorts of revelations illicit worship. He is God. I am not. He is honorable. I am not. He is perfect. I am not. He is Holy. I am not… but I want more of Him. See…His praise is on our lips, filling our mouths. Quite naturally. As we respond to Him in Spirit and in truth.

Our worship is a response to God, but it has to be in truth (in Spirit and in truth as the Bible says). We cannot say we love God and live the opposite. We cannot chase our sins, and attempt to take advantage of *His* righteousness – we must pursue righteousness for ourselves. When we pretend, we forsake God and forsake the power of His redemption.

God is our Redeemer. His is our Friend. He is our Father and Savior. He is King of Kings. He is more than enough for us and, in that… the exciting news is that we can pursue righteousness because of Jesus. Thru Jesus we have forgiveness of sins and freedom. But we cannot cherish our sin. We cannot choose both our sin AND God.

Good news, God hears our cry. He hears our prayers and not only does He respond, He pours out His love on us, unceasingly. AHHHH, water to my soul. Honestly. You are not rejected, you are accepted by the Creator of the Universe.

Worship Him, be honest before Him. Sing to Him, tell others what He has done. Let there be a testimony in your mouth…I know God is at work in us today, but we need to look for it. Praise Him. Be thankful. Rejoice in Him. You have a reason to live, to love, to laugh – you have a purpose and a destiny … God has not withheld His love from you – run to Him, His arms are wide open.

You were created for such a life as this.
♥e

“What would you do differently if you only had 7 days left to live?” That was the question that I was asked earlier this week. I had no idea how to answer it and all week long I pondered it.

Gosh, 7 days left to live – I knew my answer should have been extravagant, elaborate and yikes, immediate, yet all week, still no answer. Nothin’. Blank screen.

At first I thought about the fact that I would just do more of the same. For Heaven’s sake, most of the time I don’t even know what I should be doing today, with the next [hopefully] 40+ I already have left in me. I’m constantly trying to figure out how I can do God’s will …and if I don’t always know what I should be doing right now, today, how on earth could I possibly know what I should be doing with the precious last 7 days I hypothetically have left on this earth.

[pause]… we’ll get back to this in a moment….

I meet with a great group of girls each week. We pray together, we study God’s Word together – we laugh and we talk – A LOT! There is a lot of talking with a group of 8 gals, let me tell ya. And surprisingly it’s not all crying that’s going on (because I know that’s what many people think women do when they get together – they cry). However, this week there were tears.

One of my friends in the group had sad news. Her close girlfriend lost her husband, leaving her behind along with their two small children. As often as death happens in this life, and as much as I know that we are way better off in heaven, I’m always grief-stricken by those who are left behind. It’s not fair. And that brought about a lot of awareness for me as I watched my friend grieve the loss of a great husband and friend – and especially for the three who are left to pick up the pieces. So sad…

Alright, finally I think my answer was coming to me… slowly…but still not fully.

Another friend of mine shared how she had given up her career and “status” a few years ago. When she came into relationship with Jesus she realized that her ‘possessions’ and job-position had kept her from her husband and son – she had been building her life outside of her home and when God showed her that, she gave it all up – everything… to do what was most important.

In various ways and with much confirmation, God told her that He wanted her to learn to love. To love those around her, to love her family, to love those that came in and through her life. She does it everyday and I happen to think she’s one of the finest mom’s I know.

I heard that loud and clear… I heard her conviction and her willingness to trust God with her future. Her faith that God would provide for her, her trust that God would fulfill His plans for her life and especially her lack of fear that she was giving up everything that she had spent her life building. WOW, right?

The whole time we were together, these fabulous women sharing real-life stories of pain and God’s goodness (testimony), I’m still thinking about the question I had been asked earlier in the week. But I think I got it! I knew what I would love to do if I had 7 days to live… I would sit.

I would hang out. I wouldn’t strive, I wouldn’t stress. I wouldn’t badger God for ‘what was next?” or what else I could do today. I wouldn’t try to be perfect or make sure my house was spotless before my friends came over. I would welcome people into my home before I figured out what I could prepare for them to eat. I would enjoy the quietness more. I would sit down with my kids for a little longer – for no reason. I would laugh a little louder because I wouldn’t care what people thought.

Yes, if I had 7 days left to live – I would worship! Aha… yes, I would worship with my whole being (like I should be doing everyday of my life, RIGHT NOW)!

I would breath deeper, sigh longer, hug bigger, walk slower, sing louder, give greater, worship fuller… I would say all the things I wanted people to hear, but sometimes hold back for fear of how it might sound, or what people would think.

I wouldn’t care about an image – I would live to share my love. Yes, a life of worship.

…So, I think I’m going to take a page out of my ‘life lessons’ and I’m going to try to start living my life this way now. Perfectionism is fruitless – you can’t please everyone all the time – and even if I could, why would I?

I love God, more than anything… and my family is my whole world. I need to continue to spend time face-to-face with those I love as much as possible and live out my life and calling in the way God asks me everyday. It’s not a struggle because God gives me everything I need every day. … and I am called to a life of God-worship at every turn and at every moment…Yes… this is good!

Ultimately I would stop worrying and start worshiping. If I didn’t worry so much about what people thought or what expectations people had, I would definitely have way more fun. If I didn’t worry as much and chilled out more, I would be ok with a few more dust bunnies and a few more drop-by visits with close friends.

I would relax, I would chill-out, I would trust, I would replace my worry with worship…

Well, as always, we can head to God’s Word – because everything we need to know, all we believe and all we require in life is found in this one fabulous, life-changing, promise-giving, God-breathed book… So in closing, please take a look at Matthew 6:25-34 below, I think this fits perfectly;

25″Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.