Worth repeating!

I saw these words on a friend's Facebook profile yesterday and as I read them, I realized just how much power they carried...

He's not a baby in a manger anymore, not a broken Man on a cross. He didn't stay in the grave and He's not staying in Heaven forever. He's alive!

He's ALIVE!! I don't think we can hear it or say it often enough! He's ALIVE!!
JESUS IS ALIVE!! Hallelujah!!

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O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
1 Corinthians 15:55 NLT

Indeed!!!

He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

Matthew 28:6 NLT

Finally!

He stepped down as the front man for Newsboys and handpicked Michael Tait to take his place. And Michael - best known as part of the dc Talk trio - has done an amazing job!


And yet...I can't help but miss him - the voice that has sung all of my favorite Newsboys songs over these many years.

But today - his single Reach came out and all I can say is finally...! It's good to hear from you again, Peter Furler!!

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He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Psalm 147:4 NIV

Chosen

Blessed Holy Week. A prayerful time of reflection, worship, praise and thanksgiving for the sacrifice made by our Heavenly Father in the form of His only Son...our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Because He bore my sin on that cross, I can truly say I am NEW!!! I am CHOSEN!!!

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 8:29 NLT

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Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, "Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!" The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. "Who is this?" they asked. And the crowds replied, "It's Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."
Matthew 21: 8-11 NLT

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And speaking of prayerful - thanks to all who entered my *Prayerful* giveaway here at ItTR! Three beautiful prayer journals will be finding new homes with:

Jody (Post #3)
Julie (Post #9)
Dawn (Post #13)

Congratulations!! Now...it's decision time! I'll need to know which journal you've decided on - and remember, you have your choice of one of Jennifer's original Prayer Journals or one of her new Journal Prayer Combo designs! Also...Jennifer will be personalizing your journal, so please let me know what name you'd like on yours. And lastly, I'll need your mailing address! Thanks!

You can get this information to me via an email through my profile! I look forward to hearing from you!

Strength in weakness

Stress, pain, disappointment, sorrow...

Life.

Sometimes it can seem like the hardships come one after the other, without respite, no time to even catch your breath. I think at one time or another, we've all been there and know what that feels like. I know I have.

Right now, tonight, I have someone specific in mind that I am lifting up in prayer. Perhaps you do too. Maybe it's a co-worker, or a friend or family member...maybe it's you.

What I want my friend to know, what I'm praying that they will realize, is that they're NOT alone - though it can often feel that way when you're in the depths. And the enemy sure wants us to feel all alone...he delights in our separation from our Creator, even if it's only imagined or self-inflicted on our part.

So tonight, I'm claiming 2 Corinthians 12:9, one of my favorite verses, for my friend. I have been praying it for her all day today. I am standing faithfully upon the Truth that is His Word...He IS everything she needs. His grace IS sufficient. His power IS made perfect in weakness.

We were created BY Him to NEED Him. How I pray tonight that she will yearn for Him.

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But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV


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Still a few more days left to my Prayerful Giveaway! You won't want to miss an opportunity to own one of Jennifer's beautiful prayer journals from IntegrityGraphics, I promise you! Check them out here to see what I'm so excited about!!

In the meantime, if you have anything that I can pray with you about, please let me know. I can be reached either through comments or via my profile. *God Bless*

How You love me!

They're one of my favorite groups and JJ and I had the opportunity to see them once again at WinterJam this year!

Sidewalk Prophets...and they're well named! They truly do take God's Word to the streets.

Being as today is Music Monday, I'd love to share their latest release and video with you!

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Their lyrics...so powerful...so true.

I am the thorn in Your crown
But You love me anyway
I am the sweat from Your brow
But You love me anyway
I am the nail in Your wrist
But You love me anyway
I am Judas’ kiss
But You love me anyway
See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
Lyrics from sidewalkprophets.com

Thank you, Jesus - you endured all that FOR ME...and still you love me! He loves US! Is that not the greatest gift you have ever received?

He was despised and rejected--a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Isaiah 53:3 NLT

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NLT

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**Don't forget! You have all week to enter my Prayerful giveaway! For details, click here!

Prayerful

I hadn't planned on a post for today...but I received news last night that had me reaching for this, yet again:




And I knew that the time was long overdue for this post. You see, I had planned on writing up something special at least a week ago. And then this happened:


Yes, that's my Mom (with Baylor keeping her company!), sporting some of the evidence on her face of the fall she took two weeks ago. So I've been a little busy, running back and forth daily taking care of the wounds that you don't see in the picture (which are healing nicely, by the way!). Because of that, I'm a bit tardy with this, but better late than never, right?!

I've posted before about the fact that I use a prayer journal. It helps me stay focused and most importantly - it helps me remember! It's a rare day when I'm not called on to pray for someone, or that I don't think of a petition that I need to bring before the Lord or a praise for answered prayer and if I don't write it down - well, it's as good as gone from one moment to the next!

Typically, I've purchased a nice journal at the beginning of every year and it's served me fine. Until...

Around a month ago, I was at my church's Wednesday night service. I had arrived a little early and decided to spend a few minutes in the bookstore. I turned a corner and spotted these pretty covers and wandered over for a closer look and discovered that they were prayer journals! I chose two different designs - one for me and one for my friend, JJ, who had a birthday coming up several weeks later! I got to talking with the lady tending the bookstore that evening and learned that the person who designed and created the journals was a member of our church and had designed them after a Refuel class on prayer left her wanting a more streamlined approach for her own prayer journaling needs. Love that!! (Jennifer, if any of this is incorrect, blame me!)

I transitioned from my "standard" journal to my new one right away and loved it so much that I went looking for contact information...and found it: (go ahead and click...I'll wait for you to get back!!)

Integrity Graphics

Goodness! Did you just get lost in all that prayerful beauty?! I know I do every time I look at her site! And here's the best part...she's a real sweetheart! When I emailed her about how much I loved my journal and asked if I could blog about it and link to her Etsy site, I got the nicest reply!

Now, remember I mentioned sometime earlier (this week? last week? I barely remember my name at this point!) that I might have something up my sleeve? Well, you know there's no "might" with me!!

So if you'd like to have one of Jennifer's beautiful prayer journals - and c'mon, who wouldn't?! - here's how to enter my giveaway:

• Between now and next Friday, April 15, 2011 just leave me a comment as to which of her gorgeous journals you would choose for your very own! That's one entry.

• If you have a prayer request you'd like to share, please leave it as a separate comment and that will be an extra entry...and NO LIMIT on prayer requests. I'm honored to pray for you, always.

• Share a link to this post on YOUR blog and come back and leave me a separate comment that you did so and that's an extra entry.

• Leave me a separate comment and let me know if you're new to prayer journaling or if you're an old hand at it! That'll be another entry.

Oh...I mentioned that Jennifer is a sweetheart, right? What I didn't tell you is that she offered to gift one of you with a journal out of the kindness of her heart. I love that. But please know that I will be making this purchase. In fact - I am giving away 3 journals in this giveaway, and as my disclosure, I am hereby stating that these journals are being purchased by me with my own funds. And they will each be beautifully personalized however you'd like - so you might want to be thinking about that (i.e., is it for you or will you be gifting it?)!

Speaking of gifting...JJ loved hers! I chose the cover specifically with her in mind. I think it was perfect.

I can't think of a better gift for a graduate heading off to college, a new Mom, a newlywed...the possibilities are endless. And of course, YOU need one too, right?! Ladies, did you notice that she also has designs for men? Remember - Father's Day is right around the corner and wouldn't a prayer journal be a treasured gift from the children to their Daddy? And men - the same for Mother's Day!

What's that you say? You've never used a prayer journal before? Perhaps now would be the perfect opportunity to get started! I can promise you this - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! The only cost to you is the time it takes to post a comment or two (or three)!

And Jennifer now has a brand new design - the Journal Prayer Combo in addition to her standard Prayer Journal. If you win one, choose your preference! (Jennifer, I know we talked about this concept on the phone; I think it's fabulous and I'm so glad you did it!!)

• Sometime before midnight on April 15th, I'll use this to draw 3 numbers. The posts/posters that correspond to those numbers will be the winners of the journals. Please be sure to leave me some way to contact you in your comment(s). I'll post the winning names on Monday, April 18th...God willing and the creek don't rise!

Thank you, Jennifer, for such a beautiful creation! I'm still so excited over mine...it keeps me pinpoint focused and has truly blessed my prayer life!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV

What if?

Food for thought...


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But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

The greatest teacher

My church has a double sided sign on the street...you can see it in the picture below:

And by the way, the building directly behind the sign houses our Sunday school classrooms...our worship center is way off in the distance - see it?! But they're all connected...it's a large church!

Anyway, today as I was driving by, I looked at the sign, as I always do. One of our church members lovingly changes the quotes - front and back - each week. The quote on the side I saw this afternoon was this:

"The greatest teacher is not experience, but example."

I thought how true that is and how true it is especially for us Christians trying to set a godly example for others so that they might be drawn to Christ as a hummingbird to sweet nectar!

Then I heard what song was playing on the radio and it all just came together. I LOVE when the Lord writes my blog posts for me!

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My Will by dc Talk
*Lyrics*
I'm setting the stage for the things I love
And I'm now the man I once couldn't be
And nothing on earth could now ever move me
I now have the will and the strength a man needs

It's my will, I'm not moving
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
And it's my will to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

Complexity haunts me for I am two men
Entrenched in a battle that I'll never win
My discipline fails me, my knowledge it fools me
But You are my shelter, all the strength that I need

It's my will, I'm not moving
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
And it's my will to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

I'm learning to give up the rights to myself
The bits and the pieces I've gathered as wealth
Could never compare to the joy that You bring me
The peace that You show me is the strength that I need

It's my will, I'm not moving
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
And it's my will to bow and praise You
I now have the will to praise my God

We've got to be children of peace
Don't you know we've got to be children of peace

And it's my will, I'm not moving
(We've got to be)
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
(Children of peace)

And it's my will to bow and praise You
(Don't you know we've got to be)
I now have the will to praise my God
(Children of peace)

And it's my will, I'm not moving
(We've got to be)
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
(Children of peace)

And it's my will to bow and praise You
(Don't you know we've got to be)
I now have the will to praise my God
(Children of peace)

It's Your will, it's Your will, not mine.
It's Your will, it's Your will
It's Your will, it's Your will, not mine.
It's Your will, it's Your will

And it's my will, I'm not moving
(We've got to be)
'Cause if it's Your will, then nothing can shake me
(Children of peace)

And it's my will to bow and praise You
(Don't you know we've got to be)
I now have the will to praise my God
(Children of peace)

Don't you know, we've got to be children of peace Don't you know, we've got to be children of peace

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9 AKJV

Oh Glorious Day!

Can you believe? April already!! I'm not even going to say 'where has the time gone' because, really, what's the point?! It's gone!

Holy Week is fast approaching and I know we're all giving more thought to the final days of our Savior as He finished His work here on earth before returning to His rightful place and all He had given up for us. It's a time of such mixed feelings - incredible profound sadness at the suffering He endured on my behalf and yet indescribable JOY at His resurrection and ascension and the promise of what that holds for you and me! Oh!! Think of it!! I mean, sit for a moment and REALLY think of it!! It just takes my breath away!!

So I dare you, yes - I dare you (!) to listen to this song and not be smiling from ear to ear by the time it's finished! My hands go in the air in praise of our King when I hear the words of this song! Tell me I'm not alone!! (Come on - tell me!!)

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O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
1 Corinthians 15:55 NLT

Be sure to check back with me in the next few days! I want to share an exciting "find" with you...and I just may have something up my sleeve! ;) Have a blessed week!