Your Great Name- Natalie Grant Day 7 of 31 Days of Worship

At one time or another... perhaps more than once... we've had a surprising worship experience. As my husband and I were on our way to church a couple of Sundays ago, I heard this song... we don't listen to the radio very loudly, but it caught my attention... the words became very clear.
Lost are saved; find their way; at the sound of your great name All condemned; feel no shame, at the sound of your great name Every fear; has no place; at the sound of your great name The enemy; he has to leave; at the sound of your great name
Jesus, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us, Son of God and Man You are high and lifted up; that all the world will praise your great name
All the weak; find their strength; at the sound of your great name Hungry souls; receive grace; at the sound of your great name The fatherless; they find their rest; at the sound of your great name Sick are healed; and the dead are raised; at the sound of your great name
Redeemer, My Healer, Almighty My savior, Defender, You are My King
One this Sunday morning... I am going to let the song speak for itself... and pray that you are blessed as you listen to it.


Have a blessed and glorious Sunday!

Forever Reign- Hillsong Live Day 6 of 31 days of worship

As I was listening to the next two songs, I found a theme, Jesus... specifically, the name of Jesus. The Bible says that At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord
If you think about it, when we end our prayers... most of time we say In Jesus name, I pray... @crittyjoy (her twitter name) is doing a 31 days of prayer this month, I encourage you to go check out her blog as well:)
When we pray, we worship as well... we don't just pray to ask for things... It is a time to meditate on God and what he has done for us... to praise him for the blessings in our life.
Jesus is everything that we cannot be... he is good, he is what love is... he is the light, the truth... the first and the last... As you listen to today's song, keep in mind that one day... at just the name of Jesus... everyone and everything will bow before the creator... it gives me chills...


You are good You are good When there’s nothing good in me You are love You are love On display for all to see You are light You are light When the darkness closes in You are hope You are hope You have covered all my sin
You are peace You are peace When my fear is crippling You are true You are true Even in my wandering You are joy You are joy You’re the reason that I sing You are life You are life In You death has lost it’s sting
[Chorus] Oh I’m running to Your arms I’m running to Your arms The riches of Your love Will always be enough Nothing compares to Your embrace Light of the world forever reign
You are more You are more Than my words will ever say You are Lord You are Lord All creation will proclaim You are here You are here In Your presence I’m made whole You are God You are God Of all else I’m letting go
My heart will sing No other Name Jesus Jesus
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, as we prepare our hearts for worship tomorrow:)

I am Persuaded- Travis Cottrell

About 6 weeks ago, I finished up my first Bible study that focused on the topic of Persuasion and Peer pressure. One of the songs that I used during the study was Travis Cottrell's I am Persuaded... and as you've just heard, it's a very powerful song. The song somce straight out of Romans 8, which is quoted between Beth Moore and Travis in the middle of the Song.
Romans 8:35, 37-39 reads: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The word convinced, is sometimes written as persuaded... that means that our minds have been made up and we are so sure that God won't ever leave our side... we know that whatever we face, God will be right there with us... he is a steadfast and loyal friend.
I heard the new song thatTobyMac released called, Me without you, and it basically says that we would be nothing without Christ, we would be wandering through life, trying everything to build our own happiness, but let's face it, it would be empty... as my pastor has been saying during his current series on Colossians... Jesus+Nothing=EVERYTHING... God rescues us from the nothingness of our own devices... we are no longer listlessly wandering the world... we are filled with His purpose and He becomes our everything. And with our salvation, we recieve a promise that nothing can seperate us from the love of God. There shouldn't be anything in this world that is more important that God in our lives.
we need to be conviced that God never leaves our sides. Knowing that when we are too weak, He will help carry us through. If you get a chance (and you may know it by heart), look up the poem footprints in the sand...
Laughter is the best medicine and to end this particular day I want to share the cartoon I saw a few weeks ago on Facebook that made me laugh so hard... Have a blessed and unforgettable Friday!

Awake My Soul- Mumford and Sons

How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes I struggle to find any truth in your lies And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know This weakness I feel I must finally show
The way this song starts out, it what first caught my attention. I had just bought the album and was listening through. When it reached this track, I kept repeating the song... in fact this has the highest play rate in my itunes library. As I listened to it... thoughts started twirling and spinning in my head about how we are, with our human nature... fickle and spiritually ADD... We long to follow after God, its hardwired into us. After all, he is our creator... In the movie 9, the character 9 awakes to a devistating world. He goes in search of his creator... when he finds him, he realizes that he created 9 beings to carry parts of himself. The creator poured himself into his creation... Just as God breathed into each of us the breath of life. But we have doubts and encounter harships and weakness is a word that we are ashamed of...
Think about it, we're stubborn, we fight to have our own way, even if it leads to destruction and then when we find ourselves at a point where we have to admit we're wrong, we do so grudgingly... God's not going to laugh in our face and say I told you so... although sometimes I think he gets a kick out of just how stubborn and silly we can be. God did not create us to watch us fall into destruction... but if we try to do things on our own, that is where Satan enters the picture... I imagine him to be much like Loki... saying one thing to convince you to do another... if you've seen Thor, you know the scene Iam talking about. Thor has just been reprimanded for urging his father to fight the frost giants. His father tells him that these are the thoughts of a boy, not a king. Thor is angered by the words and while he is sulking, Loki comes to talk to him... tells him that he agrees with Thor, but that he shouldn't go because it against their fathers wishes. So what does Thor do? He goes to Jotunheim... only after convincing his friends to go with him.



The lyrics to Awake my soul sum up Satans desires for us this way:Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall Lend me your eyes I can change what you see But your soul you must keep, totally free... He offers us money, a fame and populity in exchange for our souls... he wants so badly to pull us from God. If we are not careful, we will let the things of this world become idols to which we are seduced to worship at their altars...
But we must remember that: In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die Where you invest your love, you invest your life In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die Where you invest your love, you invest your life.
In Matthew 6:19-22 we read: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
C.S. Lewis wrote: You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body.
Let your soul awake this morning to all the amazing things that God has for you! Keep the words of Jeremiah 29:11 close to your heart... God has a purpose and plan for your life! Have a great Day!

Still- Hillsong... Day 3 of 31 days of worship

When I first heard this song in college, I fell in love with it. I was going through a rough patch... I was struggling with identity, school, rivalries and boys... Praise team practice came around that week and I grudginly went. We started with this song... a new one that our pianist had heard and wanted to present to us. As I listened to the words, it was all I could do to keep from crying. In the pain and struggles, hardships and frustrations I was being surrounded by God.It was the first time that I even got chills while worshipping.
Psalm 46:10 says that we should be still and know that he is God... It goes on to read that the Lord Almighty is with us....
I love the line that says When the oceans rise and thunders roar... I will soar with you above the storm... Father you are king over the flood... I always liked the verse in Isaiah that said those who renew their hope in the Lord will mount up on wings like eagles... eagles are so majestic and graceful... I've always loved that verse, but had an eye opening thought the other day while sitting in church. I love the x-men movies and in the third movie, there is a character named Warren Worthington (Archangel) who is a mutant... his mutation is that he has these beautiful white wings... he can literally fly... in one scene, he is running away from his father and the mutant antidote and he crashes through a window and soars away...

I know we don't have wings and can't fly... but it was a really great visual.
When we are weary and can't move another step... God's right there to pick us up... like that visual of Archangel... we are lifted up and carried through... Now let's back track a little... we aren't the ones that are strong... it's all God... starting in verse 28 we read: Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
It is by God's strength that we are made strong... when we cry out to him for help and strength, he is right there beside us, helping us through... sometimes, we have to limp through the pain of the storms... but we are never alone in those storms...
Plumb released a song entitled: Need you now... and the chorus reads: How many times have you heard me cry out "God please take this"? How many times have you given me strength to Just keep breathing? Oh, I need you... God, I need you now.
Going into verse 30: Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Hide me now... under your wings... cover me, within your mighty hand.
These verse and the song Still are very close to my heart.... they are a reminder to be still in the midst of the chaos and noise... to remember that God is in control... he is the commander of the waves and seas... he is the Lord over all... Be still and know he is God.

10,000 Reasons- Matt Redman

Psalm 103 reads: Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them. The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.
Yesterday morning as I was driving home from the airport, I heard this song… and the first verse is what hit me and became the “theme” of my 31 days blog… the first verse reads: The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning, It's time to sing Your song again…Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me…Let me be singing when the evening comes.
There are days that I can tell you that I am not singing praises when I leave work to head home… in fact a few years ago, I could have never even written something like this without lying…. Do we live our lives singing “Bless the Lord, O my soul” or is it, “Well, it’s another day….” I used to wake up thinking, it’s another day, another 8 hours at work, another paycheck… now, after completely opening up my life to God’s will… I wake with an excitement on some mornings… that song is there and I can’t stop singing. Each of our days should be like that… we should be overwhelmed with worship in the good times, the bad times, and all those in between times. Bless the Lord O my soul, O my soul… Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul… I’ll worship your holy name.

Cornerstone- Hillsong

We all know the story of the wise man and the foolish man… one built his house on the sand, the other on the solid rock. When the floods came, the foolish man’s house was washed away. The wise man’s house stood firm.
When we place our trust on Christ Jesus, He becomes the cornerstone and solid rock in our lives.
Psalm 69: 6-8 reads: He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
“On Christ the solid rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
Ephesians 2:19-22 says: Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
On John Piper’s website, desiringgod.org, he says this: God's great purposes for the building of his church, including Bethlehem, often come through seasons of rejection, but in the end he remains triumphant and none of us can bring his purpose to ruin. If we reject his way, we cannot destroy his plan. C.S. Lewis said once: "We all serve God inevitably, but it makes a great difference whether you serve like Judas or serve like John."1 In the end God is triumphant in our belief and our unbelief. He is triumphant in our obedience and our disobedience. Human beings, whether good or evil, rejecting or accepting, believing or unbelieving, cannot thwart the ultimate purposes of God. "The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner."
“Christ alone; cornerstone. Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love, Through the storm, He is Lord… Lord of all.”
When it comes to our lives, as Christians, we should be focused on Christ... the cornerstone of our faith... the solid rock that carries us in our times of weakness. Put your trust in the cornerstone that will never fail!
It's funny, but after I posted this blog very early this morning... on the drive back from the airport I heard a song that is going to be featured during the next 31 days... and I realized that this challenge for me has become about worship... I hope these songs will bless you as they have blessed my life and made me realize that you can worship anytime and anywhere... there is never a bad time to give our worship to God!
Have a great Monday!