God Knew What He Was Getting Into! :)

These are God's words just for you. :) Soak it in!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ8pu_OHz2Y&feature=related


I knew what I was getting into when called you.
I knew what I was getting into when I said your name, but I said it just the same.
I knew what I was getting into and I still want you.
I knew what I was getting into.

And I am not shocked by your weakness.
And I am not shocked even by your sin.
And I am not shocked by your brokenness.


I knew what I was getting into and I still want you.
I knew what I was getting into and I still like you.
I knew what I was getting into and I still chose you.


Cause only I can see the end from the beginning.
And only I can see where this is going.
And only I can see the end from the beginning.
And I see in you the seeds of love.
And I see in you strength when all you see is your failure and all you feel is ashamed.
I can see deeper than that.
I know you better than that.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/misty_edwards/i_knew_what_i_was_getting_into_s
You're only at the beginning.
You've only just begun and I know where you are going
And all you can see in the moment is that your hurting.
And all you can see in the moment is that your aching.


Just don't give up.
And don't give in.
If you don't quit. You win, you win.

Everything is in my hands.
It's going to be alright.
It's going to be okay.
And you don't have to pretend to be something or someone your not.
Cause I know you better than that, even better, even better than that.
Listen my Beloved.


I knew what I was getting into when I called you.
I knew what I was getting into when I said your name.
I said it just the same.
I knew what I was getting into and I still like you.
I knew what I was getting into and I still chose you.

Walking Oxymoron

Yup. That's me...a living, breathing oxymoron. How so? I am casually wholehearted. 
Let me explain...
Joel 2:12-13 (NKJV)
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord,“Turn to Me with all your heart,
With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”
¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.


For those of you who are wondering, the dictionary definition of rend: : to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence. (Ouch.)


How easy it is to think that these verses don't apply to me. After all, I've been a pretty good person my whole life. I've never traveled too far off the path. All that weeping and mourning and fasting must apply to those other people. You know, the ones who really need God's grace. Me? Thanks, but I'll be fine on my own. I'll just sit over here in the corner tearing my clothes a little bit...being casually wholehearted. 
But then I see these other people. Those who have truly rendered their heart to God. Some of them were far off the path, but others were similar to me. It doesn't really matter who they were. It matters who they are now. They went through the most uncomfortable, painful, and violent process of having their hearts torn into pieces, and they lived to tell the story! 
And now not only are they alive, but they are full of life! Know what I mean? They're full of joy and hope and peace. They smile a lot. They love to tell others about God's amazing grace. They have compassion and they're really kind and sacrificial for others--even those who aren't kind to them. I guess you could say they act like Jesus. Like a lot.
I want that! But there's just one problem...that means I'm going to have to get up out of my comfortable corner, get rid of all my "clothing" that I've actually become quite good at tearing up, and actually do what Joel 2 tells me to do.
I'm going to have to weep and mourn and fast. I'm going to have to be really uncomfortable, and I'm definitely not looking forward to it. But I know deep down, this is what I really want. This is what I really need. 
I'm thankful for Joel's reminder of who God is right after telling us to rend our hearts. He reminds us that God is gracious. He is merciful. He is slow to anger. He has great kindness. And He relents from doing harm. So even though I'm not looking forward to the painful process of tearing, I'm definitely looking forward to the grace, mercy and kindness I'll receive from God along the way. This keeps me going. This gives me hope. 


Maybe then I'll stop being an oxymoron and start being genuinely wholehearted. There won't be anything casual about my faith. My whole heart will be in it because I've torn it to pieces and there's nothing left of it that's capable of being casual. My new heart will be in it 1000% and I will experience new levels of God's grace, mercy, and kindness each day that I'll love to pass on to others. 
And then maybe, just maybe, people will eventually look at me from their comfortable little corners and want what I have, too. Maybe they'll notice something is different about me and want that from themselves. Maybe I'll be a beautiful light that others will want to know where the Source is. And maybe I'll be able to help them leave their corner and go through the most painful and beautiful process anyone would possibly make. 


I wish I could say that this rending process is a one time deal. It's actually a lifetime process. I'm still rending my heart, but I'm still experiencing God's grace, mercy, and kindness in amazing ways. I'm never going to be perfectly wholehearted this side of heaven, but I can rest assured that God's grace is helping me become less oxymoronic each day. :)

Stupidity Contest

Another Diamond column...

I just finished watching a video by Francis Chan. Check it out J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWk7RUg3ZV4&sns=fb 

For those of you not by a computer here’s a brief summary: He has a rope and tells us to imagine this rope going around the world a couple billion times. AKA: it’s eternal. Then at the very beginning of the rope is a tiny little section that is colored red and represents our time on earth right now.

We think stuff like: “I’m going to work really hard and save, save, save so I can really enjoy this part right…here.” (He moves his finger about a ½ inch down the red part of the rope.) That’s stupid.

Then Francis Chan asks, “What about this? (Grabs a section of the rope in “eternity” a couple feet down) Or what about this? (Grabs another section a couple more feet down)…you get the idea. Thinking about those sections…that’s not stupid. That’s logical; that’s wisdom.

The Bible teaches what we do during that little red part determines how we are going to live for millions and billions and zillions of years. In the Parable of the Talents, the Master comes back and takes away the talents that the wicked servant did not use. Then He gives the servant who doubled His talents even more talents!

Eternity is not just sitting around on clouds—we’re going to be doing stuff, really awesome stuff.  I know that I want to be doing as much as possible. Why wouldn’t I?—I have all eternity! Don’t think that we’re all going to be doing the exact same things during eternity; I think the Parable of the Talents proves that. God is going to administer duties to us in eternity based on how we’ve handled our duties during this life. So why in the world would we spend this little red part trying to make ourselves as comfortable as possible and enjoy ourselves as much as we can? That’s stupid.

If we live with eternity in mind, worldly people are going to call us stupid. I say “Bring it on!” We don’t get to try this life over again. We get one race and one race only. No do-over’s. No false starts. Hebrews 12 talks about this race. The chapter before gives example after example of Heroes of Faith who kept their eyes on the prize. They didn’t get caught up with this worldly life, and Hebrews tells us that since we have all these other witnesses before us, we can also run that race of endurance and throw off the sin that hinders our race. Verse 2 tells us the only way that we can run this race: We fix our eyes on Jesus and rely on Him to author and perfect our faith.

Fixing your eyes on Jesus means spending time with Him. Talk with Him. Dig into His Word and get to know (with your heart, not just your mind) what He would do in every situation and then do it yourself.

Accept the fact that you’re going to look stupid in the world’s eyes. It’s okay because you know that really you’re doing the most un-stupid thing possible.