Pride and Joy

I never really appreciated Stevie Ray Vaughn until after his tragic death in a helicopter crash in August, 1990.  He played a mean blues guitar; I'm talking wicked mean.  Not many folks could make a Fender sing like Stevie Ray, not even his brother Jimmy. 

One of my fave SRV tunes is Pride and Joy.  The last verse of this song is

Yeah I love my baby....heart and soul
Love like ours wont never grow old
Shes my sweet little thang....shes my pride and joy
Shes my sweet little baby....Im her little lover boy

Man, Stevie is proud of his girl!  The lyrics lead you to believe that she is, in return proud of him.  As much as Stevie and his girl love each other, though, they got nothin' on God and His love for us.  

You might think that I'm stretching here but did you know that God wants to be our pride and joy?  Isaiah 28:5 (NLT) tells us that after God's children have been exiled and returned to Him that

 

Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
      will himself be Israel’s glorious crown.
   He will be the pride and joy
      of the remnant of his people

 

God desires to be my pride and joy, your pride and joy?  He wants me to want Him more than I want any other person or thing in my world.  He wants to be my One desire, the One place where I place my hopes and dreams, more so in Him  than in my husband, my children, my friends, my job, or any other thing.  He wants me to take pride in Him, in being His child, in having the Creator of the Universe as my Father, and in knowing that all things come through Him and by Him.  

 

Don't be shy!  Let the whole world know that God is your pride and joy.  Let Him reign supreme in your life and watch others notice the change that is evident in your life.  Maybe you'll get to break out your blues guitar and put a little rhythm to your praise.  Something tells me that God (the ultimate creator of the Fender Stratocaster) loves a good blues guitar, too! 

Night of Worship

We just left the night of worship and it was AWESOME!!!! There are no words to describe this evening.  I just want to share some random thoughts that are on my mind: 

• I owe so many people in my sphere of influence an apology.  I have not lived each day as a life of worship; I have lived day-to-day and I'm so sorry that I have not shown Jesus through my life.  
• I don't EVER want my life to be the same.  I don't know exactly how God is going to change me but I have come to the realization that I cannot change me but I can walk in obedience and let Him rule in me and change me in bigger ways that I ever imagined possible. 
• Our teenagers rule!!!!  If you think there is no hope for the future take a look around Stockbridge Community Church and see what God is doing.  
• Worship contained to our four walls at SCC is a disservice.  Worship is not meant to be demonstrated only in our walls and never shared with a lost and dying world.  That's not true worship.  True worship goes out boldly and shines the light of Jesus into a dark and hurting world.  
• Worship, as defined by my friends at www.m-w.com, is to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.  This should be my every day attitude and outlook, not just a quarterly outpouring to God.  

I could go on for a while because I'm so excited about what God is doing at SCC but I'll close after these few thoughts.  What's your feedback on tonight or on worship in general?  I'd love to hear from you. 

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Love Changes Everything

Pastor Jeff said something today during the sermon that made me really stop and think.  He referenced Deuteronomy 6:5 which reads "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" and then he said that we have to love God first and then serve Him. 

Don't let the instruction in this verse pass you by unnoticed; process it.  Love God first and then serve Him.

Jeff said during his sermon [my paraphrase] that when we don't love God we begin to resent the things that He commands us to do.  When we don't love Him first there are all kinds of emotions and feelings that we have that are not good. Bottom line is that love is what motivates us to serve God and obey His commands.  Love  changes everything.  God will most effectively use us when we offer ourselves in love.  Love is what motivated Jesus to die on the cross.  Love changed our lives. 

I'll close with some of Paul's most famous words; these phrases remind us what love really brings to the table in our lives.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  I Corinthians 13:1-3

Follwership

I saw a quote today that by A. Maureen Carroll that reads We don't need any more leadership training; we need some followership training. (Side note: if you can find out who A. Maureen Carroll is, please let me know - I'm having difficulties finding out who she is.)

Anyway . . . I bring this quote to your attention because I agree with this sentiment. Don't get me wrong. We need leaders. As a matter of fact, we need good, godly leaders. However, our leaders need a leader and that leader is God. He is

• Jehovah, LORD.
• Adonai, Master
• Jehovah El Elyon, God Most High
• Jehovah El Elohim, The Lord God of Gods

All of us need to learn followership. All of us.

This is a day and age of "my way is right" and "I don't like your rules so I will make my own". People don't like being told what to do. As Christians, however, we are called to follow. And we have, as our example, the life of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Spotless Lamb, the Prince of Peace.

Jesus is a follower. He followed the will of the Father, even to death on a cross. Luke 22:42 tell us that Jesus, agonizing so fiercely about what was waiting that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground, asked the Father to remove this cup from Him, but then He told God that "not my will but Yours be done".

It's time to follow. It's time to realize that our way is not always the right way. It’s time to subject our stubborn, fierce, and faulted wills to His.

Embrace followership. You’re in great company!

The Struggle with Silence

Being quiet is a lot harder than I thought. I am learning that silence is something that I have to practice not only in my speech but also in my thoughts. I am also learning that there are reasons for this of which I may not be immediately aware but below are some of the ones that I have become cognizant of:

1. Let’s just start with the big one, the one that hurts my pride the most, and knocks me to my knees the hardest. This may not be a shock to you but it comes as quite a surprise to me: I may not be the most important person I know, there may just be someone else who has something valuable to say.  (Like God, maybe?!)  Maybe I need to be quiet simply because of this.
2. It’s easier to listen to someone else when I’m not talking. Again, this is a no brainer for most people but I guess I needed the reminder.
3. Another reason is that sometimes the stuff that I say is just not okay. Jesus says in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”. OUCH! Sometimes what comes out of my mouth reflects my heart and simply is not pretty.
4. A tried but true reason for silence is: you cannot take back what you say.
5. Talking about something unpleasant or something that is out of my control keeps my brain on the treadmill or negative emotions, doubt, fear, and all sorts of dark things. Shutting up and turning to God in prayer or singing a worship tune reminds me that God is in control and that in the end, we still win.

Silence is not easy, at least not for a girl like me. But God is showing me that all things are possible with Him, even me, shutting my mouth. The bonus in all of this for me is that my silence is confirmation that miracles still exist, too.