Are You Kiding Me?!

AVS WIN!!!!

Unbelievable...

5-4 OT to go up 2-0 in the series!!!

After blowing a 3 goal lead at the end of the first, they were down 4-3 late in the third...tied it up, then freakin' WON in OT!!!

I LOVE IT!!!

Totally worth staying up until midnight for!

Back to Denver now...ahhh yeah!!!

Matty...you're going down my friend!

Scandalous Love

So I've been spending some time this week reflecting on Easter. It all kind of started because I wasn't fired up about it this year like I have been in years past and that was bothering me. How could I not fall on my face in gratitude and awe over this man Christ Jesus who died for me, then rose from the dead?!?!

You see - I've been struggling lately - attacks on a number of my relationships and my foundation is being tested. There are days I wake up wondering if it's all a dream - and I have to remind myself that it's HIS strength that I stand on, not my own.

But back to Easter...I've decided it's like Christmas, Part II. Because really, what is the point of Christmas without Easter? Some time in history when God simply came to earth to pay a visit? I mean really, without His rising from the dead, the joy of Christmas loses it's meaning.

Then I thought further...what really then is Easter without Good Friday? That torturous day when Jesus took MY place in the death that I deserve. I obviously am no innocent person - pretty far from it. If some of you really knew me, I think you'd be surprised at the struggle I face daily to submit myself under God's plan for my life and not control it all on my own. And it goes so much deeper than that. I hate the sin in my heart...yet I'm so in love with the world. It's scandalous really.

The Bible says not one of us is innocent. Not one! "No one is righteous, not even one." "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." I don't see a lot of room for setting myself on a pedestal and proclaiming myself worthy of God's love there. But when God looks at me, He declares that I am righteous. Seriously? Once we were slaves, but we are slaves no longer because of Christmas....which has it's meaning because of Easter...which has it's meaning only because of Good Friday. Wow - that God, He sure had a plan! Maybe I should learn to trust Him a little better with my own life since He did so well with His Son's!!!

I watched 'The Passion of the Christ' earlier this week - and I was reminded of the suffering and agony that Jesus went through as He took on my sin and death. He took all the beating that I deserve - through his sacrifice He defeated the laws of sin. And three days later He defeated the laws of death. Hallelujah!!

Because of this, we have no fear of sin's mastery in our lives, nor do we fear death...when we rely on HIS strength - sin is defeated, the grave is defeated, and get this - we are declared righteous because of it. How cool is that...and how mind blowing!

I'm the one who has screwed up - I lost it all. Yet, He did it all. And in the end, I get it all. Through Jesus, we have a promised hope - and all of our mistakes are atoned for.

I guess it's about time I start living like it...

After much deliberation...my new TOP 10!!

Springtime is a time to reflect on the lessons you learned through the winter...a time to look at your goals and adjust where necessary...a time to focus on reality and realize that some dreams weren't meant to be achieved, and so you must dream up new dreams...

So after much deliberation...I now present to you (my dearest friend) my new Top 10. While these 10 new individuals could never truly replace the 10 posted on our refridgerator so many years ago...I believe they reflect a new, more mature Stacey - one who has moved on from such childish dreams of marrying Peter Forsberg or ah hem, Brian Griese - to dreams that will certainly become reality! :-)

Patrick Dempsey (ahh - McDreamy!)
Bruce Willis (yes, still..the man gets hotter the older he gets!)
Brad Pitt (like that could change...)
Joaquin Phoenix (hello...)
Jack Johnson
Howie Day (yes, I know he looks like he's 12, but it's the eyes...)
Anson Mount (even though the movie sucks...he's still beautiful)
Matthew McConaughey
Dan Hinote
Jake Plummer (I still think he's kinda hot...yikes)

**Mentioned in no particular order, should one call - I'll be sure to alert the troops that the other 9 can be removed...

Resting on THE Rock

I was reading in Isaiah this morning (such a cool book by the way...) and thought I'd share some thoughts...ISAIAH 28

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2028&version=31)

So I was thinking...very few people can relax on a boat during a raging thunderstorm with swelling waves and pummeling rain, or in an airplane surging through turbulent winds (think...the storms we've had around here lately!), or in the midst of a hurricane or an earthquake. If you've ever been on a boat during a bad storm, maybe you know what it's like to grope for a secure place to stand. When we are in situations like this, we find ourselves stumbling, grasping for anything to hold us steady - and praying for a firm foothold on steady ground. Good news! (good news mom - I got a scooter..haha, I love my nephews) Anyway - there IS a sure foundation on which to stand, Someone who will keep us safe and guide us by the hand through the most intense turmoil imaginable, Someone who will allow us to find rest, when all around us is turmultuous and threatening.

God's message to the northern kingdom in this passage was that the people could find their rest in Him. It hadn't taken long for the Isrealites to become rigid and ritualistic in their observance of God's law. Rather than getting to know God, and encountering Him, they had turned his words into a rule book. Their basis for facing life's issues had become adherence to an inflexible list of do's and don'ts. Rules in and of themselves, however, are insecure and ultimately unsatisfying. Isaiah captured the essence of the philosophy of the Israelites of his day by referring to it as a complex system of "Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there - so that they will go and fall backward, be injured and snared and captured" (Isaiah 28:13)

The children of God were so preoccupied with obeying all theh rules that they had begun stumbling all over one another. Surprisingly God's counsel to his people was to slow down and be still - to rest. We can almost hear God's gently appeal, whispering on the winds of the storm: "Quit trying so hard! There is nothing you need to do except enjoy me! I have provided everything for you, so step out of the storm you have created and relax!"

Now I'm not condoning a sloppy lifestyle of living and flirting with sin, and then just saying Jesus wont care and he winks or something. That is not what Im talking about. Because its Gods kindness that leads us to repentance. When we figure out that God is a God of kindness, we want to turn from everything that hinders love. I dont want to take advantage of the kindness of God. Kindness leads to repentance, not sloppy lifestyles.

Anyway - Isaiah reminded the people that there was a "stone" on which they could rest without ever experiencing dismay. This stone is one hundred percent safe and secure, a place of reprieve from the endless round of doing and rule-keeping. That stone is Jesus, God's Son, the "sure foundation" (vs. 16) for all of life (see also Psalm 118:22 and 1 Corinthians 3:11).

Peter quoted Isaiah's words and encouraged believers to become people of integrity who are not blown away by the storms of life. As we live holy lives we become strong and immoveable (see 1 Peter 2:4-12).

So relax, settle down, trust him!!! And find joy in your journey of faith (Matthew 11:28).

Look For Him Everywhere!

I just had the most incredible encounter with God - in the most unlikely of circumstances!!! Never in a million years would I have expected to be encouraged and encounter Him with one of my clients - but He is so perfect, awesome, and amazing.

Just this week I've been seeking Him - wondering how this whole PhD thing fits into His plan - asking Him for confirmation that I am where He wants me to be.

He has a divine purpose for EVERYTHING that we do...and if we look for Him in everything that He has called us to do - we'll find Him...and He's gonna knock our socks off!! All He's called us to do is search for Him...kinda like an Easter egg - search high and low - under every nook and cranny.

Search for him everywhere - let Him blow you away!! He's so incredible - rock on!!!

Liquor, Lust, and Learning

In his search for meaning in life, the "Teacher" (aka, King Solomon, I think...) in Ecclesiastes related that he had chased after many of the same goals our own society glamorizes:

Think deeper...
party harder...
experiment with more options...
experience all that you can (Ecclesiastes 1-2).

But the Teacher discovered what many of us have learned. It's all a waste of time in the end, for "with much wisdom comes much sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:18).

In other words, sometimes the more we learn from the experience, the worse we feel. Ignorance can indeed be bliss! :-) And it can take a lot of false starts for us to find out what really matters, leaving us with a deep and pervading sense of regret and futility.

Life begins to make sense for us only when we learn to trust God and take His words seriously. Jesus was explicit about his purpose for us: "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Living for Jesus bring true fulfillment to life, and our searching souls find satisfaction only when we realize that He is the One we have been looking for all along, the One who alone can fill our hungry souls with all we need for true joy (John 6:35, 48-51).

Getting Out of the Mud

"Get out of the mud my child, I have something much bigger planned for you."

Lord I need You. I need your strengh and grace. I was never meant to do this alone. Let Galatians 3:3 be inscribed on my heart...Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?...I'm weary because I am relying on my own strengh. I can't fight this giant with my hands. I call on You, Abba, my Deliverer...Deliver me. Let me embrace Your FREEDOM as I fall into your embrace. Thank you for your truth - and the freedom that accompanies that truth. Forgive me for not trusting you, for trying to orchestrate what only Perfection can do. Wash over me - and awaken deeper Love within me! I love you!

Mourning into Dancing

Something I was thinking of after some talks with my sister and running this morning...

Being a follower of Jesus doesn't imply that bad times will never come...there are the mountains and the valleys - and the valleys are very real and sometimes painful, even when we are walking with God!

We live in a world polluted by sin and are compelled daily to deal with the consequences of that sin - both our own and that of other people. We do not escape the effects of sin just because we accept Jesus and his forgiveness. But the difference should be the manner in which we approach the painful aspects of our lives. If we know God, we can trust Him in everything - even in those valleys - and say "I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths" (Ps 30:1).

It is often when we are in the depths of those valleys that we really learn to count on God to get us through. When the walls that we have erected to help us keep our balance are knocked down around us, we begin to sink in the the 'slimy mire' - and we come face-to-face with the fact that God Himself is the only One strong enough to rescue us! Wow!

I think of David, and how he danced before the Lord in celebration after confessing His sin to the Lord. God turns our mourning into dancing, if we will seek Him and let Him!! (Ps 30:5 - though the sorrow may last for the night, His joy comes in the morning!!!) It is during these times that we experience new dimensions of our relationship with Him and receive fresh new assurances of His unceasing love and care....new revelations of His character to trust in the next time we're in the valley!

Dance before the Lord today and be encouraged!

On Being the Body

"I remember hearing about an old comic strip. Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you aks?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question.' Over and over, when I ask God why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, I can feel the Spirit whisper to me, 'You tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet.'" (The Irrestible Revolution by Shane Claiborne)

A New Generation of Kids

HEAVEN IS MOVED!!!

http://livedigital.com/AITkZACDhw/content/52110/u22331

I have so much to learn from these kids - reckless abandon to Him and confidence in the authority He gives to His children!!!

"I call myself a wimp and I call You a majesty!"

"May we be smitten by your love Lord, that nothing else will matter, but how much we love you Lord"

WOW!!!

Who Do You Say That I Am?

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked, "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heave, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." [Matthew 16:13-19]

God has been calling me to push my limits of my understanding of who He is. As I ponder who I say that He is - I fear that I fail to utterly grasp the nature of God. I have structured my conception of Jesus to fit within the parameters of my own expectations and desires. I am quick to confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but then I proceed to try to force Him into some opening that represents my own image, perspectives, and needs. My human nature wants to make Jesus palatable to this modern culture, rather than allowing Him to shine forth before the world as the crucified and risen Savior! I realized this morning that by doing that - I am doing the work of Satan...Satan wants to sensitize Christ so that Christ's people will not understand the power they hold, the freedom they possess, and the righteousness they have been clothed in. Beloved, God wants to entrust us with His power - but He will only do that when we KNOW who He is!

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus says whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. He wants us to BELIEVE WHAT HE HAS GIVEN US - power to bind the enemy, and loose the Holy Spirit on this earth! Oh how I want to believe Him to the absolute limit that He will allow me to! Increase my faith Lord, help my unbelief!

I have come to realize that we are directly affected by who we believe that He is and our faith (or belief) will never be stonger than the God that we perceive Him to be. Too often, I have trusted what other people have told me of who God is, rather than letting HIM tell me - and experiencing Him for myself. We are reflections of the God that we perceive...Oh how I pray that God is not a God cast in my own image or something I have conjured up - but the God of the universe, the maker of Heaven and earth, the Alpha and Omega, the King of all kings, the Lion of Judah!!! I don't want the King of my heart to be something that scares away the demons like a scarecrow in a melon patch (Jeremiah 10:4-5) - I want the King of my heart to be the Living King, who entrusts the keys of His Kingdom to me because I KNOW who He says He is, and I believe it with all my heart! Increase my faith Lord, let my life be a reflection of who You truly are, help me to believe and release the power you have entrusted to me!

He is looking for people who believe He is who He says He is - in order to release the power of the heavenlies on this earth! Who do you say that He is...

What do You Want from Me?!

I was spending some time with Jesus this morning, and was thinking about Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16). Thinking about how the sacrifice that Abel made was beautiful to the Lord, yet the sacrific that Cain made was not. Beyond the simple reason that Abel's sacrifice was of his firstfruit, and Cain's was just what was leftover...I started understanding that Cain's offering represents every time that I know what God wants and yet I refuse to give it to Him. Oftentimes I quickly give Him other things, as if He won't notice...so I asked the Lord...

What is it that You want from me? What am I holding back, not giving to You? What is hindering me from living completely abandoned to You?

I picked up my pen to write a couple of thoughts down, and found myself scrawling this out...Now I journal some, but I always think through what I'm saying...never do I just write. And I found my hand scribbling across the page without warning...such beautiful words from my Lord! I wanted to share, because I think it's something that more than just me needs and desperately wants to hear from our Abba...

I WANT YOUR HEART. I WANT IT STEADFAST ON ME - SEEKING ME IN ALL THINGS. NOT JUST THE EASY THINGS. I WANT YOU TO FIND WHO YOU ARE IN ME - AND REST THERE. I WANT YOU TO SEEK ME ABOVE THE PLEASURES AND WASTING APPROVAL OF THIS WORLD. I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW PRECIOUS YOU ARE TO ME. STACEY, MY LOVE, I DELIGHT IN YOU. DID YOU HEAR ME? I DELIGHT IN YOU!! LET THAT GRIP YOUR HEART. LET THAT DEFINE WHO YOU ARE. LET THAT BE WHAT CARVES OUT THE PATH OF YOUR DAY. I LOVE YOU, AND I KNOW THAT YOU SEEK ME PASSIONATELY - BUT NOW BELIEVE WHAT I TELL YOU TO BE TRUE. I PURSUE YOU. I DESIRE YOUR HEART. LET THAT BE WHAT YOU SEEK AFTER. SEEK MY APPROVAL. BE A CHILD OF ONE THING. OH MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER - SEEK MY FACE, DWELL IN MY HOUSE, GAZE UPON MY BEAUTY...AND NEVER BE SATISFIED - ALWAYS SEEK MORE. AND TRUST THAT I WILL GIVE YOU MORE OF ME. LET ME SPEAK REVELATION UPON YOUR HEART AND SEAL IT WITH MY BLOOD. DON'T LET THE EVIL ONE OF THIS WORLD CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT WHERE I WANT YOU. I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE - SEEK ME, DWELL IN ME, GAZE UPON ME. I LOVE YOU MY SWEET, SWEET ONE. I LOVE YOU!!

Everlasting Burning

GET A HOLD OF THIS!!

It is in the safety of the 'Everlasting Burnings' that our hearts are kept from offense even in the hour of great testing. When we have surrendered to the highest Flame, our hearts are protected from all lesser flames. When we voluntarily give ourselves to be bondservants of love, we are slaves to no one else. We are in truth finally free. When we have submitted to the wound of the Love of God, all lesser wounds have no power over us. When in the perplexities and pains of our afflictions, we will reenact this scene found in the Song of Solomon, having but one response, the response of the lovesick heart of a lovesick Bride.

from Deep Unto Deep by Dana Candler

Waiting

~ Though I sleep, my heart is awake ~ Though it's night, on you I wait ~ It's been a long night, and I am weary ~ It's been a long time, and I am hungry ~ So I wait in the stillness again, I wait in the quiet again ~ When I heard your voice, when you said my name, when I heard your voice, my heart it yearned ~ In the middle of the night, my heart it yearns ~ Though you're far away, still I'm here to say 'I am Yours' ~ and when you feel so far away, still I'm here to say 'I am Yours' ~ (Misty Edwards)

As He asked his disciples on the night before His death, Jesus is asking me: "Will you watch with me? Will you endure this night with me? And will you fellowship with me, even in it's blackness?"

O Lord - let my answer be a resounding yes!

YES - I will watch with You, I will watch as You surround me with Your love, as You reveal Your heart to me, as You withstand trials in my life to woo me closer to You.

YES - I will endure this night with You Lord, knowing that though the sorrow may last for this night, Your joy comes with the morning. Your ever-present and perfect joy.

YES Lord - I will fellowship with You. Even as You are silent. For I trust in who You have revealed Yourself to be...I trust in Your perfection...I trust in Your definition of good for my life.

And so Lord I wait, I wait for Your perfection. I wait for what You have in store for me - I choose You.

In Your silence Lord, I say yes to You. Though I cannot see - I say yes to all that You are, to all of Your ways. I believe in Your love. I say Yes to Your hand on my heart.

Have Your way with me Abba - take me to depths unknown, and sights unseen, and to the fullness of Your love. Ruin me with that love. Waste me on the presence of You. I want You. I want Your perfect plan, my King. Take me there, until only love remains.

My heart lives today because I believe that Your silence is Your answer to awaken my heart in greater love. I trust and place my hope in Your sovereignty Daddy.

Some thoughts on God's love that He has been revealing to me this past week...

His love toward us is a love that supercedes our circumstance, it's beyond our understanding. If we are measuring his love in terms of tangible blessings in our lives, our understanding of His love (and Him) is too small.

In Luke, chapters 1 and 2, Mary responds/encounters three distinct, yet related facets of God's love...first, inexpressible joy and singing (Luke 1)...second, pondering in her heart (Luke 2)...and third, heartache (Luke 2:34-35 - 'a sword will pierce your own soul too'). There are times in each of our lives, that we will encounter each of these. Times where we are so wasted on Jesus that we feel like we could reach out and touch Him, times of reflection on who He is and His promises to us, and times of pain and heartache.

If our understanding of God's love doesn't include pain, suffering, and heartache - our understanding of His love is too small.

When troubles come (and we know they will - John 16:33), we can become bitter over them and run from God...or we can run TO Him and learn from Him. Romans 8:15-39 gives us a picture of how we can learn to trust in God's love for us, even when it doesn't seem tangible and close:

We need to rest in our relationship with God (v. 15-16).
We enter into a deep and intimate love relationship with God at salvation, leaning on this is the foundation for our understanding of His love in troubled times.

We need to yearn for the glory and the presence of Jesus (v. 17-23).
Our future reality makes our present suffering pale in comparison. One day we will be reunited with our Bridegroom in Heaven...we should desperately be yearning to be with Him. We yearn for something more because He placed that insatiable longing within our hearts for more of Him. We should be taking comfort in knowing that this life is not all there is...and difficulties in our life can stir this yearning in increasing ways. It's far too easy to fall in love with this world, unfortunately when we do - our yearning for Jesus gets replaced with a yearning for comfort and things. We need to lift our eyes up to Heaven and desperately cry out for His return, and to yearn for His glory and presence to be with us until His return.

We need to trust God's heart (v. 28-30).
Satan's greatest desire is for us to forget who God has shown Himself to be and become angry at Him in difficult circumstances. We must constantly remind ourselves of who we know God to be. Just because we don't understand the situation, doesn't mean God isn't at work. God works for the good of those who love Him, we must not get caught up in our definition of good...His definition of good is Christ - He desires us to become like Christ in all things.

We must desire greater intimacy and union with Jesus - that we might begin to understand the love of the Father, our Abba. And with that understanding comes the knowledge that oftentimes it is His love for us that moves Him to remain silent as we encounter difficulty in this life. But his silence doesn't mean He is not there, surrounding us with His love, and willing us through the craziness. Understanding His love amidst His silence is a picture of our leaning on the character of Him we know to be true, and trusting that He has our best interests at heart according to His purposes.

Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. (Ps. 46:10)

Lynch Wench!!!

Oh sweet bliss!!!

Broncos Sign Lynch to Contract Extension

John Lynch, who just returned from his seventh Pro Bowl, signed a contract extension Tuesday that will keep him in Denver through the 2008 season.
I heart John Lynch!!!!
Super Bowl XLI baby - get ready!!
By J. Michael MooreDenverBroncos.com
Broncos safety John Lynch talked in December about the cohesiveness of his team and how he looked forward to a playoff run.
The team fell short of its goals in 2005 and lost in the AFC Championship but a contract extension for Lynch announced Tuesday will keep him in Denver to make more runs at history with his teammates.
"I love this team," Lynch said in an interview with Broncos Gameday before a Christmas Eve victory over the Raiders. "I think we embody what a team is all about. Mike (Shanahan) is always talking about playing for each other and I think we really understand that and we bring that to the field.
"We do play for each other and I think it shows in the way we prepare and the way we play."
Lynch signed a deal to keep him with the Broncos through the 2008 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Lynch is a seven-time Pro Bowler who is entering his 14th NFL season -- his third with the Broncos. He is also a four-time Associated Press All-Pro, with 195 games of experience. His 12 playoff starts mark the second-highest total among active safeties in the NFL.
He started every game for the Broncos in 2005, finishing with four sacks, 69 tackles (47 solo), two interceptions, eight pass breakups and four forced fumbles -- two of which came in the regular-season finale at San Diego
Lynch was also named the team's receipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work with the John Lynch Foundation. The foundation serves youth in Tampa Bay, Denver and his native San Diego.

Something to Think on...

We cannot plot out a future without relinquishing control of our lives to the God who created us, because He alone controls the future....we have to dedicate our lives to God and live wisely - realizing that God holds the key to what lies ahead.

Seeking Approval

I was doing some reading for class last night and came across this quote - it's from a psychologist named Eric Fromm... "The deep need of man is the need to overcome separateness, to leave the prison of his aloneness." Even non-believers recognize that we have a deep need to feel affirmed - the thing we have to get ahold of though, is that conforming to a group, or to what others what from us - will not fully provide the security we are so desparately seeking. ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE THAT - whether that be through His people, His Word, His Spirit...notice these are all of HIM! Turning to someone else for what ONLY GOD CAN PROVIDE is a direct result of our believing one of Satan's biggest lies - that our self worth (or how we feel about ourselves) is made up of how we act or perform, and how other people feel about us. How sad it is that we buy into this (myself included!) and miss out on experiencing the incredible, accepting, unconditional love of our Father, our Abba!

My prayer for all of us is that we will seek the approval of God as the basis of our self-worth. That we will overcome Satan's stupid lies and begin to value the CONTSTANT, unwavering approval of GOD over the conditional, changing approval of man!!

LOVE

1 John 4:7-10, 16
v7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
v8 Whoever does not love does not know God,because God is love.
v9 This is how God showed his love among us:He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
v10 This is love: not that we love God,but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
v16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

Verse 7
The only reason we are able to love another person is because God loves us. Our love for others is fueled by Him, by His love for us. Many people claim to know love, but only those who know the Father really know and understand what love is.

Verse 8
God IS love. The root of everything He does is love. To know God is to know love.

Verse 9-10
We can know and understand this love because of Jesus. Because of sin, we were separated from His love. But because of our acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice, we are perfect before God's eyes - we can see His love.

It's not our doing - it's not that we love Him, or we choose Him. He loved us, and He chose us long before we were even born!! We are the responders, not the initiators of love!

Verse 16
Because of God's love - we have hope. It will never change - He has promised it to us. We can rely on it even more than the air that we breathe. Because we have accepted His love and know His love - we can rely on it and know it will never change!

Remember your FIRST LOVE today! The Lord of all creation, the God of the universe, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords - is running after you. He pursues you. He desires YOU!!! Take a minute to really think about that, and as God reveals His love for you - understand that HE LOVED YOU FIRST and say, "I love you, too!"

Please Pray for my Nephew!!

Hey everybody...if you get a few minutes, say a prayer for my nephew, Gage. He is a little over 2 months old and has bronchiolitis/RSV...it's the same thing that his older brother was hospitalized for when he was 11 months old. My sister said he has a nasty cough and you can barely hear him when he cries - almost like he has laryngitis...poor little guy! She took him to the doctor today and his pulse-ox level was good, but he's still breathing really rapidly and he pulls in his sides when he breathes.


Please pray that he will be completely healed, and for strength for my sister and her husband (their names are Lisa & Nate) during this time.


Jesus, I place him in Your hands with complete faith that You will heal his little body. Send your angels to guard over him as he rests, and may his rest bring healing. Comfort Lisa & Nate as they go through this - surround them with your love and peace. Thank You that we can come to You and know that You care. Use this to strengthen our faith in You, Lord.