Tag: joy

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Peace

Posted on by Dorci

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”  Philippians 4:8-9

 

Heavenly Father, you are praiseworthy.  You are true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable, and we choose to think about you and all the ways you’ve shown us your goodness.  You’ve rescued us time and time again.  You forgive all our sins and have removed them as far as the east is from the west, and remember them no more.  Your grace is always upon your children, and your mercy, too. 

You have promised to prepare a place for us with you and to come again for us and take us with you where you are, where there is no more crying or pain or suffering.  Your love sustains us, teaches us, and matures us until the day when your wisdom says it’s time to come home.  Lord, in all these constant ponderings throughout the day and night, you give us peace, and we praise you.  You know the trouble we face in this world, but we know you’ve already overcome it.  Help us cling to you, both in the times when things are going well, and in times when things are hard.

Give us the strength to turn to you when the enemy is whispering in our ears that you don’t care.  That you can’t possibly love us after what we’ve done.  Give us the strength to call those what they are: lies from the pit of hell.  Help us cling to the truth, and where our beliefs are false, we ask that you would change them.  Where we believe wrong things about you, please show us the truth.  And where we believe wrong things about ourselves, please break down those strongholds of falsehood, knowing they keep us from living purely in the victory you would have us.  We give you our minds and our hearts to mold as you will.  We receive your peace, and we give you all the glory.  In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

Sunday Praise – Ephesians 1:3

Posted on by Dorci

Saturday Song – Lift Your Head Weary Sinner

Posted on by Dorci

 

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. 

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’

So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Luke 15:1-20

 

Maybe you’ve somehow stumbled onto this page, and you’re lost.  You’re searching.  You know you need God but you’re afraid.  Afraid He won’t take you. Afraid of what you’ve done.  Afraid you’re too far gone.

My friend, I promise you, God promises you, you are not too far gone.

Maybe you knew Christ at one point a long time ago.  Maybe it was just last week.  But you’ve done something, and you can’t face Him. You’re afraid, too.  Surely He’ll punish you, you think.  Surely He’s ashamed of you, disappointed in you.  You can’t go back.

My friend, you can.

Whoever you are, whatever you’ve done, get this –

God loves you.

And He is willing at this very moment to forgive you and receive you.

Come to Him, no matter what you’ve done.  Come to Him with your sin; come to Him with your wretchedness, your weakness, your guilt.  Come to Him, like the prodigal child.

He is there, waiting with His arms open wide to receive you right here, right now, to forgive you, to love you, to welcome you back with no reservation.  With no condemnation.

That is how great He is, how great His love and mercy and forgiveness.  Whatever it is, it’s all been paid for on the cross.

Just come. And let the chains fall.

If you need prayer, I would be honored to pray for you.  Simply email me by clicking on the envelope to the far right of the Facebook icon to the right.   

May you bask in the glory of the Risen One, the One Who paid it all.

 

The Cross is Just the Beginning

Posted on by Dorci

“Then Jesus said to His disciples,
If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24
 

It is just into the first century.  The roads are dusty, the work is back-breaking, the nights are long.  The religious leaders are corrupt, and the Roman Empire rules the region with an iron hand.  Taxes are exorbitant and punishment is cruel.  Beheading, strangling, being buried alive, and among the worst: crucifixion.  Being hung on a cross.  The people are afraid, looking for a savior.

A man called Jesus has risen from among them and has garnered a following.  He teaches in the Temple, raises the dead, makes the blind to see, and feeds thousands from five loaves of bread and two fish.

The people begin to have hope, especially the twelve who are His constant companions, those He’s taken under His wing.

But He begins to talk of suffering.  That He “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”  Luke 9:22

And then He drops a bombshell.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  Luke 9:23

Those with Him look around at one another with a stunned and confused look on their faces.

Take up our cross?  Daily? What is he talking about?

Jesus would predict His own death two more times. He would lead the way.

Still, His friends couldn’t grasp what He was saying.

The night comes and He is betrayed by one of them and dragged before Herod Antipas, the son of Herod of Great who was responsible for killing all the boys under the age of two when he heard that men had come to worship the one who was born King of the Jews.  Herod Antipas sends him to Pontius Pilate, and Pilate sends Him first to be flogged, and then to the cross.

 

Jesus carries His cross until near collapse from exhaustion and pain. He is nailed to it, and lifted up to a punishment reserved for the worst of criminals.  A punishment designed to not only torture and kill, but to shame and send a message to all those watching.

His friends scatter. Their minds are reeling from the events they’d just seen. They think back to the time Jesus said they must take up their cross.

Are we next?

Darkness comes over the land.  Jesus dies and is buried in a tomb.

And that is that. Hope is lost. Death is the end.

But then the morning of the third day comes.

 

It is evening now and the disciples are gathered together in a room with the doors locked for fear of facing their own torture, grieving over the death of their friend and the hope He’d given them for a better life, when suddenly they hear –

“Peace be with you!”

It’s Him! Wait..is it? Is it a ghost?  No!  It’s Jesus! And their joy comes flooding back.

And again – 

“Peace be with you!”

They laugh and hug and rejoice, and they realize death was not the end. 

It was only the beginning.

Maybe the understanding about what He meant by denying themselves, taking up their cross and following Him came as slowly to them as it does to us.  But He had given them a stark picture.

It doesn’t mean reluctantly accepting a disease, or a difficult relationship.  It doesn’t mean sacrificing any one thing.

It means dying.  To everything.

Sacrificing oneself. 

Willingly, wholeheartedly, just as He had done.

The word Jesus used when He said “deny” themselves is aparneomai – to deny utterly.  To disown.

If we want to follow Christ, to be His disciple, the only way is to follow Him all the way to the cross.  Not a literal cross, of course, but a cross for the flesh, the self will.  It is saying to the Father what He said in the garden: “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Christ might have in mind for us to go and do and say what we wouldn’t dare.  Will we follow? Will we die to our desires, let go of our fears, and go with Him?

Dying to our wishes and desires, giving up the life we had in mind, is not the end!

There is the glorious morning.  A new beginning.

It is the beginning to a bigger, better life than we had ever imagined. Infinitely bigger than a life of catching fish.

We will become fishers of men, and women and children and neighbors and family.

When we walk with the risen Christ, we are filled with Life ourselves, and all that He is and has for us.

Peace be with you!

 

Sunday Praise – 1 Peter 1:6-7

Posted on by Dorci

 

 

In Jesus Christ, nothing goes to waste. Not one trial, not one loss, not one rejection, not one tear. It will all be lifted up to Him in praise to His glorious name.

We praise you, Lord Jesus, for your finishing work and our glorious future to come with you.

Saturday Song – Your Love is a Song

Posted on by Dorci

 

 

As I thought about a song to post for today, immediately Switchfoot’s Your Love is a Song came to mind.  It’s one of those songs with a hauntingly beautiful melody and equally mysterious lyrics.  I went hunting for its meaning and lo and behold, found the thoughts of lead singer and writer of the song, Jon Foreman.

“For me, melody is a constant. I am always buzzing with some hook or rhythm or idea… (for example, I’ve got an idea in my head now from when I went surfing a few hours ago).

Sometimes I imagine the entire universe as a song, or an incredibly elaborate symphony- the sun is setting, there’s a kid staring at the evening train going by. People are falling in love. Fathers are apologizing to their sons after years of unspoken silence. Children are looking for the approval that only a mother can give.

I think of life as an interwoven and interconnected masterpiece. It’s like Lauren Hill and Kierkegaard say- everything effects everything.

Alongside these beautiful, pure notes there are elements of horrific dissonance. Parts of the symphony where the musicians are not following the score. To our shame, ours is a world of slavery, bigotry, and hate. Of Rwanda. Of Darfur. These atonal catastrophes on our Darkwater Planet would destroy the song if they could.

But love is a stronger song. Alongside the dissonance there is hope. There is forgiveness and joy singing alongside of hatred and despair. The song is still being written. Every day we choose whether we will submit to the score to sing along with love.

When I found out about the string theory it made a lot of sense. I pictured all the universe vibrating. Some instruments are out of tune. Some are not following the conductor. But love conquers a multitude of errors. Your love can cover even the atrocities that I’ve committed in my own life, even the times when my actions are horribly out of tune. Yes, even these have been mercifully forgiven and brought into the song.

There are reoccurring themes in my life. Because I write about the things I’m wrestling, these themes often find themselves in multiple songs. I used fight against this concept. Now I see these songs as interconnected, sequels in a real life documentary. One idea that I’m continually wresting with is the concept that the creator of heavens and earth would love a wreck like myself. This idea has been the seed for a few of my songs, they are a trilogy of sorts: ‘Let Your Love Be Strong,’ ‘Your Love is Strong,’ and ‘Your Love is a Song.'”  ~Jon Forman

“By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:8

He is right.  Love is woven throughout the history of the world, and it will not be overcome by evil.  Love rises, love overcomes, love endures.

Love is offered to all in the form of the Son of God – Jesus Christ – and it’s up to each of us whether we will receive Him Who is love, or not.

Even if we’ve received Him and been transformed, we have a daily, hourly choice whether to hide His love with our fears, angers, and insecurities, or allow His love in us to rise to the surface and shine through our heartaches and trials.  To let the rest of the world see that love is still alive, and with it hope and joy and peace.

When we do our life joins with the song of the ages – the love of God weaving all things together into a melody made beautiful in His time.

The Day God’s Word Saved Me from Myself…Again

Posted on by Dorci

 

“For the Word of God is alive and active. ” Hebrews 4:12

It was a Thursday morning and I was in the middle of work when the phone rang.  It was my sister calling out of the blue. Our mother’s health had suddenly deteriorated and my sister wanted to know if I wanted to go see her.  I hadn’t talked to my mother in years.

Well, there was a brief and difficult conversation we’d had several months before.  The Holy Spirit had nudged me a number of times over the course of a couple of weeks to call my mother.  What if she didn’t want to hear from me?  What if she didn’t know who I was?  He kept nudging so I gathered up the courage one day and called her.  She knew who I was but didn’t understand everything I was saying. I was able to tell her I loved her, and she told me she loved me, too.  That was basically the extent of the conversation. But God knew I needed to both say it and hear it, and so did she.

I told my sister I’d think about it for a few minutes and call her back.

I grabbed my Bible, walked away from my desk, sat down, and prayed.

What if she didn’t want to see me?  What about work? What about the appointment I have scheduled this afternoon? And what about all those vacant years of not having her there, of not having a mother?  Do I go see her after all that?

I opened my Bible, to what I didn’t know. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. I didn’t have time and my thoughts were swirling. I just wanted to hear from the Lord. The pages fell and I started reading.  One column…and another…and another.  I looked up, asking the Lord again, “What do I do?”

And suddenly it came to me – this is not about me.  This is about her.  All she had in the world, besides the nurses and other residents, was my sister and me.  If I were dying I’d want my sons there, and I knew our mother would want both of us there, too.

I called my sister back and we went.  I sat with my mother for hours as we looked each other in the eyes in a way we never had. Because of Jesus, I was now able to look at her through eyes of grace. Her words were harder to understand now, but I smiled at her and she smiled back. We hugged goodbye and again said “I love you.”

I was able to visit her a few more times in the month after that.  The communication became less and less until that last time when she couldn’t open her eyes or speak at all.

They say the hearing is the last thing to go.

I’m thankful that one of the last things she heard were her two daughters, talking and reminiscing and laughing. I pray that brought her joy.

I know I wouldn’t have gone to see my mother had I not taken the time to sit with Jesus and read His Word. There was nothing specific in my Bible reading that morning that had to do with what He ministered to my heart – that the visit was not about me, but about being there for my mother.  Still, reading it somehow opened a conduit for me to hear what He wanted to say to me. I don’t fully understand it, but His Word really is active and alive.

My mother died exactly one month to the day after that first call from my sister.  Because I prayed and opened His Word, God gave me the gift of one month of good memories with my mother.  I know they were good memories for her, too, and she deserved that.

We don’t have much time these days.  We’re all so busy that finding quiet time seems impossible, and it may seem like there’s just not enough time to read. The thing is, we don’t have time not to read God’s living Word. 

Reading His Word is not just about reading another book.  As Christians, it is our breath, our life.  It is the primary way God’s chosen to let us hear His heart beating and to hear His whispers of love and wisdom. With it He will give us answers to questions that come out of the blue, and make sure we don’t miss something wonderful.  He will make us a light shining for a dark world, and for someone whose days are dimming. 

He will reveal Himself, come near, and our hearts will beat as one.  

 

A New Thing

Posted on by Dorci

Finding Peace

Posted on by Dorci

 

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.”  Luke 2:14

I had always set up our nativity scene on a buffet table right by the front door.  Everyone who came and went saw it. Anyone in the living room or kitchen could see it.  And I liked it that way.  I always wanted Jesus to be front and center of Christmas.

Then we moved to a new house and the best place for the buffet was in the front living room.  You know, that room no one ever goes into.  The one that gets passed by on the way to the family (tv) room and the kitchen.

We started unpacking Christmas decorations and the nativity scene automatically went on the buffet. But I still wanted Jesus to be front and center, so I walked around the house looking for a more suitable place for him.  Nothing seemed right.  I didn’t want it where it could get broken.  Some places weren’t big enough.  Some were too high.

“But people will have to go out of their way to see it” I thought. 

Yes, yes they will.

 

There was a lot going on that first Christmas in the little town of Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding regions. The first census had been ordered by Caesar Augustus, and there was a lot of traffic as people made their way to their tribal towns to be counted.  Joseph and Mary traveled 70 miles…70 miles, from Nazareth to Bethlehem, while Mary was very pregnant.

They came into town, dusty and thirsty and exhausted. Maybe the birth pains had already begun. All they wanted was a place to lie down and prepare to give birth to the King of kings.

But there was no place for them. They knocked on doors, but everyone had gotten there ahead of them and every room was filled. Joseph and Mary found refuge where they could, somewhere near the animals, away from the crowd.

No one knew they were there. Not one person in that small but suddenly bustling town knew that just around the corner, in the still of the night, under the stars, was the center of the universe.

Those who heard were the shepherds out in the quiet field, suddenly hearing from a host of angels that the Messiah had been born. They left their lives for a moment, and went out of their way to see the Savior of the world, the One God’s people had been waiting for.

Some time later the magi left their lives for a moment, and went out of their way to follow a star to worship and bring gifts to the King of the Jews.

Christmas is a busy, bustling, noisy time of year. But really, when are our lives not that way? For most of us, not very often.

Our lives are full of busyness and running here and there.  The world is full of chaos and anxiety, and is as short on peace now as it was then.  It always will be.  Funny though, how we can try looking for peace in the world, right in the middle of all that chaos.

But God calls us to come away.

Like the shepherds and the magi, when we come away from the noise, away from the hustle and bustle of the season no matter what season that may be, to worship the King, to see and hear from the Savior of the world, the Savior of our own lives, we will again find a miracle, wrapped in humility and joy and peace.

When we go out of our way to meet with Him and give Him our whole heart’s attention, He will be there, waiting, and we will be ready to receive Him and all He is and has for us.