"Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, in my life, as it is in heaven."

Wouldn't it be a relief to respond to God’s will as joyfully and immediately as the angels in heaven? Too often, by the time I think to rely on his Spirit, everything is already in flames.

How long, Oh Lord, before my natural response, the words that come tripping off my tongue, the subtleties of my body language, the surface tension of my emotional tidal pool, will be quite naturally those of Jesus?

redemption
love lost and found
hope once bouyant seemingly drowned
baptized through the inferno
gold-forged now shines eternal
phoenix rising for the nations

stunning bird
and spotless silent lamb
in eternity the great I AM
yet baby clothes and baby cries
witnessed by Simeon and Anna's eyes
Redeemer Savior Word

redemption song
chorus widely heard
some still don't know the words
love sin sacrifice resurrection
unworthy - praise God for His affection

Want to break into publishing?

Last evening we enjoyed dinner with a group of former young marrieds from a class convened in the early 1980s. In those days one key aim for the class was the development among the couples of authentic and lasting friendships.  The evening provided a glimpse into God's blessing of that intention and the value of it. 

After 9/11, the U.S. government installed a color-coded alarm system to alert us to the threat of enemy attack—from red for severe risk, down to green for low. They knew that there are seasons when we need to be particularly diligent related to our security, but our responses should be based on solid evidence. It is foolish and wasteful to be on red alert all the time.

I've always known that the every day, at the same time, in the same place, quiet time has never worked for me.  Let me clarify, it has rarely worked for my spiritual life.  Sounds pretty sacreligious, but let me explain.

What does it really mean to seek first the kingdom of God? We tend to just sail over this command from the mouth of Jesus rather than really letting it sink in deeply. 

As I adjust to the schedule of being a new mom, a wife, a writer, and much more, sometimes my role as a daughter of the most high God gets pushed into the background. The urgent tasks of life tend to crowd out the really important ones. I wake up with the intent on spending time with the Lord FIRST, but something comes up, and that's all she wrote!

I have a great phone. No, it's not an iPhone, but it's still has pretty much all the features I need. For instance, it has a calendar that reminds me that it's my second-cousin-once-removed's birthday next Wednesday, or when I have a doctor's appointment, or when my second-cousin-once-removed has a doctor's appointment. It's a great option on a great phone, and I depend on it...well, greatly.  If my phone doesn't tell me about an event, it doesn't exist in my life. I put paydays and parties and Tapestry blog days in it, and everything works perfectly.

When the credits roll, will people shrug and think my story was kind of boring? Will they think your story was great, one that inspired their own? How might we intentionally write a great story into our lives?

If you write a story about your life and it winds up selling over a million copies, you just might have two guys show up at your front door wanting to make a movie out it. Such was the case with Donald Miller.