Deep Words -- Listening Deeply

You are so beautiful to me
You are so beautiful to me
Can't you see You're everything I hoped for
You're everything I need
You are so beautiful to me

Such joy and happiness you bring
Such joy and happiness you bring
Like a dream A guiding light that shines in the night
Heavens gift to me
You are so beautiful to me

Deep and powerful words...almost more than is possible to soak in...Zeph. 3:17...singing over us with joy...a dream....a light....a gift...beyond compare.

Maybe it's time to "Live like you were dying"

And I loved deeper
And I spoke sweeter
And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'
And he said some day I hope you get the chance
To live like you were dyin'

Amazing grace indeed...he did so we can...

Pursuing the dream...amazed by journey...embracing each moment.

Amazed...

Standing amazed...
God's grace, God's gifts of people in the journey, God's timing in bringing the dream to reality...standing amazed....

Eph 3:20 exceeding more than I could hope or dream...or imagine...is becoming a reality amazing...if I had taken detours along the way I would have missed the journey...the God-designed present...the sacred dance with joy and laughter...the heart dance of freedom and purpose...the partnership at multiple levels...

amazed,
overwhelmed,
alive.

Grateful...blessed...engaging the dream with abandon...in His time he makes ALL things beautiful...

Wasn't seeking...wasn't striving...wasn't trying...yet the doors swing open...wide open...

I want to dance in the waters,
soak in the river,
ride the waves...

celebrate the minutes...
breathe deeply each moment...
Treasure the the seconds...



Amazed...grace...love...freedom...focus...purpose...

Deep Listening to the Spirit

We all have a teacher...

the

question is who is teaching us? Thankful that the Word instructs us (1 Tim 2:16) so we can not only think but act different because of the Spirit (teacher) in us.

If the Gospel is to be real, how am I showing (living) that it is?

If the church doesn't love people who will?

If the church doesn't serve people who will?

If the church doesn't accept us who will? Something will fill the void.

If the church doesn't teach God's plan for our relationships who will?
If the church doesn't open the Bible and call people to live in scriptural holiness, who will?
If the church doesn't bring God's instruction to people, who will?

I thank God for the scriptures He give us, lest we think no differently than the people of this world think.

1 Corinthians 2:9-13 It is just as the Scriptures say, "What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!" God's Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God. You are the only one who knows what is in your own mind, and God's Spirit is the only one who knows what is in God's mind. But God has given us his Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think. That's also why we can recognize the blessings that God has given us. Every word we speak was taught to us by God's Spirit, not by human wisdom. And this same Spirit helps us teach spiritual things to spiritual people.

Devotion

Devotion...

Nothing truly beautiful,

truly wonderful and

truly worthwhile was ever accomplished with half-hearted devotion and casual commitments.

It's hard to tell but the picture "Focus" has words for each letter-- Savior, Shepherd, Redeemer, King, Sacrifice, God, Jesus, -- one word sums up His focus on us -- DEVOTION.

Start today.

Lean into it.

Decide once and for all.

Build a beautiful life, a God-life.

Deuteronomy 30:9-10 - The Lord will be happy to do good things for you, just as he did for your ancestors. But you must decide once and for all to worship him with all your heart and soul and to obey everything in The Book of God's Law.

Devotion...it starts with a step, it starts with a focus...it starts with embracing the journey and pursuing the dream...

Life Matters

Easter will be here...in just a few short days...and opportunity for new life. Jesus came that we might have LIFE, a NEW Life -- behold the old has passed the new has come; new creations...

What kind of life will we choose?

You could lead a pleasant life.

Or, you could live a good life.

But what if....you could live a life of destiny?

Are you ready to begin living a life of purpose and passion?

Are you ready to discover your greatest gifts and then employ them in the service of something larger?

The key to getting from where we are to where we want to be is to take the first step on a journey...a journey of destiny.

You can continue to live your life as you have, or you can answer the call to adventure. It’s the call to take the journey of a lifetime - to come to the place where you finally understand your reason for being…or, you can forget you ever heard of such a crazy idea.

The choice is yours. Each day we choose.

Embracing the journey...

Is your Gospel getting bigger?

Been reading John Piper...he always challenges my heart and life...which I love!

Here's some thoughts...profoundly impacting if we live in it...

Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.

Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.

The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,

grace gets bigger;

Christ gets greater;

his death gets more wonderful;

his resurrection gets more astonishing;

the work of the Spirit gets mightier;

the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;

its global extent gets wider;

your own sin gets uglier;

the devil gets more evil;

the gospel's roots in eternity go deeper;

its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;

and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.

So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.
Pray that it won’t. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Embracing the journey...

MVP

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren G. Bennis

Great leaders create the destiny and direction for their organization (church) that motivates their team to pursue the mission. Powerful visions galvanize groups and take them to new places and heights.

Just think about these:

Disney has a vision to put a smile on the face of every guest to make families smile.

FedEx had a vision for overnight, guaranteed next morning package delivery.

Dominoes had a vision to deliver quality, hot pizza to your door in 30 minutes or less or it's free.

Coke had a vision to have a refreshing beverage within the reach of every person around the world.

Microsoft had a vision to create beneficial software that would compel people to have a computer on every desk at work, home or school.

M.D. Anderson has a vision to make cancer history.

Your vision is your MVP ... Most Valuable Property

As leaders, we must realize that our vision has a cascading effect on everything else in our organization.

Cloudy visions foster blurred and confusing priorities, employees, and disappointing results.

Sharp visions foster clarity and powerful momentum.

Are we spending enough time creating and implementing our vision?

Pursuing His dream...embracing the journey