Here Am I
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
“
But here’s the thing about all that acceptance and affection I get from the people I minister to: they know I’m not bound by it.
They’ve seen me accept the very real possibility of them disliking me, even as I say what they need to hear.
I was preaching to a roomful of inmates once, and one of them came up to me afterwards, and said, “You know, you were all up in my business, telling me about why I do the things I do, and what I think of myself, and I got all mad about it, because I knew it was true, and all that frustration started coming out, and I decided to come over here and punch you.
But then I thought about it, and it took a lot of heart for you to say all that. And then I figured that you must have respect for me, to tell it like it is, and expect me to be man enough to take it. So I decided to come over here and give you a hug.”
”Unka Glen from the June BridgeBox devotional
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(via unkaglen)(Source: thebridgechicago, via unkaglen)
“When I say that I love you, and God loves you, and you have a hope and a future; I’m not doing that to make you feel good, though I am glad if it does. I am saying that to set you free. To set you free of hustling and scratching and clawing to want to be liked by people who don’t realize who you are.”
Unka Glen in his June Bridge Box sermon
Get songs, sermons, bible studies and much more for only $8/month. Sign up at missionusa.com/bridgebox.
(via thebridgechicago)
(via unkaglen)
“Jesus in his solidarity with the marginal ones is moved to compassion…. the compassion of Jesus is to be understood not simply as a personal emotional reaction but as a public criticism in which he dares to act upon his concern against the entire numbness of his social context. Empires live by numbness. Empires, in their militarism, expect numbness about the human cost of war. Corporate economies expect blindness to the cost in terms of poverty and exploitation. Governments and societies of domination go to great lengths to keep the numbness intact. Jesus penetrates the numbness by his compassion and with his compassion takes the first step by making visible the odd abnormality that had become business as usual.”
(Source: mshedden, via wordsthatyousay)
Scripture tells us that when we worship, He inhabits the praises of His people. He brings His glory into our midst. When God shows up, the enemy has to flee. When the cloud of His glory is present, it burns up the fog of fear.
Today, if you feel like you’re in a fog of fear, stop and get into the cloud of His glory. Put on some worship music and turn your heart toward the Father. When you praise Him, He shows up and lifts the fog of fear so you can clearly see the good plan He has in store for you!
(via walktheworldwithgod)
“Negativity goes a long way – remember this. Are you bashing something for no reason? Do you have a negative opinion about someone/something/somewhere because that’s the general consensus? Consider if negativity should have a place in your daily speech, or if it can be omitted without issue.”
(via wordsthatyousay)
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.
“Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.”
“How would you ever learn unconditional love if you were married to someone who met all the conditions?”
(Source: waylanexists, via dancingwithmysavior)
“Tell the young, tell the poor, tell the aged, tell the ignorant, tell the sick, tell the dying — tell them all about Christ. Tell them of His power, and tell them of His love; tell them of His doings, and tell them of His feelings; tell them what He has done for the chief of sinners; tell them what He is willing to do until the last day of time; tell it to them over and over again. Never be tired of speaking of Christ. Say to them broadly and fully, freely and unconditionally, unreservedly and undoubtingly, ‘Come unto Christ, as the penitent thief did; come unto Christ, and you shall be saved.’”
(Source: athenagracee, via thelordsrevolution)
“You know, the Bible doesn’t teach us to be defensive in relationships. It doesn’t tell us to protect your heart and be extra cautious ‘cause you don’t know who’s going to betray you, who’s going to leave you, no it doesn’t say anything like that, it just says love. And it says love always trusts. And it always tells us to forgive; forgive means they’re going to wrong you first and then you’re gonna forgive. And then go back up and trust again. That’s what the Bible says about our relationships. It never says, ‘No, close your heart ‘cause you’re going to get hurt. Be protective. Protect your own heart.’ No, it never says that. It says, ’Get hurt, I will heal you, I’ll restore things, reconciliation is for you, and then get back up and love again. Trust again. Go belong to that group again.’ That’s how the word of God teaches us.”
(Source: loveunlocked, via isurrenderitalltogod)
“Love says: I’ve seen the ugly parts of you, and I’m staying.”
(Source: glitterandrecovery, via lovecourtney)
A Prayer
Father my heart now yearns to find a group of brothers, if only just a small group, that I could turn to and could walk this road with. Even though there are friends, Lord, it is far from the same. Even though I have so many amazing sisters to turn to, I find myself desperately short of brothers. Not brothers in strength, for me to look up, not brothers in weakness, who I must carry all the way, but brothers who I can simply walk with side by side. That I may pray over them and guard them where they stumble, that they may pray over me and guard me where I fall.
Lord place in me a servant’s heart, that I may yearn to not only do your work, but wait on you. That not a word would pass from my mouth that does not glorify you and encourage those around me, that a single action would not be performed but those that would exalt you. Give me a heart to dare to have faith, that it may be counted to me as righteousness. I know Lord that to have these things I can’t do alone. So give me brothers, my God, that I may seek after you with, day after day, week after week.
By the authority and grace of your name,
Amen.
Ephesians 6:19 NIV
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
“This is the table, not of the Church, but of the Lord. It has been made ready for those who love him and who want to love him more. So, come, you who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time, you who have tried to follow and you who have failed. Come, it is our Lord who invites you.”
The Book of Alternative Services, to be said before distribution of the Eucharist. (via agayepiscopalian)
beautiful.
(via hislivingpoetry)
I am in love with this.
(via thedawncomes)
That moment when you are in total awe of someone’s faith, and their faith somehow builds your own.
