from my heart to His: 2014

Sunday, December 28, 2014

nothing is the same

a statement perhaps obvious

yet a statement profound

each moment new

different from moment past

some differ subtle

others differ obtrusive

some welcome

some not

what was no longer is

what held security no longer does

what seemed so right now seems not so

change is living

living is change

to live is to change

to change is to live

I love the routine

I love the secure

I love the same

change tends to unnerve

new tends to frighten

yet He is changing not only around me

but IN me...

I ask "what is next?"

He answers "I am"

I ask "why am I here?"

He answers "for Me"

I ask "but where would you have me?"

He answers "in Me"

He quietly whispers to my heart

"My beloved...

your thoughts focus on

what you do and how much you do

you so easily slip into

thinking you must somehow

help Me plan your life...

your ministry...

your reason

for being...

nothing could be further from the truth

your worth is found in Me alone...

in My love for you

you are My bride

you are My love

My love is unchanging...

the sun rises the sun sets

tides come in tides go out

rain falls sun shines rainbows shimmer

spring follows winter

summer follows spring

autumn follows summer

winter follows autumn

all of creation shouts of My love

all of creation whispers of My love

I am love

I am the same as I was yesterday

and will be tomorrow

hold on to this, My beloved

I know the plans I have for you

I know what tomorrow holds

all YOU need know is My love

look for Me in the simple

look for Me in the ordinary

look for Me in the everyday

I want you to want Me

above all else

as you rest in Me

as you live in Me

as you listen to Me

you will cease

to strive

your heart will quiet

your mind will clear

your love will grow

as you live in the moment

in the love story I penned for you

with My nail-pierced hand

I love you now and forever"

Thursday, December 25, 2014

a whisper

of love as night falls

the Savior of all is born

come and worship

with angels and

shepherds

a whisper of love

echos through all time

that silent and holy night

a whisper

brought time and space

into being

all creation brought to life

with His breath

a whisper placed planets in orbit

sun

moon

stars by tens of thousands

all a result of a whisper of love

mountains oceans meadows rivers plants trees

animals birds fish spoke into existence

leading up to the Three in One saying

"let us make man in our image"

with a whisper He called each evening

walking

talking

laughing

loving

until the one time no one answered His call

hidden in fear

hidden in shame

the plan of salvation set into motion

generations upon generations

born lived died

judges judged

kings ruled

prophets spoke

so often no one answered His call

a Messiah promised

yet heaven was quiet

year after year they waited

they wondered

they doubted

then

with a whisper so intimate

a young girl was told she would give birth to

King of king

Lord of lords

as the Creator entered the created

9 months passed as she whispered to her unborn

a whisper of love to the One who loved her first

a whisper

a hush

that first Christmas night

a baby born
a mother's whisper
as love boundless
lay in a manger

a whisper from heaven
wrapped in humanity
His whisper roared
His whisper sang
His whisper said come leave follow believe
some loved
some hated
all heard His whisper
for His whisper left no heart untouched

His whisper so passionate
even in death
His whisper silenced
as the enemy thought
he had won
but oh he had lost
for the dead became alive
the whisper heard again
"do not be afraid"
"peace be with you"

His whisper still echos
His whisper still calls
His whisper still whispers
to come away
leave distractions even good
come kneel
come worship
come whisper
of love all consuming
all encompassing
all surrendering

come to the manger
in stillness
in hush
and hear
His whisper as He
calls you by name
let His breath of heaven
breathe warmth
breathe peace
breathe life into hearts perhaps weary even tonight

come and worship come and worship worship Christ the
newborn King

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

a wedding anniversary

this week I celebrate an anniversary of sorts...

a wedding anniversary in a sense...

an anniversary with my

forever bridegroom...

Jesus

to some this might sound strange

perhaps even heretical to others

for how can one have a wedding anniversary

with the Creator of the universe?

Isaiah 61:10 says

"I delight greatly in the LORD;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels"

and Isaiah 62:5 says

"...as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,

so will your God rejoice over you"

and Isaiah 54:5 says

" For your Maker is your husband -

the LORD Almighty is His name -

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;

He is called the God of all the earth..."

3 years ago Jesus delivered me from chains...

chains of self-pity

chains of blindness to how I was hurting

those I love most

and to the chains of anorexia...

none of which was possible until

Jesus opened my eyes

and I was willing to see

and able to accept that He loves me because.

end of story.

just because.

once able to see myself as reflected in His eyes

repentance and grace and love and forgiveness and acceptance all collided

at the foot of His cross

the collision not without pain

for how can repentance...

(turning around)

happen without pain?

yet once He took my heart...

broken and bruised and bleeding...

and held it close to His own heart which was

broken and bruised and bleeding for my heart...

it was then that the depth and intimacy of

His love for me and my love for Him

came rushing over me as water cascades over

waterfalls

as waves ceaselessly crash onto shore...

a forever love with a bridegroom forever

I am His and He is mine

no longer do I search with heart empty

for approval

for acceptance

simply because.

simply because He loves me

with all the passion of a bridegroom

and more

Jesus took all the above...

Jesus took the years of help from His own

who walked this journey with me...

Jesus took ME

and anorexia was removed forever

thoughts once all consuming

gone...

washed away in His love as

water cascades over waterfalls

waves crash onto shore

at times this heart forgets...

forgets where she was and who she was

3 short years ago...

compared to how far He has brought her

and looking forward

with anticipation to where He has yet to bring her...

still refining her and renewing her

for the journey to wholeness and intimacy with Him

ends not until she sees her bridegroom forever face to face

and all because of the One who loves her

Friday, December 12, 2014

O come let us adore Him

Rachel's blog post today...

God left me speechless today. And in absolute awe of what HE is doing in our class. Here is a little snapshot.

Wednesday we talked about adoring Jesus and how sometimes we can kneel before Him to show our adoration. So, we sang “O Come Let Us Adore Him” all together on our knees and then prayed “Zambian style” (all at once out loud). Today, we were about to start devotions and then this happened.

Student: “Teacher, we on knees today and sing adore him? And then pray? Me: um, yes.

So we all kneel and start singing. I wish you could hear it. The song ends and I look up. Everyone was kneeling and about half of the class was kneeling so deep that their faces are to the ground. It left me in awe. As I kneeled there speechless, I just listened to the prayers rising up around me, and I overheard this, all from the one student next to me that I could hear:

“We give you glory. God, you see me. Me, I am no fighting. We give you glory. God, you are teacher, you teach me.”

Yeah. He is good. He is moving here.

May we be as eager as these kids to adore Him!

Rachel VanGent

O come let us adore Him

CHRIST THE LORD

words simple

words profound

every Christmas singing

every Christmas playing

yet. never. have. I. fallen.

on. my. face.

when singing these words

sweet kindergartners so far away

with hearts earnest

with hearts sincere

worship the same baby Jesus

as all who love Him

the world wide

stars light the same sky

moonbeams gentle pierce the same dark

the Light was born so long ago

wrapped in cloths placed in a manger

angels singing "glory to God"

shepherds singing "O come let us adore"

that baby born to die so each

precious soul can live...

a more profound

story never told

precious kindergartners in Zambia

blessed with a precious young woman

who gets it

who loves Him beyond measure

who shares love beyond measure with precious souls

in a land far away

worshiping the One

who became one of us

the One we adore this Christmas

and always