If you do not know Cece Winans, let me have the privledge of introducing you.  I first found Cece Winans many years ago when her Throne Room album was released.  When I would be rambling around in the van, kids yelling, groceries flying and me driving, I would grab that CD and DECOMPRESS!  Cece’s songs gave me the soothing message of Christ I needed but her amazing voice would rinse the tension out of my body.  It took me the longest time this morning to pick which Cece Winans song to share…I love so many.  So I picked a favorite of mine We Thirst for You.

Pleaase take a moment to relax and enjoy the gift of Cece Winans singing to our Lord…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmohF9HW6Ec

“One of the first rules of spiritual guidance is to assume that we could be wrong… It’s not a sign of weakness to look for confirmation.  It is often a good idea, in fact, to get a prayer partner or call a pastor, who can validate your sense of God’s will as you inquire of the Lord.”

As a young child, my daughter, Heidi was a good snuggler.  When I held her on my hip, it was like she molded into my side.  Sometimes she would cling to me with all her might but usually we would just walk around together with neither one of us even using our hands to hold on.   I could cook a meal, start the laundry, or vacuum the floor and there she would sit, perfectly attached to my side.  My Grandma used to say “Put that child down or she’ll never learn to walk,” but I didn’t care.  I carried Heidi everywhere.  As long as she was right by my side, I never worried about her wandering off or getting hurt.    Snuggled in my arms, I knew she was safe.  She certainly seemed to know she was safe too.

But not everyone is a good snuggler.  Some kids are so active, they give you a good hug but the next minute they’re ready to get down.  Other kids feel like dead weight in your arms.  Carrying them feels like you’re carrying a box of books instead of a cuddly child.  And of course there are the kids that do not want to be held under any circumstances.  They push against you when you hold them making their desire to escape painfully clear.  It’s sad really.  Because you know that every child could use a good snuggle.

Of course, the true master of the good snuggle is God.   God wants to do more than carry you through life.  He wants for you to fall into His loving arms and mold yourself into Him until you are a perfect fit.  James 4:8 says “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”  In this verse the word “draw” means to “join one thing to another”.   God does not want to shake hands with you or give you a pat on the back.  God wants you to fold yourself into His loving arms until you are completely joined together. 

Despite the sweetness of falling into God’s loving embrace, we’ve all been tempted to break away.  Are there’s still times you give God a quick hug, then hurry on your way?  Or do you sometimes sit in God’s arms like a box of books unwilling to draw close.  Painfully, we’ve each taken our turn pushing God away when we so desperately needed to draw deeper into His loving arms.  Leaving God’s embrace can bring feelings of excitement, independence, or determination but do we feel safe?  No.  True safety only comes from the arms of God.

Some of my sweetest memories of being a mom is of carrying Heidi.  I’ve no doubt that God has sweet thoughts of you as you slowly nestled down into His arms.  Can you imagine resting your head upon His shoulder and folding yourself into His embrace?  Draw near to God, my friend, and He will draw near to you.

Do you know a good snuggler?  What’s the best part of drawing closer to God?  Love to hear you comments…

Her Abundant Joy is Lyn Cote’s latest historical novel and the third in the Star of Destiny Series.  Lyn writes thought provoking novels that engage the readers in vibrant characters, provocative plots and before you know it, you’re learning about our nations history.  Each novel in the series is focused on a new generation so it’s easy to see the complexities found in Texas’ path to statehood.

I love a good romance but Her Abundant Joy offers endearing romance but a whole lot more.  It’s a a fun read for a person that prefers novels with depth and substance.

What type of novels do you enjoy most?  Love to hear your comments…

Find out more about Lyn’s novels: http://www.booksbylyncote.com/index.html

On my 16th birthday my best friend gave me a plaque that showed Psalm 46:10 “Be still and Know that I am God.”  It hurt my feelings.  I lived each day in such a whirlwind of emotion, I couldn’t see my desperate need for stillness. 

Stillness with God is so sweet yet too often beyond me.  Storyside B’s song Be Still really resonates to me about my own search for stillness.  I learned about stillness much like the author of this song- with “my face down upon the floor.”  Read these great lyrics:

when I feel like caving in
my heart my soul is wearing thin
I just want to give up
nothing seems at all to add up
can you hear me Lord?
my face is down upon the floor
its then you whisper in my ear
be still and know I’m here
Have you ever prayed, face down, sucking carpet fibers into your face?  The type of prayer when there’s no where else to turn but to God?    That’s one place I have found God’s stillness.

The good news is that with every decade I am more still.  Believe me, no one would ever confuse me with a calm person but by the time I hit 70 or 80 I might start looking relaxed.

Take a listen and just let this song wash over you…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSGxxi_X5Q&feature=related

“We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end,a desired goal; He is not…What we call purpose, He calls end.  … His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future.  If I can stay in the middle of the turmoil calm and unperplexed, that is the end of the purpose of God.  His purpose is for this minute, not for something in the future.”

Do You Feel by Rocket Summer is one of those feel good songs that makes you stop and think.  Best of both worlds.  Bryce Avary is an incredible musician and songwriter.  He has the talent of touching a chord inside the listener not only with his musicality but with the message in his songs.  In Do You Feel, Bryce pushes us to go beyond our own “Things” and feel the sorrow of the world around us.  He says it better than I can:

Do you feel
The weight of the world singing sorrow
Or to you is it just not real
Cause you got your own things
Yeah we all have our things I guess

The video really hits it mark making us look at our own “things.”  Give it a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrP9SrMJ00c

Have you every finished a book and known that it will stay with you for a while?  Lisa Samson’s brand new book  Resurrection in May is  definitely one of those books. 

 Lisa Samson writes about renewal and rebirth but in the middle of each of her books I find myself thinking “no way this is going to turn out good.”  But through the subtle movement of God working through the hearts of His people, there comes rebirth.  And the thing is, the characters in her books, that get themselves into such messes…they are all people we know.  In this case it’s a misguided partying college girl and a lonely, older man.  By the end of this book you will redefine what rebirth really means.  A powerful read.

Find out more about Lisa Samson at http://lisasamson.typepad.com/

“In one of the tragic ironies of the twentieth century, feminist never fought for women to be more feminine…Instead of celebrating what it means to be a woman, to be feminine, to be an empowered female, they fought for women to act and be treated more like men.”

OR in the words of the illustrious Rogers and Hammerstein “I enjoy being a girl!”

Did the feminist movement give you permission to be feminine?  Love to hear your comments…

In the land of the free and the home of the brave, jury duty is a fact of life.  Everyone thinks juries are a good idea but most people don’t want to be on one.  Jury duty usually finds us hoping the “other guy” will be chosen for the jury and we just get to go home.  After all, there are plenty of people that can serve on a jury and do a great job.  Why do you have to be the one chosen?  What about that “other guy?”

For most people, it’s easy to live life with great expectations for the “other guy.”  Like jury duty, everyone agrees that something needs to be done.  The question is who should do it?  All around us are people in need of comfort, companionship, and reassurance.  One look at our calendars, our energy levels and our to-do-lists and we’re confident than the “other guy” should be chosen to take care of the problem instead of us.  Sometimes we convince ourselves that God has someone else in mind for the job too.  Excuses come easily to mind: “God wants me to focus on my kids, or on my job,  or my parents or my future.  He’ll find some “other guy” to fix that problem. “  

The truth is God has eliminated the whole concept of the “other guy.”  There are no “other guys” in God’s family.  As believers, each of us are chosen to reach out to hurting people with the love of Christ.  There is no hoping that God will pick the “other guy”; God has picked you. 

So what has God picked you to do for hurting people?  Colossians 3:12 says it beautifully:“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”   On the surface, this doesn’t sound so difficult.  Showing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience really sounds like just being nice.  But you are chosen by God to be more than just nice.  God wants you to spend each day being compassionate to the hurting, kind to the difficult, humble to the arrogant, gentle to the aggressive and patient to the infuriating.  Accepting this path that God has chosen for you leads to a life engaged-truly engaged-in the world around you.  God wants you to engage with hurting people so much that everyone can see you are different…everyone can see you are chosen.

God’s dream for you is not a mediocre life avoiding responsibility.  God chooses each of us to touch others lives deeply and significantly.  Choose to reach out to the co-worker that lost a parent or the neighbor that lost a job.  Choose to walk away from gossips and walk into a church.  Choose to turn off the TV and turn on your gifts to help others. 

Life is not a giant jury call, waiting to see if you’ll be chosen by God to impact your world.  You’ve been chosen; you’ve been called.  The next time you think “Someone should do something about that,” take the time to ask God whether that someone is you.  His answer might surprise you.

Do you feel you are waiting to be chosen by God?  Are there people  God chose you to reach out to but you didn’t?   What’s it like to do JUST the thing God has chosen you to do?  LOVE to hear your comments…