Heaven Is The Face - Steven Curtis Chapman

I have always enjoyed the music by Steven Curtis Chapman and this song falls right into the same category; Great!  Heaven is the Face (singing on Life Today with James and Betty Robison) is a song written regarding the tragic death of his daughter.

On May 21, 2008, Steven's son, Will Franklin (16 at the time) was coming home from school from an audition.  The three youngest children (all adopted from China) were playing in the backyard on the playground equipment.  Maria wanted to play on the monkey bars but the sisters were not tall enough/strong enough to reach her up.  They saw their brother driving up the driveway and they told Maria to go ask him to get her up on the monkey bars.  See they had a special relationship and so being so excited she ran out to meet him.  Because she was so small he didn't see her as he turned the corner and as a result she was struck by the car which caused her death.

You will definitely need a Kleenex as you watch the following links.  The rest of the story is laid out here.  So tragic yet so so incredibly real, the Chapmans are.  God bless the Chapmans and everyone who has had to bury their babies.

Steven Curtis Chapman on Mike Huckabee - February 15, 2009
Maria Sue Chapman Memorial Service - May26, 2008

Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King - Part 1 September 13, 2008
Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King - Part 2 September 13, 2008
Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King - Part 3 September 13, 2008
Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King - Part 4 September 13, 2008
Steven Curtis Chapman on Larry King - Part 5 September 13, 2008
 
Steven Curtis Chapman Cinderella Music Video and Story - April 2, 2008
 
In Loving Memory of Maria Sue Chapman (2003-2008)
"Cinderalla" - Tribute to Marie Sue Chapman (2003-2008)

Josh Hamilton and the Rangers Make the Play-Offs

Back in February of this year I was blessed to meet Josh Hamilton and hear his testimony regarding his life, his struggles and his walk with Christ.
When the Rangers won their right to enter the play-offs in September, Josh Hamilton opted to avoid the "post-game" celebrations in the locker room as he is a recovering alcoholic and has purposed to keep his life clean by avoiding anything and any place that could cause him to stumble.  Here he is one of the best players on the team and he opts out of the festivities to keep a commitment to speak at an area church after the game.

Well, some of the player wanted to celebrate with water but he just felt he needed to avoid all the appearance of the alcohol and cigars so he could go communicate his message to the youth at this church event.

There was talk that the Rangers as a team wanted to include Josh Hamilton in the after-game festivities if they were to win the right to play for pennant.  Being a team sport, this past week, when the Rangers won that right to advance (the first time in 38 years) you knew the celebrations were going to be huge.  So what did the players decide to do?  They opted to not have alcohol involved in their celebration so that Josh could participate with them.  They used, Ginger-Ale and the party was incredible.  I LOVE this.  What a great team to honor one of their own and including him in all the celebrations.  Way to go Rangers!

Tonight the pennant race begins at 6:30 PM Central Time, here, on our home field.  Let's go Rangers!  Let's Go!

Struggling - GodTube

Struggling.  Wow, just the word alone probably is bringing a flood of scenarios to your mind.  All of us struggle.  Maybe we have struggled in the past or maybe we are struggling now.  If neither of these apply to your life at this moment than be assured you will struggle in the future.  It is the nature of life on this earth. We struggle.  We are in a fight.  The question is, what do you do with those things you struggle with?  Do you try to handle them on your own?  Do you ignore them?  Do you pretend they don't exist?  Well, none of these are really the answer to dealing with the things we struggle with.


Here is an incredible candid confession from a teenager who struggled with thoughts and labels put on him by others.  These thoughts were placed in his mind by words that were spoken over him as a child.  He was labeled.  The part I love the most in this testimony is toward the end of the clip when he says, "I said it".  He confessed his struggle to the Christian group he was in and he says that was the beginning of my healing.  (Note - we confess to people we can trust and NOT everyone we know, even if they are a Christian, are able to keep our confessions to themselves.)


The principle of confession is SO biblical and yet many of us don't do this beyond our salvation.  Confession you ask?  Yep!  Let me show you the power of confession in the Word.  Look at I John 1:9.  You know it.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  We do this for salvation, but do you do it after you have been saved?  Do you confess your sin or do you use cliches that is "all under the blood"?  Well, it is true our sin is washed away, but we need to confess it too.  What about the sins you commit after salvation?  What do we do with those?


How about James 5:16.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.  Seems to me that if more Christians were doing this fewer people would be calling us hypocrites.  We do like to hide our shortcomings in the river of forgiveness and yet, doesn't it clearly say here that we are to confess?


We all know that confession is the way to salvation and it absolutely is!  Remember in Romans 10:9...that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  And in Matthew 10:32 (Jesus speaking), "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven."  Similar to this is the verse found in Luke 12:8 (again Jesus speaking), "And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God." Finally there is Philippians 2:11 which says, that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
 There are more scriptures about confessing regarding Jesus acknowledging us before His father and that only the Spirit that is of God can confess that Jesus is from God.  See, there is power in confession.  It will set you free!  The beginning of the walk of Christian begins with confession.  We confess we are sinners and are in need of salvation but this is where the journey BEGINS.  We, as Christians, should live our lives confession.  It is how we get and stay free!  It keeps us humble and heals us.  Powerful principle, the act of confession.

Moving Forward - Free Chapel

Wherever you find yourself in life, it is time to shake off the old and move forward!  There are certainly MANY things today to get our eyes off the prize and our thoughts on the wrong meditations.

I just ministered to a dear young women who I love very much.  She is married and about to be a mother and she struggles with the need for her mother's approval and her new life in Christ that has moved her away from home and family.  She loves the Lord dearly and her and her husband are declaring the purposes and desires of the Word over their new home, new life and new direction.  See this new found love of the Lord and seeking HIS ways is causing a new direction to be established in her life.  This can bring conflict to the old things in our life.

As I was ministering to her, the Lord brought this song to my remembrance.  He is Moving Forward.  We need to be right with Him as He is doing this.  This may mean change comes to our plans, our lives, our desires, our will.  When I first heard this song I was reminded of the old life many have before finding Christ and how they have to turn from their way, their sin, their messes but today I saw this song in a new way.  Moving Forward is something ALL of us need regardless of our past and past sins.  See, we all are moving somewhere, but let's be sure that we are Moving Forward, closer to Him with each step, each decision, each day.

Take a minute, quite yourself.  Find a place where you can sit in His presence and listen to this song.   Crank it up and lay in daddy's lap.  Choose today to MOVE FORWARD in HIM because anything else is, well a miss.

Matthew 6:24-34 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).


Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?  And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life? [Ps. 39:5-7.]   And why should you be anxious about clothes? Consider the lilies of the field and learn thoroughly how they grow; they neither toil nor spin.  Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his magnificence (excellence, dignity, and grace) was not arrayed like one of these. [I Kings 10:4-7.]

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and green and tomorrow is tossed into the furnace, will He not much more surely clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry and be anxious, saying, What are we going to have to eat? or, What are we going to have to drink? or, What are we going to have to wear?  For the Gentiles (heathen) wish for and crave and diligently seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows well that you need them all.

But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.  So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Djaing - Dog Saying Grace

Djaingo (the dog) has more sense than many humans.  Very sweet the love this guy has for his dog.  Just too cute.

I do believe there is a lesson here for us as well.  Maybe you need to take a minute, like Djaingo, and stop and pray today.  It will change your day too!

Let My Words Be Few - Matt Redman

Every time I hear this song, I am moved to worship.  I can even find myself struggling to breath at times when I have heard this song.  Let My Words Be Few is such an anointed song and it tugs at the heart of worship.  There is NOTHING else, but Him.  Loving Him.  Knowing Him.  Serving Him.  Worshipping Him.

Think about it.  One day, that day, every knee WILL bend but see, I want to worship Him now as well as then.  I stand in awe of Him.  Don't you?  Do you understand what I am saying?  Do you know Him?  See, if you do know Him you will know exactly what I am talking about.  You can't know Him and not be changed.  He is awesome.  He brings me to that place of awe.  His Splendor.  His Wonder.  His Majesty.  He is simply WONDERFUL!

My children play this song on the piano and I can be across the house and I hear the first few notes and I am moved.  I instantly begin to worship.  I feel His call.  He wooing of me.  His Presence is calling.  Don't keep Him waiting.  He desires to know you and He is letting you find Him.

AWE:  Mixture of wonder and dread:  A feeling of amazement and respect mixed with fear that is often coupled with a feeling of personal insignificance or powerlessness.  Yep - that's it!

No Matter What - Kerrie Roberts

A friend shared this link with me today and I just had to post it here for the world to know.  If you are discouraged, abandoned, lonely, whatever situation you find yourself in, these words will build you up!   No Matter What we need to trust Him!

It is a choice to have victory.  No where in the Word are we allowed to be a victim.  CHOOSE to Worship.  Choose HIM!