Hey Y’all!

I find that it’s always a hard balance to know when to talk about something fun and light on here and when to approach the heavy and hard things. Especially right now because I am hyperaware of what is occurring around the world and in our hometowns and it is dark. So much evil. So many unknowns. So much fear. So much sadness. It’s just been one of those weeks in the news, you know? I find the news very hard to watch, but I also don’t want to be naive. The way I see it is the more I know, the better I know how to pray, even though I’m still  more often than not at a loss for words. I’m asking the Lord to strengthen us, protect us, deliver us, have compassion on the oppressed, the afflicted, rebuild the ruins, bring light to the darkness and all the other words my heart cannot come up with. My prayers groan alongside the groans of the earth, of His people. Before I ever uttered one silly word, I did want to acknowledge the terror, the injustice and the hurt that is all around us. Lord, be near! Come soon!

Whew.

Now I’m going to try and make the awkward transition of talking about…gelato.

Yes. Gelato.

Why?

Because I’ve been ruined for anything else. And by anything else I mean any other ice cream. And while I realize gelato is not the same as ice cream, I still don’t know the difference between the two. After all, both of them have the essentials such as milk and lots and lots of sugar.

My palate is pretty consistent when it comes to ice cream and without fail, every time, I head for Blue Bell. Bless you people who don’t live in Texas but have Blue Bell delivered to your home state. You are blessed and highly favored. Recently, though, I’ve skipped Blue Bell all together and gone straight for this: Talenti Gelato. And more specifically, Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup.

Y’all. I cannot be trusted with even a pint. It’s sinful. If I’m not careful, I can eat the entire thing in one sitting. In fact, usually I leave about a 1/4 to put back in the freezer just to make me feel better about life and my indulgence. And lest you think a pint is not big deal, I promise you that if I told you how many calories were in this one pint your mind would be blown. Let’s just say it hits four digits!

Consider this your PSA. Every now and then in the midst of turmoil and chaos, it’s good to sit down with a pint of gelato. And if you’ve not tried it, please do yourself a favor and get your hands on some. Ladies, since I’ve shared my secret weapon as of late, please feel free to tell me if I’m missing out on anything else!

Also, in other random news, I got home the other day, checked the mail and found a handwritten letter in the mail from a loved one. Can I just say that I hope handwritten letters never, ever go out of style? Do you feel that passionate about certain things you’re afraid might go extinct? I’m just here to encourage us to go postal occasionally. Let’s keep the forever stamp in business.

Y’all are the best. Thank you for always putting up with my random thoughts.

Have a happy Thursday!

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This morning I slipped out of bed before my alarm went off so that I wouldn’t awaken Keith. I’d slept much later than usual because I’d had a full weekend of taping sessions at Life Today for Wednesdays in the Word. Our church also has an 11:00 AM worship service slot which is a glorious grace for people who work many Friday nights and Saturdays and need a little sabbath in the worst way. I had my prayer time and several cups of thick dark coffee in the regular spot where Jesus and I meet on mornings when no one is up in my house but me. If Keith is awake, I move to my library to finish out but, if he’s sound asleep, I stick a little closer to the coffee pot. It saves considerable pacing.

Half an hour in, I glanced at the clock and knew I’d better get moving toward the shower or we weren’t going to get there in time to fellowship at all before the service started. Something is always missing in my Sunday when that happens. I don’t go to church for the service alone unless I’m in too much distress to want to talk to anybody. In that case, I might go in late and leave early, as much as I hate to admit it. But far more normally, second to participating in worship and the Word, I go with full intention to be with a family of believers equally frail and human but also pursuing a life of faith. I give and get hugs. I get and give words of encouragement. I pray for people and people pray for me. Sometimes my own daughter will lean over in the part of our service dedicated to prayer and whisper intercession in my ear.

This holy give and take. A community cannot exist without communing.  Church has never just been limited to a service for me. Nor has it been limited to Sundays.

 

But back to this morning. I didn’t want to be late so I stacked up the Bible I use for my morning devotionals, my journal, and my iPad and headed into my library to set them back on my desk. As I put them down, I hesitated for a moment before turning toward my bedroom. I knew I still had something on my heart that I had not brought to the Lord. When I finish my prayer time, the goal for me is that my heart would be poured out before Jesus in praises, confessions, intercessions, and concerns and then filled back up by Him with His own Holy Spirit.

 

Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

 

Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18

 

I pour out, He pours in.

That’s our deal.

 

Just minutes before in the kitchen with my Bible open, I’d talked around the thing that was on my heart but I’d not voiced it the way I really felt it. I had questions about it that I hadn’t exactly asked. Maybe I hadn’t asked them because I’d not really expected an answer. Or maybe I hadn’t asked them because I was uncomfortable being that raw. By raw I don’t just mean honest. Good grief, I hope to heaven that I approach God in prayer with honesty this many years into our relationship after the places we’ve been together. I don’t think I’m exaggerating to say that, if He hadn’t insisted that I learn to be honest with Him about my true estate, I’d probably be dead by now.

I’m pausing to stare at that statement to see if it really rings true in my spirit.

Yeah. I think my body would be cold and in the ground by now. I was headed for a full fledged implosion.

 

To me, raw doesn’t just mean honest. It means not having to think carefully about how I’m going to word it. Not having to frame it in godly terms. After all, I want to be godly. God help me, I want to be godly. But it’s hard to be godly with a lot of junk stored up in your heart.

 

Raw means, “This is the deal right here. This is how I feel. And why is it that…? What on earth is…?”

Raw means going ahead and putting out there how I really feel about something down deep, even if it sounds selfish or small.

Even if it makes me sound pathetic. He can see my heart anyway. And sometimes it is pathetic.

I glanced over at the gorgeous kneeling bench the prayer team at Tuesday night Bible study had given me and I walked over to it and knelt down on it.

Right there I pulled out that pine cone that was still down there pricking and sticking and crowding my heart and set it out before God, all jagged and bloody on the edges. Right there I brought my questions.

 

August temperatures in Houston are oppressively warm and the air is damp and wet even in the morning. Keith Moore likes his house cold and, if he didn’t, I would. The combination of competing temperatures in a humid climate means that every window this time of year is thickly layered in condensation until the sun comes up and burns it off. You have to go outside around here if you want an unhindered view of the dawn.

As I knelt on that bench, everything was a fog out that window especially with my forehead pressed to the glass. But, as I prayed for just those few moments, my eyes adjusted to one slender streak left by a heavy drop. Just one tear of clarity.

And somehow, it was enough. At least for today.

I didn’t get up off that bench with clear answers to my questions but I got up with something else. I rose from my knees with the sense in my heart that I’d been heard. That the questions were not inappropriate. That the matter was not irrelevant. And that, even if it communicated my flawed and small self, what better place to have exposed it?

Then I went to church and worshiped freely because all that had troubled my heart was out on the table before God and I was hiding nothing from Him. I fought tears for most of the service because I felt close to Him and not because I’d been godly but because I’d just gotten to be raw. And it had been okay.

I am struggling with some things and He knows it and not just from reading my mind but from hearing my mouth. Let’s just go ahead and admit it. There is relief in that.

I don’t know why some things are the way they are. It doesn’t change them to admit my bewilderment but it clears the air somehow.

Hostility grows where things are left simmering and unsaid. What I needed to say to Jesus this morning wasn’t about Him but its only safe place was with Him.

Go ahead, Sister. Trust Him with that thing. Go find a place to kneel and say it. Say it in humility but say it with complete honestly.

And I pray that, though the window’s still wet and blurred by the heat, you will open your eyes and there it will be.

One slender streak of clarity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I’m often asked how many times a year I get to see my extended family in Colorado. Usually we tend to see each other at least once, and if I’m lucky, two times, once in the summer and then occasionally for a holiday. When you grow up living over 1,000 miles from the rest of your family, you don’t know any different. I never had the pleasure of getting to see my grandparent’s or cousins for every holiday, nor were we the ones to just pop over to each other’s houses, but because I didn’t know any different, I never felt like I was really missing out. Thankfully, growing up we were able to spend a more extended amount of time in Colorado each summer since school was out. It was common that we’d fly up with our mom, and then about halfway through the trip dad would meet us there when he had time off work. It just worked that way. Of course, as we got older our summers got shorter, work got in the way, family vacations got smaller and farther apart, because, well, grown up life is different than the beloved carefree elementary years.

All that to say, this past Sunday evening I returned home from a nine-day vacation in Colorado with my family. If nine days sounds long to you, well, it does to me, too! It’s the longest amount of time I’ve spent of there in probably ten years.

When the 2014 LPL schedule came out and Denver had made the cut, I thought briefly about possibly attending with my family, but then completely forgot all about it. Mind you, the schedule was released in 2013, so it was still really off my radar. About three months ago my grandmother sent me an email regarding LPL in Denver that her friend had told her about, and that “if I could possibly go she might attend with me.” A few months of planning, a couple of airline tickets and a handful of conference wrist bands later, I found myself in Denver Colorado sitting on the same row as all of the women in my family. It was a summer miracle, and the kick off of a week in the mountains! The ten of us had a sweet time at LPL. I don’t know if we’ll ever get that opportunity again, so I’m grateful to God for allowing us that brief weekend together.

The women in my family. (Sorry for the multiple shadows.)

And this sums up our weekend together.

The next day, we headed up with my mom’s side of the family to Breckenridge for the week. If you’re an avid skier but have never visited the mountains in the summer, you are missing some deep refreshment. I am equal parts beach girl and mountain girl. I love it all! But, the contrast of the lime green trees and deep blue mountains is unmatched. Not to mention the breath of fresh, crisp air you can only get from the north during the summer. We spent six days resting, reading, hiking, swimming, eating, playing games, laughing, riding the gondola, and being stunned by creation. Beauty right alongside the challenge to keep ten people happy for an extended amount of time. Grin.

Here are a few of my pictures from the week. It honestly was rainy and chilly the majority of our stay there, but when it wasn’t raining, you can bet we were outside enjoying every moment we could. And if you’re not one for photo journalism, feel free to scroll to the end. Grin.

The sunset our first evening there.

The view from our hike the second day was literally breathtaking.

I have found if you keep going, despite the effort it takes to get the top, it’s usually worth it.

On our way down the mountain after our hike, the Lord sent us a moose sighting. Unreal.

And here are a few shots of the little town of Breckenridge.

One morning before the storms came, I made my way downtown to find some local iced coffee, and planted myself near a stream with this view to read. It was heavenly.

This was our last day heading up the mountain on the Super Chair. Soaring over the Evergreen trees on a 10,000 foot high mountain makes you feel really, really tiny in the best way possible.

Cousins that vacation together stay together. Or something like that. Grin.

In my happy place.

Because of the abnormally chilly weather, it was usually cloudy and rainy at sunset, except our first and last evening there. But it was worth the wait.

Until next time, Breck…

Being away also explains why this blog has been so quiet the past week or so. The same week I was gone on vacation, Beth was out as well. Summers are typically crazy for most everyone anyway, but thank you for being patient with us as it has been quieter than usual around here on the Blog. However, you are never off our minds. In fact, I was delighted to meet a handful of you in Denver. I was just telling someone recently that meeting you all in real life makes it all the more real to me. It’s easy to believe the lie that I’m just talking to a screen instead of real live people on the other side of the computer screen. So it’s nice to get to hug some of your necks!

I imagine some of you have been putting your kiddos on the school bus this week for their first week of school! Am I correct assuming that? Either way, summer as we know it is coming to a quick end. (Though we in Houston will still experience summer like temps well into early October.) I’d love to hear from any of you (singles and families alike), that got to take a vacation this summer. Any places I desperately need to know about before I plan my next trip? (I have no idea when that will be, but I always enjoy thinking about traveling. Grin.) Any surprises on your journey? Like a moose?

Y’all are the best.

Happy Wednesday!

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Wow, friends! It’s our last gathering for our Siesta Summer Bible Study 2014! Thank you so much for allowing me to serve you this summer! I am so proud of you for hanging in there and pursuing God through His Word in tailspins of activity and swirls of people. Listen, don’t you dare get discouraged if you were unable to finish in eight weeks. Keep at it and see it to a conclusion even if you don’t get to the last page until October! God will time the themes of the lessons to match your challenges. He is so faithful.

 

I hope you are able to view the video but, if not, you’ll find the basic instructions for your discussions and comments below this screen.

SSBS Session 5 COTD from LPV on Vimeo.

 

Discussion from Week Seven: (To Love the Truth)

1. In your small group or in your comment to the post, review Day 4, “A Strong Delusion”. How can God use darkness when we refuse the light? Was the lesson any help at all in sorting out some difficult concepts?

2. Pages 180-181 – Choose one of those three sections that hit you the most personally and discuss why. For instance, have you experienced a sifting season? Or a thorn in the flesh? Share something you filled in on pgs. 180-181.

 

From Week Eight: (The Lord of Peace)

Pg. 205 – Reread Romans 16:20.

1. Day Four: Discuss why you will be especially happy for that day to come.  How do you truly owe the enemy one? What do you hope to make him sorry for?

2. Pg. 209 – Did you happen to write your own word picture of grace? If so, share it.

3. Lastly, if you have one primary thing you believe this eight week series has been about between you and Jesus, what would it be?

 

Bless you, Sister! I love you and appreciate you so much! Let’s stay in the Word and hold tight to Jesus! I love this portion of Ephesians 6 out of The Message. It’s a perfect wrap up to our series:

 

“God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels. Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.” Ephesians 6:10-13 (The Message)

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Thank you, David Lowe, for this excellent recap! And Happy Monday to you all! Let us hear from you if you were in Denver this weekend. I have a feeling it was a powerful weekend!

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“For this is what the master, the LORD, the Holy One of Israel says: “If you repented and patiently waited for me, you would be delivered; if you calmly trusted in me you would find strength, but you are unwilling.” Isaiah 30:15

“How are you doing?” my sweet friend asked me a couple days ago. In that setting and at that moment I knew she was asking in a genuine, tell-me-how-you-really-are kind of way. Within two seconds my guard came down and I shared my heart with her.

I began to tell her that not too many days before that, I had shed some tears over all the emotions running through me and in that moment, though all I wanted to do was text or call my closest friends, instead, I talked everything out with Jesus and it was good. It was one of those moments that I knew turning to anything else but Him would have been worthless and nothing anyone would have said would have been helpful. It wasn’t a self-pity moment; it was an honest, this-is-where-I’m-at-Lord conversation that was passed its due date. Thankfully, our emotions don’t define our relationship with Christ, but they are a part of our relationship with Him.

Looking back, I think He just wanted me for Himself.

I confessed to her that for no good reason, I’ve apparently lost my ability to write anything the past few months. That the thought of writing a blog post is nearly daunting and the little blue “W” icon at the bottom of my computer stares blankly at me all day long. That every time I start clicking on the keyboard, I get a few paragraphs in and end up trashing the whole thing because it’s just not good, or helpful, for lack of a better word.

Looking back, I think He just wanted me for Himself.

I shared with her that for the first time ever in my life, as I’m discerning who I can trust with the secrets of my heart, I’ve kept my mouth shut. That somewhere along the way I’ve seemed to have lost all communication capabilities that include both small talk and deep talk and that’s a quandary for someone who is usually an open book.

Looking back, I think He just wanted me for Himself.

I admitted to her that it has been a disheartening season, somewhat lonely, and I don’t know how to communicate that to someone without sounding like a Debbie Downer, but it’s my reality. That sometimes (ahem, most times) in ministry you don’t have it all together but somewhere along the way I’ve believed the lie that people expect you to have it all together. When in reality, people relate to your messiness, not your perfection.

Looking back, I think He just wanted me for Himself.

In the middle of the conversation the word silent struck a chord and I realized that’s exactly the season I’ve been in. A quiet season. Me and Jesus. And you know what? That’s okay. While our temptation is to flee the seasons we loathe, sometimes even the ability to put vocabulary to our seasons helps us to be content while moving us a step forward.

In my own life, and maybe I’m not alone, I’m really good at multi-tasking. I can pour out my heart to both God and man and I enjoy doing both. But over and over again we’re told to pour out our hearts to God, for HE is our refuge, not man. Somewhere along the way I’ve adopted the idea that as I’m waiting on God, I feel that sharing my heart to others will fix it; that in striving for someone to just hear me, all will be well, but it’s in resting in the shadow of the Almighty, in quietly whispering to Him my innermost thoughts that He renews me. Often living in the shadow means that you’re out of sight; and in our flesh we equate out of sight with out of mind, but that’s a lie. Because you and I are safest in His shadow, in quietly waiting on Him, because sister, I can guarantee that you and I are never off of His mind.

Maybe our most profound seasons looking back will be the one’s where it was just you and Jesus, just me and Jesus, because those are the seasons He’s doing a new thing. Those are the intimate seasons no one can take from you. It’s those seasons that you couldn’t explain to someone if you tried. Though we may looked detached, we are more attached to our Creator than ever, and there is joy!

Like my friend shared with me that evening, “Sometimes if we’re seeking and asking the Lord to speak to us and He appears to be quiet, it may be because He just wants to be with us.”

And if I’m learning one thing right now, it’s learning to calmly trust Him.

Looking back I can see clearly now, He’s wanted me for Himself.

And it is well with me.

“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62: 1-2, 5-8

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Hey Ladies! And Happy Monday from LPM! We hope you had a most excellent, refreshing weekend.

This coming weekend we have LPL in Denver, Colorado and just this morning, Beth gave us a tiny glimpse into her message and needless to say, my mind is spinning. Are any of you planning on going this weekend? I’ll be praying for you and can’t wait to see and hear all the Lord does!

In keeping with our new initiative, we have some tickets set aside and available for you to give to some friends you might want to invite to an LPL event. They might not even attend church, or know Jesus as Savior;  they might be new to faith, or simply less discipled in the Word. Listen, if the Lord puts someone on your heart that might be interested and blessed by going, by all means call them up and invite them. You never know what kind of investment you’re making in their life!

If you have someone in mind that can attend with you, or if someone told you about free tickets and pointed you to our blog, or if you stumbled across this blog and don’t know why, just call and ask for Kimberly here at the ministry and she will get you set up: 1-888-700-1999. (Not 800.)

Oh, that our people would taste and see that Jesus is good; that they would be willing to enter in even if just for 24 hours to hear that Jesus DOES exist, HE IS the Savior, and He is LIFE!  If while inviting a friend you need a ticket yourself, we want to gift you a ticket also.

Y’all are dear to us.

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Hi Siestas!

I love you girls and am so thankful for you. I just saw a whole room full of you right after Living Proof Live Lubbock and you are the cutest things I’ve ever seen. What an honor to serve you.

We are sailing through our study! I’m praying that you are able to carve out time for your homework and that whatever you are able to accomplish is speaking clearly and personally to you. His Word does not return to us empty. My biggest hope is that you have a deep sense of walking out these eight weeks side-by-side with Jesus. That is everything. That is the goal.

2014 Siesta Summer Bible Study Session 4 from LPV on Vimeo.

Can you believe that we are already at our fourth gathering? Only one more to go and we’re finished! Here are the bare bones of your instructions in case you are unable to view the video:

 

Today, for our small group discussions and solo responses, get out your workbook with me and turn to pages 120 and page 121 for discussion from Week 5.  At the bottom of page 120, I just love Eugene Peterson’s translation of I Thessalonians 5:4-8 from The Message. You would have read in your homework:

But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

With that in mind, glance at the question in the middle of page 121. Your discussion question from Week 5:

• What one event in your life shook you to your most awakened state?

If you’re willing and it’s not too painful to share, please tell us about it.  If you feel a little lulled to sleep in this present season, then discuss that.  Talk about a way that you really need the Lord to awaken you with His Spirit to His Word and to His presence and His activity in your proximity.
Our discussion for Week 6 takes place on pages 142-143.  I’m so anxious to hear from you about this week of study because it’s all about mobilized ministry. I am hoping that you have written your name in the blank in the statement on the middle of page 142. You have a God-ordained ministry, Sister!

 

Notice the words on page 143: No one else can fulfill your calling. Other people can do what you’ve been called to do, but they cannot be you doing it. Maybe you know someone with the exact same gift mix. Fabulous! Be great friends with them and rejoice in the camaraderie, but keep in mind that each of you bring something unique to the mix. They cannot be you! And you cannot be them!

• Did you get any insight in your calling for this season? If so, what? Share that in your comment to this post, and with your small group if you’re taking part in one.

•  What do you look like when you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? (page 145)  What do you want to do most when you’re filled with that holy fire?

 

I can’t wait to read many of your comments! I love to see women step further into their God-ordained callings.

 

Now for our memory verses!

Memory Verse for Week 7:
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (ESV) – Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

 

Memory Verse for Week 8:
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV)- But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

 

So your homework for this next few weeks is to finish up the final two weeks of study, Weeks 7 & 8!  Our video greeting next time will be our wrap up!  Get after it!

 

I’m nuts about you.

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Good afternoon, ladies! I usually try to have the recap up before noon, if possible, but this morning we were caught off-guard by a special delivery that arrived to the office.

You see, Friday evening Beth was greeted in Lubbock, Texas with what she would call the salsa of her life. Salsa, as in the yummy goodness you dip your chip in, not the dance.  She spoke out about it on Twitter and nearly announced that she’d marry it, if that were possible. We Texans are a little passionate about chips and salsa, in case you were wondering.

See tweet on Exhibit A:

She was so passionate about said salsa, that she introduced it to the ladies attending the LPL.

Fast forward to this morning when we had a visitor ring the doorbell at the office. As usual, my coworker Kimberly went to see who was here when she was greeted by a man with a lot of boxes. At this point, sitting in my second-floor office, all I hear is the word, “SALSA!” loudly exclaimed!

To those of us who didn’t attend the conference (which was all our Staff), we were a little confused until this man told us that he was delivering salsa to us as a gift to Beth for making such a big deal out it. He was the salsa angel! And low and behold, it was HIS salsa. He stopped by LPM on his way to make a delivery at our neighborhood HEB!

Exhibit B: Salsa Delivery Man!

Needless to say, this very day, we enjoyed some chips and salsa alongside our lunch. And we are ever so grateful.

Moral of the story: You never know what might show up at the Living Proof offices. Next time I want something in bulk, I might just have Beth tweet about it. Of course, I’m only kidding. Grin.

And last but certainly not least, here is this weekend’s recap. It is an excellent visual of, I’m sure, an even more Spirit-filled weekend.

Living Proof Live | Lubbock from LifeWay Women on Vimeo.

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While I haven’t personally taken any punches to the gut this week, nearly everyday I’ve heard from certain friends who are just going through it, you know what I mean? We all have those days and weeks, and quite frankly, we do everything in our might to avoid pain, conflict and hurt, but at the end of the day, we’re still humans living in a fallen world and though we strive for perfection, we’ll never attain it here on earth.

It’s hard to form the right words when you really don’t know what to say, which is why I appreciate music so much. So often I’m at a loss for how to articulate what I’m feeling when boom, I hear a song that could make me weep because it so resonates. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the kind of person that throws a song at somebody the minute something goes awry. Not in the least.  But you better believe sometimes I get back in my car and turn on said song and pray it over my friends, and myself, too.

That happened as recently as yesterday.

I got in my car and turned on Bethel’s newest version of It Is Well. In case you were curious, yes, it is a version of the hymn It Is Well, which I am sure many of you know so well.

But if you’ve not heard it, please allow me to share the lyrics with you.

Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard



Through it all, through it all

My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me



Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can’t see
And this mountain that’s in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea



So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name 



It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul

It would be worth $1.29 on iTunes to purchase.

At times, life is not without pain. But the beauty is that the pain is not without purpose, even if we keep trying to make sense of it and we can’t. Even if we can’t see what in the world He is doing. That’s when we remember that even the winds and waves know His name. He sees our brokenness. He knows our hearts.

I have no idea what kind of season you are walking through right now. It could be full of joy. It could be full of unknowns. It could be full of pain. It could be full or laughter. It could be full of tears. I don’t know, but the God of the universe does know. And one thing is for sure: it is full of purpose.

Know this weekend that you are dearly loved by God, my Sister.

“Heart-shattered lives ready for love don’t for a moment escape God’s notice.” Psalm 51:17

“If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.” Psalm 34:18

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