Arms wide open, heart exposed

He had arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding.
Arms wide open, heart exposed
Arms wide open, He was bleeding, bleeding
Loves definition
Loves definition, was looking at me
Looking at Him. Hanging on a tree
I began to weep and weep and weep and weep
This is how I know what love is.

"Between the Promise and the Promised Land"

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

Deuteronomy 8:2

But I’ve also discovered the desert of waiting can be a fruitful place. Our key verse shows us that God used the desert time to test His followers’ hearts. This wasn’t to be a time of empty suffering. It was a time to demonstrate trust and obedience.

When we look at it that way, the desert can be a place of personal growth. But, this only happens when I choose to trust that God will fulfill His promises in His perfect way and time. The fruit of that choice is patience, discipline, obedience, an increased alertness to God’s involvement in my life, and a deeper dependence upon Him.

God gave the Israelites their Promised Land through a miraculous conquering of the city. But between the promise and the Promised Land there was a desert – for them and us. And that desert is fertile ground. The decision we all have to make is whether we will grow in faith and character, or negativity.

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Romans 4:20-21, “Yet he (Abraham) did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

we will probably never understand why we were hurt.

but forgiving is not having to understand.

understanding may come later,

in fragments,

an insight here and a glimpse there,

after forgiving.

but we are asking too much

if we want to understand everything

at the beginning.

-Lewis B. Smedes

"We make our new beginnings,

not where we used to be

or where we wish we could be,

but only where we are
and with what we have at hand."
-Lewis B. Smedes

Focusing on God

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,

and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen

tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever

hard things come up when the time comes.

Matthew 6:34

Henri Nouwen once wrote...

"Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to the place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick fix for it. As busy, active, relevant. . . [people] we want to earn our bread by making a real contribution. This means first and foremost doing something to show that our presence makes a difference. And so we ignore our greatest gift, which is our ability to enter into solidarity with those who suffer."

"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,

or what parable shall we use to describe it?

It is like a mustard seed,

which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.

Yet when planted,

it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants,

with such big branches

that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Mark 4:30-32

it's The Climb.

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes they knock me down but

No I'm not breaking

I may not know it

But these are the moments that

I'm going to remember most

Just keep going,

I gotta be strong

Just keep pushing..

Live Productively

bulletproof

he hears

he listens

he knows

i feel very invincible in this world tonight.

so un-acknowledged, so unknown.

is this what the psalmist felt?

anyone out there?

can anyone hear me?

let alone see me?

the depths of my soul longs to be understood.

the depths of my heart longs to be loved.

the depths of who i am just wants to be acknowledged.

that i am:

seen,

heard,

known,

understood

acknowledged,

and SO VERY LOVED!!!!!

God,

you see me right?

you're listening to me now?

you understand?

you know what i'm thinking

when the world goes about in its own business,

yet you take the time to stop in your tracks to take notice.

to hear out my soul

to hear my hearts cry,

listening to the words of my inner self.

you see the me within.

you know the me within.

and you love the me within,

you love me

you love me

you love me

so.

"By day the Lord directs his love,

at night his song is with me-

a prayer to the God of my life."
-Psalm 42:8

-Live Productively

knees to the earth

I'm just like everyone else

We are all hiding

Acting like I have a wealth

Of knowledge and peace

But all I've ever wanted

And what men have given their lives for

Is a God who understands my weaknesses

A God that I can love

You've done nothing but have compassion on us

So be near when I've given up, be near me