Thursday, August 2, 2012
Heart to His Heart: You Ain't No Outsider!
Heart to His Heart: You Ain't No Outsider!: You thought I forgot about this blog now, didn't ya? Well...you were right! :) Naturally, at 1:07am I decided to reminisce through my ol...
You Ain't No Outsider!
You thought I forgot about this blog now, didn't ya?
Well...you were right! :)
Naturally, at 1:07am I decided to reminisce through my old Facebook stuff, and saw a link for the blog! I was beyond excited when I remembered about it. I thought for a bit about what I would like to write about, and I came up with this:
At the beginning of this Summer, I worked at an incredible summer camp called Camp War Eagle. That place is anointed. Seriously! The Lord really rocked my world there.
While there, I felt like I was supposed to read the book of Ephesians.
I will be real with you here, I hadn't really read a whole lot of Ephesians in my lifespan. I probably should have, but I haven't. Which is why is was really strange why I suddenly wanted to read this book!
What I read changed my life.
Those who know me know that I tend to write, speak, and basically do anything in absolutes! But this calls for an absolute! Really, it absolutely changed my life. I think I may have found a passage of scripture that sums up the whole gospel. The whole message of Jesus.
Get ready for your world to be rocked by God.
"You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.
God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation.
Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home."
Ephesians 2:19-20 (The Message)
Wow.
I will give you a minutes to soak that in.
In fact, read it again if you would like.
My favorite part is when it says:
YOU ARE NO LONGER A OUTSIDER.
In other words...
YOU AIN'T NO OUTSIDER!
Isn't that incredible?
In Jesus, we are no longer outsiders.
We are now ALWAYS in on the inside scoop.
We are in his inner circle.
We can be his best friends.
I feel freed by the fact that it says,
"God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building."
No matter where you are in life, no matter what you have done, no matter where you have been, he can use you. He is building something big. He wants you. He wants me. He wants everyone.
He is placing us all in "brick by brick."
Jesus wants to use us all.
All of us have different strengths.
All of us have different purposes.
It's this simple; he loves all of us.
JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE.
He's the common ground.
Hillsong just came out with a new album called "Cornerstone"
It goes along well with this blog. Listen and be blessed.
Whoever is reading this blog, know this:
God is building a home.
He's inviting you in.
And he knows, you deserve the best!
Be Blessed,
LB STAR
Well...you were right! :)
Naturally, at 1:07am I decided to reminisce through my old Facebook stuff, and saw a link for the blog! I was beyond excited when I remembered about it. I thought for a bit about what I would like to write about, and I came up with this:
At the beginning of this Summer, I worked at an incredible summer camp called Camp War Eagle. That place is anointed. Seriously! The Lord really rocked my world there.
While there, I felt like I was supposed to read the book of Ephesians.
I will be real with you here, I hadn't really read a whole lot of Ephesians in my lifespan. I probably should have, but I haven't. Which is why is was really strange why I suddenly wanted to read this book!
What I read changed my life.
Those who know me know that I tend to write, speak, and basically do anything in absolutes! But this calls for an absolute! Really, it absolutely changed my life. I think I may have found a passage of scripture that sums up the whole gospel. The whole message of Jesus.
Get ready for your world to be rocked by God.
"You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.
God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation.
Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home."
Ephesians 2:19-20 (The Message)
Wow.
I will give you a minutes to soak that in.
In fact, read it again if you would like.
My favorite part is when it says:
YOU ARE NO LONGER A OUTSIDER.
In other words...
YOU AIN'T NO OUTSIDER!
Isn't that incredible?
In Jesus, we are no longer outsiders.
We are now ALWAYS in on the inside scoop.
We are in his inner circle.
We can be his best friends.
I feel freed by the fact that it says,
"God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building."
No matter where you are in life, no matter what you have done, no matter where you have been, he can use you. He is building something big. He wants you. He wants me. He wants everyone.
He is placing us all in "brick by brick."
Jesus wants to use us all.
All of us have different strengths.
All of us have different purposes.
It's this simple; he loves all of us.
JESUS IS THE CORNERSTONE.
He's the common ground.
Hillsong just came out with a new album called "Cornerstone"
It goes along well with this blog. Listen and be blessed.
Whoever is reading this blog, know this:
God is building a home.
He's inviting you in.
And he knows, you deserve the best!
Be Blessed,
LB STAR
Monday, April 2, 2012
He is the Potter
Hello all! I apologize for not blogging in awhile! This blog is very special because I have asked one of my best friends, Nicole, to share her heart and be our guest blogger. The Lord really placed something on her heart, so be blessed! :)
I would first like to say that Lauren Branz (LB Star) is one of the most fantastic girls I know. She is encouraging, beautiful, joyful, and kind and she is a phenomenal friend. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to write a little something for her blog! I’m honored. Truly.
With that honor has come a little pressure, I have to admit! I hope that you can be encouraged by this message.
I have found that the Lord speaks through me the most clearly through writing. When I physically write with pen on paper, it’s like He is talking through my pen. So when I was thinking of what to write for this blog that is what I did. I turned on some worship music and just wrote.
The song “Give Me Faith” by Elevation Worship began to play. Every other time I listened to this song I really only paid attention to the chorus. But this time the verse caught my attention. It says:
“I need You to soften my heart and break me apart. I need You to open my eyes and see that You’re shaping my life.”
When I heard these words I saw this picture of hands molding clay. I’m no artist or expert in pottery so I’m just going off memories of 8th grade art class. But from what I can recollect of making bowls and mugs in junior high, if I didn’t keep molding the clay it would dry up and be tough to re-shape. If I wanted to change the shape I would have to break up the clay and pretty much start over.
This is so much like our lives. The bible itself says in Isaiah 64:8, “…We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work or your hand.” Just like the clay I was working with in art class, the Lord has to constantly mold and shape us so we do not become hard. So that our hearts stay soft.
Sometimes we need broken apart. Our clay self needs softened. Or maybe even to be made new. When we are being broken, when the Lord is shaping us, it can be uncomfortable. He’s breaking us. In those times I pray that He opens your eyes to see the good that is happening. As the song puts it, “open my eyes and see that You’re shaping my life.”
It is so exciting to me that whether my clay self if broken, whole, shapeless, or cool-looking, it doesn’t matter because its in God’s hands and that is all that matters! Who cares what it looks like if the creator of the universe is holding it! Find comfort in the Lord holding you, forming you, giving you life.
Like James said, “Consider it pure joy when you face trials because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance!”
Allow God to soften your heart and break you apart. Give thanks in times of trial. You can’t prune a fruitless tree. So if you are being pruned, you must have been fruitful…in other words, you’re doing something right! But now you may need trimmed for the next season. And you have nothing to fear because you’re in His hands. Literally.
Be encouraged.
Nicole
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
There is POWER!
Wow! I apologize for not posting in SO LONG!
This has been an EXTREMELY busy season of my life, as I imagine it has been for many others! I have tried my very best to enjoy it to the fullest, as I encourage everybody that is reading this to do the same.
I thought for some time about what I would write about for this blog.
I think I have finally found something that I am really excited to write about.
So I am in this course called "New Testament" at my school.
At times, it can be difficult to understand, but the other day my professor said something that really rocked my world.
He was describing the Cross and it's significance to our lives. He even described how we have materialized it and turned it into a fashion statement or into trendy jewelry.
He also described the significance of the Cross in the Roman Empire when Jesus was crucified.
I don't remember word for word what he said, but the main point was that it was the greatest form of Roman power; it showed that nothing or nobody could compete with their rule.
However, when Jesus ROSE from the dead after being crucified...
He initially showed that even the most intense form of power had
NO POWER OVER HIM.
How encouraging is that?
Even the most terrible form of torture has
NO POWER OVER JESUS.
Be comforted in this today.
One of my favorite songs of all time is called
"Break Every Chain" sung by Jesus Culture.There is a verse in it that says,
"There is in the name of Jesus, to break every chain."
He has come to break every single one of your chains.
I will close with the passage of scripture from Psalms:
"Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!"
Psalms 107:13-16
Let him snap your prison bars like matchsticks today!
Blessings,
LB STAR
This has been an EXTREMELY busy season of my life, as I imagine it has been for many others! I have tried my very best to enjoy it to the fullest, as I encourage everybody that is reading this to do the same.
I thought for some time about what I would write about for this blog.
I think I have finally found something that I am really excited to write about.
So I am in this course called "New Testament" at my school.
At times, it can be difficult to understand, but the other day my professor said something that really rocked my world.
He was describing the Cross and it's significance to our lives. He even described how we have materialized it and turned it into a fashion statement or into trendy jewelry.
He also described the significance of the Cross in the Roman Empire when Jesus was crucified.
I don't remember word for word what he said, but the main point was that it was the greatest form of Roman power; it showed that nothing or nobody could compete with their rule.
However, when Jesus ROSE from the dead after being crucified...
He initially showed that even the most intense form of power had
NO POWER OVER HIM.
How encouraging is that?
Even the most terrible form of torture has
NO POWER OVER JESUS.
Be comforted in this today.
One of my favorite songs of all time is called
"Break Every Chain" sung by Jesus Culture.There is a verse in it that says,
"There is in the name of Jesus, to break every chain."
He has come to break every single one of your chains.
I will close with the passage of scripture from Psalms:
"Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
he got you out in the nick of time.
He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
he snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!"
Psalms 107:13-16
Let him snap your prison bars like matchsticks today!
Blessings,
LB STAR
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