L.I.F.E

Living on my own, thinking for myself

Castles in the sand, temporary wealth

Walls are falling down, storms are closing in

Tears have filled my eyes, here I am again

I was sure by now

God You would have reached down

And wiped our tears away

Stepped in and saved the day

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

I remember when

I stumbled in the wind

You heard my cry to you

And you raised me up again

My strength is almost gone

How can I carry on

If I can't find You

Is there hope for every man

A solid place where we can stand

In this dry and weary land

Is there hope for every man

Is there love that never dies

Is there peace in troubled times

Someone help me understand

Is there hope for every man

Seems there's just so many roads to travel, it's hard to tell where they will lead

My life is scarred and my dreams unraveled

Now I'm scared to take the leap

If I could find someone to follow who knows my pain and feels the weight

The uncertainty of my tomorrow, the guilt and pain of yesterday

Face Your Giants!

~ Fear disrupts faith and becomes the biggest obstacle
to trusting and obeying God ~

Llyod Ogilvie notes there are 366 "fear not" verses in the Bible - one for every day of the year, including one for leap year. Let not our fears be the reason for not stepping out of our comfort zone. May the song Voice of Truth by Casting Crowns be an encouragement to all. For full lyrics, click here.

But the giant's calling out
my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
time and time again
"Boy you'll never win,
you'll never win."

When your giant tells you, "You'll never win".. Remember that the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!" No matter how tough the situation, never give up because anything is possible with God.

With you all things are possible.
Like an eagle,i can soar,
With you the giants fall.
They rise no more.
With you i overcome,
When fear and faith collide,
There's nothing i cant do.
Anything is possible with you.

With You lyrics

~ When you take on a challenge, it builds the core of who you are, even if you don't perform flawlessly ~

*All songs taken from the movie Facing Your Giants (nice movie)*

Valentine's Day

Secular songs of romantic expressions abound on this day. For the Christian, a hymn about love is also appropriate for Valentine’s Day, and no sweeter expression of one’s love for Christ can be found than these anonymous lines from an early American folk hymn.

For the early Christians, February 14 was a special day. Tradition tells us that a man by the name of Valentine was a Christian doctor who went about doing good deeds wherever he could, in imitation of his Master. Valentine became a good friend and helper to the Christians, who were being persecuted by the cruel powers of the Roman Empire. It is believed that the good doctor was eventually imprisoned because of his loyalty to his fellow “followers of the Way.” After he was beheaded on February 14, that day was observed each year in Valentine’s honor by the early Christians.

As time went on, however, Valentine and his deeds of kindness were forgotten. Because February was near the beginning of spring, with its feelings of romance, the day became a secular holiday celebrating romantic love. Tokens of love and affection were given to sweethearts and friends, starting the custom that we still practice today.

Dr. Valentine gave his life for his fellow Christians because of his deep love for Christ. We too can express our love for the Savior with these simply stated yet profound words … “but how much I love Thee my actions will show.”

I love Thee, my Savior, I love Thee, my Lord;
I love Thee, my Savior, I love Thee, my God:
I love Thee, I love Thee, and that Thou dost know;
but how much I love Thee my actions will show.

O Jesus my Savior, with Thee I am blest,
my life and salvation, my joy and my rest:
Thy name be my theme, and Thy love be my song;
Thy grace shall inspire both my heart and my tongue.

Oh who’s like my Savior? He’s heaven’s bright king;
He smiles and He loves me and helps me to sing:
I’ll praise Him, I’ll praise Him with notes loud and clear;
while rivers of pleasure my spirit shall cheer.

Rick Warren says...

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than l life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

A portion of what Rick Warren shared during his interview with Paul Bradshaw. Find it really interesting and just want to share it as well. It spoke to me and may it speaks to you too.