Worthy Is The Lamb - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

A friend of mine posted this video a while back saying she thought this is what it would be like in Heaven. We sang Worthy is the Lamb this morning at church and thought immediately of this video. It was a great way to start off my Sunday!

Desired Prayer

I pray that this can eventually be my prayer. I heard it this afternoon on K-Love while on my way home from getting another round of blood work. Scott was talking about how truly hard this prayer is to truly pray with all your heart. No one likes to go through pain, loss, or any other storms in life, but we are not promised a life without those things. Mercyme is a Christian group that I have loved for a long time, and I've just added this song to my list of favs! I do hope that one day I can sing this song and truly mean every single word.

"Bring The Rain"

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on You, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are such greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

Praise You in this Storm

This past week I have experienced one of the hardest, most emotional storms of my life. I have been blessed with supportive family and friends who have given me encouraging and inspirational words. While I'm still struggling with trying to get answers from the Lord about why and how to move on, I have had this song running through my mind constantly:

Praise You in this Storm
by Casting Crowns

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
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear you whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise You in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for you are who you are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

And I'll praise You in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for you are who you are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

And I'll praise You in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for you are who you are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

Happy Easter - He is Risen!

Easter Sunday...what a day of celebration! My husband makes fun of me because here in the south, all of the girls make a big deal about buying a new Easter dress and eating with family. Those things are fun, but it's not just about getting a new dress and eating with family. It's a day to remember that Christ Jesus died on the cross for my sins...and yours! Then, He was risen from the grave...what amazing love! Mike and I went to celebrate at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock this morning, and it was such a moving service. The music was incredible...of course we sang the Chris Tomlin song, "I will Rise"....amazing song. Our pastor focused on the passage John 20: 1-10 and the difference in how John and Peter saw the empty tomb...something I've never really thought of. That got me thinking what I would've done/thought if I had been there to see the empty tomb of my Savior??? Of course, that is a question that is hard to answer. What an amazing realization it was for John when he realized that Jesus (who he had just seen crucified on a cross) had been risen from the grave. Our pastor made a comment about how when Mary Magdalene came upon the empty tomb, the stone had been rolled away. Why did He not just move the entire tomb....with His word it would've easily obeyed! Well, our pastor said, the stone wasn't rolled away so that He could get out, but so that we could go in! We are able to experience Christ's love for us because He died on the cross and was risen from the grave.

"Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!' So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed." ~John 20:1-10