God is love. That is, God continually gives of himself to us.
Tag Archive for 'love'
Here is a list of things that I believed at one time or another about God and myself. Some are of more consequence than others.
What about you? Share some of your busted myths in the comments.
- God isn’t cool with having fun.
- God expects me to get dressed up for church.
- Knowledge of the Bible equals a relationship with God.
- I should say ‘bless you’ after someone sneezes because ‘That’s what Jesus would do.’
- I can be good enough.
- If I don’t capitalize the word ‘God’ I will be smote.
- If I don’t read the Bible and pray everyday, God gets mad.
- I have to earn God’s acceptance and love.
I started following Jesus when I was 17 years old (February 7, 1998 to be exact), almost ten years ago. In just under a month I’ll be a double-digit-disciple, a tenured Baptist. Thankfully, God is faithful and he has continually drawn me out to deeper water where it’s harder to reach bottom. That means life gets a little scarier at times, but what pervades everything is the unshakable peace, profound joy, and vigorous love that come with a life fully abandoned to its maker. In other words, life is good. Hard/scary/frustrating/daunting at times. But always good.
Can I get an amen on that?
Sophia is Peruvian. Actually, she is a Peruvian citizen and a U.S. citizen. She was born in Lima, Peru and lived the first 5 months of her life there. So, she got an alpaca for Christmas. Alpacas are indigenous to Peru and Ecuador. (For more on our life in Peru, visit the archives.)
Where does one get an Alpaca? Here, of course! So, I guess you’ve figured out that she didn’t actually get an Alpaca. But, somebody in Peru or Ecuador is going to get one from Sophia.
We thought it would be an appropriate crescendo to our anticipation (see advent calendar), using our resources to labor alongside Jesus to bring hope to one of Sophia’s fellow Peruvians.
The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
Email me here: thefamilybush[at]yahoo.com if you’d like to take him/her home!
God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you!
I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.
There’s a great article in Home Life magazine this week about living space, the lack of living space that is. This family of four starting out in a small trailer home 10 years ago. It wasn’t the plan to live there this long . . . but they still do. Here is an excerpt of what the mom had to say about it.
Sure, I dream of having a larger home where I can entertain and host family holiday gatherings . . . My family and friends continue to drop helpful hints about floor plans or affordable building options. We smile, thank them, and stay with the plan God has for us. When the time comes, we’ll have a new house. In the meantime, we’ll continue to tithe and give to build his kingdom. We will not sacrifice that part of our worship for any house, large or small.
I do not want to someday hear my Lord say, “Sherri, why were you so worried about your house on earth? Didn’t you know I was preparing a mansion for you?” . . .
Jesus talked about an eternal perspective. He talked about living life with a proper view of how short it really is . . . and how long eternity will be. It’s not about what we want. It’s not about comfort or all this stuff we spend so much time and energy on.
Our resident ended up having a very healthy little boy. A few days later she moved back in with her grandmother and seem to be doing well. She’ll still call the Promise House every week or so. She misses it. This was her home for a long time. The folks here were her family.
It’s amazing how Jesus takes broken things and fixes them . . . how he turns bad situations in to shining testimonies of what he does . . . he gives life. That’s what the Promise House is all about. We’re trying to foster an environment where broken girls can come and experience the mending power of God’s presence, love, and grace.
Recent Comments