Profound Change

What is profound change? 

In reading a devotional, this question haunts my thoughts.  Profound. Change. 

It would seem that this change is more like a shifting - once undertaken, the old way - the way in which you changed from - can no longer be accessed. You are now under the direction of a new way of doing things. You have changed - or your circumstances have changed. Everything is different. Which makes it profound.

Perhaps you are standing at the edge of change. Profound. Change. Knowing that the next step will lead to a future that goes beyond what we may imagine. It's different. Heavy. New. 

Profound is deep. Not in the least bit shallow. It's intense. So the change that we undertake follows the same merit. Not shallow. Not bland. But deep and intense. Ah...profound change. 

Have you had a profound change? Is it staring you in the face? Will you embrace it? One of the most profound changes in my life was receiving salvation. Talk about profound change. The girl that I was then is not the woman that I am now. I'm better for the cause of Christ - a vessel that is now willing to be used for His glory. A profoundly different character from the introverted college kid who focused on the books and worried about her life. What she would be. What she could become. If she was good enough... 

I want to encourage you today. Don't shrink away from profound change. Pray about it but don't just shut it down until you've spoken to the Lord. If I would have let my fears shut down profound change, I never would have taken the first step, and then the second and third as I moved closer to the alter to give my life to Christ. I would have missed an opportunity for my soul to be secured. Don't miss your change in whatever area that profound change is calling you to. Be courageous --- for Christ. Any change you make for Him is profound. You may not immediately see it, but it's impact on someone else could be profound.

I hope you'll think about these two words this week....profound....change.

Blessings to YoU! 

-sk

So I Will Remember

Except for the exceptional, most of us don’t have too many memories of when we were very young. We don’t remember being bottle-fed (or nursed) or diapered. We don’t remember being burped and we don’t remember our first steps. Perhaps that’s why so many parents have taken to photographs, videos and other various forms of digital imaging…so that when we are old enough to remember, we can see where we have come from.

Some of you are aware that I have a new addition to my puppy dog family. And some of you have asked me to post a picture of my new girl. Well, here she is.

She’s being photographed constantly, even though she will never remember – mmm...because she’s a dog. And she will not likely ever care about my incessant photo taking and making her pose. She just cares that she’s loved. And she is. And out of love, I take the pictures. Not so that she will remember, but so that I will.

My new girl at 13 weeks

Have a God-honoring weekend!
Sanya

Alone with God

I visited a familiar book today. One that I’ve long held near and dear to my heart. One that I put on the shelf after a year and soon find that it’s time to pull it back off again. One that inspires me to be better than I am and necessitates that I look beyond myself. One that slowly peels back the layers of truth such that I can handle the rawness of my humanity. This book, My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers, is my all-time favorite devotional.

A must-have for your library!

Today’s entry is entitled: “Have you ever been alone with God?” For me, the answer is a resounding “Yes!!!” ...but.... the interesting thing is – I was alone with Him during periods of my life that I would rather not have experienced. Some of my most intimate times alone with God have been because of despair and disappointment, heartbreak and sorrow. Yet, the devotional today reveals something that I know to be true – it was a part of God’s plan. He allowed those events in my life to draw me closer – to tune me in to Him and not the things of the world. Not other people. Just my Lord. How precious. He loves me so much that even as I have chased after other things, He still wants to spend time with me. Wow. 

For me, it’s profound; for you can spend your days thinking that you are wanted and loved by people only to find out the opposite is true. Some of you have experienced this, perhaps in  relationships or even in your families. It’s painful no matter how we may try to sugar coat it. It tastes bitter. It feels cold. But God… No matter what, He wants that alone time with us. Isn’t that awesome!?!! The Sovereign Lord of the Universe wants to be alone with you and with me.  

I want to give my utmost. And to do so, I've got to get alone with Him on a consistent basis - just because of Who He is and not because of something that has happened to me. Drawing closer. Shutting out the world. That's what I endeavor to do more and more. How about you? Will you accept the invitation to quiet time with the Lord?

I love having my devotional book handy but if you don’t have it, you can read it daily, for free, online. Here is the link to the devotional page: http://utmost.org/ Or, just because I love you, you can stay on this site, and keep reading. I copied this from the site today:

January 12^th: When they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples

—Mark 4:34

Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work— so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, laziness, or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage?

We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, “Oh, I’m so unworthy.” We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining, Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires— things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.

So, again I ask you, "Will you accept the invitation to quiet time with the Lord?".

Have a God-honoring day!,

Sanya

A Review of Home by Anthony Evans Jr.

From time to time on this blog, I will write a review of some sort. I generally write book reviews. However, whenever music really grabs me, I write about it.

So, here I am, writing a review of “Home”, the latest CD from Anthony Evans. I’ve been listening to his music for years, - since his “Even More” days - so I confess up front that I am a fan and this review may be a bit skewed toward the fact that I really appreciate the way God uses him through song.

Anthony is a gifted singer. Not the kind of singer where you can tell that they’ve had some vocal training and therefore they want to show you all of their skill in one song. I confess that I don’t know if he’s been trained that way but my point is this - no matter what he sings, he makes it sound effortless. I believe that I would buy an album of him singing the phone book for no other reason than the fact that God has gifted him through song. He has given him an amazing voice and the whole world should hear it!

In fact, I am giving the “Home” CD as Christmas gifts - I purchased five for gifts and downloaded a copy for myself.

That being said, here are some praise points: In my humble opinion, “Home” is Anthony’s best CD yet. And that’s really a big praise from me considering that I was stuck on “The Bridge” CD for what seemed like a lifetime. It’s not always that he’s singing new or original music. It’s the way he sings the lyrics. Anthony adds an element of drama to the music that puts the listener into anticipatory mode. I listen with expectation that the next note or the next lyric is going to deliver me to some place that I wasn’t expecting.

If you look through his tweets and followers (he’s @anthonyevansjr), you’ll see that I’m not alone in this expectation. Many people tweet about what he’s singing being the very thing that they need in that moment of their lives. That’s ministry folks. His music does ministry.

I am particularly fond of a few songs on the “Home” CD. I L.O.V.E.  the “How He Loves” Interlude and song ... talk about drama there! And even though there are other versions of “How He Loves”, it’s worth taking a listen to Anthony’s version. It changed me. I also love “Take Over” with Tamela Mann. It’s such sincere worship. Just like “My Desire” - the CD opens with this song and the lyrics are so powerful and praise-oriented. It’s the right song that sets the tone for the entire CD.

One of the most candid and vulnerable songs is “Fighting for Me.” This song takes me to a place of my own vulnerability - when I try to hold on to the ever elusive feeling of control - only to realize that God Himself is doing the fighting and all I really need to do is to rest in the comfort of that knowledge. God is and always has been in control. All I ever needed to do was to get out of His way - He’s fighting for me.

I’m not going to tell you about every song on the CD. That’s your homework. Go ahead and purchase it for yourself...and a few friends...and be prepared for this music to minister to you.

Hello!

My fingers have been touching keyboards. Keyboards at home and work. But not in an effort to write something inspirational for this blog. It has been a busy season in other areas of my life but God has brought me back here in this moment. I’m truly grateful. 

While I’ve been away, I have had several experiences where God continues to show His love and faithfulness toward me and those with whom I am privileged to call my brothers and sisters in Christ. Isn’t it amazing to meet up with someone who worships the God of the Bible? 

In this day and time, you can meet a crowd of people and they simply don’t believe - and aren’t afraid to tell you either! Just yesterday, I brought up Christ to someone and guess what - they told me they didn’t go to church. The implication from the conversation was they didn’t believe nor did they have a relationship with Christ. And when I asked why, they told me that they “just didn’t.” I invited them to know Him.  

You see, there are opportunities everywhere. And although I recognize that one single invitation may not be enough to bring that person into the ark of safety, it’s a start. And someone else will come along and do it again. God will see to it. 

He’s so very faithful to us.

Even now, as I prepare for the day, I have this one thought in my mind - faithful is my God. And since He doesn’t play favorites, know this today - He’s faithful to you too. 

See you soon!

Sanya