I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
The God of the universe, the same God who paints a sunset, shapes a mountain and plans the waves at the beach, has chosen to love us, not because of who we are, but because of who He is. Our role in this is to BE-LOVED. –Ron Edmonson
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2 ESV
I am beloved. I am overwhelmed by this love.
Here is a song by David Crowder (Oh How He Loves) with Matt Chandler and John Piper. Be encouraged. Be-loved.
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Linking up with everyone for Five Minute Friday, where a remarkably encouraging and loving community gathers to write for five minutes. This week’s prompt is: BELOVED.
Photography by Donna Harris ❘ Remember the Year
Again…
A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again….
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Solomon ❘ Ecclesiastes 1
Everyday is a repeat. We do the same things again. Redundant. Necessary. Think of something different to do again.
Let’s Dance! We are created to dance!
Rise up, O Lord, in all your power.
With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts. You give us joy in your presence!Psalm 21
Let’s dance again and again!
“In Christianity God is not a static thing…but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama.
Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance.”
~C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“God must have created us to invite us into the dance, to say: If you glorify me, if you center your entire life on me, if you find me beautiful for who I am in myself, then you will step into the dance, which is what you are made for…
You are made to center everything in your life on me, to think of everything in terms of your relationship to me…
That’s where you’ll find your joy. That’s what the dance is about.”
King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Timothy Keller
God has invited me to dance. Filled with joy…for the glory of God. Created to Dance! Again!
Well, I tried to have a devotional-on-the-go this morning but it didn’t work. What was going to be a “take five” sort of quiet time (that’s five minutes to read, think, and pray) lasted longer with little thought of the time passing. I’ve started reading another book and quickly became absorbed with the words and encouraging thoughts and convicting descriptions on the pages. The book is about a worship disorder. I have a worship disorder.
Addictions should be consumed as wood is for a fire. Removed from heart. Turned into ash...a beautiful thing.
A description of the book is written on the back cover:
I think I shall read the “King’s Cross” by Tim Keller over and over again. This book is for those who are looking for a closer connection to Jesus and Christianity. It is an unforgettable look at Jesus Christ, and one that will leave an indelible imprint on every reader.
“It is an extended meditation on the historical Christian premise that Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection form the central event of cosmic and human history as well as the central organizing principle of our own lives.” ~Tim Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus
I’ve taken my time reading this book, underlining phrases, making notes, turning down the corner of pages while I also study the gospel of Mark…which is why this book is so alive with meaning. Keller focuses on the gospel of Mark and describes the essence and depth of being a child of the King and how to appropriate all of that truth into the now.
Reading, King’s Cross along with the gospel of Mark has been the best thing I’ve done this summer to help develop the habit of spending time daily reading God’s Book, and meditating on His word. Selecting a “study book” to companion my reading through the gospel of Mark was a good idea, especially since both books are a page turner.
“In Christianity God is not a static thing…but a dynamic, pulsating activity, a life, almost a kind of drama. Almost, if you will not think me irreverent, a kind of dance.”
~C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“God must have created us to invite us into the dance, to say: If you glorify me, if you center your entire life on me, if you find me beautiful for who I am in myself, then you will step into the dance, which is what you are made for…
You are made to center everything in your life on me, to think of everything in terms of your relationship to me…That’s where you’ll find your joy. That’s what the dance is about.”
~Timothy Keller, King’s Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus
God has invited me to dance. Filled with joy…for the glory of God. I’m dancing.
Donna Harris‑More Grace 