In Christ Alone

In Christ alone I place my trust

And find my glory in the power of the cross

In every victory Let it be said of me

My source of strength, my source of hope

Is Christ alone

Songs of Praise

In that day you will say:

"I will praise you, O LORD.

Although you were angry with me,

your anger has turned away and you have comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation."

With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:
"Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

- Isaiah 12

Love

"Love until it hurts. Real love is always painful and hurts. Then it is real and pure." - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Deeper in love - There is a longing ...

There is a longing
Only You can fill
A raging tempest
Only You can still
My soul is thirsty Lord
To know You as I’m known
Drink from the river
That flows before Your throne

Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I’ve ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love

Sunrise to sunrise
I will seek Your face
Drawn by the Spirit
To the promise of Your grace
My heart has found in You
A hope that will abide
Here in Your presence
Forever satisfied

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit

A broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

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A broken spirit,

And a contrite heart,

You will not despise,

You will not despise,

You desire truth,

In the inward heart,

A broken spirit,

And a contrite heart

I wonder what you ever saw in me Lord ... But you took me and you love me ...

Do for Others What God Does For You

You and I have the privilege to do for others what God does for us. How do we show people that we believe in them?

Show up.

Nothing takes the place of your presence. Letters are nice. Phone calls are special, but being there in the flesh sends a message. Do you believe in your kids? Then show up. Show up at their games. Show up at their plays. Show up at their recitals. It may not be possible to make each one, but it's sure worth the effort. Do you believe in your friends? Then show up. Show up at their graduations and weddings. Spend time with them. You want to bring out the best in someone? Then show up.

Listen up.

You don't have to speak to encourage. The Bible says, "It is best to listen much, speak little" (James 1:19 TLB). We tend to speak much and listen little. There is a time to speak. But there is also a time to be quiet. That's what my father did. Dropping a fly ball may not be a big deal to most people, but if you are thirteen years old and have aspirations of the big leagues, it is a big deal. Not only was it my second error of the game, it allowed the winning run to score. I didn't even go back to the dugout. I turned around in the middle of left field and climbed over the fence. I was halfway home when my dad found me. He didn't say a word. Just pulled over to the side of the road, leaned across the seat, and opened the passenger door. We didn't speak. We didn't need to. We both knew the world had come to an end. When we got home, I went straight to my room, and he went straight to the kitchen. Presently he appeared in front of me with cookies and milk. He took a seat on the bed, and we broke bread together. Somewhere in the dunking of the cookies I began to realize that life and my father's love would go on. In the economy of male adolescence, if you love the guy who drops the ball, then you really love him. My skill as a baseball player didn't improve, but my confidence in Dad's love did. Dad never said a word. But he did show up. He did listen up. To bring out the best in others, do the same, and then, when appropriate:

Speak up.

You have the power to change someone's life simply by the words that you speak. "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21 NKJV). That's why Paul urges you and me to be careful. "When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need—words that will help others become stronger" (Eph. 4:29).Earlier I gave you a test for love. There's also a test for the tongue. Before you speak, ask: Will what I'm about to say help others become stronger? You have the ability, with your words, to make a person stronger. Your words are to their soul what a vitamin is to their body. If you had food and saw someone starving, would you not share it? If you had water and saw someone dying of thirst, would you not give it? Of course you would. Then won't you do the same for their hearts? Your words are food and water! Do not withhold encouragement from the discouraged. Do not keep affirmation from the beaten down! Speak words that make people stronger. Believe in them as God has believed in you.

- Max Lucado

Stand firm

If you do not stand firm in your faith,

you will not stand at all.' "

- Isaiah 7:9b

Matthew 7:7

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.