You are My Shepherd

To my bestest girlfriends....

lifting you up this morning and praying this is continually the prayer of your heart.

I could not have asked for better friends than those God has planted in my life and in my heart. I Love you girls!

Blessings

I have been listening to this song for weeks now and it just speaks loudly to my spirit. Today I listened to the reason Laura wrote the song and her realness about struggles of this life was inspiring. Sometimes, God does not answer us the way we wish. She has prayed for healing for her husband and God has not answered that prayer. I have prayed for healing from depression and anxiety and God has not completely answered that prayer. Friends have prayed for employment opportunities. Many have something in this life that is a struggle.

However, it's an amazing place to get to when you can say sometimes, not getting the answer we want allows for a greater blessing both for ourselves and others.

Just thought I'd share.....

This is the Stuff.....

I just love the lyrics to this song. As someone who seems to always be frustrated and impatient, I love the ending chorus. It's also a great reminder of how our messes are so little and we are so blessed when we really focus on the big picture.

Semantics?

Lately I seem to be a person who picks apart words. I've always loved words. I love song lyrics. I love poetry. I love a good book. Words have meaning. So what we say and how we say it says a lot and implies a lot.

I had bought some Christian books at Ollie's a few weeks back and I started a mom's devotional book by a familiar author. I struggled with some of what she said but day 6 was the pivotal point. The author said, and I quote, "Jesus partied with sinners." Now, I get what she was trying to say however, Jesus definitely did not party with sinners. He loved them, spent time with them, ministered to them and saved them but partied? The author, who was appealing to the world in her choice of words, implied Jesus joined in with the sinners. Where is the reverence and holiness? Where is the honor? Where is the truth of what scripture says?

Today I heard in reference to Matthew 6 that Jesus was "picking on" the Pharisees. Again, the implication here is outside the nature and character of God. Jesus may have corrected, rebuked, and disciplined, but never did he pick on anyone.

Some say this is splitting hairs. Others say it is just semantics or choices of words. So, do the words we choose matter? Does saying Jesus partied with sinners or picked on Pharisees paint an accurate picture?

It has really been frustrating to me lately to see the irreverent way we as the big "C" church use modern lingo to paint a picture at the risk of being scripturally inaccurate. So, what do you think...hair splitting, semantics, or a scriptural issue to address?