color my life with love: Then Sings My Soul...

I felt horrible when I woke up this morning - not only physically exhausted - but mentally and spiritually so tired and weighed down. I told God that I wanted to praise him today, though and I tried, mostly by not talking... sometimes I get myself into trouble by talking too much because I really dislike awkward silences, but I'm learning how to just be, and not always do and talk.

Sermon Notes - loved this sermon. It was so beautiful and exactly what I needed to hear. I thank God that he's granted Pastor Piper such a humble spirit and a desire for people to see God through him.

God offers Christ to the world freely and so should we.

"Come and drink from the fountain of life and eat of life until you're satisfied. You're made for Jesus, your soul is made to be filled, satisfied, delighted by Jesus. Come to Jesus!"

The fight for joy is dying everyday of your life to those things which kill your joy.

I belong to Jesus. To know who I am and how I got there is so important. God gave me to his Son and Jesus' job is to keep me and he promises that he will, because it's his Father's will that I am kept.

Jesus is also going to raise me from the dead, completely whole and who I am, albeit perfected, but every bit of even my physical body is kept - not a single thing about me will be lost. The foundation and process of my salvation, the giving, coming, keeping and raising is God's sovereign will and that enables me to be mega-confident.

"I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning...
saying, 'My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose.'"
Isaiah 46:9-10

How do I know I'm elect? If I come to the Son, I belong to him. If I eat and drink of the bread of life, I know that I've been given to him.

Okay, cool story. In our church, we give people the opportunity to write prayer requests on the bulletin and drop them in the offering basket so the elders can pray for anyone who asks. Three (I think they were Russian) guys had come to sit in our row and when the offering basket passed them and came to me, I saw written on the back of a bulletin

I want to be born again. I know it's hard, but I-

and that's all I saw as I turned it over (yes, I did - it felt like something that should be private...) and passed the basket on. Through the entire service, though, I was acutely aware of how the songs and the entire sermon would be coming across to him. I prayed like crazy and near the end, I was really happy to see that he went down to the front to pray with David Livingston.
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Along another note - hung out with the band this week. It was super fun. We watched Edward Scissorshands. Oh, for those of you who don't know - this is my brother Daviey. He's the eldest child and first in the band.