Wednesday, December 20, 2006
I am a friend of God!
Good morning friends!
It's a cheeseball day over at my house. Only 36 of them to make! Should be pretty easy with two kids running around. Ha! Tomorrow is an all day Rum Cake and Fudge day and then Friday I will deliver everything and treat myself to a massage. Once I get on that table for a massage, I will feel so much better. I will finally be able to enjoy Christmas and look forward to the birth of this baby (one month away at the latest). I made it to 37 weeks with AB so I am kind of hoping that this guy comes then too! But trying not too hard to wish for that or I will be disappointed and counting days. I don't want to count days!
For the past 24 hrs, I have really been talking to God a lot. I am thankful that I can pull up a chair so to speak and talk to Him whenever I need to about whatever I want. I've also been wearing my little ipod shuffle pretty much non-stop and listening to lots of music. As I cheeseball through the day, the ipod will be on a lot. Don't worry I will hear the kids! Maybe. Anyway, one of the songs I have on my ipod shuffle is FRIEND OF GOD. At my last church, I had an amazing worship leader who truly taught me about worshipping instead of just singing up on a big stage with bright lights. One of the songs he loved to do was FRIEND OF GOD. It quickly became my favorite song. I remember one Sunday in particular when I felt like so much of who I was, was being questioned and judged. Everyone likes to feel like they have a friend and lots of them. On this day, I really felt alone. My husband was discouraged, we were BOTH feeling very confused and not sure about what God was doing. We knew HE had showed us that it was time to leave our church but we were not sure if we could do it. I remember looking out as I sang on the stage and seeing him with head phones on as he tried his best to work the sound board. We made eye contact and it was like we both knew that the song meant something very special. We knew that the biggest reason we did not want to leave the church was the thought of loosing friends. But as we sang that song, it was like Jeremy and I BOTH knew that it didn't matter because we had a friend that would not turn His back on us. And soon after, we were obedient and left.
At times when I get down or question what God may be doing in our lives, I sing this song and it gives me so much joy. In fact, I cannot listen to it or sing it without crying. Not possible! Sometimes I like to chew on this song and get it in my spirit. To think that I AM A FRIEND OF GOD, blows my mind. I pray that God can use my husband and I BOTH to show others how much Jesus really loves them. It's not my job to push them away because of their sin or not be friends with them because of who they are. It's my job to show them the face of Jesus and when I do, that sin will fall off. We will always struggle with sin, always. But, I feel like people are not being shown the TRUE face, the REAL face of God anymore.
It's no accident where God has placed my family. My cul-de-sac is the perfect example. My next door neighbor is a widow and has never remarried. My husband and I have been to her house many times for parties, etc. I don't sense that she has experienced God in the way I have. I don't know if she has a relationship with Jesus or not. Her daughter is home from college for the next three weeks and I have been praying that God will give me some time with her. Not so I can try to get her in church, not so I can try to do anything else but to just get to know her and love her. Then we have two other homes on the cul-de-sac that most Christians would not consider ever going into. We have an actual married couple who are lesbians and another one across the street from them. I don't want to be one of those Christians that talk about their homosexual friends like it's a badge of honor. I hear that sometimes and it makes me sick. But I am making Rum Cakes for most of my neighbors and I want to take my children and walk them to each neighbor and allow them to say Merry Christmas and show them how to be friendly and loving to everyone. And if they invite us in, we will go in and visit. I will do everything I can possibly do with the power of the Holy Spirit to show others that I am different. In fact, that is what I crave. This is what I lay in bed at night and think about. I am praying that God will give me opportunities with those that most Christians would turn away from.
It's not that I want to be praised for being different. It's not that I am doing something so crazy that I should be applauded. I am only trying to do what we SHOULD ALL be doing! There are so many people out there hurting so many people out there that just want to be loved. And with all of my heart, with every fiber of my being, that is my task, that is what my Lord has called me to do. I am a friend of God, He calls me His friend. That's what I pray I can show those that come into my life.
Friend Of God
Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me it's amazing
(Chorus)
I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
He calls me friend
God almighty, lord of glory
You have called me friend
(Repeat chorus)
He calls me friend
He calls me friend..
It's a cheeseball day over at my house. Only 36 of them to make! Should be pretty easy with two kids running around. Ha! Tomorrow is an all day Rum Cake and Fudge day and then Friday I will deliver everything and treat myself to a massage. Once I get on that table for a massage, I will feel so much better. I will finally be able to enjoy Christmas and look forward to the birth of this baby (one month away at the latest). I made it to 37 weeks with AB so I am kind of hoping that this guy comes then too! But trying not too hard to wish for that or I will be disappointed and counting days. I don't want to count days!
For the past 24 hrs, I have really been talking to God a lot. I am thankful that I can pull up a chair so to speak and talk to Him whenever I need to about whatever I want. I've also been wearing my little ipod shuffle pretty much non-stop and listening to lots of music. As I cheeseball through the day, the ipod will be on a lot. Don't worry I will hear the kids! Maybe. Anyway, one of the songs I have on my ipod shuffle is FRIEND OF GOD. At my last church, I had an amazing worship leader who truly taught me about worshipping instead of just singing up on a big stage with bright lights. One of the songs he loved to do was FRIEND OF GOD. It quickly became my favorite song. I remember one Sunday in particular when I felt like so much of who I was, was being questioned and judged. Everyone likes to feel like they have a friend and lots of them. On this day, I really felt alone. My husband was discouraged, we were BOTH feeling very confused and not sure about what God was doing. We knew HE had showed us that it was time to leave our church but we were not sure if we could do it. I remember looking out as I sang on the stage and seeing him with head phones on as he tried his best to work the sound board. We made eye contact and it was like we both knew that the song meant something very special. We knew that the biggest reason we did not want to leave the church was the thought of loosing friends. But as we sang that song, it was like Jeremy and I BOTH knew that it didn't matter because we had a friend that would not turn His back on us. And soon after, we were obedient and left.
At times when I get down or question what God may be doing in our lives, I sing this song and it gives me so much joy. In fact, I cannot listen to it or sing it without crying. Not possible! Sometimes I like to chew on this song and get it in my spirit. To think that I AM A FRIEND OF GOD, blows my mind. I pray that God can use my husband and I BOTH to show others how much Jesus really loves them. It's not my job to push them away because of their sin or not be friends with them because of who they are. It's my job to show them the face of Jesus and when I do, that sin will fall off. We will always struggle with sin, always. But, I feel like people are not being shown the TRUE face, the REAL face of God anymore.
It's no accident where God has placed my family. My cul-de-sac is the perfect example. My next door neighbor is a widow and has never remarried. My husband and I have been to her house many times for parties, etc. I don't sense that she has experienced God in the way I have. I don't know if she has a relationship with Jesus or not. Her daughter is home from college for the next three weeks and I have been praying that God will give me some time with her. Not so I can try to get her in church, not so I can try to do anything else but to just get to know her and love her. Then we have two other homes on the cul-de-sac that most Christians would not consider ever going into. We have an actual married couple who are lesbians and another one across the street from them. I don't want to be one of those Christians that talk about their homosexual friends like it's a badge of honor. I hear that sometimes and it makes me sick. But I am making Rum Cakes for most of my neighbors and I want to take my children and walk them to each neighbor and allow them to say Merry Christmas and show them how to be friendly and loving to everyone. And if they invite us in, we will go in and visit. I will do everything I can possibly do with the power of the Holy Spirit to show others that I am different. In fact, that is what I crave. This is what I lay in bed at night and think about. I am praying that God will give me opportunities with those that most Christians would turn away from.
It's not that I want to be praised for being different. It's not that I am doing something so crazy that I should be applauded. I am only trying to do what we SHOULD ALL be doing! There are so many people out there hurting so many people out there that just want to be loved. And with all of my heart, with every fiber of my being, that is my task, that is what my Lord has called me to do. I am a friend of God, He calls me His friend. That's what I pray I can show those that come into my life.
Friend Of God
Who am I that you are mindful of me
That you hear me when I call
Is it true that you are thinking of me
How you love me it's amazing
(Chorus)
I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
I am a friend of god
He calls me friend
God almighty, lord of glory
You have called me friend
(Repeat chorus)
He calls me friend
He calls me friend..
I love this! Exodus 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.
1 Comments:
great post!!! i so totally agree with everything you said.
i love "friend of god". it's one in a long list of worship songs i can't sing or listen too without crying my eyes out. i can't sit through a praise service at church without crying. a song comes on the radio in my car, and here comes the flood of tears. and then of course sometimes i make myself cry by putting on a certain cd, or listening to a particular song over & over again. of course i would much rather be crying my eyes out over a worship song than for any other reason. it's a good kind of crying.
i'm listening to "how great is our god" by chris tomlin as i am typing this & i can't stop crying. but then again, i really don't want to stop. it feels too good!
kelli
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