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common grace. future hope.

i could say a whole lot about the moments that are happening around me right now. an abundance of words filled my mind as i thought about what to say. but none of them seem to fit perfectly. nothing seems to work. life is happening. music is playing. the roommate and i have been cleaning and the patio door is open, along with the windows and its just good. i am about to go to the store and get some groceries, and then come home and cook and maybe watch a movie. tomorrow i am going to see my family. i'm excited. i love them. i really do. also, right now, in this moment, my heart is alright. there seems to be joy when the wind starts to get cooler and things begin to change. and i am thankful.

common grace. the grace that everyone in the world experiences. the grace to laugh so hard you pee your pants. the grace to enjoy a really good steak. the grace to hold your first child. the grace to fall in love. the grace to enjoy your favorite band at a concert. the grace to sit on your patio and feel the first breezes of fall. the grace to dance in the rain. all of it- common grace. thank you, jesus for common grace today.

but more than that, thank you for the grace that you have poured out on my life that gives me right-standing before God. thank you for pouring your wrath on Jesus, for making him who knew no sin to be sin for me so that i might become your righteousness in him. thank you for your grace that sets me free.

future hope. the hope that i have in the person and work of Jesus Christ. i have future hope in the fact that Jesus has redeemed my life. he has called me and justified me and is sanctifying me. and that in the last days i dont have to fear. the judgement seat of God is the privilege of every believer. it is the moment when we get to stand before the throne and plead the blood of Christ and praise his name for what he has done. it is a moment where we can fully rest in the work of the cross and a moment where we get to more fully praise his name for the work on the cross.

so thank you, Jesus, for common grace and future hope.
i am grateful today for these things.

from a friend...

TODAY
This is a day that the Lord has made
This is a day that my sins have been paid
So my flesh, it will fade
Cause the wrath has been laid
On His back, for His glory
So I share my life story
Knowing all He did for me
That His death, it absorbed all the sin that's before me
All the pain, all the guilt
All the pride and all the shame
Has been nailed to the cross
That's the reason why he came.
So that all would bow
And we would not know how
To have any response
Except praising His name.
and Declaring his fame
ALOUD! So I shout!
Take me out of this crowd
I can't stand to be proud
Of myself anymore for
My life is not found in the things I adore

So with the rocks I cry out
I will stand and I'll shout
I cant help but imagine what life is without My Jesus
Without Him my life would be torn into pieces

so Today I rejoice
May it not just be noise
But a voice that is heard
So that others may learn
So that others may yearn
For the gift that He gave when He died for our sin

No matter where you have been
All the hurt that's within
Can be taken away
And new life can begin

With the gift of today
On my knees I will say
I'm in need of a Savior
And there's no other way
To come to the father except through the son
To trust what is done
To no longer run
Cause that battle has been fought
And you've already won
Death holds me longer
That price has been paid
So I rejoice in this day that the Lord has made.

more to come.

I have been at a loss for words for the past week, and I finally decided it was time to write. Something. Anything. The things I have seen, the things I have felt, the children I have held, the smells, the tastes, the tears, the laughter, the walks, the traffic, and the stars...all have somehow been ingrained in my mind and written on my heart and have called me to rethink everything.

Language is a funny thing. It can be a barrier. It can be a bridge. It can bread hope or speak of devastation. One thing I have learned is that truth...love...and hope are spoken and speak in all languages.

The Lord, in his infinite grace and mercy allowed me to see this fleshed out. I boarded the plane on Thursday afternoon headed to a land I had only heard about...dreamed about even. Not knowing what to expect my mind raced at a million miles an hour. Who would I see? What would the people be like? Would I experience altitude sickness? What if my teammates don’t like me? Do I have enough money? What does my family think? Every question imaginable scrolled across my mind. And as I sit here back in the states the questions haven’t disappeared; only changed. What do I do with what I have seen? Why does my heart break for these people? Where is my team tonight; how are they doing? I wish they were here. What am I doing of eternal value with my money? What will my family think? How can I even begin to explain this to them? I am overwhelmed with everything. My heart is aching in ways I never thought it would; in ways I never thought it could. Over the last two weeks I have seen more than most people see in their entire lifetime. And, at 22, what do I do with it all? Surely this weight comes hand in hand with responsibility...