Come Thou Fount

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Jesus saught me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God;
He to save my soul from danger, interposed His precious blood.

O to Grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace, Lord, like a fetter, bind my wondering heart to Thee.
Teach me, Lord, some rapturous measure, meet for blood-bought hosts above;
While I sing the countless treasure of my God's unchanging love.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love:
Yet Thou Lord has deigned to seal it, with Thy Spirit from above.
Rescued thus from sin and danger, purchased by the Savior's blood,
May I walk on earth a stranger, as a son and heir of God.

Beautiful

Today my heart is pondering the beauty that the Lord has created on this earth and the beauty of his holiness. Our God is HOLY with radiating splendor! He is more beautiful in his glory than our earthly eyes can look upon, more dazzling in unapproachable light than our minds can imagine! God is HOLY and the heavens and earth tremble before his majesty! He is all powerful, for he speaks and his creation came to be. When I think of his holiness and our contrasting abhorent and evil souls I am lost in the uncomprehendable thoughts that he makes us beautiful and holy through the blood of Jesus. He makes us beautiful... through the depths of his love and the sacrifrice of Jesus upon the cross. Friends we can't even begin to comprehend the love the Father has for us! God became man in flesh and died for his own creation! What love, what sacrifice, what an amazing, wonderous, and BEAUTIFUL God we serve! Let us never cease to sing praises to the Lord by the lives we live. Let us lead lives that are worthy of the sacrifice Jesus paid for our souls to dwell with the Father forever! DON"T WASTE YOUR LIFE! Let us be beautiful in your eyes Jesus; for you made us beautiful through your love.

Reflections of Beauty
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- The morning sun breaking forth from the horizon and the setting sun
- The words of truth in the bible
- Mountains in all their earthly splendor
- The radience of a bride on her wedding day
- A heart that seeks after God
- The beloved of your life and her captivating presence
- Selfless love
- The heavens above, the stars and moon, and celestial wonders
- Clouds of deepest blue, laced with lightning, and thundrous song
- Flowers of sweetest fragrence, and colors of great array
- Mercy and grace from the Lord for his redeemed children
- The continual changing of christians becoming more like Jesus
- The Holiness of God

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand(x2)

Who Am I ?

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth!" - Psalms 8:3-9

Oh Father, who am I that you are mindful of me? Who am I that you hear me? I am dust. I am less than dust. Yet you choose to look upon me and hear me. You are with me and you have redeemed my soul and secured my salvation through your son Jesus! How blessed is your name and the redeeming love you have poured forth unto me! Who am I in comparison to your great Glory! I am your beloved, your chosen, set apart for you! Therefore your worship will forever be upon my lips! All glory and praise and majesty are ascribed to you Lord! You are an amazing Father and my heart will sing of your praise forever.

Hold On

I’ve been there a thousand times
Felt the rain like a thousand knives and it hurts
I know it hurts
I’ve been there like a fighter plane
Trying to fly my way through a hurricane and it’s hard
I know it’s hard

Don’t be afraid
You’ll make it through
Just call out to me
And I’ll come running to you

Hold on
Hold on
When the current pulls you under
And your heart beats like thunder
Just give me your hand
And hold on
Hold on
until the storm is over
And I’ll be fighting for you
Just give me your hand
And hold on

I’ll give you hope I’ll give you faith
And if it’s dark I’ll light the way for you
For YOU
By your side until the end
Until you’re standing tall again
I’m here
I’ll always be here
Always be here
and if the tide sweeps you out to sea
When your strength is gone and it’s hard to believe

Hold on
Hold on
When the current pulls you under
And you heart beats like thunder
Just give me your hand
And hold on
Hold on
Until the storm is over
And I'll be fighting for you
Just give me your hand
And hold on

Hold on
Hold on
When the current pulls you under
And your heart beats like thunder
Just give me your hand
And hold on
Hold on
Until the storm is over
And I'll be fighting for you
Just give me your hand.
And hold on

- the beautiful and encouraging song "Hold On" by 33 miles

Be Still

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" - Psalm 46:10

This song is resonating to the depths of my soul and bringing me great comfort. When my face is upon the floor as I cry out to the Lord a rushing wave of assurance washes over me. My God is near, he is always right here beside me. I am not alone, for my God is with me!

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Be Still

I remember all the times
The good times and the bad
I’m still holding onto you
Some days I wanna run
Sometimes I come undone
But I still belong to you

That’s how I know that
When I feel like caving in
My heart my soul is wearing thin
I just want to give up
And nothing seems at all to add up
Can you hear me Lord
My face is down upon the floor
Its then you whisper in my ear
Be still and know I’m here

I see a side of you my friend
The same struggles that I have
And my heart goes out to you
I know it’s hard to feel alone
In this world so unforgiving
I’ve been feeling that way too
But I can tell you

When I feel like caving in
My heart my soul is wearing thin
I just want to give up
And nothing seems at all to add up
Can you hear me Lord
My face is down upon the floor
Its then you whisper in my ear
Be still and know I’m here

Is that you, is this me, it’s sometimes hard to believe that
I am not alone
Its not just you, and not just me, we all need to believe that
We are not alone

When I feel like caving in
My heart and soul are wearing thin
I just want to give up
And nothing seems at all to add up
I know you’ll hear me Lord
When my face is down upon the floor
Its then you whisper in my ear
Be still and know I’M HERE

Be still and know I’m here, We are not alone
Be still and know I’m here, We are not alone
Be still and know I’m here, We are not alone

- by Storyside B (2007)

God: My Exceeding Joy

Oh the joy brought forth at the alter of God! Oh the humbling reality of our position before him when we are before the mercy seat of his throne where blood was spilled on our behalf. Oh Jesus what sacrifice you paid for this soul! God you are my exceeding joy and I will praise you with song! Send your light and your truth in my life Father and lead me to your dwelling place!

“Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me! For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” - Psalm 43


Friends let us preach the gospel to our own souls daily. Let us speak the words of truth to our own hearts that we might find God to always be our exceeding joy! For nothing of this world should exceed the joy we find in God. We were created to enjoy Him! Therefore when we walk these paths of darkness or feel the oppression of hopelessness let our prayers not only be for deliverance on our behalf, but that the Lord would lead us to his dwelling place. For only there, will we find the ultimate fulfillment of our soul’s yearning. God may you always be our absolute and exceeding joy!!!

When Hope is Lost

Have you ever felt as though life has knocked the wind out of you? As though it has blindsided you and all you can do is stand there gasping for breath; paralyzed until your lungs can once more attain air? That’s exactly how I feel right now. I’ve been knocked down, torn apart, hopes crushed, dreams shattered, peace destroyed, joyfulness replaced with unending mourning, and plagued by the constant aching of loneliness. My heart is pleading before the Lord that the hope I seek will be restored… Yet I will continue to wait on the Lord. I will take courage and know that God is with me. Indeed, if I seek first his kingdom then all these things will be added to me as well… When hope is lost and all we can do is gasp for air, let us look to the Lord, for he is the author of every detail of our lives. I will trust in the Lord.

Worthy of the Call

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1: 11-12

Dear friends, I would like to deviate from the norm of my posts today to fill you in on some of the recent events in my life. This past week the pastor I meet with weekly(Bob Flack of Grace Baptist) invited me to join a fraternal group of men seeking seminary. It's a very small select group of men that Pastor Flack personally invites to join the fraternal and they spend large amounts of time with him and the other members of the fraternal at conferences, seminars, and when guest speakers come into Manhattan or nearby towns discussing the word and practical application in our lives. This group of men are men that pastor would like to get to know in a deeper way in order that he can reference their character and integrity to an admissions counsel at seminaries across the country. With my commitment to this group I am opening my life to the possibility of attending seminary after I graduate from Kansas State University.

The other opportunity I have been presented with this week is the opportunity to be a youth leader for middle school- high school men at Grace Baptist Church. If my application is accepted by Pastor Vaughn of GBC, I will be in charge of about 8-12 young men and mentoring them in faith and their daily lives. I will have opportunities to meet with each one weekly and pray, encourage, and inspire them to live their lives for the Glory of the Lord alone. It is a big role to take on, but with the Lord as my strength, my wisdom, and my joy I know he will be able to accomplish great things through my meager attempts at obedience to his calling.

Friends, I write these things that you might be in prayer for me if you desire to. I am facing great opportunities to be used of the Lord in these two paths. Please pray that the Spirit of the Lord would rest upon me in the same way it did to David in 1 Samuel 16:13. May his Spirit accomplish its work in my own heart, that I might lead others to offer up their lives in worship to the Lord and to the proclamation of his name to the nations. Please pray that my life might become worthy of the great calling I have recieved as a child of God. To God be the Glory. Amen

Take My World Apart

Gracious Father,

Today I am seeing that sometimes you must take our world apart in order to build it back around you. How foolish are our attempts to find joy on our own. How pointless and vain are our efforts to create our own comforts. This pride, this selfishness, this heart of the cursed human nature is what drove the nails deep into your son's hands. OH Father, may the inhabitants of this earth cry out for your mercy and your grace continually as we realize the depths of our attrocities against you. Tear down these idols of self and our continual disobedience to your commands. Take our world apart oh Holy Father. And once you have rid us of all that is our own, fill us to the brim with the Holy Spirit and the power of your presence. To you be the Glory, to you be the praise, to you be the worship of all those you have created. Let us sing of your steadfast love for us and stand in awe of your HOLY splendor for now and forever more. Amen.

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I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
To give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loved
More deeply than the oceans,
More abundant than the tears
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice?
Or, grip the spear and watch the blood and the water flow

(To love You)
Take my world apart
(To need You)
I am on my knees
(To love You)
Take my world apart
(To need You)
Broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
'Cause what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

And I pray
(To love You)
Take my world apart
(To need You)
I am on my knees
(To love You)
Take my world apart
(To need You)
Broken on my knees
On my knees(Bridge)

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
Battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain,
And wash my feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
My sin-soaked heart - make it yours
Take my world all apart,Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and blow away
I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nail that still remains
Steal my heart and take the pain
Take the selfish, take the weak
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
Take my world apart
Take my world apart
And I pray, and I pray, and I pray
Take my world apart
Worlds apart

-by Jars of Clay "Worlds Apart"