Peace

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“And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be Still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’” – Mark 4:39-40 (ESV)

Peace.

A command that the storm be stilled.

A quiet calmness. A steady assurance.

A choice to exhibit faith and trust.

HIS peace.

Not of this world.

Not dependent on circumstances.

Not a place for fear.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:27 (ESV)

Called to Worship

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Tonight during choir rehearsal, I and my 13 fellow care team leaders shared a devotion with our entire worship ministries team based on a list from Rory Noland’s book, The Heart of the Artist. Entitled The Difference Between Volunteering and Being Called into God’s Service (and specifically addressing worship ministries), the list of 12 points outlines the various distinctions between one who participates with the mindset of a volunteer and one who serves because they are called of God to worship.

One of the many verses that supports this list is 1 Chronicles 15:16:

“David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.”

In the middle of a passage where David is giving commands and instructions regarding how to properly handle the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of the Lord, he turns his attention to music.

And in the next few verses that follow, we see the appointment of specific individuals who were chosen and called by name to serve the Lord through music.

Leaving no room for a halfhearted approach, they were told to play loudly, to use their talents well, and to raise the sounds of joy, to worship passionately.

Because they weren’t just volunteers stepping up to fill a position due to a need. Rather, they had been individually chosen and appointed to a task, a service, that only they could fulfill.

They were called to worship.

**ps: i’ll be back tomorrow evening with a devo thought from this past week’s Scripture reading (if that makes no sense to you, see this post for further details)**

Just Keep Reading…

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It’s been one of those weeks where everything has just seemed sort of off. So as I approached my Tuesday/Wednesday deadline of a weekly devotion based on the 20+ chapters of Scripture I’ve read in the previous days without a message that seemed appropriate for this space, all I could tell myself was, “Just keep reading…”

So I did.

Yet still unsure regarding a message from a specific passage, and with my mind still freshly aware of The Story, I stepped back from the details and specifics to observe the big picture of all that I’ve been soaking in over the past few weeks.

And that’s when I saw it.

God’s love woven through each story and each person on the pages of Scriptures.

God’s love throughout the creation account.

God’s love to Noah, who was preserved through the flood because he found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

God’s love to the Israelites as they rebuilt the temple and restored their relationship and identity post exile.

God’s love to the prophet Nehemiah through answered prayer.

God’s love to the church as it spread and multiplied by the power of the Holy Spirit, even as it faced persecution.

God’s love to Paul through his powerful conversion and ministry.

God’s love to the apostles, the chosen twelve, as Christ walked with them, lived with them, and ministered to them.

God’s love to so many people who witnessed and experienced Christ’s wonders and miracles because of their faith.

God’s love in this as spoken in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch by Paul:

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.”

- Acts 13:38-39 (NIV)

It all comes back to this, doesn’t it? To Jesus Christ. To his sacrifice on the cross. Out of His perfect love. For us.

“Amazing love, how can it be? That you, my King, would die for me.

Amazing love, I know it’s true. It’s my joy to honor you.

In all I do, let me honor you.”

Sometimes, it’s all we can do to just keep reading, to soak in His love, His faithfulness, His goodness, and to remember all that He’s done.

Just keep reading…

5 Things

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1. I cleaned my bathroom yesterday, and somewhere in between cleaning the sink and the tub (the. very. worst. part. can I get an amen?), I ended up totally distracted by a nail that’s only been on the wall above the toilet for about 3.5 years. I was so distracted by it’s unsightlyness (I think I just made up a word…) that I went and found a spare frame collecting dust under my bed, put a fabric swatch in it (it was all I could come up with in 5 minutes), and hung it on the wall to hide the old nail hole. It may not be perfect, but it looks so better than a blank wall with a nail sticking out of the center!

2. I’ve been studying Genesis 3 (well, technically Genesis 2-4 for context) in depth this past week for Bible Study. And y’all, the Serpent (aka: the devil, Satan, the beast, the dragon, the evil one) is no joke! I have a whole new appreciation for this verse after my studies over the past several days:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)

3. I’m thinking of doubling the photo of the week with a recipe on Friday. Is that cheating?

4. Fun fact: the ceramic fish in the above photo is from the Christmas store (St. Nick Nack’s) in Calabash, NC. My sweet mom got it for me when I first moved into my apartment in college.

5. I discovered Words with Friends this weekend. Oh, dear…

Help My Unbelief

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Immediately the father of the child cried out and said,

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

- Mark 9:24 (ESV)

Last Saturday as I was cleaning out some old files, I came across a journal entry from the day after my younger brother’s unexpected death.

At the end, I wrote this prayer, the only complete sentence in the entire entry:

“Lord, help me to love you and trust you more.”

That’s it. Nothing spectacular. Nothing eloquent. But with all the words I could manage to express from the very depths of my grieving 16-year-old self.

In the midst of circumstances far different than 10 years ago, but requiring every bit as much faith and trust in His Sovereignty, how I long for that prayer to never be far from my heart, to mean more today than it did then, to draw me even closer to the Faithful One.

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

“Oh, my hope is in the Lord, forevermore…”