It’s raining, so the window is cracked open to hear the steady rhythm. Sometimes the drops rush down so fast that the sky seems to be pouring out.
Funny how we’re so self sufficient in modernity but still rely on the heavens to open up for something as simple, yet vital, like water.
God is a Gardener not just to our souls but tends to even the basic physical needs too. No detail of our humanity and spirits is overlooked by the Sovereign Creator.
Grace upon grace,
April
“We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands.
The man who says, ‘I know Him’, but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.
But if anyone obeys His Word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him.
This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
1 John 2:3-6
The biggest lie we can believe is to deny Christ as Lord and Savior. Unbelievers embrace this by rejecting Jesus as the Son of God whether they openly admit it or not. Rebellion can be visible and loud, or a quiet hardening.
Let us live in the truth we know, resting in our confidence and freedom. Jesus paid for our sinful, helpless souls so that we could be free to love, trust, and obey Him for all eternity. This is the central truth to all of life – to know Christ and be in Him. Do you know?
Grace upon grace,
April
We were meant to be creative.
God’s first actions recorded in Scripture involve creating- the entire universe and us. We are His image bearers, the only thing made to mirror Him. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. We have a gift inside of us we may never have considered before.
I started snapping pictures with my iPhone when Instagram came on the scene. Each square had the potential to be curated art. For someone who loves to create beauty, reflect the wonders of God, this was my jam. I discovered that I liked being an amateur photographer as a way to express the Lord’s glory all around us.
Some of the photos are everyday moments which are good too because life ranges from the breathtaking to the ordinary. It’s all a gift. Each day we get to declare the glory of God in some way, with the talents, abilities, interests He’s given us.
Imaging His creativity in us takes work and a little courage too doesn’t it? Some people may not get what you’re doing. Maybe you don’t even consider yourself this way, reasoning the “artsy” scene isn’t your thing. That’s okay.
Creating not only means to make something out of nothing, or a way of expression. It is also a form of order. God created the world into order (meaning we aren’t flying off the earth as it spins around). There is a certain rhythm, set by God, to sequence the days, nights, and seasons giving us structure for how we live. So isn’t is reasonable to say that those who like to file, organize, clean, and crunch numbers are creatives too?
This is all part of living into the identity Christ bought for us. In her book Made for More, Hannah Anderson says that we “exist to reflect and represent Him on this earth”, living Imago Dei, “in the image of God”. There is a level of vulnerability in living this way, working at something that means something to you, then sharing it with others. It takes a brave heart to do it. But more than that, it honors God when you use the gifts He’s given you.
We keep wonder and beauty alive in a world that aims to pervert what is good. What if creating is like waging war against our unseen enemies? What if we NEED to create as believers are called to fight the good fight? Sharing the Gospel and using your creativity go hand in hand.
So as we image Christ day after day, however imperfectly, we practice creating in our field. It’s how we learn to become people of truth. Because this is your offering to give to the Lord. We become who we already are, or another way to say it, we become more fully ourselves when we create.
Grace upon grace,
April
I know the rain is coming. People with bad knees feel it in their bones. I get a sinus headache 12-24 hours in advance.
The water leaks out of the sky first like tiny droplets. Then rain pours down harder and harder, as if someone climbed on top of the roof with an endless bag of pebbles to drop on my back porch.
Thunder is my favorite- it comes from the deep recesses of the earth, grumbling and booming to make its presence known. I believe God orchestrates each rainstorm like a symphony- the rhythmic order of rain falling from the heavens harmonizes with thunder and lightning.
Ping ping,
Pitter patter,
Tap tap,
Whoosh-
Boom!
Boom!
Flash.
The wind sometimes contributes with a howl. Its a grand theatre of the dramatic right in my backyard. Then all is hushed and the show is over just as fast as it began. The musical numbers are all alike, yet never the same are they? It’s part of the allure in watching a thunderstorm- the familiar sounds mixed with the unknown of when each part takes a turn.
I smile with satisfaction at His creative genius, the One who controls nature. His fingerprints are every where to shout out the truth we all know-
God is more real than the rain He lets fall on our faces.
Grace upon grace,
April
Words matter. They carry weight to last beyond your lifetime and mine (think the Bible, classic literature, letters, etc.). Lately though all of my words seem stuck, lodged firmly in my throat. It’s twisty and there are so many thoughts swirling about but no real connection to any of it.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I’m studying the book of James right now with a friend. It’s the go-to Scripture for warning against a hasty tongue. Sometimes we are to just hush our mouths. But there is also everything right with speaking out against injustice, speaking words of encouragement to someone in need, but what about when you can’t find the right words to say anything at all?
When this happens sometimes its best to wait and listen, trusting that words will come if needed. Sometimes we don’t need to say anything, but just be present with someone who needs you. I know it doesn’t feel that way but God really does know best. He understands the specific situation or season of life you’re in. God knows that our summer routine at home is a whole different beast from the rest of the year, so my energy is depleted more. I have less words, less time, just… less.
And there is grace for that. Grace to show ourselves as we recognize our limitations.
The truth is I’m tired and my memory is becoming more and more like the lovable but forgetful blue fish Dory. This post is just to say that yes words do matter, so we should be careful with what we say- in person or online. Sometimes it means we listen to a friend without interrupting (because a listening ear is healing for the one who needs to talk it out); or we wait before weighing in on a issue; or simply sit in the hush of God’s presence, receiving His Word.
So when words won’t come? When the verbal strait-jacket won’t budge? Listen. Be quiet. And wait. God is the Master Wordsmith- He gives us our words when we need them.
Grace upon grace,
April
The more I press into God the more I realize how little I know of Him. You think it would be reverse. Yet He is so vast, so rich and inconceivable to the human mind and heart. The Lord reveals to us as much as we can stand, to behold His Glory.
Just like my sin, if I really understood the horror and magnitude of it all, it would crush me. So God graciously puts believers under the knife of life-long sanctification. Some incisions cut deeper than others, but all are necessary to shed the dragon layers that keep us from complete intimacy with Him.
As when Moses’ face shone with the glory of being in God’s Presence, God knows His Shekinah Glory is more than mortals can bear (Exodus 33:12-23; 34:29-35). Instead, He mercifully shines His reflection in the face of Jesus- and there we behold Him. It is through the loveliness of Christ we see who we really are.
I am covered by His blood and can say I am His daughter. Simple though I am, He is patient to teach me for eternity (Isaiah 54:13).
Grace upon grace,
April
“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.” –John 13:1
They wanted You dead
and You let them
take You away.
Questioned, accused, lies,
mocked, betrayed, beaten,
Crucified.
I helped.
The world was not worthy of such
a King.
You made this place Your home
for a little while
to reveal Yourself as the
Son of God.
You taught, You healed, You served,
You loved, You wept;
You obeyed God the Father.
“Hosanna!” they cried, “Save us!”
they pleaded.
Just as the Israelites selected an unblemished
lamb to cover their sins,
so God sent You, the Perfect Lamb
to cleanse our hearts.
Sin requires blood so You gave
Your lifeblood.
It is written, “The life is in the blood.”
Murdered. Resurrected. Redeemed.
Now we are made holy
because You were born to die –
To Save.
“Hosanna” was their shout,
Salvation is Your gift to me.
Hope lives
because Jesus has won.
redeemed in grace 