My heart will sing no other Name

Jesus.

The 21 days of prayer and fasting that my church partakes in has begun. I have already found myself with so much more time to just think, pray, and worship. I absolutely love this time of year and am really looking forward to the remaining days. This week I have focused on one thing: Jesus. What do you think when you hear that name? Here is what I often think:
1) wow......that He was FULLY human. just like us. that He experienced more than my body could ever endure, more than my mind could ever fathom overcoming, and more hurt than my little heart has seen on its worst day. i cannot imagine it all...but i do know that He overcame. He came to earth and became human....but at the same time God. Crazy!
2) that He loves me. a lot. and unconditionally. do I even know what that means? probably not. but as I mess up, I learn more and more that no matter what I do...He still loves me. think about it.....really think about it. it blows me away.
3) that life with Him is beautiful.
4) thanks and praise all goes to the One that gave Himself for me.
5) wonderful Maker, Redeemer, Savior, Lover, Healer, Emmanuel.....and so many more.

As I stated in a previous entry, I'm pretty sure the speed of the thoughts that run across my mind could compete with any car racing in Talledega. I am a firm believer that the state of my mind, despite how organized my life is, is why I so often lose things (i.e. keys, phone, GLASSES - if anyone has seen these...please help! I'm needing them desperately and they were expensive!!) Okay, somehow I wanted to throw my lost poor little glasses in this blog.....and I think I did a pretty good job. Whew! I also think the state of my mind is why I publish my blogs immediately after writing them, usually without proof-reading them. My apologies as to why they often seem like they were written by a 6-year-old that has just learned how to make proper sentences and most of the time doesn't end up making sense at all. I always wished I was a better writer.....but the Lord had other plans. And I love that I ended up being the "math dork" instead :)

January is always a good month. It's the month of prayer and fasting, possible snow flurries, fireplaces, good books, good tv, and the Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA. I had the privelege of attending this year's conference (thanks, Mom!) and it was such an awesome experience. It was just surreal to look out in the crowd and see 22,000 people worshipping the Lord. When do you ever get to see that? I imagine that's what it is like in heaven and to be honest, it really made me want to go Home that much faster. When I think about all the concerts and football games that we attend and all the false idols we worship, I hate it. I like football...a lot. Especially Alabama football. But it makes me sick to think about all the times we scream and shout and lift our hands over a leather ball, but refuse to do so with the Lord because it's "out of our comfort zone." Really? I don't think so. Or how about the secular concerts when everyone is up at the front and the whole time hands are raised towards the performers. Doesn't our God deserve more? Doesn't He deserve all the praise and shouts and screams and lifting of the hands? I sure think so! Seeing this at the conference was something that will forever be engraved in my head. And I love that. I love that I was able to witness it and experience the presence of Christ among fellow sisters and brothers. Two words: totally rad!

I'll end with some great quotes from some of the speakers at Passion:

*Circumstances have NO power over us being full of Christ and free in Him. They do not limit God. - Louie Giglio

* Saying "yes" to Jesus means saying "no" to a billion other things. He's the same everyday. - Louie Giglio

*His will is what he desires for me. His plan is what He does. - Beth Moore

* You cannot distinguish God's will without the renewal of the mind. - Beth Moore

*I will only be fulfilled by the Lord's pre-wired will for my life. - Beth Moore

* Whatever He calls me to do is more than I could ever do myself. - Beth Moore

*For every plan God has, satan has a plan to keep it from coming to pass. - Beth Moore

*We can miss what He has us to do by not being completely focused. - Beth Moore

*Nothing dictates our lives like our desires. Delighting in God makes our truest desires inevitable. - Beth Moore

*It's not just about us being in our comfortable homes. It's about us partnering up to advance His Kingdom. - Francis Chan (this is probably my favorite and the one that has affected me the most)

*Our God is a God of the present. He is "I Am," not "I will be." - Francis Chan

*We are disciple makers. How many disciples have I helped make? - Francis Chan

*We need to learn so that we can go and pass it on...not just so that we can get fed. - Francis Chan

*Christian leaders lose their influence when they are ruled by an "appetite." - Andy Stanley