Why Do I Worship

I think we all know the verse above. We were made to worship and praise the Lord. I'm not sure why, but lately I've started to think about why I worship. I think present changes and direction have really made me start questioning why I do what I do and why worship has always been a passion of mine. 

At night after my devotions, I began pondering this question: Why do I Worship? You see the question isn't why anyone else does. I need to explore the answer for me. I've never understood why getting people to worship is like pulling teeth. I have always questioned this, because I know God has done so much for all of us. Honestly the cross itself is enough to praise him for all the days of our lives.

While examining my heart, I came up with a ton of reasons that I worship Jesus, the Lover of my soul. 

Let's start with the lyrics of this song, "He's taken me from the miry clay." I can't count how many times I've been rescued by my Savior. He pulled me out of the mess of my bad decisions. He loved me when I was unlovable. He died for me knowing all the mistakes I would make and would continue to make.

He's healed me countless times. Instead of having a 3rd brain surgery, I was healed and the doctor cancelled the surgery. I was healed/delivered from bulimia, a deep dark path I never thought I would break free of. He's healed my broken heart more times than I can count.

He gives me peace in the midst of every storm of life. "There is peace in the time of trouble. There is peace in the midst of the storm. There is peace though the world be raging, in the shelter of His arms." There is nothing that compares to the His peace. It has enveloped me so many times when I felt I could not go on.

I could go on and on. I praise Him for keeping me and my family safe, that we're all healthy, we have what we need but also many things that we want. God has blessed  me far beyond what I deserve. I praise Him mostly because He loves me. He loves me in spite of me. He doesn't care about the many flaws I drive myself insane about. He loves me from my freckled face to my weird toes. 

Let's face it, I don't worship Him for what He can give, but I worship Him because He deserves my highest praise. I am often, well actually always moved to tears when I worship. His love is truly overwhelming. The beautiful thing about Jesus is He loves to bless His children. I often realize my headache or aches and pains disappear while I'm in His presence.

If we all truly grasped the message of the cross, and the fact that He Loves US SO very much, worship at church would truly be a joyous time, a life changing time. It wouldn't just be at church either, it would bleed into our everyday lives, and boy how we could change this lost and dying world. I worship Jesus because I love Him so much, and I want my life to exude that love, so others will see Him in me.

Lately

It's been a while, so I figured it was time to write. This one may only be interesting to those who actually know and care about me. ;-)
There are big things coming for the Blain household. We've officially decided to put our house on the market at the first of the year. We've already starting getting it market ready, and we really hope to have it on the market in January. At this point we're not sure what the next step is. There are many places I'd love to live...Colorado, WISCONSIN...Keller, TX...LOL.
For now we will become debt free, and then through lots of prayer determine where the best place for our family will be. Aaron is seriously considering New Zealand. To me, this is INSANE!! I understand where he's coming from, but there's a part of me that knows I could never be happy that far away from my friends and family. Then again...never say never. :-) Prayers greatly appreciated.
On another note, I've started to enjoy running. I'm still a little discouraged about the way I look...or how I think I look. Can't decide if it's 'bulimic' brain or not. Either way, I'm proud of myself for taking on something I have always hated. So far my max distance without stopping is 3.31 miles. Now THAT's impressive!! ;-)
On another note, I just finished Matt Redman's The Unquenchable Worshipper. It was well worth the time. It opened my eyes a lot, and I truly think I will be a better worship leader because of it. "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about YOU Jesus. I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it, when it's all about you Jesus."
That pretty much sums up lately. Perhaps I'll have more time to blog when I'm off the whole week of Thanksgiving!!! Work has been exhausting, so I can't wait!!!

Vacation, Women of Faith, and Revival

It's been forever since I've actually had time to gather my thoughts. Life has been so busy...moving faster than I'd like.
First of all, I just wanted to share a little bit about my vacation to Minnesota and Wisconsin at the end of August. First of all, it's so crazy to think that so much time has passed. I had an amazing time with my dearest friend. Our friendship is certainly an example of those that even though there's a lot of distance, and we don't talk everyday, when we get together, it's like we were never apart. :-) I am so blessed to have her and her precious family in my life, and it was so very hard to leave them and come home. They are not just friends but an extension of my family. I'm dreaming of a move,  but we'll see where God leads us. :-) Here's my favorite pic from my visit!

When I returned home it was full speed ahead. I had Women of Faith, and WOW was it wonderful and much needed. I didn't realize how much I needed it until I was there. The theme was a lot about being more than you know, and that God is more than we know. Here are a few of the notes I took, quotes that spoke to me "He is God. Miracles are what He does. Impossible is where He starts."  "Don't just memorize, internalize the word." "He can use our past to give someone else a future." " God is not growing in His level of patience. It is perfect and complete." The worship was phenomenal. I've said this on Facebook, but hearing 10,000+ voices singing and worshiping is one of the most beautiful sounds. One other word I really loved is that "true worship is unrehearsed." Basically I could go on and on, but it was an amazing time with God and a dear friend! :-)

Lastly I wanted to talk about the revival at my church. It was phenomenal. Not because we had a special minister who's on TV, but because God moved. Again, my favorite part was leading worship. What an amazing thing to hear voices singing loud enough for me to hear them. That's what worship is all about. I was beyond blessed because you could tell everyone came expecting to meet with God. After all, if you don't come excepting you're going to leave disappointed. God never disappoints though, so you can always count on Him to show up and meet you right where you are.
Until next time! :-)

A Legacy of Light

I actually have a lot to say. It seems like it's been forever since I've had a quiet moment to myself to write. So much has been going on that I don't even know where to begin.
I guess I'll start with a status I posted a while back on Facebook:This past week has started making me think about what my legacy. What do people say about me? Have I helped everyone I could? Does Christ's love shine through me? If not, that needs to change. We are the light afterall to this dark world. I hope I am doing my part to bring hope and love. It's kind of silly what prompted my thought that day, but here goes. A well known DJ, named Kidd Kraddick passed away almost 3 weeks ago. It was amazing to me how people all around the world were calling in and talking about all this stuff he did for others behind the scenes, and then of course the work he did through his charity Kidd's Kids. That had me thinking, what is my legacy? Am I truly doing everything within my power to help others? Am I a true friend? Do people see Christ's love in me? Do I bring light to this dark and dying world? My husband responded and said that our legacy will be through our boys. Of course that's true, but why should it be limited to that? I work and interact with so many people throughout the day. It's sounds so cliche, but do they see Jesus in me?
I truly want people to walk away from me knowing that I'm different. I want to live in such a way that everyone wonders what's the joy that radiates off of her?
Nothing brings me more joy than leading worship at church. It has nothing to do with the fact that there's a microphone in my hand. It's the fact that God's presence transforms. His presence renews my strength, gives me peace, fills me with joy. Honestly if I could walk around singing out loud all day, I would be a lot happier. Unfortunately that's frowned upon at work. ;-) So I just have to settle with a song in my heart. (SUPER CHEESEY, I know.)

I guess the main point of what's been on my mind is we've found the truth. Jesus has filled us with His peace and He's given us Hope and Love. Why would we not want to share that with our friends, coworkers...even the people we're not all that fond of? Honestly those are the people that need Jesus the most. Well I have a lot more to say, but I will save that for another day! :-)

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Willing Heart

As this year continues to tick by, I've realized, (well I've always known,) I want SO MUCH MORE out of life. Don't get me wrong, if I look back at my relationship with God last year, and where I am this year, it is definitely in a fresh and new place. The truth of the matter is I'm still not satisfied. How could I EVER be satisfied?!?! I want to DO more! I want to BE more! I want to SEE more! I want to LEARN more. Is this making sense?
I guess what I'm trying to say is that until Christ returns, I don't want to ever be satisfied with where I am. I want to constantly be moving and growing. I never want to be complacent when it comes to God and His works.
Last year was the first year I didn't give up on a year devotional plan. I actually made it through the whole thing. So this year, I have started a new one, but along with the devotion, I am also reading several chapters of Psalms each night. Once I'm done with Psalms, we'll see where I decide to read next. :0) You see, I'm saturating my heart and mind with His word. That knowledge is SO important, and I can't even begin to tell you what an encouragement this has been to me over the past couple of months.
Prayer has always been so very important to me, but this year I've taken my conversations with God to a new level. You see, in reading His word, He makes it very clear that He wants to hear from us. Therefore, I have been storming Heaven with pleas for miracles, peace, rest, joy...You get the idea. :0) Prayer is such a gift, but more than that..it's such a powerful tool. Prayer truly changes things, and this year I am praying and believing that God will move mountains. Miracles are not a thing of the past, folks. I am a one, after all! :)
Thanks and praise...wow, this is a big one!! How can anyone go through a single day and not thank God for loving them? I've noticed that even my praise and worship is becoming more intimate. Honestly there's probably not a song I haven't cried too. Each Sunday and Wednesday, even the times when I feel like I need a break, God gives me the strength I need to lead worship, but often times He even gives me a scripture to share. These scriptures often result in me crying, but it's just awesome to be able to share what God is showing me and my heart through worship.
I guess to sum up this post I am SUPER excited about what God is doing in my life! I am EXCITED that I'm not satisfied with just going through the motions and just sitting in the seat. I want to do His work. I DESPERATELY want Him to use me! The coolest part about it..He IS using ME!!! You see all it takes is a willing heart!!

Weak Week

This was one of those weeks where I would have been 'happy' in bed with a box of tissues crying. I'm pretty sure I cried every single day this week. Thursday night I cried myself to sleep. Like I said, it was just one of those weeks where crawling into a hole and hiding from any other 'news' seemed so much better than facing the world. Obviously I was a big girl, and I made it through, but it wasn't easy.
I won't pinpoint all the tidbits of news that broke my heart or discouraged me this week, because the details don't really matter. I think that we can all relate to storm after storm, trial after trial, and desperately wishing for a break, a moment to catch our breath. Psalms 69:1-3 Save me O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing;I have come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God." This passage resonated with me when I read it Thursday night leading to further tears.
The amazing thing to me is that while things are not magically fixed today and honestly they probably won't be tomorrow either, I am still hopeful. I've said it before, but as I continue to make it through the Psalms and listen to Praise and worship music, my heart and soul can find rest and even joy in the midst of the most tumultuous storm. This week as Kari Jobe's album was playing for the millionth time at work, the song "Find You on My Knees" came on, and as you guessed it, I started crying. These words rang so true in my heart..especially while I was at work, (my least favorite place these days.) "When my hope is gone, when the fear is strong, when the pain is real, when it's hard to heal, when my faith is shaken, and my heart is broken, and my joy is stolen, God I know that, You lift me up."
While I always try to focus on the positives in negative situations, recently I've really had to remind myself that all I have is today. There's no point in worrying about tomorrow. God has my tomorrows covered. Being "still" and knowing He is God seems to be a common theme. I always go back to that song every time I'm struggling. "When the oceans rise and thunders roll, I will soar with  you above the storm. Father you are King over the Flood. I will be still, know You are God."
I'm so very grateful that God's word is new every time I read it and how praise and worship music soothes my soul. Without that and the amazing people God has blessed me with, I would surely be lost at sea in the storms of life.

Tuesday Tunes-How He Loves

I have always loved this song! I believe the first time I heard it was when my friend Jessica introduced me to it probably over a year ago. This version of the song is my absolute favorite! Kim Walker is an amazing worship leader. I had the honor of leading worship at church on Sunday night with my dad on the guitar and this is one of the songs we did. It's such a powerful song. I think while the chorus is simple, when you truly think about the words "He loves us. Oh how He loves us. Oh how he loves us all!" God loves us so much, and how amazing to be reminded of that through this song!