It is Finished

The divine plan
Set into place at the start
The Creator took on human flesh
With all its fraility
Giving up Heaven
He walked among His creation as one of them
This Christ was not expected
One who would make wine from water
One who would delight in children
One who would be at ease with the "sinners"
And One who would constantly frustrate the "religious"
This Christ showed us a new face of Love
In temptation He did not give in
In the circumstance of pain, He gave comfort
In constant misunderstanding, He was a patient teacher
In the midst of hate, He loved deeply
He was perfection living among imperfection
Yet He took on our imperfection
Allowing Himself to be put on the cross in our place
Never was there One so innocent
So undeserving of the cross
Yet because of His great love for us, He endured its shame
Giving up His life with the words, "It is finished!"
No longer do we have to be separated from our Creator
No longer does sin reign in us
No longer can Satan accuse those who are God's children
"It is finished", but it is not the end of the story...
He didn't stay in the grave
He went on to conquer death
And now sits at the right hand of the Father
Interceding for us

We have been caught up in a love story
He is recklessly pursuing us
If we but choose this Jesus to trust and obey
We will be free indeed
Peace and joy residing within us
With eternal life in His presence to anticipate
And with Love promising never to leave us...ever.

I Wanna Dance

"And I wanna dance
I wanna snap my fingers all night long and dance
I wanna move around the room just like a woman in a trance
All night, I wanna dance
I wanna wrap my arms around your neck and dance
I wanna listen to the music that's been ringing in my ears
And one day I’m gonna dance my way right outta here"
-"Dance", Caedmon's Call

I pulled out this CD the other night, "Long Line of Leavers" by Caedmon's Call. I love this song. It has a really great beat and its just fun. In college, a bunch of used to go out and go dancing when the salsa band was in town. None of us really knew how to salsa...but we always had fun. I really love to dance. I'll be the first to confess that I really do have two left feet and look like an idiot...but I love weddings because I love to dance. And that's one of the primary times when I get to do it! But I was thinking about this song and thinking about dancing and joy and all that good stuff. I've been weighed down with heavy thoughts this last week...and that is not necessarily a negative thing...but there are times when I just want to cast it all off and have things be light. I guess one would call that freedom. And honestly, Jesus is the only place I have found that freedom...freedom to know that all really is in God's hands..its not just a cliche; something I just say...its real. He really does have it. I really don't need to worry. I'm good at worrying...but if I trust, there is no reason for it.

So today, I was reading and I ran across this paragraph...it really hit me square between the eyes and challenged me. I don't live with enough joy in my life. I don't like ambiguity. I don't live like I'm in the middle of a great Love Story. But I am learning...anyhow, enjoy. :)

"History attests that religion and religious people tend to be narrow. Instead of expanding our capacity for life, joy, and mystery, religion often contracts it. As systematic theology advances, the sense of wonder declines. The paradoxes, contradictions, and ambiguities of our life are codified, and God Himself is cribbed, cabined, and confined within the pages of a leather-bound book. Instead of a love story, the Bible is viewed as a detailed manual of directions."
-"Abba's Child", Brennan Manning

Tenderness

It's late...or if you rather, it's early. Either way, I should probably be in bed...but thoughts are churning in my mind and that Coke I drank an hour ago is taking its toll. So I thought I would share with you some ramblings of a ragamuffin. However, these are not my thoughts, but rather from one of my favorite authors...yep, you guessed it, Brennan Manning. I know, you were concerned that you haven't heart about Abba's Child for awhile...sorry to say, I had to put it down in order to read 3 other books last week. :) But I read this yesterday and think its worth passing on....

"Tenderness awakens within the security of knowing we are thoroughly and sincerely liked by someone. The mere presence of that special someone in a crowded room brings an inward sigh of relief and a strong sense of feeling safe. The experience of a warm, caring, affective presence banishes our fears. The defense mechanisms of the impostor--sarcasm, name-dropping, self-righteousness, the need to impress others--fall away. We become more open, real vulnerable, and affectionate. We grow tender....

"...How would you respond if I asked you this question: "Do you honestly believe God likes you, not just loves you because theologically God has to love you?" If you could answer with gut-level honoesty, "Oh, yes, my Abba is very fond of me," you would experience a serene compassion for yourself that approximates the meaning of tenderness."