He's "Better Than Drugs" - 2010

I’m getting rather ‘sappy’ on you this morning!  I remembered that I had asked you to comment on my last blog writing on God’s direction in encaustic painting so this morning I decided to check.  I thank you so much for commenting. Right when I read it, “God With Us” as sung by Mercy Me came on in my Playlist of Worship music. The combination of the song and the comments had me literally in tears!   I am so thankful to God for this new life.  I have no way of explaining so that you all would truly know the living hell I was in for 18 years of my life before rededicating my life to the Lord in 1988.

When we moved to Florida in 2005, we were only here for 5 days when we were in church. We weren’t even close to being unpacked yet.   In 1979-80 I lived as a drunken, doped up beach bum out on Anna Maria Island and this move was going to be entirely different. I ran, fast and furious from that prior life.  I was going to have nothing to do with it.  I believe that is what needs to happen for us to truly have a changed life. God has to be something that we run towards with ALL of our intensity -- ALL your passion -- ALL that is within you! 

God has brought me out of some days even just sitting in my house in a drunken stupor, crying in the dark by the hour to having periods of such sheer joy that there are hardly words to express how I feel! God made us.  God, our creator, knows exactly what we need and He is just there, waiting to give it to us -- waiting for us to ask --- waiting for us to seek after Him.  And, in turn, our lives are far from perfect, but they are so much better because we do not go through them alone. He knows what we need in the midst of anything in life. I once shared that I could be sitting in a pile of dung, praising Him because He makes life worth living! He brings joy in the midst of something most would think of as sorrow! (Isaiah 61:1-3 – this is speaking of Jesus –

1 “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”)

We, as artists are so blessed.  (I shared this with friends the other day and nearly felt like I could jump up and preach.)  Nearly every day, I turn up my Playlist of worship music and get to work on my writing and/or artwork.  The inspiration from the strongly felt presence of the Holy Spirit is far beyond any drug-induced stupor! 

Better Than Drugs by Skillet

Feel your every heartbeat  Feel you on these empty nights  Calm the ache, stop the shakes  You clear my mind  You’re my escape  From this messed up place  ‘Cause you let me forget  You numb my pain  How can I tell you just all that you are  What you do to me  You’re better than drugs  your love is like wine  Feel you comin’ on so fast  Feel you comin’ to get me high  You’re better than drugs  Addicted for life  Feel you comin’ on so fast  Feel you comin’ on to get me high  Feel you when I’m restless  Feel you when I cannot cope  You’re my addiction, my prescription, my antidote  You kill the poison  Ease the suffering  Calm the rage when I’m afraid  To feel again  How can I tell you just all that you are  What you do to me  Verse3:  Feel your every heartbeat  Feel you on these empty nights  You’re the strength of my life  Altro:  Feel your every heartbeat  Feel you on these empty nights  Feel your every heartbeat  Feel you come to get me high  music by john l cooper lyrics by john l cooper and brian howes