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
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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
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