Revealing Grace

It reminded me of sitting around a campfire. Of mission trips and short-term mission teams. The purity of worship when it is just a guitar and some voices. When everything is stripped down to the minimum and there it is- just me and God. In that purity of sound I felt His presence in a way I have not felt in so long. I was at worship band practice and yet I found myself worshipping. When the chaos and the electrics were stripped away I found the purity of adoration again and peace overwhelmed my soul.  I will admit to you, my dear reader, that playing the violin in our church's band has been a struggle as of late. I have felt so far from God and yet I am supposed to be leading other people closer to Him. It didn't add up to me. My attitude would quickly become frustrated or annoyed. I could only see the notes, but not the meaning. I struggled because though I loved playing I couldn't feel it- I could not feel the presence of God flowing from me. I wanted to be able to ...

The winds are changing. I can feel it in the air around me, a quiet hum, a subtle shift. Where are they leading? I do not know. To what are they turning? I couldn't say. But the sky is calm and the anticipation is palpable. 2016 was a difficult year for me personally, for a multitude of reasons, but 2017 feels different. It isn't idealism or resolutions or jumping on the complain and compare bandwagon. Its an energy in the air, like the clear sky before a storm. I feel it with every sunrise, rainstorm and sunny day. I feel a peace surrounding me that wasn't there last year, telling me that this year is going to bring change- good change, joyful change. I feel God in my spirit as I have not felt Him in a long time. My words are flowing from my pen again and it feels like the flowers of my life are blooming. The winds are changing and we stand ready. God show us your way.