Never Too Far

It is on my heart to share with you just how much God loves us, how much He desires  for a relationship with us, and how far He was, and continually is, willing to go to have that with us.  He knows what we do; He sees our thoughts, hears our words, and knows our plans even before we do, and He loves us anyway.  He knows we will make mistakes.  He has watched us do it over and over again, but He also offers us a refuge and relief from it all.  He gave His Son to die for our sins before we had even had a chance to commit them, knowing full-well that we would turn our backs on Him time and again, and yet He chose to pay that price.


Verses:


For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
~Ephesians 2:8-10


You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.
~Psalm 86:5


That is the beauty of it all, my friends.  We are never too far; never to far from the path for Him to get us back on track, never to far into our sinful ways where His love could not reach us, and never too far where His embrace could not hold us.  We are His! He loves us, and is willing to take away our past if we are simply willing to give Him our future.  I have heard many reasons why people resist a relationship with Christ over the years, but a common one is, "I have had way too many mistakes for someone like God to ever be interested in me."  If that is you today, I cannot even begin to tell you how false that statement is.  He loves you more than you could ever imagine!  He just wants you; your sins, your struggles, your flaws and your faults.  He wants to take you in, redeem you, and give you love despite your brokenness.  For without Him, we may be broken, but in Him we are made beautiful and whole with Christ.  Your burdens will find relief upon His shoulders.  This life is rough, and mistakes happen, but Christ will love you through them, help you grow, and lead you in a life that you never could have planned for yourself.  The struggles will not disappear, but the joyous moments will multiply many times over, and the fulfillment of a life containing a relationship with Christ will fill in the holes you thought nothing would be able to.


Remember, you are never too far gone, never too lost in sin, for His love to pull you out and redeem you.  His love is truly unconditional; we just have to lay it at His feet and find rest in His mercy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBcqWPV8_aI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dct2T7NrzXU


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ong-lczUclI&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9KtXHoAFOI&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsrommjo1_g&context=C307981dADOEgsToPDskJCfoy05xGDD6IsLfJjScSb

Those are the links to some of The Grace Collective's recent cover songs and originals.  I love you all! Be blessed!

It is You

These past few days have proven to be some of the best and worst for me spiritually.  I have been delving into the Word, writing inspired lyrics for upcoming songs, and growing closer and deeper in my faith with Christ, but that has come at no small cost.  Satan sees these efforts and pours on the attacks even more.  Though these attacks are hard, the temptations many, and chances to screw up almost endless, I view them as progress.  They are proof that my efforts to spread His light, His love, and His purpose are being fruitful and paid attention to.  It is only God who can restore us when Satan tries to turn our confidence into confusion, and our triumph into temptation.  We have to rely on Him, dig deeper into who He is, and continue to fight the battle; as a matter of fact, we have to remove ourselves altogether, and allow God's loving will and power to fight the battle for us.  If we remove our motives and our desires then God's plan is all that will remain, leaving Satan with nothing to hold over us.  


God is not only all we have to cling to, but the amazing part is, He is more than we could ever need.  He is Redeemer, Restorer, Rebuilder, Rewarder, and Righteous above all.  These feelings and convictions were conveyed in the following lyrics that are a part of the new single entitled "It is You" that will be put out shortly by The Grace Collective.

It is You who takes the broken

It is You who then restores

It is You my God who saves me

So Let all my praise be Yours

It is You who took the nails, It is You who shed Your blood

And this new chance at life, is only granted through Your love

It is You who is my rock, It is You who sent Your son

And for Your sacrifice, I will vow to spread Your love

Verse:

He sent out his word and healed them;
   He rescued them from the grave.

~Psalm 107:20

He does His part, now we must do ours.  We have to spread His love, His Gospel, His story so that others will have this chance at love, redemption, and life restored.  This is not something we keep to ourselves, but it is only through seeking out the will of Christ that we can effectively spread this Good News.  Remember, in all things, it is Christ who deserves all praise!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dct2T7NrzXU

Your Love Covers Me

Chase It

Today, I was reminded of the simple truth that if we do not press on and continue to chase our dreams, then life will pass us by at an unbelievable rate.  I have spent the majority of my adult life looking to Christ for the answers, seeking His will out for my life, and this is exactly what I believe we are called to do. However, there comes a point in life, and in our decision making, when we have to take the wisdom and knowledge that God has led us to and simply take a leap.  We know what we want, we can feel it to the core of who we are when we know something is right.  God allowed us free will for a reason; He has a good and perfect plan for our lives, but we will never see it come to fruition if we are too scared to make a decision on our own.  We will not always hear an audible voice giving us the answers, oftentimes the options we have to choose between may not appear favorable either way, but God has led us to this point to teach us something, to grant us a new hope, to give new direction, or lead us away from a path that would not have contributed to the best possible life for us. 


Verses:
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
~Romans 11:36


Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
~Colossians 3:23-24


God is in the business of love.  He gives us desires and passions in life so that we may find a way to praise Him in anything we choose to do.  If we search hard enough and put our trust in God, He will lead us to what will make us happiest in life.  I'm not guaranteeing an easy journey, in fact, it might be just the opposite, but the lessons learned along the way will make us all the better.  He loves us and has blessed us with opportunities, so many, in fact, that we often struggle with all the decisions we have to make.  It is too simple to claim we are waiting for His guidance, when in fact, we are just too scared to take a leap of faith. He is in us, He loves us, and He wants what is best for us.  I believe the knowledge and wisdom He provides is all we need to make these decisions.  They will still be hard, but He is right beside us every step of the way.  Take a risk, take a chance, make a decision and see what happens.  As long as your goal is to bring honor and glory to Christ in the decision, then you will be doing just that.  If it doesn't work out, at least you tried, and probably learned something along the way.  If it does work, then continue to pursue it.  Never settle, never stop bettering yourself, your faith, or your relationship in Christ.  Complacency has become an epidemic, and we have to trust Christ enough to know that when we take a risk in life, He will be right there to catch us if we fall.  


I am not endorsing irrational decisions, or quick, uneducated choices with this post.  However, if you have had a big decision on your heart for a long time, and you've weighed your options, make a choice.  Take a leap! Follow your heart, chase your dreams, and rely on Him.  He has everything planned out for our good so trust in that.  He will see you through!  




On a side note, Kelsey Collins and I have officially started a duo group called The Grace Collective.  The support has been tremendous already, and I want to thank God for allowing us to worship and praise Him with the gifts He has provided.  Check out our first original below, and if you feel led to share it, then by all means do so.  I love you all! Be Blessed!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dct2T7NrzXU




Thanks again!

Constant Companion

Hello all, I realize that I fell of the map there for a few weeks, but it was a good time for personal and spiritual development with the Lord that I had been needing.  The few weeks spent in reflection, prayer, and in the word mixed with wonderful time with family and friends was exactly what I had envisioned for my final Christmas break of my undergrad.  I do write this today with a heavy heart, however.  Today, my family made the tough decision to put our beloved 16 year old black lab, Lexy, to sleep.  To some you make think she was just a dog, but she was more than that to us, she was a part of the family.  She has literally been my best friend and constant companion over the last 16 years, and losing her is harder than I had ever imagined.  We knew it was her time, she was in pain, and could hardly get herself up anymore, but this didn't make letting her go any easier.


It is in this time of pain for me and my family that we remember who are true best friend is, our true Constant Companion, and that can only be found in Jesus Christ.  Lexy was a constant reminder of what true love looked like, and I believe Christ leaves examples of that for us to see all over the place.  The loss reminds us that life is precious, time is short, and we must truly devote our time and efforts to the things in the life that really matter, to the cause of Christ Jesus.  We must love deeply, forget quickly, and whole-heartedly forgive when we are called to do so.  Life is a gift, a chance for us to reflect the love and image of Christ that we were made in.  


Verses:
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
   and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
~Psalm 34:18


Cherish life, love unconditionally, and put your time and effort into the things that really matter.  Strive to strengthen your relationship with Christ for there is no better time than now. He loves you and is waiting with open arms.  I love you all, and you are continually in my prayers.