Welcome to Tune-In Tuesday! If this is your first time visiting on a Tuesday, I hope you will find this as a place to worship together. Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:

1. Pick a song that is especially meaningful for you at this time in your life and write about it. Really think about the lyrics… and let them change you.
2. Link up here using the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Use the name of your song as the title of your link. (If you haven’t done this before, feel free to email me with questions.) If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment sharing your song. ***Please use the permalink to your post, not your blog's main site. Because of the specialized nature of this weekly series, any links that are not specifically for Tune-In Tuesday will be deleted.***
3. Visit other people’s blogs and worship with them.
4. Spread the word. Grab the button in the left column and add it to your post. That way, others can link up, as well. Tweet about it… Try to get others in on the conversation.
5. And the main thing… worship! :) 

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My song this week is Jesus Paid It All... the Kristian Stanfill version. Listen and read below. :)

This is my favorite version of Jesus Paid It All, hands down. Of course, I'm a guitar girl... so I love the style. But the second half of the song is what really makes it stand out from the rest.

At first, we sing 3 familiar verses and choruses of the much loved hymn... the words about Jesus taking care of our sin... about how we owe it all to Him... about how He alone can wash us and change us...

Then, about 3 minutes in, it just breaks out into praise! We spend the rest of the song just singing "o praise the One who paid my debt and raised this life up from the grave." Then it finishes with different names of Jesus.

This song just leads me to get excited about what Jesus has done for us! I hope it blesses you today... As has happened a few times since I started hosting Tune-In Tuesdays, another song was planned, but this one caught me instead.

This song would fit into my "Music That Moves Me" category. :) Missed that series? You can read the posts here: Music That Moves Me.

What song is God using in your life right now?

Welcome to Tune-In Tuesday! If this is your first time visiting on a Tuesday, I hope you will find this as a place to worship together. Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:

1. Pick a song that is especially meaningful for you at this time in your life and write about it. Really think about the lyrics… and let them change you.
2. Link up here using the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Use the name of your song as the title of your link. (If you haven’t done this before, feel free to email me with questions.) If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment sharing your song. ***Please use the permalink to your post, not your blog's main site. Because of the specialized nature of this weekly series, any links that are not specifically for Tune-In Tuesday will be deleted.***
3. Visit other people’s blogs and worship with them.
4. Spread the word. Grab the button in the left column and add it to your post. That way, others can link up, as well. Tweet about it… Try to get others in on the conversation.
5. And the main thing… worship! :) 

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My song for today is Fall Apart by Josh Wilson. LOVE this song. Press play below to listen and then read on for lyrics and some thoughts.

Why in the world did I think I could
Only get to know you when my life was good
When everything just falls in place
The easiest thing is to give You praise

Now it all seems upside down

‘Cause my whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when I fall apart

Blessed are the ones who understand
We’ve got nothing to bring but empty hands
Nothing to hide and nothing to prove
Our heartbreak brings us back to You

And it all seems upside down

‘Cause my whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then    

How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when I fall apart

I don’t know how long this will last
I’m praying for the pain to pass
But maybe this is the best thing that
Has ever happened to me

My whole world is caving in
But I feel You now more than I did then
How can I come to the end of me
And somehow still have all I need
God, I want to know You more
Maybe this is how it starts
I find You when
You will find me when I fall apart

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Over the last several months, I have gone through a pretty significant spiritual battle. Significant life changes. Depression. Anger. Bitterness. Frustration. Hurt. Feelings of rejection in every area of my life. Heartbreaking feelings of being nudged out of some areas very dear to my heart that I was once involved in heavily. Selfishness.

It could have been a simple fix, if I had just let go and trusted. But my heartbreak didn’t bring me back to Him. Instead of drawing closer to Jesus and to those who love me, I withdrew. Went into hiding for a while. So He held me down a little longer.

Most of you probably had no idea. Most of you saw my Sunday face.

Thankfully, I can tell you that I’m starting to come out of it. I’m actually seeing the reasoning behind it all. Sometimes God has to strip us of all of the things that cause pride and ego in our lives. Often, that is the only way to get our complete attention.

And sometimes it takes breaking our hearts. But after the breaking, He is also there… just waiting for us to hand over the pieces to Him.

This song speaks to me so much. We can’t just praise Him in the good times. We have to praise Him and cling to Him in the hard times, too. And maybe, just maybe, we will find the breaking to be the "best thing that's ever happened to us."

I’m so grateful that He will find me when I fall apart.

If you haven't read about my beach worship moment with my son, I hope you will read it here: A Beach Baby's Worship. Moments like this have helped my healing.

He is definitely a beach baby. Can’t help it. He gets it honest.

Tonight we went out onto the beach, he and I, just as the thick pink line around the horizon was beginning to shrink. It was the perfect time of day.

Fascinated by the ocean, much like I am, he didn’t blink as I held him on my hip and walked the short trip down the sand. He was mesmerized by the sight and sound of the waves. With excited squeals escaping his lips and legs kicking full force, he itched for that feeling on his toes from a few days ago. Finally those toes touched the water and he was able to just enjoy it for a while.

After a good showering of splashed water on both of us, we walked up to a dry spot of sand and I set him down in front of me, my legs encircling his. At first, he just looked at the sand in front of him. Then his feet started kicking. And they didn’t stop.

His rhythmic kicking started forming a cute little heart shape right there in front of us.

As he continued to kick his energy out, I sang I Love You Lord. Reminisced about a campfire 20 years ago when I first learned that song. It is now a theme song of my life… one that I sing in my head when bad thoughts come in.

I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice. To worship you. Oh my soul. Rejoice. Take joy my King in what you hear. May it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear…

May it be a sweet, sweet sight to your eyes…

May it be a sweet, sweet smell to your nose…

May my life be such that everything I think, say, and do looks like worship to you.

In the midst of my own worship moment, I looked down at Little Man and realized that he was worshiping too. Kicking those little feet against the sand was his way of saying thank you to God. I love your sand, God. I love your ocean, God. I love sitting here with my mommy, God. Thank you.

Worship is such a simple act. It’s not about what manner we choose to do it. It’s not about the songs we sing. Worship is our way of telling God thank you. Of showing him that we love him with all that is within us.

I’m pretty sure Little Man’s kicking was a sweet, sweet sight to His eyes.

So when the pink horizon shrank enough that it was just a spot disappearing behind the buildings, we got up and walked back to the condo. Leaving behind a cute little heart made by Little Man’s feet. Beach Baby’s worship offering to his King.

Thank you God for letting me see worship tonight through the eyes {and feet} of my baby boy.

Welcome to Tune-In Tuesday! If this is your first time visiting on a Tuesday, I hope you will find this as a place to worship together. Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:

1. Pick a song that is especially meaningful for you at this time in your life and write about it. Really think about the lyrics… and let them change you.
2. Link up here using the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Use the name of your song as the title of your link. (If you haven’t done this before, feel free to email me with questions.) If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment sharing your song. ***Please use the permalink to your post, not your blog's main site. Because of the specialized nature of this weekly series, any links that are not specifically for Tune-In Tuesday will be deleted.***
3. Visit other people’s blogs and worship with them.
4. Spread the word. Grab the button in the left column and add it to your post. That way, others can link up, as well. Tweet about it… Try to get others in on the conversation.
5. And the main thing… worship! :)

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My song this week is A Mighty Fortress by Christy Nockels. Listen below as you read.
 
 
Today I am thankful that He is...

• a consuming fire, a burning holy flame with glory and freedom
• the only righteous judge, ruling over us with kindness and wisdom
• jealous for His own
• exalted on His throne high above the heavens
• forever worthy

I'm also thankful that...

• a mighty fortress is our God
• a sacred refuge is His name
• His kingdom is unshakable
• with Him forever we will reign

And I will keep my eyes on Him... so I can set my heart on Him.

Welcome to Tune-In Tuesday! If this is your first time visiting on a Tuesday, I hope you will find this as a place to worship together. Here is what we do:

Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:

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My song this week is Captivate Us by Watermark. You can listen below and then read on...

I’ve been way too distracted lately. Do you relate with Peter? I do. And every time I "look down at the waves" (or at least when I realize that's what I've been doing), I think of him. My heart’s desire is to be so captivated by Jesus that nothing can pull me away from the path God has for me. 

This song is written straight to His heart. Here are some of the words in the chorus that speak to my heart the most:

Devastate us with Your presence falling down
And rushing river, draw us nearer
Holy fountain consume us with You
Captivate us Lord Jesus, with You

But this is my favorite section of the song:

Let everything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of Your face
Let every chain be broken from me
As I'm bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You're full of wisdom, power and might

My prayer is that you and I will allow the chains to fall off. That we will be bound only in His grace. And that we will allow Him to consume us... captivate us... draw us.  Not as a temporary fix, but as a permanent life walk.

 

Welcome to Tune-In Tuesday! If this is your first time visiting on a Tuesday, I hope you will find this as a place to worship together. Here is an explanation of what we do:

Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:


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My song this week is Strong Enough by Matthew West. Play the video and listen while you read below.

This song has spoken to me quite a bit lately. At times, life seems overwhelming. Motherhood is a challenge. Life change is a challenge. Depression is a challenge. Strongholds are challenges. I can easily get wrapped up in my own little pity party… and I have for a while.

But I’m seeing light now. In which God is giving me a perspective change… really it’s more like a knock down so that the only way I can look is up. And out...

...to others who have it a lot tougher than I do  ...to others who I just need to love.

God is forcing me to notice once and for all that life on this planet is not about me. And with Him as my strength, I am strong enough to overcome anything that is in my path.

I know I’m not strong enough to be everything that I’m supposed to be; I give up…

WITHOUT God, I am weak. Defeated. But WITH Him, I am strong enough.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength… 

I. Am. Blessed.

It's Tune-In Tuesday again! A day where we meet together to worship. Here is what we do on Tuesdays at Grow Where You're Planted:

Each week, I share about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:


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Some days, Katherine goes to bed singing… then she wakes up singing. Definitely a music lover to the core. (I have NO idea where she gets that from!!) :o)

These lyrics are some of her favorites… “Christ is risen from the dead. We are one with Him again. Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave.” If you haven’t heard Christ Is Risen by Matt Maher… listen to it below. In fact, play it while you’re reading the rest of this post. Awesome!


One day, Katherine kept singing the same lyrics over and over again. So, I decided to play the whole song for her on my iPhone. For the rest of the day, she asked for it again and again with a big smile… “Play Come Awake, Mommy!” “I want to hear Come Awake!” You know what's funny? Come Awake is not the title of the song. Sometimes I think we should let the kids name the songs.

Think about what the lyrics are saying to us. So often, we remain in our guilt and shame. We take up residence. We dwell on the past. We dwell on the regrets. Yes, I do it. (By the way, if you missed my testimony, you can read it here on my friend Karen’s blog.)

This song has taught me that if I choose to stay in my guilt and shame, I am not doing what God has called me to do. Christ died and rose again so that we would “come awake” and live in the risen mindset. He doesn’t want us to stay dead in our sin… in our shame… in our regret. If we have truly repented, then He is calling us to wake up. To let go of the past and reach FORWARD! In the RISEN life! In Philippians 3:14, Paul calls us to “…press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

If we live defeated lives, we are useless for the kingdom.

How are you doing in the regret area? Have you realized that all of your past sin can now be turned around and used in others’ lives? Do you seek out opportunities for God to use you to help others move out of sinful patterns and lifestyles? Or are you still dwelling on the sin? If we try to forgive ourselves in our own strength, we will just stay in a defeated cycle. But with Christ in control, we can put the sin behind us so that we can come awake and live again. A new life! A new day! A new song!

Oh church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!
Our God is not dead! HE’S ALIVE! HE’S ALIVE! 

We can learn a lot from our kiddos. When I keep my eyes open, our little ones teach me something every day. They view life from an innocent perspective. A point-of-view that we grown-ups sometimes miss because of the doubt, regret, and fear in our lives. I'm thankful that God used our little girl to remind me to come awake!

Your turn! :) Don't have a blog? No worries... Just comment below. Thanks for stopping by.

Once again, it is Tune-In Tuesday! A day where we meet together to worship. Here is what we do on Tuesdays at Grow Where You're Planted:

Each week, I share and write about a song that God is using in my life. One that is speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:


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My song today is Draw Me Nearer by Meredith Andrews. Listen to it below and then read on...


Our family has recently been battling spiritual warfare. Some days are harder than others. I am coming to some ugly realizations about myself. Painful. But God is trying to break me of some need-to-be-broken habits. Along with some extremely sinful attitudes. Again, painful.

As I was running last night, this song came on my Pandora station. It hit me pretty hard that if I don't let HIM draw me nearer, I'm always going to be searching. Not that I didn't already know this. I'm the good church girl, right? How many times have I responded with "I know" when confronted with a truth. But my very wise hubby has always told me that until something becomes a revelation, real change won't come. (See Babe, I do listen.) :) Hopefully, this time it's all sinking in.

So, now all I want is for God to draw me to Him. To pull me away from the shell of myself that will never be complete until He fills it with Himself. He has been tugging at me for a long time, yet I've blinded myself to the goodness He wants for me... and for my family.

As I ache today, only from self-inflicted pain, this song is ministering to me. I hope it will minister to you, as well. The answer to all of our heartache, pain, sorrow, guilt, frustration, tears, anger, and everything else in between is found in letting Him draw us near.

Your turn. What song is God using in your life right now?

Today is Tune-In Tuesday! A day where we meet together to worship. I'm a little late getting this post up, so I'm going to keep the linky alive a little longer.  Here is what we do on Tuesdays at Grow Where You're Planted:

Every Tuesday, I will be writing about a song that God is using in my life. A song that is particularly speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:



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A new favorite worship song of mine is I Lift My Hands by Chris Tomlin. It’s on his new CD (And If Our God Is For Us) and is probably my favorite song out of the whole bunch. Push play and listen as you read…


My biggest stronghold is well… myself. I always seem to try to do things my way instead of trusting that God knows what is best for me. We all struggle with selfishness, but sometimes I think I am the queen of self-service living.

This beautiful song calls me to lift my hands…. to believe again… to believe that He alone is my refuge and my strength. To let go and let Him lead me.

Saturday night at She Speaks, Ann Voskamp called us to open-handed living. To live not closed-fisted, as how we were born, but to open our hands and accept the incredible gifts God has placed in our lives. Her talk reminded me of this song. And when we sang it Sunday morning, I felt an incredible freedom.

Today, I’m inviting you to join me in lifting up your hands to believe again. Wherever you are in your life, whatever you are going through, allow God to be your refuge and strength. Your healer. Your fortress. Your faithful friend.

Let faith arise.

Today is the first Tune-In Tuesday! I’m so excited! I love music and I love to see people connecting with their Creator through worship music.

We all like different types of music. Some of us like it all. Some of us only like one style… or maybe two. My prayer is that Tuesdays at Grow Where You’re Planted will become a place where we meet to worship together. To learn about each other’s heart languages. And maybe to even experience worship through someone else’s heart language.

So, what’s the plan? Every Tuesday, I will be writing about a song that God is using in my life. A song that is particularly speaking to me in whatever season I may be going through. The invitation is for you to jump in and do it, too! Here are the steps:

I have no idea how today’s will go. Since it’s the first time, we may have no one link up, or we may have a lot of people. If you stopped by today and God used this in your life, I hope you will make this a regular stop on Tuesdays.

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My song today is How He Loves (the David Crowder version).

There is no other song that speaks to my heart as much as this one does. It is my favorite running song, my favorite worship song, my favorite anything song. It is the song that seems to always bring tears. The one that causes me to literally forget where I am (physically) for a moment.

He is jealous for me. Really? The God of the universe desires my heart that much?

But it’s these lyrics that get me the most:

And I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18…

God loves us so much that He is using our afflictions for His glory! We forget this too often… stay wrapped up in the here and now. But it’s when we let go of our present pain and allow room for His beautiful future that we really experience God.

Oh… how He loves us... And I don’t have time to maintain these regrets.

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Your turn! Link up below and tell us about a worship song that touches your heart. Don’t have a blog? That’s okay… just write about it in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!

It’s finally Friday!! :) Which means it’s finally time to talk about my very favorite running song. But it's more than just a running song. It is my favorite worship song. My I-could-listen-to-it-over-and-over-again-and-never-get-tired-of-it song. Here it is... (Amy, I know you've been waiting all week.) :)

Favorite running song #1 – How He Loves by Passion/David Crowder

Listen to it and read the lyrics below (the words that speak to me the most are bold).


He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane; I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy

When all of a sudden 
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory 
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me 

And O how He loves us
Oh, O how He loves us
How He loves us all

(repeat all)

Yeah He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves 

We are His portion and He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking 

So Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets 

When I think about… the way

He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves us
O how He loves

(lots of repeats)

I could talk a lot about what this song means to me (and I will… on Tune-In Tuesday). But for today… just know it is my favorite running song.

Do you have a favorite song? A favorite worship song that truly brings you into the throne of grace? Keep it in your mind for Tuesday!! Just another reminder about Tune-In Tuesdays...  Starting next week (July 19th), we will link up here to share songs that God is using in our lives.

I’m really excited about this! I’ve always wanted to do a “linky party,” and being a musician… this is a perfect fit! Learning to truly worship Him through the songs we sing is simply amazing. So there you have it.

Do you really think about the words when you’re singing them on Sundays? Or is it just part of the routine when you go into the worship center? This is a chance to allow God to draw you into a closer worship experience with Him… maybe in a more intense way than you ever have before.

Don’t have a blog? NO PROBLEM! You can write about your song in a comment.

What I’m looking forward to is believers coming together to share with each other in our own heart languages. We all have different types of worship songs that touch us. From hymns to southern gospel to contemporary. My desire is that Tune-In Tuesdays will be a place where they can all come together... After all, we are worshiping the same Creator! Would LOVE to have you all join us! And PLEASE help me spread the word!

In case you missed these…
Monday’s song: Awakening by Passion/Chris Tomlin
Wednesday’s song: Grace Will Be My Song by Fee

Today, I’m just jumping in and announcing my second favorite running song! You may not know this one…. but it has become one of my favorite Fee songs. I’ll talk more after the lyrics.

Favorite running song #2 – Grace Will Be My Song by Fee

Listen to it here and read the lyrics below.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; You ransomed one like me
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; Your blood, my liberty
And now my shame is gone; and grace will be my song

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; Lover of the weak
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; with strength to carry me
And now my shame is gone; and grace will be my song

Glory, Glory, Glory to the one who saved my soul
Glory, Glory, Glory to the Everlasting Lord
Glory, Glory, Glory to the King who sits enthroned… Our God
(This repeats a few times)

Are you seeing the pattern? My favorite running songs have simple, yet powerful lyrics. They start slow and soft, then build. By the time I get to the end of the song, I’m lost in it. Worshiping my Savior. Forgetting where I am for a moment. Maybe not the safest thing when I’m on the road!! ;)

I like to plug this one in as my second song. Right after the warm up. By the time it gets to the 2^nd time through the glory, glory, glory part, it explodes.

LOVE. IT.

But it’s not just the way the music builds. The words are so incredible you just want to shout them! And now… My shame is gone! And grace will be my song! I guess you could say this is one of my lifesongs. Because of where my choices led me about 10 years ago, this song means quite a bit to me.

We all have a story. And we probably all have songs that particularly remind us of the individualized grace that was shown to each of us. God loves us so much that He sent His son to die for us on the cross. It doesn’t matter where we’ve been. What we’ve done. And if you believe this and have accepted Him as your Savior and Lord, your shame IS gone. Grace IS your song. If you are reading this and do not know Jesus, I invite you to read The Story and learn more about how He can change your life. You can also click on the "Know Jesus?" tab in the top menu.

Did you miss Monday’s song? Check it out here.

So, what do you think Friday’s song will be? Here’s a hint… It’s probably my favorite worship song of all time. Just think of the song that lifts the roof when it is sung. The one that EVERYBODY knows the words to… I know all of our churches are different, but… any guesses?

Music moves me.

And in the series this week, you’ll see how it LITERALLY moves me. I was out running one day when suddenly I recognized patterns within all of my favorite running songs. Thought it would be cool to share.

What are the songs? Not the big Rise and Sing by Fee or any of the heavy/fast stuff. I know… surprised me, too. Don’t get me wrong. I love those songs. But the lyrics that lead me to truly experience worship are the ones that make my running time sweet.

Being a musician, there are obviously musical elements that get me, too. All 3 of the songs I’m writing about have guitars and drums. And they all start out very soft and slow, then build to an incredible point where you feel as if you are going to take off (or at least I do). I think that’s what does it for me. So, without further ado… starting with #3 and working our way to #1… (Forgive me, I've just always wanted to say something like that) :)

Tune-In Tuesday will be where we all come together and share songs that God is using to speak to us… weekly.

Maybe you don't really put a lot of thought into those songs we sing on Sundays. This is your opportunity to really dig in there and see why these songs are tools God uses to bring us to a closer worship experience with Him!

What I’m looking forward to is believers coming together to share with each other in our own heart languages. We all have different types of worship songs that touch us. From hymns to southern gospel to contemporary. This is where they can all come together... After all, we are worshiping the same Creator! Would LOVE to have you all join us! And spread the word! :)

On Wednesday, come back for my favorite running song #2. Anyone have a guess??

Today I'm posting another one from a couple of years ago. Why have I been re-posting so much lately? A couple of reasons. First of all, I haven't had a lot of concentrated writing time lately. And second, as I moved my blog over from Blogger to Wordpress, I looked over my posts and realized that  I learned some good lessons along the way while writing some of my older posts. So... here is today's... a lesson from Casting Crowns. I have edited this one quite a bit because of MORE lessons I've learned in this area since. You can read the original here.

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Casting Crowns has a song for just about anything you may go through in life. An example of this is Stained Glass Masquerade. My friends and I have lovingly referred to this one as "the plastic people song." In thinking about the words, I make a mess of it myself.

Here are the lyrics (with special emphasis on certain parts):

Some days, Katherine goes to bed singing… then she wakes up singing. Definitely a music lover to the core. (I have NO idea where she gets that from!!) :o)

One day last week, in her cute little way, she couldn’t stop singing these lyrics… “Christ is risen from the dead. We are one with Him again. Come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave.” If you haven’t heard Christ Is Risen by Matt Maher… listen to it below. In fact, play it while you’re reading the rest of this post. Awesome!



So back to Katherine. After she sang the same lyrics several times, I decided to play the whole song for her on my iPhone. For the rest of the day, she would ask for it again and again with a big smile… “Play Come Awake, Mommy!” “I want to hear Come Awake!” You know what's funny? Come Awake is not the title of the song. Sometimes I think we should let the kids name the songs.

Think about what the lyrics are saying to us. So often, we remain in our guilt and shame. We take up residence. We dwell on the past. We dwell on the regrets. Yes, I do it, too. (By the way, if you missed my testimony as shared about a week ago, you can read it here on my friend Karen’s blog.)

This song has taught me that if I choose to stay in my guilt and shame, I am not doing what God has called me to do. Christ died and rose again so that we would “come awake” and live in the risen mindset. He doesn’t want us to stay dead in our sin… in our shame… in our regret. If we have truly repented, then He is calling us to wake up. To let go of the past and reach FORWARD! In the RISEN life! In Philippians 3:14, Paul calls us to “…press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

If we live defeated lives, we are useless for the kingdom.

How are you doing in the regret area? Have you realized that all of your past sin can now be turned around and used in others’ lives? Do you seek out opportunities for God to use you to help others move out of sinful patterns and lifestyles? Or are you still dwelling on the sin? If we try to forgive ourselves in our own strength, we will just stay in a defeated cycle. But with Christ in control, we can put the sin behind us so that we can come awake and live again. A new life! A new day! A new song!

Oh church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!
Our God is not dead! HE’S ALIVE! HE’S ALIVE! 

We can learn a lot from our kiddos. When I keep my eyes open, our little ones teach me something every day. They view life from an innocent perspective. A point-of-view that we grown-ups sometimes miss because of the doubt, regret, and fear in our lives. I'm thankful that God used our little girl to remind me to come awake!