Sunday, October 30, 2011

Streams Of Mercy, Never Ceasing

"Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here's my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for thy courts above."

I love everything about this hymn.



Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Crossing Lines

All of you who go to Briarwood know what I am about to say. Today was such a blessing! I do not think I have ever experienced such a powerful presence of the Lord. My eyes were opened to so many wonderful things. I felt as if this message we have heard all our lives finally hit home.

For those of you who do not go to Briarwood, let me fill you in: Every Tuesday morning we have chapel in the auditorium. Most of the time, people use it to study or take a nap and just tune out the speaker. Sad I know, but it is the truth. This morning, like every Tuesday, we headed to the auditorium to hear a fellow student, Tanner Gann, speak. Honestly, I did not think it would be anything out of the ordinary. I was wrong. God truly spoke through him.

Tanner began by saying today, October 25th, would be a day every one of us remembered. He said today was the day that this school would start radically living for Christ. He began to explain the story of Jesus healing two blind men from Matthew 9:27-31. He said, in order to follow Christ, these men had to cross lines of what was considered acceptable back then. They would be looked down upon for their actions. However, in doing so, they were truly trusting and seeking after Christ. When they crossed that line, Jesus healed them. Their eyes were opened; the first thing they saw was the face of Christ.

I will not come near to having the same impact Tanner had in his message, but I will give it a shot:

Tanner's main point was that we must cross the lines we have made for ourselves in our friendships, schools, and churches. We have to confront our sinful desires and cast our fears upon the Lord. We must cross the line that Christ does not make, but sin makes.

At the end of chapel, he closed in prayer. He asked everyone to get on their knees and pray no matter what line seems to be holding them back. He asked that, through Christ alone, we would cross it. When the prayer was over, every student was on his or her knees. We were dismissed, and on the way out not a word was said. Everyone was speechless.

Typically, after chapel everyone goes back to their normal routine. Not today. I did not go to one class without hearing about what the Lord had said through Tanner. Even at lunch, we met and were encouraged by another student, Ben Blackburn, as he shared his testimony to 60+ people. I witnessed close friends change as they said they had to cross the line. I know Christ was moving in Briarwood.

The Lord really got a hold on me today. I have been a Christian since I was about four, but I have never have lived radically. So often, I am wrapped up in my own desires, fears, and sin that I do not even bother to cross the line. Heck, majority of the time I do not bother to look at it. But, today I crossed the line, and I will continue to cross the line day in and day out. It will not be easy. Christ will carry me through.

I was so encouraged by what happened today. I know this is a turning point for our school, and a new beginning for the junior class. Through faith alone, Briarwood Christian School will cross the line.

October 25, 2011

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Immaculate and Beautiful

However inadequate my words may be, I will attempt to tell you how wonderful and beautiful the Fleet Foxes concert was last night.

When we arrived at the Alabama theater I did not expect what I was about to hear. I figured it would be a good concert, but I did not think it would blow my mind. I was wrong, so very wrong.

The sound that those six "indie mountain men" produced was incredible. I did not listen to every song they sang, but I felt every song they sang. Every note that came from, lead singer, Robin Pecknold's mouth told a story. Every strum on the guitar seemed endless as it carried throughout the theater. Every sound that came from the countless instruments played was perfect. I could have stayed for days upon end to feel all the harmony they had to offer.

My favorite song by Fleet Foxes is White Winter Hymnal. Do yourself a favor and listen to it. I will post the video of it on my Facebook.