it’s a leadership camp where one had to go through certain requirements to attend. as a camper, it was about 400 students, very personal, and tons of time invested in the Word and what it says. this past week, it was around 1000 students, still personal and we dug through scripture like it was our job a super communicator by the name of greg pinkner of knoxville was our speaker & and super worship leader, dave hunt, and his posse band from nashville were bringing the music… and God was glorified .

upgrading from many to a few moons ago, i had the privilege to be under dave’s leadership at FBC Nashville working as a youth intern as well as a singer in the worship band. i learned more in that time about what i do now more than any other time or place i’ve been a part of. as we walk through seasons in our lives, we see things more clearly at times than others. looking back i realize what a precious time this was for me- learning, growing, walking in the calling… and trying to figure out how to do that super summer mississippi this week was a little mini-reunion, for me anyway. singing behind someone i consider a mentor and a great teacher of leading it was such an encouraging moment this week. and it wasnt planned- just happened to work out that way…

it was a flood of memories that reminded me why i do what i do- mainly b/c that’s how i’m wired and what i was created for… we all have something we were created for & you know what that is…it’s that thing inside you that you love, that you’re good at… so how are you gonna live it out?

i grew up in a place where, looking back, compassion was abounding; but somehow i missed how to present my faith effectively. being married now, my husband has taught me by example that presenting my faith is as simple as living it. living it would include all of what i spoke of a minute ago: compassion, mercy, grace, justice…

everywhere i travel, it seems like we have all begun to present ourselves as a divided group- either we are so compassionate that we leave out the Gospel when scripture says, ‘And how will they hear without a preacher?’ (rom. 10: 14)… or we are so Gospel oriented that we forget the compassion when Jesus was full of it! ‘But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.”‘ (matt.9:36)

somewhere, somehow, we have GOT to find the middle! we have got to find the guts to live with compassion and live out the Gospel! personally, i think it takes the most guts to live out the Gospel. no one is ever gonna get it right 100% of the time- that’s why we’re not GOD!:) but He does want to have that relationship with us so He can guide us to living with the most guts… who’s gonna have some guts today?

as i’ve said before, when you lead worship, some songs get old- but may we NEVER forget that all of them have a message… and this is one of my favorites:

for example, the scripture that started all of this was Romans 10:17- ‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ for me, the Lord has been reminding me in this that to be encouraged in my walk, and to continue to know more about who He is and His character, i have to be in His word HEARING and THIS is what builds up my faith-endurance-perseverance…

somewhere along the way, i think at times we get so caught up in the little things- each other, situations, circumstances- that we slowly veer from what God has intended for us until we can’t even see the light IN the tunnel… does that make sense? then it becomes a bunch of jumbled scripture and me trying to make scripture be what we want it to be, instead of what it was intended to be; thus, the vicious cycle continues.

to me, faith is not a product of human reasoning… you know, we convince ourselves that faith is the smart way to go… b/c technically, in the world’s eyes, in the flesh, it’s not. it’s a product of hearing the word of God!

Galatians 3:22- ‘But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.’  in other words, the promise of faith is given to us when we believe in jesus, when we accept Him for who He is and what He has done. the amazing thing, is that God doesnt let our faith stop there… faith isn’t given to us in full and then we ‘lose’ it… we can continually grow it, encourage it, feed it… through God’s word!

if you dont know what i’m talking about i’d love to talk more with you about it, or find someone who does know the Word and talk to them… God is for you- and THAT”S scripture (Romans 8:31) what a promise!

So why not give it a try? get in God’s word and see what He has for you- not your situation or your circumstance… just YOU! Sit with Him just a little while each day and see what He has in store for you… it’s BIG…

i’m not gonna lie, i was glad that my space wasnt hit, that isaiah and i came out of the bathroom with all of our things in tact; but as i have seen the reactions of the people here, it’s all coming back around- those feelings from being sick: we dont have time to wonder if people are being saved, we have to act! we have to show them!

Jesus said in john 13:15 ‘I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you…’ in this passage He had just finished up washing the disciples feet. i love several things about this, but my favorite is the fact that Jesus had been telling them how to conduct themselves and have a place with Him, but he went a step further: He SHOWED them by washing their feet.

as i continue to look around at what will take years to rebuild, i am constantly reminded that while i pray for my words to fall on good soil- or to be received well- i’ve got to remember that my words wont console a broken heart but my actions can bring hope, and a reminder that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

OK! all that to say, our summer as a band or maybe even the rest of this year- we are still praying through that – we are shoutin’ out SHOW LOVE! with a new song all about it, some new worship tunes we’ll be featuring at a few venues this summer, shirts designed with our friends at www.ooshirts.com, we are gonna do whatever it takes to lift up our neighbor and remind them of the Greatest Love ever given- JESUS!

so come out and have a great time with us this summer! we kick start at atlanta fest in stone mountain, ga, and we will end with some awesome back to school rallies! check the calendar and if you see an open date- give us a call! let’s share the love together!  

If you know our family, you know that our daughter, Isaiah, LOVES music- just about any kind. The last couple of years, we spent a lot of time in Japan, and during that stint we took a Gaither Vocal Band DVD titled ‘Reunited’. There’s a song called ‘I will Praise Him’ as performed by the Isaacs…. and it will change you world!!

Our two year old latched on to this song and still hums it around the house. As I was reading this morning, I came across this verse and immediately stopped. The verse right before it says, ‘…Blessed be the Lord b/c He has heard the voice of my supplications!…’ David is saying that God heard his prayers, and w/the next verse, that He is his strength. David trusted God b/c He was his strength… and the end result was that David’s heart was helped. David in turn rejoiced, and w/his songs, he praised.

As you walk this week, there might be some things that you just cant control, like family decisions, friends, health, situations that you have no control over no matter how hard you try. But be encouraged! God will hear your prayers! Run to Him for strength and LET Him be a shield! Trust and know that your heart will be helpd… it will be encouraged and lifted…. and PRAISE Him for it all!!! Let God prove His character to you today and this week… it might surprise you please forgive the video quality- it was all i could find w/o asking you to cue something

but to rewind a minute:

i’ve had my world shaken up a bit in the last few weeks. and as i talked to a friend on the phone a few days ago, she brought up ‘getting back to the basics’… which we laughed at b/c we always giggle at the cheesy cliches’. but she was right- in making some decisions about life in the last few weeks, i was rocked a little bit, just to be honest. i realized that my particular ‘basics’ was just getting away, praying about what was happening around me, and seeking the Lord and what He says- period. not just seeking Him in my situation, but seeking Him and His holiness.

now to fast forward:

we got to missouri yesterday, sound checked, changed in the church bathroom, and headed out for worship. the night went well, and at the end, it happened. in a spontaneous moment of testimony, a broken man shared of his son’s new found journey with cancer. and as he asked for prayer- i became broken. in that moment, God reaffirmed all of those conversations we’ve had over the past week and a half… and all i could do was smile. which is what i’m doing now even as i write this. God in all of His amazing grace reminded me of one of the reasons why i do, why we do what we do- to encourage… as i felt i could encourage this man, i was encouraged.

please pray for our friend jordan who is beginning a new season in life, and for his dad, tom; tom, took his son’s name to Jesus thursday night and asked for healing. please stand with him in that prayer!

His timing… was perfect… for all of us.

His timing is perfect for you too

it’s A Mighty Fortress, by Christy Nockels… i havent been able to find a video of it, so if you find one, post it!!! the entire record is called ‘Life Light Up’, and it’s a definite must have if you’re a Nockels fan!

hope everyone has a great weekend listening to some great music!

i chat with my friend, annabeth, who is from my area, but currently living in Israel (the country) serving the Lord, doing who knows what – that’s our joke… shout out annab!  she gave me these thoughts as we chatted about faith today: ‘a pretty good definition i heard was this : Faith responds to Gods character and Gods written word’ & ‘faith is not based on knowledge but it is also not brainless or blind. It is not based on what you know but on what God has said’

i love the thought that faith is not ‘brainless’… christianity is viewed brainless at times- and rightfully so… so many in the name of Jesus do some pretty radical thing… and radical in this context means no common sense whatsoever. it’s just like we talked about, faith isn’t something one does out of ignorance. just because you have faith the the three legged chair will hold you up, doesn’t mean it will. the tough thing about faith is that it’s one thing to talk about it, it’s a completely other thing to have it.

like in annabeth’s case, every day that they have been in Israel has been a time to practice their faith. she and her peeps are in a country where folks arent always open and willing to hear the gospel- want to know a sombering thought: neither are people in the USA. but i digress…

she and her friends have been constantly living out the gospel through loving those around them and sharing their faith as much as they can…they’ve steadily been getting in God’s word seeing what He has to say about faith and His promises… seems easy? well, in the last 12hrs, a bus was blown up in jerusalem, which is about an hour from where they are living. the hostility in the country is growing by the minute… now where does your faith stand?

should that not be happening to her b/c she’s doing ‘the Lord’s work’? should she stay on and ‘trust she is protected’? maybe come home b/c things are escalating rapidly and God gave her a brain to know when to go?… all are valid questions… so where does one’s faith play into all of this?

personally, i think it starts in the very beginning. the very moment you said ‘yes’ to Jesus and your heart was changed, your faith began. His word is what strengthens your faith every day, so that when you are faced with craziness, you know what God’s word says and you can stand on it. not waivering… knowing HE that has called you is faithful and HE will do it – 1Thes.5:24…

i ask that you pray for my friend, annabeth, and her friends. they are brave just by being in a foreign nation and showing the love of Jesus; but friend, we can do that right here at home… and not just grow our faith, but that of those around us as well….