divine romance...

This year the song that has changed me the most is Divine Romance by Phil Wickham. I don't really want to take the time now to explain what the lyrics have meant to me or how they have kept me standing when all I want to do is lay down. I just want to write them here and hope that they will have a chance to speak to you.

The Fullness of your Grace is here with me.

The Richness of your Beauty's all I see.

The Brightness of your Glory has arrived.

In your Presence God, I'm completely satisfied.

For you I sing, I dance

Rejoice in this Divine Romance

Lift my heart and my hands

To show my love, to show my love

A Deep, Deep Flood; an ocean flows from you.

Of Deep, Deep Love, yeah its filling up the room.

Your Innocent Blood has washed my guilty life.

In your Presence God, I'm completely satisfied.

christmas...

i love christmas. it's my absolute favorite time of the year for all the reasons you can imagine. i love when the weather turns cold and i can pull out my ugg boots. i love that all the stores play holiday music and hang up completely exagerated decorations. there's something about this time of year that makes me feel more hopeful- makes me believe in magic.

this morning i've been sitting at my desk preparing a message on advent. ironically this morning when i got into work a friend of mine had posted a blog on that very subject. it got me thinking.... there's so much in this world that we wait for. we wait for education and true love and financial stability and babies and birthdays and we even wait in line just about everywhere we go. lots and lots of waiting. i'm not usually a fan of waiting but this time of year i can't wait to wait.

go read luke 17:11-19. go on. go right now.

jesus heals ten lepers. changes their lives completely. and then as he sends them towards new life he stays on the road and waits. maybe he knew one would come back. maybe he used his super-awesome divinity powers and knew that his waiting would be rewarded. or perhaps he tapped into his limited humanity and just hoped the waiting would be worth it. as we step into advent there's so many different ways that we're waiting. and i know as you watch the world around you flaunt it's brokenness its so easy to reject that sense of anticipation. but do me a favor: just for the next few weeks let the cynic in you take a back seat and embrace the waiting. trust the magic of christmas. remember that a baby was born and he changed everything and let's not keep him waiting on the road for us.