I'm not really certain what happened. Maybe it was the need to be back in the presence of people worshiping Christ. Maybe it was getting my sights back on something that truly mattered, or perhaps it was the Holy Spirit working His stuff in among hearts that were open to what He was about to do, but all of a sudden my tears began to fall. I began to weep, and the flood gates of emotions, while trying to get out the words "how great is our God", overwhelmed me to the core. I wasn't sad, there wasn't anything I had been stuffing down, I wasn't harboring unforgiveness over anything I was aware of. I just could not stop the tears in thinking how absolutely wonderful God is. My son and husband looked at me and I said, I don't know what's going on....
Transitioning to a Holy Spirit message from our Pastor about how without downplaying any circumstance, we needed to stop focusing on our "issues" and instead look up and focus on Christ, so we were in a position to actually do something constructive with our circumstance. By choice, we could work at a resolve through Christ instead of simply pitching a tent and piling on the wood and adding gasoline to fuel the fire of our pity party that we wanted to sit and gaze at.
Testimonies provided later would confirm to me that the Holy Spirit was moving during the service, in which, I'm certain He does more often that we provide Him credit. Peggy shared that she had some heartbreaking situations take her over during the weekend and when I walked by her to get a tissue for my floodgate of tears, the Spirit, seemed to fall on her and she received some needed healing for her heart. Marne shared that she could tell that my tears were Holy Spirit inspired and it sparked a fire to worship more deeply than a casual service.
Not bad for some "I don't know why I'm crying" moments...
Yet their was more, as there always is.
We seem to live in a world where status is important to most. We have to live to impress, we have to be perfect in the eyes of all those watching, and we have no tolerance towards others who are less fortunate that we perceive we are. We like to go to church on Sundays so others can identify us as "good", but being careful not to actually live the walk out during the rest of the week, lest someone might say we are not "cool", or even worse, that we might be a religious fanatic.
But here I was in a group of people that truly believed that Jesus did what He did, said what He said and commanded what He commanded, not because we are confined to some sort of religious rules, but instead the answers to living a fulfilled life under any circumstance. I love these people, far from perfect, far from flawless, far from "have it all together" but most certainly focused on and living for Christ.
I have been provided the delicate opportunity and extremely important task to teach our youth on occasion. This week it was my opportunity to invest in these amazing youth in Christ. I'm telling you, it's truly my honor, as this young generation of world leaders are ready to tackle the lies of the enemy. They are always engaged in thought, even in the midst of their multitasking ability to be laughing about "farting" and at the same time be engaged in a deep conversation about Christ. Worldly distraction hasn't taken control of this ability and gifting in them. I learn more from them than they do from me and I smirk every time they ask if "I'm teaching them".... learning is clearly more accurate.
If you haven't clued in to my inspiration by the title of my blog, I live for "God Moments". Today was no exception. In youth bible class, I typically start off with a fun story ~ todays was about a Teddy Bear that traveled the world in a unique way. After the icebreaker inspirational story we break open in study of the word of God. I usually pick a chapter of two, we take turns reading and when we are done each student, and yes, each student, engages in what their "take away" was. They ALL participate, and they all have amazing take aways. Today's God Moment however, hands down, went to Ashley. Her favorite part of Acts Chapter 1 was verse 11 that speaks about the apostles standing there looking up to Christ. Her "insight" or God moment reveal was that Jesus told the disciples that he would be ascending and then would return. Yet, she recalled, they must not have been listening, because now that it was happening, they seemed like they forgot they were already told.
We are like that too, aren't we? We go about our lives, some of us reading the word of God, sometimes even studying it. Maybe we've hung our hats on a few selected verses, or maybe we attend a few church services, until one day, we find ourselves looking up, wishing we would have spent more time actually living for Christ instead of just dabbling in it. Or perhaps we find ourselves fire gazing at our pity party of circumstances and realize, we simply need to look up for our answers.
Acts 1:11
They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go.
Transitioning to a Holy Spirit message from our Pastor about how without downplaying any circumstance, we needed to stop focusing on our "issues" and instead look up and focus on Christ, so we were in a position to actually do something constructive with our circumstance. By choice, we could work at a resolve through Christ instead of simply pitching a tent and piling on the wood and adding gasoline to fuel the fire of our pity party that we wanted to sit and gaze at.
Testimonies provided later would confirm to me that the Holy Spirit was moving during the service, in which, I'm certain He does more often that we provide Him credit. Peggy shared that she had some heartbreaking situations take her over during the weekend and when I walked by her to get a tissue for my floodgate of tears, the Spirit, seemed to fall on her and she received some needed healing for her heart. Marne shared that she could tell that my tears were Holy Spirit inspired and it sparked a fire to worship more deeply than a casual service.
Not bad for some "I don't know why I'm crying" moments...
Yet their was more, as there always is.
We seem to live in a world where status is important to most. We have to live to impress, we have to be perfect in the eyes of all those watching, and we have no tolerance towards others who are less fortunate that we perceive we are. We like to go to church on Sundays so others can identify us as "good", but being careful not to actually live the walk out during the rest of the week, lest someone might say we are not "cool", or even worse, that we might be a religious fanatic.
But here I was in a group of people that truly believed that Jesus did what He did, said what He said and commanded what He commanded, not because we are confined to some sort of religious rules, but instead the answers to living a fulfilled life under any circumstance. I love these people, far from perfect, far from flawless, far from "have it all together" but most certainly focused on and living for Christ.
I have been provided the delicate opportunity and extremely important task to teach our youth on occasion. This week it was my opportunity to invest in these amazing youth in Christ. I'm telling you, it's truly my honor, as this young generation of world leaders are ready to tackle the lies of the enemy. They are always engaged in thought, even in the midst of their multitasking ability to be laughing about "farting" and at the same time be engaged in a deep conversation about Christ. Worldly distraction hasn't taken control of this ability and gifting in them. I learn more from them than they do from me and I smirk every time they ask if "I'm teaching them".... learning is clearly more accurate.
If you haven't clued in to my inspiration by the title of my blog, I live for "God Moments". Today was no exception. In youth bible class, I typically start off with a fun story ~ todays was about a Teddy Bear that traveled the world in a unique way. After the icebreaker inspirational story we break open in study of the word of God. I usually pick a chapter of two, we take turns reading and when we are done each student, and yes, each student, engages in what their "take away" was. They ALL participate, and they all have amazing take aways. Today's God Moment however, hands down, went to Ashley. Her favorite part of Acts Chapter 1 was verse 11 that speaks about the apostles standing there looking up to Christ. Her "insight" or God moment reveal was that Jesus told the disciples that he would be ascending and then would return. Yet, she recalled, they must not have been listening, because now that it was happening, they seemed like they forgot they were already told.
We are like that too, aren't we? We go about our lives, some of us reading the word of God, sometimes even studying it. Maybe we've hung our hats on a few selected verses, or maybe we attend a few church services, until one day, we find ourselves looking up, wishing we would have spent more time actually living for Christ instead of just dabbling in it. Or perhaps we find ourselves fire gazing at our pity party of circumstances and realize, we simply need to look up for our answers.
Acts 1:11
They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking into the sky? Jesus, whom you saw taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you saw him go.
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