My Roots Grow Deeper

A few weeks ago I had the chance to go to Off The Blogs in Atlanta. It was truly an amazing experience. I have to say I didn't know what to expect when I went and many thanks to Farah for joining me in something she really had no interest in to start with.

It was a simple enough concept, get out from behind the computer and meet each other. For real, not the picture that is painted in the few words written about their lives in the weekly blog posts. I went with the hopes of grasping a better understanding of how they create community on their blogs, how to stimulate conversation and build relationships with their readers.

My first impression...WOW!! They had Aaron Keys lead a time of worship. Amazing. Absolutely Amazing. Not only the song choices but his knowledge and passion for the Psalms and God's word. Breathtaking. At one point he read through Isaiah 61, I could have stayed and listened to him read the entire book of Isaiah if he had wanted to.

The event was hosted by Pete Wilson. Carlos Whitaker, Anne Jackson and Jon Acuff each took a time to share a part of themselves. (I highly recommend you check out their blogs.) Here are some of the amazing things I learned:

• Ground your Identity in Christ and not in the comments, the image or the words.
• "Fine" is the Christian F word and we need to stop a culture of just being fine.
• Be transparent. Everyone needs someone to say "me too". People struggle and need to know that they are not alone.
• Be held Accountable. Place people in your life that will check up on you, love you and be completely honest with you.
• Give the Gift of Second. Be willing to share your testimony, your story first. Give someone else the courage to tell their story once you have told yours.

Regardless of how any of us choose to respond to God's grace, it all has meaning. It all is a part of a bigger plan. Sometimes we do it imperfectly, sometimes we get it right and loose focus of our purpose. It is always used for His glory.

Free Music

I dunno what kind of music you enjoy. I like all kinds of music. Today during my blog meanderings I stumbled upon these few sites and found free music downloads. Most are unknown artists just trying to get there names out there and build up a fan base. I found a few artists that I like.

Okay, so first you wanna go to Indieheaven.com...check out the artists, see what you like. Then under the music section there is a little tab that says Redeem. Click there and it will ask for a code, most of them give you one right there, type it in and it will send you to volumMonster.com and waala...now click the download button.

One disclaimer, I think most of the music is Praise and Worship. I enjoy that kinda thing so it works for me....

I found this little nugget from Transparent Christian Magazine. They recommended Brad Reynolds. He is very good. He has 3 songs for download. I like the song In the Real World, go check it out......

Walls

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired...You've always got to make the mind take over and keep going." - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

I am not a believer in coincidences. I think everything happens for one reason or another, however big or small. Everything has significance. Most of the time we fail to take time to pay attention and give things the value that they deserve. People especially have meaning and significance that we don't always honor. Recently my life has been changed in extraordinary ways by friends that are far away.

Many of you know that I struggle with self-deprecating thoughts. I can tear myself apart pretty easily. I know all of my weaknesses and continue to remind myself how truly inadequate I can be. My greatest challenge is to overcome these thoughts. I do my best to remember that I am a child of God, I am His. He knows me and loves me. He uses my weakness to show His strength.

A short time after my devotional time on Saturday I received a text from my friend Janell (gotta love technology). She was at a craft fair selling her pots to raise money for her missions trip to Africa next summer. She too had spent some time in prayer and chose to share some scripture with me.

Psalm 18:28-29 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

The words from the Psalm were the reminder I needed. If Janell realized it or not, her desire to share these beautiful words helped me find Hope. A wall, that is what my mind can be. A troop full of negative, hateful thoughts. Darkness in need of light. I can be a great encourager to my friends using God's Word but in the same breath forget their significance in my own situations. "...with my God I can scale a wall." I can overcome this in my life. With my God's strength and light I can have a renewed mind. I will scale this wall in my life.

In our God's perfect timing he also used the beautiful words in a worship song this morning. It is one that I have sung many times before, but today it had conviction. A portion of the lyrics by Jason Upton (I Will Wait):

There's a wall that stands in front of me

That I know I just can't climb

And like an eagle you will carry me

Its just a matter of the time