A Night with Jesus Culture

I recently had the privilege to see Jesus Culture, one of my favorite bands, live in concert - oh wow, what an amazing Spirit-filled night of worship!!  

For the last few years, I've been complaining that Jesus Culture never comes to the east coast.  They're a  band that grew out of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, and there was really never a good time for me to get out to Cali for a conference or show.  But, in January I was able to see Jesus Culture perform at Passion 2013 while I was volunteering as a Door Holder, and it was an amazing night!  Francis Chan preached an incredible, heartfelt word and then Jesus Culture led worship for about an hour afterwards.  One of my favorite nights ever... "wow" doesn't even begin to describe it!  

Francis Chan and Jesus Culture at Passion 2013

After I returned home from Passion, I became determined to see them in concert again - this time with friends in tow.  Well, low and behold... I found out that they were coming to Charlotte for their One Nights tour!  So, I jumped on board the early bird pre-sale and scored seats for my friends and me on the fourth row!  

We traveled over to Charlotte on a rainy night and settled into our fourth row seats.  We were fortunate enough to have an empty seat next to us so that we could spread out a little during worship - and we were quite thankful for that!  Derek Johnson opened the show and it was exciting to hear "I Belong to You" live (here's the acoustic version).  Then, Banning Liebscher preached a 30-minute message on being a light in our cities.  His message was very encouraging as he reminded us of the truth that light always defeats darkness - the battle is real, but the victory has already been won!  Of course, my favorite part of the night was the one and a half hour worship session led by Kim Walker-Smith, Chris Quilala, and the Jesus Culture band.  They played many songs off of their new albums, Still Believe (Kim Walker-Smith) and Live from New York (Jesus Culture featuring Martin Smith, formerly of Delirious?).  They played so many of my favorites, including "Holy Spirit," "Walk with Me," "Spirit Break Out," "Alive," and "Alleluia." Here are some pictures of the evening: 

Derek Johnson opened the show

 Jesus Culture! 

Kim Walker-Smith - absolutely amazing 

I encourage you to check out their music!  I honestly don't think that I've ever encountered a band whose songs cause me to worship the way Jesus Culture's music does.  They don't sing scripture, per se, but rather they sing about the effect scripture has on their hearts as they come face to face with Jesus in all His glory.  I also love that they sing about the Holy Spirit, who is often tragically the "forgotten God" as Francis Chan calls Him - but oh how special to sing songs about the Great Counselor who walks with me every day.  I recently heard someone say, "I can't think of any songs about the Holy Spirit... how strange!" And, of course, my response was, "Do you want me to sing some to you?!"  I love their passion and the way they aim to ignite a generation for God's glory.

Time to Detox

"... What we eat becomes us, and if we are eating poor theology, pointless words, or simply subsisting on entertainment, we will be fat on a feast that will ruin us."
- Lore Ferguson, "Discerning Gluttons", via the Gospel Coalition 

Pop radio, novels, fashion magazines, and mindless TV are like junk food for our minds, hearts, and souls.  Empty calories, artificial colors, and false advertising:  the world offers us a feast that is devoid of any spiritual nutrients, filled with artificial realities, and replete with false promises of a better life.  This can't be what God wants for us, right?  He doesn't desire that our minds are consumed with the latest fashion trends, pop songs, or reality TV gossip.  Rather, our Father desires that our hearts are joyfully consumed with His beauty as we daily abide in His abundant love.

Now, before you get defensive and tell me how much you love your favorite magazine or television show and begin explaining how it's "really not that bad"... please know that I've been right where you are.  Before God started convicting my heart about the junk in my life, I didn't stop to think how the TV shows, magazines, novels, music, and other forms of entertainment were completely warping my Christ-centered view of the world.  While my mind should have been focused on Christ, I was thinking about the latest trends or the drama that unfolded on last night's Real Housewives episode.  I realized I was spending more time wrapped up in pointless entertainment than dwelling in the throne room with the Most High.  That picture of life isn't what God's calling me to, and that's certainly not what He wants for me.  My life isn't about selfish pursuits and the things of this world, but rather whole-heartedly running to Christ with everything I have.  That includes my whole heart and my whole mind... all the time.

Think of it this way, if I fill up my car's tank with muddy sludge rather than premium gasoline, I'll completely ruin the car and not be able to drive where I need to go.  That's what happens when we saturate ourselves with the things of the world rather than abiding with Christ.  We fill ourselves up with the meaningless sludge of entertainment that clogs up our hearts and minds, hindering our ability to hear God's voice above the chaos of this world.  We can't walk with Him if we're overrun with sludge.

Friends, I think it's time to detox.  It's not my intention to bash popular entertainment or tell you that it's sinful to watch the latest blockbuster.  That's definitely not my place or my intention.  However, I am saying that we're over-saturated with the things of this world and as a result our minds are clouded and our hearts are tainted.  Hear my heart in this:  we've lost perspective on the things that really matter; we've focused our gaze on this world rather than on eternity; and we've replaced the One True God with counterfeit gods that cannot fulfill or satisfy.  We're running on empty and in desperate need of His Spirit to fill us with joy, peace, hope, and overflowing love.

So, here's my challenge:  take a period of time (I'd suggest at least one week) to fast from worldly distractions by feasting on true spiritual nourishment rather than junk food.  By doing this, you will refocus your gaze on Christ and tune into the voice of the Spirit.  I'd suggest getting a journal and reflecting throughout the week so that you can capture the emotions and hone in on what exactly God is teaching you during this purposeful time.  I'd recommend inviting a friend to join you so that you can walk through this hand-in-hand, encouraging each other along the way.

As you go about the process of getting rid of the junk, I'd like to point you to one of my faith heroes, Leslie Ludy.  Her writing has been so influential in my life as she has taught me about godly womanhood and savoring the beauty of a life set-apart for Christ.  I encourage you to read these two articles that will help add in the good stuff you as you begin to make space in the chaos to commune with our Most High God:

1.  Creating a Sacred Environment:  Create a sacred environment that promotes a set-apart lifestyle as you abide with Christ

2.  Our Spiritual Act of Worship:  Focus on godly discipline as a spiritual act of worship rather than dutiful obedience

Here's the important part:  after your period of fasting, monitor your reaction to the entertainment you used to love by noticing how it affects your thought patterns, emotions, attitude, desires, and interactions with others.  How is that different from the time you spent purposefully abiding with Christ?  You should see a monumental difference!  Thank God for his goodness and faithfulness!

Friends, be encouraged - this challenge is totally possible!  God sent his Son to redeem us, stopping at nothing to bring us into right relationship with Himself.  The same power that raised Christ from the grave is available to us today, and our Father jealously longs for our hearts.  Run to him with abandon and let His Spirit work in you.  Don't take this challenge for religion's sake and attempt to clean up the junk entirely out of your own strength.  Run to God and let him heal your heart.  Let His Spirit whisper Truth to your heart as you soak up the Word and fill your mind with praise and worship for our Creator.  Cast your gaze on the Son and take in the wonder of the cross.

I'd love to hear about your experiences with this challenge! Feel free to comment below or send me an email.   It will be my joy to pray for you as you go on this journey.

... Because I Love This

via YouTube 

The Green and Gray Days

I love rainy spring days because the newly budded green leaves look so vibrant against the stormy gray skies.  It's a special beauty that could so easily be missed if you're looking only for crystal blue skies and dogwood blossoms.  Some wish away days like today, dismissing them for the impending rain or perceived dreariness... but I savor these days:  the cool breeze, the pitter-patter of rain drops, and my favorite part, the green and gray.

So, in honor of this beautiful, rainy, spring day, I thought I'd share with you my top five favorite classical tunes.  You'll hear the sweet, somber notes of the cello (my absolute favorite instrument) take the spotlight in many of these tunes... simply love.  These pieces are my favorites so of course I'm biased, but I think they provide the perfect soundtrack for this lovely, peaceful day... maybe with the exception of Tchaikovsky, who is a long-time favorite composer after growing up immersed in the ballet world but perhaps a little energetic for today's mood... however, I couldn't put together a top five and leave out Tchaikovsky.  I hope you'll enjoy these beautiful songs as you soak up some of this rainy-day-goodness.

1.)  "Le Cygne" from Le Carnaval des Animaux, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns

2.) "Gabriel's Oboe" performed by Yo-Yo Ma, composed by Ennio Morricone, The Mission 
(The "Sergio Leone Suite" gets honorable mention for my Ennio Morricone pick!) 

3.) "Always Summer" from Brideshead Revisited (2008), composed by Adrian Johnston

4.) "Butterfly's Day Out," performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor, composed by Mark O'Connor

5.)  "The Garland Waltz" from The Sleeping Beauty, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

5x7 Folded Card

Sheer Class Graduation Card

Click here to see our exclusive graduation announcements.

View the entire collection of cards.

La Dolce Vita

Our sweet Burmese friends treated me and A to a lovely dinner full of their favorite foods.  It was quite the experience... but I am so thankful for their friendship, generous hearts, and amazing cooking skills!  

 I love exploring our local Asian supermarket.  They have such a great selection, and it's so much fun to find foods that I've been introduced to overseas. 

Happy birthday A!  We had a great afternoon celebrating with friends by the lake.  Fortunately the weather finally cooperated and gave us a nice spring-like day! 

Sleepy puppy faces are the best.  

Two handsome boys! 

This week I've been daydreaming about one of my favorite places and praying for my sweet friends there.  What a beautiful view! 

Oceans

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders.
Let me walk upon the waters
wherever You would call me.
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander,
and my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior.
Hillsong United, "Oceans"

Tetelestai

"...So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them...When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." 
- John 19:16-18, 30

Tetelestai is the original Greek word from which we get the translation "It is finished." In Jesus' time, tetelestai was the word written on documents and receipts to show that a bill was paid in full.

My sin and death separated me from God adding up to a debt I could never repay, and the only way back into right relationship with God was Jesus' declaration of "tetelestai," which for me literally means Jesus in my place.  He paid my sin-debt and he paid yours, accomplishing everything necessary for salvation as he defeated sin and death.  What grace, what love, what hope!  Through His death and resurrection I have been freely given life everlasting and communion with God, not because of anything I have done, but because of what Jesus accomplished in my place.

Today, I am remembering the sorrow of Good Friday while looking to the cross with overwhelming joy knowing that my hope is found in nothing less than the saving blood of Jesus Christ. 

"Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." Isaiah 49:16

The Reward of His Suffering

"The Reward of His Suffering," by Matt Papa

Visit http://thereward.org/ for more information 

EVERY PENNY FROM THIS SONG, FOR THE LIFE OF THE SONG, IS DEDICATED TO GLOBAL MISSIONS.

The One In Which John Piper Prayed Over Me

In case you missed the big news, this weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. John Piper of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who is in town for the 2013 Advance the Church Conference.  Dr. Piper preached at the Summit Church this weekend, and it was a joy to meet such a great man of God and have him pray over my life and upcoming decisions... yes, for those of you who know... he prayed over that upcoming decision.  Wow!  What a special moment! 

I’m so thankful for Dr. Piper's faithfulness to the calling God has placed on his life as he continually spurs me on “to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ” (Dr. Piper’s life mission statement).  The most important thing that I have learned from Dr. Piper is that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  Truth! 

This morning, I re-visited Dr. Piper’s Passion 2013 sermon, which walks through the book of Hebrews and is titled “Embrace Suffering.”  The video recording is almost as good as seeing it live… almost (yes, another reason you should be a Door Holder at Passion 2014!).  In this terrific sermon, Dr. Piper outlines the foundation for enduring and embracing the suffering that will come as we follow Jesus in the path of love as our hearts joyfully treasure the promised reward:  

1)      A pervasive, deep, soul-satisfaction in a future, glorious, Christ-filled hope;

2)      That soul-satisfaction in a Christ-saturated future frees you from self-protecting fear;

3)      And that freedom from self-enhancing, self-enhancing, self-gratifying fear releases you to embrace suffering in the cause of love no matter the cost.

In his sermon, Dr. Piper noted that according to Hebrews 10, our foundation should be “laid [on the truth that we have] a reward that is better, infinitely better.  ‘In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever more’ (Psalm 16:11).  Nothing the world can offer – or take – can compare with that; and therefore, [we] are free from our self-protecting fear… and [we] will love out of this hope!”

Therefore, we "embrace suffering for the sake of love because of the indestructible hope which is God’s relation to us in Jesus!"

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, ‘For your sake are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39

Happy Birthday DC!

This little boy is three years old today! Happy birthday Darcy Cat! 

(In case you were wondering, D.C. also stands for "darn" cat, which  is my Dad's, ah-hem, loving nickname for Darcy.)

The many faces of D.C.

Lovin' life in his tutu.

Best fwends. Cousins. Frenemies.

I promise I'm really not a cat lady... this little bug is just so sweet! 

And he thinks he's a dog, so we get along just fine :)

"Stranger"

Mandi Mapes | "Stranger" from AsiaStories on Vimeo.

"Let It Shine"

Mandi Mapes | "Let It Shine" from AsiaStories on Vimeo.

"We are the Body"

Mandi Mapes | "We Are The Body" from AsiaStories on Vimeo.

Clearing the Stage

This morning at work, I was listening to Jimmy Needham – he’s one of my “go to” artists and I definitely recommend all of his music – and a few verses of the song “Clear the Stage” caught my attention:

“Tell your friends that this is where the party ends 


Until you're broken for your sins, you can't be social.


Then seek the Lord and wait for what He has in store 


And know that great is your reward, so just be hopeful.


Take a break from all the plans that you have made 


And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper.

Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak

And pray for real upon your knees until they blister.




Shine the light on every corner of your life

Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open

Then read the Word and put to test the things you've heard 


Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken”


So, I want to ask you… how often do you truly humble yourself before God’s throne and seek His presence?  How often do you step out of your daily life, setting apart quiet time to be still with God?  How often do you bare your heart before the Father and ask Him to transform you, mold you, break you?  And, I’m talking about more than a daily quiet time.

If this isn't a regular part of your walk with God, then maybe it’s time to consider asking yourself why you aren't purposefully dwelling in the presence of God.  Maybe you’re afraid of what He’ll ask you to do or what He might say?  Maybe you’re afraid that He won’t look upon you because of the sin in your life? Maybe you are just making excuses because you’re lazy?  It’s time to get honest with yourself and with God.  The only way we can do battle against our sin is with the power of God working in and through us:  His might, His strength, His wisdom, and His salvation for our good and His glory.

Let me encourage you to carve out special, extended time to abide with Christ.  It may mean taking an extra vacation day or setting aside a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.  Pick a spot where you can be completely focused and free from distractions.  (For me personally, I prefer to go to a quiet lake or peaceful park where I can be outside.)  Turn off your phone and leave your iPad at home.  Go alone, just you and God.  Take your Bible, a notebook, and some tissues (because I guarantee you that you will be moved to tears in the presence of our holy God).  Talk to God, use your voice.  Get on your knees and pray.  Sing and rejoice because of the grace and mercy you have been shown.  Bask in His light and love. 

Purposefully abiding with Christ is such a precious privilege.  Jesus came to earth, fully man and fully God, lived the life I could never live, died the death I deserved to die, and defeated sin and death when he rose from the grave and took his position at the right hand of God.  Because of that profound truth, I – me! a sinner! – have been given the incredible ability to dwell with the Most High God.  You have the same privilege. 

Right now as I am in a time of decision making, it has been so crucial for me to carve out purposeful time to pursue God and commune with him.  First and foremost, my objective is to grow in love and adoration for my Savior as I give him honor and glory.  And secondly, there are a few things for which I need God’s wisdom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It’s my joy to be still before the Lord.  And I know that God delights in me when I delight in Him!  

So, whether you need God to speak into your life, break an idol, free you from a sin, or exchange truth for a lie you are believing, be purposeful about carving out intentional time to sit in God’s presence.  Bow before the throne, leave your day-to-day life behind, and soak in the goodness and faithfulness of our Father.  He will hear your cries.  He will act.  He will meet you in a wave of love and grace.  I promise you that He will overwhelm you with His lovingkindess.  

PS:  Consider fasting in conjunction with purposeful time set apart for God.  If you're interested in fasting or just want to learn more, let me point you to a series of posts by my pastor JD Greear that you will certainly find helpful and encouraging:

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2011/03/prayer-and-fasting-part-3.html

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2011/03/prayer-and-fasting-part-2.html

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2011/03/why-we-fast-part-2.html

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2011/03/prayer-and-fasting-part-1.html

http://www.jdgreear.com/my_weblog/2009/02/breaking-the-power-of-your-body-over-you.html