I Saw God Today, part 2

So, this is what I got out of this song today. 

How often during the day does God cross your mind?  For me, honestly, not very often.  Sometimes, when something really good happens to me, I will say a quick, absentminded prayer, like, "Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with this."

But the Bible says to praise God at all times, not just during the times that He blesses you.  If you had a totally normal day, would God cross your mind?  Would you think to open your Bible?  Would you randomly take the time out of your day to say a quick little prayer?

We get so caught up in our lives, that God tends to NOT be priority.  He tends to take second place in our minds, and our hearts. 

Is that okay?  I mean, we have an amazing Savior that made peace with God for us through His birth, life, death, and resurrection.  That kind of deserves priority, right?  Instead, we get so caught up in making good grades or working or just our everyday lives, that we don't give God a single thought. 

My youth leader challenged us tonight:  Take a minute to pray.  Then take a minute to read the Bible.  The write about what you read for a minute.  That's three minutes out of your day.

I am going to take this challenge, too.  Remember to hold your fellow Christians accountable.  That is part of our jobs as brothers and sisters in Christ - to hold each other accountable for our relationship with Christ.

Once again, in love,
Tyler Henke

I Saw God Today...

I just walked down the street to the coffee shop
had to take a break
I'd been by her side for eighteen hours straight
I saw a flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk
pushing up through the concrete
like it was planted right there for me to see
the flashin' lights, the honkin' horns
all seemed to fade away
in the shadow of that hospital at 5:08
I saw God today

Chorus:
I've been to church
I've read the book
I know He's here, but I don't look
near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I'd just slow down to stop and stare
opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today

I saw a couple walking by they were holding hands
Man, she had that glow
yeah I couldn't help but notice she was starting to show
I stood there for a minute takin' in the sky
lost in that sunset
a splash of amber melted in the shades of red

Chorus

I got my face pressed up against the nursery glass
She's sleeping like a rock
My name on her wrist wearing tiny pink socks
She's got my nose, she's got her mama's eyes
My brand new baby girl
She's a miracle
I saw God today

Now, obviously, I can't relate to the verses of this song.  However, I can relate to the chorus.  

"I've been to church, I've read the Book; I know He's here, I just don't look near as often as I should - yeah, I know I should.  His fingerprints are everywhere; I just slowed down to stop and stare.  I opened my eyes, and, man, I swear - I saw God today."

I recently saw a status on FaceBook that asked when you last saw Jesus.  I copied it to my status, but the I had to think to answer it.  I had to think about my entire day, and ask myself, "Was Jesus in that?"  

Why don't we look for Jesus?  Why do we expect Him to give us this huge neon sign that says, "I'm here!  I'm real!  One way ticket to Heaven sold here!"?  He is in  SO many things that we don't even think about!  He can be seen in a little girl giving her ice cream to someone she sees crying on the street.  He can be seen in a little flower growing in a busy city.  He can be seen in a person helping pick up your books that you dropped on the floor in the school halls.  There are so many little things that Jesus can be seen in, if only we take the time to look!  

Tomorrow, watch the things in your life.  Watch and take note of all the little things you see that make you see God.  I don't mean carry around a little notepad and take a tally (although if you want to do that, then more power to you).  I mean just remember to look for Jesus in your everyday life.  It won't be a flashing light in the air.  But if you ask God to reveal Himself to you, He will.  He just won't necessarily do it the way that you are expecting.

Just some thoughts that I had today =)

In love, forever, 

Tyler N. Henke

We're the Land of the Free because of the Brave...

It isn't Memorial Day.  It isn't Veteran's Day.  There is nothing special about today, besides the fact that we are alive, well, and loved.  But I was just thinking the other day, we as Americans take SO much for granted! We are so privileged; we still have so many freedoms that not much of the world has.  

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears - Celtic Woman

On the first day of January,
Eighteen ninety-two,
They opened Ellis Island and they let
The people through.
And the first to cross the threshold
Of that Isle of Hope and Tears,
Was Annie Moore from Ireland
Who was all of fifteen years.

[Chorus:]
Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,
Isle of Freedom, Isle of Fears,
But it's not the Isle you left behind.
That Isle of Hunger, Isle of Pain,
Isle you'll never see again
But the Isle of Home is always on your mind.

In a little bag she carried
All her past and history,
And her dreams for the future
In the Land of Liberty.
And Courage is the passport
When your old world disappears
But there's no future in the past
When you're fifteen years

[Chorus]

When they closed down Ellis Island
In Nineteen Fourty-Three,
Seventeen million people
Had come there for Sanctuary.
And in Springtime when I came here
And I stepped onto it's piers,
I thought of how it must have been
When you're fifteen years.

[Chorus]

 A poem that a friend and I made up for U.S. History is about kind of the same thing:

After two weeks on that wretched boat

We arrive on the Golden Shore.

America, America, we're finally here!

After all this time, its oh, so near!

We arrive at the dock and are taken to the station.

Why do I suddenly feel this fear and frustration?

There are just so many of us, what if we don't make it through?

I just don't know what my family would do...

There's nothing for us in the land we're from.

That's why to America we've decided to come.

Luckily and thankfully, we made it in. 

The smile of my husband and my daughter's broad grin

Made this whole journey worth it in the end.

But alas, it is only the beginning...

We arrive at the apartments and see all the other people.

I think to myself, Why do they look so feeble?

My daughter starts school, but with those only of her kind,

I can only imagine what's going through her mind.

My husband starts his job but works until late.

He says he's just fine, because there's food on our plate.

Although we're separated, We're free!  We're free!

And considering where we came from, that's alright with me.

America does have some problems.  She always has.  That's because people are only human, and no one is perfect.  But America is still the land of the free.  We are the Land of Hope, for SO many other people!  

Now, I don't necessarily agree with our troops being overseas.  I don't necessarily support the war.  But I most certainly appreciate the men and women who are putting their lives on the line for the things that they believe in.  "Many people have died for their beliefs... the courage is in living and suffering fo rwhat you believe in." - Brom, Eragon.  Their have been men who have died for their beliefs overseas... men and women are risking their lives everyday.  That demands our respect.  Even if we don't agree with the cause, we need to recognize the heroes that stand up for their beliefs.

If tomorrow, all I had was gone...

All I'd hoped to see...

And I had to start again

With my friends and family...

I'd thank my lucky stars

To be living here today

'Cause the flag still stands for freedom,

AND THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY!

And I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm free!

And I won't forget the men who died

And gave that right to me.

And I proudly stand up

And defend her still today.

'Cause there ain't no doubt,

I love this land!

God bless the USA!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

 

Amazing Grace!  How sweet the sound

That saves a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found, 

Was blind but now I see.

'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear

And Grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,

I have already come.

'Twas Grace that brought me safe this far, 

And Grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we first begun.

     This song is especially close to my heart.  I've always loved this song, simply because the tune is beautiful, and the words were pretty.  And I've always liked the idea of Grace.  

     But we have been going over the meaning of Grace in my Sunday School class for the past few weeks.  I have always known what Grace is.  Simply put, Grace is "undeserved forgiveness".  I have known that, in my head.  But I haven't really known that in my heart; or, at least, I haven't.... acknowledged it?  I really don't know the right word, but I think that is the closest I will get tonight.  But think about it.  Undeserved forgiveness.   
     I think that my favorite part of the song is the last verse:When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise, than when we first begun.        I think it just explains the beauty and extravagance of Heaven.  It describes heaven as "bright, shining as the sun." It also kind of describes Eternity.  "We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."  Even after ten thousand years in Heaven, we have just as long to praise God as we did when we arrived in Heaven.  That is something that I can't even wrap my head around!!!

Well, thank you for "listening" to my thoughts.

Tyler Henke

Our God is Greater

Our God is Greater

Chris Tomlin

Water you turned into wine, 

 Opened the eyes of the blind.

 There’s no one like You.

None like You...

Into the darkness You shine

 Out of the ashes we rise

There’s no one like You.

 None like You…

Our God is greater.

 Our God is stronger.

 God, You are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, awesome in power,

 Our God… Our God

Into the darkness You shine

Out of the ashes we rise

There’s no one like You. 

None like You…

Our God is greater.

Our God is stronger.

 God, You are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, awesome in power,

 Our God… Our God (x2)

AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US,

 THEN WHO COULD EVER STOP US?

AND IF OUR GOD IS WITH US,

THEN WHO COULD STAND AGAINST? (x2)

What could stand against?

Our God is greater.

 Our God is stronger.

God, You are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, awesome in power,

Our God... Our God...

AND IF OUR GOD IS FOR US,

 THEN WHO COULD EVER STOP US?

AND IF OUR GOD IS WITH US,

 THEN WHO COULD STAND AGAINST? (x2)

Our God is stronger.

God, You are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, awesome in power,

Our God… Our God

I could do some big explanation of how great our God is, and how wonderful hos love is for us, but this song really says everything that needs to be said on this note... Now that I am looking back over the lyrics, I think any other words would be redundant... so here you go!

 

Matthew 19:16-26

     Lately, I have been feeling really far from God.  I want to  have an intimate relationship with Him, but I have been falling behind.  Well, I said that I wanted an intimate relationship.  Sometimes I want to feel the love that my Savior feels for me.  But I am not willing to make the sacrifice.  I'm not willing to sacrifice the time, or the effort, or anything that would require me actually doing something.  I want God to do all the work, and for me to just go along with Him.  But then I realized that  I don't really want God to be the center of my life.  I wanted to do my own thing, and for God to just get off of my back, so that I could live my life the way I wanted to.   I was on FaceBook and I saw a flair (I am totally obsessed with flair - I will probably make flair references all the time) that said, "God wants full custody, not just weekends."  (Anonymous)  That caught my eye a lot, and I just kind of slid my eyes over the words and pretended not to see them.  They were compelling, and I didn't want to feel the way those words made me feel. 

     I didn't even give Him weekends.  I didn't really give any of my time to Him.  I went to church on Sundays and made sure that I went to all the kids events and got good, pretty "service hours" - you know, the things you do for clubs.  You don't really care about what the "service" is, as long as you get the signature that looks really good on a college application.  I did the hours, but I didn't really care about what I was doing.  My heart wasn't in it.  Yeah, I enjoyed being at church, and yeah, I enjoyed making the kids laugh, but I didn't really care about doing the things that God wanted me to do.  I would do them if it was convenient for me.  If I didn't have anything better to do, I would look into what God wanted me to do.  If I felt like it, I would do it.

     But God doesn't care about what is convenient for you.  He isn't trying to make life easy for you.  He cares about what you do for Him now.  He wants you to do the task that He assigned to you, and He wants you to do it when He tells you to do it.  

     God never promised that following Him would be easy.  In fact, Jesus said almost the exact opposite:  "

16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

18“Which ones?” the man inquired.

Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,19honor your father and mother,’^d and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^e”

20“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

21Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” 

26Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" - Matthew 19:16-26

     Jesus told the man that in order to enter into the kingdom of Heaven,  he had to sell everything he owned, and follow Him.  When he heard this, the rich man walked away, and denied Jesus.

     As humans, we don't want to sacrifice things.  We don't want to give up our money, we don't want to give up our time, and we don't want to give up our lives to God.  But that's what He requires.  He requires our lives, and our resources.  Why do we withhold them?  They aren't ours - they are gifts from God.  They won't save us; our earthly life is short compared to eternity.  When our bodies are dead, our possessions will cease to matter.  We should be more worried about storing up treasure in Heaven: " But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal." Matthew 6:20

     When we stand before the Throne, what will our earthly possessions get us?  We can't buy our way into heaven.  We can't earn our way into heaven.  There is only one way to get to heaven:  through Jesus Christ, who came down and lived a perfect life, yet died for us so that we could spend eternity with Him and His Father.

     Sorry, I kind of got sidetracked.  I was saying that Jesus had never promised His children an easy ride.  "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first."  John 15:18.  We will face resistance, and we will face hardships.  People don't like the name of Jesus because Jesus will require them to change their lifestyles.  I don't wan to hear God speak to me because I knew that He would tell me to change.  I didn't want to change.  I thought I was happy doing my own thing.
      But now when I think about it, am I really happy?  Do I really feel happy when I refuse to listen to God?  I'm not.  I feel like I'm always looking over my shoulder to make sure that no one catches me reading this book or listening to this music, or thinking these words.  I feel bad about it, but I keep doing it.  Why?  Why don't I listen to my conscience, even though I feel horrible when I don't?  It makes no sense to me....

     I have noticed that when I am not close to God, it affects my behavior.  I feel horrible about myself all the time (not the way I look or anything like that; more of what's going on in my head.) and it changes the way I act toward other people. 


     Well, I hope that I have given you something to think about.  


Love in Christ, always,
Tyler Henke

 

Sorry I haven't written in a while.  My life has been pretty busy lately.  I am SO ashamed to admit that I haven't given God much thought in a while.  I have let life become once again all about me.  I don't allow God much of my heart or mind lately.  I haven't listened to Him when He told me to do something.  When I felt compelled to read my Bible, I felt like I was reading it to "check it off of the list".  When I was praying, I was, once again, just checking it off of the list.  None of it was sincere.  None of it was with a yearning to know more about my Lord and Savior.  I was just trying to get that nagging voice out of my head.  I knew then and I know now that that is NOT the attitude to have when going before God.

     I know that I need to get closer to God.  I know that I need a more steady relationship with Him.  I know that my heart needs to be more in tune with God.  I tell God that I want to be closer to Him, but I don't prove that.  I ask God to draw me closer to Him, but now I ask myself this question:  Why would God listen to a meaningless prayer?  If I am just saying pretty words, but they have no meaning, then what would the prayer mean to God?

     "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."

     Notice that it doesn't say, "Love God with a little bit of your heart, some of your soul, bits and pieces of your mind, and parts of your strength."  The command is to give Him all.  All means ALL.  EVERYTHING.  Don't just give Him a little of this and some of that; He requires your ALL.  Everything you have should be for God.  Your talents, your possessions, your thoughts - really, anything you can put the word "your" in front - just replace that "your" with "God's".  I mean, He gave it to you, didn't He?  So you should give it back.  Shouldn't you?  I mean, doesn't that make sense?

     There isn't really that much left to say about that... I mean, I don't know how to elaborate on this without sounding completely redundant.  So, I guess that's all for today... thanks for reading my little self-rant thing...


      I hope that I have opened your eyes, even if I haven't opened my own.