Pursuing the Pursuer

It's February already. I'm not quite sure how it sneaked up on me like this, but it did. I feel as though January was for me part crazy busy productivity and part quiet retreat, somehow all at the same time. I'm not quite sure how that happened either, but I suppose I don't really need to know all the answers as long as I know the One who does.

My January journey came to a climactic close Sunday morning, February 1, as I sat on the floor in the back of the church, journal and pen in hand, and tears flowing so freely that I had to repeatedly stop writing because I could not see the page in front of me. The music ended, the tears ceased, and I sat staring at two pages of one of the most powerful personal words I have ever received from the Lord. The specifics of what He shared with me are too personal to share in this forum, as they are precious glimpses into the sentiment of the heart of a Lover toward His Beloved. I was overwhelmed by the bold confirmation of His affirmation of me, my dreams and my destiny.

I hesitate to share with you even what I have already written for fear of being received with the same enthusiasm as was Joseph, the Dreamer, when he shared with his brothers the dreams the Lord given to him regarding his destiny. I do not share this with you out of pride or selfish ambition. I tell you what happened to me because it is my desire to encourage you to pursue this same intimacy with Jesus, the Lover of your soul, the Wooer of your heart, the Lover chasing after the affections of you, His Beloved.

My January journey has ended, but the real journey is only beginning. This new place I find myself in is precious, but I don't want to stay here for long, because there is still distance to cover for me to snuggle up even closer to Him. I'll be sharing more of the insights I've received in recent days with you soon, so watch for them. They are changing my life, and I can only pray that they will inspire you to chase after the One with reckless abandon as the pursued becomes the pursuer.

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would
outnumber the grains of sand."
Psalm 139: 17-18

Unexpected Blessings

It's been quite a busy week, both at work and at home. At the office, a series of last minute deadline changes kept me on my toes from the moment I walked in until the moment I walked out.

At home, I've been working on a new website for The River Fort Smith, which should be ready to launch very soon. Currently I'm awaiting some additional content for a couple of the pages and a few more photos need to be taken, then the final edit, and then we launch!

In between all that, I am thrilled to have gotten back into the songwriting mode after so many years. At the risk of sounding cliche, it really does seem almost like riding a bike, because now that I have gotten back into this groove, melodies are coming very quickly, and lyrics (or at least thoughts and ideas that will become lyrics) are also coming very readily.

What I am finding interesting about this whole process, and quite rewarding, actually, is that some songs I had started years ago are coming back to the forefront and are now in the process of being completed. It was like somewhere I had gotten the idea that I had to leave the old behind me, when as it turns out, it has been the key to help unlock the new. As I am bringing back certain songs, they are not only now being finished, but they are releasing new ideas for new material. I was in the car the other day and started humming a new melody that I now see is the missing piece of a warfare song I started several years ago and have never been fully satisfied with how it ended. I always felt like it needed more. Now the more is here.

So to you, dear reader, I offer this encouragement. No matter where you are and what things lie in your heart that seem to be incomplete, the Lord is near. Those dreams and visions, passions and poems, dances, songs, and hopes are not dead. They are simply sleeping, waiting for the Life Giver to walk into the situation and speak the words, "Wake up!"

Don't give up. Keep hoping, keep dreaming, keep chasing after Him. He is near. Hear His approaching footsteps and the keys rattling in His hand. Stand up and prepare to walk out of your prison, for the door is about to be opened, your chains are about to be loosed, and the sun is rising on your day of freedom.

Whose Voice Do I Hear?

This month, our church is corporately encouraging its members to identify those things that have hindered our relationship and time with God and set them aside in pursuit of reconnecting with our First Love. Each individual is left to personally identify what that thing or what those things are and to find an accountability partner (spouse or friend) to assist with remaining faithful to this endeavor.

For me, it's television and talk radio. The constant flow of babble had become routine in my home and in my car, providing a non-stop stream of conversation and noise that had saturated my mind and spirit in a way I was not really aware of - until I turned it off.

Wow. Quiet, while a welcome change, can be somewhat intimidating. It's more than just the removal of the noise. It's becoming aware of the habit of reaching for the remote or the radio dial and realizing just how accustomed we have become to having this unending backdrop of noise and conversation.

Now, here is the clincher. Once the man-made noise is removed, and quiet is restored in the home and in my spirit, I have found myself unexpectedly quick to hear the voice of One who has been speaking to me all along, but Whose sweet and gentle voice I was unable to hear clearly because of all the audio clutter I had surrounded myself with. Removing it, or at least reducing it to a bare minimum, has already proven to be one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.

So as I embark on this little January journey toward reconnecting with not only my First Love but with myself and with true reality, I have decided to share parts of this journey with you, in the hopes that some part of the revelation that I am anticipating will come will minister to your spirit as it has ministered to mine. I'll be posting excerpts from my journal in the days to come. I believe that when the Lord gives us insights into Him, we are meant to share them.

So for today, a simple encouragement borrowed from one my favorite writers, King David:

"May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as we put our hope in You."
Psalm 33:22