Tag: passion

Reason #3 to Give Thanks: Because He Cares

Karla Lees

Today, I was ready for a day to myself. To worship, soak in the tub, do an online course and a bunch of writing.

God interrupted my plans with two kids unexpectedly home under foot, a phone prob, and updates to project work…not the day I had expected to have on my day off this week.

Yet somehow, as I intentionally made time to spend in the Word throughout the day as I could, I could sense God with me in a different way than usual.

By purposefully making space for Him to move in, He showed up with a calming peace I wasn’t expecting.

I am learning that His Presence with me all the time is awesome, but its more than just knowing I am not alone.

God thinks I am awesome, and continues to pour out the wild & passionate love of a fiance to me.

When my hubby and I were first dating, we spent our first summer apart. I was at sleepover camp up north, he was on a summer mission trip through the Maritimes. He wrote me every single day. (I wrote one long letter every week, coz I could only post once a week). Whether a post card, a mushy card, a cheesy card or a letter, he poured out his heart for me…and helped me fall even deeper in love despite the distance.

God is love. He didn’t need us. But he wanted us. And that is the most amazing thing. 

 ~ Rick Warren

God has done the same for us.
Not only did He die for us, He wrote the best love letter in history for us to catch His heart for each one of us.

God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.  ~ Augustine

And that love, that amazingly astonishly awesome passionate breathtaking deep pure abandon He sends our way, is worth thanking Him for every moment of every day, and on into eternity!

 

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 8:38-39

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great LOVE with which he LOVED us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ; by grace you have been saved…

Ephesians 2:4-5

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his LOVE; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast LOVE and faithfulness.

Psalm 86:15

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast LOVE with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…

Deuteronomy 7:9

Psalm 136 repeats the chorus after every line of thanks or praise for who God is: “His love endures forever!”

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

Jeremiah 29:11

Knowing the God of the universe loves ME? Back then, right now and for all eternity? Cares about me? Wants to bless me with good things? Is always with me?

Anytime now becomes the right time to give thanks!

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My Top 16 Passions for 2015

Karla Lees

I  love many things, but I am realizing there are a few things I am intensely passionate about.

Looking forward to a new year, I decided to jot down some of these swirling thoughts as a means of focusing my blogging & writing for the year.  for the days to come when I will need a jump start if I get off track and run out of steam trying to do it all on my own.

So each day, at least one of the following passions is gonna pop up here on the blog!

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1. I am passionate about being MYSELF.

Since God only makes one of us of a kind, I am embracing the me He has made, and not comparing myself any longer to the rest of you one-of-a-kinders! After years of wandering, I am most at home in myself 🙂

2. I am passionate about WORSHIP.

I worship because I long to express back to God who He is, how awesome it is to be loved by Him & to offer my love back to Him in song.  I worship because I cannot help but do so.  I am passionate about song moving beyond words & music to connecting with God in His courts and pending time in His Presence.  Worship quenches the parched dryness, refreshingly watering my thirst for God .

3. I am passionate about the WORD.

Spending time in the Word with the author of the Word who is allowing me to experience a bite of it every time I open it is a thrill unlike no other, and is the only thing that truly satisfies my hunger for Him.

4. I am passionate about HOME.

I learned long ago that wherever I go, I take home with me. Home is not a destination, but in your heart. I love my cozy nest, but as long as God and my loved ones are with me, I can make any place my home. God is our true Home, and so many have missed out on that wonder. I am passionate about sharing He is our forever Home, God with us, God in us.

5. I am passionate about FAMILY.

I am an advocate for family as God designed it. The love, community & security He planned for us in family is staggering.

Staggering as well in how God simultaneously designed His forever family, and has always longed for us all to be a part of it.

For those who are hurting in broken families, however that looks, God offers comfort:

God places the lonely in families…
Psalm 68:6

God’s heart is for family, by natural or supernatural design. I adore my natural family,and have also been super blessed by the heart sisters God has placed me with in His family. 🙂

6. I am passionate about FREEDOM.

He leads the prisoners into freedom with singing….
Psalm 68:6

God doesn’t not want anyone bound, in any way- unless they are bound to Him with bonds of love for eternity.

God is all about freedom. The more you spend time with Him, the freer He will help you become.

7. I am passionate about WRITING.

I write because I feel the desire to create and express. I have been hardwired to, and I spent too many years losing this essential part of myself to allow myself to get distracted from writing again.

God has given us each a voice, and I am committed to sharing how He is blessing & keeping me on a daily basis.  My voice, expressed as only I can.

8. I am passionate about LAUGHTER.

…God gives them joy!
Psalm 68:6

Laughter is my new chocolate! I think we can all thanks Ann Voskamp for making that phrase better known! Laughter is so good for our bodies and soul.

Not being laughed at in any cruel or bullying sort of way, but the laughter shared between friends & loved ones, at a spontaneous funny that happens around you, at a raise, at your pet’s antics…

Did you know God has a sense of humour? I don’t believe its an accident we laugh, if we are all made in His image!

Laughing daily even for five minutes can help brighten your outlook.

(And don’t forget, a smile is more approachable than a frown 😉

9. I am passionate about BIRDS.

Yes, its true. I find birds fascinating, and have since I first learned penguin parents & chicks sing to find each other in crowds. I feel they represent freedom in the spirit, to soar high in His strength, the ability to sing their thanks all day long, and nurture their young in their nests. My fave verse, Psalm 84:3-4 captures all I love about birds up close!

10. I am passionate about SERVING.

We are meant to be there for others around us, not just to seek our own fulfillment. It is amazing when I make a goal or a dream comes true, but its almost always because someone else supported me as I journeyed. We are formed into a intertwined network on purpose, to be there for one another when we hit the lows, to celebrate the highs together and help keep one another strong along the way, as we complement one another with our gifts.

11. I am passionate about the ARTS.

I am an avid reader, singer, listener of music. I love to get crafty & appreciate the Creator of the world around me and my fellow creators. I express myself best through the arts, and bless & support those who do so as well.

12. I am passionate about TEA.

Those who know me well know that one of the high spots of my day is drinking a warm cuppa tea. The only thing that beats it is drinking it with company 🙂

13. I am passionate about LEARNING.

You can always teach an old dog new tricks if he wants to learn.

Learning is interchangeable with growth to me. It takes trial, error, achievement and observation to learn. Those who keep learning are able to flex with the inevitable changes that will come over our lifetimes.

14. I am passionate about COLOUR.

Life is full of a fantastic display of colour. Each colour represents God’s touch, as as such holds a glimpse of His beauty. If you love a colour or two, wear it. God loves when we appreciate His handiwork!

15. I am passionate about GOD.

He is my foremost passion, and the one I will have for eternity!
He is waiting to be found by all of us, and loves it when we introduce Him to those He is missing. He desires to be known, and reveals Himself to all in the hopes they will know Him one day.

I will never stop sharing the passion I have for the lover of my soul, and the keeper of my heart.
I owe all I am to Him. Under God falls Presence. I am determined to passionately pursue Him all my days, and beyond!

16. I am passionate about HOPE.

If you have been visiting the blog or know me, you know Hope is a part of who I am. Hope that God is in control, He is with us always, and every single time is for us, having our back.

My hope is a person, Jesus. My hope lives with in me, Holy Spirit. My hope leads me, Abba Father. In these three, my hope is found.
🙂

Life is too short not to live with passion.

Find yours, and ask Him to reveal to you how to live them out & express them in a way that gives Him the glory!

wild with grace

Karla Lees

Grace is a powerful, dangerous, freeing force.

Pastor Tullian Tchividjian

[Aslan?] He’ll be coming and going” he had said. “One day you’ll see him and another you won’t. He doesn’t like being tied down –and of course he has other countries to attend to. It’s quite all right. He’ll often drop in. Only you mustn’t press him. He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

God doesn’t fit into our perceptions of who He is.

Shockingly so, to some of us….myself included at times.

One of my favorite characteristics of God is how He can come and go at will, being in many places at the same time. Ever present in the spiritual sense, yet physically shows up in response to a cry or a prayer.

I like to think of God as being a bit wild. Not wild like an embarrassing life of the party wild…but the refused to be boxed in freedom to move as He pleases kind of wild.

In the wild, where you are in the moment is it. You don’t find animals slumping around coz last year wasn’t a good year, they are focused on the day, the moment at hand. For them its a matter of survival, for God its a matter of character. He always has been, and as such is beyond our linear way of thinking & living.

Every single aspect of creation on earth was perfectly made for the humanity it sustains. The spin of its axis, the closeness to the sun, the amount of minerals in the earth, the air in the atmosphere, the water system… all of earth in its wildness reflects its wildly amazing Creator.

When He loves, He is also all in, invested and intimately involved.
Wild with love, God planned the whole of history to reveal His love through every generation…. through the prophets, the deliverers, the judges, the rabbis, the teachers, the apostles, the evangelists, the preachers… but especially through Jesus & the Word.

The Written Word, and the Word made Flesh. Both living and breathing God.

God whose grace was so wild, He died for all people, regardless of whether they ever say thank you for that extravagant gift.

A bit wild a concept, isn’t it?

As I take a step back, I am overcome with the wildness I can glimpse in God. How being free to be yourself can lead you to wildly abandon yourself in the pursuit your passions.

In God’s case, we are the passion He pursues. The ones He wants to set free with a wild freedom we don’t deserve, but deep down all long for. Why?

He is wild about you.

Do you know that, really deep down? He is wildly crazy adoringly waiting to show you that love.

I caught a glimpse of that wild passion for me during worship recently, and it has released a passionate response from deep within me. I have been charged from encountering God’s wild love for me.

I want to be wild for You too, God.
Head over heels in love.

I want to share that passion with those who need to meet You, to be wildly loved.

Release Your children to run in wild abandon for Your embrace, God, in response to the wild love and grace You splash all over us!
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passion

Karla Lees

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Tonight I saw a movie that rekindled my passion.

(It was about cooking, before you gasp with disapproval!)

The Hundred Foot Journey.

The passion of three characters that cross paths is inspiring:

The young man whose passion is taste, exceptionally flavoring the food he cooks.

His father, passionate about family (and being thrifty).

The restaurant owner across the road, who is passionate about achieving the goal she has- another Michelin star.

The integration of these three passions, and a few others along the way, left me reminded how pale and drab life is without passion.

What are you passionate about?

What irks you when someone puts it down?

What makes you excited to do during the day?

I have a few main passions, and a few lesser ones.

I am passionate about God.
His love, mercy, grace.
The Hope He offers us all.

I love to create, with words.
I love to worship, in song.  I deeply appreciate other authors, song writers, worship leaders & singers who are passionate about what they do too.

I am passionate about people becoming free, who they were designed to be. Leaving their pasts behind them, and running full tilt towards a life they never dreamed possible.

I am passionate about family.
I am quieter about this one in words, out of respect for them, but what happens to them matters deeply to me.
My husband, children, parents, relatives.
My best friends.
My coworkers.
My church family.
I try to show each that I value, honor and respect them.

Hobbies i am passionate about? Tea, silver, Nordic Pole Walking, the color moss green, reading and watching good movies. All things vanilla, coconut, caramel, pecan, maple, bacon.

I know what I am passionate about, after many years of fighting how I was hard wired.

What God places in us desires to be birthed.

Passion unfulfilled is heartbreaking.

Not only the person who never let it out, but for the Giver of our gifts, God.

Take a few moments.
Close your eyes.

Ask yourself ‘What do I most want to do with this life I have been given? What brings me to life?’

The answers you get are likely a clue to your true passions.

Beyond romance, there is a world just waiting for each of us to live our lives to their fullest.

The scientist who may discover the cure for cancer, who might have been inspired by the ones who went before… who discovered insulin, the cure for leprosy.

The many artists who capture their world in picture, painting, clay, song or words…and remind us how much we have to be passionate about.

The builders- carpenters, electricians, contractors, roofers. Without their passion to tinker and connect things together, we wouldn’t enjoy the homes we do.

Take stock of your passions.

Write them down, pray over them and invite God to grow them in you.

One passionate person can inspire a nation, or leave a lasting impact on the world.

Jesus is one such person.

His passion for each of us lead Him to put on skin & bone, and live among us. He loved deeply. Showed His care towards the downtrodden, broken, homeless, hurting, mismatched, the young, the old. Those who needed to know how much God was thinking of them.

His passion for us held Him on the cross, and kept Him there as His life drained away, for you and for me.

His passion for us caused Him to come back to remind us He was fully God & man all rolled into one. How much He is passionate about His children closely knowing and walking with Him.

Its time to take the passion God gave you to help you do the task He has for you.

We need you to, not just leave it on your bucket list.

All of us are blessed when we all live the lives we were meant to live- following the Passionate one.

relentless

Karla Lees

never stopping
pressing on towards the goal
focused determination
refusing to allow for defeat
Your love is relentless.

Being on the receiving end of this relentless love has led me to tears, caused me to tremble with thankfulness, quieted my anxiety and put many of my fears to death.

And still, Your love pursues me.

Relentless is an adjective that beat describes God’s heart for his creation:

incessant
persistent
constant
continuous
non-stop
never ending
unabating
incessant
unceasing
unrelenting
unending

The mercy, grace, flavour, blessing and overflowing passionately devoted love You have for me, for us, is relentless.

You will never stop reminding us You love us.

You will never cease to love us, no matter what.

Not even death couldn’t hold you back from completing your plan to reveal Your relentless love to the world.

The Bible is full of Your heart, Your love, poured out in ink and real lives lived seeking You. Actual people who lived with the questions we still ask ourselves today:
Do we matter?
Does anybody love us?
Why am I here?

You pursue us to let us know:
We were, and are, chosen.
We were made by our Creator to bring Him glory.

And He loves us.
Oh how He loves us.

I will never stop singing and proclaiming,
“Your Love is Relentless.”

PS. The song “Your Love is Relentless” by Hillsong is worth a listen. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear God’s heart beating for you, for us.

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unstoppable love

Karla Lees

Do you know you are worth it?

Did you know you were in the forefront of His mind when He went to the cross?

Do you know God will never stop pursuing you?

He thinks knowing you is worth more than all the pain and anguish, and death He faced.

You are exquisitely valuable to Him and He will not stop trying to tell you that message in the way you need to hear it…ever.

Is your built in USB so crowded with crappy messages that you have no space left to hear how unstoppable His love is for you?

Its time to erase the messages that only serve to leave you hungry & thirsty, and come to the One who can satisfy down to your very soul.

His love song continues to be sung by those who know this amazing, life altering truth…. God will never stop pursuing you, because He will never ever stop loving you.

If you can listen it his song on iTunes, Google music or YouTube today, let it seep into your mind, heart and soul.

You are loved without end. Forever.
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Unstoppable Love:
Skylar & Kim Walker-Smith

Try to stop Your love and You would wage a war
Try to take the very thing You gave Your life for
You would come running 
Tear down every wall
All the while You’re shouting 
“My Love, you’re worth it all”.

God you pursue me with power and glory, Unstoppable Love that never ends. You’re unrelenting with passion and mercy, Unstoppable Love that never ends.

You broke into the silence and sang your song of hope
A melody resounding in the deep of my soul
You have come running
You tore down every wall
All the while you’re shouting, 
“My Love you’re worth it all”

God you pursue me with power and glory, Unstoppable Love that never ends. You’re unrelenting with passion and mercy, Unstoppable Love that never ends. X2

No sin, no shame, 
No past, no pain 
Can separate me from Your love
No height, no depth, 
No fear, no debt 
Can separate me from Your love
X2

Whoa
Your love, yeah

God you pursue me with power and glory, Unstoppable Love that never ends. You’re unrelenting with passion and mercy, Unstoppable Love that never ends.

Try to stop Your love and You would wage a war

abandon

Karla Lees

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I want to rush with reckless abandon into Your embrace

My first waking thought is to run to You

Within just a few minutes
I have abandoned that thought, jumped into the must do’s
And onto the daily treadmill.

I am abandoning my old mindset,
Where I am weighed down from the guilt of my fickle thoughts.

Instead I am embracing grace.

When my thoughts wander, I am learning to catch them more quickly and turn my focus back onto God, not solely the task in front of me.

I am trying to listen more, keeping my bears open for what He may whisper to me.

What He whispers tells me more about who He is, who I am, and how He wants me to bless those in my path.

Tonight, I felt prompted to go into a store where I was waiting for something on order. I knew it wasn’t ready yet, but right before I asked, the sales gal got a call with the unfortunate news her nephew has been hit by a car. I got to share how I would pray for her nephew, her & the family that all would turn out OK, and they would all be kept safe. She then shared how her other nephew has just recovered from brain cancer, and they are still emotionally dealing with that.

She needed to hear someone was praying for her. She went right back onto the phone as we left, arranging coverage so she could head to the hospital. As soon as I stepped out of the store, I prayed out loud for her.

A few years ago, I would have been chicken to do so.

A knock on the head almost two years ago changed all that. A very mild concussion seemed to knock more sensitivity to what God wants and less care for how it looks to others loose within me.

I am the better for it.
And more open to God as a result.

When I allow God to speak and move more in me, I am drawing closer to abandon…

To being one with God.

One day, beloved.

For now, I draw close.
I seek His presence.
I worship with passion.
I listen with expectation.
I open my eyes to His vision.
Where He goes, I follow.

Living a life where I abandon myself to what He has for me, I find my true self.

The one I was designed and meant to be.

So I abandon that which will distract me from my purpose: being with the one I love.

All I am is all of Yours.

pursuit

Karla Lees

I am in hot pursuit.

My mind is fixed even when my body is tiring.

I continue to climb.

I can’t live without Him.

His presence.

His love.

Him.

He is beautiful.

He gazes at me with such passion, I am overwhelmed with His love, magnetically drawn closer.

In the pathway ahead, He is the sun i awake to.
He is the moon i fall asleep under.
He is the refuge I hide in.
He is the rock underneath me.
He is more than enough for everything I need.
Ever.
Forever.

As my mind swirls in motion
My heart explodes with attraction
I lift my voice with devotion
And love swells like the ocean.

The depths of His adoration call,
Luring me higher still.

The worship flows, moment after moment.
The never ending chorus beats in my bloodstream.
Everything else becomes colored with my passion.
With reckless abandon, I pick up the pace.
Continuing to climb, all else is stripped away.

I am in hot pursuit.

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PURSUIT- Jesus Culture

Strip everything away, til all I have is You
Undo the veils so all I see is You

I will pursue You, I will pursue Your presence
I will pursue You, I will pursue Your presence

I’m pressing into You, so do not pass me by
I’m breaking through the boundaries, I will not be denied

I will pursue You, I will pursue Your presence
I will pursue You, I will pursue Your presence
Im coming after You

Open my eyes, search my inside
I cant live without Your presence
I cant live without Your presence