Tag: wonder

One

Karla Lees

We are made One in Him.
He takes us from every background imaginable and make us His sons and daughters,  all of us.

We become His family.

One family.

And as family, we are meant to gather together as we pursue Him, the focus of our passion.

United.

One pursuit.
One passion.
One purpose.

To know Him more.
Become more His.
To share the good news that we are never alone.

It only took One to bring us back from the outskirts and plant us firmly in the circle of His affection.

Jesus.

One love.
Which spanned the heights of heavens and the depths of despair to free us from the enemy of the One. 

Release the snares of our wrongdoings,  and ushers us into His embrace and family.

One things alone remains forever.

His love for you and I.

Wavering because you don’t yet know what he has called you to do?

Your purpose is clear.
Pursue Him.

Our primary purpose for being on this earth is to know our Maker, and be known by Him:
To worship Him for who He is.
To wonder at what He has done.
To walk where he leads.
To welcome Home the lost.
To work for His glory….
To let His Words come to live within us.
To listen as He speaks.
To love that He loves.
To never lack in companionship.
To learn at His feet.
To laugh at the wonders He displays.

Join me as together we celebrate the One, and become the Beloved He is creating for himself.

One bride, longing for her Love.
Pursuing Him with all she is and has.

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Sunday Psalm: Fierce Love

Karla Lees

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Your love?!
I can barely explain my awe and wonder at its beautiful ferocity!
Part of me shivers
at the thrill of being pursued
By such devotion
In its purest form
Passionate
All consuming
Unrelenting
Love
With me
its targeted recipient

Like a tidal wave
Crashing over me
Rushing into meet me here
Your love is fierce

The certainty
that I am the one whom You love
Hits my fear and insecurity
With such strength
And intensity
That only faith
And trust remain
As my Living Hope
Floods me with the
Ever present reminder
I am loved
By the King of kings
By the Risen Savior
By Holiness
By love which breaks down
All the borders guards
I tried to erect
Before I knew
Just how good
You are
And the magnitude
of the depths of Your love
For me
for the world

Like a hurricane
That I can’t escape
Tearing through the atmosphere
Your love is fierce

Each part of Your bride,
Your Beloved,
As treasured
As if we were each the only one
Your love
It’s fierce
In all its wonderfulness!

#SundayPsalm

☆Quoted lyrics from the single ‘Your Love is Fierce’ by Jesus Culture.

When the day goes awry

Karla Lees

Today has not turned out to be the day I thought it would.

Some of my work didn’t get posted as usual, helping meditate between a child and their emotions, and the unwelcome addition of fleas moving in on my cat has jumped my stress level beyond its usual for a Monday.

There was one blip of a moment where I was about to let all of the above bring me a bit down.

But I was ready.

For I woke up this morning, immediately put on worship music, and read some verses in the Word which stirred my soul, reigniting my hope.

He reminded me before I needed it of His wonder, so i I wouldn’t  wonder at where He might be this morning.

For He is, was and always will be with me.

The wonder of Christmas isn’t meant to ebb when the holidays are over, the parties die down and the new year begins to unravel.

Christmas is only one part of His story to remind us He is with us.

As we journey into 2016, with all the highs and lows to come, may we never lose that wonder of her first time we grasped God was with us.

For the promise of God to come has arrived, and lives within us, every day.

Even the days with piled up laundry, emails left unanswered and a sad looking cat post bath!

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Sunday Psalm: King of my heart

Karla Lees

King of my heart,
I am lost in wonder at the sight
of such a love shining so bright
I am Yours You are mine.

King of my heart
How I long for more of You
to overtake the space within
Til I am all Yours and You are mine

Oh how Your love glows
Oh King of my heart
Oh how the cross shows
You’re the King of all hearts

King of my heart
Take my hands my hopes and dreams
And all the in-between
For I am Yours and You are mine

King of my heart
How You pursue me every day
And to my heart You daily say
I am yours and you are Mine!

#SundayPsalm

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Note: inspired by King of my Heart, Hillsong United.

#oneword2016

Karla Lees

2016.

A fresh unblemished year ahead. only a few hours old.

I don’t know about you, but I was so ready for a new year to begin. After tackling many fears last year, I am just beginning to see the blessings which are starting to unfurl as a result.

For several years now. my word for the year has been hope. 

Over the past few months, God has been taking me past hope and stirring up expectation.

Belief in more to come than I can imagine.

Belief in a God beyond the limitations I have placed upon Him.

And although that would be a great word, belief is not my choice for #oneword2016.

But I have outgrown hope alone for my word for this coming year.

My awe at what He has been doing in and through and around me over these weeks was the clue.

Wonder!

Wonder as I recall where He found me.

Wonder at how far He has brought me in the past.

Wonder He is with me here and now!

Wonder for what He has for me yet to come.

Wonder seen in nature as it reflects its Creator, the God of Wonders.

Wonder as He reveals more of who He is and the promises He has in store for me, for us, through His Word.

Wonder at where I see Him moving in the world…for He, like Aslan, is on the move!

Join me as I put on my new wonder-filtered glasses to take in all 2016 has to show me about the wonderous God I love and follow!

#oneword2016
#WONDER

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Sunday Psalm: Prince of Peace

Karla Lees

Into the storms of my life
You enter
with a mighty roar
You announce to the heavenlys
the Prince of Peace
has arrived
yet in all Your might
You speak
with such love
and care
right when i need You
the most

The wonder of it all
lies not in Your might
but in Your heart
for even though
humanity bungled the path
You made a way
through time and space
to bring us back to You
the Prince of Peace
comes not only to save
but to restore
and make us whole again.

The Gift of Christmas
set on display
the heart of God
the Prince of Peace
the wonder of God with us
for all the world to see
forevermore!

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If you too need a reminder of what the Prince of Peace came to do for you, visit the gospel of Matthew, and watch the video by Hillsong United here.

Joy to the World

Karla Lees

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing….
the wonders of His love!

This season is meant to be a shining beacon of hope to a weary world spinning in darkness.

Joy entered the world.

Not only does Jesus represent God’s love in His very essence, He is infused with joy.

You see, God not only loved everyone He created, He enjoys them!

That includes you, and me!

No one is left out.

He takes sheer delight in you, and enjoys your company, because you’re you. And He loves you for it!

Instead of His people holding back and speaking only through tradition, God broke through the barrier between us. He ripped the veil separating Heaven and earth, and entered the story as a living breathing physical man. Fully God wrapped in humanity.

Because He wanted to get as close to you as He could, to make you sit up and notice Him, feel His love for you, know His joy at being near you.

This beloved Christmas carol captures the majesty of God with us, the miracle of God one of us and the mind glowing joy we can have when we accept His gift, His Presence in and with us, always.

Heaven and earth unite to sing of this wonder.

He enjoys His people. For love’s sake, so much so He, our Creator, became one of His own creations to give us the fullness of that love right where we were, are at.

The enemy may be whispering how terrible you were for yelling at your kids last night, or shaming you for something you didn’t do or forgot.

Love is reminding you He is with you.

Your bank account may look smaller than usual, the illness ahead seem insurmountable, your loved one gone on ahead being missed beyond words.

Love is waiting to refill you with the hope and joy of the season.

For this season, Christmas?

Its not dependant upon you or I to become a reality.

It already has!

Because of His love, we have God with us.

It’s sign, sealed and delivered, this gift beyond time and space. And yours, forever.

So regardless of what is happening about you, you can have joy.

For Love came down at Christmas time not only to restore us to Him but for us to enjoy one another, as love tends to do when you draw near to the One you adore.

Joy to the World!
Jesus is born!

Our Carol of truth, love and joy, forevermore!

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Historical Background:

Joy to the World’s music and lyrics were written by Isaac Watts in 1719. It is amazing to me that this piece still sounds like it has just been written by every generation that sings it. I truly believe it is one of the songs we will forever sing when we move Home one day!

eyesight: peeling back the veil

Karla Lees

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God wants us to get to know who He really is.

He doesn’t just want to give us insight, but the ability to see things through His eyes, His eyesight.

And that’s the focus I am trying to maintain this Advent season.

To take a fresh look at the Word, and see Him through His Father’s eyes.

Each day in December, I will be sharing part of the Christmas story, and a song of praise which has arisen from His people, when they caught a glimpse of the wonder of Jesus.

Emmanuel. God with us!

Join me as we ask Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see the wonder of Christmas through His eyes.

Take a closer peek at those He chose to invite into His love story for the world….

See the love and tears involved in doing things His way.

Stand in awe at the majesty of His plan, and the wonder of His heart for us all.

Sing a new song of praise to Him as you can’t help but offer Him thanks for all He has done for you.

May He be our primary focus we keep our eyes fixed upon, especially this Advent, and each day of our lives!
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Sunday Psalm: Worthy

Karla Lees

I crawl
humbly towards Your throne
on my knees
before You
Mighty God,
Maker of the Heavens & Earth,
my head bowed low
as I approach.

Overwhelmed
by Your beautiful Holiness,
Majesty & Mighty.
All glory, honor,
praise & adoration
belongs to You!

No sooner have i entered
Your Presence
then You rush towards me
to lift me with gentle
nail scarred hands,
bringing me to my feet
as You wrap Your strong arms around me
reminding me with a whisper
& a glance
that I am Yours
and You are mine.
No more fear, stain or shame
are allowed to keep me
from standing before You,
Your bride
presenting herself
to her Groom,
the Lover of her soul.

Only the One who is worthy
can make me worthy
to come into His Presence.
Only the blood of the Lamb
can cover & coat me
in His worthiness.

You are worthy of all I have to give
and beyond, God.
I stand tall
as You envelope me
with Your Presence
as Your Spirit breathes within,
and Your Son announces me
as His Beloved before all.

This is where I belong,
and I wholeheartedly
accept the hand of the One
who wants to lead our dance
into eternity.

#SundayPsalm

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wide open spaces

Karla Lees

Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 MSG

It is time to step out of our confines, and hop over the fences we have hidden ourselves behind.

Wide open spaces in His Presence await.

That sentence sent a shiver down my spine, not because its scary, but holy and awesome and amazing all rolled into one.

The freedom to be ourselves out wherever He leads us is a gift many of us are missing out on.

We can’t see how the money will come in to support this wild new adventure, so we don’t make room to let the seed grow, even in our dreams.

We can’t come out from behind our fences because we are trying to do it in our own strength & abilities, and its a supernatural freedom we need to move beyond.

We feel stuck between two camps, the safe where we may be bored but we know what to expect, while part of us is longing for the unexpected adventure that could await us if we took the leap.

And just like you, I am in the same place.

Longing for the freedom to run wild & free beside Jesus, and feel stuck in the quagmire of the day to day.

Today I realized something.

Although I have a to do list (just as we all do) that doesn’t mean I can’t make space & time to go running with Jesus into the freedom He beckons me towards.

Because in this case, freedom is a spiritual thing.

We can escape our inner fences and move into the wonder He has waiting for us, even if we still have the same job, sick kids, bills to pay and mountains of laundry.

We are designed for forever living. Our spirits are eternal.

I don’t know about you, but that truth is wonderously wild and sobering.

We don’t have to wait until heaven to begin to soar.

Today, take a moment and ask God to reveal where you have a fence holding you back from the gift of freedom He has for you.

Ask Him to break you out, destroy the fence and set you free.

Take hold of His hand, and head on out into those first steps into the unknown now ahead, knowing He has your hand tight in His grasp.

God with us means we don’t have to be afraid.

He’s got you.

The wild open spaces are beckoning you to come…you don’t even need to leave home to get there!

Step through the door into the wonder that awaits you.

Live wide!

#pressingin
#echoesofNarnia
#hopeinHisPresence
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