"Once we clearly acknowledge the soul, we can learn to hear it's cries. - Dallas Willard, Renovation Of The Heart."

It takes courage to pursue our dreams. It takes time and patience to unearth buried treasure. But I believe with all my heart that we must do both.

12.13.2011

Third Tuesday of Advent





Sorry for the delay in this, but we were in Kentucky moving Meg back...she is home!! Yea!! She has transferred to Reinhardt College in Georgia. She will be oh so much closer to home, and they have a wonderful art program.




Psalm 34:1-8; Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13; Matthew 21:28-32

"God as a Lover is passionate about his people. God as a Father cares, as a parent cares about the growth and character of a loved child, about their relationship to him." (Lucy Shaw, God with Us)

Have you tried hard to not do something you do? Have you tried hard to do something you know you should do without success?  We can discipline ourselves, (which is good) we can work hard (which is good) but relying solely on our own strength, even our own willpower and good intentions is not enough.  If the change does not happen at the heart level it is not permanent.  Our actions may change our behavior for a time, but it does not change our hearts.  Only God can change a heart.

Christ came to make that possible.

"God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes."
2 Samuel 22:28, The Message 

"You did the unthinkable.
You built one bridge to us
Long enough, strong enough
to link the unlinkable."
Lucy Shaw

"Merciful God, in this Advent season we thank you that you can rewrite the script of our lives, moving us from wandering to arrival, from self-hatred to acceptance, from distance to nearness, from loneliness to belonging, from weakness to energy, and all this because of the enfleshment of your dear Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus, who became one of us and showed us the way. (Luci Shaw, God with Us)

Amen

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you, Mary! So glad that your daughter will be closer. My son is now home from Korea and stationed in Tacoma. Even though it's still across an ocean, it's not that big of one anymore! Thank you for this reminder about HIS unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness of us...blessings on you, Connie

Bren Graham Thebeau said...

Know your heart is doing the happy dance! Welcome home Meg!

caryjo said...

If/when I don't rely on Him instead of assuming I'm practically perfect, I DO make the truthful discovery... and then I'm "oops"-ing for a time. Always a good reminder.