♫ Musical Interlude ♫

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FX8KNdcuYM
Psalm 62 (Not Guilty Anymore)

by Aaron Keyes

My soul finds rest in God alone, My Rock and my salvation,
A fortress strong against my foes, And I will not be shaken.
Though lips may bless and hearts may curse, And lies like arrows pierce me,
I’ll fix my heart on righteousness, I’ll look to Him who hears me.

O praise Him, hallelujah, My Delight and my Reward;
Everlasting, never failing, My Redeemer, my God.

Find rest, my soul, in God alone
Amid the world’s temptations;
When evil seeks to take a hold
I’ll cling to my salvation.
Though riches come and riches go,
Don’t set your heart upon them;
The fields of hope in which I sow
Are harvested in heaven.

I’ll set my gaze on God alone,
And trust in Him completely;
With every day pour out my soul,
And He will prove His mercy.
Though life is but a fleeting breath,
A sigh too brief to measure,
My King has crushed the curse of death
And I am His forever.

O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah, hallelujah,
O praise Him, O praise Him, hallelujah! hallelujah!

        This song, taken from Psalm 62 in the Bible, was introduced to me tonight by a good friend of mine.  Though I'd read select verses from the original passage (1-2, 5-8,11-12) at previous times in my life, I had never fully realized the words before.  It seems that everywhere I turn these days God is emphasizing resting in Him alone and also the power and majesty He posseses. 

        "Find rest, my soul, in God alone; Amid the world’s temptations; When evil seeks to take a hold; I’ll cling to my salvation..." 

What a powerful lyric!  Granted there are quite a few lines in the song that are just as powerful... but these lines just jumped out at me.  There is a lot in this world that tempt us, try us, and make us want to just give up and give in.  But thankfully for us.... there is something that trumps this world and it's temptations!  God created this world, He created us, why wouldn't He be able to take care of whatever is making us struggle?

            ¹² If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. ¹³ The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Cor. 10:12-13; NLT)

God. Is. Faithful. what more is there to say? I'll leave you with that reminder tonight.

An Example Worth Following

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=158348990848143

In this video, you will see a woman by the name of Gianna Jessen.  To the naked eye she is an average woman but in all reality she is a miracle.  She is an abortion survivor - but not in the way you might think. You see, she was the baby in the abortion, not the mother.  She tells her story in this video but the reason I wanted to share this with you is not because of her story.  It's because of what she's done with her life.  She lives and breathes to declare God's glory and all that He has brought her through and done through her.  She challenges her audience to live a life obsessed with Christ and to live for Him no matter what the circumstance; living the life that we, as His children, deserve.  One of the things I liked about her was that she really emphasized the roles that men and women are made for and the value each holds.  Watching this video really encouraged me, I don't think that anyone could question how God feels about them after viewing this video, and I hope that it encourages you as well.

♫ Musical Interlude ♫

One of the most important aspects of my life is music.  Through music I feel like I can share my heart... and one thing I really want to do with this blog is every now and again have a "musical interlude."  I'll post song lyrics that are prevalent in my life at the time. 

Right now in my life, I am working on focusing on God and letting Him lead me.. and each time I try to get closer I am so in awe of who He is and the amazing power and love He possesses. So, there are 2 songs that really mean a lot right now.. here they are:

Cannot Say Enough

What can we say to describe

just a glimpse of your glory

how can our words portray

just a thread of your majesty.

but still we praise our savior

in spirit and in truth.

for we cannot say enough about you.

hallelujah

hallelujah

(repeat)

Lead Me to the Cross

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemption's hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

(repeat chorus)

With "Cannot Say Enough," I feel like it's such an accurate description of the reality we as God's children face as we are giving Him praises. There is really no way to fully describe God or what He does for us and this song so beautifully portrays that.

"Lead Me to the Cross" has been my prayer for quite a few weeks. Going to the cross and laying down whatever or whoever we're struggling with is the only way to find true peace: letting God take over and going straight to His heart to find the love and peace and answers we seek. These songs have brought me encouragement and I pray that they will encourage you as well.

Change? ...ugh...

"When God takes someone out of a situation, its to make room for something better and more capable.... I'm sorry to see this chapter end, but I know its for the best." - Ashley Johnson (a friend of mine from Corban)

Sometimes I look at my life and think, "man it's so great where I am, I can't believe I'm at this point, hope it never changes..." Which, thinking about it at this moment, is completely ridiculous! From the point of my birth until right now I have changed hundreds of thousands of times and truth is I --> and my life <-- will continue changing even more as I grow older. I have never liked change, always fought it tooth and nail and I probably always will.... but that doesn't mean I haven't survived the changes with God's help, right?

By the way.... where do I get off thinking I can be whiny about change?? When God clearly states in His word that He and He alone gets to be the only one who doesn't change, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) So as I sit here thinking about it... I shouldn't complain about change when it happens or I think it's gonna happen. 'Cause the truth is? I have no idea how it'll turn out. But as my friend mentioned, When God takes a situation and changes it... it's usually the best? False. When God changes a situation it is always for the best. I can trust that and quite honestly I should remind myself of that each time I start to feel panicked by a daunting situation or by something "different" than what I'm used to because for all I know.... it's gonna be my new usual.

In any case, three things stay the same: God is good. He wrote my life story. No matter what happens He's gonna take care of me.

So as far as I can see, there are some things I can do to remind myself of these truths: Stay in His word daily, Pray continually, and TRUST. You may be thinking to yourself, hmm these things sound familiar... well yeah I bet they do, cuz I didn't make them up... God told us to do these things... so it just re-emphasizes it - He's got it covered.

Starting Out....

"Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before." - Erich Fromm

Hello, since this is my first blog post I suppose I should explain a few things.  I started this blog in the first place because I wanted to have a place where I could freely lay out my thoughts.  I have many and - along with updating you on my life from time to time -  I wanted to share them with you... whoever you may be (family member or friend of mine I would like to assume).

I think I will start out with explaining the title of my blog.  I was sitting here thinking about different possibilities for a blog title and I was coming up blank until I came across a small passage in the book of Psalms, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (psalm 9:1-2)  These verses got me thinking.... what does it mean to live life praising God with your whole heart?  Personally I think it's a lot more complex than it would seem.  Life comes with so many distractions it's hard to dedicate your whole heart to any one thing at every moment. In my opinion this is a worthwhile goal: To live life with passion, dedication, and in constant praise of God for all the world to see.
Why? because, in my opinion, "Passion Speaks Louder Than Words." Showing someone your dedication is a lot more valuable than going on about it all the time. This is why I chose the title that I did - and the url "livingwithyourwholeheart.blogspot.com" came from the first verse in the passage.

Little known fact about me? I love quotes. I am not sure why but a good quote can be the perfect beginning to any written work. I am going to try my hardest to start each post off with a quote I found interesting. If you read above, you'll see I already put my first quote. I think this quote is so appropriate for my first posting. Each day is a new journey, a new beginning, and this quote really embodies that thought. "....Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before." Living life with passion means having a fresh perspective, living to the fullest. In this quote that idea is a challenge; making whoever reads it or hears it go step by step into each new day. The mind is a powerful tool and it is essential in living with the goal mentioned above. Work to take life one day at a time, one choice at a time, taking advantage of each opportunity you get to live life to the fullest - all the while using those opportunities to praise God.

I enjoyed this first post and I will work on posting again soon! Love you all!