I found a video from the Louie Giglio concert I spoke of in my last post.
Nature coming together declaring the majesty of our Lord.
Thinking of this moment still takes my breath away.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
How Great is Our God
My class has recently begun doing research for a nonfiction writing assignment. Each child was permitted to choose a topic of interest from our science and social studies lessons this year. They were then to take what we had learned already and develop it to another level of understanding through questioning and research. One of my students chose to research the sun, and one question she asked was, "Does the sun make sound?" First of all, I was surprised that a third grader had thought of such a question, and then I got really excited to share some of my knowledge with this child and the rest of the class.
You see, at the beginning of the month I attended a Louie Giglio (I just love his name!) event in Ft. Wayne. I haven't stopped thinking of his message and God's splendor since that night. Louie spoke about the universe praising God, and he shared clips of the universe and noises that surround us, noises that God created to praise Him. He shared Psalm 150 which begins with, "Praise the Lord". This chapter also ends by declaring, "Praise the Lord." Louie Giglio went on to share various objects in space (the sun, stars, pulsars, etc.) and zoomed in on their sounds for all to hear. I had never even considered that such objects would dare make a sound. What a concept! Next, Mr. Giglio moved on to items on earth (whales, wind, etc.). Finally, he spoke about how all creation cries out to God, but somehow humanity, one of God's most prized creations has failed to seriously praise him. We praise him shyly (if at all), and give him hardly the credit that He deserves. Our praise has become less than joyful; most of the time it is simply noise in God's ear as we sing with still faces in a routine-like fashion.
To close out the message, Louie put all of the sounds he had shared together in one glorious blend of praise. He allowed them to play and as the crowd fell to complete silence, Chris Tomlin faded in playing How Great is Our God. The blend of the sounds was incredible. Tears flooded my eyes as I realized how "in tune" creation was with Christ, yet how "out of tune" humanity seems to be. It breaks my heart to ponder the complacency of today's church. I want to be part of the change the church needs. I hope my praise to God is not simply noise to His ears.
Now back to the top...
It was because of this night with Louie Giglio that I knew that the sun makes sound as it burns. I was able to share the noise of the sun with my students, and we discussed other objects in the universe that make sound. I had a great time with my class listening to sounds of the universe for about 10 minutes. They were amazed, and I was filled with joy as one child asked, "Miss O'Connor, how is that even possible?" My answer: "God can do all things. He created the universe, and he made the sound to give him something to listen to." My students sat in silence for a moment before one child shouted out, "That's so cool!!" My heart immediately smiled :)
I haven't been able to find any youtube videos from the specific night I attended this fantastic event, but I found a similar version of the first part of the sermon. Listen if you wish.
You see, at the beginning of the month I attended a Louie Giglio (I just love his name!) event in Ft. Wayne. I haven't stopped thinking of his message and God's splendor since that night. Louie spoke about the universe praising God, and he shared clips of the universe and noises that surround us, noises that God created to praise Him. He shared Psalm 150 which begins with, "Praise the Lord". This chapter also ends by declaring, "Praise the Lord." Louie Giglio went on to share various objects in space (the sun, stars, pulsars, etc.) and zoomed in on their sounds for all to hear. I had never even considered that such objects would dare make a sound. What a concept! Next, Mr. Giglio moved on to items on earth (whales, wind, etc.). Finally, he spoke about how all creation cries out to God, but somehow humanity, one of God's most prized creations has failed to seriously praise him. We praise him shyly (if at all), and give him hardly the credit that He deserves. Our praise has become less than joyful; most of the time it is simply noise in God's ear as we sing with still faces in a routine-like fashion.
To close out the message, Louie put all of the sounds he had shared together in one glorious blend of praise. He allowed them to play and as the crowd fell to complete silence, Chris Tomlin faded in playing How Great is Our God. The blend of the sounds was incredible. Tears flooded my eyes as I realized how "in tune" creation was with Christ, yet how "out of tune" humanity seems to be. It breaks my heart to ponder the complacency of today's church. I want to be part of the change the church needs. I hope my praise to God is not simply noise to His ears.
Now back to the top...
It was because of this night with Louie Giglio that I knew that the sun makes sound as it burns. I was able to share the noise of the sun with my students, and we discussed other objects in the universe that make sound. I had a great time with my class listening to sounds of the universe for about 10 minutes. They were amazed, and I was filled with joy as one child asked, "Miss O'Connor, how is that even possible?" My answer: "God can do all things. He created the universe, and he made the sound to give him something to listen to." My students sat in silence for a moment before one child shouted out, "That's so cool!!" My heart immediately smiled :)
I haven't been able to find any youtube videos from the specific night I attended this fantastic event, but I found a similar version of the first part of the sermon. Listen if you wish.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Crazy Love
A few months back I walked into our local Family Christian Bookstore in search of a Spanish/English Bible with the KJV in Spanish and NIV in the English translation. I found exactly what I was looking for but not before came across the bestsellers shelf. One copy of Crazy Love was standing on this shelf among other bestsellers, and I couldn't help but gravitate towards it. This seems insignificant, but might I add that friends had told me to read this book long ago. For so long I had avoided this book because I was afraid it might convict me and cause me to have to change my lifestyle. However, this cold, snowy day, in early 2011, God spoke to me and clearly told me to buy this book. Knowing it would put me over my budget for the week, I hesitated, yet I found myself moments later in the check-out line with this book and a Spanish KJV/English NIV Bible in hand.
You see, I'm cool with God. I love Jesus with my whole heart, but living in complete abandonment of self, can be a scary thought for this girl that likes to have everything under control. I like to convince myself that God is in control of my life, but often times I find myself worrying, stressed out, and clinging to MY LIFE while God is pushed to the backseat.
Currently, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book, and I could not be more pleased with this purchase. It has made me think, and it has convicted me, but most importantly, it has developed within me a burning to desire to love God and know Him more. Many times throughout the book, I have had to stop right where I am, put the book down and pray. It has helped me to see more clearly my areas of weakness, but also it has shown me many of my strengths.
Something that stuck out to me tonight as I read was the word obsessed. Am I obsessed with Jesus, the Creator of the universe who loves me with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love? Francis Chan goes on to say that being obsessed with Christ means we hold NOTHING back...love others despite their flaws...take risks for Him...give Him the credit for all of our accomplishments...give to the poor even in tough times...sacrifice...serve.
And in the end...Being a Christian isn't about a list of do's and don'ts. It's about it's about falling in love with God. It's about living in reckless abandonment to him, because when you fall in love with someone, you become obsessed, and EVERYTHING CHANGES.
You see, I'm cool with God. I love Jesus with my whole heart, but living in complete abandonment of self, can be a scary thought for this girl that likes to have everything under control. I like to convince myself that God is in control of my life, but often times I find myself worrying, stressed out, and clinging to MY LIFE while God is pushed to the backseat.
Currently, I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book, and I could not be more pleased with this purchase. It has made me think, and it has convicted me, but most importantly, it has developed within me a burning to desire to love God and know Him more. Many times throughout the book, I have had to stop right where I am, put the book down and pray. It has helped me to see more clearly my areas of weakness, but also it has shown me many of my strengths.
Something that stuck out to me tonight as I read was the word obsessed. Am I obsessed with Jesus, the Creator of the universe who loves me with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love? Francis Chan goes on to say that being obsessed with Christ means we hold NOTHING back...love others despite their flaws...take risks for Him...give Him the credit for all of our accomplishments...give to the poor even in tough times...sacrifice...serve.
And in the end...Being a Christian isn't about a list of do's and don'ts. It's about it's about falling in love with God. It's about living in reckless abandonment to him, because when you fall in love with someone, you become obsessed, and EVERYTHING CHANGES.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Destruction, Loss, and Pain
I'm speechless! I hate watching the news recently; it always breaks my heart and leaves me feeling depressed. Wow! That's basically all I have to say while my mouth hangs open and my eyes flood with tears as I watch and hear of destruction happening around the world. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, war, disrupt...I could continue on, but I think you get the point.
As I watched the news on Friday, my heart was torn into pieces. I could not believe the destruction I saw, and I was overcome by fear for the lost souls that may not have made it out alive. As I stood at McDonalds Friday evening waiting on friends to order dinner, I heard a man behind me say, "Maybe this will humble that nation." I could not believe what I was hearing. I could have turned around and screamed at this man and gave him an earful of the pain I was feeling. However, I chose to keep quiet and pray for his soul.
Later, after pondering this man's comment, I became outraged and filled with conflicting emotions. Still saddened by the destruction in Japan, my emotion turned angry. How could this man say such a thing? Does he think we here in the U.S. are humble? How could he watch such tragedy and only think of a nation being humbled? How would he react if this same destruction occurred in the United States? Maybe the U.S. needs another tragedy to humble our nation! Yes, I really did just say that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful God has thus far spared our nation from great destruction. However, I believe that the recent events around the world are only the beginning of the end. I'm not saying the end will happen this year, next year, or even 5 years down the road, but I believe it isn't too far off. The Gospels speak of events leading up to the end, many of which are occurring on some level today. We see it in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:10. Read them for yourself.
On top of all this, I caught myself grumbling many times yesterday about the time change and how it was effecting my sleep schedule, my day, etc. I didn't realize it until the day was near over how pathetic my grumbling was. There are people in serious pain and suffering great loss half a world away, yet I chose to sit and whine about the time change and how it was ruining my groove.
God forgive me for my selfish ignorance. Help me to care less about myself and more about those suffering around me. Make me an effective minister of your love, grace, and forgiveness. Work in my life, and help me not to turn a blind eye to the lost. Open doors I never imagined, and give me boldness to walk through them without hesitation. Amen.
As I watched the news on Friday, my heart was torn into pieces. I could not believe the destruction I saw, and I was overcome by fear for the lost souls that may not have made it out alive. As I stood at McDonalds Friday evening waiting on friends to order dinner, I heard a man behind me say, "Maybe this will humble that nation." I could not believe what I was hearing. I could have turned around and screamed at this man and gave him an earful of the pain I was feeling. However, I chose to keep quiet and pray for his soul.
Later, after pondering this man's comment, I became outraged and filled with conflicting emotions. Still saddened by the destruction in Japan, my emotion turned angry. How could this man say such a thing? Does he think we here in the U.S. are humble? How could he watch such tragedy and only think of a nation being humbled? How would he react if this same destruction occurred in the United States? Maybe the U.S. needs another tragedy to humble our nation! Yes, I really did just say that.
Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful God has thus far spared our nation from great destruction. However, I believe that the recent events around the world are only the beginning of the end. I'm not saying the end will happen this year, next year, or even 5 years down the road, but I believe it isn't too far off. The Gospels speak of events leading up to the end, many of which are occurring on some level today. We see it in Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:10. Read them for yourself.
On top of all this, I caught myself grumbling many times yesterday about the time change and how it was effecting my sleep schedule, my day, etc. I didn't realize it until the day was near over how pathetic my grumbling was. There are people in serious pain and suffering great loss half a world away, yet I chose to sit and whine about the time change and how it was ruining my groove.
God forgive me for my selfish ignorance. Help me to care less about myself and more about those suffering around me. Make me an effective minister of your love, grace, and forgiveness. Work in my life, and help me not to turn a blind eye to the lost. Open doors I never imagined, and give me boldness to walk through them without hesitation. Amen.
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