Tag Archives: God

May 08 2013
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what i learned today from my 16 year old

just run behind me, he said.

just run behind me, he said.

took my kids to the park today after work, so they could play. who knew that my teenager would teach me a lesson…

this is what happened: after some lovely bickering through the kfc drive thru, we finally got to the park. Before long they had decided to play a game of tackle football. i tried to make them play touch football. they laughed at me.

 

teams: kavi and jax vs. quint; blaikie was playing with her soccer ball.

after a few minutes Quint asked Blaikie to come play. (read: teenager invites his elementary aged sister to join his team, mother tears up with joy) She was scared, intimidated, resistant. She didn’t know what to do. She said “What do I do?”

He said “just run behind me.”

when the play started, he gave her the ball,  held off the opposition, and shielded her so she could run behind him safely.

This made me think about how God goes before us. When we are scared, intimidated, resistant. When we don’t know what to do. When we say “What do I do?” He says, “Just run behind me.”

he gives us the ball, runs ahead, holds off the enemy, shields us and claims the victory.

i don’t think my son was trying to teach this lesson, but i know the Holy Spirit was using Him to teach me… I think I’m gonna just run behind Him.

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Mar 28 2013
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the voice, the voice and the voice.

i love three things called “the voice” right now. 

weird.

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1 – a new version of the Bible called THE VOICE – once you read this, you’ll see why I am loving it so much.

“Through a collaboration of nearly 120 biblical scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and artists, The Voice recaptures the passion, grit, humor, and beauty that is often lost in the translation process. The result is a retelling of the story of the Bible in a form as fluid as modern literary works yet painstakingly true to the original manuscripts.”

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2 – The VOICE tv show

I am loving the new coaches, and the spirit of camraderie and mutual respect among all 4 coaches is a relief. I was always so uncomfortable with the unkindness that seemed to be thrown around when the last girl judge was in the mix. 

the artists are spectacular already, and it just gets you excited for them, as you see these accomplished musicians, blake shelton, adam levine, shakira, and usher getting excited about helping them.  it really is a highlight of the week.

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3 – but most importantly. God’s voice. This week more than most weeks, God is vocal and prevalent. Christians are bolder in inviting people to join them for church. Billboards, signs, songs about the Christ who came to save us are everywhere. The gospel is the theme of the week. The crucifixion is center stage, the resurrection is the evidence of prophecy fulfilled and proof that the other promises of heaven are real. 

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Jan 14 2013
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This weekend we changed that.

lhkidz treehouse logo

lhkidz treehouse logo

last week while putting the finishing touches on the script for the weekend worship experience in treehouse it hit me. we don’t offer an opportunity to respond to the truth we are so diligent to teach every week. we tell them about a Savior. Heaven. Jesus. Eternity. Sin. Forgiveness. Redemption. Love. We do this all the time. We speak the gospel unapologetically every week… but we don’t always ask if anyone wants to respond. we don’t offer them a chance to say “yes”.

we do have frequent weeks that we identify as “this one is a salvation message, so let’s give them a chance to respond” … but not every week. what if a kid is only there once? and what if we didn’t tell them how to say yes to Jesus… Understand, i believe that God is going to do his work regardless of whether we do ours… the question is whether or not we get to participate, experience His work with him. Have we been missing opportunities to be part of his reaping… Have we cost children the access to eternity by not giving them a chance to say yes.

This weekend we changed that. We decided to give them a chance whenever they are here, and they hear the gospel … to say yes. Yesterday… 35 kids said yes to Jesus.

Understand me, these are not kindgergartners or 1st graders. We didn’t ask them, because we want to make sure they aren’t making a decision to please us, younger kids can do that sometimes, but rather because they want to enter into life with Jesus.

Also… this was not an emotional, mountain top experience… this was straight-up spiritual leaders (hosts and small group teachers) leading the kids in their care to the Savior.

And that… wrecks me.

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Dec 31 2012
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full frontal assault

full frontal assault

just got back from les mis with Quint.
we were enchanted.
it was a spiritual journey with truth spewing all over the place. it starts when jean valjean carries a wooden flag pole on his own back, like Jesus with the cross.
the characters go back and forth requiring mercy and forgiveness from each other. life-saving grace is extended more than once. selfless love is an overarching theme that touches every scene.

this week i tweeted that christmas songs make non-believing people to sing truth. well – every actor/singer in this movie, was part of a miracle. they were participating in a full frontal assault by God. Armed with truth about God, the bible, Jesus, heaven… the actors delivered God’s message over and over again… perhaps in spite of themselves.
i left with a prayer in my heart for those who will hear the message. God’s word will not return void, and through this movie and these songs, people are going to hear it. i pray that the truths the people on set sang and heard will be trapped in their hearts and do the work of our living God…

“to love someone else, is to see the face of God”

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Sep 13 2012
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Edgerrin was fourth to answer and first to get it right.

tonite in trek this was the main point:

I am His for all time.

and this was the verse:

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.

the bible storyteller asked the room of K-2nd graders… “what is true about God, but not about money?”

answers were varied, and didn’t exactly give the impression that they really understood… and then edgerrin answered…

first let me tell you about edge… edgerrin is a yummy little first grader with an interesting life story…

part of it is this: his mother was in prison, so he and his siblings were distributed to long hollow families that were involved in the Jonah’s Journey program – (a program where kids are able to stay out of the ‘system’ and Christian families are able to foster them) He has been going to Long Hollow since this happened. And is adored by his fostering family… The Downings. He is a spunky, funny kid with alot of story… and a hard past. After all of this time with long hollow families… edgerrin knows God. and knows what it means to be loved by Him.

this is how i know…

when the bible storyteller asked:

the bible storyteller asked the room of K-2nd graders… “what is true about God, but not about money?”

Edgerrin was fourth to answer and first to get it right.

He answered simply, “God stays, Money leaves.”

i wanted to cry because it meant that He has learned what it means when He is told God loves Him. He knows that no matter what happens in his life… God stays. That slays me… (and the downings when i shared this story with them).

Kids learning forever truths. wow.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God stays?! All the time? and that you are His all the time?

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Sep 02 2012
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a new worship song with @beggebrecht

Forgive me if I’m redundant. Sometimes, I think I figure out my thoughts as I write about them on this blog. Then I write them into songs.

So, I  may have shared this idea before… but today I got the final version of my latest song.

My friend Ben Eggebrecht and I decided to write a worship song. We started by asking ourselves what songs that we notice people really reacting emotionally to, and experiencing true worship. Which songs we ourselves are moved by.

We realized something… we most connect with the songs that are sung to God instead of about God. Songs that talk about Him instead of about us.

We kept that idea in front of us, and started just talking out loud about what the things we wanted him to know we appreciate about him. then we started talking about something that has been on my mind alot for the last year. people are always taking pictures on instagram of “the nashville sky”… the reason, is that it’s breathtaking. it just is. but pictures dont begin to tell the story of creation. so, God does it over and over again for us. he gives us a new sky each day and night. like the manna the israellites tried to store up. when they didn’t trust and tried to keep it in jars, it rotted. when they trusted god to give them food each day… they had healthy food.

so we started talking about what else he gives us over and over again… and this song was born.

i’m so very grateful to the musicians that played on this record:

Thomas Bain, Micah Schweinsberg,  Jordan Reynolds, Joey Hyde, Corn.

Vocals: Ben Eggebrecht and Haley Hamilton

here are the lyrics. email me if you want to hear the song.

 

Over and Over

by Robyn Collins and Ben Eggebrecht

I could take a thousand pictures

but none of them would show

the wonders you’ve created

your never-ending flow

You wrap your arms around me

with mist and morning air

in sunshine and in rainstorms

I see you everywhere.

 

Over and Over again

Over and over again

 

Your promises are written

on pages i can read

keep telling me the story

of a love that rescues me

in simple conversations

your spirit has a way

of speaking… if i listen

i hear the words you say

 

your love keeps on coming around

your love turned my whole life around

your love keeps picking me up

 

over and over again

over and over again

 

beyond imagination

you cover me in grace

you see right through my doubts

and know me by my faith.

my hope is found in you

the light inside my soul

forever you’re my God

i’ll never be alone.

 

your love keeps on coming around

your love turned my whole life around

your love keeps picking me up

 

over and over again

over and over again

 

your love keeps on coming around

your love turned my whole life around

your love keeps picking me up

 

(over and over again

over and over again)

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Apr 10 2012
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i received an interesting message today…

why is spiderman at the top of this post? read on... read on...

this is what her message said -

“as it currently stands, i am having to make decisions about my job i never hoped to make which is leading me to question career choices in journalism and life as a writer. i’ve often viewed writing talent (or any art form) as a curse. There is the relentless need to achieve perfection and writing is subjective-loved by some, hated by others.
i find myself questioning why God gave me talent as a writer and why i couldn’t have been blessed with something else that would have been easier to establish job security in, like having a gift for science or math and pursuing careers in medicine or business.
as i was reading my bible tonight, i began to realize being gifted in writing is one of the greatest gifts of all. why? God needed writers to spread his word. True all scripture was inspired by God, but he needed someone there to put ink on the pages.
and although this doesn’t necessarily bring about resolve to my concerns, it does provide a little comfort.” this was sent to me by Emily Jane Vernon, (check out her blog. follow her on twitter.

she makes a really good point, doesn’t she? and i love our God for encouraging her through the very medium that she was questioning. I love that he shared a love letter and showed her how important the written word is… it gives life in the case of the bible… by using his word written down for us.

it’s true, writing is an interesting thing because it is very subjective, and with the new outlets like blogs, tweets, posts, etc. many of the traditional rules are out the window too… so you can’t even really judge something on it’s structural elements. it’s pretty much, do people like reading what we write? which leads to something altogether different.

it’s our responsibility to find contentment in Christ and not look for it from others. this is true in relationships (it is not your husband’s job to make you feel a certain way. it is not your child’s job to complete you. and on and on… ) when we have contentment the other things that we really want take care of themselves. that being said, we have to be content that what we write honors God, and is worthy of our time and effort. when we share, we have to be confident in what we are sharing. we take a risk that it won’t be well received or considered “good enough”. and we have to be ok with that. and content that we did the best we could.

if you are a writer, be grateful. you have been entrusted with a powerful gift. use it wisely.

story. writing. capturing the best ideas. sharing. it’s crucial, and has life changing effects.

like peter’s grandfather told him in spiderman “with great power comes great responsibility”.

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May 20 2010
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our gifts are a liability.

… if they are not used to serve the one that gave them to us.

think about that. if you are not using the gifts that the creator instilled in you, yes, you specifically… then they become a liability. i dont know about you, but the thought of being a liability is not something that excites me. what does excite me, however, is using the gifts he has bestowed upon me … for an eternal purpose. that sounds a little churchy, right? but seriously… if you are going to use the gifts and talents afforded you, wouldn’t it be nice to know that your work has value that never ends?!

if one child learns a new thing about christ because of the way i’ve shared it (writing, video, design, brainstorming, event planning, discipleship, one-on-one contact, the list goes on)… then what greater joy can there be? how many people get to do things that they know have no end? well…. we all have the capacity for that. the real question is, will you choose to have eternal impact. will you choose to spread the word of God and the freedom found in his love and mercy… or will you not? and when you do… will you give him the credit? or will you take it on yourself.

this theme has permeated my bible study for the past few days, so i knew i had to share it with you. its way tooooo big to miss. consider this:

1 Corinthians 4:7 (The Message)

7-8For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you’re sitting on top of the world—at least God’s world—and we’re right there, sitting alongside you!

you know what i love about creativity? you can’t even pretend it came from your human mind. i suppose you can pretend… but it wont be true. it will never be true that orginal thoughts and ideas did not come from the author of creation. you know? be careful not to boast in the gifts and talents that have been given you. this is a lofty calling and worthy responsibility. what are you going to do today to impact eternity?

the cast of big picture

the cast of the big picture at prestonwood

in this episode of the big picture the kids start to learn about what it means to witness something… then they go into a classroom where a teacher explains further what it means to be a witness. a witness to the things God has done. thank you teachers, for having an eternal impact.

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May 12 2010
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i don’t believe in air

i write sitcoms and shows for kids. one of the writers on my team, paula corbello, wrote one of my favorite scripts i have ever read or seen performed.

in the script the main character meets someone that doesn’t believe in god… because she can’t see him, touch him, feel him or hear his voice. so he must not exist right? after some madcap hijinx and other silliness… they come around to a bend in the conversation. the believer says to the doubter “well, i don’t believe in air”… the doubter says, how can you not believe in air? of course the believer says ” i can’t see it, can’t touch it, feel it or hear it, so i don’t believe in air”…. shazam.

who doesn't believe in air?

sometimes it’s hard to believe that God really cares about us and really knows what’s going on. it’s hard to believe that a loving god would let things happen that he allows to happen. but we have proof. your story, the way you know god, the evidence you see of him… that’s your story. no one can contradict your personal experience. they cannot call you a liar when you are telling of your personal experience… we know that god is real and he is there. i know because i have hope in hopeless seeming situations. i know because i have peace when i should not. i know because i have joy in the promise of eternity, when the here and now isn’t what i was expecting or wanting it to be.

how do you know that god is there?

next time someone tells you they don’t believe in god… tell them why you do… and then tell them you don’t believe in air. see what happens then! (in the script, the goth character “thorn” gets reconciled to a god that exists even though she can’t see, touch, hear or feel him… if only we could script the lives of others)

btw – paula is a writer, who is currently writing a show for prestonwood,  an orginal  children’s musical, has written for ishine knect, and currently  uses her art as a cake designer…

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May 10 2010
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a bloomin’ revelation

as i was driving to work this morning i marvelled at some of the yards that i saw. color was bursting out of dirt… flowers in all of their magnificent glory (not yet eaten by rabbits). in some yards they were carefully plotted and manicured and it hit me that a gardener is another kind of artist altogether… but you know what’s really awesome about being a gardener? you rely entirely on the creator to be able to pull it off. without his command the flowers just would not grow. without the rain and sun, they would never sprout and bloom.

however…this is also true, flowers droop… but the word of God goes on forever.

revel in the daily expressions of his majesty, but rest in the eternal expression of his love.

flowers and kids and a dog, oh my.

flowers and kids and a dog, oh my

1 Peter 1:22
Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

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