NO OTHER NAME

My heart will sing NO other name but Jesus.

That is how it is NOW inside me, but that hasn't always been the case! In fact, FAR from it . . . my heart has sung so many names; it's not even funny!! But one thing is certain-- only ONE song of my heart has NEVER left me filling incomplete, insufficient, restless, frustrated and tricked . . . JESUS!!

For six years, one song my heart sang on repeat was lust. LUST, sex, perversions, porn etc. And trust me-- it was on repeat, but the BEAUTIFUL part about it is with any CD . . . you can always hit eject and put another one in. That's what I chose to do.

See-- it's not that some of the things I did didn't satisfy me. Sometimes they did, but they NEVER satisfied me in a lasting fashion. How could they? How can anything? Money, status, respect, drugs, alcohol, sex, the opposite sex, the same sex, our jobs, our spouses, our significant others, not even our family. NOTHING brings lasting happiness, contentment, JOY and a sense of purpose like Jesus.

Many things can bring you temporary happiness. Many things can satisfy in the moment, but why would we, so willingly, embrace counterfeit when real exists? Not only does real exists, but it satisfies FOREVER! Isn't it foolishness we would chase after those things, knowing what the end-game will be? Knowing we will be left feeling empty?

What Name is Your Heart Singing?

It's not just sin that our heart can sing. It's husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, family members, friends. If we long for anything more than we long for Jesus . . . our heart is singing another name. I liken that to trying to fill up a cup that has a hole in it. No matter how much you try to pour in . . . it will never be enough!

No, I'm not saying we aren't supposed to have loved ones, who mean a great deal to us. I believe they are some of God's greatest gifts, but when we make her the focus of our heart-- we embrace fleeting when Lasting has His loving arms out just waiting for us to run into them!

I'm not casting any stones, because I have been, and still am at times, guilty of making my girlfriend an idol in my heart, but I am working on that. . . err, rather shall I say God is working on that for me.

There is no GREATER freedom than when you finally say-- I am done fighting! I am done serving Satan! I am done serving two masters, but only giving my allegiance to the Devil! My heart will sing NO OTHER name but Jesus!! That's when you begin to tap into the FULL abundant life found in John 10:10, but written in our DNA.

We were made, the reason we exists, is to KNOW God.

How Do You Hit the Eject Button?

It doesn't matter what name your heart sang yesterday or even a minute ago! That's the beauty of God . . . He cares about our future and doesn't hold against us, in terms of how much He loves us, our past allegiances. That's called GRACE.

How do you surrender? By doing what Hebrews 12:1 says, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus and running the race that was marked out for us, throwing off the sin that SO easily entangles." It's not a one-time decision. It's a continual one.

I have to set the record straight on a common misconception-- NONE of us can hit the eject button and put a new CD in using our own strength, but ALL of us can letting Him do it through us. I believe this is the case, so we will give Him the Glory instead of taking the credit for our change and improvement of behavior ourselves.

The life of a believer is found on the Surgeon's gurney. God, our Creator and Savior, is performing surgery on us. He is taking out the bad and replacing it with Him, who is good and the surgery will not end until we have drawn our final breath! That's exciting especially when you look at Phil. 1:6 that says the work He has begun in us WILL BE COMPLETED!! The purpose He has for your life WILL come to pass if we allow Him to have His way.

Ask God to change the song of your heart. The dance won't go as smoothly, but at least you'll no longer be dancing alone.

iTrustYOU

There I stood, not paralyzed in fear, but hesitant to do as I was told. The directive wasn't difficult, but it was scary. Sweat formed on my brow, my knees felt a little weak and the thought of what could happen scared me.

But then I did something that has unlimited power in our lives if we will just do it . . . I LET GO! I fell back, hoping, believing and praying the person, my partner in this summer camp exercise, would catch me. It was an exercise in TRUST.

See the person catching is entrusted with a great responsibility, while the person falling backward is trusting they will be caught. I've seen this exercise done on a 'ropes course,' with a harness, and people still being too terrified to relinquish control and free fall. In my humble opinion, the hardest thing for a human to do is to let go!

What would have happened if they didn't catch you when doing the trust exercise? Probably something that involves a whole lot of blood, a trip to the ER and some stiches. But with God, we are assured He WILL ALWAYS catch us!! And what better hands to catch us than ones that created us, made the universe and then sent His son to die for us, so we could be in right relationship with Him again?

Does this mean it won't hurt sometimes? Absolutely not, but sometimes the way He catches us still is painful because He is allowing some pain, so we can learn to depend on Him more, can grow and become stronger! It's ALL about trust.

What I've Learned about Trust

Trust is simply taking someone's hand . . . not asking where they are taking you, how long you will be there or what you are going to do . . . it's simply knowing that person loves you, has your best interests at heart and will do nothing to harm you. So too is it with Jesus.

God assures us ALL things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) and He has plans to prosper us and to give us a future (Jer. 29:11), so with that being said . . . IF we truly believe that why do we so easily freak out and become a ship so easily tossed about by the waves? (Ephesians 4:14).

I've learned God's ways are not always my ways and His thoughts are not always my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) and that we see through a glass darkly (1st Corinthians 13:12, John 13:7), so we aren't always going to understand, but I honestly believe we aren't SUPPOSED to! It wouldn't be called trust if it was easy! Trust is not easy and is ONLY forged through time, one showing they are trust-worthy, love and relationship.

If anyone is deserving of our TRUST . . . wouldn't it be the One who hung the sun and moon, flung the stars in place (and knows them ALL by name), carved the mountains, filled the creeks, rivers, lakes and oceans, paints the sky and breathed us into existence? And if those reasons somehow aren't enough to trust Him; consider the blood He shed for you to reconcile us to His Father . . . doesn't ALL that demonstrate His great love for us and His trustworthiness?

When It's Hard to Trust

Remember this . . . you are NOT alone. It's difficult to trust when things aren't going your way, when those things you are praying for haven't been answered in the fashion you are believing they will or when your prayer gets answered, but it's not the answer you wanted. That's part of being human.

When you receive the diagnosis, when you receive the tragic news, when you lose your job, when your marriage fails, when that friend betrays you, when you don't feel good enough, when you lose all your money, when your career isn't going the way you'd hoped and dreamed JUST TRUST!!

Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at ALL times, pour out your heart to Him, for God is our Refuge." Notice it doesn't say when everything is hunky dory, when the birds are chirping, the sun is out and the harp is playing . . . it says ALL times. That's not a suggestion-- that's a directive for one of the simplest, yet hardest, things we can ever do here on Earth.

There will be times when He doesn't catch you and you find yourself completely broken. Friends when that happens, REJOICE-- when we are broken . . . when we are hurting . . . when we feel like nothing is going right; that's when we find the Answer to all our questions~ JESUS! That's when He can begin to mold us into the Masterpiece we already are yet have refused to be. When we feel like we can't take another step . . . we find the beautiful Truth-- we don't have to! He will carry us.

INTIMACY

I seek intimacy with Jesus (Yeshua is His name in Hebrew) daily. In intimacy, I find TRUST. In intimacy, I find FAITH. In intimacy, I find conviction not condemnation. In intimacy, I find expectancy. In intimacy, I witness the birth of a beautiful baby~ OBEDIENCE.

All of life's questions, simple and complex, are answered with INTIMACY.

And intimacy is the true reflection of one's heart toward the Father~ it reveals perhaps the greatest motive, "Am I seeking God's hand, His blessings or Divine Assistance, or am I simply, continually and relentlessly lavishing Him with my praise and adoration through a spirit of gratitude?"

The creation not wanting anything from the Creator except to be with Him and tell Him thank You, through words, listening and how one stewards what He has been given, for what He has done and will do . . . that is deep intimacy.

My heart overflows with gratitude not just for what You have done Lord, but for WHO YOU ARE. That's where the DEEPEST intimacy happens-- where deep calls out to deep-- when you worship the I Am for who HE IS not for his works!

That's why I worship and give You not only my praise, but my gifts, talents and LIFE! Your face surpasses endless blessing~ it's the GREATEST blessing of ALL! Seeking your face is rewarding and comes with GREAT RICHES: the fruit of the Spirit, wisdom, knowledge, all-consuming love to give, discernment and lasting joy and peace. The abundant LIFE John 10:10

My Ship Came In

Girl, you're not just out of my league~ you're out of the universe
You are my sweetest blessing after each and every curse

But each one brought me a step closer to a love I never dreamed
This reality is a fantasy, so much better than it seemed

I've been given a present~ a beautiful gift wrapped in Grace
And I open up the package~ each time I look at your face

Your eyes shine with joy and hope~ in your eyes I've found home
I had to come to the place I was no longer lonely; I was just alone

My glorious King filled my heart completely; overflowing the brim
He shined His radiant Light when my world used to be so grey and dim

I stood at the Harbor patiently waiting for my ship to come to shore
You are my Ephesians 3:20~ what I prayed for and so much more

God is teaching me daily what true love means and what it truly looks like
Learning it is more than exciting than when I first learned how to ride a bike

Each step of Earth's journey; I'll walk beside you through sun or storm
15 years later we are together~ 15 years after writing you from my dorm

Without Christ I'm just a boy, but with Him, I'll be your leader and your man
I promise to always pray for you, love you, be there for you and the kids as we follow God Almighty's plan.

I love you Sara and I am forever grateful for your love!

John Mark