October 12, 2014

Last weekend at Service we sang You Make Me Brave

This week, I heard this jam you might be familiar with on the radio:

How perfect do these lyrics tie together the Sticks & Stones series and our new song!? 

You can be amazing

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast
Or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love

Or you can start speaking up

Nothing's gonna hurt you the way that words do
When they settle 'neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight

Sometimes the shadow wins

But I wonder what would happen if you

Say what you wanna say

And let the words fall out

Honestly I wanna see you be brave

With what you want to say

And let the words fall out

Honestly I wanna see you be brave

Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down

By the enemy

Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing

Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Just a thought- 

What if we were brave with our words? 

What if we didn't hold back when we thought of telling someone words of encouragement?

Let's be brave.

We also sang one of my old favorites: Arms Open Wide

I was reminded of listening to this song on a plane ride to Italy for a mission trip. Someday I'll tell y'all more about that- it was incredible. :) I wrote some of the lyrics to Arms Open Wide in the journal I reserved for the trip: 

Jason Petty closed our series of 

with a fun & challenging talk on gossip! 

He asked us a couple questions... 

Why do we gossip?

He gave us two reasons:

Revenge & Insecurity

Of course gossip harms another, but what we don't realize is that behind both seeking revenge and wallowing in our insecurities, we are harming ourselves.

"The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;  

they go down to the inmost parts." Proverbs 18:8

Why is it a big deal? 

"Gossip separates close friends." 

Proverbs 16:28

"And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. 

The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, 

setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.  

With it we bless our Lord and Father, 

and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God."

James 3:6,9 

How do I stop? 

One of my favorite moments from Jason's message was this simple statement:

"It's impossible to gossip when you see people the way God does."

It made me think about the song, Give Me Your Eyes by Brandon Heath. 

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

that all of them may be one, 

Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. 

May they also be in us 

so that the world may believe that you have sent me.    

I have given them the glory that you gave me, 

that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—

so that they may be brought to complete unity. 

Then the world will know that you sent me 

and have loved them even as you have loved me."

John 17:20-23

In other words, Jason explained that:

"Our unity is tied in to God's Name being spread in our community." 

At House Groups... 

We played a get-to-know-you game! I really enjoyed learning funny facts about y'all! 

Remember- we are collecting team packets for...

THIS Sunday! 

SO thankful for y'all! 

Fully Known & Fully Loved, 

Cass