It's getting closer and closer...UGH!

Can I just tell you what an AWESOME day at church we had yesterday? Our North Campus pastor was preaching - Rev. Steve Livengood (that's a long i sound)- and can I just tell you that he BROUGHT IT!! Oh my word! He preached from Eph 1:15-23 which just so happens to be one of my all-time favorite passages! I heard Beth Moore speak on these verses and you all know what fresh insight the Father gives us thru her - or at least He does to me - and I tell ya I was rollin' some "Amen's"!! (in the words of Roc Collins!)

So you don't have to go look them up - though you should have your Bible handy young lady! hahaha - here's the verses for you.

" 15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way"

Oh come on, you know you wanna roll an AMEN!! LET IT GO GIRL!!! Woooooooo! That's some good stuff. The thing that really hit me when I did this study under Beth was in verse 19. God wants us to know and understand the power we have access to. The same power where God reached down with His Mighty Right Hand and raised Jesus from the dead, well when we call on Him, that same Right Hand comes down on our behalf. Ok, now I hope you know that I don't mean that we can call down His Hand to strike down someone who hurt our feelings or cut us off in traffic, but we have the power to call down that Hand to stop whatever the enemy throws our way!!! Now I don't know about you but that makes me wanna SHOUT!!! In fact ..... WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Listen to how Eugene Peterson puts these verses in The Message.
15-19That's why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn't stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I'd think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.

Isn't that great? I love the line "He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything." I don't know about you but that gives me such joy and peace! Knowing that even though the enemy meant to hurt Jimmy and I with this job stuff - Jesus Christ has the LAST word and WILL work it out for our good!!!! Can I get an AMEN from SOMEBODY? Melissa, I know you wanna roll me one girl!!! hahahaaha

Anyway, I titled this what I did and I had every intention of talking about my birthday - imagine that? But I'm just gonna shut up now and go put on some praise music 'cause "I just wanna praise You, I just wanna praise You"!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!
(Sorry for all the yelling girls!)