“More Than Amazing” – Monday Musical Musings

September 28th, 2015 dsisler

 

I surely enjoy sharing music with you on Monday mornings. It’s such a great beginning to my week. I get to choose from thousands and thousands of hymns, spiritual songs and praise music each week and present the one to you that has touched me the most.

 

IMAG1492Today’s song is no different, except that it is a reminder to us that we really cannot encapsulate God in a few words of a song. He is greater and mightier and more loving and more gracious than human words could possibly write.

 

So I love Lincoln Brewster’s decision to write about God’s amazingness with this thought in mind. God is more than amazing!

 

Yes, I agree! My human brain isn’t capable of understanding and comprehending all the amazing things God has done for mankind. From the beginning, God has pursued mankind to have a closer walk with Him. To have a deeper relationship with Him. And throughout the ages, mankind has rejected God’s advances.

 

But God has never given up. He continues to pursue. Now that is more than amazing!

 

If you’re like me, you know the mistakes and sins you’ve allowed to penetrate your heart and life. You also know the joy of being drawn back by your Creator. And why does God do all this pursuing? Because He loves you and me! It’s that simple. He loves us. And that in itself is definitely more than amazing!

 

So, today as you read through these lyrics and listen to the song, I pray that you will be overwhelmed by the amazingness of your God. I pray that you will allow the pursuer to capture your heart. I pray that you will rejoice in the One who rejoices over you. I’m sure at the end of the day you too will say, God is “More Than Amazing!”

 

“More Than Amazing”

 

You’re the one who walked on water
And you calmed the raging seas
You command the highest mountains
to fall upon their knees

 

You’re the one who welcomed sinners
And you opened blinded eyes
You restored the brokenhearted
And you brought the dead to life

 

Forgetting all our sins
You remember all your promises

 

Chorus:
You are amazing
More than amazing
Forever our God
You’re more than enough
You are amazing

 

With authority you’ve spoken
And you’ve set the captive free
You’re the king who came to serve
You’re the God who washed our feet

 

You’re the one who took our burdens
And you bled upon the cross
In your kindness and your mercy
You became the way for us

 

Forgetting all our sins
You remember all your promises

(Chorus)

 

Oh how marvelous
Oh how wonderful
Oh how glorious
You are amazing
Oh how marvelous
Oh how wonderful
Oh how glorious You are

(Chorus)[i]

 

Click here to listen to Lincoln Brewster sing this beautiful worship song.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “More Than Amazing,” Words and Music by Lincoln Brewster and Mia Fieldes, Integrity’s Praise Music and Mia Fieldes/Shout Music, 2010.

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Another Great Sunday!

September 27th, 2015 dsisler

 

I cannot wait to get to church today. We have a guest speaker at Rocky this morning. Joshua Straub will be speaking about the importance of fighting for our marriages. Joshua will also be sharing some important information this afternoon about creating emotionally safe homes for our children. If you want more information about this, go to rmcc.org.

 

???????????????????????????????I pray that you are just as excited to attend your local church this morning. God has prepared your pastor and worship team for today’s service. Now, do your part by preparing your heart for worship and then get there. Don’t allow anything to stand in your way. God has a special message for you today. I pray that your ears will be open to His Words.

 

Today’s repeat blog post is call “Roaming.” Enjoy!

 

Roaming

 

I must admit that yesterday had its ups and downs. I was thrilled to be sharing about my journey to SE Asia, but as the day unfolded, it wasn’t all that great.

 

People, attitudes, rushing from one place to another, and a myriad of other things can get in our way of having a good day. Especially when we have something important to do.

 

We may lose confidence in ourselves. We may not feel up to doing the important thing. We may feel insecure. And as we combine all these things, we suddenly don’t want to do what God wants us to do.

 

You see, the devil is a busy guy. His agenda is to trip us up. As we are walking down the smooth path of life, Satan is there to throw obstacles in our way. Big or small, the size doesn’t matter. If it’s on the path, we just might stumble.

 

Peter warned us of the devil in 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV). Peter knew what the devil was capable of and how he worked. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

 

This verse is almost frightening. No one wants to be devoured by a prowling lion. That’s the exact reason Peter gives other advice to go along with this bit. Be self-controlled. Be alert. As we have control of our emotions and our bodies, we have a better chance of spotting the lion before it’s too late. The same can be said of being alert.

 

But Peter goes on in this passage to share some more advice. “Resist him (the devil), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.” (1 Peter 5:9 – NIV)

 

Resist him. The problem with this piece of advice is that the devil changes his tactics. He tempts us with bigger and brighter things. He knows where we are weakest and he attacks us there. But still, we must resist him.

 

Now my issues today may not be someone else’s exact issues, but I know I am not in the boat alone. Satan is attacking all over the world and I find strength in knowing there are other Christians who are resisting the devil’s temptations. I can do it as well.

 

Now here’s the good news. Peter then continues with an assurance that I find great comfort in knowing. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10 – NIV)

 

God is with me through it all. But He is doing more than just being with me. He is restoring me. He is making me strong. He is making me firm. He is making me steadfast. I am only able to get through this life with God on my side.

 

It’s through my faith in God and His grace, strength, love, and forgiveness that I can wake up each day and say, “Good morning! Let’s do it!”

 

And as the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour, God isn’t sitting idly by and watching. 1 Peter 3:12a (NIV) assures me, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.”

 

If this verse isn’t an encouragement to you today, I don’t know what else I could share with you. God is searching for those who need strength. If that is you today, He is looking and He will provide.

 

But we also see from this verse that He doesn’t just hand it out to anyone. He is looking for those who are committed to Him. Maybe that’s where we need to start today.

 

As I read through these passages, I’m able to face today with all its troubles and temptations, knowing that I am not in the day alone. God is right beside me. Loving me and comforting me along the way. I pray that you can say the same.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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A Hacker

September 26th, 2015 dsisler

 

It’s been a busy week. I’m playing catch up from vacation last week and in the midst of all of this, I had an issue with my website that hosts my blog. It was a severe enough threat, that I got an email from the company and asked me to fix it as soon as possible.

 

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERANow here’s the thing about my website. I know nothing about it. A dear friend set it up for me and keeps it up-to-date. What I didn’t remember is that there are two locations for my blog. There’s one section where I write and post and make a change or two, but then there’s this whole back side portion that is where the real workings of Full Measure of Joy happens. This is the part that I know very little about.

 

So I had to find the link (in an old email from 2012…good thing I kept that!) to get to this part of FMoJ and I had to create a new, updated, difficult, crazy password to keep my blog from being attacked again. Okay, to keep my blog from being attacked any time soon.

 

Well there’s no way that I will ever be able to remember that password. It’s so difficult and random that I would think it should be secure for many years to come. But I also know that isn’t the case. I know there are computers out there running programs that look at every combination of letters, numbers and special characters until they get a hit. It’s at that moment they are able to access all the data on a website or a bank account or a credit card.

 

Here’s what these criminal minds don’t know. There’s nothing on FMoJ worth a dime. Nothing. So all that work they put into getting access was a waste of their time. Ha! You lose!

 

Well, that’s not entirely true. There is something of value on FMoJ. Do you know what it is? It’s the path that leads to eternal life! It’s the words of Jesus printed over and over. It’s the idea of grace and salvation. It’s the retelling of the story of Jesus from birth to ascension. It’s the account of God’s great love for mankind (and for each person individually) that He was willing to send Jesus to die for their ransom.

 

Oh how I pray that the person who has been wandering around behind the scenes was able to glimpse God through Full Measure of Joy. I pray that they were able to see the face of God and come to know Him for who He is. That would make changing the password and dealing with inconveniences worth the time.

 

To be honest this experience was a good reminder for me. A reminder for me to keep up with my blog and know the ins and outs. But more importantly for me to write what God places on my heart and to be bold in my words. I never know who might be reading this!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Living for Jesus!

September 25th, 2015 dsisler

 

DSC_0070We receive a lot of sales catalogs from various places. Bible book stores, home supplies stores, auto supply stores, woodworking stuff, diabetes materials, unique gift ideas and I could probably go on and on. I am sure that in the catalogs that sit on our kitchen table, you would be able to find just about anything in this world you’re looking for.

 

Obviously some of these catalogs are what catches my eye and they are the ones that I peruse. In a recent flip through one catalog, I saw a sign with this quote on it.

 

“Find something you would die for and live for it.”

 

If you are like me, you have probably asked yourself these questions, “Would I die for my faith? Would I choose death over renouncing Jesus?” If you are like me, you have probably answered these questions with a resounding “YES!” But would you or I really?

 

I think this quote helps me to see that if I am not living out my faith on a daily, hourly, minute-to-minute basis, I don’t know that I would have the ability to die for my faith. My faith must be so ingrained in my heart and soul that there would be nothing for me to live for without my faith.

 

I like the quote. But maybe it should be:

 

“Live for something you are willing to die for.” Or “Live for Jesus…He died for you.” Oh I don’t know…I’ve got it pretty mixed up in my mind now.

 

Here’s what I do know Scripture says about living for Jesus and how it can affect our day-to-day lives. See if these verses help you in your walk with Christ.

 

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33 – NIV)

 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31 – NIV)

 

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2 – NIV)

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 – NIV)

 

“Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1 – NIV)

 

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:5-6 – NIV)

 

Persecution is part of our faith-walk. Maybe we haven’t known what it is really like to be persecuted as some of our fellow Christians around the world. But if we hold unswervingly to these verses of Scripture and follow the guidelines, then if and when we do face persecution (and even death), we will be able to withstand it all because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Today, let’s all strive to live for Jesus. Live to follow His guidelines and walk the way He did. Let’s live for Him because He died for us.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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The Neighborhood

September 24th, 2015 dsisler

 

My neighborhood is under attack! It is exploding with new houses, construction, very large pieces of machinery, road closures and detours. It’s noisy, dusty and teeming with strangers. Growth, new life and improvements are promised, but this stage is not pretty. I get it, but boy is it frustrating.

 

???????????????????????????????One problem is that there is only one entrance and exit from our neighborhood. More and more people added to the neighborhood means more and more people trying to get through the tiny hole in the funnel. Maybe you’re getting the picture.

 

I’m thankful for progress. I’m thankful for new neighbors. I’m thankful for the boost in our economy. I am thankful. But it’s hard.

 

The same can be said of our spiritual growth and progress. Sometimes we have to get into God’s Word and really study a passage. Sometimes we have to read and come to understand precepts in Scripture that lead us to remove something from our lives. This growth process leads to transformation. And transformation leads to a deeper relationship with Jesus as well as a life that reflects Him.

 

But, this transformation cannot happen on your own. I am not qualified or able to jump on one of these big pieces of machinery in my neighborhood. I would destroy more than I built if I did. Just like the folks in my neighborhood who are building and changing and transforming, there are things in my spiritual life that I cannot do on my own. These are the areas that I must give to Jesus and allow God’s Spirit to do the work.

 

Temptation can be overwhelming, but when we give it to Jesus, he provides a way out for us to escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you find yourself continually falling into sin because of temptation, this is a matter to give over to Jesus. Whether it is a sexual in nature, tongue related or a matter of the heart, we just have to allow God’s Spirit to work on it.

 

I will continue to work my way out of my neighborhood. I will put up with the inconveniences. But I sure look forward to the final transformation that is taking place. I am looking forward to my spiritual transformation as well. I pray that you are going through the transformation process as well.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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    "I 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, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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