Freedom is not for Sale to the Highest Bidder!

Your strengths don't give you the power to extend less grace. Your ability to stand firm, walk straight, deny desires, and hold tight doesn't give you the green light to look down, puff up, and speak death. Why does the church do this? Why do we take our abilities, our victories, our lack of shame and allow it to lead us to "point-the-finger-ville?" I don't get it. God, right now, at this time - change me. Make me a person who can walk upright in an area while embracing those who do not. Help me to know the difference between grace and pity. May I never use my victories, my strengths, and my passions as a moral compass for everyone else, as if I know what you desire to do, to change, to create in their lives. How dare I take what you have done in me and use it as a way to feel better about myself, or a way to shame others. Sometimes the church really scares me. We want to focus on things He doesn't want us to focus on. We want to draw the lines in the sand at the wrong places, while we push people away, erase any hope they have, send them running. The scary thing is - we do this with smiles on our faces while breaking our arm as we pat our own back. OH GOD, I want to be IN the world. I want to LOVE the world. I want to know what it means to live for others, loving those around me... when it's hard, when this world says it's impossible. When the pointing fingers of the church throw water on a fire almost started as they hold me back because of things unknown, preconceived ideas, or just their fear. I want to love the person in front of me, not because they are like me, but because HE loves them. Freedom for the one you judge is not about you. FREEDOM IS NOT FOR SALE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER!!!! Freedom is free. It is for freedom that He set us free. That's it...like it or not. I want to love bigger, love for freedoms sake. Not because I am better, smarter, and not even because I love God, but because You, our perfect Daddy did that...for all. For everyone. For everyone. I want to know in my gut that your grace is either for the murderers, the haters, the terrorist, the bigots, the deadbeat dads, the drunken mothers, and the cheaters just as much as it is for the religious, the churched, and the middle class with morals. Either His grace is that big, or it isn't.

boom boom boom YOU'RE even brighter than the moon moon moon

When it's truth, it's truth. No matter who sings it! My family knows that I'm not a big fan of Katy Perry, but I love this song! I love the message that it shouts! I love the fact that these words of hope, empowerment, and second chances didn't originate with her or any of us for that matter. Yet, these words of hope, empowerment, second chances, dreaming big, and starting fresh came from our Father who lives IN us and who loves us. So YES, today I am laughing at myself by doing what will make some people roll their beautiful little eyes at me: I am taking a Katy Perry song and making it a message from God to us. Well, because the words and the truth that rings out in this song, about you and about me, is a message from God and originates from God! Read Below.

In the same way, let your light SHINE before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matt 5:16

You are the LIGHT of the world. A CITY ON A HILL cannot be hidden. Matt 5:14

...in which you SHINE like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. Phil 2:15

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness SHINE like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday SUN. Psalm 37:5

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face SHINE upon us. Psalm 67:1

Arise, SHINE. Isaiah 60:1

The LIGHT of the righteous SHINES BRIGHTLY. Prov 13:9

No one LIGHTS a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. Luke 8:16

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Cor 4:7&16

Hope you enjoy the song like Gabby, Isabelle, and I do. Now, if you will excuse me, my girls and I have a bed to dance on, a volume button to turn up, and a hairbrush to use as a microphone. "BOOM BOOM BOOM EVEN BRIGHTER THAN THE MOON MOON MOON!"