Sunny&80The Arms in the Air (#jammed daily devo, day 319)
Posted on November 15, 2018
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 319: Thankful for hands-up.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath! Psalm 104:33
The weight of God pressed into my stomach, onto my shoulders, and consumed my
whole head and heart. I’d never felt the presence of God like that, and didn’t want it to end. In a sea full of 10,000 other people, my ears ringing with praise and my arms in the air, God spoke into my heart …
“Straighten up.” “Straighten up!” “STRAIGHTEN UP!!!”
Since then, I’ve been praying into what in the world that means, and watching in awe as He peels back His answer one layer at a time.
When we come together seeking His presence, He is there, and it’s a phenomenal feeling. I remember wanting to bottle it up before I went back out into the world where we are few and set a part. For a moment, a piece of home rained down on my head and seeped in to fill my heart.
“Straighten up….”
Up my arm went, determined to feel the same presence …needing to feel that same presence …the following Sunday in church. One of a few instead of lost in a sea of arms, mine trembled! The fear of people thinking I was out of my right mind caused my voice to tremble out of tune and away from the harmony. But He met me there, with that same heavy feeling of stability. He held me stable.
He holds me up.
Straighten up to meet Him in worship, and feel His strength surge through like a storm. Standing us up, dragging us through, cheering us on …He is there.
Father, Praise You for worship, and thank You for meeting us there and holding us up. Help me to be brave and seek You always in worship …with arms up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Arming up,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Loud Little Voices (#jammed daily devo, day 318)
Posted on November 14, 2018
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 318: Thankful for singing kids.
Watching kids worship is soul filling. As our little worship team takes the stage each
month, their elementary smiles looking back at me as we try to remember all the movements we put to the words. It fills my heart to the brim.
“That was awesome!!!” I called out, and caught my breath between songs.
It’s God’s extravagant blessing on my life that two of those sweet smiles are that of my daughters. They look up at me for assurance, not knowing how much I look back at them for the hope.
Children teach us, if we’re humble enough to look and listen. Adult life is busy and rushed, but childhood is wide open. Even for the kids that have suffered so much injustice and heartache in their little lives, they possess a resilient, God-given innocence that shines through so to meet us when we invest our time in their lives.
God places us to make a difference, but also to absorb a lesson. Where children are, there is always much to learn. Especially when it comes to worship. They aren’t embarrassed to jump up and down and try silly dance moves. They yell and sing and praise God and thank Jesus.
We all need to be in the presence of God … to sing loud …jump up and down …and have faith like a child.
Father, Praise You for our children’s worship team! Thank You for placing me in the presence of kids that help me learn more about who I am in You. Help me to honor You always through my ministry to them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Learning,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Stamps (#jammed daily devo, day 229)
Posted on August 17, 2018
August #jammed: Reflecting on Grace.
Day 229: Encourage one at a time.
“Blessing and honor to the Most High God,
who has clearly delivered your enemies into your hands!” Genesis 14:20 (VOICE)
In grade school, my friends and I passed notes. We made up coded nick-names for each other and folded them in crazy ways. Shoe boxes full took up a shelf in my closet, and as we grew up we rolled in laughter at the things we wrote. Too busy to fold paper in high school, we resorted to passing an entire notebook.
Even though social media allows us to stay in touch with people we would otherwise loose track of, I love to send snail mail to let people know I care, I’m praying, or share a laugh over a memory. Whether down the street or across the country, the nudge to send a note is my favorite.
Today’s verse is about giving God the credit for the good things in our lives. Abram had a lot to thank and praise God for. And, so do we. Snail mail is my way to encourage others by passing on the hope, love, and kindness that Jesus has given me.
The second half of today’s verse is as follows:
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Genesis 14:20b
It’s not only important to give of our selves and our time as we are called to minister to others, but also to give financially. It’s a subject not many like to talk about, unless we know a little more about how our Savior works. Lift it up to Him, and ask Him to show you what to do and how to get there. Hearts are changed instantly, but faith grows over time.
We are to go outside the walls of our homes and churches and tell of what He has done. When we know Jesus, it’s a no-brainer.
What do You need from me, God? I’m ready to give, and ready to go.
Father, Praise You for providing for us in a way that we cannot process. Thank You for giving us guidelines on how to give …to help protect us from our own pride and accomplishment. Forgive us for being stingy with what needs to be given to Your mission, and help us to understand what praising …honoring …thanking …and giving …in Your Name …on account of our lives …looks like. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Going,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The New Song (#jammed daily devo, day 76)
Posted on March 17, 2018
March #jammed: Grace Revealed.
Day 76: Sing it LOUD.
“ But he gives us more grace.” James 4:6a
“GRACE comes like a wave …crashing over me! GRACE comes like a wave …crashing over, and over, and over ….” (Grace Like a Wave, Elevation Church Kids)
The lump in my throat wouldn’t surface until the weekend had faded into the next row of calendar squares. The notes were shaken with swelling joy as we jumped up and down singing about grace. Beside me, were two smiling, jumping faces that I had once held in my arms as tiny dependent babes.
“God’s goodness is a major headline in the Bible.” Max Lucado, Before Amen.
How great is our God, that my prayer that they may know Him be answered beyond my imagination. If life is nothing but harder after that moment, it will all be OK. It’s in there. He’s in there. They know Him, and I can feel Christ’s chase on their lives, with or without my presence.
Let’s look at the rest of today’s verse: “That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.'”
A perfectly aimed stage-light blocked out most of the crowd as we sang and danced. Leading a youth worship team was my daughter’s idea. I refuse to take credit for my inability to say ‘no’ to something that makes her heart skip a beat with excitement. When it came time to pray about the next step, I wanted to say ‘no.’ Our life was busy enough. There couldn’t possibly be a way. But I knew, from the prompting in my heart in prayer, there was. I just had to believe before I could see.
“Jesus You have done it all for me …Jesus You have done it all for me….GRACE!!!” they sang and shouted.
Humility is magical when we hand it over to God. He can do great things through humble servants. When we step our of our comfort zone, we land in His. And He can stretch minutes and fly with messages, if we’ll only be obedient to say, ‘OK.’
Father, Praise You for praise! And thank You for youth worship programs, and all of the lives that You foster and touch through the obedient people that say ‘OK’ to pack one more thing into their lives. Forgive us for resisting, for that ‘one more thing’ often becomes the favorite thing we ever have privilege to be a part of. Bless our lives to understand that it’s so much bigger than we can imagine. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Praising,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
The Arms in the Air (#jammed daily devo, day 319)
Posted on November 15, 2017
November #jammed: Gracious.
Day 319: Thankful for hands-up.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath! Psalm 104:33
The weight of God pressed into my stomach, onto my shoulders, and consumed my
whole head and heart. I’d never felt the presence of God like that, and didn’t want it to end. In a sea full of 10,000 other people, my ears ringing with praise and my arms in the air, God spoke into my heart …
“Straighten up.” “Straighten up!” “STRAIGHTEN UP!!!”
Since then, I’ve been praying into what in the world that means, and watching in awe as He peels back His answer one layer at a time.
When we come together seeking His presence, He is there, and it’s a phenomenal feeling. I remember wanting to bottle it up before I went back out into the world where we are few and set a part. For a moment, a piece of home rained down on my head and seeped in to fill my heart.
“Straighten up….”
Up my arm went, determined to feel the same presence …needing to feel that same presence …the following Sunday in church. One of a few instead of lost in a sea of arms, mine trembled! The fear of people thinking I was out of my right mind caused my voice to tremble out of tune and away from the harmony. But He met me there, with that same heavy feeling of stability. He held me stable.
He holds me up.
Straighten up to meet Him in worship, and feel His strength surge through like a storm. Standing us up, dragging us through, cheering us on …He is there.
Father, Praise You for worship, and thank You for meeting us there and holding us up. Help me to be brave and seek You always in worship …with arms up. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace!
#greatgrace17
Happy Arming up,
Megs
Get the #jammed Daily Devo sent straight to your inbox each morning, by subscribing to Sunny&80.
Sunny & 80 …by Meg!
Friends with Everyone Tween Study
The Friend Book, available on Amazon.
Contributing Writer at …
Sunny&80 