Delight

Oh Father I am thankful for your ability to provide joy while I embrace your holy noise

See.. my heart is open wide... enough to sense you through my sickness

to experience your gifts through my weakness and realize it's realness 

It's realness that grows us... it is our born nature

yes we stray due to misunderstood behavior 

Uhh... huh we get distracted 

but let's slow it down a bit 

let's go back to basics 

take out a mirror

tell me what you see 

without your style, haircut, or jewelry 

do you see you are a child

of the most high king? 

Forget the hype 

He likes the raw kind 

kids that are straight up walking truth 

that bleed love 

and they listen good 

their talents are outstanding 

but the only reason they are standing 

is because the hand of God surrounds them

Find union in the divided 

don't give up on trying 

detoxify your mind 

and release positive thoughts, kind

See we are who we are because God is who He is

so let us see each other be honest and live 

yeah, it's a journey... for me it's letting go 

it's using worship as my fuel 

I want to be raw... to the core of my being 

reaching a peak where God and I can be 

I will work in Him and He will work in me 

we will be a team and proceed on our journey 

I will get there... I want to 

God I'm thankful for all that you are... 

Cleanse my heart 

Lead me to your kingdom

You are my Delight.

-Amen

This week has been a rough week... mostly because I've been a bit sick. When your half a person... it's hard to act like you have full life. Anyhow, today was a great day.  There are times in my life when I really feel God delighting in my joy. He does certain things that may be small... but are huge in my mind.  Today, he brought one of my favorite female Christian Artists to Moorpark (30 mins from me!). Bethany Dillon released her first album at age 16. God has touched me through Bethany's music in some interesting ways. Allow me to explain:

1) I first saw her open for Matthew West, also a Christian Artist,  in San Antonio 5 years ago. The concert was sold out, packed, and they locked the doors. I asked to get in to use the restroom... I did... and all of a sudden this really young usher says to me, "Are you looking for a seat?... Follow me". He brought me right to the front and BAM! there I was!! Bethany was playing and I was thinking "who is this girl?... Her voice is incredible!! Her lyrics deep and full of faith." I became a fan instantly. I'd pray her music on the way to school and started incorporating tracks into our youth retreats. Bethany lyrics touched a lot of people....

2) Flash foward 2 years. I'm a sophomore in college at Chaminade University in Hawaii.  My roommate and I had devised this plan to run around the island in 6 days to raise money for impoverished children and spread awareness for physical fitness. It was a couple days before we were scheduled to begin our run and everything seemed to be going wrong. I was in desperate need of a sign to keep going. I remember sitting in my friends car praying "God do you really want us to do this?".  I had just purchased Bethany's 2nd CD Imagination and it was playing in the background as I prayed. Then these lyrics jumped out at me and I had to replay the song.... they said 

When there's nothing to believe in, I belive in you

Forget the past and let my hand in yours be the proof
Though the strong could be my company, you're the one I choose
So remember, I believe in you

I immediately knew that God believed in me and that's what mattered. I could doubt myself all I wanted... but God believed in me! We completed the run, but it was that song that gave me confirmation!

3) I use Pandora (www.pandora.com) it's a website where you can create your own radio station based on a song or artist you like. I was listening to my Bethany Dillon station... good stuff as usual... I thought to myself "I wonder what Bethany is up to?" I pulled up her home page and BAM! I found out she was performing in California this Friday!  What are the chances... she could be anywhere in the world and she was 30 mins from where I live!  Even though that my not seem like the most exciting story I knew God wanted to delight in my joy of praising Him at Bethany's Concert. 

She had a lot of great things to say and please continue to pray for her and her ministry. The pic above is me and Bethany... I told her to strike her rapper pose... not bad.