Humility...

Oh the ache within me to go low!

Yet what  joy that awaits on the other side!

Oh the peace within my soul when it is done.

Oh the love He gives me when I come.

So I must go low.

Oh the ache within me to go low!

Yet what life that awaits on the other side!
Oh the communion with the King of all Kings.

Oh the encounter with One who fulfills my dreams.

So I must go low.

Oh Lord, how I long to be like You.

I long to see as You do.

I long to be satisfied,

And to drink from a well that won't run dry.

So I must go low.

The New Wine...

It's a new day, it's a new wine.

It's a new day, it's a new wine.

It's a new day, it's a new wine.

For Your mercies are new every morning.

In Your faithfulness, You make all things new.

So I'm drinking.

I'm drinking, drinking deeper still.

Drinking, drinking, deeper still.

'Cause I know there's more.

I know there's more.

Simplicity

All I want to do is sing You a song.

All I want to do is give You my heart.

All I want to do is rest in Your arms.

Oh there's no greater place.

There's no better plan.

So I'll stay right here.
I'll choose to wait upon You.
I will wait until You come.

A Beautiful Generation...

What a beautiful generation,

A beautiful nation.

I see a beautiful generation,

A beautiful nation.

They're overwhelmed with love for You.

They're overwhelmed with love.

They're overwhelmed with love for You.

They're overwhelmed with love.

Deeper I Come...

You bid me to come.

You bid me to run.

To the deeper waters.

Deeper than I've ever gone before.

You bid me to take a step and take a drink.

You bid me to come.

You bid me to run,

To these deeper waters.

Deeper waters which satisfy.

You bid me to take a step and take a drink.

As I come,

As I come,

As I come,

I see that the shallow waters I once tasted are not enough for me.

I must go deeper.

I must go deeper still.

For only in Your waters will this thirst be quenched.

For only in Your waters will Your joy be released.

You bid me to come.
You bid me to run.

So I take a chance to see what I was created to be.
For I know there's more than I have ever dreamed.

Provoked By One Life of Sacrifice...

All it takes is one life to turn things around.  All it takes is one person to be burning on fire with passion to change a nation. Jesus Christ was one Man who had a burning desire for a people to be one with Him and one with His Father.  He turned it all around.  He invested in 12 men and they changed the world. 

It wasn't 150 men, nor was it 50, just 12 men.  All it takes for something to change is a voice. One voice to say no to injustice, no to sexual immorality, yes to purity, yes to holiness, and yes to His ways.

Today, I had the honor of watching a dear friend's Memorial Service and I had the honor of getting a true glimpse into his life day to day. Though he was an imperfect man, he truly lived a life of sacrifice.

He learned how to receive the love of His true Father and he learned how to give it away.  Not only give it away to those closest to him, but to the hurting, to the needy, to the broken children of the world.  He learned how to be a defender of the voiceless just like Jesus is our Defender in front of the accuser of the brethren. 

He learned how to take the compassion he felt for those in need and do something about it.  He learned how to stand in the gap to ask the Lord to stop the wrong. He learned how to take the promises of God and speak them forth over a dying generation. He discovered who he was and that he had a whole lot of love to give.

Derek Loux lived out Malachi 4:6: "He will turn the hearts of the father to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers."  He was a testimony of a father bringing restoration to the children that they might know what true love is as a true son and daughter.

In the few moments I had with him I learned that he was not only a talented musician, singer, and songwriter, but he had a deep compassion for the ones who had no voice and knew not of the Father's love.  "Anyone can do this. Anyone can answer the call."  Derek said.

He was just a man with a wife and children and not much money, but a huge dream in his heart.  In a short time, the Lord answered his cry. In a short time, the Lord provided an abundance of finances and supernatural wisdom on how to carry this out and his vision was birthed. 

Now Derek is gone from this earth and his voice is with his Maker.  I'm sure he sounds so beautiful singing to Jesus forever in His Presence.  He is in the presence of full joy where there is no more sorrow and no more tears. 

Yet, his legacy continues and it resounds a sound to those who remain here with words asking the questions: "Will you answer the call? Will you respond to these injustices?"  Lou Engle said it best today when he asked, "Who will now step into those shoes? Who is willing?"  As Derek provoked everyone he met with the thoughts of the orphans, he continues to impact our lives profoundly. 

Therefore, this vision will continue on, I believe, because the Church is beginning to awaken with a hunger for more than this life has to offer.  She is no longer satisfied with the status quo of mediocre Christianity.  She longs for Jesus and for Him to make the wrong things right.  She longs to know the things of His heart and to come into agreement with Him. 

Will you answer the call?  Will you respond? Will you be the one to provoke change?  Are you willing to rescue one child at a time?  Jesus, I say yes to your call and all that You would have for me to do. I say yes.  I say, come and have Your way. Come and make the wrong things right.  Return oh Lord as we hasten the day of your coming!

Thank you Derek for leading the way that we could come behind you. God be with the Loux family as they grieve this deep loss.

If you would like to give to the Loux family and continue seeing their vision to rescue more children stay alive, you can give at this link:  http://www.josiahfund.org/

This Is How You Love...

There's no sense of judgement in Your eyes.

No sense of condemnation in Your voice.

No wagging, shaking finger in my face.

No look of disappointment or disgrace.

You rejoice, You rejoice over me.

You speak life and life abundantly.

You sing and You dance and celebrate my days.

And you say that I'm Your dream and Your desire.

Oh I am starting to believe it.

Oh I am starting to feel it.

I think this could be the beginning of something good.

I think I'm starting to see, that this is how You love.

Oh Israel, How He Longs For You...

Cry out oh Israel.

Cry out because He hears.

For your Redeemer comes from Calvary.

Your Salvation draws near speedily.

You are not forgotten,

Nor are you shamed.

Though you have hardened your heart,

He is not dismayed.

For as the rain clouds glide through the skies,

A glimpse of hope will quickly fill your eyes.

For your Deliverer has come.

He has set your captives free.

You were paid with a price,

So that your sin will no longer be.

Lift up your eyes as He roars through the skies,

With joy in His heart for His redeemed.

As the day He's been longing for finally arrives,

Your joy will be made complete.

The Lion of Judah

I see a King in all His Glory

And He dwells in Magnificence.

I see a Man Who reigns forever

And He dwells in Holiness.

They call Him the Son.

They call Him the Lamb.

They call Him Emmanuel.

They call Him the One.

And The Great I Am.

They call Him the Lion of Judah.

He is roaring.

He is roaring.

He is roaring.

For the nations.

He is roaring.

He is roaring.
He is roaring

For His people.

For a people who will call Him their own.

He was slain as a Lamb,
But He's returning as a Lion.
He shall return as the Lion of Judah.

Christmas in Bama, December 2009

So we surprised my mom with a photo shoot! Every year, she always talks about how nice it would be to have a nice photo of all of her children and granchildren. With the exception of my nephew Austin who was out of town, we all got together. It was an absolute miracle!

We even made it to our destination at the same time all in different cars!  What an event it was.  However, I think Mom was happy. Here are just a few pictures of our family. Hope you are well. Blessings and Merry Christmas everyone!

Oh If I Could Dream...

What would happen if I could dream? What would happen if all that is in my heart began to come forth? What would happen if I could have the courage to chase after them with all of my heart? I recently wrote about an inspiration to dream and how the dreams in my heart were beginning to awaken again.

A mentor of mine, a few months ago, asked me the questions, "Mary Kat, what is it in your heart to do? What are the dreams of your heart?" I could not answer those questions because I had forgotten. Through disappointment and disillusionment, the biggest dreams in my heart had been quenched. They had been crushed so much that I could not even remember them anymore, until the Lord began to awaken them again.

I heard a lot of words of wisdom this weekend at one of our conferences called Eleven. We had some amazing speakers visit The Harbour Church and impart an abundance of wisdom. One of the services that stood out to me the most was our powerful Saturday night service.

Wow! Banning Liebscher from Bethel Church in Redding, California talked about God releasing the dreamers again and raising up the ministry of encouragement at the same time! It was so impacting to me and my life. It was also yet another confirmation that becoming a dreamer is critical in the hour which we live.

Our dreams coincide with the dreams of God's heart. When our dreams are fulfilled, God's dreams are being fulfilled as well. There is an amazing parallel! Obviously, I am describing a heart that is seeking the Lord and delighting in His Presence.

I am also talking about the dreams of a believer in Jesus Christ. When we are a new creation in Christ, we have the ability to dream good dreams and think good thoughts! We have a new heart! Therefore, a Godly desire in our heart that is fulfilled becomes a tree of life as it says in Proverbs 13:12. When our desires are fulfilled, they fulfill the heart of our Father.

For years, I have felt so much condemnation in that place of dreaming. Many people who were the "voices" in my life had spoken words of "realistic thinking." Many even claimed to be "realists." I heard some things this weekend that set me free from my old ways of thinking. "God doesn't live in reality" and "You are free to get your hopes up."

These very words were completely opposite from everything I have ever known. The American culture is used to carrying this phrase, "Don't get your hopes up." Yet, this is a lie! The truth is that Jesus Christ is the HOPE of what? He is the HOPE OF GLORY! Therefore, we need to get our hopes up as high as they can go! God is for us!

Could the Christian life truly be this exciting? Could it truly be this fun? Another quote I heard was, "If your dream is not impossible, perhaps it's not God." All things are possible with God. How far are we dreaming with Him? Are my dreams only going as far as I can make them go in my own strength? If so, am I dreaming with God?

I am discovering more and more that this Christian life is participatory. God gives us choices. He chose us to co-reign with Him to advance His kingdom and bring it to this earth. He chose us as the vessels to do this, but He also has given us a free will to choose. Isn't that crazy? What an honor we have to be co-reigning with Christ on this earth even now.

In Christ, we now have the ability to walk with God as Enoch and Moses did, face to face. A man named Kris Vallotton once said he had an epiphany one day with the Lord when He felt God ask him, "What kind of friend would I be if we only did the things I wanted to do?" God no longer calls us servants, but friends! We can see the Lord and walk with Him because of the blood of Jesus and His salvation for us! Therefore, we have the freedom to tell Him what we think and what is in our hearts.

From the moment of creation, God, the Ultimate Creator, created us to be like Him, one who creates. He made us creative and full of thoughts! He created us to have dreams and think like Him! I even think about Adam in the Garden. God gave him a choice to name the animals. He gave him the opportunity to "create" a character or name for each animal. I am sure there were thousands of creatures.

Can you imagine all the different types of animals and creatures in the Garden of Eden? Adam was given the opportunity to create from the moment he breathed his first breath. Why? Because somehow in this mystery, God chose us to participate with Him in bringing His Kingdom to this earth. Somehow, we move God's heart in such a way that not even the angels can comprehend. Out of all His creation, we move His heart the most!

He wants to know our thoughts even though He already knows them before we speak them out. He wants us to tell Him our thoughts and He wants us to tell Him our dreams too! The enemy's plan would be to destroy the dreams in our hearts so that God's plans cannot be fulfilled. The enemy's plan would be to wound us so much that we would not know how to hope anymore.

We know, however, that in this day, God has a plan. He is redeeming His people back to Himself. When He redeems, He restores, and He heals the heart completely. Once the heart is healed, it begins to come alive again. The child-like innocence is given back to us and we can dream without fear! We can have as much as hope as we want when we become children again in the Father's house. What an exciting time to be alive!

In closing, the most important point of all of this is, your dreams matter to God! Your dreams not only matter, but they are an integral part of God advancing His Kingdom on this earth. He has chosen us to bring His Light to the world. With this perspective, we can literally change the world. Dreaming with God can actually bring Light and life to this dark, dry, and barren land. So we say yes God to the dreams in our hearts. Let us dream as far as we can.