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Praise Thursday: Turn My Eyes

Today we got to do one of my favorite things ever in life, which is dissect a song!
We focused on the song ‘Turn My Eyes” from Bonray.

Lets take a little look at the first verse…

Every day I wake up and I meet the same old fight
Between a world of chaos and that quiet voice inside
And my phone keeps telling me there’s a million ways to find
Where my hope is, but it’s a lie

  • The world is going to lead us on a wild goose chase for hope. We can open every door, look down every alley, climb every mountain looking for hope in somewhere that’s not Jesus, and we’ll never be able to find it eternally.
  • 1st Peter 1:3
    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

The chorus goes like this…

I know who to run to
Every time the rain comes pouring down
I know who to turn to, yeah
I know where to find that solid ground

  • Where are you running when the rain comes pouring down? Who are you turning to when you’re in search of solid ground?
  • Psalm 46:1-3
    “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
  • Psalm 91:2
    “I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
  • That word refuge comes up a lot…
    Refuge – noun
    A condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

The second verse is probably my favorite part. Here’s the first two lines…

There’s a voice that’s calling me, way out on a distant shore
It says if I just take a step, I’ll find what I’m asking for

  • This is what ‘Fix Our Eyes’ is about.
  • Philippians 4:19-20
    “And my God will fully supply your every need according to his glorious riches in the Messiah Jesus. Glory belongs to our God and Father forever and ever! Amen.”
  • We’re going to talk about Peter walking on water here soon cause that’s important.

The second part of the second verse is…

And this world keeps telling me, that I’ll sink beneath the waves
You’re my courage and You’re my faith.

  • Matthew 14:27-31

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

  • Peter sank because he took His eyes off of Jesus.
  • That first phrase that Jesus utters. UGH yes.
  • When the wind starts to kick up, are you looking in Jesus’s eyes? Or are you looking around at the things of this world for shelter?

The bridge! Ugh the bridge. Here it is…

Oh, all the things of earth start fading away
In the light of His glory and grace
I’ll lift my head up high and look to the One
Who’s with me every step of the way
I turn my eyes

  • Psalm 121:1-2
    “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
    My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.”
  • Nothing on the face of this earth will ever compare to the love, glory, and grace of Christ Jesus. Nothing. Things are temporary. People are people. When it comes to the valley of the shadow of death, Christ is walking with you. Right by your side. All the hills and valleys in life, right there. Right by your side.

This point, that God is always there, ties right into another devotion I read last year, and is still relevant today. It’s about how God and His goodness is not dependent on our goodness, who we are, or what we’re doing.

“Yes, it is true, God will remain faithful even when you’re not, because His faithfulness rests on who He is. Not on what you’re doing.”

Second Timothy 2:13  “if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

Think about this: The one who created and controls the world, the One who is the ultimate definition of what is loving, true, and good, and the one who alone has the power to fully defeat sin has chosen, because of His grace, to wrap His arms of faithful love and protection around you, and He will not let you go.

You can take your life off your shoulders because God has placed it on His. Security isn’t found in your faithfulness, but in His. He can be trusted even when you cannot. He will be faithful and good even when you are not. He’s going to do what is right and best even when you don’t, and He is faithful to forgive you when convicting grace reveals how unfaithful you’ve been.

God’s grace is calling you to invest in the one thing that will never come up short, and that one thing is the faithfulness of your Lord.

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly and Hannah

 

 

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Fun facts about Valentine’s Day

  • About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That’s the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.
  • Women purchase 85% of all valentines.
  • In order of popularity, Valentine’s Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
  • Parents receive 1 out of every 5 valentines.
  • About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.
  • Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers.
  • Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day each year.
  • California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine’s Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America. Approximately 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.
  • 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
  • Men buy most of the millions of boxes of candy and bouquets of flowers given on Valentine’s Day.
  • In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
  • The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.
  • Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.
  • Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an “Improvement in Telegraphy”, on Valentine’s Day, 1876.
  • Amongst the earliest Valentine’s Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.c

AS PROMISED, here are the “clean” Winter Olympics-themed Valentine’s love lines you can try out on your significant other (my daughter would call these ‘Dad’ jokes):

  • Are you an ice skater? You’ve got a great figure.
  • I’m no curler, but I think I could sweep you off your feet!
  • Hey, are you a skiing event, ‘cause I would travel cross-country for you!
  • My gold medal might be shiny, but it looks like a dull penny compared to that sparkle in your eyes.
  • Your legs must be tired because you’ve been speed skating through my mind all night.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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NZ Top 10 2/9

Here’s the countdown!

10. The Gospel – Ryan Stevenson
9. Point to You – We Are Messengers
8. Word of Life – Jeremy Camp
7. O Come to the Altar
6. Different – Micah Tyler
5. Old Church Choir – Zach Williams
4. Your Love Defends Me – Matt Maher
3. Broken Things – Matthew West
2. O’Lord – Lauren Daigle
WE HAVE A NEW #1! THAT’S RIGHT!
1. Control -Tenth Avenue North

Be sure to check out the new music from ‘Joy‘ from Tori Harper!

Our NZ Top 10 Back to Back Artist Spotlight this week fell on the husband and wife duo of Chris Radamaker and Jodi King! (Otherwise known as ‘Love and the Outcome’).

Check out their songs ‘The God I Know‘ and ‘If I don’t have You‘

We also were transported back to the year 2006 for the NZ Top 10 Rewinds!
Check out the songs ‘Our God Reins‘ from Brandon Heath, and ‘ForeverandEverEtc.’ from David Crowder Band! ]

Have a great weekend and thanks for listening!

-Lilly

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Fix My Eyes Praise Thursday!

Today Lilly and I started our new topic – lifeline 2018 – Fix Our Eyes! Over the next couple of weeks leading up to Lifeline, we will be diving into topics, songs and bible verses that revolve around our 2018 Lifeline theme!

Today we focused on the theme “What do you love”, along with the song “Strangely Dim” by Francesca Battistelli!

Lilly talked about how “Strangely Dim”  reminded her of the story of the disciple Peter walking on water and how he had to fix his eyes on Jesus. Click here to read that story.

What do you love?

Actively – take out a pen and a piece of paper and write down that top ten things that you love, in order. (This could be anything, from your family and friends to your cat or car)

We have all set goals that we want to do better with our relationship with God, but here is the deal – Look at your list of things you love – what is number one? Family or friends, school, or maybe even something you know is a sin. I hope that you put Jesus. Because, honestly, sometimes I don’t think to put that first. It’s our human nature – we tend to think about the things that we see and experience on a daily – tangible things that we can touch and feel. We all have those days or even longer periods of time like 3 months or a year – where we don’t have Jesus as our number one true love. But as Christ-followers, this should be THE BIGGEST thing in our life – loving the Lord. The bible says….

Mark 12:28-31- “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important? “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

I will be the first to admit that I need to get better at this. I know for me that sometimes I get so caught up in the fact that God loves me so much that I forget that I should be loving God just as much. (Kind of not possible – Gods love is perfect- ours can’t)

HOW do we get better?

I got a lot of inspiration for this from this awesome blog.

Love with All Your Heart

Prayer – Loving God with all your heart means reserving the best of your affection for him. Start by sharing joys with him. Run to him first with your big news at work. Sing to him at the top of your lungs on a great day. Fill him in on your private hopes. Tell him how much you appreciate him. Boost him up to others.

Love with All Your Soul

Loving God with all your soul means dedicating your life to him. Begin by asking him, “How do you want me to spend my time, energy, money, and talents? What can I do with my resources to honor you?”

Find out what God values and stay true to those things. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”4 When you invite God into all areas of your life, he will show you how to live in a way that pleases him.

In every area of your life, look for ways to show your commitment to him

Now here is where your other list comes into hand – are your top priory’s this year about God? For God? Aligned with his will for your life?

John 14:15- “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Love with All Your Mind

Loving God with all your mind means backing up your passion with knowledge.

Begin by asking questions. Don’t be afraid to challenge him and wrestle with his commands and your beliefs. When I’ve asked tough questions, I’ve found that God welcomes genuine curiosity and dialogue. In fact, he hopes for it.

Then seek his answers. – The Bible, prayer, parents, pastors, other leaders, teachers

Each day, wonder about God.

Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Love with All Your Strength

Loving God with all your strength means persevering for him each day. To what lengths will you go for the one you love? It means you must muster your resources to protect your relationship with God every single day. It means you’re willing to change and sacrifice things to have him. It means being honest, and sometimes it means doing the unpopular thing. It means listening to the truth and holding yourself accountable.

Each day, be willing to fight for your relationship with God

Nehemiah 8:10 –Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

 

Thanks for listening! – Hannah

 

 

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Who Knew? Handwriting still matters!

Today we’re exploring the value of thank you’s…and the EXTREME value of the handwritten card or note.

In our digital age, the time and effort of a handwritten note is STILL valued.  Why?

John Coleman’s article in the Harvard Business Review from 2013 still resonates.  Read the full article here. He shares that:

  • Handwritten notes mean more because they cost more, as handwritten notes convey a deeper investment in your gratitude.
  • Handwritten notes have permanence and have nostalgic value!

This 2017 Nancy Olsen article in Forbes also gives 5 great reasons to hand write your card.  She says:

  • Sometimes it seems that manners are teetering on the edge of extinction, so it’s the right thing to do!
  • It sets you apart
  • Gratitude is good for the brain – we are wired to best express ourselves without electronic communication

    We did a handwriting trivia question today!
    “When writing on an unlined sheet of paper, what instrument can you use to ensure a straight edge and lines?”
    The answer? A T-Square!

    Congrats to Jennie from Howard who guessed correctly!

Thanks for listening!
– Joe and Lilly

 

 

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Game Time Tuesday

Today Joe and I mixed it up (or threw it back) on Game Time Tuesday! We played “Song Poetry” like we normally do, but then we played “Spelling EEB” !!

Today’s “Song Poetry” lyrics were:

Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last?

From the song “Redeemed ” by Big Daddy Weave. Congrats to Maude from Mount Vernon who called in and got it right.

AND we brought back SPELLING EEB!! Today’s topic was Radio!

LJ from Mount Vernon called in a spelled the word “frequency” backwards – on the first try!! Congrats to him on winning that $5 gift card to Troyer’s of Apple Valley!

Joe shared with us a great uplifting story about Super Bowl winning quarterback Nick Foles – Read more HERE

I also shared a inspiring devotional from Sarah Young’s “Jesus Always” – To find out more about Sarah and what she does click HERE.

Thanks so much for listening!
– Hannah

 

 

 

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Stamp of Approval!

Mystery Monday

Today Malisa hid a stamp in the Mystery Box – it took several clues, several calls and finally, Jen from Mount Vernon solved the mystery!  She wins the $5 gift certificate to Troyer’s of Apple Valley.

Thanks to everyone who bought tickets to the WNZR Valentine’s Banquet – we’re looking forward to a great time Friday.

Thanks for listening!
– Joe

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NZ Top 10 2/2

Here’s the countdown!

10. Point to You – We Are Messengers
9.The Gospel – Ryan Stevenson
8. Word of Life – Jeremy Camp
7. Different – Micah Tyler
6. O Come to the Altar – Elevation Worship
5. Your Love Defends Me – Matt Maher
4. Broken Things – Matthew West
3. Old Church Choir – Zach Williams
2. Control – Tenth Avenue North
1. O’Lord – Lauren Daigle

Our NZ Top 10 Back to Back artist was Chris Tomlin!
Check out his songs ‘At the Cross‘ and ‘Home‘!

Our New Music Friday brought us BRAND NEW music from Hillsong!
Check it out. It’s called “So Will I (100 Billion x)”

Thanks for listening!
-Lilly

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Battle Plan: The Gospel.

This week, we’re putting a wrap on the Battle Plan for Prayer!
We’re finishing up with the most important part of the plan… The Gospel.

God created us to please and honor Him. But because of our pride and selfishness, every one of us has fallen short of our purpose and dishonored God at different times in our lives. We have sinned against Him, failing to bring Him the honor and glory He deserves from each of us.

So, if any of us claims to be a good person, we need to be honest with ourselves: have we ever dishonored God by lying, cheating, lusting, stealing, rebelling against authority, or hating others? Not only do these cause consequences in this life, but they disqualify us from being right before God and living with Him in heaven for eternity.
God is holy, so He must reject all that is sinful. And because He is perfect, He cannot allow us to sin against Him and go unpunished, or else He would not be a just judge. The bible says our sins separate us from God and that the wages of sin is death. This death is not only physical, but also spiritual, resulting in separation from God for eternity.

What most people don’t realize is that our occasional good deeds do not take away from our sins, or somehow cleanse us in Gods eyes. If they could, then we could earn our way into heaven and negate the justice of God against sin. This is not only impossible, but it denies God the honor He deserves.

The good news is that God is not only just, but He is also loving and merciful. He has provided a better way for us to have forgiveness and come to know Him.
Out of His love and kindness for us, the Bible says He sent His only son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place and shed His blood to pay the price for our sins. This provided a pure sacrifice and a just payment to God for our sins and allowed Jesus to receive the judgement we are due. Jesus’ death satisfied the justice of God while also providing a perfect demonstration of the mercy and love of God. Three days after Jesus’ death, God raised Him to life as our living redeemer to prove that He is the Son of God.

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
These are two of the most encouraging bible verses to me as a Christian.

While we were still sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.
WOW.

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been given the opportunity of being forgiven and then finding peace with God. It may not seem right that salvation is a free gift. But the scriptures teach that God wanted to reveal the richness of His grace and kindness toward us by offering us salvation for FREE.
He is now commanding all people to repent and turn away from their sinful ways and humbly trust Jesus for their salvation. By surrendering your life to His Lordship and control, you can have forgiveness and freely receive everlasting life.

Millions of people around the world have found peace with God through surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ. But each of us must choose for ourselves.
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s from Romans 10:9.

Is there anything stopping you from surrendering your life to Jesus right now?
Be honest with yourself.
If you understand your need to be forgiven and are ready to begin a relationship with God, we encourage you to pray now and trust your life to Jesus Christ. Be honest with yourself about your mistakes. Be honest with God about your mistakes. Be honest with Him about your need for forgiveness. Resolve to turn away from your sin and to place your trust in Him and in WHAT HE DID ON THE CROSS. Then open your heart and invite Him into your life to fill you, change your heart, and take control.
If you are not sure how to communicate this to Him, use this prayer as a guide…

“Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against You and deserve the judgement of God. I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sins. I choose now to turn away from my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. Jesus I’m making You the Lord and the Boss of my life. Change me and help me now to live the rest of my life for you. Thank you for giving me a home in Heaven with You when I die. Amen.”

If you just prayed sincerely, and gave your life to Jesus, we congratulate you and encourage you to tell others about your decision. If you really meant it, there are some important steps to take now in this spiritual journey.
1. Find a bible-teaching church. Tell them you want to obey Christ’s command to be baptized. This is a great mile marker that allows you to publicly identify with Jesus, share your faith with others, and launch your new spiritual walk.
2. Find a bible you can understand. Read for a few minutes each day. Start in the book of John and ask God to teach you how to love Him and walk with Him.
3. Take advantage of the opportunities that you’re given to share your faith with others.

God has truly made a way for all of us to experience assurance and settledness in Him. Of all the things we do not know or cannot predict about life, we can know for certain that He is with us now, and that our souls are safe with Him forever.
God bless you as you live out and discover the truth of His promises.

Thanks for listening.
– Lilly and Hannah

 

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