music monday// joy

so, there's this band, it's irish, and i loooove their art. their music is powerful and beautiful! rend collective is their name. a few months back i came across their music and i couldn't not keep listening to them. i watched and listened to their heart behind their new album- the art of celebration. the message runs deep and sparkles with Truth. i'm sharing the message + one of my fav songs by them- joy.

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so, aside the irish accent, what really stuck out to me in their message were these words...

"...life has a way of draining that child-like wonder from us through our failures or disappointments, whether it's suffering or betrayal, or even just familiarity. that's why we put up our defenses, isn't it? that's why we become numb. we pull back from life and become spectators because we're afraid of being hurt again. but the good news is, Jesus is always near than you think. He's not finished with us yet. we may doubt, we may feel like we're broken beyond repair, but He's the peace in our troubled sea. He's the healer of the broken-hearted.

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...seriousness is not a fruit of the Spirit but joy is. you see, there's an irrepressible laughter in the heart of God and the whole universe cannot contain it. He is the One who celebration, feasting and holidays. He is the One who sings and dances over us. when He suffered the cross, He did it for the joy set before Him and that joy was knowing that you and i would be fully free, no longer captive to our sin. yes, the whole human story is described in terms of celebration-the marriage of Christ, whose bride- the Church. now, happiness is not the same thing as joy. happiness is an emotion- a superficial response to pleasant circumstances, but joy is deeper, it's a spiritual discipline. 

we as people are more inclined to negativity and cynicism. we don't find it easy, or even natural to pursue joy, and that's why God in His Word actually commands us to celebrate...we must fight for our joy. how then do we remind ourselves as a wounded church family that we still have a reason to sing? how do we move from the edges and fringes of the party into the center? well, the Bible says, taste and see, that the Lord is good. [psalm 34:8] and to do that, we have to once again, open our hearts to wonder and beauty.

i'm not saying to be fake or put on a false smile, but rather to always find a reason to rejoice even if we're in the darkest circumstances...and after all, Heaven is gonna be the greatest party of all time and we need to start practicing now. so don't get caught up in your guilt and failures. you are forgiven, you are free. you're worth more than you could ever imagine. so, c'mon with a child-like heart, wide-eyed with wonder, let's rediscover the art of celebration."

"husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through the Word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." ephesians 5:25-27

"let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! for the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. fine linen, bright and clean, was given to her to wear. (fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.) then the angel said to me [john], 'write this: blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' and he added, 'these are the true words of God.' " revelations 19:7-9

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 joy~ rend collective

we're choosing celebration, breaking into freedom

You're the song, You're the song of our hearts.

we cast aside our shadows, trust You with our sorrows

You're the song, You're the song of our hearts.

we're dancing to the rhythm of Your heart

we're rising from the ashes to the stars.

You're the joy, joy, joy, lighting my soul

the joy, joy, joy, making me whole

though i'm broken, i am running into Your arms of love.

the pain will not define us, joy will reignite us

You're the song, You're the song of our hearts

c'mon my soul.

the dark is just a canvas for Your grace and brightness

You're the song, You're the song of our hearts.

we're dancing to the rhythm of Your heart

we're rising from the ashes to the stars.

You're the joy, joy, joy, lighting my soul

the joy, joy, joy, making me whole

though i'm broken, i am running into Your arms of love.

You're the joy, the song of my heart, the hope of my soul

in the shadows, in the sorrows, in the desert when the pain hits,

You are constant, ever-present, You're the song of my heart

You're the joy, joy, joy, lighting my soul

the joy, joy, joy, making me whole

though i'm broken, i am running into Your arms of love, into Your arms.

"nehemiah said' 'go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. this day is holy to our Lord. do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." nehemiah 8:10

"but let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy. spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You." psalm 5:11

"the Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. my heart leaps for joy, and with my song i praise Him." psalm 28:7

"You make known to me the path of life, You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." psalm 16:11

"...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." hebrews 12:2

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"rejoice in the Lord always. i will say it again: rejoice!" philippians 4:4

"the Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you, in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." zephaniah 3:17

"but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control..." galatians 5:22,23

when i face situations that try to steal my joy, even if it seems i don't have any reason at all to be joyful, i remember the salvation i have in Jesus and the eternal bliss that awaits me in Heaven, and hope surges, along with joy. i also remind myself of all the Lord has done in my life and begin to be thankful for them, and joy begins to bubble in my heart.

are you burdened some some trouble or situation? choose joy, darling. :)

xoxo, gen delali.

music monday// God is good

there're seasons where i need God the most and it seems He checked out on me. i believe we've all faced these kinds of seasons at some point in life. it's like dry spell all around, and the doubts come crashing in, threatening to make you question the goodness and ever-constant presence of our really good Father. 

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i love how accurate this song captures the season or moments when unbelief creeps up on us, and how we need to continue telling our souls that despite the current circumstances, despite the unimaginable, totally unforeseen details of the hurt we face, God is good! He works ALL things for our good, not just the obviously good things, but the bad, messy, ugly, painful things too.

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God is good~ dustin kensrue

even when it seems the answer's no, the promises of God all find their yes

in Christ who worked the Father's will below, that all who run to Him would find their rest.

and even when it seems He hides His face, and darkness seems to be our only friend,

we look to Christ who suffered in our place, that one day all our suffering would end.

God is good all of the time, all of the time God is good.

God is good all of the time, all of the time God is good.

and even when it seems He pays no mind, we have a guarantee of His great love,

in Christ who came and left His crown behind, that one day we would reign with Him above.

Lord, we believe but help our unbelief.

Lord, we believe, but help our hearts to sing 

that You are good all of the time, all of the time You are good

You are good all of time, all of time You are good..

Lord, You are good.

"for we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." romans 8:28

"be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." romans 12:12

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"you intended to harm me[joseph], but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." genesis 50:20

"'...everything is possible for one who believes.' immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'i do believe, help me overcome my unbelief!' " mark 9:23-24

our Father is not going to waste whatever experience or situation you face. He will use ALL for your good + His glory. whatever you are facing, Jesus overcame it on the cross, trust Him to lead you through. i pray you get to look back and laugh in awe at how God's hand was present in your life+story, in the details, working and turning the downright messy + the good into something really beautiful. He IS good. He IS near. He IS here.

much love
xoxo, gen delali.

My baptism and good tidings!

During the weekend, I took a great step of obedience publicly. I got baptised. :)

Well, I was baptised by sprinkling when i was only a baby but on Saturday, i did the real thing Jesus did when He walked this earth. Baptism by full immersion. Lemme share a lil info from my baptism class. ;)

 Inside the baptistry in my church

This is a physical act expressing a spiritual truth. Baptism is derived from the Greek word 'baptizo' which means 'I wash'. 

Baptism has four spiritual significance:

1. Christ died, and I died in Him ''Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.'' Romans 6:6,7 

2. Christ was buried and I was buried with Him ''Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.'' Romans 6:3,4  

**You don't bury by sprinkling dirt on a casket lying on the ground, you bury by putting the casket fully into the belly of the earth. That's the same way real baptism is to be done by fully being immersed in water.**

3. Christ was raised from the dead and I was raised with Him and I have a new life in Him. ''For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.'' Romans 6:5

4. Christ ascended to Heaven and I ascended into Heaven with Him. ''But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.'' Ephesians 2:4-6

So, there you have it. I hope you've learned a thing or two.

 And, have yourself a merry little  meaningful Christmas!!! Remember that it's not about the shiny lights or the trees. Jesus Christ is the reason for our joyous celebration!

 I'm oh, so thankful that my sweet Jesus came to this earth to save me from my sins. :)

 

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Delali

My First Missions Trip

This March, I got a beautiful opportunity to go on my first missions trip. It was to Adukrom, a town in the Eastern part of my country. Prior to that, I had no idea about embarking on such a trip. You see, I prayed to God and told Him to lead me to a missions group where I can get the chance to share His truth to hurting people, and the most interesting thing happened. Two days after that prayer, God sent a stranger to my door who introduced me to this Foundation that honors God by reaching out to people, especially teens with the soothing message of God. Crazy, I know. But God totally heard my prayer and answered me. I was so thrilled! This foundation has apparently been operating in my school for about three years now and I had no clue about it...until that day when I was in the midst of praising God for helping me get a very good grade on one of my finals from last semester, and the God-sent stranger knocked on my door.

 I love going to new places and I absolutely love sharing God’s Word with people so I fell in love with the idea of being a missionary. I hoped, dreamed and wished for it but I never really seriously told God about it. This experience taught me that I should always be specific and direct with God when I want something. I’m learning that when I’m willing to serve Him, He opens the necessary doors for me to diligently serve Him. He’s such a cool Father. =D>

So I signed up to be part of the Foundation and went on my first missions trip which lasted for two days. Before we left I already knew there might be challenges we would face so I was prepared for the out-of-my-comfort-zone experience. And yes, it was challenging but I’m so glad I went. I got to share the Word with a number of senior high schools girls and for the first time I went on a dawn broadcasting. Whoa! Yeah, I know. Sometimes I look back and ask “was it really me?” Haaa, I’m so kicking shyness outta my life. The amazing this is, I didn’t have to depend on my own strength. I told God He should fill me and use me to say what He needed the people to know. I was jittery and nervous, but I did it. The opportunity to be a counselor to a couple of senior high school girls who rededicated their lives to God was totally amazing.

 

Me with my fellow missionaries  

 “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17

Through this outreach, I learned some vital things. I realized that if I wasn’t living right for God, I would have felt awfully guilty for encouraging those wonderful people to do the things which I wasn’t doing myself. But I thank God that I strive to always do what is pleasing in His sight. So the experience served as a check on myself and challenged me to walk my talk always. You can imagine the kind of leader I would be if I don’t do the things I tell others to do. And the whole thing also served like a mini retreat for me, you know. Either my face was constantly in the Bible or I was praying and ministering to people. I’ll admit this experience renewed and strengthened my relationship with God. It was refreshing.

“But how are men to call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!”” Romans 10:14,15

I just had to take a snap with this pretty tree. hehe

When I look back on my life, I just thank God for all the beautiful changes He’s working in me. I mean, two years back I wouldn’t have dedicated my time into serving God like this. And I’m so glad I made the decision to serve Him faithfully by reaching out to people. I’m still a work in progress and I’m nowhere near perfect. But my willingness to submit to the will of God and to fulfil the Great Commission is enough to begin an awesome adventure with God. 

 I don’t have to be a pastor behind a pulpit before I share God’s Word. I’m a vessel willing to let God fill me with His plans to go out there and win some souls. J Because seriously, what will be the point of me being on earth if I don’t obey God? My life would be pointless. Honoring God is what brings me fulfilment and joy. I don’t want to live this life forgetting the most important things which is to love God above all things and to love others. 

“And you shall 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, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30,31

So if I truly love others, I should have a deep seated desire to share God’s love and redeeming truth with them. I should be ready to give hope to the hopeless. I should be able to trust God and sacrifice my comfort to go out there and make disciples. :) Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” Matthew 28:19,20

 

Rebecca didn't look too amused here. Must have been the cold weather.

          On our way to half night service

               

I believe this new journey of me serving God as a missionary is going to be the start of something really beautiful. I can feel it. And I’m believing God’s Word concerning my life each day. I’m happy my relationship with God is blooming and becoming so real and very personal. I love it. :-*

So dear friend, how are you honoring God’s will these days? If for some reason or two you can’t go out there and tell people about God, your everyday life itself should be honoring God so much that it inspires others to want to live their lives for God too. Let how you live be the proof of your love for God...the things you say, the way you behave...Your life may be the Bible somebody reads.

“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

  

During our final sermon

The team

Before we left to Accra. I have no idea why Michael had his eyes opened. lol

  When you get the opportunity to go out there and reach out, please don’t miss it for anything in the world. It’s a humbling and wonderful thing to do. I’m so looking forward for my next missions this summer and I’m trusting Him to provide all I need for the trip. Exciting details on this later. ;)

I love this song from Britt Nicole about reaching out. I pray it blesses you.

Don’t let your lights go down,

 Don’t let your fire burn out,

 Because somewhere,

Somebody needs a reason to believe.

Why don’t you rise up now?

Don’t be afraid to stand out,

That’s how the lost get found.

Dear friend, Love is calling you to call out to others to share the Good News. Are you willing to say yes? I sincerely hope you do. :) xoxo 

Delali.