Redeemed

Redeemed is a song that makes me happy. I mean how much better can it get? I'm redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Just amazing.

Redeemed

Verse 1. Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am.

Verse 2. Redeemed, how so happy in Jesus, No language my rapture can tell; I know that the light of His presence With me doth continually dwell.

Verse 3. I know I shall see in His beauty The King in whose law I delight; Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps, And giveth me songs in the night.

Chorus. Redeemed, redeemed, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it! His child, and forever, I am.

The Gospel Primer

The Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent is a very helpful tool to use while studying through the Bible. Before I say anything else about this book, I want to give you this piece of advice: read through it slowly. It is a very short book, and you could probably finish it in a couple hours if you wanted to. But this book has so much wisdom that it needs time to be absorbed.

This book really helps tie together some of the main points of the Gospel. I guarantee that you will say, "Oh, I never thought about it like that before," more than once while reading this book. I definitely did.

I think every person should own a copy of this book. It will never get old; you will find yourself going back to it again and again.

Enjoy!

Do Hard Things

Any of y'all who read this blog regularly know that I love Alex and Brett Harris' book Do Hard Things. In today's culture, so little is expected of teenagers. This book, along with Start Here, lets teens know what God expects of us.

Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is that it's applicable to every person in every situation. Most other books are not like that. People may get to a point in their faith where a book on a certain topic can't help them grow. But everyone has room to grow in this area. We are not necessarily called to do big things or great things, but we are called to do hard things. Once you have gotten good at hard things, there is a whole new level of hard:)

If you are ready for a challenge to grow in your faith and overcome this world's low expectations, then you should definitely check out this book!

Victory in Jesus

Victory in Jesus is one of those songs that you love to sing in church. You know all the words to it. This is one of my all time favorites so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! It reminds me of how Jesus has victory over everything :)

Victory in Jesus

Verse 1. I heard on old, old story, how a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me: I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood's atoning, Then I repented of my sins and won the victory.

Verse 2. I heard about His healing, of His cleansing pow'r revealing, How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see; And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit," And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory.

Verse 3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory, And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea, And I bout the angels singing, and the old redemption story, And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of victory.

Chorus. O victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever, He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood; He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him, He plunged my to victory beneath the cleansing flood.

Beneath the Cross

Beneath the Cross is one of my favorite songs. To me, this song is humbling. I know I say this a lot but, just focus on these words.

Beneath the Cross

Verse 1. Beneath the cross of Jesus I find a place to stand, and wonder at such mercy that calls me as I am. For hands that should discard me hold wounds which tell me come. Beneath the cross of Jesus my unworthy soul is won.

Verse 2. Beneath he cross of Jesus, His family is my own. Once strangers chasing selfish dreams; Now, one through grace alone. How could I now dishonor the ones that You have loved? Beneath the cross of Jesus see the children called by God.

Verse 3. Beneath the cross of Jesus, the path before the crown, We follow in His footsteps where promised hope is found . How great the joy before us to be His perfect bride. Beneath the cross of Jesus, we will gladly live our lives.

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone is one of my favorite songs. Most of the time I like a song for how it sounds. In Christ Alone is a beautiful sounding song but, if you read the words, it is even more beautiful. I'm gonna put the words down here for you to read. Please focus on what you are reading.

In Christ Alone

Verse 1: In Christ alone my hope is found, He is my Light, my Strength, my Song; This Cornerstone, this Solid Ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, when fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in all, here in the love of Christ I stand.

Verse 2: In Christ alone! Who took on flesh; Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of love and righteousness, scorned by the ones He came to save: Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied; for every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3: There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain; Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again! And as He stand in victory, sin's curse has lost it's grip on me; For I am His and He is mine- bought with the precious blood of Christ.

Verse 4: No guilt in life, no fear in death- This is the power of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath , Jesus commands my destiny. No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck my from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, here in the pow'r of Christ I stand.

Karen Kingsbury

Most of the books I will be talking about this month are more for studying, but I just had to write about Karen Kingsbury:)

I discovered some of Karen Kingsbury's at the beginning of this summer, and I have quickly gotten hooked. It can be so hard sometimes to find wholesome reading in the midst of this world filled with vampires, etc. But I have enjoyed her reading so much. I wont' tell you too much, because I don't want to ruin the books for you, but if you are looking for something to read this summer, I would definitely recommend anything by Karen Kingsbury.

Lies Young Women Believe

This month is my book month. Each post I do will have something to do with my thoughts on and experience with a particular book. One book I have really enjoyed is Lies Young Women Believe (and the Truth That Sets Them Free) by Nancy Leigh Demoss and Dannah Gresh.
My first important thought about this book is that you have to read it with humility. In other words, don’t read it and think that you don’t struggle with any of the things that it talks about. If you do, you may end up like this:

"I think many of the lies I have been believing about God are subconscious; they are slowly coming to light. I used to think that believing them at least somewhat subconsciously was better. I thought that, that way, I wouldn’t be outright believing that God was someone different then He really is. In some ways, maybe that’s true.
But on the other hand, if the lies are believed consciously, they can be recognized and corrected. I will not be lying to myself by thinking that I don’t believe lies.
Some lies that have started to come to light are 'God is not enough and 'God is not really involved in my life.'"

That is an exact, word -for -word, excerpt from a journal entry I wrote. Lies Young Women Believe encourages you to have a journal. There are some discussion questions at the end of each chapter; that was my answer to the question, “What lies have I been most likely to believe about God?”.

Ok, so the main point there is, read this book with humility!

Anyway, here is a basic overview of the book. The book has an introduction that introduces the Deceiver (Satan) and then lists 25 commonly believed lies and in-depth information on each one. My honest attitude when I first read the book was that I didn’t need to hear half of the lies. I thought, “These lies are for unbelievers who have a really hard time with sin.” But, as you think about it more, you realize that we all struggle with most of the lies on some level.
After the 25 lies are listed, there is a great section at the end that helps you identify lies in your life. It helps you see for yourself the things that you struggle with (even if they aren’t in the book) and figure out how to correct them.

I really recommend getting the Companion Guide for this book. If definitely takes a lot of time to work through (I’m still not finished) but it is a great help.

Hope you enjoy!

Be Strong in the Lord

Have you ever heard the song Be Strong in the Lord? If not you should listen to it. The words to this song are very encouraging to me. As you read them, focus on what they're saying. I think this will encourage you with your spiritual life with God.

Be Strong in the Lord

Verse 1: Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage;
Your mighty Defender is always the same.
Mount up with wings, as the eagle ascending;
Vict'ry is sure when you call on His name.

Chorus: Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And be of good courage, for He is your Guide.
Be strong, be strong, be strong in the Lord;
And rejoice for the vict'ry is yours.

Verse 2: So put on the armor the Lord has provided;
And place your defense in His unfailing care.
Trust Him, for He will be with you in battle,
Lighting your past to avoid every snare.

Verse 3: Be strong in the Lord, and be of good courage;
Your mighty Commander will vanquish the foe.
Fear no the battle for the vict'ry is always His;
He will protect you wherever you go.


I hope this song encourages you. Have a great day!

All That I Need

I am posting this song as a follow-up to my last post on contentment. I used to LOVE singing this song in children's church when I was a kid.

By: Ron Hamilton "Patch the Pirate" (From "Once Upon A Starry Night.)

When I look around at all this world offers,
I begin to crave the things that I see.
I must keep my eyes on Jesus my Savior.
He has promised Heavenly treasure to me.

All that I need is my faith in Jesus.
All that I need is my home above.
All that I need is my Father's Mercy.
All that I need is my Savior's love.

All the pretty toys shine brightly around me.
All the pretty houses glisten and gleam.
Riches seem to offer peace and contentment.
That is just a lie, it's only a dream.

All that I need is my faith in Jesus.
All that I need is my home above.
All that I need is my Father's Mercy.
All that I need is my Savior's love.

I think the song says it all.