Let Hope Rise...here in the Now.

Name above names,
Lamb that was slain,
Beautiful God.
You're King above kings,
God of all things.
Beautiful God

There's no other name like Jesus
We give You all of the praise, O Lord Jesus
Let HOPE rise and DARKNESS TREMBLE in Your holy light...
-With Everything, Hillsong (see video)

What a cool version of one of my favorite songs. I stumbled across an album entitled Awakening - Passion 2010. There are several songs from Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Christy Nockels and others! SO AMAZING. Check it out here and buy it on Itunes!

God is teaching me to find hope in the here and now. Often, we get so lost in thinking about the future or drown ourselves in the sorrows of the past that our present here and now becomes meaningless. We are only certain of the here and now - right now, in this very moment. Why worry about the future? Do we not believe it is truly in God's hands? By learning to live in the here and now, we allow ourselves to further develop a trust in the Lord and His character. When we live life one moment at a time, we can ask the Lord for guidance in our present worries while fully appreciating the beauty in each moment.

"Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble" -Matthew 6:34 (ESV...sounds like Yoda's version)

I'm nearing the end of Manning's Ruthless Trust. My favorite chapter thus far is his chapter entitled "The Geography of Nowhere". In the journey towards ruthless trust in our King, Manning emphasizes the importance of living in the present: The music of what is happening can be heard only in the present moment, right now, right here. Now/here spells nowhere. To be fully present to whoever or whatever is immediately before us is to pitch a tent in the wilderness of Nowhere. It is an act of radical trust - trust that God can be encountered at no other time and in no other place than the present moment. Being fully present in the now is perhaps the premier skill of the spiritual life" [Manning, 150].

The here and now the past few days has been rough. But the Lord has provided and showered me with blessings i do not deserve. I had a rough Monday, even concentrating on the worries of that day alone. As i headed down to my car to meet some friends, i dreaded having to fill it up with gas. Turns out - my brother had filled it up completely and wrote me a note - "Happy 1/2 birthday. Love, Luke". I cried. My brother's random act of kindness spoke multitudes of encouragement and love into my crappy day and downtrodden mood. If anything, I've taken a lot of my situation out on him - only for him to repay me with love and generosity. THAT broke me more than a mean word or a cold shoulder ever could.

Living in the here and now, I've spent some amazing time with two of my dearest friends (and married couple) - Chana and Zach. They just returned this week from studying abroad in Venezuela. Spending time with them has given me so much joy and been a HUGE blessing. I love their hearts, i love to see and hear about what the Lord has done in them as a married couple. Chana shared with me their "desert" experience. It's neat to see how God stripped so much away from their lives - brought them out of their comfort zone - only to emphasize His love, His power and His sameness everywhere, while growing them TRULY into "One - Husband and Wife - a triple braided cord". Their relationship is so beautiful - a testament to the faithfulness of the Lord and His plans for them for the advancement of His kingdom. I love these two more than they know.




Living in the here and now has been tough. When my mind wanders to the future, it requires surrender and acknowledging the Lord's power as the single source that can keep me trusting Him with the moment i am in. Right now. When i broke down on Monday, i received texts of encouragement and phone calls that seemed so random. An "Unknown" number called me as i lay in bed Monday night. Turns out, it was my best friend, Kim - calling from AUSTRALIA. Just to check in. I could not believe it. And i am still in shock. Ah, the Lord's timing. He's blessed me with so many sources of encouragement.



I want to worship the Lord in the here and now. Wherever my heart is at, i want to cry out to Him. I want to soak in the present, hope for the future and release the past. I will run through the halls of my empty apartment - full of bittersweet memories - and worship my Savior. Mm, and how much easier it is to live in the present when our mind is stayed on the Lord - the only constant :).


"When my mind is replaying past glories and defeats or imagining unknown tomorrows, the music of what is happening is muted. When i spin fearful scenarios about the future, my agitation prohibits my awareness of the living present"[Manning, 151].

"The effort to free ourselves from concerns and the willingness to put aside fuzzy distractions involves a kind of death in order to take up the cross of the present moment"[159].

"Being in the now removes us from endless and fruitless self-analysis. Morever, in the absence of self-observation, guild and shame mysteriously disappear. Removed from the sphere of our feelings, thoughts, and analyses, we are free to hear the music of what is happening. Lost in the Nowhere, we are found in the infinity of the eternal Now" [154].

Real living is not about words, concepts and abstractions but about experience of who or what is immediately before us [156].

Live in the now.