He Calls Us Out Upon The Waters, The Great Unknown…

June 16, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres3 Comments

So “My Choice Monday” means we can post about whatever we want to today, right? 🙂 It doesn’t have to be a product recommendation or a recipe, does it? Because I don’t have that for you today…

I do, however, have a recommendation in the way of life, though…

Have you ever sung or listened to a song a million times…and then FINALLY been struck – off guard – by the lyrics, and what the song actually means?

About 5 (+ or -) months ago, I was listening to the radio (Victory 91.5 – for all you Atlantans!) and one of the morning dj’s from Rise & Stein – my favorite show – mentioned this song that she just LOVED and was SO MOVED by: “Oceans” by Hillsong.

Although I love and adore Hillsong, I had never heard “Oceans”, nor had I even heard of it…So I set myself to looking it up as soon as I arrived at the office. I listened. And then I listened again. I liked the song…but it wasn’t my favorite. I’m certainly somewhat OCD when it comes to music – I like symmetry: A verse, a chorus, a verse, a bridge, a chorus. End of song.

But this song is not written that way. So I was a little distracted from the words.

At the same time, I felt like I needed to sing something on my own. And the Holy Spirit told me it was this song.

I wasn’t thrilled. It’s a little bit of an odd range for my voice. It isn’t the symmetrical type of song I jive with most of the time. And I hadn’t sung something so ‘full-of-spirit’ since my high school youth choir touring the U.S. days.

But, we got the backing track and Craig and I set to work on practicing and recording and perfecting this song over the months. And somewhere along the way, the Lord led us to FullTurn Church – where, as I was leaving my first Wednesday night, they played “Oceans” as the recessional-esque song. And then He led us to the knowledge of our future baby “Jonah Elizabeth” and we began ‘building our ark’, so to speak, in faith. He asked us to take a giant leap (of faith) and plug into a new church…and as we have moved at His Word…the lyrics of this song began to really sink in. It was like an ocean wave slapped me in the face with all of the truth standing right in front of me.

Read those lyrics. Whoa.

So, the recommendation for this My Choice Monday? Listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. Let your soul rest in His embrace, and allow Him to lead you – where your trust is without borders.

And while you’re at it, listen to this song {open in a browser}, and we will share the recording of my singing it on Sunday very soon!

My Choice Monday

Give Me Faith

May 12, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Happy Monday! Here’s hoping all of you had an especially wonderful weekend and Mother’s Day!

Today I wanted to share with you a song (both video and lyrics – so turn on your speakers and watch this post in a browser)…I first heard this last Wednesday evening at church, and was SO.MOVED. by the lyrics and the heartfelt passion with which the singer sang it.

After this weekend, which as you may imagine was a ~~little~~ lot emotional for us, words and music like that which follows is such a beautiful reminder that, although we are far from perfect, He has everything under His perfect control. Waiting on the Lord is not easy. We have total faith and trust in Him, but we are still human and imperfect.

I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me. My flesh may fail, but My God you never will.

Verse 1:

I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you to open my eyes
To see that You’re shaping my life

Pre-Chorus:
All I am, I surrender

Chorus:
Give me faith to trust what you say
That you’re good and your love is great
I’m broken inside, I give you my life

Verse 2:
I need you to soften my heart
To break me apart
I need you pierce through the dark
And cleanse every part of me

Bridge:
I may be weak
But your Spirit’s strong in me
My flesh may fail
My God you never will

– See more at: http://elevationworship.com/songs/give-me-faith-the-song/#sthash.5EwDStQ2.dpuf

This is originally an Elevation Worship song, but the small group singing it above (Worship On The Porch) does such a beautiful rendition, and they are SUCH an inspiring ‘organization’. If you like this song, listen to their version of “Holy Spirit” by Jesus Culture – another one of my absolute faves.

In Jesus, we have it all – truly. But we are still human. Our flesh is still weak. We still battle the enemy and deal with the world on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter how strong our faith is, we need to ask Him for faith and strength every single day.

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Leave YOU Behind

April 24, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Surrender.

It’s one word, with a lot of power.

Who do you surrender your life to now?

Is it the One who died for our sins, so that we might live eternally?

Or do you surrender to your career, your hobbies, money, your earthly desires?

I will tell you one thing I know for certain. If you truly surrender your life to Him, you will look back on your life and see drastic changes and movement and blessings. It’s absolutely amazing. I sat in church last night, and thanked God for the unbelievable blessings He has poured out on us over the past year and half. We put a toe into the pool of His mercy and have been IMMERSED. Truly.

In 2014, never having been anointed with oil and healed by God through His servant in my entire life, I have been anointed, prayed over, and had a laying on of hands 3 times now – all because we trusted Him to lead us and guide our steps.

Last night, I learned an important lesson:

Hope is for the future.

Faith is for the here and now.

We don’t HOPE for His blessings. We WAIT on them in FAITH because we KNOW He has blessed us, and is in the process of blessing us!

Have faith in Him. Have faith that if you lay all of YOU behind, He will lead you where you need to be.

You won’t be sorry.

Surrender.

The video/song below says it all. Ask Him to flood your atmosphere – all the time. Live in His Presence, in complete surrender. {view in browser}

Thirsty For Christ Thursday

Abide With Me

April 3, 2014 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

This week. Has. Been. Brutal.

I won’t get into all of the gory details, but let’s just say I have gotten ZERO sleep and am more than ready for my husband to be home this evening. He cannot get here soon enough – too bad that won’t be until after my bedtime…Although, it’s quite safe to say I will be waiting up for him with no issue at all tonight.

I have pondered all day long about what to post here…and then I decided to implant my headphones and enjoy some traditional, old hymns at my desk to soothe my soul and relax my mind… and what should appear toward the top of my playlist but one of my favorites, “Abide With Me“. I knew then and there this is what I should share with you today.

Here are its heart-wrenchingly beautiful lyrics:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Ah, those words.

The lyricist, Henry Lyte, was dying when he wrote these beautiful words, and passed away only a few weeks after he completed them. I can imagine he went to his final rest with confidence, faith and peace.

There is no comfort like the Lord – in death or in life, upon waking or sleeping. “O Lord, abide with me.”

{Yes, you have to view that video in a browser 🙂 }

I think sometimes we forget that Jesus is always there. The Holy Spirit is always alive in our hearts. We have nothing to fear, as long as we have Him.

Psalm 23

The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.

A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The second part of that fourth verse is key: “I fear no evil, for You are with me.“
I know those words give me peace and comfort and a renewed love for our Heavenly Father. Just thinking of Him as a father in this sense is a great comfort –
After all, when your earthly father is around, are you ever afraid? I know I’m not.
Have a wonderful night, friends.
In Christ,

Uncategorized

Experiencing God

February 21, 2013 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Good Afternoon Everyone!

This has been just a whirlwind of a week thus far! I can’t believe it’s only Thursday – Feels like it should already be Monday again…But we can’t skip over the weekend, can we? 🙂

Sunday morning both Craig and I sang with the choir at Mass! Yes! My husband surprised me and absolutely made my YEAR by telling me he wanted to serve God in song with me!

My Awesome Husband In The Vest I Bought Him For Valentine's — My Awesome Husband In The Vest I Bought Him For Valentine’s

Tuesday afternoon I gave notice at my current office job, and my last day is March 5th! Craig and I aren’t positive what the next step will be, but we both know we made the right decision together when we chose for me to leave my high stress job. As with everything, we are praying for God’s Will to guide us in the right direction. He brought Craig and I together; He led us to an amazing new church parish; and He will lead us in the perfect path for what I’ll do next. Keep us in your prayers that we will have the strength to listen to Him for His guidance.

We also began our Lenten Bible Study (via the phone) last night! We chose “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby. Just in going over the Preface and Introduction together, I feel like we really got something out of it. There are many opportunities to refer back to the Bible and we had some wonderful discussions over what was said. You’ll have to check it out for yourself. I know God is leading us on the right path and you can never have TOO strong a relationship with Christ. The study is all about that relationship, and being more of a Christian than just attending church on Sunday mornings. I can’t wait to go over the first part of Chapter 1 this evening! Hopefully, our little ~~devil dog~~ angel puppy doesn’t make that too difficult. 🙂

Last Saturday night, Craig and I attended one of the FINAL showers for our dear friends Ashley and JW….It was a great get together, and I just can’t tell them enough how HAPPY we are for them! Ashley and I are lucky girls for sure! 🙂

Their wedding is just over a month away! Eeeek!!! Such an exciting time!! I remember it well…It was just over 5 months ago for Craig and I!!! As we pulled out of the driveway after the shower, we both looked at each other and said, “SO GLAD WE ARE MARRIED NOW and are done with the planning and parties!!!” You’re almost there, Ash and JW!!! You can finally just relax and enjoy being husband and wife…and making grocery lists, and paying bills, and taking out the trash, and doing laundry… 🙂 LOL – Seriously, it is all AMAZING when you marry your soulmate and best friend! I speak from experience.