Seasons of Change & Update

Change is a part of life and sometimes we don't understand it or like it but can't do anything to stop it. Seasons come and go. Things change as we get older. We go through hard times but even when we loose our way God is always there helping us get through. 

When I started this blog back in 2013 I had no idea what I was doing or where it would take me. I wouldn't trade the days, months, or years I spent on this for anything. God has blessed me so much over the last four years of blogging. 

What I am about to say isn't easy. Please know I have prayed hard and long over this. 

In the fall of 2015 I have felt God nudging me to pursue writing more in depth. I honestly laughed at the idea. Writing has never been something I enjoyed or that I was very good at but I said okay. I am willing to pursue this. Over the last year and a half I have gone through some of my worst times but God has always been faithful. He has opened many doors for me and has blessed me with two opportunities to write for Daughters of the Deep and my church CLA Blog. This has kept me busy and I have been finding myself stressing out over everything. Also God has been laying on my heart to write on a couple special projects of things He is teaching me. 

However, I haven't been able to work on them because blogging has taken most of my time. Please don't get me wrong. I love what I do. My passion in life is to encourage and help others grow in their faith and walk with Jesus. I just feel like I am overwhelmed and spending so much time making sure the blog and the other two blogs I write for has top quality stuff. 

So I wanted to let you all know I am taking a rest from blogging full time. I'm not sure how long I will be gone but I do know that it's not over. I enjoy this so much but need to take time to focus on God and my own needs. By quitting blogging full time I will be able to spend more time in the Word, in prayer and writing about what God is teaching me. 

Please know this isn't goodbye forever. I will occasionally write a post and update you all on what is going on hopefully once a month. Also my plan is to keep the social media updated more regularly as time allows. So please be sure you follow the blog facebook page and instagram account. 

Thank you again to all my readers and encouragers. I appreciate your faithfulness and support. Please keep in touch with me. I care about you all. This is just a change in the season and like in nature it's only temporary. Right now I am needing to go with what my heart is telling me and what God is telling me. I love each and every one of you. I want to leave you with this song. This song has blessed me and I just wanted to encourage you today. I look forward to coming back and sharing with you what God has been doing in my life while I'm gone. The love I have for this blog and part of my life will last longer than a lifetime. 

Blessings and Shalom,

Grace Mae <3 <3 <3 

Worship Wednesdays - Find You Here

When I first heard this song I cried so hard. This song really touched my life. My life right now has been a mess but I am relying on God to be with me. 

I really love the bridge that says.

Here in the middle of the lonely night

Here in the middle of the losing fight, You're

Here in the middle of the deep regret

Here when the healing hasn't happened yet

Here in the middle of the desert place

Here in the middle when I cannot see Your face

Here in the middle with Your outstretched arms

You can see my pain and it breaks Your heart

I pray this song touches you as it did me. My prayer for you today is that God will find you wherever you are and whatever you are going through. 

Worship Wednesdays - My Paper Heart

My Paper Heart is one of my all time favorite songs ever. It talks about how God has our heart. Remember that even if you don't have that special guy in your life God loves you and wants your heart. Enjoy this song today! Thought it would be a great way to end our month of Love. 

Worship Wednesdays - Someday Soon

This is another one of my favorite songs. It talks about someday falling in love. Hope you enjoy! 

Worship Wednesdays - Waiting for You

This song I have listened to for several years. I thought it would be appropriate for this weeks Worship Wednesday as it went along with my post on Monday. I hope you will take a few minutes and listen. Rebecca St. James wrote this song on waiting for the day when God will give her the right guy to be her husband. I pray everyday that God will send me the right guy but until He does I will be waiting and saving myself for him. 

Worship Wednesdays - Here in Your Presence

Hope you enjoy this song today. This song encouraged me so much because I want to be in the presence of God. I want to draw nearer to Him. Just listen to the music and words and focus on Jesus. 

Worship Wednesdays - The More I Seek You

This weeks song is by Kari Jobe. This song ties into what I wrote about on Monday. We need to seek God and Jesus in prayer. Hope you are encouraged but this song. Let the music just speak to you. Close your eyes and listen to the lyrics and just talk to God. 

Worship Wednesdays - Oceans Hillsong United

Today's Worship Wednesday song is my theme for the year and goes along with my word of the year. I love the line in this song that says "Take me deeper then my feet could ever wander." I want to go deeper in His Word and deeper in my relationship with Him. Hope you are blessed by this song.

Christmas Eve - Emmanuel (Hallowed Manger Ground)

Hi Everyone! 

Can you believe that it's Christmas Eve? Where did the year go? 

This week you have noticed that I have been posting mostly songs the last few days. Again I am posting another song but just wanted to take some time and actually write. 

One thing I have come to realize as I get older is that Christmas isn't about the gifts, the tree, and the lights. Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Without Him we would all be lost. I saw something on facebook that said "one unplanned pregnancy saved the world." I thought that was so profound. I am a huge Pro-life supporter and without getting too much into my views on abortion and what not I will say I never thought of the birth of Jesus like this before. Mary didn't plan to have a baby yet she did. Her pregnancy was unplanned but her baby saved the world. Think about it this Christmas. I pray you all had a wonderful Christmas Eve. I will leave you with this song and be sure to check back tomorrow night for my Christmas post. 

Merry Christmas! 

Be Born in Me

I am sharing another song with you today. This one goes with the post that I am posting tomorrow. Let us prepare our hearts and remember the real meaning of Christmas. 

This song was written again by Francesca Battistelli. Enjoy!

You're Here

Today's post is another song I love. It's written from Mary's point of view. This song was written by Francesca Battistelli one of my favorite singers. Hope you enjoy. 

Noel

Lauren Daigle singing Noel! Hope you enjoy this song today. Let's continue to prepare our hearts for Christmas.

This Christmas

Another song for you to enjoy this Christmas Season. This song is upbeat and I love that! My favorite line in this song is "this Christmas, give me more of Christ." Yes I want to remember that Christmas is about Jesus and what a wonderful gift He was. 

Adore

Adore is another song that I love listening to during the Christmas season. Chris Tomlin is one of my all time favorite singers that writes amazing and powerful worship songs. Enjoy this song today. 

Come on Christmas

Come on Christmas! I thought this was appropiate for the first day of December. 

Hope you enjoy this song as much as I do and that it will get you in the spirit of the season. 

Worship Wednesdays - Thy Will

As I write today's post. It is almost over but this song has been an inspiration to me lately. No matter what happens I want God's Will to be done. It may hurt at times and i may not understand but I want His will to be done. I love the bridge of this song. It talks about God's plans for us and that He has goodness in store. He see us and hear us. Blessings as you listen to this song. 

 

I’m so confused
I know I heard You loud and clear
So, I followed through
Somehow I ended up here
I don’t wanna think
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of Your plan
When I try to pray
All I’ve got is hurt and these four words

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know You’re good
But this don’t feel good right now
And I know You think
Of things I could never think about
It’s hard to count it all joy
Distracted by the noise
Just trying to make sense
Of all Your promises
Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that You’re God
And I am not
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will

I know You see me
I know You hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness You have in store
I know You hear me
I know You see me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness You have in store
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know You see me
I know You hear me, Lord

Worship Wednesdays - Find You On My Knees

Today's song has really been a favorite of mine for a while. It's a great reminder that no matter what we can find God when we are on our knees. He never leaves us. Even when we have nothing left but brokenness we can trust God because He remains faithful. 

Troubles chasing me again,

Breaking down my best defense,

I'm looking, God, I'm looking for you

Weary just won't let me rest

And fear is filling up my head.

I'm longing, God I'm longing for you

But I will find you in the place I'm in,

Find you when I'm at my end,

Find you when there's nothing left of me to offer you except for brokenness.

You lift me up, you'll never leave me thirsty,

When I am weak, when I am lost and searching

I'll find you on my knees.

So what if sorrow shakes my faith,

And what if heartache still remains?

I'll trust you, my God I'll trust you.

'Cause You are faithful and I will...

Find you in the place I'm in,

Find you when I'm at my end,

Find you when there's nothing left of me to offer you except for brokenness.

You lift me up, you'll never leave me thirsty,

When I am weak, when I am lost and searching

Find you on my knees, my knees.

When my hope is gone,

When the fear is strong

When the pain is real,

When it's hard to heal

When my faith is shaken

And my heart is broken

And my joy is stolen,

God I know that...

You lift me up, you'll never leave me searching,

Find you in the place I'm in,

Find you when I'm at my end,

Find you when there's nothing left of me to offer you except for brokenness.

You lift me up, you'll never leave me thirsty,

When I am weak, when I am lost and searching

I'll find you on my knees.

Worship Wednesdays - Great is Our God

This song is a perfect song for worship. Our God is great and we need to proclaim with our voice just how great is His worth. Let this be our prayer today as we start a new month. Have a blessed day!

Come let us praise Him
Let us kneel at the throne of our God
Through His son our salvation was bought
With mercy and grace
Come let us bow down
In His hands are the depths of the earth
With one voice we proclaim His great worth
Lord our God

And we will seek Him
Our rock of salvation
Morning by morning
With thanksgiving we come
And we will bow down
With creation we cry out
In daylight and darkness
We sing to the Lord

Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God

Lord of all nations
We will stand at the end of our days
In Your courts and declare Your great ways
In spirit and truth
We long for Your kingdom
Bring Your thunder and gather the earth
All who tremble will tell of Your worth
Lord our God

[x2:]
And we will seek Him
Our rock of salvation
Morning by morning
With thanksgiving we come
And we will bow down
With creation we cry out
In daylight and darkness
We sing to the Lord

Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God
Great is our God

Come let us praise Him
Let us kneel at the throne of our God
Through His son our salvation was bought
With mercy and grace

Worship Wednesdays - Desert Song

Today's song is one that I recently have found and been listening to everyday. My favorite part of this song is the bridge. Even though we go through hard times or struggles God is still God and with us. We have a reason to sing and praise because God is always there and He is our victory. So let's go give Him praise. He is faithful! He is God! 

[Verse 1:]
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

[Verse 2:]
And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me, Lord, through the flame

[Chorus:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Verse 3:]
And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

[Chorus:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Bridge 4x:]
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

[Chorus 2x:]
And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

[Verse 4:]
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Worship Wednesdays - Deeper

This is an amazing song. I had the privilege of meeting Meredith Andrews at a Women's Conference back in November of 2015. She sang this song at the event. The first time I heard it I was going through a really rough time. Since then it has quickly become a favorite. Even though I've been kicked down, felt hurt I realized that God was making me stronger. His love was going deeper and deeper in my heart. I hope this encourages you today like it has encouraged me. Remember that no matter what is ahead of us God will make a way for us.

I have kicked up the dust and the dirt on the narrow road
I have had to let go of some hurt to hold on to hope
I’ve watched the sunset before the promise came
I have waded through waters wide and walked through the flame
And I can say

Every valley made me lift my eyes up
Every burden only made me stronger
Every sorrow only made Your joy go
Deeper and deeper, deeper, and deeper

I will run like I’m out to win, and finish the race
For every battle that’s sure to come I will be brave
I’ve got my heart set on every word You say
And no matter what lies ahead You’ll make a way
And I will say

Every valley made me lift my eyes up
Every burden only made me stronger
Every sorrow only made Your joy go
Deeper and deeper, deeper, and deeper

Every mountain is making me a climber
Every giant is calling out a fighter
Every heartache only makes Your love go
Deeper and deeper, deeper, and deeper

Thrown down but not defeated
I’m worn out but not giving up
I’ve hit ground but even at rock bottom
I’m just getting started, yea, I’m just getting started