Just to keep it real, my personal life hasn’t been “fine.” It’s been hard. Not hopeless or despairing, just hard.

I’m in a season of allowing God to mend some painful wounds. And through this recent “pressing into Him” He has proven (again) that He will always be the Soul-Healer.

I don’t say that lightly. I don’t say that like some cheesy greeting card that tries to make you believe there’s hope. I say that having experienced His comfort in spite of circumstance.

Not to be the cyberspace downer of the day, but people will hurt us. And we’ll hurt them. Until Jesus makes all things straight, we’re just a bunch of messy, selfish souls living next to one another. And wounds will come.

But there’s this throneroom. And sitting in it with all His glory is the Healer of hearts. He doesn’t impose Himself. He doesn’t make us enter in. But He waits with His balm of love.

Our call is to bow. Our call is to go to Him with the wound — with it gaping open, causing anguish and sorrow. Our call is to lay it before Him.

That just means we get real. We go to Him instead of racking up that credit card or filling the prescription that we don’t really need. We go to Him instead of drinking ourselves into a coma or getting revenge on the causer of pain.

We cry the ugly cry and tell Him all we’re feeling. We scream and holler and shout out the fears. And once we’re empty of us, we sit still. We listen. And we recite what’s true and read His love again and again.

And like water to burning coals, He soothes. He allows us a glimpse into the gift of “suffering” because of its ability to bring a deeper, more intimate faith. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I don’t say any of this lightly. I say it as one who, by His great grace, has learned that there’s only one place to go for true soul healing. I say it as one who’s learned to process pain in the presence of God. Otherwise our hearts remain restless.

I’ve recently discovered singer/songwriter Audrey Assad (love her and yes I live under a small rock since I *just* discovered her). She recorded this video talking about worship and then leads into her song “Restless.”

Yes, the video is 9 minutes. But I promise, if you make the space to watch it as an act of worship, you’ll be blessed. If you just don’t have 9 minutes, the song itself starts at 5:16. Also totally worth it.

(Click here if you can’t see the video.)

 
Fill me, Lord…

Testify of a time when God has healed a wound in your own soul.
 

The post processing pain in the presence of God appeared first on Lara Howard.

Christa Wells has been on the music scene for a while but I heard her in-person for the first time last year when she and Nicole Witt came to the Relevant Conference (now called Allume). She even did a time of worship at 6:30 a.m. for all of us early morning “Hello Mornings” risers. (An amazing start the day, by the way.)

Her songs take me on a soul-journey. They’re lyrically brilliant and musically captivating. And her voice is unique and memorable. (No, she didn’t pay me to say any of that.)

I (finally) recently downloaded her older album entitled “Frame the Clouds” and let me just tell you, it’s classic. I have it on repeat.

Here’s one of my favorites…

(If you cannot see this video, then click here to listen.)

I love the line where she says, “Wrap yourself in promise while you wait the morning light.” Gorgeous truth. We can’t always see what God’s weaving. But He’s working it all together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) He promised. A thousand things.

And here’s one of her newest songs, “Everything Moves But You.” Also lovely…

(If you cannot see this video, then click here to listen.)

I messaged Christa to tell her how she’s blessed me lately and how I wanted to brag on her music today. And since she’s awesome and gracious and real, she’s giving away a copy of each of her albums here on my blog. Woohoo!

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment below saying something brilliant like “pick me.”

Then you can also receive more entries by doing one or all of the following:*

• Tweet this post
• Share this post on Facebook
• Share one of Christa’s YouTube videos on Facebook and/or Twitter.

*Make sure to leave a comment for each extra way you share Christa’s music.
**Maximum of five entries per person.

Winners will be randomly selected on Monday, April 9th.
 

The post the album I have on repeat {Christa Wells :: GiveawayS!} appeared first on Lara Howard.

I’m hanging out at The Better Mom today sharing six key thoughts I (try to) think upon when this whole parenting thing gets rough. Thoughts along the same lines as “He makes beautiful things out of dust.” Click here to stop by.

(This song just doesn’t get old.)

Fill me, Lord…

What do you do when you have one of *those* mommy days?
 

The post especially necessary for *those* mommy days appeared first on Lara Howard.

There’s only one way to recognize a lie. We have to know truth. I feel like a broken record at times but this. is. so. vital. We have to marinate in truth. Meditate upon truth. Compare life through the lens of truth. And truth begins and ends with him.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
~Jesus
John 14:6

To reject a lie, we begin with believing Jesus — this God-man who came to earth to die. It sounds absurd, this bloody-plan, but it’s life. Apart from his sacrifice we are left bound to our sin. Blind and spiritually dead. He alone awakens our soul. He alone quenches that soul thirst.*

flickr photo credit: fred mancosu

Jesus, when tempted by the enemy’s lies, voiced the scriptures. He spoke them out-loud, rejecting the deception. If that’s what our Lord did, then it seems wise to follow his lead.

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me
shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
~Jesus
John 8:12

The lies come in various shades of black. From lies about our new identity in Christ to lies about the love or power of our Maker, they infiltrate our minds. Then we sit down with them, listening and coddling and eventually believing. But his word is truth. His word casts down those thoughts that strangle.

Today’s thought-life challenge:

• Identify any lies on your list.
• Locate a verse or passage that can replace that lie.
• Write down that verse on a notecard and keep it close. Memorize it. Marinate in it.
• Speak it out loud when the lies seep in with their deception.

Fill me, Lord…

What lies have you recently believed about yourself, about your God, about your loved ones?
What truths can you meditate upon to extinguish those lies?

I can’t talk about lies and not share this little jam by The Arrows Band. Love it. Click here if you have trouble viewing.

*If you have never “accepted Jesus” and you want to talk further about that decision, please email me. I would love to answer any questions. This is the first, necessary step to victory and abundance in our lives.

The post every. thought. captive. {6 :: destructive little lies} appeared first on Lara Howard.