I place all my hope in you.

The darker the night
the brighter the day
the fiercer the fight
the stronger the faith
so I place my hope in You

The deeper sin
the stronger the blood
the more to forgive
the more reason to love
so I place my trust in You

In Your ways oh God
redemption is so much better than perfection
in Your ways oh God
redemption is so much better than perfection
in Your ways oh God

Over and over
You prove You're so faithful
over and over
You prove Yourself a redeemer

In Your ways I have
redemption
so much better than perfection
so I place all my hope in You

- "Redemption" by Kristene Mueller, check her our, incredible stuff.

Well folks, I am pretty wiped out today, actually I am straight up exhausted, emotionally, physically, I think I need a day of rest. Running out of one thing right into another isn't always the wisest thing to do. But while I am here, try this out...

Luke 7:37-47 ---

Just then a woman of the village, the town harlot, having learned that Jesus was a guest in the home of the Pharisee, came with a bottle of very expensive perfume and stood at his feet, weeping, raining tears on his feet. Letting down her hair, she dried his feet, kissed them, and anointed them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man was the prophet I thought he was, he would have known what kind of woman this is who is falling all over him."

⁴⁰Jesus said to him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."

"Oh? Tell me."

^41-42"Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed five hundred silver pieces, the other fifty. Neither of them could pay up, and so the banker canceled both debts. Which of the two would be more grateful?"

^43-47Simon answered, "I suppose the one who was forgiven the most."

"That's right," said Jesus. Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, he said, "Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn't quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal."

Read - Read the passage slowly, noticing the major players and actions in the story.

Think - (I love this part) Choose one person in the story with whom you identify most, and then read the story again. Imaginatively enter the scene, experiencing everything from that person's perspective. Hear the conversations. Feel the silence in the room as Jesus' feet are tenderly washed. Now listen to Jesus' voice and watch his face as he speaks. What do you feel? What thoughts go through your head?

Pray - Talk to Jesus about what this experience has stirred up in you.

Live - "If human love does not carry a man beyond himself, it is not love. If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it." - Oswald Chambers. Think about the degree of restraint or abandon you show in your relationship with Jesus (and others). Consider the conscious decisions you are constantly making about the way you'll act in that relationship. When does emotional momentum stir you? What do you do when it does? Under what circumstances do you set limits or hold back? What expectations or fears underlie your decisions? Share these with Jesus. What is something you could do today that would have "the true nature of love in it"?

-The message. :)

Pray, Eat, Sleep

-Colton