Your thoughts define me

So I had this amazing experience the other day..... My wife took my little daughter Haven shopping for the first time and let her pick out her own dress. When they returned I was in my room reading in my favorite chair. I heard my little girls feet run up the stairs to her room above me. I could tell by the commotion that she was either wrestling a alligator or that she was changing into her new clothes with the fury of a four year old. Then I heard her little feet come back down the stairs and she burst into my room. Without any words she ran and stopped in front of me wearing the new dress she had picked out. This was one of those moments when time also seemed to stop in front of me. As she stood still and time stood still, I realized it was one of the greatest moments I would ever have as a Father. She was waiting to be defined by my voice. Her little heart was like clay waiting on my thoughts to shape her. So with everything inside me I looked deep inside her and said "Haven you look more beautiful right now that you have in your whole life."

Everyday for the next week Haven would put on her new dress and come find me. No matter what I was doing she would pause before me and wait for my voice to tell her again that she was beautiful. It was like her little heart was saying over and over to me "do it again daddy.... tell me who I am."

Identity is discovered through the voice we listen to. We have all been created to be defined by a Fathers voice. Every girl is made to hear those words, "You are beautiful" and every boy is designed to hear the words "well done." My words over Haven are but a shadow of the radiant thoughts that the Father in heaven has for her. Until we each have an encounter with our Father in heaven like my daughter had with me, we will spend our lives broken in search of our identity.

The Father is sitting in His favorite chair, just waiting on us to burst into his presence and say "Daddy, do it again, tell me who I am."

Worship Echos

The worship we give on this earth resounds into eternity. We can give the Father something
right now, that we will not be able to give him when we stand in heaven. In heaven worship will
explode from every pore of who we are as we behold His face. In heaven we will not chose to
worship. Worship will be the very essence of who we are. On this earth worship has great cost.
Worship is a choice to believe He is more real than what our eyes can see.

Have you ever thought about the idea of there being no tears in heaven? If there are no tears
in heaven, that means we can give the Lord something on this earth that we can not give to him in heaven. Even the angels can not give him what we have to give him. That's why our tears are precious to God and he collects each one and puts our tears in his bottle. (Psalm 56:8) I love the stories of the women who radically broke religious boxes and interrupted meetings by pouring their tears, perfume and adoration upon Jesus. The religious leaders of those days questioned such outrageous worship, but Jesus said that this kind of worship was a beautiful thing. The worship we give on this earth is precious to the Lord. He collects every tear that falls from our eyes and keeps them forever.

I love when Mary radically "wasted" a bottle of perfume worth a years wages on the Lord. In
our modern times that bottle of perfume would be worth about 40,000 dollars. That's outrageous worship. Mary gave a gift of devotion that had great cost. You can't give that kind of gift in heaven. The concept of cost does not exist in heaven. Money has no value there. They have so much gold there they are paving streets with it. Jesus said that what Mary gave would resonate into every corner of the earth where the gospel is preached. The fragrance of Mary's adoration still fills the earth.

Jesus said that Mary's perfume was for the day of his burial. Have you ever thought that the
aroma of Mary's worship surrounded the Son of God on the greatest three days in the history of the world. He could smell Mary's love upon him as he was beaten. The fragrance of her perfume was with him as he hung alone on the cross. What if that perfume was even upon him as he rose from the grave and entered heaven to wash the world of its sin. What if the Father smelled that perfume as the Son of God sat down by His side? What if the Father looked at Jesus and said, "My Son you smell so good, what is that aroma?" and Jesus replied "PaPa that's the fragrance of true worship from Mary's heart. The perfume she gave me on the earth, they don't make here in heaven. Mary has done a beautiful thing for me."