Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Arise

/ Jana / Leave a comment

“Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.”

Yet another profound quote from Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.

Your life is an occasion. A date worth celebrating. An event worth marking on the calendar. For sending invitations to. An occasion worthy of attention.

Rise in honor of the gift you have been given.
Rise to reach farther than you thought, or were told, you could.
Rise up with wings of eagles.
Rise with the same passion that brought God himself out of the grave.

There is a LIFE to be lived. Yours. His. The two of you together. Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.  Be sure that no one else will do it for you. No one can.

A Voice Calling Out  (Bethany Dillon)

I hear a voice calling out
I hear a voice in this wilderness
Where darkness has reigned for so long
Ground is being taken

The trumpet sounds
And Your glory touches the ground
And we all stand in awe
Who is this?
This glory far beyond us
I hear a voice

I hear a drum beating
Heaven’s drawing near
The sky will open
Your people are being healed
I hear a voice

[chorus:]
Heaven’s battle cry
Rise
See the sun light what was hidden
Heaven’s heart beat
See is moving
What was a whisper is now
A voice calling out

I see a generation rising up
No longer accepting lies
Running to the battlefield
And losing their lives

I see a generation rising up
No longer accepting lies
As a band of worshipers run to the battlefield
They’re finding their lives
I hear a voice

Glow in the Dark

/ Jana / 2 Comments

According to Molly Mahoney in the movie, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, “Sparkle” is “something reflective of something bigger that’s trying to get out.”

What is in you trying to get out? What is bigger than you that makes you sparkle?

Why does a notion like that, of more, of shining, get in our heads and knock around? An entire movie trying to tap into the hidden beauty, greatness, Sparkle within us. And here goes God revealing Himself again. Connecting dots. Showing off. Wanting us to see Him. Last week we discovered what it means to be “in the light of Your presence.” This week are the pearls tucked inside Psalm 34, Psalm 16, and 2 Corinthians.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. Psalm 34:5 NIV

Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
      all radiant from the shining of your face.
   Ever since you took my hand,
      I’m on the right way.
Psalm 16:11 The Message

When Moses came down from the mount with two stone tablets in his hand, his face was radiant. Shining from the presence of God. But he veiled himself from the people. Fast forward through the cross and you see the complete opposite. Corinthians says, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. And we with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of God.”

Have you seen it? When people change before your very eyes?  I think of my friends Ben and Kristen. The difference in their faces is unmistakable. They glow. Or take Lora or Heather after a powerhouse time with God at a retreat. Talk about radiant. Even Chuck blew me away the other day. He spoke to teens for the first time in a long time. And the glory in his face was a wonder to look at.

You can’t buy that kind of makeover. You can’t work it up, plan for it or lose it. You don’t even take credit for it. You just look at it in awe. Think of it like this: Salem just bought a glow-in-the-dark ball. You can’t do anything to make it glow in the dark. You can’t argue, talk, or fake it to make the ball glow. All you can do is put the ball in the light. And then it can’t help but glow.

He is the light that has come into the world, into us.  Christ in you the hope of glory. He is the bigger thing we reflect. And it is His life that is breaking through our little realities. Go sit in the glory of God. Go soak in the light of His presence. And then we will all sit back and enjoy the sparkle of God that you become.