Sarah Mac

Where You’ll Find Him
I tend to worry about the people that I love, whether family or friends. I worry about whether or not they really know who Jesus is and believe in Him. I have frequently and commonly seen people that I knew who were raised in religious families who talked as if they were Christians yet one day stood out and said “I don’t believe that” for whatever reason. Sometimes this reason is because some other professing Christian in their life ended up letting them down or lying to them or bearing a false witness of Christ to them so that they fell away thinking it is all wrong, all fake, all a lie. This, over my life, has put a burden on me to be the best Christian I can possibly be so that I will hopefully not be one of those Christians who leads anyone astray yet, as a human being, I realize it is impossible to be perfect. I will mess up my witness, I have messed up my witness, and this scares me. What if that is the one time they are looking at me to decide whether or not they believe? Well the Lord knows this burden on my heart and lead me to read Romans 1:19-20 with fresh eyes. It says “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead….” After reading this I felt a huge sense of relief. My God is continuously, day and night, showing Himself to each and everyone through His creation. It is a constant un-adulterated revelation of our Creator. It was through this thinking that I was lead to write the song “Where You’ll Find Him.” Pointing to the trees and their constant praise, the ocean and it’s beauty, stars and their grandness and saying to anyone that doesn’t know Him, “Look here. Look at these things and you will see who He is. He is our Creator.”

Below are the lyrics to my song and you can go to my music page for a listen

Where You’ll Find Him
Sarah MacIntosh

Verse 1:
I ask but you’ve said no
I’ll keep repeating
I cant believe that still
You’ve yet to see Him
He’s all around you
Right here beside you

Chorus:
Stars that’s where you’ll find Him
Trees listen they’re shouting
We are made by Him who created the heavens
Leaves can’t cease their clapping
Wind twirling and dancing
They never stop their praise to our King of Glory

Verse 2:
You search and you will find
Your Maker’s calling
Another step and then
There’s no more falling
He’s all around you
Right here beside you

Bridge:
So will you listen
Will you be watchful
Oceans they glisten
See how they sparkle
The movement’s for Him
In adoration of Him
The creation of His
Reaching back for Him

Outro:
Every knee will bow
Every tongue confess that
He’s the Lord, He’s the Lord

My run today was pushed back from a morning run to an afternoon run because there was a lot of work to get done before I could head out. I grabbed my cold weather running clothes, hat, sunglasses (more today for blocking the wind), garmin running watch/gps device, and some inspiring tunes on my iphone and headed out the door. After being cozy inside my house I was surprised to see/feel that it was very windy, cold and rainy. With a smirk on my face I began my run. I love days like this. It is different and poses a different challenge to my run. Days like this bring me out of my daze and drop me right into the moment, the cold rainy exhilarating moment. I know that if I can run on a day like today then I can run on any day. I don’t want to be the type of runner who is always looking for an excuse to not run. I want an excuse to run because I know that each day I am out there is a day that my body is getting better in shape. My heart is getting stronger. My lungs are getting more efficient and will make each time that I sing that much easier. My brain is getting clearer as I sort through all the thoughts floating around and cluttering it. I had 3 miles to run and I was super excited to do it. I couldn’t help but think of the verses in James 1:2-4 that say “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” I need to remember the joy that running this cold rainy day brought me on those days that I am being pummeled by the spiritual storms that come my way and know that if I can run headlong into those days with those storms then I can run the race of this life on any day.

This week I had the opportunity to co-host 2 worship nights at Saddleback Church. Both nights were attended by people who came ready to worship and sing out. It is always a huge blessing to lead a night of worship where all that is needed is to start a song and the people sing it out on their own. They didn’t need to be coaxed or cajoled into worshipping, they came ready. It was with this in mind that I had a chance to teach them a new song called Deliverer. Vicky Beeching and I sat in my living room and wrote this song for her new cd that will be coming out on April 6th. Even as I listened to Vicky record a video of herself singing the song to send to her record label, Integrity, I knew that this song had something special. This song had what I needed to say as a worshipper and what I think the church as a whole needs to sing out and say to the Lord. My husband, Jonny MacIntosh, produced Vicky’s cd and gathered a group of people together to sing the “gang” vocals on the bridge of this song. A few of the members in the gang were the lovely guys from the band Leeland. It was fantastic when it got to the bridge of this song to sing out and worship with these guys knowing that each person there was worshipping as we recorded. We were crying out “Your blood is enough to break every chain! Your blood is enough to break every chain! Your blood is enough to break every chain!” We believed it then as we sang it and now that I am able to lead it during a worship set I sing it with that same belief. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is healing.

Here is a video of me leading Deliverer at Saddleback:

Romans 2:4 “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance….”

Miriam-Webster’s dictionary defines repent this way:
-to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life

It is easy to think that the “bad guys” need to be lead to repentance. I could make quite a long list of people who have hurt me, ignored me, said mean things about me or those I love, have used me, have lied to me, etc. It is not these people that I thought of when I was running yesterday and listening to a podcast by Jon Courson on this scripture. As he was speaking my mind started to wonder as I remembered a time a while back when I was judging someone. I thought they were walking continuously down the wrong path and making bad decisions because of their own selfishness and fear. Bad decision on top of bad decision and I decided this person needed to reap what they had sown in order to see how selfish they were being. Right at the moment when they should have come crashing down I saw God swoop in and do a miracle for them. Something they didn’t deserve. Once again He saved them even though they didn’t deserve it. At first this made me angry. How could they ever learn from their mistakes if they kept getting bailed out? Then it hit me…like a kick in my stomach. He loves them. He loves them. He loves them. My heavenly Father who loves me also loves them. It was this kindness of His that lead me to repentance that day and still when I start to think of climbing up on that high horse of pride and judgement. That horse always knocks me down and bucks me off anyway. I would rather be continually in repentance because I am continually seeing His kindness…whether it is to me or to others. By deciding to do this, I am deciding to live a life knowing…He loves me…

Now go listen to Kim Walker’s version of “How He Loves” and get refreshed thinking about How He loves us…here is the youtube link to watch and listen to it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

I want to see His Glory! I want to be like Moses and say, “Please, show me Your Glory.” To which He will reply “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. 23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back…” in Exodus 33:18, 21-23. The Lord had a plan…He had a place for Moses and thank goodness Moses went into that place. Can you imagine if Moses had said “ummmm no, I don’t really like the clefts of the rock. There’s all kinds of bugs in there and perhaps even a snake. Could I just stand right here and not have to move?” Then what if Moses said “oh and by the way I really don’t want to see just Your back. If you can’t show me all Your Glory, including Your face, then I don’t want to see.” I want to be like Elijah who knows when He hears the Lord even through distractions like in 1 Kings 19:11-12. The Lord said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” Elijah knew that all the hustle and bustle was not the Lord but the still small voice. Imagine if Elijah had said “my God is big so He only speaks in big ways. He must/can only be the earthquake.” Both of these men knew that there only job was to get where God told them to and listen and watch. They did’t think they needed to run get the right clothes on to be ready, they didn’t need to make a “better” plan of how they would see God better, like if Elijah said “You know God, I really respond better to musical things so if You could speak to me through song that would be great,” or Moses saying “I like to do things without a plan Lord that way when something happens I’ll know it was you.” No. God gave the plan to Moses and because Moses was listening He was able to see the Glory of the Lord. Elijah listened and heard the Lord speak to Him they way God needed to speak to him. I want Him to tell me or place me where He wants me to be so that He can then show Himself the way He wants to. I sing my song “Be Glorified” to remind myself that my job is to let Him place me where I need to be and then in response Glorify Him, Magnify Him, lift Him up for the rest of my days. You can read the lyrics to my song below and have a listen on my music page…enjoy!

Be Glorified

Hide me in the rock
So that I can see
That You are the quiet whisper
Who surrounds me

Hold me in Your hand
Place me at Your feet
Reveal Yourself
Till we shout “You alone are Worthy”

Be Glorified
Be lifted up
Fill my mouth with the praise
You deserve
Be magnified
Most Holy One
It’s all for You alone
You alone, You alone

Tell me I’m Your child
Show me You’re my King
Send Your Spirit
Fill this place with Your Glory

Fragrance of the One
Whose Life makes me complete
Rend my heart
Till I shout “You alone are Worthy”

“Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,
Silver white winters that melt into springs,
These are a few of my favorite things.”
-Hammerstein, Oscar; Rodgers, Richard (sung by Julie Andrews)

Its no wonder that this song in on my brain as I sit in my room. This is my den, my cubby, my warm blanket around me, my thinking room, my ponder place, my quiet place, my hiding place… I call it the green room. Everything is wooden or books or green in this room. I have taken a few snapshots for you to see where I curl up to write. I have a chair that I bought before my daughter was born that I was told is hideously ugly but I couldn’t resist it’s comfort. It rocks. It has a footstool. That is my spot. I am sitting there now and doing what I do. Looking out the window at the rain, looking fondly at my books(I stopped counting them when I reached 800) and reflecting on the hours of cozy time I’ve spent in their reading. So…come on in…bring your hot tea and curl up with me. Who knows, maybe we could write a song together. It is raining outside and the perfect weather for a good lyric…

I like to plan. Everything that I look forward to includes making a list and the process of seeing the things on the list checked off is joy to me. I dream about the future. As a young girl I dreamt of my family and my adult life and all of the things it would include. My mental checklist forming:

do well in school
establish and get a job that I love
find my husband
travel the world
own a home where a family could grow
have children
have holidays and special occasions with a joyful family
share and see big God moments throughout my life with those I love
raise my children to know the Lord in a personal/real way
grow old with my husband
see my children married
see many grandchildren born and raised in whole and happy families

I could go on and on with my list. I could get more detailed with my list but even though I am still young I have already seen and had struggles with my envisioned future crumbling and needing to be rebuilt. My original list has been thrown out and a new list made. The new list quickly getting edited and eventually thrown out as well. Each year I hold my thoughts of the future in my heart an silently pray. I have had to give what I think it should be like to my Heavenly Father and entrust each and every detail of it to Him. I have also seen many friends and loved ones struggle with this as well. People who have seen spouses die far too young, people who have lost jobs and all their savings, people who have seen their marriages fail, parents who have lost children, children who have lost parents whether to death or divorce, and I’ve seen each one of these people with the look in their eyes that cries for the loss of their envisioned future. Their grief sitting like a rock in their throats, unable to even be whispered. So what does the Father do? What safeguard did He establish for us?

Romans 8:26–28 Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

I just breathed in these verses…All the tension that I tend to hold in my shoulders, all the furrowing of my brow, the ache in my chest and the thoughts I can’t seem to turn into words as prayers have been heard. I have a “Ghost who lives within the confines of these carbon ribs,” as John Mark McMillan would say, and this Holy Ghost/God’s Spirit hears me. He knows me. He sees me. He intercedes for me and has the perfect prayers for me. My worries are on His lips before God. My fears are being held in His hands. They are named and seen and I am being protected from them. Today I will remember that my sighs are acknowledged and being turn into prayers before my God. My God who loves me and makes all things right.

What are our expectations of God? Do we wake every morning with the expectation of seeing Him be obvious in His love for us? Do we think that when we are really good then perhaps we might feel a bit of peace hoping nothing bad will happen or do we truly expect Him to love us unconditionally? Are you the person who thinks God stands far off and controls the “big” things in life but doesn’t have time for the little day to day things?

- Matthew 10:29-31
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Who knows how many hairs they had this morning? Who knows how many fell out throughout the day? When you brushed your hair as you got ready for the day? Your God does. And this may seem like such a silly thing. Who cares about the number of hairs on my head? He is making a huge point here. He knows us so thoroughly and personally. He cares about us to the point where he is even noticing the number of hairs on our heads.

God is the only one who knows the thoughts He has about us and in Psalm 139:17 it says that His thoughts about us outnumber the sand and in Jeremiah 29:11 He says they are thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us a future and a hope.

Now with this image of God in our minds lets imagine the things we ask of Him. The things we expect from Him and His love. I can remember when I was younger praying for the man who would end up being my husband. I would pray that he would know the Lord. That he would be kept safe. That the Lord would constantly be drawing this husband to be into a stronger relationship with Himself. I would pray that the Lord would be preparing me to be a good wife for him. Then after I would pray these things I would tack onto the end of the prayer a quick “Lord please let him be good looking and tall!” Shhhhhh! It was almost like I whispered this last part in case the Lord didn’t love me enough to care about or know the desire of my heart. Of course I wanted my husband to be a godly man but I also wanted him to be cute! Psalm 37:4 says He wants to give you the desires of your heart. I need to keep in mind when I am looking to the Lord in honesty and crying out to Him from the depths of my heart whether in joy or sadness that Matthew 7:9-11 says 9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

My expectations of my Heavenly Father need to be huge. Psalm 72:18 says “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!” Get that? ONLY and WONDROUS. He only does wondrous things and since He cares so intimately, personally, deeply about us and our lives even to the point of knowing the hairs on our heads then that means in our lives He will only do wondrous things.

These are the thoughts that went through my head this morning while I watched my daughter think too small. I would/will give her anything she desires yet she thought she might settle for less as if this was all she could get…

I have decided that Christian music, as well as all music, comes in different forms much like food does. There is:

1. healthy ‘good for your body’ stuff that also tastes good
2. healthy stuff that doesn’t taste so good but you eat it anyway because it is good for you
3. the ‘just okay for you but tastes better and is easy to make’ stuff
4. the junk ‘oh so bad for you but tastes soooo good for you’ food

I have long been wondering why oh why healthy food can never compare in taste to a molten lava chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream? There is not a single healthy choice of food that comes close to giving my mouth the yummy satisfaction that the lava cake does. Why?

I think I have discovered the reason and this is what I also have been thinking about music as well; the lava cake has only one hope and that is to get you hooked by the instant gratification that it brings with it’s gooey chocolatey-ness. It can bring nothing else to the table except extra pounds, a huge sugar crash and a few cavities; thus, it tries to make me forget all of that by being so very good up front.

On the other hand some of my favorite healthy foods are more laid back. Cantaloupe, edamame, and water know that they can be more subtle in their goodness because I will reap rewards from a healthy eating lifestyle for years to come. Water alone may not have the delicious taste of a Dr. Pepper but it will give me good skin, refresh me, help with my metabolism, not to mention has no calories, among so so many other benefits. This drinking water habit I have will benefit me for the rest of my life in ways I will probably never know.

So, where am I going with this? There are songs on the radio and in music that will grab your attention right off with a sugary sweet melody and beat but there is nothing meaningful or purposeful (other than making some money for the record label) to these songs. I believe they also contribute to stunting your spiritual growth just like junk food hinders healthy growth. On the other hand there are songs that normally don’t even make it to radio that have so much depth and meat to them that they will be with you for the rest of your life. They will be the staples that you can look back on and remember the Lord revealing something new and fresh to you each time you hear them.

There are a few songs that I would put in my extremely meaty catagory:

1. Tears of the Saints- Leeland
2. Tear Down the Walls- Joel Houston
3. Our God Reigns- Delirious?
4. King of All Days- Dylan Thomas
5. True Love- Phil Wickham
6. How He Loves- John Mark McMillan
7. Revelation Song- Jenny Lee Riddle
8. You Hold Me Now- Reuben Morgan, Matt Crocker

There is a huge amount of depth in the songwriting as well as the musicality in these songs. They feed me and replenish me. Seek out songs like these and the people who write these songs that aren’t just sugar. Invest in their careers so that they can continue playing music and writing for our benefit and the rewards for your body, soul and spirit will be endless.

Worship: to ascribe worth to something. As a Christian, worship means ascribing worship to our God, to Jesus a lot of the times through music and singing but most of the time with our daily living. To a non-Christian it means ascribing worship to many different things and in many different ways. Oftentimes when I am trying to find freshness and newness in my worship of my Creator I look to the ways that I give worth to other aspects and people in life.

One of the things I am most excited about right now are the Olympics being held in Vancouver, Canada. As an avid runner and tomboy I have been in sports/athletic activity from a very young age and the Olympics are like a gift of pure pleasure to me to watch. I find myself Tivo-ing every sport, learning about every athlete and hold my breath as my favorites compete.

Since running is one of my favorite pastimes it is the endurance type sports portions of the Olympics that I look forward to the most. Already I’ve watched the women’s nordic skiing and seen a woman from another country fall into a whole at the side of the trail while getting ready for her event. She fell and hit a tree and rock and broke 4 ribs but before getting treated she competed in her event barely making it through the semifinals and into the final. I watched with eager anticipation as she stayed near the front throughout the whole race and then at the end pushed and pushed until she crossed the finish line and won the bronze medal. She got 3rd! Four broken ribs and who knows how many bruises and other hurting spots yet she did it! As I watched her struggle and success, I was the person alone in my house watching and jumping up and down and cheering for her! I had tears in my eyes from the pure joy and excitement of her accomplishment. I have told others about what she did and the obstacles she overcame in order to do it. I also made myself go further and run faster than normal, during my run later that day, because I was so inspired by her.

Do I ever do this with God? Do I ever wait on the edge of my seat for the moment that is coming where I get to see Him and respond with jumping up and down, cheering, tear-filled, joyful adoration? Do I ever run out immediately and tell anyone and everyone about what He has done? Do I ever spend time imitating Him because of the way He has inspired my life?

If I find myself doing this then I find myself worshipping Him and believe me, He is much more accomplished and worthy of my worship than any medal winning, world record breaking athlete. He is God!