As I lie in bed watching Oprah’s farewell show, Tom Hanks just gave the the perfect quote for how I’m feeling at this moment.

There’s no surprise more magical that the surprise of being loved. ~Unidentified English Playwright
Last night, a complete stranger named Megan  gifted me with an i-tunes download of Mandisa’s new project, What If We Were Real.

On Twitter, I kept seeing one tweet after another raving about the album, and it seemed that each one mentioned a different song as their favorite.

I tweeted, “I am about 2 lose my mind waiting 4 the budget 2 allow me 2 download your new CD. It seems like every song is someone’s fave!”

When I sent that tweet, it was sincerely a statement of encouragement to Mandisa for putting out a CD that sings the heart songs of people.

I never dreamed someone would feel led to give me such a sweet taste of grace. Thank you so much, Megan. Your kindness touched me. I look forward to getting to know you better now that we’ve connected.

I got What If We Were Real settled in to my i-pod and set off for the grocery store. It was surely worth the wait. Every song gave me glory bumps. Every song resonated in my heart because they each put my journey of healing to music.

I encourage every Christian to get their hands on this project. Mandisa sings of our worth, our hope for change, our strength from God Himself, and the truth that makes us whole and free.

Well…as if receiving the grace gift from Megan wasn’t enough, my youngest son, Jacob, got his own taste of grace.

This afternoon, we went through the drive-thru of Starbucks because he had money burning a hole in the pocket of his dusty blue jeans. He ordered his favorite, a vanilla bean frappicino. When we got to the window, Jake pulled his duct tape wallet and said, “Here’s a fiver, Mom.”

The drive-thru barista grinned and said, “No need to pay; the lady in front of you paid for your drink.”

Jacob’s jaw dropped. My jaw dropped.

A taste of grace from a stranger we’ll never be able to thank, and a lesson my son won’t soon forget.

We glanced over our shoulders and found the drive-thru lane to be empty. No way to immediately pass it on. I’m anxious to see if Jacob makes the choice to pass on the blessing to another unsuspecting soul. I pray the sweet taste of vanilla will be a reminder to him of what grace tastes like.

Lord, thank you for the sweet, sweet tastes of grace my son and I experienced today. I pray you would keep our eyes open for opportunities to place a dollop of grace on a weary heart. What a privilege to be Your hands and feet.

Today’s my sweetie’s birthday! I found it so fitting for our worship music to be a collection of songs Cliff has written over the years. As I sang the words to God’s heart, I felt like those songs were Cliff’s gift to Almighty God, his redeemer, his savior, and his friend.

Another beautiful aspect of our Heart of Mesa service was the baptism of a beautiful mother and her young son. To see families let Jesus make Himself at home in their hearts is just plain wonderful. Last week, little Elijah was sitting at my table at H.O.M.ie Kidz. Another student shared her concern about a girl at school who lies a lot. Before I could say a word, Elijah matter-of-factly said, “You should pray to God about her.” Sounds like this precious, snaggle tooth boy is serious about his faith already!

Pastor Gary’s sermon was so tender to his heart that he had a hard time preaching without getting emotional. On more than once occasion, his voice quavered with passion over his desire to know God more.

Pastor Gary celebrated his own birthday just yesterday, and I suspect the passing of another year is a time of reflection for him, just as it is for me.

Gary’s sermon outlined three longings of his heart: to know Christ better, to understand how to know Him better, and to love Him more that anyone or anything.

To Know Christ Better

Gary confessed that he is often more concerned with serving God and living for God than he is with knowing God.

I think many of us are that way, and the ironic thing is that the more we get to know God, the more natural it become to serve Him and live for Him.

When is the last time you had a gnawing hunger to know Christ better? A deep heartache that will only be soothed by communing with your Savior?

Can you truly pray with passionate sincerity this prayer of David?

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NIV

I have never seen a family more close-knit than Pastor Gary and his wife and two daughters. They crave time together whether it be sitting around a table, participating in sports activities, or serving shoulder-to-shoulder in ministry. There’s no doubt that Edithe, Jana, and Jennifer are Gary’s favorite people in the world.  Now, he has two fine son-in-laws and two precious granddaughters who have found a place in his heart.

Gary declared his adoration for his family this morning, but also acknowledged that he desires to know his Lord even better than he knows his family.

Most of us have invested hours upon hours and years upon years into cultivating a close relationship with family.

The same should be true with our relationship with Christ. The more time we spend in His presence, and the more time we fill our minds with His words, the more connected we will be to Him…able to know Him to the depth of our supernatural understanding God provides.

Family and friends are precious, but not permanent. When the time comes, only Christ will remain.

But how do we know Christ in the strongest, deepest sense of the word?

God’s Word holds the answers to every question. In John 14:21-25, Jesus explains how to truly know (and love) Him.

The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.] Judas, not Iscariot, asked Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself [make Yourself real] to us and not to the world? Jesus answered, If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me. I have told you these things while I am still with you. (Amplified Bible)

In verse 21, Jesus says the one who “has” His Word and “keeps” it is the one who loves Him.

To “have” His Word is to receive it with fiery passion and plant it in your soul. It’s to meditate on it…to turn it over and over and over in your mind…until it becomes part of who you are.

To “keep” His Word is to let it sink so deep into your soul that you can’t help but apply it and continually obey it.

Jesus was the Word made flesh to dwell with mankind. (John 1:14) When we allow the Word to become part of our character, Jesus makes Himself at home with us. In other words, we will know Him like family, and the family resemblance will be uncanny!

The love language of Jesus is obedience.

To love Him more

The old adage, “to know him is to love him” is never more true than with Christ.

The more we allow our knowledge of Him to take root in our souls, the more brilliant our love blooms will be!

I saw a commercial last night for a Miracle Gro hose attachment. As the happy gardener sprayed her rose bushes with the magic potion, her rose bushes grew lush with gigantic, kaleidoscope blooms. The poor bushes in the “control” group were still pretty…but puny.

We were created to love God. Only when we truly love Christ can we truly love others. Yes, those without Christ are capable of love, but Christ is the Miracle Gro that allows us to love with brilliance. It causes our love to make a breathtaking difference in the world. Only Christ can cause the fragrance of our love to impact everyone we meet.

See how all of these longings of the soul are intertwined? To know Him is to love Him is to love others with His love. The eternal analogy.