Gone are the -eens! He's 20 now!

Happy Birthday to my baby!

Oh wait, you're no baby, you're 20 years old!

February 17, 2018

What a year it has been for you! 

I have watched you struggle and grow. 

I have seen a courage that is part of your biblical namesake grow in you.

I have seen your determination and your passion to seek His kingdom. 

I have seen and heard you develop your new passion in singing and acoustic guitar. 

I've seen you volunteer your gifts both at school and church. 

I've seen you develop new friendships. 

And the best sign of your maturing is your recognition to seek godly counsel when overwhelmed; a sign of humility and wisdom, spoken of in the verse of the day:

James 3:13 (AMP)
Wisdom from Above
Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good conduct show his [good] deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom.

And this year will be the year of your anointing as you take the step to declare you are His disciple to the world as you enter into the waters of baptism. The year I pray you will experience a special anointing of His power to work in and through His gifts in you. YAY! 

I deeply respect you for taking your time and thinking through this and not caving in to pressure from your mama. (She bad, eh?) Easter Monday will be a most memorable day and I am so grateful for the ministry of The Embassy at Humber and especially for the godly mentor you find in Trevor. So grateful for him.

I am grateful to Elevation worship and Hillsong worship for how they have inspired you to grow in your passion. I am grateful to Pastor Steven Furtick for bringing relevant teaching to you.

I am also grateful for friends who have been loyal to you and for your loyalty to your friends as well.

And I am grateful to you for the love you have for your brother and me and your Dad. You are so easy to love even when it is hard. Haha.

Mostly I am grateful to God for always being there for you. Even in the most crushing times, His fingerprints have been present as they have brought you to Him.

And here's a look through the past:

Wanted to post your videos as well, but can't find them. Hahaha.

But here's a song to dedicate to your 20th year, the song that captured my heart when I heard you sing it first at RAC. May you live out this song:

VERSE 1: God of creation There at the start Before the beginning of time With no point of reference You spoke to the dark And fleshed out the wonder of light CHORUS 1: And as You speak A hundred billion galaxies are born In the vapour of Your breath the planets form If the stars were made to worship so will I I can see Your heart in everything You've made Every burning star A signal fire of grace If creation sings Your praises so will I VERSE 2: God of Your promise You don't speak in vain No syllable empty or void For once You have spoken All nature and science Follow the sound of Your voice CHORUS 2: And as You speak A hundred billion creatures catch Your breath Evolving in pursuit of what You said If it all reveals Your nature so will I I can see Your heart in everything You say Every painted sky A canvas of Your grace If creation still obeys You so will I BRIDGE: If the stars were made to worship so will I If the mountains bow in reverence so will I If the oceans roar Your greatness so will I For if everything exists to lift You high so will I If the wind goes where You send it so will I If the rocks cry out in silence so will I If the sum of all our praises still falls shy Then we'll sing again a hundred billion times VERSE 3: God of salvation You chased down my heart Through all of my failure and pride On a hill You created The light of the world Abandoned in darkness to die CHORUS 3: And as You speak A hundred billion failures disappear Where You lost Your life so I could find it here If You left the grave behind You so will I I can see Your heart in everything You've done Every part designed in a work of art called love If You gladly chose surrender so will I I can see Your heart Eight billion different ways Every precious one A child You died to save If You gave Your life to love them so will I TAG: Like You would again a hundred billion times But what measure could amount to Your desire You're the One who never leaves the one behind

Prayer:

Father, I come to You with a heart full of gratitude for Your love and faithfulness in Daniel's life. Indeed he is one of your works of art, and like me, a work in progress. I pray O Lord, that like the verse of the day, he will by his good conduct show his [good] deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom. May he continue to seek godly counsel and fill his mind with what is good and pure and noble. Man you anoint his giftedness with Your power and show him how he should use it for Your glory. May the wisdom You grant him weed out any destructive relationships and lead him to the godly partner You have prepared for him. May you allow him to discern the wily schemes of Satan to sabotage Your purpose for him. May he always look to You for help and provision. I ask You to bless him with deep restful sleep seeped in Your peace. May he cherish silence to hear Your gentle whispers. May he have good health and prosper in all he does.

Lord, I commit my dear child, ultimately Yours back to You. May he delight in You as much as you delight in Him.

In the Name of Jesus, I pray,

Amen.

Always and forever,

With love that consumes me,

Your Mom