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God Loved the World

 

Subject: God Loved the World
 
Jennifer Shaw Music August 2010
 
In This Issue
God Loved the World
 
Jennifer ShawThere is no more important message that I could possibly be sending this month, and I hope you'll take the time to read! 

We have spent a lot of the summer here focusing on one of my songs, "God Loved the World" which is the single out right now.  It's based on many scriptures, but the chorus is on John 3:16, one of the most beloved verses in the Bible.  Below, I have written what John 3:16 means to me, and what it means for you.  If you don't know this, take this as an appointment with God - as my dad used to say, this is not something you can afford to mess up!

A few ministry updates: 

We shot a music video this summer for the song, and I am so excited to share it with you!  We really wanted to capture the message of the song in the story, and it does.  

The premier of the video will be on AUGUST 30th - I will show it on my site and coordinate with my facebook andshoutlife pages.  I'll also announce it on twitter and myspace.  For that day ONLY we will also be having a free download of the song at my site, so make sure to visit!

Also, for people in the COLUMBUS area, I am doing a benefit concert for Young Life's urban ministry on August 29th at UALC's Mill Run Campus at 7 pm, and we will be doing a "sneak peek" of the video there before it goes live at midnight!  There were several Columbus Young Life leaders in the video, so we thought it would be a great way to share it.  Please come out to the concert and support this awesome ministry!  And please consider buying a block oftickets and bringing your friends!  Tickets are $10 each or ten tickets for $80 - all tickets sales will go directly to Young Life Columbus.

I'm so looking forward to sharing the video with you, and seeing what God will do!  It's been so encouraging to see how the song is doing ("Most Added" on the Billboard chart, and on the "On the Verge" chart on Christian Music Weekly four weeks in a row!)   I've already had people telling me how it will open doors for them to share the Gospel with family and friends, and I am praying that God will use it in BIG ways!

As always, you can catch up on the other things we've been doing (singing the National Anthem for the Pirates/Reds game, opening for Big Daddy Weave, doing a national women's conference in Washington D.C.) on my blog - love to see you there!

To God be the Glory!

Jennifer
God Loved the World
God Loves You

Usually, I'm usually inspired by what God is teaching me right now.  Lately, though, I've been thinking about the basics - about the Gospel of Christ.  If we have that, we have everything, and if we miss that, there's no point in anything else.  I am compelled to put this out there - if you don't know this, pay attention!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  - John 3:16-17

God loves us.  He created us to be in relationship with Him.  When sin came into the world, it separated us from Him.  He is perfect, and we are not.

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"  - Rom. 3:23

Our culture will tell us that we should just try to be good, that we can be "good people".  That it doesn't matter if you cheat a little, or tell white lies, as long as you balance that out with some extra kindness somewhere else.  That is not the truth.  God tells us in the Bible that sin is a state we are in.  We all sin with actions, but sin is also in us, not just actions, but a state of being.  We can do nothing in ourselves to change it, and the penalty of our sin is death and total separation from God.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  - Rom. 6:23

The first half of that verse clearly says that we are all deserving of death.  But look at the second half - God wants to give us life!  And He wants to give it to us freely.  He loves us!

Jesus was perfect.  He was sinless.  The payment for sin is death.  Jesus never had to die, but because He choseto, He paid the price for our sin with His own death.  It is as if we had an enormous debt we could not pay, and Jesus came and paid it Himself.  If we choose to believe in Him, we receive that gift, the gift of life, freedom, hope, peace!

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."  - Isaiah 53:5

I am overwhelmed by God's love for us, and for me.  Nothing in my life is the same since I accepted that gift of Christ, and I am compelled to tell you what I have!  I hope and pray that you have responded to God, and have accepted this gift.  If you have, praise God!  And if not, why not?  I challenge you to take a minute and really pray about this - does it make sense to you?  Do you recognize truth?  If you do, and you say yes to God, hang on, nothing will ever be the same!
 
About Jennifer Shaw Music
Singer, songwriter, speaker, and worship leader Jennifer Shaw recently topped the national Christian radio charts with a # 3 hit song "Your Great Name." After being classically-trained as an opera singer at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, Jennifer became a professor of music at Cedarville University before she felt led into her current role as a worship leader at her local church. Her testimony includes tragedy and triumph, being the parent of a special needs child, and losing her father to Lou Gehrig's disease. Her new CD, LOVE BROKE THROUGH, features songs that offer hope in any circumstance and also reflect her recent experiences on the mission field in Africa and the UK.
 
Jennifer Shaw Music
P.O. Box 340773
Columbus, Ohio 43234