God's Song

Sunday Worship - Here As In Heaven | Acoustic | Elevation Worship

Sunday Song- Jon Guerra - I Will Follow

Sunday Song

Day #27 Beautiful Jesus

Day #25 Beautiful Day

We've had the most gorgeous weather this week in Texas. It's really the first real "fall" like temperatures I can remember in years....Watch out world...we might actually be having 3 seasons now...Summer, August and Fall. :)

Here's one of my favorite young artists singing a song about today and everyday...it's all perspective! Plus...It's Friday....and every Friday is BEAUTIFUL!

Day #20 Beautiful Beautiful

May we be reminded this Lord's Day, who is truly beautiful.

Day #6 Beautiful Need

Sunday's Reading

Hopefully you're able to enjoy this Lord's Day basking in His goodness. Here are a few of my favorite links this week...articles and music that spoke to me. Maybe you'll have time today to take a look.

1. I Know Who You Are - JJ Heller writes songs about real life and Jesus. This is a song is powerful for anyone...but especially someone who is going through a time of faith testing.

2. Memorial Day Activities you can do with your Kids...via The Pioneer Woman

3. Audio Spanish Lessons...for FREE!! I think I will use these with my kids in the fall. They also have French Lessons.

4. Religion and the Oklahoma tornadoes ...a little warning...there is a little course language that I wish wasn't there...but it's a good article otherwise...and one that my heart resonates with.

5. Article about Teaching our kids to serve others... and fight the feeling of entitlement. HERE

When the Music Fades

Currently on the Christian radio stations there are a plethora of songs that are anthem/ballad style and it's super easy to get my mouth moving, belting out the lyrics without even really thinking about what I'm singing at all. Maybe you've been there...catchy beat, nice rhythm, awesome recording artist, great lyrics....and you find your head bopping, toe tapping, mouth humming, words spilling out...because after all, you know this song. And if you're like me, pretty soon I'm singing about Jesus taking it all, asking Him to bring the rain, raising my white flag. Unintentionally, I'm singing words I've not really thought about.

Because, what if Jesus Brought the Rain.....

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain

Is that what I really want...anything that brings Jesus glory. What if that entails losing something close to me? What if it means losing someone close to me? What if it means I lose my worldly possessions? When the music fades and all your left with is the words, are we still singing with such reckless abandonment?

I'm ashamed to say, I'm not most of the time. Losing people, things, stuff, friendships, jobs, lives, hopes, dreams. That's tough stuff. And often our mouths quit moving. The pain is too deep, the hurt too close, the grief of loss too tender and we become mute. Our praise ends, our worry picks up. Our heart hardens and soon we are singing a different song. One of sorrow and lamenting and worrying and complaining....and one that says Rain Rain Go Away...come again some other day! 

I want the words that sing from my mouth to be words that I'm living. I want my heart to echo complete surrender...waving my white flag high to heaven....even if that means I lose something. How does that happen? Daily, by the minute surrendering to whatever brings Him glory. Whatever....pain, joy, peace, unrest, anguish, sorrow...whatever brings Him glory. And these words are easier to type than to live....just like the words to these anthems we sing in our churches, in our cars, in our homes, in our showers. And that is the reason we surrender. Daily. By the moment. As often as necessary. Even now. This second. Surrender.

That's What I Like About Sundays....

The body of Christ meeting together...

The Spirit of God present amongst us...

The atmosphere full of anticipation...

The music gathering us in...

The Word of God broken before us....

The Man of God under the control of God....

The power of God filling the space....

The fellowship of family.....

The worship of a Savior....

The blessing of moments shared together.


That's what happened in our presence this Sunday. I don't know if I've ever sensed the presence of God so thick in any one place before. This afternoon I was still talking about it...and now...because it's still fresh on my heart...I'm writing it out. I don't want to forget it.

Ironically, just because I sensed it today doesn't mean it hasn't been there before....like, every single time we meet. But today I paid attention. I tuned in. God had my attention and I am changed because of it.

Thank you Lord for a little glimpse of what heaven will be like. It's going to be beautiful!

Holy Spirit Have Your Way- Leeland

I'm pretty sure....

Sometimes all you can do is laugh at yourself...or cry...

I'm pretty sure there's a chance that I flashed the whole choir at church today....thanks to a good friend who came to my rescue...I'm not entirely sure....and just so you know...if you're reading this and you do know if I flashed the choir or not...I don't want to know. I think it's just good for me to get it out there and admit that it might have happened and I'm pretty sure it did...and I don't want to talk about it because...the laughter might turn to crying....and I'm so so sorry.

I'm pretty sure I was fighting tears as I heard my hubby preach tonight at church. There are times he makes me very proud. Tonight was one of those times.

I know I was tearing up at the Burger King today....even though it should have been over the amount of calories I was consuming...it was over one of my preschool students.

I am convinced that if Tucker doesn't stop practicing his cowboy manners (the tilt of the cowboy hat with a "howdy") I may die laughing. He's also calling me his "beloved"....I'm telling you, he is hilarious.

Clothing a nine year old girl is going to also bring me to tears! Savannah's wardrobe is 100% bigger and way cuter than mine....and yet....If I hear "I don't have anything to wear" one more time....well let's just say I may need a trip....a long extended stay trip somewhere!!!

Everyday we have choices on how we are going to handle things. Some days I laugh at the same thing that the next day will make me cry! Thankful...as I was reminded in our sermon this morning at church, God NEVER changes. He is the God of the present tense...I AM. His presence is with us today...and when your tomorrow becomes today. He's there. Through the ups and downs...the laughing and the crying...the joys and sorrows. Whether you flash the choir...or you're trying to reach a goal or break a bad habit or want to cry in Burger King.

Thank you Lord!

So....'fess up....ever been a time you had to choose between laughing and crying? Especially if you flashed the choir....I gotta know!!!

A Summer of Song

Music. The universal language. I remember standing in the store front church in Pichanaki, Peru for a worship service earlier this summer and listening as the small congregation of Peruvians sang worship songs to the Lord. I remember thinking what an awesome thing that God understands the universal language of worship. He doesn't have to know your native tongue because He knows your heart. That's all that matters.

This summer I've had the blessing of singing with an ensemble at church. I've loved it. It's been a while since I've sang with four part harmony in a small group and it's been so much fun. The people that I get to sing with each week have been hard working, fun, talented. Our worship choir will start back up in a few weeks and then I'll get to enjoy all the big sounds of many voices. It's all a win win for me because it's all about the music and the words and the worship. 

I sing at home, not necessarily in the shower, but it would not be unusual for you to pop in and find us with the music loud. I sing in the car....I usually am also beating on the steering wheel in some drummer type fashion...and from the time my kids were little they've had "their" song that I sing to them at bed time. 

Music has the power to take us back to places we first heard a song, it can carry us from sadness to joy, from anger to love, from frustration to peace. It's comforting, energizing, soothing, prayerful, insightful. It spans language barriers, cultural differences and generations. 

No wonder God gave it to us. I'm reminded that He has placed the New Song in my heart. The one that is different from the world. The one that worships Him. The one that whispers and shouts in the same breathe that Jesus in the only one for me. 

Psalm 40:3

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
         Many will see and fear
         And will trust in the LORD.

Music To My Ears

Music plays a regular role in our home....always has. I remember shortly after we were married Bruce came home telling me about this stereo system a friend of his had and was selling...and how we really needed it....and the bass amplifier and the tape deck and the 3 disk CD changer. (I realize I am dating myself a tad). So he told me how much we could pay each month and we  he decided this was a good idea. Thus rekindling his love affair with the Bee Gees, Don Williams, Chicago, REO Speedwagon, The Gatlin Brothers and pretty much any artist I hadn't developed a taste for. We were sooooo opposites when it came to music.

But today...after almost 18 years of marriage we tend to agree on the sounds that make us the happiest. Like....

hearing our children pray....
.....the laughter as we tickle tiny toes....
the songs that fill the bathtub at wash time.....
....the clanging of pots and pans as children learn responsibility.....
the piano keys as they are pounded out ...
....the crashing of matchbox cars on the track....
the whispered goodnights...
...the "one more time" pleas
...the "I love you more" games....
...the echos of our own voices replicated in those tiny bodies

This music we agree on. The best, most beautiful, melodic...and yet somedays chaotic. This music fills our lives with much more than some 80's beat could ever manage. It represents the best...and sometimes the worst of us. It has the power to move us....to challenge us to do better...to laugh more...to invest more....to teach more...to pray more...to draw closer....to watch....to sing...to dance....just a little more. Because the music will change in just a few years...the station will play sounds of cars starting, boys calling, phones ringing....and while we will grow to love that music too....it will never be this station...this moment or this melody.

Thankful for today...embracing it.

Holy Week Reflection

Check out this new song from Matt Papa.... IT IS FINISHED

Mandisa

God knows exactly what we need. His timing is perfect. 

This is a lesson that I was reminded of during our trip to Georgia. When my brand new step-sister Stacy said that she had a couple of extra tickets to see American Idol's Mandisa and Women of Faith funny lady Anita Renfroe I couldn't say YES fast enough! I was mostly looking forward to laughing so hard I would need to wear a diaper (if you know what I mean) but quickly remembered Mandisa's incredible weightloss and was secretly hoping I would hear something inspiring from her.

So here I am with Mom and sister in law Jan ....yes we are giddy....there is no denying it!

We enjoyed the concert so much. Anita was hysterically funny....she did the Momsense Song, All the Wrinkled Ladies, The Spoof on Love Story and so many other things that truly only women "get". If you've been living under a rock the last 10 years or so and haven't a clue who she is....two words...You Tube. Check her out!

Mandisa did not disappoint. With her new album due to release in a few days she of course was promoting it. Only thing is....those songs were written out of a time of desperation for her. During her darkest moments she got real with herself and started realizing why she had treated her body with such abuse over the years. She talked about Idol and the impact of the negative words that were said about her while she was on the show and ultimately she talked about forgiveness and healing. Giving 100% credit to the work God is doing in her life, she attributed 5 things to her success. 

1. Scripture memorization

2. Prayer

3. Christian Counseling

4. Eating Right

5. Zumba

One this that she kept reiterating was that God was stronger than the strongholds of food addictions that we binding her and literally weighing her down. I LOVE THIS. It's something that He is teaching me, and in a moment when I needed to hear it again....God spoke loudly. I'm thankful for each step of this journey and the lessons that I am learning ever so slowly. I've known many of them for years....in my head...but we've seen where that has gotten me. It's the heart makeover that makes the eternal difference.

Check out this video:

Soon

Tickling the Ivories

Savannah started private piano lessons in January. Here's a sampling of what she's learned so far:

That's What I Love About Sunday

Sonya over at Truth 4 the Journey posted this video last week on her blog. I can honestly say this video brought back a flood of memories from my childhood. Sundays were sacred at our house. No shopping, no eating out, the house was quiet, we read the paper, books, took a nap and ate a big meal at lunch, and attended church for Sunday School, Worship and Evening Service. I loved Sundays.

I am thankful for this reminder of the good life. I am also thankful for a God that didn't require his children to work 7 days a week, but knew and afforded us the goodness of a day at rest. Shame on us if we don't observe this.