What is it about music that can reach places in my mind that nothing else can touch? Is it the combination of sounds with the words that grasp my very soul and take my emotions to heights that I never imagined could exist? Why am I created to experience these feelings more acutely than others around me, and to feel like I am transported by the very melodies that I hear?
Those who know me are not surprised when they see tears falling from my eyes when I hear a song. It seems that most inspirational songs were written to express what I have witnessed - what has happened in my life - and I am again amazed at what God has done for me in spite of my sinful ways. Whether it is Fernando Ortega singing the old hymn, "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent" or Big Daddy Weave bringing glory to God's name with "Audience of One," music has always touched my life.
It's no surprise then to have this song find me at a time when it seemed that my world had fallen apart. Written by Bart Millard, Barry Graul, and Peter Kipley of "Mercy Me," the words made me realize that in spite of what I was going through, I needed to keep singing and let God and the music heal me.
Another rainy day
I can't recall having sunshine on my face
All I feel is pain
All I want to do is walk out of this place
But when I am stuck, I can't move
When I don't know what I should do
When I wonder if I'll ever make it through
But I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
You're the One that's keeping my heart beating
I gotta keep singing
I gotta keep praising Your name
That's the only way that I'll find healing
Can I climb up in Your lap?
I don't wanna leave
Jesus sing over me
I gotta keep singing!
I don't know where you are in your life right now, but I would imagine that there is something that is unsettling, something that keeps you awake for a few more moments than you wish when you lay your head on your pillow. Some memory from the past or a worry over the future. Some fear for your family, or a desire for a friend to find a saving relationship with Christ. Whatever it is, we all have something. As Jesus said, in this world we will have tribulations.
But He also said to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world. And for me, one of the best ways to celebrate that victory is through music. In spite of what is bothering us, we need to focus on the joy that is found in praising God for the victory, even if we have not yet experienced it!
So here's your assignment: First, read Psalm 150. It's a short little chapter, but it will get you started in the right direction. Second, find a song that speaks to you - a positive song that expresses what you want to facilitate in your life, even if you don't feel it right now. A song that touches your heart and lifts your spirit in praise to God. Third, keep that song in your heart. Use it to remind you of the God who loves you so much that He can't wait to be with you for eternity!
And keep on singing!
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Giving Thanks
It's almost Thanksgiving Day....
This week many people in the United States will be focusing on food, stuffing themselves with turkey and all the trimmings, watching football games, and trying to figure out what fills their hearts with thankfulness. We call it "Thanksgiving," and like many good ideas it has become a commercialized event that has lost much of its initial meaning. It started out as a harvest celebration after a hard year for the Pilgrims - a chance to show their thankfulness for surviving through some tough times. Over the years it has morphed into a time of family get-togethers and a day away from work - and excessive eating with a hedonistic twist.
I'm sure that around many tables there will be attempts to share what makes families and friends thankful. However, after the recent weeks of financial collapse and fear for the future, it might not be as easy to find something that fills the hearts with thanks. In fact, some people will probably skip that traditional part and just jump into chewing on a turkey leg.
I am reminded of Paul's admonition in his first letter to the members of the infant church at Thessalonica. In chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, he says: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
And I can hear some people saying, "How can I 'rejoice' when the drop in the stock market - down nearly 50 percent from it's highest point - destroyed my retirement fund? How can I give thanks when my family is struggling, when people are losing jobs all around me, when I might be the next one on the chopping block, and when I have nothing to be sure of in my future? I'm probably going to lose my house - and you want me to be thankful?"
I'm not the one who said it - and I probably wouldn't be the one who would suggest it - but Paul had the audacity to tell this church that they needed to learn to rejoice and be thankful no matter what the circumstances. He must have had a reason to say that or there must have been some core belief that he wanted to instill in their minds about the act of thankfulness. And it was important enough to tack it on to the end of his letter.
Here's what I think: Giving thanks does something to us, something for us, and doesn't require something to first happen to us to make us thankful. Thankfulness is not based on good things happening to us, because we can never know at the time if something that happens is a good thing or a bad thing. Thankfulness is a decision based on the fact that God is still in control, and a willingness to say, as Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
And on a day like Thanksgiving we are given the opportunity to publicly express that in spite of everything falling apart, even when our future is scary, we can fill the air with praise to God and shouts of thankfulness for all that He has done in our lives. We can let the world know that we believe that God is in control and we gladly place our lives into to His keeping.
So, what will your Thanksgiving Day be like?
God bless you abundantly!
This week many people in the United States will be focusing on food, stuffing themselves with turkey and all the trimmings, watching football games, and trying to figure out what fills their hearts with thankfulness. We call it "Thanksgiving," and like many good ideas it has become a commercialized event that has lost much of its initial meaning. It started out as a harvest celebration after a hard year for the Pilgrims - a chance to show their thankfulness for surviving through some tough times. Over the years it has morphed into a time of family get-togethers and a day away from work - and excessive eating with a hedonistic twist.
I'm sure that around many tables there will be attempts to share what makes families and friends thankful. However, after the recent weeks of financial collapse and fear for the future, it might not be as easy to find something that fills the hearts with thanks. In fact, some people will probably skip that traditional part and just jump into chewing on a turkey leg.
I am reminded of Paul's admonition in his first letter to the members of the infant church at Thessalonica. In chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, he says: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
And I can hear some people saying, "How can I 'rejoice' when the drop in the stock market - down nearly 50 percent from it's highest point - destroyed my retirement fund? How can I give thanks when my family is struggling, when people are losing jobs all around me, when I might be the next one on the chopping block, and when I have nothing to be sure of in my future? I'm probably going to lose my house - and you want me to be thankful?"
I'm not the one who said it - and I probably wouldn't be the one who would suggest it - but Paul had the audacity to tell this church that they needed to learn to rejoice and be thankful no matter what the circumstances. He must have had a reason to say that or there must have been some core belief that he wanted to instill in their minds about the act of thankfulness. And it was important enough to tack it on to the end of his letter.
Here's what I think: Giving thanks does something to us, something for us, and doesn't require something to first happen to us to make us thankful. Thankfulness is not based on good things happening to us, because we can never know at the time if something that happens is a good thing or a bad thing. Thankfulness is a decision based on the fact that God is still in control, and a willingness to say, as Job said, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
And on a day like Thanksgiving we are given the opportunity to publicly express that in spite of everything falling apart, even when our future is scary, we can fill the air with praise to God and shouts of thankfulness for all that He has done in our lives. We can let the world know that we believe that God is in control and we gladly place our lives into to His keeping.
So, what will your Thanksgiving Day be like?
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Enemy's Revenge
As I sat there, I couldn't believe how small the casket was. I've been to services at that funeral home before, and usually the casket fills the front of the room of the little chapel. But the simple casket, not much more than a little wooden box, seemed so small - so insignificant - sitting alone on the stand.
But the life of a two-month-old child can never be insignificant. Not to the mother. Not to the grandparents. Not to anyone. Especially when the death is sudden and unexpected and not related to natural causes.
The young mother did her best to keep her composure, even when the tears were streaming down her face. She had written a message to her baby, which she read while the rest of us cried. When she said, "I had such plans for you - celebrating Christmas and birthdays and hearing you call me Mommy," there was not a dry eye in the place.
I came home and sat in the silence of an empty house. What kind of a world do we have, I thought, where an innocent baby girl's life is taken before it ever began? Tonight, while other parents are playing with their children, how can a mother stare at an empty crib and not feel the unfairness of life?
How could this have happened?
I was reminded of a parable that Jesus told His disciples. In Matthew 13 it is recorded that while men slept, someone came and planted weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted, it became obvious that there were weeds intertwined with the young stocks of wheat. The servants told the owner about the weeds, and his response was, "An enemy has done this." And apparently that enemy is still at work today.
While we can see good things happening in people's lives, there are also destructive events that we encounter every day. And those evil occurrences have the fingerprint of the enemy on every one of them.
You see, I believe that Satan realizes that he lost the war at Calvary - that he no longer has a chance to convince the universe that God is unloving and unjust. But while he might be defeated, he is not inactive. He wants to destroy as many human lives as he can - just to hurt God's children. And I know that the quickest way to hurt a parent is to attack the children.
I reached over to pick up my trusted Bible and turned to I Thessalonians 4. The familiar words jumped off the page, and they seemed to bring peace to my heart.
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
I believe that someday we will look up and see our Savior coming in the clouds to take us home. I believe that there will be a young mother who will watch as an angel brings her a beautiful baby girl, and she will again hold her darling child in her arms. I believe that in spite of the enemy's revenge against God's people, we will experience a fullness of joy that will be worth all of the trials and pain we have had to endure here.
I just pray that it will be soon....
God bless you abundantly!
But the life of a two-month-old child can never be insignificant. Not to the mother. Not to the grandparents. Not to anyone. Especially when the death is sudden and unexpected and not related to natural causes.
The young mother did her best to keep her composure, even when the tears were streaming down her face. She had written a message to her baby, which she read while the rest of us cried. When she said, "I had such plans for you - celebrating Christmas and birthdays and hearing you call me Mommy," there was not a dry eye in the place.
I came home and sat in the silence of an empty house. What kind of a world do we have, I thought, where an innocent baby girl's life is taken before it ever began? Tonight, while other parents are playing with their children, how can a mother stare at an empty crib and not feel the unfairness of life?
How could this have happened?
I was reminded of a parable that Jesus told His disciples. In Matthew 13 it is recorded that while men slept, someone came and planted weeds among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted, it became obvious that there were weeds intertwined with the young stocks of wheat. The servants told the owner about the weeds, and his response was, "An enemy has done this." And apparently that enemy is still at work today.
While we can see good things happening in people's lives, there are also destructive events that we encounter every day. And those evil occurrences have the fingerprint of the enemy on every one of them.
You see, I believe that Satan realizes that he lost the war at Calvary - that he no longer has a chance to convince the universe that God is unloving and unjust. But while he might be defeated, he is not inactive. He wants to destroy as many human lives as he can - just to hurt God's children. And I know that the quickest way to hurt a parent is to attack the children.
I reached over to pick up my trusted Bible and turned to I Thessalonians 4. The familiar words jumped off the page, and they seemed to bring peace to my heart.
"But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
I believe that someday we will look up and see our Savior coming in the clouds to take us home. I believe that there will be a young mother who will watch as an angel brings her a beautiful baby girl, and she will again hold her darling child in her arms. I believe that in spite of the enemy's revenge against God's people, we will experience a fullness of joy that will be worth all of the trials and pain we have had to endure here.
I just pray that it will be soon....
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
In A Little While...
I don't know how He does it....
Yes, I know that He is God, and I shouldn't try to "humanize" Him and think that His ability to deal with our world is equal to how we deal with situations. But some things are truly beyond my comprehension.
Take this week for instance. Just in my own circle of acquaintances I have seen a baby die from non-natural causes and another person tell me of the pain she has experienced in the past several years since her son killed her husband. Move to the next circle of relationships (things that happened to a friend of a friend) and there were suicides and sudden deaths from unknown causes. All in the past week.
We shake our heads and wonder what is going on in the world. Yet statistically people die all the time. Events occur that negatively affect lives every day. That's what happens. That's what our existence is all about.
Look at your own life. What has happened to you or to your family or close friend in the last several weeks? Have you been blindsided by something that has tried to destroy you? Have you seen the pain that cuts so deep that people are left wounded and in agony - with no relief in sight? And have you asked yourself, "How can this life go on and on like this?"
Which brings me to my initial question - "How can God tolerate all of this pain?" I know the pain that I have felt this week, and my pain was limited to a few isolated incidents. God, on the other hand, watches everything that goes on, and sees all of the pain that we as humans experience. It's enough to cause me to start thinking like some of the critics who have been so vocal and critical of God. "Doesn't He care," they ask, "about all that we are going through? Why doesn't He step in and stop this? Doesn't He love us?"
And then I am reminded of Isaiah 53:4,5. "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." My friends, He knows what we are going through because He was there. He experienced all of this pain, and He sympathizes with us as we go through it all. His love for us now is no less than it was then. In fact, it was because of His love that He stood up and said, "Let Me pay the ultimate price for these people. Let Me die in their place."
Even though the price for our salvation was paid, the pain didn't stop. Not yet. The results of sin still have to run the full course. God wanted to make sure that when sin is gone, there will never again be a question of whether it might just be a better way than what God offers. When it is gone, it's done. Finished.
And I believe that day is not far away. Because while God can face the attacks from the devil, He doesn't plan to take it forever. Listen to the words that Jesus shared with us in John 14:1-3 (The Message Bible): "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live."
And I believe that is what keeps God going. It's the promise of His soon return that helps Him through these times when He, as our heavenly Father, watches His children suffer. It's the knowledge that, like the song that Amy Grant sang some years ago says, "In a little while we'll be with the Father - can't you see Him smile? In a little time we'll home forever..."
I can't speak for God, but I know that is what keeps me going!
God bless you abundantly!
Yes, I know that He is God, and I shouldn't try to "humanize" Him and think that His ability to deal with our world is equal to how we deal with situations. But some things are truly beyond my comprehension.
Take this week for instance. Just in my own circle of acquaintances I have seen a baby die from non-natural causes and another person tell me of the pain she has experienced in the past several years since her son killed her husband. Move to the next circle of relationships (things that happened to a friend of a friend) and there were suicides and sudden deaths from unknown causes. All in the past week.
We shake our heads and wonder what is going on in the world. Yet statistically people die all the time. Events occur that negatively affect lives every day. That's what happens. That's what our existence is all about.
Look at your own life. What has happened to you or to your family or close friend in the last several weeks? Have you been blindsided by something that has tried to destroy you? Have you seen the pain that cuts so deep that people are left wounded and in agony - with no relief in sight? And have you asked yourself, "How can this life go on and on like this?"
Which brings me to my initial question - "How can God tolerate all of this pain?" I know the pain that I have felt this week, and my pain was limited to a few isolated incidents. God, on the other hand, watches everything that goes on, and sees all of the pain that we as humans experience. It's enough to cause me to start thinking like some of the critics who have been so vocal and critical of God. "Doesn't He care," they ask, "about all that we are going through? Why doesn't He step in and stop this? Doesn't He love us?"
And then I am reminded of Isaiah 53:4,5. "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows...He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." My friends, He knows what we are going through because He was there. He experienced all of this pain, and He sympathizes with us as we go through it all. His love for us now is no less than it was then. In fact, it was because of His love that He stood up and said, "Let Me pay the ultimate price for these people. Let Me die in their place."
Even though the price for our salvation was paid, the pain didn't stop. Not yet. The results of sin still have to run the full course. God wanted to make sure that when sin is gone, there will never again be a question of whether it might just be a better way than what God offers. When it is gone, it's done. Finished.
And I believe that day is not far away. Because while God can face the attacks from the devil, He doesn't plan to take it forever. Listen to the words that Jesus shared with us in John 14:1-3 (The Message Bible): "Don't let this throw you. You trust God, don't you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live."
And I believe that is what keeps God going. It's the promise of His soon return that helps Him through these times when He, as our heavenly Father, watches His children suffer. It's the knowledge that, like the song that Amy Grant sang some years ago says, "In a little while we'll be with the Father - can't you see Him smile? In a little time we'll home forever..."
I can't speak for God, but I know that is what keeps me going!
God bless you abundantly!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Little More Tape in My Bible
My Bible is getting old...
It used to have a nice bonded leather cover, but that was replaced with a thick piece of brown leather from a local boot maker years ago. Amazingly, it has weathered fairly well, with only some of the pages in the front threatening to abandon ship. It's due for another round of tape in a few strategic places - perhaps this time it will hold better.
Some of my favorite texts are underlined. Next to many of those you can find references to related verses - written at one time or another when I was developing Bible studies for some friends. It's funny, but even when I don't remember exactly where the texts are, my mind remembers where they are on the page, and it is relatively easy to find them when I look for them.
In the front of the Bible my wife recorded that she gave this Book to me on our wedding day, nearly 25 years ago. I truly believe that I have used this gift more than any other gift that I have received. I also believe that I have never been given a more valuable gift in my entire lifetime.
Even now as I leaf through the pages I am taken away by the words I read. A passage here, a verse there - each one fills my mind with a time when those very words comforted me or challenged me at just the right moment. I am reminded of how just the act of reading a message again - as it were, for the first time - a new thought would dawn upon my mind like a flash of lightning, and I somehow understood the nature of God's love for me even more clearly than before.
And tonight my Bible challenged me again. A text, read superficially while looking for something else, caught my eye. Since this Bible is a red-letter edition, I knew that these were words spoken by Christ. What grabbed my attention was that I knew I had read these words - or words close enough to seem like an exact match - in another place in the gospels. And they weren't associated with the same story I was reading here in Mark 4.
I remembered the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25. I also recalled the warning that is in verse 29: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." It had always hit me that in this parable the man who had so little even had that taken away from him. But as I re-read the verse, I saw that what the verse says is slightly different than what I had initially thought. It says that the person who has nothing, even that will be taken from him. Nothing to hold on to - nothing to rely on - even the scent of what used to be there is gone.
So when I was reading Jesus' interpretation of the parable of the sower in Mark 4, I was surprised to see verse 25: "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Only a verse before this Jesus had admonished His disciples to learn from what they heard. Just like the man with the single talent, if they didn't use what they had, they would lose what they had.
The message, coming from two different directions, hit me hard. I, who have so much, also have so much responsibility. If God has revealed Himself to us, and has demonstrated His love to us, should we not be actively sharing the light He gave us? Just like the man who returned from his trip to see what his servants had done with their talents, God is looking for results, not excuses. And that hit me hard.
God asked Moses, "What is in your hand?" God is asking that same question of us all today. Whether it is the ability to show His love to those around you or just to open His Word to a friend, we are here for a reason. We may think that we don't have anything to offer. We may feel that we are tired and torn, but just like my old Bible, there is so much more that we can do when we are placed in God's hands. Or, more accurately, when we place our lives in His hands. And He has promised that if we come to Him, He will give us the rest we need so we can be revitalized and ready to serve again.
Just like a little more tape in my Bible.
God bless you abundantly!
It used to have a nice bonded leather cover, but that was replaced with a thick piece of brown leather from a local boot maker years ago. Amazingly, it has weathered fairly well, with only some of the pages in the front threatening to abandon ship. It's due for another round of tape in a few strategic places - perhaps this time it will hold better.
Some of my favorite texts are underlined. Next to many of those you can find references to related verses - written at one time or another when I was developing Bible studies for some friends. It's funny, but even when I don't remember exactly where the texts are, my mind remembers where they are on the page, and it is relatively easy to find them when I look for them.
In the front of the Bible my wife recorded that she gave this Book to me on our wedding day, nearly 25 years ago. I truly believe that I have used this gift more than any other gift that I have received. I also believe that I have never been given a more valuable gift in my entire lifetime.
Even now as I leaf through the pages I am taken away by the words I read. A passage here, a verse there - each one fills my mind with a time when those very words comforted me or challenged me at just the right moment. I am reminded of how just the act of reading a message again - as it were, for the first time - a new thought would dawn upon my mind like a flash of lightning, and I somehow understood the nature of God's love for me even more clearly than before.
And tonight my Bible challenged me again. A text, read superficially while looking for something else, caught my eye. Since this Bible is a red-letter edition, I knew that these were words spoken by Christ. What grabbed my attention was that I knew I had read these words - or words close enough to seem like an exact match - in another place in the gospels. And they weren't associated with the same story I was reading here in Mark 4.
I remembered the parable of the talents that Jesus told in Matthew 25. I also recalled the warning that is in verse 29: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." It had always hit me that in this parable the man who had so little even had that taken away from him. But as I re-read the verse, I saw that what the verse says is slightly different than what I had initially thought. It says that the person who has nothing, even that will be taken from him. Nothing to hold on to - nothing to rely on - even the scent of what used to be there is gone.
So when I was reading Jesus' interpretation of the parable of the sower in Mark 4, I was surprised to see verse 25: "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Only a verse before this Jesus had admonished His disciples to learn from what they heard. Just like the man with the single talent, if they didn't use what they had, they would lose what they had.
The message, coming from two different directions, hit me hard. I, who have so much, also have so much responsibility. If God has revealed Himself to us, and has demonstrated His love to us, should we not be actively sharing the light He gave us? Just like the man who returned from his trip to see what his servants had done with their talents, God is looking for results, not excuses. And that hit me hard.
God asked Moses, "What is in your hand?" God is asking that same question of us all today. Whether it is the ability to show His love to those around you or just to open His Word to a friend, we are here for a reason. We may think that we don't have anything to offer. We may feel that we are tired and torn, but just like my old Bible, there is so much more that we can do when we are placed in God's hands. Or, more accurately, when we place our lives in His hands. And He has promised that if we come to Him, He will give us the rest we need so we can be revitalized and ready to serve again.
Just like a little more tape in my Bible.
God bless you abundantly!
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