Singing to the Radio

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

~Ephesians 5:19,20

Passing by old barns.

Singing to the radio.

Cooking chicken on the grill.

Cattle lowing in the pasture.

Staring into the dying embers of the campfire.

Curling up under quilts.

Thanking God for the quiet times of refreshing.

This week we traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway, camping at Rocky Knob, VA. No electricity, no water, no wifi. We spent most of our time riding the backroads, taking pictures of old barns, farmhouses, and hiking through a pasture to the ridge to gaze in awe at ridges, upon ridges, upon ridges thinking How Great is Our God. As we drove we sang to the radio like teens. We sang Keep Me in the Moment, Confidence, and No Scars in Heaven along with a lot of other songs. 

The Lord commands us to live our lives in song, worshipping and praising him. And what better place to do it than on the quiet drives through the Blue Ridge? We came home with souls refreshed, ready to take on the next moment with confidence, knowing whatever the moment holds heaven awaits with no scars but the scars in the hands that are holding me. 

Psalms 96 

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.

For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

How is Jesus refreshing you, giving you confidence, and keeping you in the moment?

Father God, keep us in the moment. Show us what you have for us. Help us find times for refreshing. Keep us focused and praising you. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

How do you find ways to get focused and refreshed? 

What are some of the songs you enjoy singing?

What do you most enjoy about getting out in God's creation?

Blessings,

Gail

 

It's The Little Things

He's so cute!

No he isn't! He raids my garden where I have worked so hard. My garden that feeds us with organic fruits and vegetables. He doesn't just nibble. He gorges himself leaving me stems, worthless unfruitful stems. 

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom. ~Song of Solomon 2:15ESV

Song of Solomon tells us about the little foxes that spoil the vines that are in blossom. No fruit will come if the blossoms are destroyed. Cute little foxes were destroying the vineyard. 

Solomon used this analogy to tell us that the little things that creep into our lives or that have never been removed, will eat away at the blossoms in our spiritual lives that are about to bear fruit. What kind of fruit you may ask? The people who we desire to come to the Lord, our family, our friends, our coworkers. People are the fruit of our labors in the Lord. 

How are little foxes spoiling our labor? Could it be because we are holding on to the little sins and allowing the cares of this world to spoil our testimonies? 

And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 

~Luke 8:14ESV

I want to challenge us to refocus our hearts, our minds, and our actions so that we might have the mind of Christ and chase away the groundhogs and foxes in our lives that ruin our testimonies. 

It is this refocusing that will change our homes, our friends, our coworkers, and yes our nation.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

~Colossians 3:12-17 ESV 

 Father God, help us put away the things that eat away and destroy our testimonies, the anger, the wrath, the malice, the slander, and the obscene talk from our mouths. Teach us to be truthful in all our dealings and whatever we do, to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. For it is in his name we pray. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

Do you have a testimony of Jesus? Do you have a time and a place when you asked Jesus's forgiveness of your sins? If not, today can be the day of your salvation. You can begin to make a difference even as a child in this crazy world we are living in. 

Even a child makes himself known by his acts,

    by whether his conduct is pure and upright.

~Proverbs 20:11 ESV

Queen Esther's cousin Mordecai told her God put her in the position of queen for such a time as this (Esther 4:14). She could influence the king in the time of fear and trouble for the Jewish people. You are no different. God has you here, in this time, and this place to do the work he has planned for you. I pray you are answering his call and not letting the little foxes of this world destroy your testimony before it even has time to blossom.

Blessings, Gail

Our Promise Keeper

 

The picture doesn't even come close to what I saw the other afternoon. As we traveled down Saluda grade the dark clouds rolled over the mountains. A gleam of orange showing through the gap made me think there must be a rainbow over there. Suddenly the mountain directly in front of us was covered in a wave of colors. The red/orange outlined the peak. The yellow washed down over the top, turning into a vibrant green, then blue, then violet, then indigo. I had never seen a rainbow cover a forest overwhelming the green with its colors. We drove straight into the rainbow. As suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. 

And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

~Genesis 9:14-16 KJV

The rainbow first appeared to Noah after they left the ark after the flood. It was to be a reminder that the Lord would never flood the whole earth again to destroy all flesh. God has kept this promise. There has been seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night since that time (Genesis 8:22 KJV). 

Mountains arise in our lives. The Lord covers those mountains with his promises. We only need to look into his word to see his cover of love. 

I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ~Hebrews 13:5KJV

fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. ~Isaiah 41:10 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28 ESV

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

~Romans 8:31 ESV

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ~Ephesians 6:10ESV

Heavenly Father, thank you for always keeping your promises. Thank you for the reminder of the rainbow that you are our promise keeper. We love you. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Rainbows are just one of the many things God gives us as a reminder that He is our promise keeper. What other things can you see in the rainbow that is a reminder of God's love and promises?

Here are a few hints.

• There are 7 colors. Seven is a number God uses to remind us of his complete work.
• The colors are always in order. God is not the author of confusion but everything works together in harmony. 
• Red is always the first color. Red is the color of blood. Faith in the blood of Jesus to cover our sins is always first in a relationship with Jesus. 
• Rainbows are actually circles though we usually only see part of the circle. Circles are a reminder that God is eternal and his promises are eternal. 

What other promises does the rainbow bring to mind? 

Praise Him, All Ye Little Children

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16 ESV

Last week I had the privilege of participating in a sidewalk VBS. Our youth pastor taught the children a song for John 3:16. He taught them how to sign the song as well. Most of the children were under eight years old from a basically unchurched community. They easily learned the words and the motions. I thought not only will the children keep singing but even the deaf will hear from children who likely were too young to understand. The children will hold that song/verse in their heads and hearts for years to come. The children enjoyed the singing. They enjoyed the signing and they enjoyed the youth pastors approach to singing and teaching. This was like giving water to thirsty little sponges. 

 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

~Psalms 100:5 KJV

In college, we learned that we needed to teach in multiple ways. If we only lectured student retention was only about 10%. However, if we incorporated other ways of teaching such as note-taking, drawing, making models, reading along, retelling, and singing retention could rise as high as 90%. A teacher who only lectures is easily tuned out. When students are allowed to interact with the lesson it becomes much more enjoyable and much easier to remember. Remember that song about the books of the New Testament? I still sing it to myself when I need to find a smaller, lesser known book. 

The Lord expects us to use more than one way to help our children and ourselves to learn about his word. The longest book of the Bible is Psalms, a book of songs. All of creation tells the story of His love and sacrifice for us. Sometimes we just have to think about what we are encountering. And God has given us His word so there is no mistake about what he has done, is doing, and will do because of his great love for us. 

How are you teaching God's truth to the next generation?

Father, help us use every means possible to teach your truth to our children and others you place in our paths. In Jesus's name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

What is your favorite song? Why do you like it?  

Do you know John 3:16? Can you sing it and sign it? 

Do you know the song Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton? Do you know a Bible story about a coat of many colors? Who is it about? What do you know about Joseph? How can you learn more?

What other Bible stories do you know? How did you learn them? 

Here's a link to help you have fun singing and learning this week.