Singing to the Lord

 

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

We sang to the radio as we drove past old barns

We hummed familiar tunes as we roasted chicken packets on the grill.

We listened to cattle lowing as they crossed the pasture to the barn.

Quietly we stared into the dying embers of the campfire.

 We thanked God for times of refreshing

As we curled up under the quilts 

On a chilly mountain night.

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, and farmhouses, and hiking through a pasture to the ridge to gaze in awe at ridges, upon ridges, upon ridges. I worshipped in those times sometimes singing in my head, sometimes out loud, sometimes just a hum but the words resounded in my mind;  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 wants us to live our lives in joyful 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.

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:

I'm sure many of you have already attended at least one VBS in your area. For me, VBS was always a time to learn new songs and be reminded of others I'd let slip. 

What was your favorite new song? Do you know why it is a favorite? 

Write down the words and just examine what they say. 

How is the song helping you stay focused on the goodness of God?

How will the song help you when you face hard new challenges?

How will remembering this song give you confidence in your daily walk with the Lord? 

Truth and Love

 

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.  ~John 8:11KJV

Do you remember reading The Scarlet Letter? The other day I picked up my granddaughter from school.  She asked me if I had read it. She said her teacher played a song for them by Casting Crowns that talked about it in some of the lyrics. Yes, I remembered the song. I remembered the part about "under the shadow of our steeple." There was a tragedy in the shadow of our steeple just about the time the song was released. It was a case of domestic violence.  I remember thinking I hadn't gone to visit or invite the family to church before the tragedy. 

The name of the song was "Can Anybody Hear Her?" It was more about a girl with an unexpected pregnancy. It was about how the church looks down on these girls. In the past year I have become a volunteer mentor at the Carolina Pregnancy Center. Part of the training is Life Issues which includes Biblical Sexuality. Our God is a God of second chances. Remember the woman at the well? No one in her town wanted to openly have anything to do with her. Neither did the disciples — but Jesus. There's always the — but Jesus. Remember the woman taken in adultery? There were many accusers but because of Jesus, there was no one to cast the first stone. Neither did He cast a stone but told her to go and sin no more. Jesus spoke truth and love to both women. It made all the difference in both their lives. In the Samaritan town of Sychar, love and truth made a difference in the whole town in two days (John 4).  

Our God is a God of second chances. 

How are we as Christians helping others see the truth in love? How are we meeting the lost and lonely people we meet every day? How do we show unwed mothers we care about them and their unborn baby? Abortion in the US is used in over 95% of the cases for social and economic factors, "my boyfriend will leave me", "I have to go to school", "I've got a scholarship", and the list goes on. Less then 5% are for rape, incest, life of the mother, health of the mother, or health of the baby (produced by Lisa Van Riper, President of SC Citizens for Life. www.sclife.org).

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see her? She needs support from Christians, from the church, and from her family. She needs to know Jesus will forgive her. She needs to know He wants to change her life and lifestyle, even if her pregnancy test is negative. The only way she can know Jesus loves her is if Christians love her, support her emotionally, spiritually, and physically, giving her a hand up. 

Girls who are post-abortion need exactly the same love and truth. Probably no one told them the truth about their baby. Jesus still stands ready to forgive and renew their hearts as well. 

Friends, she is running in all the wrong directions. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see her? There is a Crisis Pregnancy Center near you. There are lots of lost and lonely people in the shadow of our steeple. Will you and your church find out how you can help? 

Father God, please give us a heart for the lost and lonely people we come in contact with every day. Please help us know how to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their lives, restoring hope for their tomorrow and all eternity. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids: 

Have you noticed children in your classroom or neighborhood who seem sad or lonely?

In what ways can you encourage those children? 

Here are a few ideas that might open doors to new friendships and possibilities. 

• ask to sit with them at lunch.
• ask them to join in a game at recess.
• give a smile across the classroom or a hi-five in the hallway.

Blessings,

Gail

Under the Shadow of Our Steeple

 

And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. John 8:11

Do you remember reading The Scarlet Letter? When I picked up my granddaughter from school the other day, she asked me if I had read it. Then she said her teacher told them a song by Casting Crowns talked about it in some song lyrics. I remembered the song but misnamed it. I remembered the part about "under the shadow of our steeple." There was a tragedy in the shadow of our steeple just about the time the song was released. I remember thinking I hadn't gone to visit or invite the family to church before the tragedy. 

Actually, the name of the song was "Can Anybody Hear Her?" It was more about a girl with an unexpected pregnancy. It was about how the church looks down on these girls. The past couple of weeks I've trained with the Carolina Pregnancy Center. Part of the training is Life Issues which includes Biblical Sexuality. Our God is a God of second chances. Remember the woman at the well? No one in her town wanted to openly have anything to do with her. Neither did the disciples — but Jesus. There's always the — but Jesus. Remember the woman taken in adultery? There were many accusers but because of Jesus, there was no one to cast the first stone. Neither did He cast a stone but told her to go and sin no more. Jesus spoke truth and love to both women. It made all the difference in both their lives. In the Samaritan town of Sychar, love and truth made a difference in the whole town in two days (John 4).  

How are we as Christians helping others see the truth in love? How do we show them we care about them and their unborn baby? Abortion in the US is used in over 95% of the cases for social and economic factors, "my boyfriend will leave me", "I have to go to school", "I've got a scholarship", and the list goes on. Less then 5% are for rape, incest, life of the mother, health of the mother, or health of the baby (produced by Lisa Van Riper, President of SC Citizens for Life. You will need to type in www.sclife.org).

Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see her? She needs support from Christians, from the church, and from her family. She needs to know Jesus will forgive her. She needs to know He wants to change her life and lifestyle, even if her pregnancy test is negative. The only way she can know Jesus loves her is if Christians love her, support her emotionally, spiritually, and physically, giving her a hand up. 

Those girls who are post-abortion need exactly the same love and truth. Probably no one told them the truth about their baby. Jesus still stands ready to forgive and renew their hearts as well. 

Friends, she is running in all the wrong directions. Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see her? There is a Crisis Pregnancy Center near you. Will you and your church find out how you can help? 

Blessings,

Gail