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Songs of the Heart

by | Jun 12, 2020 | Elder Note

I am not one to spend a lot of time listening to music other than the drive to and from work.  There are a lot of times that I drive in silence to unwind from the day.  The last few months I have spent a lot of time commuting to the basement for work and no time on the road.  I have enjoyed the commute and have spent a lot of time “cranking the tunes” while I worked.  Jodi would tell me to turn it down—because as the day went on…the volume might have “gone up”. 

As I’ve been working here at home, I have been taking advantage of listening to Christian music throughout the day and the same music the next day and the next.  As I heard the songs over and over again I started to really listen to the lyrics:

Singing oh Lord, keep me in the moment
Help me live with my eyes wide open
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me

Singing oh Lord, show me what matters
Throw away what I’m chasing after
‘Cause I don’t wanna miss what you have for me

This reminds me not to miss what God has for me today; I don’t want to miss his blessings of today because I am chasing something of no value.

When darkness closes in on every side
When battles rage and when the waters rise
I fear no evil for I know the truth
Nothing can separate my heart from You ‘Cause there’s no weapon stronger than Your love

God’s love for me is the best weapon to overcome all my fears. 1 John 4:18 “Perfect love drives out fear”.

Saturday was silent, surely it was through
But since when has impossible ever stopped You
Friday’s disappointment Is Sunday’s empty tomb
Since when has impossible ever stopped You

This is the sound of dry bones rattling

This is the praise make a dead man walk again
Open the grave, I’m coming out I’m gonna live, gonna live again
This is the sound of dry bones rattling

God is life giving.  He takes what is dead and makes it alive.  Ezekiel 37:5 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath[a] enter you, and you will come to life.   

The Psalmists wrote about their relationship with God in song. The songs I listened to were experiences with God of the lyric writer.   Song is a powerful way God gets deep into our heart and helps us understand God in new and life giving ways.  Let’s write our own lyrics of adoration to our great God. Enjoy the song of your heart.

I love the mountains, she loves the beach.

by | Apr 30, 2020 | Elder Note

I do enjoy going to the beach but there is something about the majesty and magnificence of the mountains that draws me to them.  I love the adventure of hiking to the most picturesque part of the area.  I believe the best views are the ones that are at the top, you must hike to see and you must go up.  My wife says I have a conquering spirit, she is pretty much spot on.  If I could, I would plan all our vacations around visiting, mountains, national parks and other places that show the beauty of God’s creation and sometimes I must compromise and go the beach.  I do enjoy going to the beach, when I am tired and burned out, the beach is a great place for me to escape.  I am content to sit along the water and let the sunshine on me and the sound of the waves calm me.  I enjoy seeing the dolphins, sting rays and even sharks swim by the shoreline.

I am guessing you can relate to either scenario, maybe you are ready for the next adventure while other times you want to slow it down and rejuvenate.  This Covid 19 sheltering in place has definitely slowed me down and caused me to reflect.  How about you?  What do you miss?  What do you wish you could do again?  I miss shaking someone’s hand in a greeting, sitting down next to someone and having a conversation without worrying about “catching” anything.  I miss having an early morning breakfast at a local restaurant with family or friends.   By not being able to do these simple things I appreciate them even more, and I look forward to doing them again.

Even though we may feel secluded or shut off from the world we have a God that created the world and is not sheltering in place.  He is as active today as He was before this Covid 19 hit.  He has not slowed down His work nor is He working from home.  Take time to see what God is doing and where God is working.  In Psalm 104 we see how God is working through His creation from the mountains to the waters by the sea, He is working.

Psalm 104

1 Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,[a]
    flames of fire his servants.

He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—     

Dave Moxness