A Living Prayer by Alison Krauss

For I, the LORD, your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, "Fear not, I am the One who helps you. ~ Isaiah 41:13, ESV

An endlessly confusing, exasperating, somewhat troubling and very tiring day.  What a lovely, unexpected gift this was, to come upon this sweet, sweet song just now!  And for me, such a beautiful way to end this day.

May its words and music bring comfort, rest, joy and peace to your mind and spirit.

In Your love I find release,
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer
My God, to Thee ~ A Living Prayer, written by Ron Block

Worship Song Sunday -- Draw Me Nearer, by Meredith Andrews

"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself." ~ John 12:32, ESV


Last month, I posted about fasting during the season of Lent.  Much of the time, Lenten is viewed as a time to give up, abstain, turn away from something in our lives to which we give too much time, focus and priority.  But it can also be about our doing something different in our lives to bring us closer to the Lord, be it committing  to spending more time in contemplation, prayer, reading His Word, or in service to others. 


In her book, 'Fasting,' by Lynne M. Baab, she shares a story about a young woman who decided that during Lent, she would only listen to Christian music, and made herself a CD of  specific songs that were meaningful to her. 


I really liked that idea and decided to try that for myself. I spent several days carefully choosing songs for my CD and iPod playlist.  


In my search, I came across this song from a CD by Meredith Andrews that I'd downloaded to my laptop several years ago and had long since forgotten.  In fact, I don't ever remember listening to this particular song (I don't know about anyone else, but I'll often just listen to the songs on CDs that are more popular, get more radio play, etc., and kind of bypass the other ones).  


But as I looked over the list of songs on her CD, this title jumped out at me, as it definitely went along with the musical theme I had in mind for my playlist (songs of brokenness, repentance, forgiveness, grace, selfless love, redemption, a deeper relationship with the Lord).  I gave it a listen and was just blown away and so very moved by the singer's tender plea for a greater closeness, a sweeter intimacy with Jesus. 

The Clay, by Ron DiCianni

May this song bring you to a closer, more intimate time of worship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.  

Safely Home, by Ron DiCianni

In Your nearness I take shelter
Where You are is where I'm home,
I have need of only one thing
To be here before Your throne,
To be here before Your throne,
So draw me nearer, Lord
Never let me go, 
Closer to Your heart
Draw me nearer, Lord~ Draw Me Nearer, by Meredith Andrews

Sounds of the Season: Born In Bethlehem - by Third Day

Today is the first of December, and cold weather and the always possible threats of monstrous snowstorms aside, this is truly my favorite time of the year.

As we step into the beginning of this Advent and Christmas season, I would like to take some time on my blog this month to share the gift of Christmas music with all of you.

I love music. I have a picture frame in my bedroom which reads:

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”

Indeed it does!

The songs I’ve chosen include old favorites of mine and new tunes I’ve just recently discovered. Some of the songs and artists you may know, and some you might not. And, with my heartfelt apologies, some of the videos aren’t the best.

But really in these instances, it's more about what you're hearing than what you're seeing.  Because as you listen to each song, I'd like to challenge you to close your eyes and allow the message within the music wash over you to saturate and refresh your weary soul. It’s my wish that the words and music will lift your spirits, bring you peace, comfort and joy and cause you to take some quiet moments afterwards to meditate on the innocence, the sweetness and the beauty of this season -- the season when we focus on Messiah, in the form of a tiny, helpless babe, born to a humble couple in a small town called Bethlehem.