Worship Song Sunday -- O Come, O Come Emmanuel by Selah

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel is one of my most favorite Christmas songs. Originally, it was written in Latin text in the 12th Century -- ('Veni, veni, Emmanuel') -- and was translated into English by John Mason Neale in 1851.  The author of the lyrics and the music are unknown.

It's also considered an advent hymn, so appropriate for this second Sunday of Advent. 

There is a beautiful, yet haunting feel to it, a song being sung from the deepest, darkest, loneliest of prisons, a plea for help, relief and deliverance.  Which indeed it was: the captive people of Israel, in dire need of rescue and ransom from a savior.  

Its text is based on the Scriptural prophecy from Isaiah 7:14 (AMP): 'Therefore, the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us]'. 

Remove all distractions as you listen; open your heart as you sing and worship our Savior, Who came as a ransom for us all.   He is with us.

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.

'It's Mysterious And Wonderful' - Sharing A Blog Post from 'Created For Blessing!"

As we enter into the beautiful season of Advent, once again, I've been led to share something that Curt Leininger, my friend and pastor of Cornerstone Christian Church up in Wyckoff, NJ, posted yesterday on his blog, Created For Blessing (http://www.createdforblessing.com/) 

His post is entitled, 'It's Mysterious and Wonderful.'  Whether it's a long, deep and detailed post, or like this one, short, sweet and simplistic, Curt ALWAYS has something powerful and so good to say about the amazing love of our Lord.  And as he told me, good things are meant to be shared.  So I'm delighted to share this with all of you (thanks a million, Curt)!!

A video, called 'The Christmas Story' goes along with this post.  I hope the children's joyful and endearing innocence and enthusiasm as they act out the story of the birth of our Savior will make you smile and touch your heart, as it did to me.  Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'It's Mysterious and Wonderful.'

It’s mysterious. It raises a lot of questions. It incites wonder. But, the gentle and loving approach of God stepping into our world as a human being is changing my life, and I hope it continues to change your own life. Smile, laugh, cry, and allow this Advent to be a time of anticipation and joy. This is good news for all people. And, so is the gift of your own life as you follow Jesus into the mystery, questions, and wonder.

Worship Song Sunday -- Hallelujah, by Heather Williams

But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ~ Acts 16:25-26, NASB


Hallelujah.  We hear the word a lot, especially at church or in Christmas carols.  On TV, televangelists use the word almost as often as the word  'and' is used in daily conversation.  We ourselves may even use the word a lot. I read that in our modern world's vernacular, 'Hallelujah' is most often used to express great happiness that something one has been hoping or waiting for has finally come to pass, and doesn't necessarily indicate the religious belief or faith of the person using the word. 

In the Bible, the word Hallelujah occurs often, mainly in Psalms and several times in Revelation, and is said to be a request for a congregation to join together in praise towards God. It can be translated as "Praise God" or "Praise Yahweh, you people," and is usually worded in English contexts as "Praise the Lord."


For most of us who are followers of Christ, Hallelujah is considered a joyful word of praise to God, rather than an injuction to praise Him.


And when are we to praise God?  All the time.  Not only in those times that we deem God as being 'good.' You know...when we have no problem chanting in church or to other people that "God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good."  When everything in our life seems to be going our way. 

But we're also called to 'praise the LORD' in those times when, if we're totally honest with ourselves, God doesn't seem so good.  In those harsh, dark, lonely and frightening times when God 'seems' to have forgotten about us and He 'seems' to be busy with other, more important things or people; those times we're left feeling like a scared puppy that someone has abandoned along the side of a road less traveled.

But that's just a lie of the enemy, a lie he delights in force feeding us until we're ready to choke, leaving us unable to utter a syllable of praise.   Because God IS good...all the time.  Our circumstances and situations may change, but God's character does not.  So no matter what, God is worthy of our praises. 

I'm sure you've heard it said, as I have, that God inhabits the praises of His people.  This is actually biblical, coming from Psalm 22:3 ~ But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.  We may not be Israelites, but we are still God's people, His dearly loved and chosen children. So to me, this verse means that when we praise Him, no matter what we're going through or dealing with, He is right there with us. In our good times and our bad times, God is as close as our breath -- the breath that joyfully shouts or the breath that tearfully whispers, 'Hallelujah!'

Today's song by Heather Williams is a beautiful testimony to that. I did a little research on Heather and her song.   She didn't grow up in a loving, Christian home.  She grew up in an environment of extreme poverty and physical, verbal and emotional abuse. She became involved in alcohol and drug use, and she was homeless for a time.  She gave her life to Jesus when she was about 18 years old after living such a harsh and wild life, a life in which she openly admits that she cursed God, boldly told Him she hated Him on a regular basis, and blamed Him for every awful thing that happened to her. But one day, at a church service she attended with her birth father, she heard God speak to her heart, inviting her to 'come as you are.'  And all she could say to Him right then was, 'Forgive me!'

Not long afterwards, she met the man that is now her husband.  They were married for seven years before they were finally able to have a baby, their son, Caedmen.  But Caedmen had a heart condition and died when he was only 6 months old . About a year after Caedmen's death, Heather tells the story of sitting down on the floor of her home one day, guitar in hand, and was moved to begin composing this song.  She asked Jesus to show up, right where she was.....and He did, in a powerful and awesome way. 

This song is so very special to Heather and she shares that the cry of this song, her Hallelujah, is that even in that place on the floor with her guitar, remembering her beloved son and crying out in a blubbering mess, she still chose to say Hallelujah; she still chose to say to the Lord, "I love You,"  and she still chose to glorify Him.

Paul and Silas, after having their robes torn from them in public, beaten with rods by an angry crowd and then thrown into prison with their feet fastened together in stocks, chose to do the same, singing praises to God and glorifying Him in song, despite their horrible and seemingly hopeless circumstances. And didn't God show up, right where they were, in a powerful and awesome way, setting free Paul, Silas and the other prisoners from their chains.

Today, what are those horrible and seemingly hopeless circumstances that have you imprisoned?  Are you afraid or anxious?  Are you discouraged or depressed?  Are you financially broke or spiritually broken?  Are you grieving the loss of someone or something?

Whatever it is, in spite of it all, it is my hope that as you listen to this song, you'll still choose to sing out "Hallelujah!!"  Still choose to tell God, "I love You!"  Still choose to glorify Him. 

Let your own Hallelujah invite God to show up right where you are and to set you free.

How Far Would You Go For Jesus?

I wrote a poem after watching NBC's Today Show this morning, which featured a live, outdoor performance by teen singing sensation, Justin Bieber.

For years, I've been intrigued by folks who have turned following particular performers, bands or celebrities into an art form and seemingly life-long, personal quest.  For example, I used to work with a guy who took an entire week off from work whenever singer Jimmy Buffett was touring so he could attend not just one, but many of Buffet's concerts in our tri-state area.  Several years ago, when my daughter was head-over-heels for the Jonas Brothers band, we attended one of their concerts in Camden and met a group of girls who weren't from our area (NJ) but who'd spent a good portion of their summer following them from city to city. When we asked them how they could afford to do that, they laughingly informed us that one girl's dad had taken off from work FOR THE ENTIRE SUMMER just to drive them to each town where the Jonas Brothers would be performing.  I couldn't begin to hazard a guess at how much THAT was costing dear old Dad. 

And this summer when I took my daughter to see singer Taylor Swift when she came to Philadelphia, I was amazed by the elaborate costumes, makeup and signage her fans sported.

And then, of course, there are those Extreme Sports Fans -- a species in a class all their own, who have no problem smearing their bodies with paint to match their team's colors, shaving their heads or donning humongous, crazy-colored wigs and showing up in the sports arena's parking lot at dawn to begin the tailgating festivities.  Many have also been known to withstand totally frigid temps while COMPLETELY BARECHESTED as they cheer their teams on to victory! 

It's mind-boggling to me just how far a person would go to show their fan allegiance to someone else.  And it got me thinking -- how far would they go for Jesus?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Be filled with excitement
and jump up and down
if you heard the Messiah
was coming to town?

Would you --

Keep your kids out of school?
Call out of work sick?
Invite some of your friends?
Which ones would you pick
to travel with you
to follow this Man?

Are you sure you're His follower
and not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Spend your time and your cash
working days to design
a glittery, neon-color
Poster board sign

To hold high in the air
in the hopes that He'd see
your message for Him:
"I © JC!"

Would you --

Pull out all of the stops
to follow this Man?
Are you sure you're His follower
And not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Brave nasty weather?
Camp out all night in line
for a glimpse of the One
fully Man and Divine?

Wear a bright, fuzzy wig?
Paint your face, arms and chest
and ignore those who call you
insane and obsessed
to go through such effort
to follow this Man?

Are you sure you're His follower
and not just a fan?

How far would you go for Jesus?

Would you --

Stand in the cold and the snow,
mud and rain?
Stand 'til your feet, legs and back
screamed in pain?

Then text Him or Tweet Him
or friend Him on facebook
just to tell Him you downloaded
His Word to your Nook?

Or.....

Would you --

Follow this King
to the ends of the earth?
Forsake family and friends?
Leave the land of your birth
to respond to His call
and His will for your life
whether son or a daughter,
whether husband or wife?

Would you --

Help heal the broken,
the sick and the lame?
Give cups of cold water
in Jesus's Name?

Help feed the hungry
and comfort the fearful?
Hold the hands of the dying,
dry the eyes of the tearful?

Would you --

Go anywhere and
do anything?
Maybe die upside-down
on a cross for this King?

I rise before dawn
while my family's in bed
Humbly drop to my knees
and then bow my head
Asking "How far would I go
to follow this Man?"

Making sure I'm His follower
And not just a fan.

Being Thankful

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. ~ Psalm 118:1

Today, I was all set to whine and complain about something very minor, via a post on my facebook page (facebook can be SO good for this sometimes), when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but someone’s post in my news feed about all the things she is thankful to God for these days. This is yet another person who has taken on a month long challenge of being intentionally thankful. I checked out her online Thanksgiving Journal and much of what she listed had to do with those kinds of things we take for granted every day, those sweet and simple, everyday blessings.

The love she receives from her pets

A clean kitchen (with all credit going to her hubby for that one!)

The heat blowing through the air vents in her home, keeping her warm as she writes

The sun peeking through the clouds on a grey day

The creams and lotions and meds that give her body relief as she forges on with radiation therapy for the cancer she is battling

Her post and her journal entries made me stop and realize that I too have much to be thankful for and that I shouldn’t waste my time whining and writing about stupid, inconsequential things over which I have no control.

I could name so many things for which I’m thankful that my list would soon resemble Santa’s toy delivery list for boys and girls -- practically endless.

But today, I will name some of ‘my favorite things':

*I’m thankful that I know that Jesus loves me. ‘Nuff said.

*I’m thankful that God is able: able to hear my cries so long ago, able to see me lying amidst the rubble and the messiness of my broken life and like the true Hero He is, able to rescue and remove me from it all, because He loves me.

*Even though they can be difficult to get along with and drive me crazy, often pierce my heart to its core and bring tears to my eyes, I am thankful to God for the family in which He’s seen fit to place me, for the husband and children He’s given me to love. I realize that at any moment, they can be taken away, and I‘m thankful for the time God has given me with them thus far.

*I’m thankful to God for the loving, loyal and lasting friendships that He has blessed me with over the years. Friends who pray for and with me; friends who provide me with wise and godly counsel; friends who dropped everything and showed up to support and stay with me when I was rushed to the ER some years ago; friends who hung out with me at the RWJ Cancer Institute and turned my chemo infusion treatments into mini parties filled with laughter, joy and LOTS of chocolate (and who shared all of those things with the other patients and staff as well!); friends who ran errands, drove my kids places, and made my family dinners when I was too weak from chemo to do so; friends who actually read and persevere through my long winded emails and blog posts; friends who have been there physically, relationally, financially and spiritually for me and my family in rough times.

*I’m thankful for my church, my pastors and their wives, and my church family. They are not perfect -- but neither am I, and I’m grateful to have been welcomed with open arms by this Body of Christ.

*I’m thankful for a home that’s cool in the summer, warm in the winter and dry when it rains.

*I’m thankful for running water and appliances that work; food in our ‘fridge and our pantry and clothes/shoes in our closets.

*I’m thankful to God for the reliable vehicles He’s provided us with over the years.
　
*I’m thankful for those people at the grocery store with tons of stuff already on the conveyor belt, but who let me go ahead of them when they see I only have one or two items.

*I’m thankful for Dollar Tree reading glasses, especially since I’ve become WAY too good at breaking or losing the overly expensive prescription ones!

*I’m thankful to God for grey, cold and rainy days like today, because they help me to appreciate that much more those steaming bowls of homemade chili or chicken noodle soup, warm chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, piping hot cups of coffee or tea or mugs of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream.

*I’m thankful to God for the way He speaks to me through HIS Word, the written word -- fiction and non-fiction, Christian and non-Christian -- and through song.

I'd love to hear what you're thankful for!

You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God, and I will exalt You. ~ Psalm 118:28

What if I looked at my life in a different way
Took a little more time to stop and pray
I know it would change all the moments in between
So here I go

Thank you for everything
Thank you for loving me
It don't even matter what tomorrow brings
Well, I will sing my

Thank you for sun and rain
For what you give and take away
For all your goodness I will always say
Thank you
Oh, I said thank you ~ Thank You, by 33 Miles

Worship Song Sunday -- You Are My Hiding Place, by Selah

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word ~ Psalm 119:14 (ESV)

Troubled times, raging storms, harsh difficulties, fiery trials, dark valleys, twisting roads, steep mountains.  We all experience them at one time or another in life.  For some of us, it feels like we're bombarded daily by all of the above.  We feel distracted, drained, discouraged, depressed.  I know those feelings all too well. 

And I often find that they hinder my desire to worship God. I become too wrapped up in my problems, in either trying to fix them all myself (Supergirl complex) or in allowing them to knock me down, capture me in their undertow and drown me. I know there are many out there who can relate to this today.

In times like these, we want to run and hide. The Scripture verse that inspired the name of my blog says: "in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by."  And that's what we long to do -- to find a hiding place to settle into until our own personal storms of destruction pass us by.

Our hiding places can be anywhere -- a room in our home (mine is in the corner of a small room in our basement); our car; the bathroom (hey, for some of us, that's worked); a park; a pier by the lake; the quiet study room at the library.  When I was a young girl, and my parents' fighting would escalate, I'd run out of the house and down the street to our church to hide in the pews, where I found peace and solace.

But there is a much, much better hiding place than any of these.


In Psalm 32, David tells the LORD God that He is David's hiding place; that he knows He will be protected from trouble and surrounded with songs of deliverance.

This morning, I invite you to join me in putting aside all those things that are causing us to take our eyes off the Master and sink into the raging, stormy seas, interfering with our worship of Him. 

I invite you to join me and come to the Lord, and to step into His hiding place -- beneath the shadow of His wings -- and allow the words and the music of this song to help us to find peace, rest, security and solace in God.  Each time I've listened to this song, it has brought me an overwhelming feeling of peace, of rest, of comfort, a strengthening and a great nearness of God, allowing me to let go of everything and sing along in worship of Him.

Today, whatever you're going through, entangled in or running from, let Him be your hiding place, beneath His wings, as you worship Him.

May this be our song of deliverance today.

I Will Trust In You

A sweet friend of mine and precious daughter of the King was recently diagnosed with cancer. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we’ve been unable to speak in person. But we’ve been conversing through emails and cards, and yesterday, we were able to speak to each other over the phone.  As I’m writing this, my friend has most likely already been prepped for surgery.

I have walked this particular path through what author Emilie Barnes refers to as ‘Cancer Land.’ It is NOT an easy nor enjoyable path. It can often be dark and frightening and lonely. So many ‘what ifs.’ It certainly doesn’t help matters that when surgery is eminent, you are presented with information and paperwork to be signed in triplicate regarding Advanced Directives, Living Wills, Do Not Resuscitate Orders and the like.


It DOES help to know that others have walked that path before you and have made it through victoriously to the other side, and are waving you forward, cheering you onward. It helps to know that other people are taking time out of their busy schedules to sit before the LORD God and present your needs to Him. Not that He is unaware or needs reminding. We’re merely being obedient and bringing that person and their needs to the only One Who is Sovereign over them and their circumstances and can actually do something about them. God, as Twila Paris sings, IS in control.

I remember 9 years ago, right around this time, when I was preparing for my surgery. I, of course, had to be at the hospital ridiculously early, and God bless my pastor -- the man showed up to pray for me as my husband and I sat in the waiting room, filling out more of those wonderful forms. I’m sure he didn’t even have time to grab a cup of coffee on his way out the door.

At this time, it was also very early in my walk with the LORD God. I had come from a faith denomination that didn’t encourage their congregation to read the Bible -- apparently, it was only for those uber-holy and elite folk to read. So I didn’t have much of a repertoire of Bible verses stored away in my mind and my heart to encourage and sustain me. But after my pastor had finished praying, he shared a Bible verse with me that he said had helped him through a difficult and scary surgery:

“When I am afraid, I will trust in You.” ~ Psalm 56:3

I had never heard that verse before, but I grabbed onto it and clung to it like a drowning victim clings to a lifeline thrown out to them. I repeated it over and over, even as I lay on the operating table, waiting for the surgery to begin, and this verse has stayed close to my heart over the years.
　
It came to me as I’ve been praying for my friend, who shared that yes, she has found herself anxious and afraid as the surgery date drew closer. Even though we DO know that the LORD God is with us, we are also only frail and flawed humans, and it can be easy to forget that when we’re staring down into that dark Pit of the Great Unknown.
As I prayed this verse for my friend earlier this morning, another verse came to mind immediately afterwards:

“Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you, wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

Later on, I prayed the verse again for my friend, and once again, a voice within my spirit came back with:

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you; do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand.” ~ Isaiah 41:10

It reminded me of something I learned in school when I was in choral music class. Our teacher (the incredibly hip and awesome Miss Borne) used a song by the band, Chicago (Oldster alert!), to show us something called ‘call and response.’ For the life of me, I can’t remember the name of the song, but in it, one of the singers would call out in song a particular line, and the other singer would respond to it. Back and forth it went. Even though I don’t remember the song, the concept has obviously stayed with me, oh these many years.

Our life is like a song. Sometimes, it can be a beautiful tune, with our singing out in praise and thanks to the LORD, and He responds; Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He rejoices over us with singing. But then there are times, as in certain opera arias, when our song turns to one of fear and desperation --

“I’m so afraid!!”

-- and once again, He responds:

“For I am the LORD, your God, Who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41:13　

And we can then say, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”　

We call out --

“I feel so anxious and worried!!”

-- and our Jesus responds:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.” ~ John 14:1

And we can then say: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

We call out --

“I’m all alone!!”

-- and He responds:

“Remember I am with you always.” ~ Matthew 28:20

And we can then say, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”

I have learned -- and continue learning -- that trust is KEY in my relationship with my Lord Jesus. I feel sometimes as if He is saying to me, “I JUST want you to TRUST Me!”




I don’t want to spend the remainder of my life paralyzed by fear and anxiety and loneliness and whatever else the enemy sees fit to throw my way.


I want to be:
Strong
Courageous
Fearless
Encouraged
Untroubled

I want to know I am:
Loved
Blessed
Held
Not alone
Cared for

There is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus called, ‘The Divine Mercy.’ The story goes that a young nun, Saint Maria Faustina of Poland, was commanded by the Lord Jesus Himself to have an image of Him painted, an image that He revealed to her. Underneath His image was to be placed this signature:

“Jesus, I trust in You.”

Whenever we are afraid, worried, confused, anxious --
Wherever or whatever kind of situation we may find ourselves in --


May we remember to trust in Him.


Open your eyes
But don’t let go of My hand
Let your tears give way to smiles
See the joy inside the trial Don’t worry, you’re safe with Me around
Rest assured I’m on your side
I won’t let you hit the ground
But close as it seems...Trust Me
Though you can’t see
You can trust Me
The way may be steep
You can trust Me
Let me lead...trust Me ~ Trust Me, by Crystal Lewis