Blessed by Music

Count Your Blessings Month

 

“Praise the LORD.

Praise God in his sanctuary

Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD”

Psalm 50:1, 6 (NIV)

 

It has been said that music soothes the savage breast. Can we say that hymns to God soothe believer’s hearts? What about the Gospel songs? What about the praise choruses?

A saintly woman of the church explained the difference between a hymn of the church and a gospel song. The former is a song sung to God, while the latter is a song sung about God. As I understand the concept of praise and worship choruses, they help us to prepare our spirits for the act of worship.

I believe that hymns, gospel songs, and praise choruses each bring our hearts and minds to a place of worship and adoration or initiate a change in our hearts.

People have their favorite style of Christian music. In our church’s two Sunday morning worship services, we have a blending of hymns of the church, modern hymns, and praise choruses.

I find a lot of theology in the music of the church. A few years ago, I attended a Holy Week service at one of our sister churches. One of the hymns selected for the evening was unknown to me. The music was written in the 1600s, a very unfamiliar tune. As I listened to the words of each verse, a story unfolded-a beautiful story about Christ and what He had done for us. I re-learned a great lesson.

Do you have a favorite hymn for this time of year? I think you can guess what mine is.

Blessed by God’s Beauty

Count Your Blessings Month

 

 

“From Zion, perfect in beauty,

God shines forth.” Psalm 50:2 (NIV)

God’s beauty is all around us during each season of the year. As I compose this, autumn has come to visit us. While here, she will bring us cooler and colorful days. The broadleaf trees will display a bright array of gold, reds, and yellows.

Two years ago, Hubby and I went out to the state park near our town and took pictures. I also shot a couple of pictures of a tree at the north edge of our part of town. Last fall, during one of the calls from our son, he said he had told his co-workers that he missed seeing the leaves change. Thanks to email and cyberspace, I sent him pictures of those trees in their fall regalia. 

While I like the colors of autumn, I believe my favorite time of the year is spring.  God allows His earth to awaken after a winter’s sleep and chooses to adorn it with new clothes.

Summer is the season of mini-seasons. By this I mean that there is a rotation of fruits or vegetables that are ‘in season’ throughout the months. The colors of the fruits and vegetables are bright. The flowers stand out against the green grass as they seem to say, “Look at us.”

God’s beauty is all around us in every season. It was in His plan that we have His beauty to marvel over. One winter, I got to take a class in flower arranging. We spent one of the class nights working with cut flowers. When I took my arrangement home, I had to clear a place for it on the coffee table. But a day or two later, as Hubby and I came in the front door, he said, “It’s so nice to smell fresh flowers in the wintertime.” Just remembering this has set me to thinking. I will do this fresh flower thing again because it does remind me of God and the beauty He makes.

 

 

Blessed with Sunshine

 

Count Your Blessings Month

 

 

“‘You are my lamp, O Lord;

the LORD turns my darkness into light.’”

2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)

Because of the way God made me, I enjoy sunshiny days. An overcast day can send me into the doldrums-nothing seems to go as it should.

Several years ago I voiced my concern about having no sunshine for days on end one winter. It went like this:

 

   ME: Why doesn’t the sun shine? I’m getting tired of this.

   SON: The sun always shines. It’s the clouds that get in the way.

 

My son was in junior high school at the time. I didn’t consider him an upstart for this comment; he had heard it at church, so had I but it didn’t register.

One of the blogs I frequent had a question about how we managed through the overcast days of winter. I left the comment that I started out each day by spending time with God. This helps me more than I realized.

Blessed with Close Friends

Count Your Blessings Month

 

 

“A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.”

Proverbs 17:17

 

God brings people into our lives to allow His goodness to show through them. In our hurried lifestyles, we sometimes don’t see this action of God. It’s when things seem to pile up against us that those friendships become our lifelines back to ‘normalcy.’ They remind us of God’s love for us and that we are His children. They love us in spite of what we are going through and ‘stand in the gap’ for us, by interceding for us in prayer, by listening to us as we voice our fears or complaints. 

Sometimes, people relocate to another town or state. Those relationships become different but they can still be friendships.

Some ways I have been blessed by friends:

               *A phone call,

               *a card or a sweet note in the mail an email or a Facebook message,

               *a hug at church,

               *someone stopping in the pharmacy or grocery store to talk.

               *a friend helps me when I have a need.

Have you been blessed by a friend lately?

Blessed with God’s Presence

Count Your Blessings Month

 

 

“It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.”

With that same spirit of faith we also believe

and therefore speak, because we know the one who

raised Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus

and present us with you in his presence.”

2 Corinthians 4:13-14(NIV)

 

We have times when we feel God’s presence with us. In times of intense sadness, of loss,

of great trial, He lets us become aware of His presence.

In 1998, my stepmother spent the spring and summer in and out of the hospital. Three times we received calls to go to the hospital because her condition had worsened. On Labor Day we took her to the hospital and heard a doctor tell us she might need to go to a nursing home to receive therapy to build up her strength. Three weeks and two days later, we lost her. As I went through the days after her death, I felt the prayers of my church family. Because of their prayers, I felt God’s presence.

I often experience times when a chorus comes to mind and stays with me a while. As I compose these words, I was led to check our mail box. I saw it was raining. As I sorted through the junk mail, I had a tune start to echo in my head. At first, I didn’t have anything but the tune. Then a few words came. But I feel blessed by the Lord when I have these moments.

Have you felt God’s presence in your daily life?

Each Day is a Blessing.

Count Your Blessings Month

 

 

“Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”

2 Corinthians 4:16

 

Each day we are relatively healthy and pain free is a blessing. Because I have some arthritis and fibromyalgia, I notice changes in the weather. I have learned to take these conditions in stride.

All I have to do when I notice some inflammation is remember my Sunday school teacher. Several years ago, he had an accident at his place of business. He came through that event without losing his right leg but he carries metal pins and rods down its full length. His wife told me one of his doctors said he’d “become very good at forecasting the weather.”

One of my friends is a quadriplegic. When I worked my last job, each morning I’d pass his street and say a prayer for him and his mother. One fall the muscles in my legs were inflamed so much I actually hurt from hips to ankles. This particular morning, I prayed my usual sentence prayer for them as I went past. All of a sudden, my eyes filled up; I could barely see. Here I was feeling sorry for myself because of some pain when neither one of them ever complained about anything.

I view each day as a blessing from God. If I have a problem, I know He will help me through it. If I receive a blessing, I try to thank Him for that day and that special blessing.

Heaven Changes Everything Book Review

 

Todd and Sonja Burpo have written a devotional-reader containing inspirational thoughts aligned with sections of their first book, Heaven Is For Real. 

Each short chapter begins with an excerpt from Heaven Is for Real.then either Todd or Sonja expands on that excerpt. They wrap up each chapter by presenting a question or a thought to the readers and including a scripture verse.

 This book gave me a view of a family and their life after a medical involving their small child.

 What I read challenged, inspired and enlightened me. The Burpos gave me opportunity to think about the reality of heaven. I knew it existed but this book presented a few concepts I had not thought about before. The authors held my attention; Instead of pacing myself and taking a few days to study this book. I found myself starting it one day and finishing it the next.

 The Burpos present the devotional readings in a very casual, conversational way. They tell of the prayers that went up for their son and how one nurse decided “there [is]a God because this is a miracle.” At the end of each reading is a verse or passage of scripture that magnifies the topic of that section.

 
Iwould recommend this book to those who work with children, young parents serious in their faith, and children’s ministers.


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     I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through its Booksneeze program in return for a honest appraisal of this book.