"In His Presence" Flute & Violin Quartet

Kristin and I so enjoyed having another floutist and violinist to play with while Kara and Nathan (Horst) were visiting for three weeks. Here is our [not-so-perfect] rendition of a beautiful medley arranged by Tracey Ann Collins which we prepared and played for our Hymn Sing (hosted at our house bi-weekly).

Please excuse the bad video quality, the barking dog throughout the whole song, and the cute videographer in the foreground. 😊

WAIT

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried:
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait."
"Wait? You say wait?" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your Word.
My future and all to which I can relate
hangs in the balance, and you tell me to Wait?
I'm needing a 'yes' and a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.
And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled  to God, "So I'm waiting for what?"
He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want --- but you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not know the job of resting in ME
when darkness and silence were all you could see.
You'd never experience the fullness of love
As peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I gave when you walk without sight
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.
You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true,
But oh, the loss! If I lost what I'm doing in you!
So be silent, My child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft' may My answers seem terribly late.
My most precious answer of all is still, WAIT."

-Unknown

FEAR- The Subtle yet Powerful Enemy

This is a followup of sorts to my last post; those fears; let's tackle them once. They're powerful aren't they? How many things have I not done that I should have because of fear? How many times have I disobeyed the Holy Spirit because of fear? Not stepped out of my comfort zone to love somebody because of fear? Lost my joy and peace because of fear? Not heard from the Lord because of fear (even fear that I can't or won't hear correctly)?

It's so subtle. It's bondage. It's just pure bondage! How many regrets do I want in my life because of letting myself be controlled, even if only a small bit, by any kind of fear or anxiety? I want no part of it in my life.

Cry out to the Lord; He will hear, and answer; thru His grace He showed me that I must renounce each of my fears, one at a time, by name (some deep down and hidden) in the Name and thru the blood of Jesus. I am a child of the King! Those fears have no place in my heart, in my life. I am free thru His Blood and His Grace! This does not mean everything's gonna be easy-peasy; it's a battle! This Giant of Fear must be combated every day!  

Key verses that the Lord has given me:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of a sound mind."

"Perfect love casts out fear."

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

"Let the peace of God rule in your heart."

I am not inferior. YOU are not inferior!

I am free from the law of sin and death. "Neither do I condemn thee" says Jesus; "Go and sin no more."  "Follow Me."

No fear. 

Mediocrity and Abundance?

Excerpt from the book "Kisses from Katie," Chapter 8, pg. 100-101:   

“You are to find me in the least of these.” Yes.

“You are to leave your earthly possessions and come follow me.” Yes.

 “You are to love and serve the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” Yes.

“You are to go and make disciples of all nations.” Yes.

“You are to entertain strangers and lepers and tax collectors.” Yes.

“You are to show mercy.” Yes.

“You are to live a life of mediocrity and abundance, holding on tight to your comfortable lifestyle, lest you lose it.” No. 

I don’t think so. “Mediocrity and abundance” aren’t there. However, mediocrity and abundance, comfort and ease, do seem to be safe choices for many people, myself included. In stark contrast, leaving our possessions, following Jesus when we don’t have a well-defined plan, and entertaining strangers ---well, that does sound a little scary. But what if, just beyond that risk, just beyond the fear is a life better than anything we have ever imagined: life to the fullest.

A Greek Word Study- Expecting Confidence; Freedom to be a Slave in Love

Galatians 5:5 & 13

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

Wait for: To expect fully.

Hope:  (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation or confidence.

Righteousness: Equity (of character or act);  justification. 

Faith:  Persuasion, i.e. credence; mor. conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; constancy in such profession; the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.

This verse stood out to me this morning. In my day to day life, am I expecting the confidence that comes thru justification by my faith/reliance on Jesus?  I'm still trying to grasp what all this verse is saying and how it applies. What could be another way to express this verse? If you have thoughts, feel free to comment.  

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

Liberty: Freedom 

Flesh: Flesh (as stripped of the skin), i.e. (strictly) the meat of an animal (as food), or the body (as opposed to the soul [or spirit], or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred) or (by impl.) human nature (with it's frailties [phys. or mor.] and passions), or (spec.) a human being (as such).

Serve: To be a slave to (lit. or fig., invol. or vol.).

This is so, so good. Literally be a slave to one another in love. This is convicting. How many of us actually do this?

And then the finishing touch:

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Gal. 5:14

Feline & Equine- My 3 Favorite Animals, Wisdom and Relationships

My three favorite animals are probably cats, horses and deer. Interesting; when I stop and think about it, those three all have common traits; they're attractive, poised, graceful, and in a way independent, yet very relational; they all speak a very complex and subtle language, which is only recognized if a person knows them and is paying attention. They respond positively to calm, quiet gentleness and kindness. Harshness, manhandling, force, loud noises and action all produce very negative effects on their behavior, and destroy relationships. Winning their affections and devotion is a notable feat, a wonderful experience, and requires patience and a certain amount of giving into the relationship- not just taking or using.

I wonder if there's an analogy here, or any insight into my life or the mind of God? Does this tell me something about myself and how my heart operates? Does it teach me anything about the Lord's way of working with people? What about effective/wise methods of responding to, working with or building relationships with people?? Training children? Leading lost or hurting people to Jesus? Influencing and impacting others? Giving and receiving love? I'm just beginning to grasp this- this whole- concept I guess?? It's an idea, the beginning of an idea, a gem of insight...still on the tip of my brain...

"But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee." Job 12:7

"Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it." Prov. 16:22

"Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom,...get understanding." Prov. 4:7

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:33

Split the Ears with Sound- Shout for Joy! Reflections on Psalm 66

I love the tradition of reading the "Psalms of the day." It's a system that enables one to read through the whole book of Psalms in a one-month period. I don't always do such a good job of reading all my Psalms for the day; sometimes I read only several, only one, or none at all. 

The Psalms for today were 6, 36, 66, 96 and 126 (see a pattern there?). I only got in 6, 26 and 66 this morning; 66 was so good I thought I'd share some of it here, along with literal Hebrew translations for a few key words (anyone else love looking up key words in the original Hebrew and Greek?). :)

Psalm 66  

(omitting verses 3, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, & 17) 

 

1. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: 
 Hebrew: To split the ears (with sound), i.e. shout (for alarm or joy).  (Wow!!)

2. Sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise (Hebr."a hymn") glorious. 
 Hebrew: ...to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music.  (Woohoo! Love it!)

4. All the earth shall worship Thee, and shall sing unto Thee; they shall sing to Thy name. Selah.

5. Come and see the works of God: He is terrible in His doing toward the children of men.

6. He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in Him.

7. He ruleth by His power forever; His eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
 Hebrew: A foreign nation...also (fig.) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts.

8. O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard:
 Hebrew: to kneel; ...to bless God (as an act of adoration)...
(Interesting note- the Hebrew word for "Bless" is "Barak.") :-o

9. Which holdeth (Hebr."to put") our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
 Hebrew: a breathing creature, i.e...vitality...
 Hebrew: alive...fresh (plant, water, year), strong;...
So basically, the Lord puts our breath, or our vitality, in strength and freshness. (?) Or keeps our vitality strong and alive.

12. ...we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy (Hebr. "moist") place.
 
16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul. 
 Hebrew: to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. to inscribe, and also to enumerate;...to recount, i.e. celebrate. 

18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
 Hebrew: to pant (hence to exert oneself, usually in vain; to come to naught); strictly nothingness; also trouble, vanity, wickedness; spec. an idol.

19. But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
 
20. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.

 
Wow. There is sooo much there- I feel like I'm only scratching the surface. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out!" Rom. 11:33

The beginning and the end are my favorite places. Tell me what stood out to you the most. What inspired or blessed you? What especially intrigued you? Convicted you? "Wowed" you? Humbled you? Invigorated you? Made an impression?

"It's Like It Was Designed"

"We are deliciously complex at the molecular level...we don't understand ourselves yet... there is still a metaphysical, magical element about us... but what really astounds me is the architecture of life... the system is extremely complex. It's like it was designed."

-Gene Meyers
Celera Genomics

Live in the Moment- Recognize God's Greatest Blessings

Two important things that a friend challenged me to aspire toward:

- Always live in the moment; live to the fullest in whatever situation I find myself in, and don't be wishing I was somewhere else or thinking about something else- live to the fullest the moment that God has given me, in the place where He's put me right now.

-Don't just try to "make it through" something difficult and come out alive on the other side- don't only think, "God has a plan for this and down the road I'll look back and see that this was the best way;"  don't be discouraged and in despair about the process; rather, embrace it as the Lord trying to teach me and "grow" me- as the painful process itself being the blessing! Not just enduring till the purpose is accomplished but realizing that God has a plan for the whole thing, including every minor detail, and this is kind of my "college;" I need to get as much out of it as I possibly can, learn and grow however He intends for me to! Not just "get thru it." I'll be totally missing out on some of God's greatest blessings. From the outside, to some my situation may look terrible or wrong somehow, but the beauty of it is, God takes the badest, wrongest, hardest most painful parts and turns them into the very best of all, the greatest blessings!