Joy and Strength (Christian life and music)

I just finished reading the last few chapters of Revelation.  Wow!  Though I've read this awesome prophecy before, it never ceases to amaze me.  As followers of Christ, we will one day rule and reign with Him! But something stood out to me that I don't remember seeing before.  Revelation 22:3 reads like this: "No longer will there be any curse.  The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him." So we will continue to serve Christ throughout eternity.  How does that fit into the ruling and reigning with Him?  Two verses later, we read: "And  there will no longer be  any  night; and they  will not have need  of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will  reign forever and ever." Serving is reigning!  When we serve, we rule!  Like so many other ways of God's Kingdom, it is in total opposite to this world's system.  But not in the new world! As we serve Chr

We all have an image.  Others see us in a certain way.  We may see ourselves in another. But it is God's view of us that matters, and His alone.   So how exactly does God see us? Well, when we are born again, He sees Jesus in us.  This is indeed a miracle!  Since none of us are remotely like Christ in and of ourselves, this truth is amazing. We are all created in God's image.  This in itself makes us worship our Creator! But the fall of man distorted that image in us, to say the least. But Jesus came so that His image could be once again formed and maintained in us. Several things vie for our image.  The world would try to mold us into its image, which is not in our best interest, though it is tempting to think so.  The world wants you to believe you can be self-made, that you need no help from the Lord.  But what is left is an outer shell with little substance on the inside. The devil would like to ruin and destroy our image beyond recognition. This is the scariest of all poss

  My latest song to encourage, soothe, heal, and strengthen you.

Here is the most glorious piece of music ever written.  Whenever I hear this song, I must stand up.   So stand!  Praise the King of kings!  We praise Him for His miraculous birth, bringing us hope, light, peace, joy, and salvation!!   A blessed Christmas Day to you!

What a glorious Christmas Carol!  Do you remember when Charlie Brown and the gang sang it at the end of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special?  So sweet.  If by some strange reason you have never seen the show, by all means watch it!  It is the best. Lord Jesus, just as the angels heralded Your birth over 2,000 years ago, we herald You in our hearts.  We worship You, Lord Jesus.  We cannot praise and worship You enough for being born!  God Almighty born in a manger.  Alleluia!  Amen!   Lyrics 1.  Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations, rise; Join the triumph of the skies; With th’angelic host proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem! [Chorus] Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King! 2.  Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all he brings, Ris’n with healing in his wings. Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die; Bor

Only two days until Christmas (counting today)!  Can you believe we are coming to the end of this history-making year?  Do we even remember what life was like before the pandemic hit?  Can we imagine life returning to normal any time soon? I think we still need to take this plague very seriously.  The more we try to "do" life as normal - gathering for public events, getting together socially - the longer this blasted thing is going to drag on. Celebrating Christmas during a pandemic is still possible!  We put a lot of pressure on Christmas.  The get-togethers, the food, the cookies and candy, the pine trees, the decorations - these are all supposed to make us feel "up" and brighter.  And to some extent, they do. But not this year.  I'm just not "into" the festivities as much.  You?  However, when I get my focus off of what is "missing" this Season, I remind myself what this holiday is really about.  The birth of the Messiah.  He has not gone

No other gods before Me.  That is what Jesus tells us to do - to put no one or nothing above or before Him in our lives, hearts, and minds.  Why does He want this of us?  It certainly isn't some ego trip on His part - He has no "need" of our allegiance, but He desires it not for His own satisfaction, but for our good.  For our best. He knows that nothing can or will ever, ever, ever fill us up in our souls like Him.  As we put Him first - worship Him, desire Him, seek Him - we are satisfied in our souls.  Why?  Because we were created for this.   Eden was perfect not only because there were no weeds.  Eden was perfect because Adam and Eve walked with God in uninterrupted communion.  Bliss indeed. Before sin entered the picture, Adam and Eve worshiped God freely.  Nothing came between their intimate relationship with God. That's what Jesus came for!  So that sort of closeness to God could be restored!  I can't imagine life without it!  We can experience a bit of he

I am an artist.  As an artist, truth is very important to me.  Seeking it, wanting it, finding it, revealing it. I want to get to the heart of the matter in life, in others, in my environment, and just plain everywhere. And therein lies the bane of my existence!  Why?  Because "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players," said Shakespeare. Most people live in denial of the truth - about God, about life, about themselves.  So when people like me come along, they get uncomfortable.  "You're rocking the boat!"  "We like the little world we've created for ourselves - even if it is a house of cards!" I am drawn to those who "tell it like it is."  I admire those who are themselves no matter what others think of them.  They won't be kowtowed into the status quo, or bullied into believing the latest ism.  They stay true to themselves, who God made them to be. They don't find it necessary to "play act" t

We are all familiar with the three Wise Men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. One brought gold. The other, frankincense. And the other, myrrh. If you want to learn more about the symbolism of these gifts, you can read more  here. But I want to talk specifically about the gift of gold. What is the "gold" that we bring Him?  What is the most valuable thing that we possess?  Are we giving it, or them, to Jesus to show Him honor and respect? I think of worship.  When we worship the Lord, it is truly golden.  It is precious to Jesus.  When we worship with our whole hearts, it is even more priceless.  He is worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and worship.  So when we give Him what is due Him, we are bringing our best to Him.  It is costly because in the flesh, we are not prone to worship God at all.  So it costs us our "natural" inclinations.  It costs us time and attention.  It costs us focus.  Time is precious and valuable.  So when we give of our time to worship Christ

I've been touchy lately.  Irritable.  Short-tempered.  Letting every little - and big - thing get to me.  I've been a nervous wreck. I think it's the cumulative affect of being in lock down for so long. I keep thinking that I need a vacation, that some R&R would do the trick. Then today, as I was reading in Hebrews chapters 4-6 about the rest of God, I got thinking about how Jesus never took vacations (as far as we know).  And though Jesus was always in God's peace, He was a very busy man!  Every day, everywhere He went, He was in demand as a teacher, healer, and rescuer.   Now Jesus went away frequently to pray.  And He spent time with His Father.  This rejuvenated Him. But I spend time every morning with Jesus, too.  Without fail.   Yet just a few hours into the day, depending on what is happening around me, I find myself getting upset about something or someone. How to stay in the rest and peace of God? What causes us stress?  How do we manage it?  Was Jesus ever

What do you do when someone is bringing out the worst in you so that you cannot move forward in your ministry?  Who are you allowing to disqualify you or get in your way?  What do you have no control over? We all need support in life.  It comes in many forms.  But sometimes, it feels like we have little to none at all.  We feel down, discouraged, like there's no way out of our situation. Are you crying out for wisdom from the Lord today?  He will answer you!  He promises to!  It may not come exactly when you want it, but it comes when you need it. And it may not be the answer you were hoping for, but it will be the solution that you need. This is hard.  If you're at all like me, then you want things your way and in your time.  Oy.  I thought the spoiled child in me was long gone, but it turns out she can still rear her petulant head! God is God. He can do anything.  He can stop others from harming us.  And if He has a plan to move us forward and sees that someone is being an ob

Everything we need is found in the Word of God. The meaning of life Salvation Hope True love Fulfillment Destiny Past and future events Truth Our relationship with God Who God is Why we were created Where we are going Our reason for living Belonging And so much more If we don't know God, we don't know Life. If we don't know God's Word, we don't know Him. When I think that God bothered to reveal Himself to us at all, it blows my mind.  He didn't have to tell us anything.  He gave us the entire universe as proof of His existence. But He wanted to be known.  He wanted to reassure us that He is there - as God our Father, as the One holding everything together with the power of His might, as the Savior that we all need.  It is a privilege that we can get to know God at all.  So why aren't more people lining up for this awesome journey? People make God into their own image.  He is thus-and-so.  But you wouldn't want anyone defining you as something that you ar

  My "Lullaby" for the precious babies in your hearts and lives.  Don't forget to download it or send as a gift to a new mommy here:  MP3 download

Wrestling, reasoning, pleading my case with God.  Been there, done that.  Guess who won? Every. Time. Jacob wrestled with God and came away with a limp the rest of his days.  Did he really think he could "beat" God, or get God to do what he wanted Him to do?   Yet we "wrestle" against or with God all the time.   "Lord, please, please take away this trial.  If You would just do this, I could be happy and not be so stressed all the time." "Lord, why are you letting this disease go on and on?  Why won't You heal her/him/me?  Where are You?  Why don't You answer me?!" "Lord, I give up.  I've done everything I could to follow and obey You.  Yet You keep allowing trials and tribulations in my life.  I can't take any more!" "Lord, if you don't bless me with ________, I can't go on.  Why are you taking so long to bless me with _________?" Do any of these ring true for you?  If you have a real relationship with

I read the first part of Psalm 62 this morning and was reminded of something.  My soul's rest comes from the Lord.  Oh I may need to get more sleep, which refreshes my body.  It feels good when my body feels rested. But my soul - my mind, will, and emotions - finds rest in God alone.  The Psalmist was spot on!  Unlike the other ways I try to find rest, only the Lord can provide the rest I really need.  Rest that brings me comfort and peace.  Rest that is untouchable by outer circumstances and stresses.  This is the rest I truly crave! Sometimes, I go to YouTube or other social media to find rest.  Really?! What am I hoping to find anyway?  A new recipe, a new song, show, or interview on YouTube, or even a sermon there, or a new idea on Pinterest - do any of these provide rest for my soul?  Not really.  So though I think I am relaxing when I look at these things, what I'm really looking for is escape or distraction.   When I'm weary and tired, I should simply be .  More like

I don't know about you, but to say that the Lord has given me a million chances is an understatement, To sin means to miss the mark (the bullseye of the target). To say I have missed the mark a million times in my life - because this includes my thought life, too - may sound exorbitant, but trust me, I am low-balling it! So when I hear the phrase, "He is the God of second chances," I don't understand it.  Why?  Because from personal experience, I know that I know that I know that if God had stopped at my "second chance," I would be toast forevermore! No.  He has given me, and keeps giving me, chance after chance after chance. Let me explain further. How many days have you lived?  Now even if you were to sin only once a day (ha!), how many days is that so far?  It would be at least in the thousands.  But because we know that we all sin more than once a day(!). that's why I put the "second chance" deal into the millions. I rely on God's mercy

This is another song that is a part of my musical, "Knowing God."  It is based on Philippians 3:14.  Enjoy!  Sheet music available here .  

God's wisdom is perfect.  God's knowledge is unlimited.  God is omniscient. Ask Him anything, He knows the answer.  Will He tell you?  He promises to give wisdom to those who ask Him. Wisdom for what?  Knowledge for knowledge sake?  Wisdom to "get rich?"  How God answers us has a lot to do with our hearts, our motives. If we want wisdom to know His will, He will oblige.  He does not always answer us at once, in a tidy sentence.  Sometimes He does.   But much of the time He walks with us as the answer unfolds.  Being the perfect Teacher that He is, He wants us to truly know and learn, not just gather facts or answers. So, for example, if I ask Him for wisdom about a situation, He usually tells me a bit about what is going on.  He speaks to my spirit.  He leads me to certain Scripture passages that reveal the true nature of the circumstance. When I want to know what to do , that may take a bit more time.  He shows me as I go.  He has never once given me a five-year plan

  Don't forget to download my Christmas song for the holidays!  Available here:  Sheet music download And in case you missed my earlier post with the YouTube video of the song, here it is.  God bless your holiday season!

What do we hope for?  Hope in? We all need lots of hope these days more than ever.  Sure, we are hoping for the end to this awful virus.  Hoping for a vaccine.  Hoping for life to get back to normal. But there is a greater hope we can possess.  It never disappoints.  It will be fulfilled for certain one day.  And if we build our lives on it, we will have a solid foundation forever. I am talking about hoping in Christ. In my Bible reading this morning, I read in the book of Ephesians.  If you ever need to be encouraged about who you are in Christ, please read and reread Ephesians.  The richest of letters about our identity as believers in Christ. Anyway, in Ephesians 2:12, Paul reminds us of what life was like before we came to know Christ, and tells of what life is currently like for the unbeliever, the unsaved: "Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God

My mom's favorite Christmas carol was "O Come, All Ye Faithful."  It is a very special carol indeed.   The lyrics have such depth and poetry.  The melody so memorable. I am forever grateful for the rich heritage I have growing up with these Carols - singing them in church, singing them at the piano - they are a part of me. One very special thing that happened with this song happened shortly after my mom's passing.  She passed in late November, less than a month before Christmas, many years ago. I went to work each day with a heavy heart.  The love of my life was gone.  The person who gave me life, formed me, and loved me like no one else ever has or ever will, no longer there.  Oh I know that I will be with her again in heaven.  But for now, there is a hole. While leaving work one day, a nearby church played "O Come, All Ye Faithful" on the church bells.  It rang out for all within earshot to hear. I knew it was a sign that Mom was still looking after me, pr

I have come to realize that we can control many of the things distracting us away from our relationship with Christ, our center, our peace.  We can control how much time we spend on social media, watching TV, and so on.  These are the sorts of distractions we do not have to succumb to.   However, some distractions are beyond our control.   Other people's behavior can be a huge distraction, especially when they are intentionally messing with you. Some people are actually bothered by your peace and will do all they can to push your buttons, to try and upset you.   Now are they just playing harmless games with you?  Or is it much more serious than that? Years ago, the Lord moved me to tune in to a certain talk show.  I didn't usually watch this show, so I wasn't sure why He was leading me to watch it. What I saw I will never forget.   Miss America was the guest.  The host of the show asked her how she keeps her poise while walking the runway.  How did she not get distracted or

Whenever I hear the song, "Mary, Did You Know?" I cry.  I can't help myself. The combination of the melody, the poetic lyrics, the depth of truth and meaning in the lyrics all leave me in a state of worship and weeping.  So beautiful. The other day in the grocery store, the song came over the loud speakers.  I thought to myself, "Oh know!  I am going to cry right here in the store!"   As I pushed my cart down the aisles, I worshiped the Lord in my heart.  It was so powerful and moving.  I did my best to hold back the tears, and I succeeded somewhat.  My eyes welled up but I didn't blubber like a baby! I am always moved to worship the Lord when I hear this song.  Every. Single. Time. There aren't many songs that do that to me.  This song is special. It may surprise you to know that the lyrics were written by Mark Lowry, a Christian comedian.  Buddy Greene wrote the music.  When I first learned that Mark was the writer, I was a bit surprised.  I did not kn

Everything's weird because we're all pretending that it's not.  We're trying to do life as usual, but there's nothing usual about what we are experiencing during this pandemic. I'm sitting here watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and it is surreal.  I mean I'm glad they're still having it.   But no one is there. The streets are empty. Everyone is singing and dancing as if  everything is normal.   But it's not. And underneath all the "festivities," it just feels so sad to me.  It's as if we all want it to be like it once was.   It's nice that they want to still have the parade, to "keep our spirits up," but it all feels really hollow to me.   They just showed an overhead shot of the Brooklyn Bridge and it was eerily bereft of traffic.  To think of the millions of New Yorkers who are in the habit of complaining about the traffic - how they all must yearn to have the chaos of the hustle and bustle of the traffic o

My husband wrote this song years ago while we were living in L.A.  He is quite the gifted composer.  I only helped a bit with some of the lyrics.   I thought it would be nice for you all to hear - especially now, because it is full of such joy and is so uplifting. Enjoy!

Are we in search of an immediate breakthrough from the Lord?  A miraculous healing or deliverance?  Or are we in it for the long, hard work, painful haul? Be all in.  Yet another one of those catch phrases that becomes trite-sounding after awhile.  But when you are truly "all in" with Jesus, there is no turning back.  When the road gets rough - and if you are truly "in," it will get rough - what then? I saw a book on a co-workers desk once (back when we worked in the office - remember those days?), with a title something like, "Here's Your Breakthrough." I thought about it for a second. Then the Lord spoke to me, "Forgive others.  That's her breakthrough." The Spirit knew that she needed to forgive others.  Maybe someone from long ago in particular.  Once she did that, and stuck with it, she would get her breakthrough. So buying a book and reading it is very easy.  Most anyone can do that.  We want that magic "deliverance" that