Comfort, Hope and Help in these times
June 8th, 2020
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ………”Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. –Psalm 91 Take a moment to listen to this beautiful rendition of “My Dwelling Place”…..
May 25th, 2020
Amazing Grace…….
May 21st, 2020
His Eye Is On The Sparrow– story behind song and link
“This song had an unusual birth. It was authored by Civilla D. Martin, a Canadian lady who had been educated in the schools of Nova Scotia. She taught school for a short time before meeting and marrying Dr. William Martin, an evangelist and musician of sorts. Together, they enjoyed an itinerant ministry.
Civilla, who wrote the lyrics, said this about her inspiration to write the song.
“Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We developed a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle – true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh 20 years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheelchair.”
Civilla continued, “Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day, while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.’ The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The song ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ was the outcome of that experience.”
Dr. Martin tried his hand at writing a musical setting for the poem, but they were not at all satisfied with it.
They sent the lyrics to Charles H. Gabriel, an experienced musician and songwriter, asking him to write some fitting music for her lyrics. He did so and his melody has been the vehicle that carried Civilla Martin’s poem around the world.”
May 12th, 2020
“Do Not Worry” – by Ellie Holcomb
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27
“I actually wrote this song about 6 years ago while I was pregnant with our little girl. I could not stop worrying about her. I remember reading this passage in Matthew 6 during that particular season and being struck that God tells us NOT to worry. It caught my attention because I couldn’t seem to stop!
Something amazing happened as I began to memorize this passage from Matthew & write this song. I began believing that I didn’t have to worry because God is a good Father who provides well for His children. I would start to worry and then we’d drive past a beautiful field of wildflowers or a flock of birds, and I’d remember! “If God takes care of those beautiful flowers and those flighty birds, how much more will He take care of me?”
I started listening to Creation’s song, and it began to change my heart from one full of worry to a heart full of hope and trust in a faithful Provider. I still love singing this song because it helps me remember that worrying can’t add a single hour to my life, but that trusting God can bring beautiful and wonderful peace, even in the midst of uncertainty. “
Have a listen to “Do Not Worry”
May 12th, 2020
Jesus, Strong and Kind
April 18th, 2020
In these times, in the storms of life, we need an anchor…..an anchor which will not move.
Will Your Anchor Hold
Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor
April 15th, 2020
“Still, my soul, be still”– a psalm-like exhortation to trust in God through difficult circumstances – by Stuart Townend
“The main message in this song is for us to be able to still our minds in the maelstrom and noise of daily life, both externally and internally, and to be able to recognize the closeness of God in everything, and the voice of God in the place of stillness. God is near to us in the now, irrespective of our stress, our circumstances , the pressures of life, the distractions of the urgent, and the temptations that constantly surround us. I particularly love the idea that the light of Christ becomes stronger for us, and more discernible, when everything else around us seems dark and despairing. In reality we are all looking for a place of rest, and my hope is that this song might point us in the right direction.”
April 12th, 2020
April 9th, 2020
Hymns of hope to sing during COVID-19
April 9th, 2020
April 6th, 2020
These are anxious times for us all……for children at home wondering “why can’t I go to school?” for the front-line essential workers going off to work each day, and for their families waiting for them to come home safe……for the parents at home running low on energy, patience and ideas wondering “when will this be over….…….for those anxious for elderly family members who are far away, or alone……anxious times for us all indeed.
Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
“Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.”
“What a friend we have in Jesus”– https://youtu.be/Hoog1LA-oA0
April 3rd, 2020
April 1st, 2020
Good morning…….it is another beautiful, sunny, crisp, spring morning……and we are thankful. As we follow instructions from the authorities to self-isolate and social distance, we can still see the beauty of God’s creation…..the evidences of spring-time. Despite the heaviness of the realities of our collective situation right now, the movements within God’s creation continue and we are thankful.
“Gabriel’s Oboe” is the main theme song from a 1986 movie called “The Mission”. A portion of its lyrics go as follows:
Whispers is a dream, the word is quiet and waiting,
And all around the air is still….
Then sings the angel.
When all has come to pass, the storm has breathed its last
And the rain has washed our fears away…Love will fall….
On us all….
The world will smile again.
March 27th, 2020
It is a beautiful, sunny, spring day today. God is good. He loves us and cares for us. He is faithful…..
March 26th, 2020
March 25th, 2020
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3
March 24th, 2020
Words of comfort and encouragement in the storms of life…
March 23rd,2020
Psalm 23 https://youtu.be/pN4tPkX0MG0
March 21st, 2020: When you go out occasionally to get necessary groceries, remember to say “thank-you for what you are doing” to the cashiers and store staff and delivery people (if you bump into them)……they, plus the health care professionals, first responders and police services, are who are putting themselves on the line for all of us.
We thank them and pray for their safety as they do what they do.
March 20th, 2020: Pray for medical professionals, caregivers, and researchers responsible for fighting the new coronavirus.
God, as more people get sick, healthcare workers and first responders are working longer hours with fewer supplies and with more risk of contracting the new coronavirus themselves. Renew their energy and sustain them on long shifts. Bring Your protection upon them as they work with patients. Multiply their supplies so they have the protective items needed to stay safe on the job. Inspire and invigorate the research doctors developing better tests to diagnose the virus, create vaccines to prevent it, and identify protocols to eliminate the disease’s spread. Amen
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. —Psalm 23:4 (NIV) (from World Vision website)
March 19th, 2020: We are social beings. If at all possible we need contact with others. This contact can take place via many means. Today’s technology can help when person-to-person contact needs to be avoided, as in days like this.