Love that never lets go

My Soul's Shelter

This hymn is so great to pray. I love the imagery in the Lord being our battleshield and our sword! 
We sang this at our wedding, so many years ago, and it continues to be a favorite.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. 

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Dallan Forgail (8th Century)

No Good Thing

This is a favorite of mine..

enjoy.

Truly, our God withholds no good thing from us. Sorrows and joys, suffering and healing. All are working to conform us more to the image of His beautiful Son, Jesus Christ.




story behind the song:

Hold On

Not sure if you have ever been so desperate that all you can do is cling to the promises in God's Word, but if you have, this song will resonate with you.. I know i have found myself on the kitchen floor in tears and praying before...
just bein' real here.

This is actually a song my husband is liking right now too, so you could say this is kind of a post from him ;).

you can click play on the video, but it will make you go to YouTube to watch it...

Silence

Dear Blog Readers,

I will be unable to post for 2 weeks here. I may get a couple in here and there, but don't count on it.

Please don't think i am done with blogging!! This is so wonderful for me.. such a great outlet to share a few of the things i am learning.

I WILL be back at it in about 2 weeks. I may try to get some stellar hymns or songs auto-posted.. we shall see :)

~Jeanette

ok..i am getting  about 4 to auto-post, but i won't be able to respond to your comments for a couple weeks. Remember that your comments make it go both ways :)

Take Time; Be Soft

A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger...

The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,

But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

~Proverbs 15:1, 28

What practical wisdom for our daily lives rests in these two verses! Just think of it...  In the heat of the moment you respond brashly, quickly, harshly. You say what you never wanted to say. You see the hurt on the other person's face. Once again, you think. I did it once again. 

These two verses have hit me hard. How many conflicts could have turned out differently if i had just taken time to study how to answer? How differently could they have turned out if i would have chosen to have a soft answer? This is no easy task, let me be the first one to say it! But the fruit of walking in the wisdom of these verses is almost immeasurable. Let's consider a few benefits of taking our time to respond, and responding softly:

• we honor the Lord. By taking time to think and pray before we respond to things, we honor God. How? Frankly, because we are much less likely to sin in our response. His Holy Spirit will give us wisdom and gentleness if we ask. 

• We show respect for the person we are having the confrontation or difference with. By taking time to think, we are showing them that we care about them, and that we don't want to hurt them with our words.

• We can deepen our relationships. By taking time and answering softly, we are showing love for God and for that person. Sometimes when we face a difficult situation, a soft or a harsh answer can be the difference between the relationship surviving or collapsing. Those difficult conversations can be a turning point for deepening the relationship though, because, once again, we show them love by considering how to answer, and by not just spewing out venom. 

Left to ourselves, this is nearly impossible to do. But, praise be to God the Father, we are not left to ourselves if we have hidden ourselves in Christ. We have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and help us in our time of need. 

May we show that we love the Lord, and each other, by taking our time to respond, and by responding with a soft answer. 

 

Are you tired too?

To say stuff has been going on in my life the past number of months would be an understatement. The good news? God is changing me. not my circumstances, necessarily... but me. I am forever grateful for the fire that refines.

a dear friend heard this song on the radio, and sent it to me. i found the story behind the song after i listened, and just wept. This was quite some time ago. I finally feel i can share it here.

Know that in the midst of all the trials, that God IS working. He IS there. Cling to the precious promises in the Gospel.

Here is the story behind the song:




Here is the song (~:

Worn ~ Tenth Avenue North at KLOVE radio

here is the official video

official music video for Worn

Mark

NOTE TO SELF: this is a longer entry!! more like a "bob" than a "bit" (heehee)

Thursday, June 6, 2013 marked an important day in the life of our family: it was the last day, Lord willing, that any of our children would enter or leave a public school as a student. We are now home-educating all of them. Our 1st grader attended public school this year, because she got the teacher we requested. This is a teacher who loves our family, and is incredibly special to us.

Today also marked the last day my daughter would get on and off the school bus.

enter: Mark.

I don't know how long Mark has driven the bus. I know for the last four years he has driven my kids to school. Last year he had 3 out of 4 of them. This year, just one. And let me tell you, this little one he had this year was scared to go on the bus without her siblings. Her fears were soon relieved, as Mark looked out for her and always smiled at her and her friend. This was an answered prayer from this little Mamma's heart.

Mark carries precious cargo every day to school and back again. He is also carried by that precious cargo, in their heart, at least the precious cargo at this stop. Last week, we didn't have Mark driving the bus. We had a sub. And when my little one heard the sub saying to someone that Mark may not be back before the end of the year, well, her little heart just broke. That evening she just cried. yes... cried. Her little heart was so sad that she wouldn't get to see him. See what i mean? The precious cargo he carries also carries him. The next day, I asked the sub if Mark would be back. She said she thought so, that there had been a death in the family. Immediately my heart grieved for him.

This past Monday, Mark was back!! Oh happy day! Joy of joys for our precious cargo! We had prayed about it, and God answered. I told Mark that my little one was so happy! I told him that she had cried when she thought she wouldn't see him again. I can't explain the look on his face... touched, i guess.

It was the next morning, Tuesday, that Mark motioned for me to come to the bus, and he shared with me that his step-son had passed away. He was only 30. He knew i had lost my Dad recently, and that i would understand. The other mom at the stop (a friend of mine) and I asked if we could do anything... bring a meal, anything. No... but thanks. Well, of course we sprang in to action anyway, and picked up a gift card from Noodles, and a card. This morning we were able to give it to him. I got a picture of him with our girls, and he  shed a tear, i do believe, which in turn, made us Moms get emotional!

It really got me thinking today. Mark has NO IDEA how much he means to us. That he is so much more than a bus driver! I decided to write him a letter of thanks, expressing my gratitude, though words seemed to fall short. I won't share the details of the letter, though i did share the one source of all comfort as he and his wife grieve, Jesus Christ.

 It really got me thinking though, about how many of us just do what we need to do and think "i am just a bus driver... home-maker... or cashier... teacher... or_______." May I be one to tell you just how much you may mean to even ONE person. And that is something that could last into eternity. When i saw just how much Mark meant to my daughter and her friend, i was deeply touched. This one man has made an impression on my girl that will last a lifetime.

Colossians 3:23-24 states:  And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 

May all we do, even if we think it is unimportant, be done for His glory, fame, and honor alone.

The Source of True Delight

What is the source of true delight? Might i suggest that it is found in redemption?! 

Christ dying a brutal death.

for me.

for you

paying the price for me,

and you.

bearing the wrath of God

in my place, 

in your place.

Rising from the dead as proof of pardon completed

for me,

for you.

Ascending to heaven to prepare a place

for me, 

for you.

Redeemed. 

This, Thou Lovely Source of True Delight.

This was written by Anne Steele (1716-1778); this arrangement by K. Twit

Thou Lovely Source of True Delight

Thou lovely source of true delight
Whom I unseen adore
Unveil Thy beauties to my sight
That I might love Thee more,
Oh that I might love Thee more.

Thy glory o’er creation shines
But in Thy sacred Word
I read in fairer, brighter lines
My bleeding, dying Lord,
See my bleeding, dying Lord

’Tis here, whene’er my comforts droop
And sin and sorrow rise
Thy love with cheering beams of hope
My fainting heart supplies,
My fainting heart’s supplied

But ah! Too soon the pleasing scene
Is clouded o’er with pain
My gloomy fears rise dark between
And I again complain,
Oh and I again complain

Jesus, my Lord, my life, my light
Oh come with blissful ray
Break radiant through the shades of night
And chase my fears away,
Won’t You chase my fears away

Then shall my soul with rapture trace
The wonders of Thy love
But the full glories of Thy face
Are only known above,
They are only known above

©1998 Kevin Twit Music.

The Healing Tongue

    The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. 

Proverbs 15.4

Oh, to have a tongue that brings healing! How our Lord must be honored when we speak words of life (His words...from the Bible) to one another. The Apostle Paul instructs us in Ephesians 5:18b-21 to... 

"be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." 

And again in Colossians 3:15-17 (emphasis mine in both)

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

So, how do we have a tongue that brings healing when we speak? We must have the word of Christ dwelling  richly in our hearts. We have to be reading, studying, and meditating on on His most excellent Word.  As the psalmist wrote in so many places, we must delight ourselves in His precepts.. God's Word.

I love the videos  that are circulating showing Christians in different countries getting the Bible for the first time. HERE is a video of the Kimyal people receiving the New Testament for the first time in their language. These people wept and danced as they received God's Word. I was sobbing the first time i saw this. Then, there is a video going around facebook of Asian Christians getting Bibles. You can watch that HERE. See how they hold it and weep with joy?! OH!! To value the Word so dearly!

How precious is your Bible to you?

How precious is my Bible to me?

If we are highly esteeming and loving God's Word, we will be hiding it in our hearts. Then, and only then, can we truly have words of life coming off of our tongues, bringing healing to those around us.

Lord, may it be so. Thank You, precious Jesus, for the Bible. May we love Your living Word. May we love You more. May You become so precious to us, that our hearts are filled to overflowing with Your truth, with Your words. May we have healing words on our tongues. Grant us hearts that desire to meditate on Your ways, precepts, and words. Then, Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with songs, hymns, and melodies towards one another as we communicate the healing words found within The Word.  For Your glory alone, Amen.

Your comments make this a conversation :~)