Send The Light

Psalm 43:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Send me your light and your faithful care,

    let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain,

    to the place where you dwell.

The last movie I saw in the theater was "The Finest Hours," the story based on the real heroic Coast Guard rescue at sea, the harsh night the Pendleton oil tanker split in half during a nor'easter in 1952.  The review I read before seeing it found fault with the movie being squeaky clean; but that just made me more interested in seeing it.  We don't see enough of that coming out of Hollywood these days.  I ended up reading the book it was based on and found out the the truth was even cleaner and God's hand on the men clearer.  The hero, a minister's son, and his crew sang "Rock of Ages" just as they were about to cross the dangerous bar.  Disney left that out of the movie.  Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman’s 2010 book The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Most Daring Sea Rescue was worth the read.   Lights in the darkness were life saving in this story.  The light of Jesus in this dark world is soul saving.  

Rock of Ages - Newfound Road 

Send the Light

Steven Curtis Chapman - Amen (Official Lyric Video)

Checking In...

...to Dreamland.  I'm too sleepy to do anything else.

Unspoken - Call It Grace (Lyric Video)

It's Sunday!

Adventure awaits!

God Supplies the Fish

Matthew 4:19 New English Translation (NET Bible)

19 He said to them, “Follow me, and I will turn you into fishers of people.”

Mark 16:15 New International Version (NIV)

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Philippians 4:19 New King James Version (NKJV)

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

"It's not in his skill set," was the way a former boss would describe an employees failure to grasp the fundamentals of a job.  He would then give them work in what they could be successful.  Jesus seemed to understand his disciple's skill set, when he told them they would be still fishing but fishing for men.  So don't be afraid, God knows you well and will not give you more than you what you are able to do.  He does, however, want you to do what He knows you can do; and He does believe you can go; so go. He'll take care of the how, where, what and who.  The when is now.

He supplies the fish.  Just don't forget your worms.  

Ubi Caritas Lyric Video

The Fairfield Four - Children Go Where I Send Thee

Dare to Hope

Lamentations 3:21-22 New Living Translation (NLT)

21 Yet I still dare to hope

    when I remember this:

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![a]

    His mercies never cease.

It takes great courage to dare to hope, but only a little fear to sink my ship; and I know this for I've sunk many ships.  Still my ever patient Heavenly Father continues to remind me that his faithful love has no end.  He will carry me through.  Today was difficult, but I can dare to hope for tomorrow.

He's Always Been Faithful - Sara Groves 

Sidewalk Prophets - You Love Me Anyway (Official Video)

A Good Verse...

...for those days when I feel like just phoning it in.  Sometimes I think I'm the laziest person I know.

Casting Crowns - The Well (with lyrics)

Ever Thankful...

Jeremiah 31:35 New Living Translation (NLT)

35 It is the Lord who provides the sun to light the day

    and the moon and stars to light the night,

    and who stirs the sea into roaring waves.

His name is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,

    and this is what he says:

...that God is God and I am not.

Hank Williams Sr - The Pale Horse and His Rider

Casting Crowns - "No Not One" Live

Keep It Clean

Psalm 19:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

14 May the words of my mouth

    and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

The news pundits have been speaking about American anger in the political arena, and it does seem to be so; but this anger also seems to have been simmering for some time in all areas of our society; especially if we consider the language we use.  We have become ugly and profane, where we should be thankful.  We demand rights rather than seek blessings.  When profanity replaces decency we are all diminished.  I've heard it out of the mouths of our leaders as well as our children.  It's a rare day to not be assaulted by it, and I have to wonder where all the mothers were when their quota of soap bars was being passed out.  My mother certainly had soap and wasn't afraid to use it!   Sigh.  It starts with me.  I am responsible for my own language and that of my household.  The dog may be barking but I don't believe he's swearing! 

Gaither Vocal Band - Let It Start In Me (Live)

Gaither VEVO 

My Husband and I Are Both Sick ...

...so now we could use a guest blogger.  

OFFICIAL " HEY GIRL" Video Nicole C. Mullen

It's Sunday!

You can stop for lunch after the service!

Step Into the Water [Live]

Another Day Sick...

Isaiah 66:13 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 As one whom his mother comforts,

    so I will comfort you;

    you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

...and I think I want my mom!  I went to the store tonight after work, still feeling lousy, and got a few survival items.  When I paid, the cashier wanted my phone number, and for the life of me I couldn't think what it was!  (In my defense, it's our old number from when we had a land line.)  I finally managed to come up with the number, but when the cashier told me my savings, he called me by my mother's name.  I knew then that I had given him her phone number.  It's good, though, that she get's the credit.  She certainly deserves it.  Sigh...I was once a child in need, and still am a child in need.  Even grown women need their moms sometimes.
"Mom!"

I Am They - Make a Way (Official Lyric Video)

CAST MY CARES (Acoustic Version)

Still Sick...

Psalm 73:26 New Living Translation (NLT)

26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,

    but God remains the strength of my heart;

    he is mine forever.

...and God is still here. and I'm still thankful.

Unmeasurable Measure

Ephesians 3:17-19 New Living Translation (NLT)

17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Tomorrow my cold and I will return to work.  Tonight we will consider the unmeasurable measure of the love of Jesus as expressed in song by Audrey Assad on her new "Inheritance" album.

Oh, The Deep, Deep Love Of Jesus"
(feat. Fernando Ortega)

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus
Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free
Rolling as a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me

Underneath me, all around me
Is the current of Your love
Leading onward, leading homeward
To Your glorious rest above

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus 
‘tis heaven of heavens to me;
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to thee!

Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus 
spread his praise from shore to shore!
How he loves us, ever loves us,

changes never, nevermore!

Oh, The Deep, Deep Love of Jesus (feat. Fernando Ortega) - Audrey Assad

Taking a Sick Day

Proverbs 17:22 English Standard Version (ESV)

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

    but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet - Audrey Assad

Eternally Saved

Hebrews 9:12 English Standard Version (ESV)

12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

Back in 1971, if a Christian song wasn't sung in church or youth group, I didn't know it.  I recently listened to a song from that year that amazed and surprised me with its artistry.  This was because Audrey Assad on her new album, "Inheritance," released a much shorter version of the song.  It is worth listening to the original.  The following is what I cut and pasted from the Wikipedia entry on the song, "Jesus Blood Has Never Failed Me Yet."  Enjoy the original.  It will be worth listening to the whole song.  I'm also going to upload my video to the song by Audrey Assad.

The blood of Jesus has never failed me, and it never will.

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet is a 1971 arrangement by Gavin Bryars of a composition by an unknown composer. It is formed on a loop of an unknown homeless man singing a brief stanza.[1] Rich harmonies, comprising string and brass, are gradually overlaid over the stanza. The piece was first recorded for use in a documentary which chronicles street life in and around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo, in London. When later listening to the recordings, Bryars noticed the clip was in tune with his piano and that it conveniently looped into 13 bars.[2] For the first LP recording, Bryars was limited to a duration of 25 minutes; later Bryars completed a 60-minute version of the piece for cassette tape; and with the advent of the CD, a 74-minute version. It was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize.

Bryars says:

In 1971, when I lived in London, I was working with a friend, Alan Power, on a film about people living rough in the area around Elephant and Castle and Waterloo Station. In the course of being filmed, some people broke into drunken song – sometimes bits of opera, sometimes sentimental ballads – and one, who in fact did not drink, sang a religious song "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet". This was not ultimately used in the film and I was given all the unused sections of tape, including this one.
When I played it at home, I found that his singing was in tune with my piano, and I improvised a simple accompaniment. I noticed, too, that the first section of the song – 13 bars in length – formed an effective loop which repeated in a slightly unpredictable way [in the notes for the 1993 recording on Point, Bryars wrote that while the singer's pitch was quite accurate, his sense of tempo was irregular]. I took the tape loop to Leicester, where I was working in the Fine Art Department, and copied the loop onto a continuous reel of tape, thinking about perhaps adding an orchestrated accompaniment to this. The door of the recording room opened on to one of the large painting studios and I left the tape copying, with the door open, while I went to have a cup of coffee. When I came back I found the normally lively room unnaturally subdued. People were moving about much more slowly than usual and a few were sitting alone, quietly weeping.

I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man's singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the homeless man's nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony to his spirit and optimism."[3]

Gavin Bryars - Jesus Blood never failed me yet (full, audio only, no visual)

Oli Dez 

Here's My Heart

Proverbs 3:5-6 English Standard Version (ESV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

    and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

    and he will make straight your paths.

Matthew 22:37 English Standard Version (ESV)

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

Psalm 26:2 English Standard Version (ESV)

2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me;

    test my heart and my mind.[a]

Psalm 51:17 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 119:10 English Standard Version (ESV)

10 With my whole heart I seek you;

    let me not wander from your commandments!

Casting Crowns - Here's My Heart

It's Sunday and Valentine's Day!

Take someone you love to church.

A Last Gasp A Blazing Hope

Guido Reni, David, 1620

For all those words which were written long ago are meant to teach us today; that when we read in the scriptures of the endurance of men and of all the help that God gave them in those days, we may be encouraged to go on hoping in our own time. Romans 15:4 Phillips

The context here is that Paul is using Christ as a model of a deferential life. His specific reference, however, is from the Old Testament. See 15:3. So, he pauses to point out the role of the Bible in everyday Christian living, to keep our hope blazing.

David immediately comes to mind when I think of Old Testament characters. In the Psalms he seems to often be crying out to God as a man destitute, and on his last gasp. But, he finds strength in knowing God is his ally and rallies to victory.

Finding encouragement and strength in God may require us on occasion to reckon ourselves as destitute, on our last gasp. More likely, however, we are likely to see our current situation as tolerable, but wishing it were better. Reading the Old Testament will help our hope, for it helps us replace wishing with reckoning.
beanscot's husband

Wow is Right!

Cling to Christ [Acoustic Version]

Because He is Holy

Revelation 4:8 New International Version (NIV)

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’[a]

who was, and is, and is to come.”

Psalm 96:9 New International Version (NIV)

9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness;

    tremble before him, all the earth.

Holy, Holy, Holy Lyric Video - Audrey Assad

Sunshine in the Forecast

I ran across a Gaither video of the song, "Heavenly Sunlight" and enjoyed it greatly even while thinking, shouldn't it be "Heavenly Sunshine?"  That's how I sang it back in my childhood church.  It was one I loved to sing while sitting with my family in the whole pew needed to hold us all.  That was many years ago but I still know that Jesus will never leave me or forsake me.  Even if the light seems dim, he is still there.  He always has been and always will be.  So sing along with the Gaithers and Squire Parsons as we walk in the light.  I'll provide the lyrics.

Heavenly Sunlight [Live]

Walking in sunlight all of my journey,
Over the mountains, through the deep vale;
Jesus has said, I'll never forsake thee—
Promise divine that never can fail.

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!
Flooding my soul with glory divine;
Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

Shadows around me, shadows above me
Never conceal my Savior and Guide;
He is the light, in Him is no darkness,
Ever I'm walking close to His side.

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!
Flooding my soul with glory divine;
Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

In the bright sunlight, ever rejoicing,
Pressing my way to mansions above;
Singing His praises, gladly I'm walking,
Walking in sunlight, sunlight of love.

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!
Flooding my soul with glory divine;
Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!

Heavenly sunlight! Heavenly sunlight!
Flooding my soul with glory divine;
Hallelujah! I am rejoicing,
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine!
Singing His praises, Jesus is mine! 

Newsboys - Guilty - Standing For Christ (Official Music Video)

Yes, I'd Rather

Mark 8:36 King James Version (KJV)

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Matthew 16:25 King James Version (KJV)

25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Yes, I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold, and I'd rather be his than have riches untold.  I can really sing it.  There are still times, however, when I wish the words of this  song would turn the rather than's into in additions to.  I want Jesus in addition to silver and gold, riches untold, and houses or lands.  Yes, I can be that shallow.  Father, help me to desire you above all else. 

Thank you to George Beverly Shea's mother who left this poem on the piano for George to find.  Sometimes mothers know best.

George Beverly Shea - I'd Rather Have Jesus

The Gundersen Family - "Doxology/Poor Man's Son/Down To The River To Pra...

Come Home It's Suppertime

Revelation 19:6-9 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

    the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult

    and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

    and his Bride has made herself ready;

8 it was granted her to clothe herself

    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said[a] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Maybe it's because I work for old and sick people, maybe it's because I could be called old and sick myself, maybe I just wanted a song with words I can understand from a man called "Gentleman Jim Reeves" on a day when a presidential candidate can be proudly profane, maybe any or all of those things gave me a great desire to upload his song, "Suppertime."   So this is what I did tonight.  I hope you like it.

PS: Thanks Grandma for all the meals at your table on the farm.

The lyrics:
Many years ago in days of childhood
I used to play till evenin' shadows come
Then windin' down that old familiar pathway
I'd hear my mother call at set of sun.

Come home, come home it's suppertime
The shadows lengthen fast
Come home, come home it's suppertime
We're going home at last.

Some of the fondest memories of my childhood
Were woven around suppertime
When my mother used to call
From the backsteps of the old homeplace
Come on home now son it's suppertime.

Ahhhh, but I'd loved to hear that once more
But you know for me time has woven the realization of
The truth that's even more thrilling and that's when
The call come up from the portals of glory
To come home for it's suppertime.

When all Gods children shall gather around the table
of the Lord, Himself and the greatest suppertime of them all.

Come home, come home it's suppertime
The shadows lengthen fast
Come home, come home it's suppertime

We're going home at last...

Suppertime - Jim Reeves

A Resurrection Hope

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 King James Version (KJV)

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Song of Solomon 2:11-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

11 for behold, the winter is past;

    the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth,

    the time of singing[a] has come,

and the voice of the turtledove

    is heard in our land.

The sun came out today, reminding me that winter is nearly past and spring is almost here.  Hope comes when life is renewed.  Eternal hope came with the resurrection of our Lord.  He is alive and He is victorious.  So we shall also be.

2 Timothy 2:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,

    we will also live with him;

He Is Alive - Third Day

Sweet, Sweet, Spirit [Live]

What Crop?

The Sower - James Tissot

Matthew 13:23 King James Version (KJV)

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Although this is an explanation of the parable of the soils, which deals with the condition of the human heart, one may ponder to what Jesus was alluding when he talks about fruit.  
To an evangelical it probably means souls saved.  To another Christian camp it may mean social good deeds or turning people toward eternal values.  This is just something to think about.
beanscot's husband

It's Sunday!

Bromley, William (b,1769)- Asleep During Services

God gives to his beloved sleep, but we should give him the time to do so.

Psalm 127:2 English Standard Version (ESV)

2 It is in vain that you rise up early

    and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

    for he gives to his beloved sleep.

What Matters In the End

The reunion of Jacob and Joseph

Then Jacob said, "It must be true! My son Joseph is alive! I will go and see him before I die." Gen. 45:28

Then Jacob said to Joseph, "Now let me die, for I have seen you with my own eyes and know you are still alive." Gen. 46:30

Jacob had lived a deceptive, complicated, shrewd life, at least in his younger years. Now, however, he   has mellowed. One could speculate that God had worked the deceptiveness out of him in the years since Joseph disappeared. He now can be satisfied simply by seeing Joseph again. This is no small thing, though. Compared to most of the aspirations Jacob had, this is clearly the most monumental of them all. Seeing the favorite son again when he's supposed to be dead, well....

Wisdom likely teaches us between the greater and lesser in life's experiences. I used to figure that I needed to make a few wise, right choices on the major issues of life. I'm not sure if I'm still in that pursuit. I suppose I should be. As Jacob learned, so should we, that contentment comes from getting the major goals of life met.
beanscot's husband

I Then Shall Live [Live]

A Pretty Good Song

Big Daddy Weave - The Only Name (Yours Will Be)

Prisoner of Hope

Zechariah 9:11-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,

    I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;

    today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Jeremiah 29:11 New International Version (NIV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 8:24-25 New International Version (NIV)

24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 I've been considering what it means to be a prisoner of hope.  How to be a prisoner of fear, I know too well, those self-made bars I hide behind to protect me from from God's plans for my life.   How much better to be a prisoner of hope.  One who waits in eager expectation for God's promise to be fulfilled.  Fear is not from God, but hope is.  Father help me to wait patiently for you.  

Casting Crowns - City On The Hill (Animated)

You Are My All in All With Canon in D [Live]

Jon Foreman - "Before Our Time" (Official Video)

Today Was A Good Day...

...so I will give thanks.

Psalm 100 English Standard Version (ESV)

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

100 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

2     Serve the Lord with gladness!

    Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!

    It is he who made us, and we are his;[a]

    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

    and his courts with praise!

    Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Colossians 2:6-7English Standard Version (ESV)

Alive in Christ

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Philippians 3:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Righteousness Through Faith in Christ

3 Finally, my brothers,[a] rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Be Free!

Galatians 5:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Christ Has Set Us Free

5 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Romans 8:1-2 English Standard Version (ESV)

Life in the Spirit

8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a] 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[b] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

John 8:36 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

I'm a hoarder.  I hoard all slights and hurts nearly daring God to take them away from me.  I want that freedom Christ offers, but I don't want to give up all the troubles that have become strangely dear to me.  That's not good!  I need to empty my hands to receive the grace God gives.  The stone has been rolled away, and I have no business trying to roll it back.  I like the song I uploaded today by Ellie Holcomb, "I Want to Be Free."

I Want to Be Free - Ellie Holcomb