Big Daddy Weave - "Jesus I Believe" (Official Music Video)

Norton Hall Band - Come Ye Sinners

Because I Have One More Day...

1 Samuel 17:47 English Standard Version (ESV)

47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

2 Chronicles 20:17 New International Version (NIV)

17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’”

...in my work week, these are good verses to remember.  The Lord will be with me.  

Kutless - What Faith Can Do (Official Music Video)

It Doesn't Always Pass

Philippians 2:8 New International Version (NIV)

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

I was reminded of a momism today that I've heard so often during my life that I truly believed that my mom had quoted it from the Bible, "This too shall pass."  Guess what!  It's not in the Bible!  It is most possibly the words of a Persian poet from ages past who likely heard it from his mother.  Why I would consider that our Savior who was obedient even unto death would would promise a relief from my own little sufferings this side of eternity, I don't know.  I do know, however, that he is with me in my suffering; and is somehow making it beautiful.  I may not see it, but he does and assures me it will be glorious.  
I heard this song on the way to work today.

Casting Crowns-"Praise You In This Storm" (live)

When Rheumatoid Arthritis Hurts...

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Romans 8:31 English Standard Version (ESV)

God's Everlasting Love

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us?

...I still know that God has my good in mind.  

Don't Let It Get You Down | Live At Rockwood Music Hall

It Was A Specially Hard Day at Work Today...

...and it's making me wish I was the dog.  Still I will rise tomorrow and take another one for the team.  

Micah 7:8 English Standard Version (ESV)

8 Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;

    when I fall, I shall rise;

when I sit in darkness,

    the Lord will be a light to me.

Norton Hall Band "He Will Hold Me Fast"

Sidewalk Prophets - "The Words I Would Say" with Lyrics

I Still Like Cows...

Psalm 50:10 King James Version (KJV)

10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

...and they all belong to God.  

Matt Maher - Rise Up

A Good Bedtime Verse...

...for all of us who are weary.  Sleep well.

Love Can Turn the World [Live]

It's Sunday!

Admit it.  If you've grown up going to church you've done this at least once...maybe more...

Blessed Be the Tie - Sara Groves

A Three Strand Cord

Ecclesiastes 4:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 Though one may be overpowered,

    two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Today I found myself thoroughly enjoying working with two other women, my coworkers, and for that I am thankful.  Together we thrived.  Together we laughed.  Together we conquered.  It was a small battle by the world's standards, but a great victory by God's.  Blest be the tie that binds.  

Uncompromising Faith

I read the words tonight, "They didn't bow.  They didn't bend.  They didn't burn." and wondered who wrote them.  They just sounded so good that I wish it had been me.  As it turns out it was from a country song, "The Fourth Man In the Fire." My husband, looking over my shoulder as I added the words to the image above, immediately started singing, and declared it a Statler Brother's song.  I was already enamored of the Johnny Cash version, however, but in fairness to my husband, a bass singer, I decided to listen to both.   Enjoy. 
It is my fervent desire and prayer that when my Savior comes for me he will find me faithful.  

Fourth man - The Statler Brothers

Johnny Cash The Fourth Man

Even Unto Death - Audrey Assad

Aging Beautifully

Simeon and Anna Praise the infant Jesus, Arent de Gelder (Flemish) ca. 1700.

Luke 2:36-37 New International Version (NIV)

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.[a] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Isaiah 46:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 Even to your old age and gray hairs

    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you;

    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

I was visiting my elderly, widowed mother in the hospital Sunday night.  Age appears to be taking its toll on her; and she accepts it, if not welcomes it.  She's a hard woman to slow down; and, until now, very little has.  She is, just as she is, a precious, highly valued child of God, but it can be hard for her to just be and not do.  In spite of or because of her situation, I found myself strangely grateful that I could finally show her, a captive audience, videos I had uploaded to Youtube and watch her enjoyment of them.   She financially provided for me the computer I use to make them; but never before had stopped to watch one, let alone three!  It let me be a little girl, who still needs a mother's attention.  So, thanks Mom!  You're wanted, loved...and beautiful.

When I made the video for this Emmylou Harris song, I did it with Mom in mind.

Back When We Were Beautiful - Emmylou Harris 

Norton Hall Band "My Hope Is Built"

Yes, Forgive

Ephesians 4:32 English Standard Version (ESV)

32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

I've needed this verse today.  

Hallelujah Choir Opener - Hillsong Worship

I Like This

Romans 8:17 New International Version (NIV)

17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Galatians 4:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

Like a Crown (Ode 1) - Rebekah Caggegi, The Odes Project 

His Song in the Night

Someone I love needs prayer to get through another difficult night.  So I am praying.  I pray that she'll find the Lord's song in her night.  I pray for all who are living in a seemingly endless night.  Listen for His song and know that He is there.  Glen Campbell who is now facing the long night of Alzheimer's disease sang and recorded the song, "No More Night."

Glen Campbell - No More Night (1989)

Jordan Feliz - The River

Rend Collective - One And Only (Live At The Orchard)

It's Sunday!

It takes longer to be better...

For My Brother, The Truck Driver...

Warner Sallman, "Christ, Our Pilot"

2 Timothy 3:15 New Living Translation (NLT)

15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus.

Luke 14:23 King James Version (KJV)

23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

...and son of a truck driver.  May you always feel the presence of our Savior's hand on your shoulder, trusting He will lead you safely home.  

Red Sovine - Truckers Prayer

Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me - BiFrost Arts 

Behold! I Loved This Picture...

Christ at Heart’s Door, Warner Sallman

Revelation 3:20 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

...when I was a kid, and I believe I still do!  Sing it Rachel and we'll sing along.

Behold I Stand At The Door And Knock

Ginny Owens- I Will Praise You (Lyric Video)

God Is Good

Psalm 34:8 English Standard Version (ESV)

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

    Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Psalm 107:1

 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    his love endures forever.

James 1:17 English Standard Version (ESV)

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.[a]

Psalm 27:13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

13 [a]I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

Psalm 16:2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 [a]I said to the Lord, “You are [b]my Lord;

I have no good besides You.”

I confess I know God is good but I don't always trust He is good.  I confess that I measure His goodness in the absence of pain rather than His presence in suffering.  I confess to seeking good from others rather than God.  I confess a desire for the things of this world rather than the good from God's hand.  

Even so this I still know: God is good, even when I am not; and in that knowledge I find a sweet refuge, a place to receive His grace and experience His mercy. Yes, God is good.

I like the new song from Steven Curtis Chapman, "Hallelujah, You Are Good."

Hallelujah, You Are Good (feat. Matt Maher) - Steven Curtis Chapman

The Last, First, The First, Last

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ Matthew 20:13-15

This is the end of a parable started in verse 1. I invite you to read the entire parable. In it a landowner hire three groups of workers. Some work all day and some don't, yet they are all paid the same. Those who work the most complain about this unequal treatment. Here in these verses is the landowner's response.

Most commentators say this parable addresses service for God and the rewards it "generates". It is startling to our sense of justice that the pay scale for these workers isn't based on how long they labor. Imagine working for an employer, punching a time clock -- well, this treatment defeats the purpose of having a time clock! Compensation is earned, and supposedly according to the workers' contributions to their employer.

My own takeaway from this is to recognize that our sense of justice is sometimes askew as far as God looks at things.  He operates on grace rather than on strict wages. God will reward us for His service, but beware of expecting He will do it along the lines we expect. Spoiler alert! The servants who are late coming to God's party may go home with surprisingly nice party favors! Also, God looks at needs, not merits. The landowner may have paid the last group of workers generously because he saw what they needed to live on. Third, God is not bound to play by our rules. We might complain, but he is God and is totally independent of our supposed manipulations.

This parable contains the phrase "the last will be first and the first last." I had a professor in college who raised the test scores on an exam. He raised those with lower grades more than those who had higher grades. When students questioned what he was doing, he quoted this phrase from the Bible. The professor, in his generosity, may have been closer to God's ways than we may have imagined.
beanscot's husband

for KING & COUNTRY - Light It Up | LIVE On The Rooftop

When The Soul Sings...

Lauren Daigle - First (Lyric Video)

There Is Just No Reason...

1 Corinthians 15:19 New International Version (NIV)

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Romans 8:24-25 English Standard Version (ESV)

24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

John 14:19 English Standard Version (ESV)

19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

John 5:24English Standard Version (ESV)

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

...to pity a Christian.

Power of the Cross- Gold City

It's Sunday!

Go ahead and take your sister to church!

The Father's Arms

1 John 3:1 New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

3 See what amazing love the Father has given us! Because of it, we are called children of God. And that’s what we really are! The world doesn’t know us because it didn’t know him.

Isaiah 41:13 English Standard Version (ESV)

13 For I, the Lord your God,

    hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, “Fear not,

    I am the one who helps you.”

Boast In the Cross

Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. Theodore Roosevelt

Galatians 2:20 New International Version (NIV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 6:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

There's been a whole lot of boasting and a whole lot of complaining this election year.  It makes me wonder how this country is producing leaders who belong more on a reality television show than on a national monument.  We have what we have by the grace of God, and forgetting that truth may leave us bereft of that grace.  We need to turn to the source of greatness and stop making idols  of men with feet of clay.   Bring me a leader who boasts in the cross and I'll happily, gratefully follow.  

Politics These Days

Isaiah 40:22-24 New International Version (NIV)

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,

    and its people are like grasshoppers.

He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,

    and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

23 He brings princes to naught

    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

24 No sooner are they planted,

    no sooner are they sown,

    no sooner do they take root in the ground,

than he blows on them and they wither,

    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

Kings Kaleidoscope - Grace Alone (Audio)

Rhett Walker Band - Love Like Jesus (Official Lyric Video)

Always Grace

This is a good verse for anyone like me who spends their work days answering phones.  My prayer is to move from sometimes grace to always grace and to do so before I retire.  I'm sure my customers would rather I get there even sooner.  

for KING & COUNTRY - It's Not Over Yet - Live In Nashville

Born to Create

Psalm 104:33English Standard Version (ESV)

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.

Psalm 96:1 English Standard Version (ESV)

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

96 Oh sing to the Lord a new song;

    sing to the Lord, all the earth!

Ephesians 2:10 English Standard Version (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

We, who have been made in the likeness of our great God of all creation, have been made create; and in doing so express the beauty he has placed in us.  So rather than relying on others to entertain us through passive observation, i.e. couching surfing with our remote controls, create something if for no other reason than it pleases God.  

I just finished uploading a song by Sara Groves, "Why It Matters."  

Why It Matters - Sara Groves

Why Worry?

Matthew 6:25-34 English Standard Version (ESV)

Do Not Be Anxious
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Philippians 4:6-7 New King James Version (NKJV)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I'm a worrier.  If there were such a thing as a carnival for worriers, I'd be crowned its queen.  Even though I know what I know about my God, his truth and mercy, his faithfulness and care,  his lovingkindness and affection, I still worry.  I'm not anxious for nothing, I'm anxious about nothing.  He's a big God, well able to care for his biggest worriers.  Take off that heavy crown, lean into that peace that passes all understanding and rest your anxious heart.  

He's Always Been Faithful Sara Groves 

for King & Country "No Turning Back" (Official Live Room Session)

Grace Will Lead Me Home

Hebrews 4:16 English Standard Version (ESV)

16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

2 Corinthians 12:9 English Standard Version (ESV)

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 4:7 English Standard Version (ESV)

Treasure in Jars of Clay

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

I don't believe I'll ever truly understand grace until Jesus brings me home.  I do know that it is not found in what I do but in what Christ does in me.   That He uses me, such as I am, a clay jar easily broken, is amazing indeed.  
I uploaded a song about grace today, "Crossroads" by Consumed By Fire.

Crossroads - Consumed By Fire

This Is Good

Rend Collective - One And Only (Live At The Orchard)

It's Sunday!

There's room on the bus!

Grace To Grace (Easter Single) - Hillsong Worship

Abide With Me - Page CXVI

Detour On the Road to the Promised Land

Marc Chagall - The Hebrews adore the golden calf, 1931 

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 32:1

Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.[a] You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” Ex. 32:13

I always felt it was unacceptable that in Exodus 32 the Israelites made the golden calves. When I read verse 1, though, I can sympathize a little with them. Forty days had passed since they had last seen their leader Moses. When was he coming back, or was he? Did he take off with God? We know the rest of the story, but they were in the middle of making the story. They probably did consider him AWOL. Panicking, they went with what the neighbor pagans did, worship idols.

I think Moses does a magnificent job patching things up between God and his people. He reminds God (as if He needed it) of His promises. He keeps his own temper under control. He could have reminded God of His justice and advocated for destruction. But, no, he keeps his cool. It is interesting that he didn't qualify to enter the promised land. I get to, but I haven't been under the pressure Moses was.
beanscot's husband