TUESDAY TUNES: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0jpHtsSEQo  Hillsong Version

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxb6VvPrkE Michael W. Smith Version

 
Matthew 6:33 is a Life verse for me:  But seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

These words of Jesus are from the Sermon on the Mount.  Leading up to this verse He is talking about worry.  I’m a worrier.  Maybe that’s why I love this verse so much.  When I daily seek Him first, He tells me everything else will fall into place.  So don’t worry.

If I know that to be true, and I trust Him, then why do I have stomach issues, break out into rashes and get fever blisters all stemming from worry?  It’s that head knowledge-heart knowledge stuff again.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

Daily…step by step…one second at a time…start again…listen…trust…remember…pray…be still…seek Him first…do it all again…

God speaks to me through the “address” of this verse:

When I get home from work and wonder what’s on tap for my evening and realize it’s 6:33, I think, “God wants me to spend some time with Him.”  6:33 Seek HIM.

When I’ve made a questionable choice and look at the clock and see that it’s 6:33, I think, “Was that really the best way to handle that situation.”  6:33 Seek HIM

At random times when I see the cost of something is $6.33 or an address is 633 or my eye catches 633 in the middle of a set of numbers, I stop and remember His promise.  6:33 Seek HIM

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, seek His wonderful face, and He will provide.  And what you thought was best for you will grow strangely dim because, in the light of His glory and grace, His plans are always better than what our earthly minds could come think of.

Question:  Do you have things like my 633 where God catches your attention?

TUESDAY TUNES: Say the Name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es7GE6seBFc 

I’m on a Margaret Becker kick.  She was my girl back in the late 80’s and 90’s.  Now I’m listening to her again.  I really hadn’t noticed until this go ‘round how much she sounds like the Wilson sisters of Heart; a band I also liked in the 80’s.  But Heart’s “If Looks Could Kill You’d be Lying on the Floor” is a far cry from Becker’s “Say the Name.”

“If Looks Could Kill” would have gotten me through a breakup or hard times back in 1988. But words like, “I was a sucker to believe in you, a sucker for every line,” or “Love is on the line, I ain’t about to be kind,” have such a negative ring to them, don’t ya think??  But I remember blaring that album, (you know, vinyl record albums) in my cute little four-plex on Judge Ely Blvd. in Abilene, TX back in the day.

But thankfully, I’ve progressed past the negativity!  I can sit back and “Say the name that has heard my cry, has seen my tears and wiped them dry,” and find a much more productive healing.  Now, “Just a whisper is enough to set my soul at ease.  Just thinking of this name brings my heart to peace.”
 

Several years ago, I was standing a few rows behind an elderly woman while we were singing Natalie Grant’s song “Your Great Name.”  She was seated, but when we got to the words, “The enemy, he has to leave, at the sound of Your Great Name,” she struggled to a standing position.  That gesture of respect moved me to tears.  “May I never grow so strong that my heart cannot be moved. May I never grow so weak that I fear to speak the truth. I will say this holy Name no matter who agrees. For no other name on earth means so much to me.”

Philippians 2:9-11

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

“From now until the end of time, I’ll Say the Name.”

 

Are you listening...

This video has been making the rounds on face book and emails lately, and for good reason.  Our God truly is amazing. 

My theme verse for my music classes this fall has been Psalm 19:1, “The Heavens declare the Glory of God.”  We discussed what that means and what it would look like.  The 3^rd graders came up with this:  A Tree brings God glory just by being himself; being what God made him to be.  I thought that was pretty good. 

Then this video crossed my computer screen from several different people this week and I couldn’t wait to show it to my students.  I heard whispers of, “Wow, that is so cool,” and, “How Beautiful.”  I had to agree.

Enjoy.  Oh, and be what God made you to be.

Question:  Did you see that black and white stripy fish thing?  Wasn’t that awesome?

ITALY Part 1: Worship in Spirit and Truth

Vatican City

I learned many things in Rome, but nothing I gleaned compares to what Eddie realized: Roma Tomatoes come from Rome.  It was like his whole world opened up when he figured that one out.  But now I’m afraid to tell him they really don’t come from Rome.  They are grown in the United States, Mexico, Australia and Great Britain.  Well, at least it was fun to say, “We’re eating Rom-ah tomatoes in Rom-ah.”  (Eddie has this theory that if you put an “ah” or “mundo” or “mento” at the end of a word you are actually speaking Italian.)



More on this next Monday...

One of the most practical things I learned in Rome was never take a header off a 3 ½ foot pedestal and break your fall with your knee going in the opposite direction God intended.  By I’m getting ahead of myself.  That is for next Monday’s post…

My favorite memory of Rome was sitting next to a nun when we attended mass at The Vatican.  She was so moved during the whole service.  It touched me.  Nuns have always been my heroes.   All the people around us were reverently taking part: heads bowed, eyes closed, whispers echoing the liturgy. When the Eucharist was presented the nun dropped to her knees with audible sighs and groans for the Holy Spirit to interpret.



St. Peter's Basilica



Worship the Lord in spirit and truth.  Who am I to judge what that looks like on the outside.  I grew up with an opening song, prayer, 3 more songs (verses 1, 2 and 4), sermon, invitation song, communion, announcements, closing song, prayer.  Sounds mundane but I can guarantee you I learned a lot about worship as a young girl watching my mother during those services.  I choose a more spontaneous form now, but that doesn’t make it better; just different.

Assisi

I regularly find myself in conversations about worship.  Being a musician I enjoy all forms of worship music.  And since God created music I’m sure He does, too.  My prayer is that we stop trying to judge other people’s worship by how it is demonstrated outwardly; in style or posture.  It’s just not our place.



Cortona
View from our balcony at sunset

The four of us had our own church services while we were there.  The first Sunday was in Tuscany.  As we sat in our big Italian kitchen, windows opened to the small, narrow, cobblestone streets of Cortona below, we wondered if the people listening around us questioned our style of worship and how, outwardly, it was so different from their own.  I hoped they enjoyed our hymns.  We did.  We had amazing 4-part harmony going!

Florence

We spent our second Sunday in the Cinque Terre.  As we sat on our back porch, this time singing more “contemporary” worship songs, the housekeeper made a trek right through our communion time to get the vacuum from the closet off of our room.  We didn’t skip a beat but laughed through the next verse or two.  I hope she was blessed.

Westminster Abbey
We had a stopover in Lodon
coming and going

So whether you’re on your knees in a solemn silence at The Vatican mass or singing “Jesus Love is a Bubblin’ Over” laughing around a campfire, I hope your thirst will be quenched, your soul satisfied and that God is honored.

Enjoy the pictures of these houses of worship. 

Question:  What does “worship in spirit and truth” mean to you?