Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts

Back to Church

Posted by My Heart Song

 8/3/2020


Our church, like all others, was only doing livestream worship for many weeks starting in March. 

In July we were able to resume in-person meetings for those who were comfortable with it and with wearing a face covering. It was SO WONDERFUL to return, to see our church family in person again and to worship with a large group of people! 



My husband and oldest daughter serve as greeters. It looks a bit different now - with face coverings, no hand shakes, and holding the door open for everyone so nobody besides the greeters actually touch the doors. But they are serving happily.



My oldest daughter was also able to attend summer camp with the youth group in early August. We are so glad to have some sense of normalcy returning, as we get together again with our church body. 

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Faces of a Small Group

Posted by My Heart Song

10/18/2019


Small group. 
What do you think of when you hear those words?

For us, our small group is the place where we are known, loved and cared for. I'll pepper this post with pictures from our small group over the last 2 years.


Just as each family is different and each church is unique, so it is with a small group. Made up of unique individuals, each small group will be different. 

So this is what our small group looks like, somewhat. And it may or may not reflect what any other small group is like. 


Our small group meets together weekly - Thursday nights. Right now, we host the group in our home. It works out well, as we have young children that we can put to bed as needed (before or during group time), since we're in our own home. Another benefit is that we have kids in multiple stages, so we have toys and games and baby gear and a changing table - all of which can come in handy when inviting other families into your home regularly. 


Our group is small. We usually have 3-5 other families join us, half of whom have children that come along too. 


It is this group that goes deeper in relationships. 
Our church is large, but in any church setting, it is beneficial to have closer friends that you actually "do life with." We call that a small group. The people who actually know you more than as an acquaintance. The people you'd call if you had a need. The people who will be praying for you if you ask them to. The people who would rejoice with you, mourn with you, just do life alongside you. 


Practically, we hosted a baby shower for one family as they welcomed baby Moriah. Romans 12:15 reminds us to "rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn." 

We helped a family with packing and moving during a season of transition. The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:10 "as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those within the household of faith." 


We take meals to one another when there's a need, like a new baby or surgery recovery. We are commanded to "carry one another's burdens" in Galatians 6:2.

We check in with each other during the week, to encourage and pray for one another. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 10:24 to "spur one another on towards love and good works." 


We are told to make every effort to add to our faith and to grow in Christ-likeness, that our lives may not be unproductive and unfruitful (2 Peter 1:5-8). So we spend time weekly discussing and applying what the Bible says.


And we just enjoy time together, whether it's a play date at the zoo or a double-date or a backyard picnic.


For us, small group is a lifeline. Friends who are like-minded in their faith and desiring to live out their faith. 

We are so thankful for these people and the way God has used small group in our own lives. What a gift! 

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Revive 19 women's conference

Posted by My Heart Song

10/2/2019


Last weekend I attended the Revive 19 women's conference in Indianapolis. I went with my friend Heather and we stayed with her friend Emily who lives in Indy. 

What a great time! 

The conference started with a prayer meeting and continued on with three large sessions. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Dannah Gresh, Bob Bakke and Mary Kassian were the main speakers. 


My pastor's wife was also one of the speakers at the event and my church's worship team led worship for the entire weekend, which was really neat. In fact, a number of people from my church work for Revive our Hearts and Life Action (the parent ministry of Revive of Hearts), which are based nearby. So there was quite a contingent from my church at the conference. The picture shows some, but not all, of our church folks in attendance.

It had been years since I'd attended a women's conference or retreat without a baby in tow. It was a treat to get away for a few days and God was faithful in meeting me there to refuel and revive me.

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Vacation Bible School

Posted by My Heart Song

6/21/2019


Last week our church hosted Vacation Bible School. My oldest son participated, while my oldest daughter and I both volunteered. 



This year's theme was "Roar - Life is Wild but God is Good!"
Each day there was a different focus on the times when life is wild - like when I'm scared, when I'm sad, when life changes... but in all of these times, God is still good. 



The setting was jungle and African savanna. Our church did such a great job with decorations! My husband and oldest daughter volunteered to help with decor and loved being a part of the transformation. 


So many creative people in our church that put their gifting to work on these projects. So fun to see a side of people you don't normally see or even know is there.


 I helped with PreSchool Snacks, so about 70 Preschoolers went through our snack area where we served them and also interacted with them (asked questions, reviewed the theme and Bible verse of the day, etc). This was our snack room, where the kids rotated through in groups of 15 or so. My job was to keep water pitchers filled, prep plates for the next group coming in, clean up messes, wipe down tables, etc. We stayed quite busy, which made the time pass quickly. 

My oldest daughter helped lead a group of elementary students. It was a stretching week for her, but she truly enjoyed the week and didn't want it to end. 



My son participated in all of the elementary activities and had a wonderful time. 

It was exhilarating to be a part of something big and exciting, interacting with 400 kids and over 100 other volunteers. Every aspect of VBS - from the snacks to the high impact worship songs to the interactive Bible stories (just think of walking through the Red Sea and feeling the mist... yup, they did that!) - was intentional, gospel-focused, and fun all in one. 

When the final night was done, we stayed for an extra hour to help with clean up. This was a sacrifice of sleep, after a very long week, but even the clean up process was a bonding time with other volunteers and was fun. 

Overall, VBS was a wonderful experience that we were glad to participate in. And we were exhausted and glad that it's only a one-week-per-year event! :-)

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God at Work in Provision

Posted by My Heart Song

7/13/2018


God is at work. He's always at work, whether we see it or not. Here's a story of how we've seen God at work through provision in the last few days.  

We have had trouble with our family van for a month or so. It's been unreliable and it was our only way to travel anywhere together as a family. My Mr-Fix-It husband had worked on some minor repairs but the CHECK ENGINE light kept coming back on. We were stressed and anxious about the situation and unsure of what we should do to fix it and how to cover the expense of the fix. We were praying together daily about the situation and putting our trust in our Lord, but we were unsure of how things were going to work out.


Last week, out of the blue, we received an anonymous gift of $500 in the mail!  It was like an encouragement note from God to remind us that He still sees and still cares and is still providing for our needs. He is Jehovah Jireh - our God who provides. He has promised to supply all our needs, according to His riches... and He proved Himself faithful once again!


We were able to take our van to the repair shop. The first mom-and-pop shop worked on it and billed us $115.36. However, the CHECK ENGINE light remained on and we took the van to a second repair shop that fixed the issue and charged us $385.45. That's right! The two bills totaled $500 and some change. 

You can't make this up! 
God provided $500. 
The needed repairs were $500. 

We have a working van again! 

Thank you, God, for another reminder of Your bigness! 
Psalm 50 mentions God as the One who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills." He can move on someone's heart to send $500 anonymous to someone else. He can work in the timing to make it arrive at the right moment, to be used in a specific way and to be an encouragement to a spirit in despair. He can know in advance how much is needed to cover a bill for repairs not even done yet. He can. He does. He is still living and moving and working all things out!

Thank you also to that person or family that was sensitive enough to hear God's direction and to respond in obedience. We have been the anonymous givers in the past but never have been the receivers of such a generous gift. It is humbling. It is beautiful. It is faith-building. Thank you!

To God be the glory for great things He has done!

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Nature

Posted by My Heart Song

7/9/2018


Just because nature is amazing! And it's like a big finger pointing us upward to God - to notice His incredible power and majesty and creativity. I love coming upon scenes like this one and being able to share the moment with my children.

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Discipleship and Disciple-Making

Posted by My Heart Song

4/23/2018

Discipleship. It's been on my mind a lot over this last year. 


I think it's normal for everyone to go through seasons of life when they feel dry, spiritually. It feels like winter. And then there are other seasons when one feels more spiritually awake, in tune, fresh and more spring-like.

It would be abnormal to be stuck in one season for a prolonged amount of time. That is not a sign of good health or life. 

And so it is with my spiritual life, that I can look back over years and see different seasons. 
Seasons of dryness. 
Seasons of zeal. 
Seasons of growth. 
Seasons of hunkering down to survive harsh conditions.
Seasons of new growth. 

I am thankful for a women's Bible study I've been a part of throughout this year. We've studied some excellent material together. 


We did a study on the Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer. 


We also went through a very thought-provoking book by Mary Kassian called Knowing God By Name.

We've been taught how to study the Bible on our own, using a variety of methods to dig deeper into the text. And I've learned new tools for growing my prayer life, which has been very exciting for me. (One "hack" we were taught was to use PRAY as an acronym, to stand for Praise, Repent, Ask and Yield. We've also learned how to wrap our requests in the Scriptures we're already reading. This has truly revolutionized my prayer life in the last 6 months or so). 

Our small groups are committed to discipleship. The goal is to see each member growing in their faith, in their relationship with God, in their spiritual life. 

And the next step is disciple-making. This has always been hard for me, as I am an introvert and am generally quiet. Boldness is not my thing. Speaking up is not my thing. 
Not rocking the boat is my thing! 
So this area too is one where I am growing in my understanding of what is disciple-making all about. I'm seeing my role in my home as more of a disciple-maker than ever before. Jesus had 12 disciples and was with them for about 3 years, pouring into their lives all they needed to know and see lived out. I have 5 little disciples who are learning from me! What a challenge as I consider what I am modeling for them and what I am teaching them during these years. 

So I am appreciative of this current season of new growth, of greater zeal and faith that feels fresh again. 

I am thankful that our Father never gives up on us but is constantly shaping us, molding us more into the image of His Son. 

We wish for instantaneous transformation. 
Instead it's minute-by-minute sanctification. 

Trusting in God's perfect timing and perfect plans. 
Thankful for all He is and all He continues to do...
in us and through us and with us. 

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A Poem on the Home

Posted by My Heart Song

11/25/2016 


I recently read this poem and was challenging by the questions it posed to me as a mother with young children in my home. What are they learning from my example? What kind of home am I building? 

ARE YOU BUILDING UP OR PULLING DOWN? 

By Nancy Campbell

“Every wise woman builds her home, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands.”
(Proverbs 14:1)

Are you building up your marriage and home,
or destroying them with your words and actions?
What kind of a home are you building?
An angry home or an anointed home?
A boring home or a bountiful home?
A cynical home or a celebrating home?
A depressing home or a delightful home?
An empty home or an encouraging home?
A fretful home or a flourishing home?
A grumbling home or a gladsome home?
A harassed home or a happy home?
An impoverished home or an interesting home?
A jaded home or a jubilant home?
A kill-joy home or a kind-hearted home?
A legalistic home or a loving home?
A mournful home or a merry home?
A negative home or a nurturing home?
An oppressive home or an overcoming home?
A prayer-less home or a prayer-filled home?
A quarreling home or a queenly home?
A rebellious home or a restful home?
A sour home or a sweet home?
A troublesome home or a tender home?
An unstable home or a united home?
A vexed home or virtuous home?
A worrisome home or a wonderful home?
An exhausting home or an exhilarating home?
Is your home yielded to the Sovereign Lord?
Are you zealously guarding your home?

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Motherhood - poem

Posted by My Heart Song

11/1/2016

There is something awesome, special and incredibly blessed of God in carrying a child, in sustaining and nurturing life. This poem speaks to the spiritual side of the great calling of motherhood.

 Motherhood - a poem by Christianna Maas

 My willingness to carry life is the revenge, the antidote
to the great rebuttal of every murder, every abortion
and every genocide. I sustain humanity. 
Deep inside of me, light grows.
I am death's opposition.

 I have pushed back the hand of darkness today.
I have caused there to be a weakening tremor among
the ranks of those set on earth's destruction.
Today a vibration that calls angels to attention 
echoed throughout time.
Our laughter threatened hell today.

 I dined with the greats of God's army.
I made their meals and tie their shoes.
Today I walked with greatness 
and when they were tired, I carried them.
I have poured myself out for their cares today.

 It is finally quiet but life stirs inside of me
Gaining strength, the pulse of life sends a constant 
reminder to both good and evil that I have yielded 
myself to heaven and now carry its dream.
No angel has ever had such a privilege nor any man.
I am humbled by the honor. I am great with destiny.

 I birth freedom fighters.
In the great war, I am a leader of the underground resistance. I smile at the disguise of my troops, 
surrounded by a host of warriors, destiny swirling, 
invisible yet tangible and the anointing to alter history.
Our footsteps marking land for conquest
We move undetected through the common places.

 Today I was the barrier between evil and innocence.
I was the gatekeeper, watching over the hope of 
mankind and no intruder trespassed.
There is not an hour of the day or night 
when I turn from my post. 
The fierceness of my love is unmatched on earth.

 And because I smiled instead of frowned
The world will know the power of grace
Hope has feet and it will run to the corners of the earth
Because I stood up against destruction.

 I am a woman. 
I am a mother.
I am the keeper and sustainer of life here on earth.
Heaven stands in honor of my mission.
No one can carry my call.
I am the daughter of Eve.
Eve has been redeemed.
I am the opposition of death.
I am a woman.

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Marriage Retreat

Posted by My Heart Song

9/21/2016 
 


 Last weekend my husband and I were privileged to be able to attend a marriage retreat hosted by our church. 
What a blessing this time was!


The retreat was held at a retreat center in Kewanna, Indiana. There was plenty of room for our 14 couples to have private rooms and plenty of space. Meals were enjoyed together in the large kitchen and dining room. Conference sessions were held in a large open room in the basement, perfect for larger group activities.


The setting was so idyllic. A beautiful secluded lake. Gorgeous summer weather. No bugs. 


The dock and the lake reminded us of our roots - we met at a Christian camp that was set on a similarly-sized lake. 



Both my hubby and I enjoyed some precious relaxation!


Thank you to all who participated and who put this on. Marriage is worth celebrating and supporting!

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Gracious Words

Posted by My Heart Song

6/21/2016 


This proverb. 
We're memorizing it these days. 
We've set it to music to help us remember it.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, 
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. 
Proverbs 16:24 

It's incredible how much more you notice something when you start looking for it. Looking for gracious words, I find them more and I'm also more aware of when they are lacking. 

One of the most convicting and embarrassing things is to hear one of your small children echoing your angry words or harsh tone. I hate that feeling, when I know full well that they are simply repeating what they've heard. When it comes from my mouth, I think "I'm justified. They are wrong. I have a right to feel angry/hurt/etc." But when I hear it from their mouths, it sounds ugly and wrong, regardless of the circumstances. 

We were challenged when we considered that often when guests are in our home, we are much more gracious than we are otherwise, when it is just our family, ourselves. So what would it sound like if we treated one another with the grace that we would offer to a guest? What if we spoke with gentleness and grace, building-up words seasoned with mercy and encouragement? This is a lofty goal!

And so we are all working on becoming more gracious in our tone and with our words. Lord, help us!

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A Guest

Posted by My Heart Song

5/6/2015 



We've had a guest with us this week. He works with a missionary-sending agency and has had meetings at our church this week, along with about 10 of his colleagues. We were one family who volunteered to host and I'm so glad we did. 

Gary spent years as a missionary in Africa with his family. He had stories to share about that experience, as well as dozens of other interesting tid-bits and jokes. On top of that, he was just a funny grandfatherly-type guy. My kids loved him from the start, because he engaged with them at their level. My daughter asked numerous probing questions about his life and his work, which he took the time to answer in depth. This kind of interaction and learning is something you can't get from books. I'm so thankful Gary took the time to invest in my kids, realizing his role as a teacher who could help expand their horizons, to help them consider other cultures, etc. 


At the end of his week-long stay with us, he thanked us and prayed for us. He felt, and so did we, that his stay with us was a perfect fit. 

Grace and peace to you, Gary, as you return home. 

And let me encourage others to take advantage of opportunities like this to host missionaries and other visitors. What a great way to model hospitality for your family, but also to learn from others who have different life experiences than you do. 

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Serving the Lord with Gladness

Posted by My Heart Song

1/21/2015 

Psalm 100 has always been a favorite of mine. 

This Psalm starts with a wonderful call to worship.

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before Him with joyful singing." 

Notice the words joyfully, gladness and joyful. This is not a call to serve God begrudgingly or with bitterness. They have absolutely no place. Instead, we serve our God with joyful hearts, with gladness and with happy singing. I love that! 

For whatever reason, I almost always have a song in my heart. Usually it's an upbeat, joyful praise song. Sometimes I remember the words, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I make up songs and make up words to go with them. To me, a joyful heart equates to a happy, singing heart. 

The Psalm continues. "Know that the Lord Himself is God. It is He who made us and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." 

This section is a great reminder of God's bigness, how He is wholly other than us. He is the Creator God. He is the Sustaining God. He alone is God. 

Then the Psalm concludes, back where it began - with praise! 

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to the Lord, bless His name. For the Lord is good. His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations."

What a beautiful Psalm. What a beautiful reminder of God's part in this world - faithfulness, lovingkindness, goodness- and our part - thankfulness to Him, serving Him with gladness. He is so worthy! 

Serve Him with gladness today in whatever you do! 

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Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Posted by My Heart Song

12/25/2014 


Happy birthday, Jesus!

There is no other whose birth is celebrated worldwide 2000 years later. There is no other whose birth is celebrated by hundreds of songs written just for the occasion. 

This baby made the angels sing. 
This baby made a new star shine in the sky.
This baby is God's own Son. 
This baby is Jesus! 

Merry Christmas to one and all! 
And Happy Birthday, Jesus! 
How glad we are to celebrate YOU!

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November - a Month to Remember

Posted by My Heart Song

11/28/2014 


November is coming to an end. Throughout this month, our family was doing a study on the character of God. Our focus was on REMEMBERING that our God is mighty. The Bible, especially in the early books, is constantly calling God's people back to remember what God had done for them, to not forget the Lord, to tell their children and pass on the stories of God's faithfulness to the next generations. 

I felt God impressing this study on my heart in October. I started jotting down notes and coming up with a plan for the 30 days of November. Admittedly, we didn't complete all 30 days, as we occasionally missed a day here and there. 

But I wanted to share these thoughts, to preserve so that I can use them again in the future, but also in case they would be helpful to anyone else. Some points contain multiple examples that could be discussed separately, one per day to go more in-depth, thus making the study last longer than 30 days.

Day 1 - Read these passages to emphasize the need to remember all that the Lord has done: Deut 6:12, 8:2, 8:11, 8:14, 8:18-19; 9:7; 11:2 and Psalm 136

Day 2 - God is mighty, as shown through his ability to create everything (Gen 1, Psalm 8, Rom 1:20, Psalm 136:4-9)

Day 3 - God is mighty, as seen through sending the 10 plagues (Deut 6:20-23, Deut 7:8, 8:18-19, Psalm 136:10-12)

Day 4 - God is mighty, as seen through his power in parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14, Deut 11:4, Psalm 136:13-15, Psalm 106:6-13)

Day 5 - God is mighty, as seen through His leading with the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day (Numbers 9:15-22, Ex 13:21, Psalm 136:16) 

Day 6 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over the sun (Joshua 10:13, Hab 3:11, Isa 38:5, Rev 8:12)

Day 7 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over lions (Daniel in lion's den)
 
Day 8 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over fish (Jonah, Matt 17:27)

Day 9 - God is mighty, as seen through water miracles (Noah's ark in Genesis, Jesus walking on water, water turned to wine by Jesus, water turned to blood by Moses) 

Day 10 - God is mighty, as seen through fire miracles (burning bush with Moses, fiery furnace in Daniel, lake of fire in Revelation)

Day 11 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over all animals (Balaam's talking donkey, Isa 11:6, Elijah's ravens doing God's bidding, God providing quail for food for the Israelites)

Day 12 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over weather (hail plague, cloud leading through desert, Elijah's prayer and ability to hold back rain for 3 years, the rains leading to Noah's flood)

Day 13 - God is mighty, as seen through his ability to provide food (manna, Elijah's ravens and ravine, Psalm 104:27, Matt 6:26)

Day 14 - God is mighty, as seen through his ability to multiply food (feeding of 5000, feeding the 4000, widow of Zarephath, 2 Kings 4:43 Elijah feeds 100, widow's oil in 2 Kings 4)

Day 15 - God is mighty, as seen through his ability to heal the human body (LOTS of examples in gospels of healing blind, lame, lepers, etc)

Day 16 - God is mighty, as seen through his ability to bring folks back from the dead (Lazarus, widow's son, Jairus' daughter; as the ultimate example of power discuss Jesus' resurrection from the dead as well) 

Day 17 - God is mighty, as seen through his power in unlikely victories (David and Goliath, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, Joshua and Jericho, etc) 

Day 18 - God is mighty, as seen through his control over conception, children and life (Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Hannah with Samuel, Jer 1:5, others) 

Day 19 - God is mighty, as seen through miraculous virgin birth (Jesus - Matt 1, Isa 7:14)

Day 20 - God is mighty, as seen through his power to live a sinless life (Jesus - 2 Cor 5:21, 1 Peter 2:22, Heb 4:15)

Day 21 - God is mighty, as seen through his forth-telling of the future through prophecies (Isa 41:21-23, Isa 46:9-10, Acts 3:24 and hundreds of examples of prophecies that were fulfilled in Bible times)

Day 22 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over the stars and heavenly bodies (Isa 40:26, Psalm 147:4, Amos 5:8, Job 38:31-33)

Day 23 - God is mighty, as seen through his power to re-create a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21, Isa 65:17)

Day 24 - God is mighty, as seen through the creation of His Bible (2 Peter 1:21, 2 Tim 3:16, Joshua 1:8)

Day 25 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over demons (Luke 8:30, Mark 1:34, Matthew 12:29)

Day 26 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over Satan (Luke 10:19, Luke 22:31, Job 1, end of Revelation)

Day 27 - God is mighty, as seen through his ability to turn evil into good (Gen 50:20, Romans 8:28, Acts 3:17-18)

Day 28 - God is mighty, as seen through His ability to judge the world (Acts 17:31, Psalm 9:8, 1 Cor 3:12-15, 1 Peter 4:5, 2 Tim 4:1)

Day 29 - God is mighty, as seen through his power over kings and kingdoms (Prov 21:1, Pharoah's heart was hardened by God multiple times in Exodus 4 though 14, Deut 2:30, 1 Sam 16:14-16, 1 Chronicles 29:12, Daniel 4, Psalm 2:1-4, John 19:10-11)

Day 30 - God is mighty, as seen through his power to save and redeem (Zeph 3:17, Heb 7:25, Dan 3:17, Psalm 136, John 3:16-17)

WOW! What a mighty God we serve! 
Let's remember and never forget!


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