Music Monday - Mama Prays

This week's song is a favorite of mine for several reasons.  One, now that I'm a mom, I know how much I pray for my children.  I can't imagine being a parent and not being able to pray for my children, knowing that our Heavenly Father loves my children even more than I do!  It gives me such peace to know this.

Second, and maybe why this song means so much to me, is that my parents were and are such amazing prayers.  We prayed for everything growing up.  Any time we got hurt the first thing my parents did was pray and ask for relief of pain and peace for our spirit.  Any time we saw an ambulance or fire truck or an accident while driving their first response was to pray right then and there.  Every night before bed of course we said prayers, but my mom and dad would also come in after we went to sleep and kneel and pray over us.  And every morning, without fail, when I would wake up, my parents would be in our living room, having their quiet time and praying.  As I grew and went to college, I could call them any time and ask them to pray for me.  Even over the phone lines their prayers calmed my spirit and encouraged me in whatever I was going through.  Even now, as grandparents, their prayers are so special to me as I know they are praying for my children and the strength of our family.  It is a blessing that I hope to pass on to my children, which brings me back to this song.

I have long loved Chris Rice's music.  He sings Christian worship songs, but he also sings great kids music.  I hear him on The Message on Sirius/XM radio and on Kids Place Live.  It is so neat. One of his songs that all of us love is The Cartoon Song.  It is a fun song that reminds us all to praise or the cartoons will have to.  His imitations of the cartoons are fabulous.

This song is a generational song about how his parents used to pray for him, and now he and his parents pray for his family.  These lyrics:  "Mama prayed and Jesus stood beside us, Daddy prayed and the devil had to run" What a mental picture!  I hope someday my children can appreciate this in the same way I do.

Book Love

Many of you know I love to read.  I usually read about a book a week.  My family didn't have a tv in our home until I was 11.  My grandfather came to stay with us while my parents went out of town and he said he wouldn't stay unless we had a tv, so he went and bought us one.  That's how we ended up with a tv.  We played lots of board games, card games and read a lot as a family.  I was an early reader, already reading chapter books in kindergarten.  I would really rather read than do most things.  And I make myself read at least 5 pages every night before I go to sleep no matter what time it is.

This year I would really like to keep track of the books I read.  I have tried to do this online, but I just don't remember to post them on goodreads like I should.  So I am going to make a book journal.  I will keep it by my bed so as I finish a book I can write it in there.  

So far this year I have read:

This is a great story about a wedding dress and the women that wear it through the years.  It is Christian fiction, both historical and current.  I loved it, and added it to our book club list.

This book was a fascinating look into the world of modeling and what it takes some women to succeed.  Ultimately Crystal Renn couldn't give up any more of herself physically and emotionally and now she is an extremely successful plus size model, although calling her plus sized is ridiculous.  It was a good explanation of eating, eating disorders and what our bodies should be.  

I read this book for our book club selection.  It was good, but not my favorite.  I didn't "get" some of the characters and/or understand why they did what they did/didn't do.  

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a little bit of a mystery, a little romance (but really a very little) and a lot of relational issues that were interesting.  It takes place on an island off the coast of North Carolina and right away you are sucked into the book by the beginning of the mystery.  I love Colleen Coble's writing and this was no exception.

So, I am already ahead of my week per book rate.  In the winter and spring I get more books read because of the weather and holidays.  I'll post when I make my book journal.  What's on your list to read this year?

One word

Each year for the past 5 years I have chosen a word to focus on for the year.  I found the idea on Ali Edwards' blog.  For the past 3 years I have also chosen a Scripture verse as inspiration for my words.  This has given me much more focus and has reminded me where to put my focus - above, not here on earth.  

This year my verse came to me and wouldn't let me go.  It was just something that I have been working on physically and spiritually.  It is I Corinthians 10:23 - "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is is permissible, but not everything is constructive."  Paul is explaining that even though we have freedom in Christ, this doesn't mean that everything is helpful to us or others as they observe our walk with Christ.  

For me, this verse is really working on me.  I am really trying to be a healthier person physically, and while this may mean some weight loss, it is also really me asking what is best for my body.  Is it permissible for me to eat 8 cookies in a night?  Yes, but is it beneficial?  Most definitely not.  This question kind of takes it out of a good/bad struggle, and makes me think more about what I want my end result to be, and what kind of example I am being to my children and people around me.  The same applies for my decisions on how I spend my time.  I can say no to good things because even though it's good and I have the permission to do them, it may not be beneficial to me, my family or my relationship with the Lord.  So my word this year is "beneficial".  

If you have chosen a word for the year, I'd love to hear about it.  Please share what the word is and how you chose it, or it chose you!  Let's encourage each other in love as we work for the eternal life ahead of us!  

Music Monday - Remind Me Who I Am

Today is a rainy day here in Georgia. I know most people don't like rainy days, but I love them.  I am a natural homebody, so days like this I have a good excuse to be one.  

Today's song is one that just struck me the first time I heard it.  It is often said we are our own worst critic, and this is certainly true for me.  I often struggle with fear.  I always have.  It is definitely one of the ways that Satan gets to me.  I fight against it all the time.  Fear of the unknown, fear of not belonging, fear of how I look, fear of not being enough for people, fear, fear, fear...  It is ridiculous.  Lots of these things make me sound like I'm 3 years old again.  This song speaks to some of this. When I'm not sure of who I am in God, how someone like me could be loved and accepted by the creator of the universe, God reminds me.  He is so good that way.  In every way.  But I forget.  So once again He reminds me. Again and Again.  

I can't even find a favorite line in this song because there are so many good ones.

"In the mirror all I see, is who I don't wanna be" Yep, check.

"In the loneliest places, where I can't remember what grace is" Yep, check.

"When I can't receive your love, Afraid I'll never be enough" Yep, check.

So much of this speaks to me.
And then he says, "I'm the one You love"
Yes, that's who I am.  And that's enough. I need to rest in this.  

Maybe so do you?

Music Monday - Old School

Y'all know I love music, but I heard a lyric yesterday that I said, "Yes! Exactly!"  I can't remember the exact words, but it was something like, "A melody is like hearing a memory."  It's so true for me.  I can hear a song and it's like I'm right back in the moment where the event or time is happening.

Today's Music Monday is like that for me. One of my earliest musical memories is of this work.  My dad would put it on during Thanksgiving at our house, and it would play all through the Christmas season.  My parents always asked people who didn't have anywhere else to be on Thanksgiving to our home to share the meal with our family.  So although our company changed through the years, this piece of music was always with us.

Handel's Messiah.  Most people know the Hallelujah Chorus, but the entire work is amazing.  The orchestration gives me chills.  It is a work describing Jesus as our Messiah.  For us as Christians, it is a triumphant work, reminding us that He is, He was and He is to come.  I have so many "favorites" in the work. The Amens at the end of the work are what I envision it to be like when Satan is defeated and Jesus is done with him.  Amen, Amen, Amen.  At the end of the Messiah, Handel wrote S.D.G. for Soli Deo Gloria "To God Alone the Glory".  It means much more to know that the writer of this work believed what he was writing.

If you haven't gone past the Hallelujah Chorus in The Messiah, please do.  You will love it, and may find a new "favorite"!

Music Monday - All is Well

This weekend has been hard for everyone I think.  I haven't been able to get online, watch the  news or listen to the radio without getting choked up or even crying.  The tragedy in Newtown, Conneticut, is one we will never forget.  I happened to be at home on Friday watching the news as it unfolded and I went through so many emotions, but fear and anger seemed to be at the forefront.  As a former first grade teacher, and the mother of a kindergartener, I absolutely could not wrap my mind around what was happening.  And although I went and spent the night with my best friend from high school, and we went and saw the Broadway show Mary Poppins (which was so much fun), my heart was heavy all weekend.  

Yesterday was Sunday, and I woke up not wanting to go to church.  Not a good thing to confess, I know, but I really just wanted to be home.  I felt God reminding me that we need to be together and I needed to be in His house, so I went.  (and the fact that we just don't stay home from church just because)  Our church choir performed their Christmas cantata.  It was absolutely what I needed.  Music can soothe and touch my soul like nothing else.  The songs told the Christmas story of course, but they did more than that.  They worshipped and exalted the name of Jesus.  They reminded us of what and who is our peace in this crazy, messed up world.  And they reminded us that we know the end of the story!  Jesus wins!  Isn't that awesome?  I hardly had any mascara left at the end of the service, but the one song that I think everyone felt was perfect for the day was the last one.  All is Well.  It's so true.  All is really Well.  Maybe not on the surface, and it doesn't mean that horrific tragedy, sickness, famine, and all sorts of sin aren't surrounding us daily, but All is Well if we know the One who is and was and is to come.  He is our peace.  Truly.  My favorite line in the song says, "For tonight darkness fell into the dawn of love's light."  Darkness can't stand amid the light of Jesus.  I'm holding on to Him as my light and my peace right now, because there sure isn't any in this world of our's.  Hold onto Him too, my friends.  He is everything we need.  

A little kindness

I am in the middle of the Advent Study from Good Morning Girls and one of the things that we have been encouraging each other in is doing random acts of kindness.  I also read Courtney's blog and follow her on twitter and she has this event called Light Em Up.  It is a way for our families to light up our world(s) during the Christmas season.  It has some very fun ideas, and though our family is not going all out with it, we are doing some of the activities and talking through some of the idea behind it. My kids love to pay for the people behind us in drive thrus.  I think it feels sneaky and it is cool for them to think about.  So that is one thing we have done.  

Today however, I was on the receving end of a bit of kindness.  It was a small thing.  The person giving this kindness probably thought nothing of it, but it made my day.  I had my carpets professionally cleaned today (Hallelujah!) and one of the men who was cleaning them came over to me as they were finishing and said, "I just want to tell you how I love all the scripture throughout your house.  I really appreciate the respect you have for it."  Well, I almost started crying.  You know, as a mom, sometimes it seems like I am floating upstream without a paddle.  And that man just reinforced that what I'm trying to do matters.  Those words of Jesus will sink in, and my children will appreciate it and love it.  I still remember the scripture verse that was on the wall of my childhood bathroom for years and years because I saw it so much.  So anyway, I just wanted to share that a quick word of encouragement could be just what someone needed.  Say it.  Do it.  Don't be afraid.