Harmony....

Harmony.... Someone asked what Southern Gospel music is... I immediately think of harmonies.

God created harmony. He created the instrument we call 'voice'. In singing, we use our voices in different ways, creating harmonies that can stir every emotion God made and placed within us.

Some voices sing the melody...the saprano, or lead. Some voices add other tones that harmonize, we call them alto, tenor, baritone, or bass. The lead may carry the melody, but it is not fully complete without the other parts.

The voice is an instrument, and we must learn our own particular voice, discover the function of it, identify it, explore its use...and train it.

The voice that is regularly used becomes more capable and sure...able to produce sounds that were not possible before. It is more dependable, less likely to squeak out off key or crack and make you want to hide, never to sing again!!!

There is other harmony as well...the harmony of His Body, the church."...the body is not made up of one part but of many'.(1Cor.12:14 )

Here too, we must learn and train....learn who we are in Him...learn what part of the melody is ours to sing..."..they form one body...So it is with Christ." (1Cor.12:12)

We must learn He has created in each of us, a part of the harmony...a place and purpose.

'..God arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be' (1Cor.12:18)

He did not leave you out.

'..There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord' (1Cor.12:5)
'..Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable" (1Cor.12:22)

You may not sing the lead...

but the song is not complete without your voice.....

Answers...

Answers? I don't have them all.

What I do have is an inside scoop to THE Answer Man.('search the scriptures....they testify of Me.' John5:39)

Sometimes I get answers immediately.

Some I'm still waiting on.

Sometimes I get a 'yes'....sometimes a clear 'no'.


There is nothing special about me, you have the same opportunity to this Answer Man. But following Christ must really be about following HIM...seeking His FACE, not just the blessings of His Hand.

Oh, don't think I've got this down pat...I'm a work in progress.

But I am confident that He will continue His work in me till it is completed.
(...a promise found in James1:4)



'Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked,"What do you want?"...'(John 1:38)

So...what is it you want from Jesus. Do you seek His kingdom?... or yours?

His glory?

....or yours?

Be honest with yourself. He knows the truth of it

Maybe I'm the only one, but the truthful answers are not always very pretty. I thank Him again this morning that he loves me in spite of the ugliness, and never gives up on me, always encouraging me to face the truth and allow Him to change me into the image of His dear Son.

I have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created me,...For he has rescued me from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought me into the Kingdom of his dear Son. (Col. 1:10,13)

Only Almighty God can do that.

Friend...

friends...Our culture calls lots of things friendship. But having a true friend is a treasure, being one is not easy.

It is a relationship and requires commitment and work.

On Facebook, we collect friends and number them. People 'request' to be your friend, and we have the option of accepting or rejecting.

I rejected a request last night, and it has made me wonder if I do that in 'real life

"Every man is a friend to him that gives gifts"(Prov.19:6)

Do I look for friendship only from those who have something to offer me in return? When it's beneficial for ME? When I am comfortable with it?

Jesus Himself calls us friend.

If we look for benefits from friendship, He is THE ONE.

But it's a relationship and requires commitment and work.

"... See MoreYou are my friends when you do the things I command you"(John 15:14MSG)

That would be a tall order without His grace, without being connected to Him, for He is the PowerSource. "..apart from Me, you can do nothing"(John 15:5)

Lord help us be good friends to each other.

Sale....

Sales...this time of year everything is 'on sale'.

Want a costly item? don't want to pay the price?...wait til it's on sale.




What we need most is something we can't purchase...never could, never will be able to.

It will never be on sale...in fact it's the most expensive thing to ever exist.

And whether you know it or not...it is the only thing that will fill your need, bring you comfort, contentment, and total peace.

It is right standing with God, paid for in full by the blood of Jesus Christ. (Rev.1:5)

It is the greatest need you will ever have. Jesus offers to fill that need for us completely. You need only accept the gift.

It is the deal you can't afford to pass up.... if you do, you will never know the joy of His salvation and you will regret it for eternity.

Now...

Now...

Time is not new...but it is important. Now is all we have. Live fully in it.

Not in the past.

Not waiting for that perfect time yet to come.

Now.



"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." (Ps. 90:12)

Oh Lord, help us to be wise in our 'now'.


Grief...yes, I've tasted it, but have never had to drink the cup that has been to the lips of so many. Again today, some drink of it.

I have no help...nothing to offer...no way to take it away.

I think again of Job's story.."If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales...it would surely outweigh the sand of the seas.."(Job 6:2)

I can not imagine the heaviness of the sorrow some bear at this moment. I can only offer myself to God and ask Him to use me in some small way to bring His comfort. He is the only answer.

"In my distress I called to the Lord. I cried to my God for help From His temple He heard my voice. My cry came before Him, into His ears. (Ps.18:6)

I purpose to live in my 'now'. It is all I have. And I purpose to live it as God leads. He has brought me to this place, He will lead me forward from here.

New....

New....

We're about to enter a new year.

But is anything really new?

Solomon says no.(Ecc.1:9)

Time is not new. Measuring it is not new.

Filling it is not new...no matter what you fill it with.

Measured time...hours, days, months, and yes...years...is not new.

But eternity will never be old.....

Things that have eternal worth are the only things that matter. The only way this coming year will be different from the last will be determined by our relationship with The Creator.

Not stuff.

Not image or appearance.

Not information and knowledge.

"Fear God and keep His commandments..."(Ecc.12:13 )

Solomon should know, He tried it all...and found success in his efforts but found no fulfillment from the success...no value.

Make it your business to know His will for your days and years. Seek Him with an undivided heart, and He will be found. (1 Chron. 28:9)...

Imagine and expect...

Imagination... does anyone else play out the day in your head before it happens?

How perfect it will be? What might go wrong?

I do it because I am selfish. There, I said it.

I might as well admit it,"The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.("1Chron.28:9)

I want things how I want them.... but God doesn't always work the way I imagine....even when He wants the same things I do.

Expectations...did you have them?

Were they met? Disappointed? Pleasantly surprised?

Were you properly prepared? If so, what did you do to prepare?

Jesus said when we put His purposes first, He takes care of the rest.(Matt6:33)

I struggled to depend on Him, trusting Him to tend to the details...and He did.

Magnificently.

As ...He always does.

For once, I didn't look at the storm...