Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, dear sister in Christ! My birthday arrives during Epiphany, right after Christmas. As a young child, I always felt the bummer that I was on winter break from school, so I never got the same birthday attention my friends did. I always missed the Read more…
It was a holy night. Jesus Christ, our Savior, was born. Can you imagine the sound filling the sky as the multitude of angels arrived? What a sound must have been the glory of heaven, lyrics from worship at His throne breaking into our earthly atmosphere, praising God! The song Read more…
The pandemic canceled our entire summer’s travel plans, so my husband and I decided to plant a vegetable garden for the first time. Honestly, we needed a positive home project as we grieved heavy losses of not meeting our newborn grandson, not seeing our kids and grandchildren, and missing our Read more…
We sing this hymn at Thanksgiving, but what if the words feel inauthentic to you this Thanksgiving? Do you ever have running thoughts like these when you sing? Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home; Lord, I’m not feeling thankful today, at least not thankful enough to Read more…
If we’ve all learned anything from 2020, we’ve learned that our plans actually submit to the sovereign Lord who orders all things. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Prov. 16:9). Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that Read more…
I wondered about the author of this hymn’s lyrics (God Moves in a Mysterious Way, Cowper, W., 1773). What happened in this believer’s life? His mother died when he was six. He fell in love but wasn’t allowed to marry her. He went to law school but couldn’t handle the Read more…
Did you take music lessons as a child? Did you sing in the school choir or play in the band or orchestra? Does music fill your home daily, drowning out the noise in your head? There’s something to that, you know. Researchers have found that music uniquely fills our minds, Read more…
My sister in Christ shared her weariness. She was just “over it all.” The fatigue of earthly life felt weighty and weary to her, mostly because it seemed unending. Even in her tiredness, she wasn’t sleeping well; insomnia compounded her emotional and physical weariness. Sister, don’t grow weary! Jesus came with Read more…
David was in trouble. In Psalm 55, He cried out to the Lord, complaining honestly about his upsetting situation. He lamented, moaned, got it all out there as He prayed. He was hurt, burdened, and filled with anxiety. Can you relate? I sure can. As my students often say, “The Read more…
As a choral educator, I know the power of singing rounds. All learn a simple melody, repeat it over and over, and when the round begins, groups of people sing the same song at staggered times. I remember singing this round as a teenager, memorizing Scripture with song: Seek ye Read more…
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