Karoke Tuesday: Our God by Chris Tomlin

My oldest son started playing tackle football this year. They are an expansion team: everyone is brand new to the sport and are playing other teams who have been together for 2 or 3 years. Needless to say, we've lost every game so far... haven't even scored a touchdown yet. But we're hopeful! Hopeful that they'll continue to work and practice and learn the skills necessary to be competitive... or just make one goal. :)

Sometimes we feel like this just with life... Beaten down at every turn... Defeated in every game. We wish that we had that one secret weapon that would help give us the edge over whatever is battling us on a particular day.

That's why I like this song so much! Because Chris Tomlin's "Our God," reminds us that in our everyday life, we DO have a secret weapon to help us jump the hurtles! We have the most powerful and knowledgeable teammate of all... GOD! God is on our team! And this song reminds us that

...If Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what can stand against?

There are a lot of fan videos on YouTube - I decided to post this one because this author matched up Bible verses with the lyrics of the song... a solid reminder that it is Biblical TRUTH, that God is on our team... every day, every hour, every minute.

Some days... are tough days. Some days are full of loneliness, or sorrow, or despair, or pain. It's on those days, especially, where you have to hold on to the FACT that God is FOR YOU. God is on YOUR TEAM. And if God is on your team... however can you lose?

Find the complete lyrics, and listen to a sample HERE.
Another great YouTube video that features the song lyrics is HERE.

:) Mags

PS - Your comments and feedback left on this blog are GREATLY appreciated!

Come Awake!!

I LOVE IgniterMedia's videos - they are just amazing and touch your heart. Yesterday I watched their latest one, "Come Awake!" and I can't get this song out of my head:




Like the video says, "I don't know where you are.... But I know what you can become." Christ is here for each and every one of you - COME AWAKE - and let Him in. He will work miracles in your life.

Today at church, a man from our congregation stood up and gave his testimony. Included were his difficult struggles with alcohol and drugs and included more than one visit to prison. This man "looked" like you and me. And while our own demons may be different/easier/lighter/worse/deeper, everyone has times where sin gets the best of us. Everyone had times where they feel unworthy of love... or like no one can possibly understand what they are going through.... This video reminds us that there IS someone who understands. Someone who has LIVED through the human trials and tribulations, pain and suffering... Someone who not only died a painful death - but who CONQUERED death to rise from the grave.

COME AWAKE.
Let Him in.

He will work miracles in your life... and the potential is endless.


♥Mags

Karaoke Tuesday: How He Loves

I haven't done a "Karaoke Tuesday" in a while - but I've got a fantastic one for you today! I first heard this at church - the amazing Micah sang it solo with just his guitar during communion, and I ran right home and looked it up on iTunes. :) That's where most of the featured songs come from - our rock-n-roll church service. I am lucky to have found such an amazing church!! - But I digress... :)

Do you remember the "pinch-pot?" Seems like every kindergartner or first grader makes a pinch-pot in art. You start with a blob of clay and push your thumbs into the center of it - pinching your thumb outward to your fingers to shape a small bowl. We still have my husband's elementary school pinch-pot in a lighted display case in our living room. Now, alongside it, sits both Jack and Luke's pots. They are somewhat crude, sort-of misshapen, and not even close to symmetrical. They wouldn't fetch but 5 cents at a garage sale, but the meaning behind them and the effort to make them is priceless.

I think nearly every kid is proud of their pinch pot. The first time they likely worked with REAL clay (not playdough!). When Luke brought his home earlier this year, he ran down the street from the bus stop, craddling this pot-wrapped-in-newspapers in his two hands. THIS was a masterpiece, and he couldn't wait to show it to us. He was beaming when we put it into the glass case. HIS masterpiece... something he created all by himself... was placed on the hallowed case for all to see. When he's a Dad, he can show his kids his pinch-pot... and display it proudly next to the pots they, themselves, bring home one day. Masterpieces are always treasured... no matter the flaws that might exist-- That's part of what makes something a "MASTERPIECE."

We are masterpieces from God. He shaped us - just like my son's small hands worked his pinch-pot. He knows us inside and out - He knows our fears and our flaws - He knows our strengths and our character. And despite all of this, He loves each and everyone one of us.
He loves us.
He loves us!

That's the point of today's song... that God LOVES us SO much - it is hard to imagine just how much:

"He Loves Us"

VIEW LYRICS HERE

I'm so totally flawed, myself. I am "unfiltered" - which is just a clever way of saying that I don't often think before I speak and just word-vomit-out whatever is on my mind. It's a freeing thing, most of the time, but sometimes, even I cringe at what unfiltered sentence just fell out of my mouth. :) That's probably my biggest flaw... but then there's the part of me that's bossy... and the part that is selfish... Oh, and the part that has no willpower when it comes to Angel Food Cake with Pink Icing... or chocolate... or French fries... Yup, it's safe to say that I have flaws... and lots of them.

But while God wants me to work on my flaws, He loves me regardless and in spite of those shortcomings.

Because I, and you, are God's masterpiece.

And God doesn't make mistakes.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. -Ephesians 2:10

Enjoy today's song.

:) Mags

Want to give it a listen for yourself? Hear it HERE on Last.FM.

I Found God In Iced Tea...

Second to coffee, I love ice tea. But, I'm very specific on how I like it - regular, UNsweetened iced tea, NO lemon, NO flavorings of any kind. :)

My Mom likes lemon in her unsweetened iced tea. I find this taints the basic flavor of tea - and I love just the flavor of regular tea. I really don't even want a slice of lemon on my glass lest it drips even a few drops of lemony-sourness into my drink.

My mother-in-law likes a bit of sweetener in her tea. Not a lot, just a few pink packets to flavor it up. Ugh - that changes the flavor too-too much for me. Perhaps a few drops of lemon I could stomach, but you add sweetener, and it's just not the same!

Then you have my good friend Stephanie - she's southern - hence she only drinks "Sweet Tea" - to me, a dreadful concoction of sugar and tea brewed together. One mouthful of this and my face puckers up into a foul expression. I can barely swallow it, and it's hard to believe that this, also, is considered "iced tea."

Four different people - four different ways to enjoy our iced tea. And even though it's still "TEA," it's presentation and flavor are completely unique to each of us.


This reminds me of church services. I happen to LOVE our grungy, garage-band kind-of service called "The Well." I love sitting my the speakers with my head and heart just filled up with the guitar and drum and low voice of our main singer. No robes on our pastor. No reciprical prayer. No "Creeds." No hymns. Just a great, honest message from our pastor, and song-after-song in that modern, grunge style.

Our church also offers a more "pop-contemporary" service. That Worship leader is great too - it just reminds me more of the pagentry of American Idol than the backyard, garage band. We have a lot of friends in that service, and I'm happy to pop in there once in a while, but I still prefer The Well.

My friend, Jackie, shies away from The Well and attends the Blended Service. A mixture of some pop-contemporary and some traditional hymns, this is way too "watered down" for me. But even though Jackie and I enjoy different services, we still meet up for the same Sunday School class and have become great friends over the last few years. It hasn't mattered that we don't sit side-by-side or see eye-to-eye on the style of worship we prefer.

Then there's Debbie, my best friend since 9th grade and Michelle, my roller-coaster friend. My garage band service is SO out of league with what they want in a church service! Both much prefer the traditional services - robes on the pastors, hymns from the hymnals, reciting the Lord's Prayer, bring on the organist, and keep those guitars and drums to yourself, thank you very much!! :) After 5 years of rockin' out at our current church, I can't even fathom going back to the traditional United Methodist service that my friends attend. And while Debbie has visited our rock-n-roll church service (and was so gracious about it!), she knows that she prefers quite a different style of worship than I.

Just like it does not matter whether we each prefer our tea "straight up" or "sickenly sweet," God does not care HOW we worship... just that we DO worship. You can use the organ OR the guitar. You can sing with the choir OR with the band. You can pray from a book OR speak the honest words in your heart. Whatever way, God is listening. And regardless of the methods, the purpose is the same: To Worship God. To sing praises to His name. To confess our sins. To thank Him for our blessings. To spread His Word. To share His love.

God designed each of us as unique human beings - complete with our own sets of likes and dislikes, talents, and quirks. So of course, we are going to experience styles of worship that "speak" to us more than others. I went to a traditional United Methodist church for 10 years and didn't feel one kernal of God there... ever. It was a hard and lonely time, faith-wise. And, though I made some wonderful friends there, I did not find God - and I was ever-searching... Yet, it only took TWO visits to our current church before I felt, mind, heart, and soul, that God was speaking to me. And every week for the last 5 years, I have looked forward to church and have left with a direct message in my heart from God.

Just like a person with dyslexia must find another way to read. I needed to find another way to God. And for me, my path includes drums and guitars.

JOHN 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

So what's your style? How do you take your "tea?" And if your current "tea" isn't satisfying you, isn't it time you start shopping for a place where you find your perfect blend? God just wants you to find Him - so what's the best way for you to get there?

Karaoke Tuesday: Never Let Go

--> Note to my Facebook Friends: These notes are automatically imported from my "God Blog" - to see the complete post (with the graphic that is pretty central to this particular note!), please visit http://everydayplaces.blogspot.com.

This fantastic tag was animated by Big Mick Creations.

In this picture, I love how the frog at the top of the faucet is NOT letting go of his friend. The odds are against them - drippy water... the weight of supporting a whole other being... It's just one slippery grip from becoming a disaster. But the top frog continues to hold on... no matter what.

That's God for ya'. He holds onto our hand no matter what. And He does NOT let go.

Matt Redmond does a fabulous song called Never Let Go.  Read the LYRICS here.

I love this song - the fact that God is with through the good times and the hard times is a comfort. He is steadfast; His grip does not slip. He is the one who can pull us out of the quagmires in which we put ourselves. And no matter the situation, He does not fail us.

Yesterday was Father's Day. Of course we remembered our fathers and grandfathers. But did anyone take a moment to thank THE Father for His love?

His creations?

His Son?

His sacrifice?

His faithfulness?

Our Father gave us life, a brain, and our salvation. There are no greater gifts. Thank you, God. You are appreciated.

♥Mags

Listen to this song HERE at Last.FM

Karaoke Tuesday: Lose My Soul by Toby Mac

So I was reading my Daily Bible (still on track!) and I came across this verse:

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
Is anything worth more than your soul? ~Matthew 16:26 (NLT)

And I had to smile, because one of my favorite songs on the radio right now is Toby Mac's "Lose My Soul" (With Feat, Kirk Franklin and Mandisa)- and it's just an example of another artist who found inspiration for his music right in the Bible. :)

"Lose My Soul" LYRICS HERE(Toby Mac with Feat. Kirk Franklin, Mandisa)

If you feel empty at the end of the day, ask yourself what you're searching for... God might have had it all along.......

If you want to hear this song, you can go HERE on LastFM.

Karaoke Tuesday: All I Can Say by David Crowder

At the end of December, I attended another funeral for an infant and helped, with my Sunday School class, to serve a funeral meal for the family and friends. The family discovered on December 23, just three weeks before their due date, that their son had died in-utero. And sadly, on Christmas Day, the Mom went into labor, and Rowan silently entered the world.

Too many.... too many baby funerals around my life. I don't know why... I don't know if it's all the processed foods that have mutated our genes and chromosomes... Or if we're breathing poison air... Or... I don't even know... All I do know is that I've either attended or known about at least 6 infant funerals in the last three years.... Samuel, Francis, Julia, Nathaniel, Kayla, Rowan. And aside from that, I have too many friends who have struggled to even get pregnant - only too find that some glitch or defect in someone's body prohibits this... and their attempts either result in miscarriage or are thwarted completely. We even dealt with an early-term miscarriage between the birth of our sons, Jack and Luke (I figure that child was likely our girl...!). :)
These [at best] disappointments and [at worse] jagged holes of grief can leave a person feeling spent and alone. I found another wonderful song by David Crowder that seems to address this. Of course, I heard it during Worship when our friend, Micah, sang it during Communion time (You rock, Micah!) :)


LYRICS - "All I Can Say"

When we face tragedy or grief or grave disappointments, it so easy to feel alone and abandoned. But God never abandons us. No matter how heavy our "cross" - when we feel like we cannot go another step, God is there - walking with us, talking our burdens, crying with us, sharing His strength. Sometimes, we are too wrapped up in our own issues to even realize that God is with us. Sometimes, we cannot see Him through our tears. Regardless, He IS with us - every aching step... every joyful leap. The peaks and the valleys, He is with us. God did not promise that a Christian's life would be "easy," but He did promise to always be with us. We are not alone. It may be too much for "you" to handle...but it's never too much for God.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (The Message)

You are not alone.

Karaoke Tuesday: Our Love Is Loud by David Crowder

This is such a fun song! One of the things I just love about the 9:30 Contemporary Worship at our church is the grungy, "garage-band" feel of it. We always sit in the 3rd or 4th row - right by the large speakers. On many of the songs, it can get so loud that I just feel like I'm "IN" the music; THIS is one of those songs... and the title makes the "loudness" of the music all the more fun...
LYRICS - "Our Love Is Loud


This song got me to thinking: It is no doubt that Christians love the Lord, but do we "LIVE" the Lord in our everyday lives? What if our everyday faith... our everyday prayers...our everyday joys... our everyday LOVE were LIVED OUT LOUD for people to witness? How could that impact someone else in our lives if we were more open about our faith? Just as we all bopped and clapped and danced to this song in Worship, couldn't we demonstrate our faith and love to others by our words and deeds in our everyday, walking-around life?

Are you living OUT LOUD? Are you standing up for your Faith? Are you standing up for God? For Jesus?

Then he [Jesus] said, "Go into the world.

Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.

Mark 16:15

You can hear David Crowder's song HERE on LastFM! Crank up your volume and just enjoy...! :)

♥Mags

Christmas Caroling... with The Waitresses

I just LOVE the song, Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses! It is such a fun song, and can be so true of how we let ourselves get bombarded with "holiday obligations" and forget the fun and celebration of it all...

"Bah, humbug!" No, that's too strong
'Cause it is my favorite holiday
But all this year's been a busy blur
Don't think I have the energy

To add to my already mad rush
Just 'cause it's 'tis the season.
The perfect gift for me would be
Completions and connections left from

Last year, ski shop,
Encounter, most interesting.
Had his number but never the time
Most of '81 passed along those lines.

So deck those halls, trim those trees
Raise up cups of Christmas cheer,
I just need to catch my breath,
Christmas by myself this year.

Calendar picture, frozen landscape,
Chilled this room for twenty-four days,
Evergreens, sparkling snow
Get this winter over with!

Flashback to springtime, saw him again,
Would've been good to go for lunch,
Couldn't agree when we were both free,
We tried, we said we'd keep in touch.

Didn't, of course, 'til summertime,
Out to the beach to his boat could I join him?
No, this time it was me,
Sunburn in the third degree.

Now the calendar's just one page
And, of course, I am excited
Tonight's the night, but I've set my mind
Not to do too much about it.

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
But I think I'll miss this one this year.

Hardly dashing through the snow
Cause I bundled up too tight
Last minute have-to-do's
A few cards a few calls
'Cause it's r-s-v-p
No thanks, no party lights
It's Christmas Eve, gonna relax
Turned down all of my invites.

Last fall I had a night to myself,
Same guy called, halloween party,
Waited all night for him to show,
This time his car wouldn't go,

Forget it, it's cold, it's getting late,
Trudge on home to celebrate
In a quiet way, unwind
Doing Christmas right this time.

A&P has provided me
With the world's smallest turkey
Already in the oven, nice and hot
Oh damn! Guess what I forgot?

So on with the boots, back out in the snow
To the only all-night grocery,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
In the line is that guy I've been chasing all year!

"I'm spending this one alone," he said.
"Need a break; this year's been crazy."
I said, "Me too, but why are you?
You mean you forgot cranberries too?"

Then suddenly we laughed and laughed
Caught on to what was happening
That Christmas magic's brought this tale
To a very happy ending! "

Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!
Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!
Couldn't miss this one this year!


Here's a great example of someone who remembers the FUN of Christmas:



I love Christmas shopping, Christmas caroling, Christmas crafts, Christmas music, Christmas parties, our church's Christmas pagent, Christmas weather (SNOW!!!), and all of the holiday festivities that go with the season. And it's easy to get buried in your gift lists and holiday cards and stocking stuffers and stuffing meals. But remember that Christmas is a cause for celebration: our Savior was born! Don't let the small nit-picky things get you down, and revel in all of the fun activities that occur this time of year...!

Merry Christmas!!!
:) Mags

Christmas Caroling... with CeCe Winans

A few years back, David and I went to our first Michael W. Smith Christmas concert. He was touring with Amy Grant and CeCe Winans. And although we've been to other such concerts since, not one has captured the magic and power of that first show. Perhaps it is because CeCe Winans has not been a part of any concerts we've seen since. Because when she sang her version of Oh Holy Night, I nearly fell to my knees at the power of her voice. There are many, many beautiful versions of this song, of course. It is a beautiful song in and of itself, but CeCe Winan's is stunning. The album version is good - but even that cannot quite match the power of her live performance.



Oh Holy Night is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and there are many amazing versions out there. Other ones you might want to check out are Shawn McDonald and Shane & Shane's versions. If you have a favorite version of this song, feel free to post it in the comments section!

Have a blessed Christmas!
:) Mags

Christmas Caroling... with Casting Crowns

You can tell by now that I just LOVE music. The iPod is by far one of the best inventions we've seen yet. The ability to carry around hundreds, thousands of songs in the palm of your hand is a miracle. So in these days leading up to Christmas, I want to share some fantastic Christmas songs I've discovered. Today is a selection from Casting Crowns.

Casting Crowns has a beautiful Christmas album out called Peace on Earth. And my favorite track is I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day. Here are the lyrics:

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men
And the bells are ringing
Like a choir they're singing
In my heart I hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men

And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
But the bells are ringing
Like a choir singing
Does anybody hear them?
Peace on earth, good will to men

Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
Then ringing singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men

And the bells they're ringing
Like a choir they're singing
And with our hearts we'll hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men
Do you hear the bells they're ringing?
The life the angels singing
Open up your heart and hear them

Peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, Peace on earth
Peace on earth, Good will to men

It's a new twist on a old favorite, and you can hear it HERE on LastFM.

It's hard to sing about "peace on earth" when you hear news reports of suicide bombers, bank robbers, children hurting, and more. But this version reminds us that God is steadfast and faithful to His children. He is with us through the troubled times, and our prayers for peace do not go unheard.

This Christmas, remind yourself that God sent His son to bring PEACE to us-- the rest of His earthy children. PEACE be with you.

♥Mags

Karaoke Tuesday: "Britney" by Bebo Norman

Below is an excerpt from an interview with Bebo Norman on his song, Britney - copied from CCMagazine.

“Britney” is a song about what our culture says and does to young women these days. It’s a collective apology for the struggle girls face growing up too fast in today’s overly adult-oriented world. The song confesses, “I’m sorry for the lies we told… We took you into our arms then left you cold/I’m sorry for this cruel, cruel world… /We sell the beauty but destroy the girl.” It’s about the lies we tell them about fame and money and what’s beautiful and what will give them life. It’s an apology for those lies. But more than that, it’s an invitation to the truth about a God who is bigger than the pain this world so often leaves them in.
I was up late, couldn't sleep, watching some news channel, when yet another story about Britney Spears came on. My first instinct was to scoff and write it off, but then there was this freeze-frame shot of a look on her face of utter and absolute despair and confusion and brokenness—a look that I recognized. And I remember thinking “This girl is a child of God.” Suddenly, I saw her story not as something to mock, but as a real-life tragedy that is desperate for redemption and hope—a story not so different from any of our stories. Take away all the lights and cameras, and it’s really just a narrative of a girl so clearly in need of love, so clearly in need of the redeeming love of our God.

And suddenly, all I wanted to do was just apologize, over and over. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...on behalf of this fallen world, on behalf of our consumerism that so consistently devours what it wants and leaves the remnants in the wake of the search for the next fix, on behalf of believers, like myself, who mock and hurl stones rather than scribbling a message in the sand.

I think that night I saw her through the eyes of Jesus for the first time. I imagined what Jesus would say to me in my darkest hour and realized that those are the words we should speak to this world, to this culture, and even to Britney Spears in their darkest hour. “I’m sorry. Hope is here.” –Bebo Norman

This song is amazing! I didn't even realize it was about Britney Spears at first - I was just struck by the lyrics themselves and how they can apply to so many people - even me. It's so easy to cast the stones... poking fun at someone else who looks different, smells different, dresses different, acts different, or speaks differently... talking about someone behind their back (or blatantly in front!)... judging others for their choices... There used to be that childhood saying that "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Sadly, we realize all too quickly that the quote is a falsehood. Sometimes, words hurt much more than a stone; the words we use have the potential to leave scars that can last a lifetime.

Currently, I have a subscription to People magazine - it was a gift last Christmas, and I've noticed more and more, how sad I feel for these celebrities when their personal garbage is strewn all over the newsstands for us to gape at. Easily, I can judge them - for their ridiculous choices and behaviors that have led them to whatever current mess that is written about. But this song reminds me to have a little more sympathy and a little less judgement. Because when you compound all of the millions of people in the world who witness a celebrity's mistakes and blunders every day via TV or magazines, you realize that it must be so frustrating to have all of your life (the good times and the bad) displayed for the masses just because of the line of work you chose.

I found a fantastic Fan Video on You Tube using this song... The song, itself, is about 4 minutes - but the last 2 minutes include some bonus footage that you wont want to miss. I hope you have time to watch it all.

Song: Britney
Artist: Bebo Norman
Album: Bebo Norman

Karaoke Tuesday: "If We Are The Body"

It is my husband's and my turn to teach 2nd grade Sunday School this month. Sunday's lesson was on the 6th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill. Seems easy enough... usually you can safely say that all of your students have this one taken care of - surely there isn't a murderer amongst the 7-year-old crowd, right?!

The lesson we presented used this Commandment in a broader sense: it included the idea of "killing one's spirit" as well as physical murder. Using the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), we were able to show the kids how one's words and actions (or lack thereof) can physically hurt another human being just as sharply as a sword or knife.

Our song today is If We Are The Body by Casting Crowns. Often, we hear in church that "we are the body of Christ" - but are unsure of what that means, exactly. This song and the fan video I've included below gives us a clear picture of what it means to BE part of Christ in our word and actions:

Fan Video by rayman71

So God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among it's members, so that all of the members care for each other equally. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. Now all of you together are Christ's body and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.

-1 Corinthians 12:24-27

It is our responsibility as Christians to extend the hand of friendship, generosity, kindness, and love to those around us - that's everyone around us... our friends, our foes... the popular ones... the "undesirables." Behaving "Christ-like" means being generous and loving - without restriction. Your small kindness can make a big impact on another... and just might be the very thing that brings them over the threshold to Christ.

♥Mags


Song: If We Are The Body
Artist: Casting Crowns

Karaoke Tuesday: Who Am I?

Anyone feeling pitiful today? Weary? Defeated?
Anyone feeling tired? And insecure? Again... Defeated?

Some days are like that... heck - for some of us, MOST days are like that!

Every once in while (and we're talking once in a GREAT while!), I have a morning where everything goes my way... the kids wake up agreeable and don't fight... and they don't wake me up until after 7AM... I get to Starbucks, and they are serving my very favorite: their pumpkin cream cheese muffin, and I have a gift card with which to buy it... life is good.
HOWEVER, usually mornings do not go that way... Kids are up at 6AM... shooting each other with guns made from K'Nex... I'm exhausted even after a night's sleep... by the afternoon, I've lost all my patience and the "Mother of the Year Award" ... again. "Defeated" is often the word that describes me by dinner time!

These are just everyday trials... small things in the midst of a big world. Some people are dealing with BIG problems - even on a daily basis. But with billions of people in the world - all dealing with their own problems - it's easy to wonder if a big, big God can even hear our issues through the cacophony of angst. That's one of the reasons I love this song by Casting Crowns... it sums up my feelings of inadequacy and gives me comfort that my God is watching out for me with his safety net. That doesn't mean that bad things won't happen in my life; it does mean that God will hold my hand and help me through them... no matter what else is going on in the world - I have his undivided attention... as do you... and you... and you. That's what makes him God of all creation! :)

I also like this song for the refrain - that it's not about what I DO that is important... it's about Jesus and what he has already done for me. Something to remember in my most defeated times - that Jesus was strong enough for both of us. Enjoy the words below - you can listen to this song on Last.FM.

Song: Who Am I?
Artist: Casting Crowns:
Album: Casting Crowns
LYRICS

Karaoke Tuesday: "I'm Not Who I Was"

It's interesting... I had an entire post about this song ready in my head based on what I thought this song was about (what I had gotten from it, at least!). Then I read the lyrics - and saw a video from the artist on his intentions, and I realized that we were on different paths...!

But isn't that the great thing about music? That it can inspire different feelings in different people?!

Today's song is "I'm Not Who I Was" by Brandon Heath. I took from it the changes that occur inside you when you start to really "feel" Christian (or for those people who felt a sudden transformation: who are "born again.") The person that I am now is so much different from the person people knew in elementary school, or high school, or even college.

I smile to myself because a feed to this blog shows up on my Facebook page, and I figure that people who haven't seen me in a while will be rolling their eyes and saying, "When did Maggie get all religious?" or "Was Maggie always some religious weirdo?!" They know the girl who could cuss like a sailor and who was known to say (regarding the midnight Christmas Eve service), "It's the same old story... WHY can't they liven it up with a laser light show or something?!?!"

*sigh*

It is funny though, how transformed you feel inside when you finally find your Faith... And those changes in your heart and mind inevitably lead to changes on the outside as well. Some things are slower to change than others... I still have to work on my potty mouth sometimes. I'm still impatient. Judgemental. Prideful. But I feel like a different person than I was then... and it's not just the increase in grey hairs! :)

Now apparently Brandon Heath was leaning in a different direction when he wrote this song:


He was looking back at people from his past - people who may have wronged him in some way and against whom he still held a grudge. I can identify with that too! :)
I think I've mentioned before that I was a "kick-me" kid in elementary school. A year behind everyone age/maturity-wise, a year ahead academic-wise... not a good combination for surviving the social game of high school! It's easy, when you've been a target, to hold onto hostility and anger towards those who made you feel inferior... small... unloved. Lord knows that I've got some residual hostility, but allowing yourself to forgive others is a blessing from God. Brandon Heath mentions that his favorite line of the song is this:

Well the thing I find most amazing In "amazing grace" ... Is the chance to give it out

Is there someone in your life who needs your grace? Or do you need to extend a little grace inward and forgive yourself for something? Take the opportunity to be "Christ-like" and to give it out. Because if you have felt the transformation of your Faith, then you are like a new person, and this new person can forgive.

Song: I'm Not Who I Was
Artist: Brandon Heath (http://brandonheath.net/)
Album: Don't Get Comfortable
LYRICS
Listen to this song and other by Brandon Heath here: http://brandonheath.net/music.php

Karaoke Tuesday: "I Believe" by ZOEGirl

When I first started listening to Christian contemporary music, there was one song that I played over and over: ZOEGirl's "I Believe." Our first son was only a year or less, and my husband and I would giggle at him through the rearview mirror on our Blazer because as soon as this song would come on, his eyes would brighten, and he'd start bopping back and forth to the music... not unlike those Saturday Night Live, obnoxious, date guys who bounce their heads to music while cruisin' for chicks! :)

This is such a great "I'm-a-new-Christian" song; here are the lyrics.


Can you remember a time in your Christian walk when things changed for you?

When you finally, finally! felt God inside your heart?
When God breathed His life into you, and you were forever changed?
Do you remember when you stopped feeling self-concious when you talked about your faith?
Do you remember feeling like you could "shout it from the mountains" because suddenly, your faith had meaning and you felt like you understood, for the first time, what it meant to be Christian?

Sometimes, it's hard to be a Christian. People stereotype you into one of the pop-culture caricatures or set you on a clay pedestal- and then are aggravated when you fail to meet their expectations. Tempations strike the Christian just as it does the non-Christian. Being Christian will not exclude you from hardship, persecution, troubles, grief, sorrow, or pain. But BELIEVING does ensure that you will always have someone walking alongside you regardless of whatever trials comes your way. You are never alone. You always have a friend. You always have someone on your side.

That is something to celebrate.
Being a Christian is something to celebrate.

So celebrate it. Take a moment and just revel in the miracle of Jesus Christ, your personal Savior. That is something to smile about!

:) Mags

Song: I Believe
Artist: ZOEGirl
Album: ZOEGirl
Here it on Last.FM

I Found God In Rain...

Please forgive the quietness on the God Blog - we were on vacation to Tennessee with our best friends for the last 5 days. It seems fairly impossible that there is still ANY place left on this earth without an Internet connection, but we managed to find one! And although I was yearning to check email, to blog, to make some digital scrap kits, or to just mindlessly web-surf, I was blocked by the angry, red, Intel Wireless icon blinking "NO WIRELESS CONNECTION." Of course, this was probably God's reminder that this was a family vacation, and I wasn't supposed to be spending it on the computer, anyway. :) We had a wonderful time: swimming on Lake Norris, tubing (WOW! What a rush!), hiking (Okay... that was my husband, his friend, and all of the kids... I don't really like "nature..."), or just lounging around laughing. We are blessed to have such good friends with whom we can spend a week and not kill each other (the kids whacking each other with pool cues doesn't count, does it?!) :)

But when we returned today, I was anxious to power-up the laptop and check email (846 emails!), check my groups, read comments from the blogs (Whoo-hoo...there were some!), and pop in to all of my favorite web spots! In a Christian scrapbooking group I belong to, someone posted a link to an amazing blog called Bring The Rain. I wasn't familiar with the group, Selah, but apparently the wife of one of the singers has started this blog about her family's journey through a pregnancy that would not result in a baby to raise on earth.

Now I've mentioned before that my sister-in-law & brother-in-law lost their beautiful baby daughter, Julia Ellen, after only 6 days of life. She was born in April 2006 with the genetic abnormality called Trisomy 18. The complications that arise from the extra chromosome at the 18th place makes the chance of even a baby surviving delivery a long shot. But our Julia persevered, and her parents at least had 6 days to meet her, and hold her, and sing to her, and know her.

It has been 2 years since we attended Julia's memorial; and in that time, I have seen my in-laws' faith and love of God grow stronger - even in the face of the greatest loss they could imagine - the loss of their child. I read somewhere that "pain of that kind of loss never goes away; rather that you slowly become strong enough to bear it." I think that strength comes from one slowly releasing the reigns of control and handing over all of their worries and concerns and wishes and dreams to God. From what I've read so far (and I'm only in "March!") Angie, the author of the Bring The Rain blog, has truly done this as well. For a woman who is writing about the impending death of her child, Audrey Caroline, she has found God working miracles already in Audrey's life... even if that life only exists within Angie's womb.

If you are facing something so huge that it seems to eclipse your ability to think, to plan, to reason, to be - then please stop by Angie's blog. It is a story of hope - not of death - and I think it will bring you perspective and comfort.

♥Mags

Karaoke Tuesday: "Here I Am" by Shawn McDonald

I'm starting a new thing called "Karaoke Tuesdays!" Come and sing along with me!!

At our church, I've discovered so many awesome songs from contemporary worship bands... often I've got song titles scribbled all over my bulletin (fortunately, the worship band lists the title on the first frame of the lyric-slides... makes my song search much easier!), then when I get home, I'm loading up iTunes to find a version that I like!

Last year, one of our friends sang Shawn McDonald's Here I Am while he played his acoustic guitar. It was amazing!! This past Sunday, the Worship Band finally (FINALLY!!!) did the song again. Again - the power of this song ripped through the band members, the singer, and the congregation.

Here are the lyrics.

The the entire song is raw and powerful... just the song you need when you are feeling beaten-down or defeated.

Because when you are at your lowest point, God will lift you up. When you give up the tight-fisted control of your life, open your arms, mind, heart, and soul to God, He will carry through the burdens and hardships you face. You are not alone.

Take care of you this week,
♥Mags

You can listen to his LIVE version here at Last.FM. And you can purchase both his studio recording and his live version at iTunes.

Artist: Shawn McDonald
Song: Here I Am
Album(s): Double Take
Live in Seattle
Simply Nothing
Scattered Pieces (live version)

Did You See God On American Idol?!?!

I know! I know!
At the end of the Idol Gives Back charity show, the remaining contestants sang "Shout To The Lord!" And at the beginning of the results show the next night, they sang it again... this time without changing the word "Jesus" in the first verse to "shepherd."

This is so NOT something you usually see on "regular," live TV. Typically, shows try their hardest to remove God from the program or to insult or defile Him in some manner. What a refreshing moment to see God glorified with so many viewers in watching His work in progress!

Here was a 2-hour show with it's primary focus being to raise money to HELP PEOPLE in America and Africa - to help CHILDREN, specifically who are battling povery, disease, loss of one or more parents, homelessness, hopelessness. Can you get any more "Jesus" than that? He was the first to extend a hand of help to the poor, the undesirable, the repugnant. He was the first to "give back" - there could not have been a more fitting finale to this program on Wednesday.

Of course - the comments on just one of the YouTube videos is nearly 400 with people arguing back and forth about various portions of the show:

• The lyrics change - using shepherd instead of Jesus in the first verse
• The obnoxious bleeped-out comments by Ben Stiller that aired immediately after this heartfelt song.

One comment said this regarding the lyric change:

Yea, I heard that and thought, 'wait it doesn't go like that,' I guess they were afraid that if they sang His name this would happen: Mountains bow down and the seas will roar, At the sound of Your name...

*grin* I love that comment!

I don't know what affected the change in lyrics in the first place nor the fix on the second singing. What I do know is that regardless of what "word" was used, this particular song is one of the most well-know CHRISTIAN contemporary songs of all time. Like one comment by archerAU said:

"Even with the name removed... it's pretty obvious this song's got nothin' to do with Buddha, so i think it's safe to say, despite it being removed, we should still be joyful that such a song as this would have been played on such a grand scale, for so many people, who'd never have expected this! It was awesome, Ithink!"

Amen to that! :)

God knows when "baby steps" need to be taken with people's hearts. Millions of people watched the charity show... as well as the results show. While some may be angry, others may feel a softening of their hearts and minds... an yearning to find that peace that elludes them. Think of this as just one small chink in an armor of Godless media that we are bombarded with.... enough cracks, and the armor is useless. God will find His way into the smallest of openings in someone's heart. So I'm so happy that someone at Idol stuck up for God and incorporated this song - whatever words.... "shepherd," "savior," "Jesus," "Lord," "King," "Almighty" - it is all the same ONE and loving God.

Thanks, American Idol!

Link to originial performance on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1n61AllirA

Link to reprise performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WOzF9ZGA7A

(Of course - there are several postings of this!)