Stanley Simpson

One Small Child

The next entry for my Blog is One Small Child, which was written by David Meece. It was first released in 1977. A link to Evie singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small savior of life, ooh

One king bringing his gold and riches
One king ruling an army of might
One king kneeling with incense and candlelight
One king bringing us life, ooh

See him lying a cradle beneath him
See him smiling in the stall
See his mother praising his father
See his tiny eyelids fall

See the shepherds kneeling before him
See the kings on bended knee
Oh, see the mother praising the father
See the blessed infant sleep

One small child in a land of a thousand
One small dream of a savior tonight
One small hand reaching out to the starlight
One small savior of life, ooh

This post is being written during the Christmas season since I believe it carries the true meaning of Christmas. During the Christmas season and perhaps other holiday seasons, the true message of the song is lost amongst the glitz and glitter of the ongoing celebrations. It is easy to enjoy singing along with these wonderful celebratory songs since they usually make us happy and think about holidays of the past. I believe this song brings us back to the reality of what Christmas is truly all about, which is celebrating the birth of Christ.

On that very special night long ago, the son of God was born. He was only one of thousands of children being born that same night, so he wasn’t anything special to those outside of his mom and dad. The fact that he was born and was lying in a manger diminished his perceived worth to the world even more. Think about the people who were staying at the inn where there was no room for Jesus, what was their initial impression of the baby lying in the manger which normally held food for the livestock? They probably thought that this child had no hope in life and would probably end up a beggar in the streets, just as so many of the poor they saw in the city streets every day. The tiny infant raises its hands to the stars, maybe to reach out to Mary his mother, or perhaps to his father in heaven. Little did anyone know that this little baby would be the savior of the world. It is true that the angel told Mary about her son before he was born, but taking that head and heart knowledge and applying it to this little baby had to be a difficult task.

After a period of time the wisemen/kings arrived from the far east. To get there while the baby was still there meant the kings had been notified of the birth perhaps many months earlier since they came from far away. There are songs about the three kings/wisemen and the gifts they brought to the son of God. They brought gold, incense, myrrh, and also brought the power they represented. Just imagine how Mary the mother of Jesus and Joseph his earthly father felt when the kings arrived. They may have never been really close to a king and the king they did know was not necessarily a kind one. They are probably in awe of the kings and then overwhelmed when the kings knelt before this tiny little baby. Who is he that would be worshipped and revered by powerful kings? As I mentioned above, even though Mary was told her child would the son of God and a savior to the world, it still had to be a very humbling experience.

I can just imagine this tiny infant, the savior of the world, looking up at the kings hovering above him and giving them a smile of joy. Sometimes a simple smile can tell more than words can ever express. Mary is watching all of this in awe. She sees her son, the son of God, lying there with a beautiful smile on his face; all she can do is look to his heavenly father and let her heart relay her joy and amazement. She knew that words could never express what her heart felt as she looked up to the heavens. As she looked back down to the new born king, she saw his eyes slowly closing. Just think about how she must have felt knowing that the God of all creation had given her the most precious gift imaginable.

The song now reminds us that the shepherds were already there since they were the first to be notified of the birth of Christ. In the book of Luke chapter 2, we find that the shepherds were notified of the birth by angels, “There were shepherds taking care of their flocks at night. An angel appeared to them and told them not to be afraid as he brought good news, “This very day in David’s town your savior was born – Christ the Lord!” They would find the baby wrapped in cloth, lying in a manger.” They were viewed as some of the lowliest people by others, but God knew their true worth and let them be the first people to visit his son. As a result, some of the most powerful people were joined by some of the lowliest people to be the first to see our savior. I think it sends the message that Jesus was born for everyone; the poor, the lowly, the powerful, the humble, and the outcasts. All are represented and kneeling before their savior, our savior as Mary is praising God. What a way for God to start the life of his son, a loving family and all walks of life bowing before him.

What do you think about at Christmas? I know that being with family is important and I know that all of us like gifts; but are you taking the time to think about the true meaning of Christmas and give Jesus his time? When Christmas if over, does Jesus get boxed up and put away with the Christmas decorations, or does he stay in your life and your heart all year long? All I ask is that you take a little time and consider the question I posed.

Click to Hear Evie Sing One Small Child

Make Room in Your Heart

The next entry for my Blog is Make Room in Your Heart, which was written by John Mark Hall and Matt Maher. It was first released in 2017. A link to Matt Mayer and Casting Crowns singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

A family hiding from the storm
Found no place at the keeper’s door
It was for this a Child was born
To save a world so cold and hollow

The sleeping town, they did not know
That lying in a manger low
A Savior King who had no home
Has come to heal our sorrows

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

Shepherds counting sheep at night
Do not fear the glory light
You are precious in His sight
God has come to raise the lowly

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Mother holds the promise tight
Every wrong will be made right
The road is straight, the burden’s light
For in His hands, He holds tomorrow

Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart?
Is there room in your heart
For God to write His story?

You can come as you are
But it may set you apart
When you make room in your heart
And trade your dreams for His glory
Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

Make room in your heart
Make room in your heart

This song asks a challenging question, one that all of us should take the time to consider how we would respond. The core of the story comes from the bible and is found in the book of Luke chapter 2. As the holy family sought shelter from the storms of life and the threat of losing their yet to be born son, they found no place for him to be born. The only place available for him to be born was in a manger filled with hay, basically it was a feeding trough for horses and cattle. This is where our savior, Jesus, the Son of God was born. It is hard to imagine that the son of God, the one person who had come to save the world, would be born in this way. The keeper of the inn nor the people of the local town of Bethlehem had any idea of what was transpiring nor how the world would be changed forever. We are also told in Luke 2, that the shepherds were the first to visit Jesus. They were told about the birth by angels who directed them to Bethlehem. Just imagine the shock they experienced when angels appeared to them to deliver the message! I guess it was only fitting that the shepherds were some of the first ones to see Jesus since they spend their lives out in the fields and away from other people and the tents they had were perhaps their only home. The good news is that this was all part of God’s plan, his son was perfect in every way, and it only seems right for him to be born away from all of the sin in the cold hard world that he was coming into to offer salvation.

Jesus came to offer the gift of eternal life to everyone, not just a single group of people, not to just one country, but to the entire world. His color, his birthplace, his language were irrelevant; only his message and his sacrifice should be the focus for all of us. The chorus of this song asks the question that we must all take time to address, “Is there room in your heart for God to write his story?” I think most of us would answer with, “well of course there is.” Now I would like for you to take a few minutes and let the question really sink in before you respond. I understand that you carry love in your heart for your family and your friends, hopefully this is true for all of us. What about your passions outside of your family and friends, what dominates your thoughts and what is on your mind most often? You may spend more time thinking about your job, your next vacation, a sporting event, etc. than you do about your faith. Assuming everything you think about is what you really carry in your heart, is there truly room for God and his story? I am not suggesting you stop thinking about the other things in your life, I think the song is asking whether or not you are willing to give God equal time in your heart. God wants you to always keep his son and his sacrifice in your hearts. All of these things can coexist in your heart, but something has to have a priority. Shouldn’t that priority be God since he is the one offering you eternal life by accepting his son? Nothing else in your heart can offer you eternal life. I am not suggesting in any way that the other things in your heart are wrong, I am only saying that God should always be first in your heart as well and get the attention he deserves. We all make our choices as to what our priorities in life are and what we want to keep in our heart, but God can help us to keep our priorities in order. We find this promise in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

It is great to want a family, to do well in your career, and to enjoy life; there is nothing wrong with these dreams and aspirations. As you take a moment to reflect on who you hope to be and your personal goals, are you merely thinking about the time you have on this earth? Maybe you will have a long life, or you could pass away tomorrow; none of us have that answer. Do you ever take the time to think about an eternal life, the one that Jesus came to offer to us? He gives us hope of being reunited with our loved ones who also accepted him, once our earthly life is over. Maybe you need to take time to focus on your dreams and determine what your dreams coming to fruition would mean to you, and then compare your earthly dreams coming true to the gift of eternal life. Yes, you can still have a wonderful family, you can still have professional ambitions, and you can still enjoy other things in life; but if you want eternal life; you must make room in your heart for God to write his story.

If you have not done so already, please take the time to make sure you have room in your heart for God and then accept his promise of eternal life by accepting his sacrifice of his son so you can have eternal life.

Click to Hear Matt Maher and Casting Crowns Sing Make Room

Gratitude

The next entry for my Blog is Gratitude, which was written by Benjamin William Hastings, Michael Brandon Lake, and Dante Bowe. It was first published June 3, 2022. A link to Brandon Lake singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

All my words fall short
I got nothing new
How could I express
All my gratitude?

I could sing these songs
As I often do
But every song must end
And You never do

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

I’ve got one response
I’ve got just one move
With my arm stretched wide
I will worship You

So come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord

Oh come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord

Come on, my soul
Oh, don’t you get shy on me
Lift up your song
‘Cause you’ve got a lion inside of those lungs
Get up and praise the Lord, hey

Praise the Lord
Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

So I throw up my hands
Praise You again and again
‘Cause all that I have is a hallelujah
Hallelujah
And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

Have you ever been in a situation when you were at a complete loss for words? My guess is that probably all of us have been in that situation. Sometimes we are at a loss of words because of anger, because of the way love has filled our hearts, overcome with grief, or maybe just out of surprise. These writers have expanded the list of reasons we may have for our loss of words, they chose gratitude. As I prepared for this blog entry, I started looking at what gratitude really means. It is more than just offering up a thank you. Gratitude is taking the time to really think about the wonderful things you have in your life. I am so thankful for my spouse and her love, my beautiful loving daughter, my granddaughter, my friends, my health, my travels, and the list goes on and on. As you take time to think about the most important things in your life, do you seem to run out of words to describe your feelings? The writers of this song are talking about that moment when you start to realize that sometimes, words are just not enough. When we reach that point of what else can we say and do to express our gratitude, it is time to open our hearts to God and raise our arms in praise. After a while, maybe our words unintentionally become shallow although that was never our intention; we just run out of things to say and do. As the writer says, every song must end. As there are no more words of gratitude, we just need to open our hearts to God and praise him and thank him over and over again. There is no gift worthy of God our King, but all he wants is our love and our gratitude. From the depths of our hearts, we should be singing to God and praising him. What is expressed from our hearts is stronger than any words we could ever speak. As we raise our arms and sing from our hearts and our lips and sing Hallelujah, we are expressing our true gratitude to God for all he has done for us. It doesn’t sound like much, but all God wants from us is to love him and to love his son Jesus who died for us. God shows his love for us every passing day. He speaks to us in the brilliant sunrise, the glowing sunset, the sparkling oceans, the beautiful flowers, the joy of seeing people healed, and the love that overwhelms us when we accept Jesus as our lord and savior. It doesn’t always take words to express gratitude; it sometimes just takes awareness. In 1 Thess 5:17 we are told to give thanks and rejoice in all things “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Perhaps you are not the best singer, maybe you can’t even carry a tune, and maybe you scare yourself singing in the shower; but God only listens to your words and focuses on your heart. The writer tells his soul that now is not the time to be shy, we are to lift our song and our praises from deep in our heart and soul. Inside of us, we have the power of a lion and that power is always there, we just need to call upon it. The time of expressing our gratitude is every day. The place to express our gratitude is wherever we are. Philippians 4:12-13 tells to rejoice in all things since God is always there for us, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Looking at this verse, how can we not be grateful?

Why not lift your hands right now, call upon the lion inside of you to sing praises to God, and let him feel the gratitude for all he has done for you?

Click to Hear Brandon Lake Sing Gratitude

At Calvary

The next entry for my Blog is At Calvary, which was written by William R Newell in 1895. It can be found in many church hymnals. A link to the Islington Baptist Church Choir singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

At Calvary

Years I spent in vanity and pride
Caring not my Lord was crucified
Knowing not it was for me He died
At Calvary

By God’s word at last my sin I learned
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned
Until my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary

[Chorus]
There Your mercy and Your grace was free
There Your pardon multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

Now I’ve given Jesus everything
Now I gladly know Him as my king
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary

[Chorus]
There Your mercy and Your grace was free
There Your pardon multiplied to me
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary

I used to be a worship leader in a small church many years ago and on Sunday evenings, I let the members of the congregation select the songs we would sing. Every Sunday evening, one young boy around eight years old, would ask to sing #226. This hymn number was “At Calvary” and every time I hear it or sing it, I think of that little boy so many years ago. It seems as if so many people in the world go about their daily lives and never think about the sacrifices others made so they could even have a life. These people revel in their successes and their families and how successful they have been. I think it is great that people are willing to work hard to succeed, but it is important that everyone is aware of the one decision that determines eternity for them. I don’t believe people think much about eternity and what is next in their lives, they are too focused on today. Wouldn’t it be great to know that we all have the opportunity to maybe once again see our loved ones who passed away over the years? These people don’t realize what took place over 2000 years ago and how their future is truly determined. To me, this is the time the song is referring to when referencing vanity and pride. These people have probably heard about Jesus, the son of God, dying on a cross and have probably seen pictures of the crucifixion; but they don’t realize that he willingly gave his life so each of us could have eternal life. He died on that mount called Calvary, just for us.

The reason for his death was to clear a path for all of us to an eternal home in heaven. His death provided us with forgiveness for every sin or wrongdoing we have ever committed as well as any future wrongdoings. All of this was done without us having to spend any of our time or money. You ask, so what is the catch, no one does anything for free. The only requirement given by God and his son is that we accept Jesus as our personal savior and acknowledge that he is the only way to eternal life. All of the burdens that we carry inside of us are lifted at the time we accept Jesus. We are told this in the book of Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” It doesn’t mean we won’t worry and fret about things, but it does mean that we have someone to turn to in prayer whenever our hearts are burdened. We are no longer alone when the weight of our worries start to overcome us.

As we start a new spiritual life as a result of accepting Jesus, we become eager to learn more about him. This quest for knowledge leads us to the bible, which is God’s word and lays out the life we are supposed to lead; a life of love, compassion, forgiveness, praise, and worship. Hopefully the quest for knowledge leads us to a wonderful church and church family. As we compare how we have lived our life to the way God wants us to live, we have a sadness that comes over us when we think about all of the things we have done wrong in our lives. We learn the real meaning of sin and how Jesus died because he loved each of us so much and wanted to take away all of our sins. Not only does he want us to get on the right path in our lives, but he also wants each of us to spend eternity with him.

God has a master plan for all of us, his plan starts before we are born, it encompasses our life on earth, and it concludes with our eternal home with him and others who will be joining us in heaven. In the book of Jeremiah 1:5, we find this scripture about God knowing about us before we are born, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”

It is because of God’s master plan that we have hope, even in the darkest of days. Take some time and think about the darkness and hopelessness of this world and contrast that with the eternal life we are promised. We also learn how we can escape this darkness of life and enter a life of pure love and hope, this is the gap that God bridged for us by sacrificing his son. What an amazing plan that God has put into place!

It is all because of the execution of God’s master plan on the mount called Calvary. Isn’t it time for you to accept Jesus and become part of God’s plan for you? God is always willing to accept us back into his flock. He promises us this in Isaiah 53:6. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Click to Hear the Islington Baptist Church Choir Sing At Calvary

How Can You Not

The next entry for my Blog is How Can You Not, which was written by Jeff Sojka, Leanna Crawford, and Jessie Parker Early. It was first published in 2022. A link to Leanna Crawford singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

How Can You Not

… I see the sun rise in the morning
And a million stars at night
I hear the birds, they can’t stop singing hallelujah
I see His goodness when I fall down
And it’s grace that picks me up
Every day, I can’t stop singing hallelujah

… How can you not see God
In every little thing, in every little moment?
How can you not feel loved?
How can you not? How can you not?
‘Cause He’s in the middle of
Every little thing and every little moment
How can you not see God?
How can you not? How can you not?

… I see the sunset and I wonder
If He paints it just for me
Nobody else could make a world so beautiful
How could I question His love when it’s everywhere I go
Wherever I look, I find another miracle

… Everything is evidence (ooh-ooh)
Showing me that You exist (oh-oh)
All creation singing hallelujah
Everything is evidence (oh, everything)
Showing me that You exist (He’s God)
All creation singing hallelujah

… How can you not see God
In every little thing, in every little moment?
How can you not feel loved? Hmm-mm
‘Cause He’s in the middle of
Every little thing and every little moment
How can you not see God?
How can you not? How can you not?

… Oh, how can you not see God (everything is evidence)
In every little thing, in every little moment? (Showing me that You exist)
How can you not feel loved? (All creation singing)
How can you not? How can you not? (Hallelujah)
‘Cause He’s in the middle of (everything is evidence)
Every little thing and every little moment (showing me that You exist)
How can you not see God? (All creation singing)
How can you not? How can you not?

Many people may ask, how do you know if there is a God if you can’t see him? I believe this song really takes on this challenge. Most of us have the opportunity to see a sunrise every morning. I understand we may not be up to see the majesty of a sunrise, but it still happens. Some of the most beautiful sunrises for me are those across the water or coming over the mountains. It also seems as if the birds even enjoy these sunrises; they seem to be singing more often and more loudly as a new day begins. I see more sunsets and they have just as much beauty as the sunrises. How many times have you stared up at a dark sky that is full of seemingly twinkling stars. My wife and I love to take trips away from the city lights and one of the benefits is we get to see those dazzling twinkling stars fill the sky.

How about the things that happen in your life that maybe you take for granted? You woke up yet another day. You wake up with a plan to do good and be faithful to God, perhaps every day; but then you quickly stumble and your plan fails once again. If you trust in God and believe in him, he is there to pick you up. He lifts you up, helps restore your confidence, and lets you go on your way again. He doesn’t ask anything of us, he doesn’t hold our mistakes against us; he just puts us on our feet yet once again. His grace and his unconditional never-ending love are with us always, as long as we have accepted his son as our personal savior. We should be singing his praises and thanking him every day.

Can someone truly believe that all of this just happens by accident, that the heavens just happened to come into existence in a spontaneous manner without a plan? That the sun and stars just magically appear? How can someone explain the powerful feeling of emotion and love that sometimes just hits us out of nowhere. There are times when I feel an inner strength that seemingly comes from nowhere. Some things are just hard to explain, such as how did I find the right woman to spend my life with? How can these people explain the wonder and majesty of the sun, the stars, the seas, and the natural wonders that are found across our world. Have you ever held a baby or small child who looked up at you and gave you that beautiful smile that only a little one can give? Nothing happens by accident. As the writer says, how can we not believe in God when we are surrounded by all of his marvelous creations, the people he brings into our lives, and the love that we feel deep inside of us. The writer emphasizes how can they not believe when they are standing in the middle of God’s creations every single day. The people who say they cannot feel and see the creations of God, are like people who are standing in the middle of a deep lake and wondering where the water is. People become so wrapped up in their own little self-made cocoon and miss out on everything God is offering them.

I personally love watching a sunset and I love the question posed by the writer, did God paint the sunset just for me? Some people may think that is a selfish view, but I think every sunset is beautiful and we all see different things in a sunset. Each of us may see different color variations and different cloud shapes, that is why God made all of us a little different. Although we may not all look or act the same, the beauty he creates amazes all of us. The difference is that many of us understand that we all came from God’s master plan as revealed in the bible and others see the beauty but don’t understand the master plan. The master plan is that God really wants all of us to spend eternity with him in heaven; after all, we are his children. Even though he gives us all of the beauties of this world and shows us his love, many of us fail to recognize him and his plan. All he asks of us is to accept his only son Jesus, who died on the cross for each of us, so that we could have eternal life with him. Almost everyone can admire the beautiful mountains, seas, skies, and have other people to love; but they are not willing to admit that we have one creator who created all of this as part of a master plan. He tells us that he has a plan in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In the midst of all God has done and continues to do, how can you not believe in him?

Click to Hear Leanna Crawford Sing How Can You Not

Give Thanks

The next entry for my Blog is Give Thanks, which was written by Henry Smith and was first published in 1978. A link to Janella Salvador singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Give Thanks

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)
Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart)
Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One)
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich (I am rich)
Because of what the Lord has done for us”
Give thanks

Many times, over the course of my life, I find myself asking God for answers and solutions to my needs. I may need help with some issues at home, I may need help with my job, I may be having some family issues, and sometimes it seems as if I am living in quicksand and that every step takes me deeper in the pit. Do you sometimes have these days or periods of time in your life? God is there to hear our requests and to bring us hope and peace. He is there to comfort us as we traverse the challenging path of life. Isn’t it great to have someone such as God to talk to, someone who will listen to us twenty-four hours a day seven days a week?

Think about all of those times God has been there for you; and now think about all of the times you thanked him for what he has done. Did you find out that you do a lot more requesting than you do thanking and praising? A key question for you is, are you having a one-way conversation with God? In other words, are you thanking God every day for the things he has done for you? I believe that most of us spend more time asking God than we do thanking him. This song is reminding us to give thanks everyday for the things God has done or is doing in our lives. We should always be grateful for everything he has done and we should thank him from our heart, not just from our lips. He alone is holy and he alone gave up his only son, Jesus, so that each and every one of us could have eternal life if we accept the sacrifice God made for us.

I have watched young children as they opened presents and witnessed the joy that the present brings. Our hearts should be filled with that same joy and gratefulness as we talk to God every day. It will probably take some time to get in a routine, but try to communicate with God everyday and not only tell him your needs, but thank him for everything you have in your life. In the book 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, we find the following guidance, “Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

As you strengthen your relationship and communication with God, you become a much stronger person. With his strength, you are able to overcome anything this life throws your way. We may not have a lot of money, but God will provide all that we need if we follow his guidance and put our trust in him. What can be greater than eternal life with our heavenly father and savior? We will also spend eternity with our friends and family who accepted Christ, what a glorious reunion that will be! You learn that God is always there reaching out his hand to guide you, to pick you up when you fall, and to carry you when you believe you can’t take another step. God promises that he will never abandon us, this scripture is found in the book of Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

As we begin to realize each day how much God has done for us, we become more grateful of his love. We become stronger as we begin to understand that we never stand alone as we fight through life. We become richer because we now understand we have been given the greatest reward ever, eternal life.

Have you thanked God today for all he has done for you?

Click to See Janella Salvador Perform Give Thanks

Love Lifted Me

The next entry for my BLOG is Love Lifted Me, a well-known hymn written by James Rowe in 1912. The melody is by Howard E. Smith. A link to Alan Jackson singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Love Lifted Me

I was sinking deep in sin
Far from the peaceful shore
Very deeply stained within
Sinking to rise no more
But the Master of the sea
Heard my despairing cry
From the waters lifted me
Now safe am I

Love lifted me
Love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me
Love lifted me
Love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me

All my heart to Him I give
Ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessed presence live
Ever His praises sing
Love so mighty and so true
Merits my soul’s best songs
Faithful loving service too
To Him belongs

Love lifted me
Love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me
Love lifted me
Love lifted me
When nothing else could help
Love lifted me

Souls in danger look above
Jesus completely saves
He will lift you by His love
Out of the angry waves
He’s the Master of the sea
Billows His will obey
He your Savior wants to be
Be saved today

Have you ever been out on a boat or ship and went so far out that you could no longer see any land? This can be a very frightening situation for most people, especially if the wind starts blowing harder and waves start getting higher. No matter how intensely we look, the shoreline is nowhere to be seen. Sometimes our life feels as if we are a long way from that peaceful shore, even though we are standing on dry land. It still feels as if we are either swimming around in circles or just stuck in the mud. We all get caught up in life and we gradually get overwhelmed with everything going on around us. Eventually we lose sight of that solid ground and peaceful shore

alan jackson, all my heart, angry waves, can’t see land, deep in sin, despair, despairing cry, despairing plea, eternal life, Howard E Smith, make our choices, Mark 4, master of the sea, nothing else, quicksand, sinking, sinking boat, sinking ship, soul in danger, soul’s best songs, too far out, turmoil

Our life has become quicksand and the more we struggle, the more we sink. The real problem is that the quicksand in our life is actually made up of the poor choices we have made over the years. These poor choices, accumulated over time, gradually lead us to a sense of hopelessness. We lose all inner peace and can no longer see the peaceful shore that we struggle so hard to find. As we continue to struggle, sink, and drift farther from that shore; we realize there is a master of life and the sea. The master always hears our cries, but waits for us to reach out to him from our heart. Why does he wait? He waits because we have not reached out to him. We have a tendency to ignore the master until a time of desperation and despair. In spite of us neglecting him day in and day out, he is still there to answer our call. Our master is Jesus Christ, the son of God. He alone can calm the seas we are drowning in as well as our own internal strife and pain. We have a tendency to ignore him when things are good and then yell for him or at him when things are bad. He still loves us unconditionally in spite of how we treat him. He is the only one who can truly lift us up. He alone can give us eternal life, he alone can bring us happiness in a dark dark world, and he alone has that unconditional love. Not only do we have his love, but our faith in him secures our eternal home.

The way to make him the master of your life is to give him your heart. By giving him your heart, you put him above all else in life. Your family and friends are important and you should love them dearly, but the only way you can have eternal life is to make Jesus number one and accept him as your personal savior. Giving your heart to him and making him first, does not diminish your love for your family in any way. In fact, if you really love your family and friends; you will tell them about Jesus and how all of you can spend eternity together instead of just the few short years we have on earth. Never lose sight of his love and you will feel his presence wherever you are. You will also feel his presence and guidance in every step you take and every decision you make. His love is powerful and everlasting, he is eternal, and there is nothing that can defeat him. The song tells us to sing his praises from deep inside and that we should sing songs to him of love and praise. He doesn’t care which song you sing, which book you sing from, or from where you are singing; he just wants you to sing with joy from your heart. As you think about what God has done in your life and how he can pull you out of the deepest ocean of darkness, doesn’t he deserve our faithfulness? Who else can do what he does for us?

The song references our soul being in danger as the angry waves of life take their toll on us. Is your soul in danger; how do you know? We all make our choices, if we accept Christ as our personal savior then we have a guarantee of eternal life with him in heaven. If we do not accept him, which by default means we reject him, then we spend eternity with the devil in hell. So we have the choice and we choose where we want to spend eternity. Jesus in the master who wants us to spend eternity with him. He is the one who controls the wind and the waves, nothing can stand up to him.

In the book of Mark 4:34-41, we find the story of how Jesus calmed the storm when his disciples were afraid their boat was going to capsize. Although this was something that I believe occurred, I also believe this is the same situation we face as we fight the battles in life. We become overwhelmed and fail to put our faith in the only one who can take us out of the darkness. “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown? He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

He wants you to be saved today, to give your soul to him, don’t wait until it is too late.

Click to Hear Alan Jackson Sing Love Lifted Me

That’s Enough

The next entry for my Blog is That’s Enough, which was written by Brandon Heath, Mallary Hope, and Molly Reed. It was first released April 22, 2022. A link to Brandon Heath singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

That’s Enough

Mind if I tell you a secret
A few simple truths about me
Might be hard to believe
Guess I’m just trying to come clean

Sometimes I don’t know where I’m going
It’s hard to admit where I’ve been
When I come to the end of myself
This is where I begin, again

I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

I don’t know your situation
What kind of story you’re in
If you’re high on that mountain
Or down in the valley again

You might be holding your baby
You might be holding a drink
You might be holding a secret
That’s getting harder to keep

But you are here
You are loved
God is good
And that’s enough

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

It’s okay if I don’t have the answers
It’s okay to be right where you are
It was patience and kindness and love
That got us this far

You are here
And you are loved
God is good

And I am here
I am loved
God is good
And that’s enough

He is here
He is love
God is good
And that’s enough

How many of us have secrets? My guess is that all of us have something deep inside of us that we have never shared or have only shared with a select few people. Sometimes, we just need to share one or more of these closely guarded secrets because they are tearing us apart inside. People who are close to us and people who are casual acquaintances may know us only by our exterior persona, but they have no idea what we may be struggling with deep inside. My wife accuses me of hiding things in various vaults in my head, where they can never be found. With all of this being said, most of us reach a time where we just need to bare our soul regarding some of the things going on in our lives and our past that we have been reluctant to share.

In this song, I believe the singer has reached the point where he just has to talk to someone, because it is tearing him up on the inside and has been hidden by that façade we many times hide behind. I believe all of us are in this situation and the time comes where we just need to come clean. Maybe you invite someone or a few friends to grab a cup or coffee or a drink with you. As you sit there, you start to explain how you are not the person you appear to be. The person or people you are talking to have always viewed you as someone who has it all together. Perhaps you are the one seemingly always loving life, with everything going your way. Perhaps it is your demeanor, maybe it is how many friends you have, your successful career, how much money you appear to have, or perhaps your perfect family. As you start to tell your true story, the people with you become speechless as they hear what has really been going on inside of you. They start to understand that maybe your entire life has been a trainwreck and you have kept it hidden behind a well-developed façade. Your best friends start hearing about your childhood as part of a broken family, how your marriages have failed, how you are deep in debt, and that your entire life has been a failure. For you, success has been temporary and fleeting as your inner secrets continue to take over your mind and distract from the life you want to live. It is almost as if you have been hanging off of a cliff, were able to pull yourself back up; and then start hanging off a different cliff as life beats you down again. I realize I have painted a picture of gloom and doom, but I truly believe there is a little bit of this in all of us and a lot of this in many of us. I believe that the people who just heard you bear your soul were handpicked by God for this point of time in your life.

It is in our weakest moments when we turn to the only place where we have unconditional love and this is from God and his son Jesus; he never leaves our side. In our darkest moments as we reach out to him, he is with us. He tells us this in Matthew 28:20, “And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” As the singer of this song tells his sad sad story, God stops him and says “I am here”, you are never alone. Note that God does not say he is there for a period of time, he says he will be there always. The bible also tells in the book of John 3:16, “that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to die for us.” How much more can someone love you, than to give up their only child for you? Yes, God is good and he has made sacrifices for us and promises to us that will last for eternity. God has to remind us sometimes that he is here, that he loves us, and that we will care for us. With God saying he is with us always and then he gave the life of his son for us, I say that’s enough.

We never know or even completely understand someone else’s story or situation, but I believe everyone has their own personal challenges in life. All of us probably get on that mountain top from time to time, only to slide back down into the valley; but God is always there with his hand out ready to pick us up yet one more time. We all have something to hide, maybe it is something associated with your family, maybe you have a problem with drinking or drugs, you can never keep a job, or maybe you just feel as if your entire life is coming unraveled and your secrets are becoming more and more difficult to keep within your façade. The real question the song seems to ask, is where does God fit into your life? The answer is to let him into your heart, he is waiting for you to invite him in. Once you allow God into your life, you start to put your trust in him since you should know that he holds the future. We don’t have to always understand why things have happened to us, but God only focuses on our future; he is not concerned about our past. Once we accept his son Jesus as our personal savior, our past is forgotten and we become white as snow on the inside. We may never understand why we have had these challenges in our life, but it is important to understand that God puts the right people by our side at various stages in our life for a purpose. These are people we can talk to about our burdens and maybe help us to find our way out of the darkness. He is simply waiting for us to reach out our hand and place it into his and feel his power, his glory, and peace that only he can bring.

It is really ok not to know all of the answers and God will be with us regardless of where we go in our lives. The song says it is God’s patience, kindness, and love that has gotten us this far. God is good, God is here, and that is enough.

Click to Hear Brandon Heath Sing That’s Enough

Hymn of Heaven

The next entry for my Blog is Hymn of Heaven, which was written Brian Johnson, Phil Wickham, Bill Johnson, and Chris Davenport. It was first released June 25, 2021. A link to Phil Wickham singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Hymn of Heaven

How I long to breathe the air of Heaven

Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets
To look upon the One who bled to save me
And walk with Him for all eternity

There will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord

And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears

Oh, there will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord

And on that day, we join the resurrection
And stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”

And on that day, we join the resurrection
And stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
“Forever He shall reign”

So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
With angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God who gave us life beyond the grave
Holy, holy is the Lord

Holy, holy is the Lord
Holy, holy is the Lord

Many times, I have heard people say, that person is such a breath of fresh air; meaning the person brings light into a challenging situation. The writer of this song starts by saying they long for the breath of fresh air that only heaven can bring. No matter how good or bad things are for us today, heaven will far surpass all of our hopes and dreams. It is a place where there is no pain or sorrow and everywhere we look is perfection. We get to spend time with Jesus, who is the one who died for us so we could spend forever with him. That day will come when we will bow down to him in reverence as well as thankfulness for what he did for us. Some of the greatest things in heaven, other than time with our savior, will be that there will be no more death, no more sadness, no more suffering, no more tears of sadness, and we will be reunited with friends and family who had accepted Christ and passed on before us. Every time we experience this joy, we will be thanking Jesus for dying for us and reuniting us with our loved ones.

It is challenging to talk about anything after thinking about the above, it all will be so so wonderful. The problem is that we let the challenges of our life take over our daily thoughts again and again. It all seems to be an act of desperation. Part of the problem is that we do no pray enough, which leads us to forget about God and his role in our lives. We are told in 1^st Thessalonians 5:16-17, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. We need to thank God for everything he has done for us in our lives. We should also pray for the needs of our families, our friends, our enemies, our country, and the entire world. All of these are God’s creations, he put all of us here. We sometimes give up hope after praying for so long, it is almost as if our desperate pleas are not being heard. We maybe go to church and sing the songs of glory, and hear the strong message of God’s promises. I love to listen to songs about Jesus and faith on the radio and I sing my heart out. After I leave the church building and after I get out of my car, I seem to lose some of that joy I was just experiencing; I let life take away my joy. As the song says, it will all be worth our pain, our suffering, and our frustration with life. The day will come when Jesus, the one who died for us, will wipe away all of our tears and fill our hearts with joy as we begin life in our new home. We are told this in the book of Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” This promise is for those who have accepted Jesus as their personal savior.

The day that Jesus comes in the clouds, the people who have accepted him will rise into heaven to join all others who accepted him and died before us. We will be part of the resurrection of millions of others. We will all of a sudden be side by side with some of the greatest people of faith who ever lived. Many of these will be people we have read about in our bibles, others will be some of the great leaders of faith that came after the time of Jesus, and most will be people who are regular everyday people who accepted Christ as their personal savior. We will be standing with people who might have lived since mankind was first created, all of the God’s faithful will be together for the first time. This entire gathering of the saved, which will be larger than we could ever imagine, will start singing Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, finally gets to hear all of his family sing praises to him and the father.

Wow, I am not sure I can even imagine the billions of voices from people of all eras of time and representing the entire earth singing at one time. The angels will be also be joining in as the music reaches a crescendo that we ever thought possible. What better way to honor our savior, who is the definition of holiness. Holy, holy is the Lord indeed.

Click to See Phil Wickham Perform Hymn of Heaven

Lion and the Lamb

The next entry for my Blog is Lion and the Lamb, which was written by Brenton Brown, Brian Mark Johnson, and Leeland Mooring. It was first released March 25, 2016. A link to Leeland Mooring singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.

Lion and the Lamb

He’s coming on the clouds

He’s coming on the clouds
Kings and kingdoms will bow down
And every chain will break
As broken hearts declare His praise
For who can stop the Lord Almighty

And our God is the lion
The Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before Him
Our God is the lamb
The lamb that was slain
For the sins of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb
Every knee will bow before Him (yeah)

So, open up the gates

So, open up the gates
Make way before the King of Kings
The God who comes to save
Is here to set the captives free
For who can stop the Lord Almighty

Our God is the lion
The Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before Him
Our God is the lamb
The lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb
Every knee will bow before Him

“How many here believe
Every knee will bow
Every tongue will confess
And then”

For who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
No one
Who can stop
Sing it over the battle

“Yeah, that’s it”

Who can stop the Lord Almighty
There is no one
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord (yeah)

Every knee will bow
Tongue confess

Take a quick second to imagine hearing the sounds of rapidly forming throngs of people suddenly gathering outside where you are and the emergency alert system going off on your phone, your TV, and your radio. You, like everyone else, run to your window or go outside to see what is causing this disturbance. As you start looking around, you see everyone pointing their fingers into the sky. Many are taking pictures and videos as quickly as they can. You look up and immediately start falling to your knees as you quickly realize the son of God is descending from the sky. The bible tells us in Revelation1:7, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all peoples on earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.” For those of us who have already accepted Christ as our personal savior, we will immediately be taken into heaven to begin our eternal life with God the father. Those who have not accepted Jesus as their personal savior, will remain on earth regardless of who they are and the titles they hold. All will bow down before him as he returns, some in awe, some in respect, and some in fear. The poor, the rich, as well as world leaders will all bow down to the king of all kings. The world, for those left behind, will be changed forever. I can’t even begin to imagine how many people will be taken up with Christ and the impact on the entire world for those who are left behind.

Jesus, also known as the Lion of Judah in the bible, has come back with all of his power and glory. Up until that time, people mostly remember Jesus hanging on the cross, or perhaps coming out of the tomb in sort of a quiet way. While on the cross, Jesus was the sacrificial lamb, he was giving his life for us so that we could have eternal life. Because of him, all of our sins had been forgiven as long as we accepted him as our sacrifice. He has always been known as the son of God, but a lot of people really don’t think about the power he wields. He has power greater than any of us can begin to imagine and he is returning to earth to take his believers to their final home in heaven. He is known as the lion of Judah because he descended from the lineage of Judah and King David. He comes back with the ferociousness and power of a lion to free us from our world of turmoil, destruction, war, and societal decay. He comes to take us home as well as to fulfill the promise of his 2^nd coming promised thousands of years ago. Even the greatest despots and evil people in our world will bow before him. They will not necessarily bow with adoration or acceptance, but they will see him wielding a power that they cannot control. Philippians 2:10-11 tells us “That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Note this does not mean that everyone will accept Christ as their savior and be allowed to go to heaven, it merely means they recognize that he is a being of great power. People do not get to heaven without accepting Christ as their personal savior.

All who have accepted him in the past, no longer have to fight the temptations of sin, every tear of earthly sadness will be wiped away, and they will feel a peace they have never felt before. Every person on earth will finally realize that life is not all about them, it is about their relationship with Jesus.

So, if Jesus comes tomorrow, will you be rising up in the clouds with him and announcing to the world that nothing and no one can stop the Lord Almighty?

Click to Hear Leeland Mooring Sing Lion and the Lamb