Country Church Music - From the Heart

Greetings dear friends and family,

New beginnings. Our lives are filled with them. Our grandsons Mason and Andrew will have new beginnings as they head back to school today. New teachers, new books, and so much more await them as the new school year begins.

Some new beginnings are wonderful and exciting. Yet others can leave us feeling afraid. Is there a new beginning in your life? In mine? No matter new beginnings we may be facing, one thing is for sure. We never face them alone. Thanks be to God!

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13

Let us pray: Loving God, new beginnings await us all, give us the strength and courage to face those time when we may become afraid. Lead us by the hand as we journey towards that day when Christ shall return and our final new beginning unites us with you. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Recently our grandson Andrew stayed with us for a couple of days. Shortly after he went home I happened to notice some child sized fingerprints on the mirror of the cabinet above the sink in our bathroom. Left there most likely as Andrew was putting the toothpaste away after brushing his teeth. Those fingerprints reminded me of the blessing that Andrew is in my life. He leaves his fingerprints all over my heart with his hugs and his “I love you grandma.”

Every day we leave behind our fingerprints. Where can we leave them today that they will touch someone’s life? How can we share the love of God with others? The possibilities are endless.

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, and always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1Corinthians 15:58

Let us pray: God of love, inspire our hearts to reach out and touch the lives of others in ways that will bring glory and praise to your name. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

As I opened the blinds on one of our windows this morning, it appeared to be foggy outside. When I opened the blinds in another room there was no fog. I could see clearly. Condensation on the first window had obscured the view. By opening the second blind I was able to truly see what it was like outdoors.

How many times do we look at people or situations with an obscured view? We make snap decisions without taking the time to look from a different view. In doing so, what might we be missing? God knows. His view is never obscured. Maybe we need to look at people and situations as he does…….with love, mercy, and grace.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 1John 4:16

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, help us to see with eyes of love, mercy, and grace as we journey through our days till that glorious day when we will be united with you for all eternity. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

At a church we visited recently, the Old Testament reading was read by a woman who used her hands, not her eyes to proclaim God’s Word. She did not let being visually impaired prevent her from serving God.

At this same church after the final hymn the pastor says the following: Now that the worship has ended, let the service begin.

Where is God calling us to serve today? He will show us if we are willing to see with the eyes of our hearts and trust in his guiding love.

Take good care to observe the commandment and instruction that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to keep his commandments, and to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Joshua 5:5

Let us pray: Loving Father, Open wide the eyes of our hearts so that we can see you more clearly and serve you by serving others with love and care. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

There is a rosebush near our front door that has a yellow bud just waiting to unfurl its petals and reveal its beauty. I am eager to see that bud be transformed but I know if I try to hurry it along by opening the petals myself I would ruin it. It has to do it in its own time or I should say God’s time.

Like the rose bush we all are a part of God’s amazing creation. He has planted each of us in his garden and tends to us with love. Eager as we may be to burst into full bloom God knows best and in his time we bloom for him here. And one day we will bloom forever with him in eternity.

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

I will close with simple but powerful reminder that a friend once wrote:

Thank you God. Without you I am nothing. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Looking out into our back yard I see little movement of our trees. That was not the case around 12:30 this morning when a gust front followed by strong thunderstorms rolled through. Thanks to the National Weather Service’s watches and warnings, we are able to be prepared when storms affect our area.

What about the storms of life that come our way? What can we do to be prepared? We need to look no further than our bibles. There we will find watches and warning in abundance. And there too we can find words of comfort and hope when struggles and fears come our way.

But most important thing we need to remember is that Jesus is always with us. His love is stronger and mightier than any storm we may face. He is our life preserver, our rock to which we can cling.

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, Psalm 18:2a

Let us pray: Thank you Heavenly Father, for giving us your Word to guide us and your Son to protect and save us. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

As some of you already know, this past Saturday our son Mark married the love of his life Christina Jeffrey. It was a beautiful ceremony and we had a wonderful time celebrating the blessed event at their reception. It was so good to see friends and family we have not seen for awhile as well as meet some of Mark and Christina’s friends. My heart is pretty full of treasured memories of the past few days but I did want to share the following.

After the reception and dance some of us were cleaning up the reception hall. Our grandson Mason came over to me and wanted to show me the Big Dipper and other stars he had been looking at while he was outside. I told him that we would look at them in a little while as we were getting close to finishing up for the night.

About 15 minutes later we walked out the doors. Mason was just ahead of me. He looked up and then said he could no longer see the stars. My heart sank, as I thought that maybe clouds had moved in. But we soon realized the stars were still there, his eyes just had not adjusted to the dark. So together we gazed at the stars and marveled at the wonders of God creation.

Several times the image of those precious moments with him have come to mind. What also has come to mind is the fact that if indeed clouds had moved in I would have missed seeing what he wanted to share with me. How often do we tell others, especially children, Ok in awhile, only to miss out on what they wanted to share with us.

Maybe we need to slow down a little and respond a little sooner when those dear ones want to share with us. We never know what we might be missing.

Thank you, Mason for sharing the beauty of God’s creation with me.

And to Mark and Christina……may God bless you and keep you as you begin this new chapter in your lives.

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Let us pray: God of all creation, help us to see with child like eyes the wonders you have blessed us with. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

The other day I happened to notice one of our young robins thrashing around rather high up in the tree. It was soon clear that it was caught in something and unable to free itself. It turned out to be a big wad of fishing line that somehow had become tangled in the branches and was now wrapped around the young robin’s leg. Mark got our ladder out and was able to cut the line and set the bird free.

Time and again we can be like that bird and get caught up in something, only to realize we are unable to break away. We are trapped. The harder we try to get free the more tangled we get. It seems hopeless.

But there is hope. That hope is Jesus. He died on the cross to set us free. No matter how much of a tangled mess we make of our lives, the grace filled and loving hands of Jesus are waiting to set us free.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Let us pray: Dear God, forgive us when we take our eyes off of you and suddenly find ourselves in a tangled up mess. It is by grace that you set us free. Help us to focus our hearts on you. In you glorious name we pray. Amen

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Hanging from one of the branches of our maple tree is a wind chime. It has hung there for many years. The top is a miniature bird house, too small for any birds. Yet there has been a little wren that shows up determined to get into that tiny hole to make a nest. Over and over it comes and tries to enter that hole. Only to fly way unsuccessful at gaining access to what it can’t have.

Are there times in our lives when we do the same thing? Like the wren we try over and over and are unsuccessful at making something happen a certain way. We are determined that it is the way it should be. But maybe God is trying to tell us no. Maybe he has a different plan in store for us. It is not easy to let go sometimes, but in doing so we are able to follow where God leads. We can trust that he is always with us.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

Let us pray: God, there are times when no matter what we try it just doesn’t work. Help us to see that sometimes we need to let go, trusting that you know best and will use us for your glory and praise. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

During a recent rainstorm water began pouring over the sides of our gutters. A quick look out the door was all I needed to see that our downspouts were clogged with seeds. Those seeds from our maple tree were preventing the water from flowing. When Kenny arrived home from work he cleared away the seeds and water could once again flow freely.

Our lives can become clogged by seeds. Seeds of fear, doubt, greed, anger, and so many more can prevent the love in our hearts from flowing. They are seeds that cannot be removed by us, but only by Jesus. He can break through even the toughest clogs so that his love can once again flow freely from our hearts.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Let us pray: Loving God, your love is stronger than the seeds of sinfulness that can clog our hearts. Wash us clean each day so that your love flows freely from our hearts. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane