Country Church Music - From the Heart

Greetings dear friends and family,

As I am writing this it is Labor Day. We all labor in many and various ways. But sometimes we labor for the wrong reasons. We forget who we are laboring for. We stray from the one whose labor was a true labor of love……..Jesus.

It is when we wander off and try to labor on our own that we become burdened and weary. We are yoked with Christ and when we rest in him and trust in him we realize that he labors with us. He will show us the way. He is counting on us to shower labors of love upon others. To plant the seeds of his love in their hearts through our words and our deeds.

So on this Labor Day and every day may our lives be labors of love. Lives focused on the cross. Lives ready to labor for/with Jesus.

Our pastor shared in his sermon Sunday these words he saw on a plaque: Pray hard, work hard, trust God……good words to live by.

For we are labourers together with God. 1 Corinthians 9a (King James version)

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, 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 light. Matthew 11:28-30.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we your children at times tend to stray from your loving guidance. Thank you for sending your Son to show us the way. Help us to see that when we labor for you we never labor alone. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Last week after a soaking rain I noticed two very tall plants were leaning over. They nearly touched the ground, each leaning a different way. I left them to see what would happen. As the week went by, slowly they once again became upright. Upon closer examination I noticed one root system supported both of them. Their strength came from what was beneath the soil.

At times we are like those plants. Life seems to rain down on us and the weight is too much to bear. Over we go. But there is hope, for we too have an unseen support system: Jesus. The roots of his love run deep into the soil of our hearts. And that love will sustain us no matter how far away we lean. The strength of his love will help us to once again become upright. Jesus has promised to never let go.

I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. Ephesians 3:16-17

Let us pray: Loving God, open our hearts to receive your Son. Help us to see that his love holds us firmly and to trust in him always. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

As I peered out the window in to the predawn darkness I noticed a pale glow in the yard. I realized it was one of our solar lights just barely giving off any light. After sunset each evening it shines brightly but by morning it is in need of the sun to recharge it. Without the sun it can’t shine.

We are like those solar lights. Our busy lives can cause our inner light to dim quickly. We need to be recharged by the Son. Jesus is the light of the world and when we rest in him and are renewed by his light we can once again shine brightly for him. We can’t shine…….without the Son.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, shine down on us filling us with your light so that we may shine brightly for you. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

I have a beautiful mug that son Mark gave to me many years ago. It sits here next to my computer. On the back are the words: Love never fails.

I have sat here pondering and I feel that Paul’s words to the Corinthians say it best. May the following verses speak to our hearts and guide us as we journey forward in our daily lives.

Love is patient; love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails……..And now theses three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13

Let us pray: Loving God, at times we may fail to love, but your love never fails. Help us to live lives of love for you in all we do. Thank you for the greatest gift of love, your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Thunderstorms have been rumbling across our area since very early this morning. On one occasion our lights went out briefly. It was just long enough to affect our clocks. One was blinking and stuck at 12:00. The clock on our stove was still working, the problem was that the time was incorrect. And our microwave, well it just had a blank line where the time should be. Each one now shows the correct time after I reset them.

How do we respond when our lives are interrupted? Which clock are we most like: The one blinking and stuck in one place. Or are we like the one that moves forward, but do so incorrectly. Maybe we are like the microwave. We just have that blank look.

Life is filled with interruptions and at times we can become like each of those clocks. And just as the clocks did, we too need someone to reset us. That someone is God. We can trust that his time is always correct.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Proverbs 3:5

Let us pray: Gracious God, as we journey through our days, reset our hearts and minds when life interrupts and takes our focus off of you. Help us to trust that your timing is perfect. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

For the past few weeks our grandsons and I have been watching the caterpillar we have in a clear container go through many changes. It ate, grew, and shed its skin several times. Last weekend it slowly made its way up the side. Later when we looked at it, it had made a little silk like mat. The caterpillar has eight pairs of legs yet it only used one pair to attach itself to the mat.

It hung there upside down for about a day in the shape of the letter J. The next day I watched in amazement as it shed its skin one last time. It hung there twisting and turning as it worked off the old skin. All that was holding it in place was that little mat. Soon the old skin fell off and underneath was the chrysalis. Inside which the caterpillar will transform into a butterfly.

What are we attached to? Do we attach ourselves to the things of this world or do we by faith attach ourselves to the hope we have through Jesus.

Jesus holds onto us even tighter as we face the struggles in our lives. He will not let go no matter how much we may twist and turn. His love will hold us firmly in place as we cling to him in faith till that day when he shall come again.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Let us pray: Loving God, fill us with a faith so deep that no matter what we may face we are able to feel the power of your love holding us tightly. Help us to share our faith and your love with others so they too can have the hope that comes from believing in you. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

As I have sat here pondering what to share I noticed a card I have with the word blessings on the front of it.

I could share with you all of the blessings in my life. But instead I encourage you to pause and count the many blessings in your own lives as I count mine. And then let’s give thanks and praise to God for them.

Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. Psalm 147:1

Let us pray: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Have a blessed week.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

This past spring two flowers emerged in one of our flowerbeds. At first we were unsure what they were. Soon it became clear that they were milkweed plants. As many of you know, the Monarch Butterfly is dependent upon the milkweed for survival. Several Monarchs have found the plants. I’m hopeful that some will eventually lay their eggs there so we can watch the larvae feed off the leaves and begin the process of transforming into a butterfly.

At our baptisms a transformation began. We became heirs of the kingdom and dependent upon Christ for survival. He is the bread of life. He gave his life upon the cross so that one day our transformations will be complete. Thanks be to God!

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. John 6:51

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you have claimed us as your own. At times we forget that and become lost and feel all alone. We hunger for your mercy, love, grace, and peace.  Feed us with the bread of life so that we may be transformed not only now but for all eternity. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Time. So often we don’t seem to have enough time to get things done. And yet there are times when it seems to take forever until the time we are waiting for arrives. We often grow impatient. We are reminded in the following verses from Ecclesiastes 3 that it is not about our timing, but God’s.

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Let us pray: Loving God, it is hard at times to understand how and why things happen as they do. Help us to understand that no matter what time it is in our lives that you walk with us every step of the way. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Last week Kenny and I were sitting in our back yard enjoying the evening. When suddenly a bird flew into our yard and slammed into the back wall of our house. It landed in the grass and sat there looking rather dazed for a few minutes before flying off. Makes you wonder how it could be so distracted that it did not see the house.

But don’t we do the same thing some times? We get so wrapped up our hectic lives and then suddenly we hit a wall and are knocked flat to the ground. We end up dazed and confused. Our focus has shifted from God to ourselves.

Thankfully God does not just stand there shaking a finger at us; instead he reaches out with a loving hand. But we have to let go of the things that are distracting us before we can feel the power of his uplifting love. Then we can once again focus on the cross and continue in faith on the path set before us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Let us pray: Merciful Father, as we run the race set before us, we continue to stumble and fall. Give us the faith and courage needed to live lives that bring glory and praise to your name. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane