Country Church Music - From the Heart

Greetings dear friends and family,

This past Saturday it warmed up enough so that the snow started to melt. Water began flowing along the curb towards the drain at the end of our street. But there was a problem. The end of our neighbor’s driveway was covered with packed ice. And snow from when they cleared the street filled the curb. The water was halted there. It wasn’t long before we had a small lake forming in front of our house.

Kenny and our son Mark took shovels and went along cutting and chipping a trench in the ice and snow so the water could have a new path to follow. Soon the water was flowing again. It was following a new path to its destination.

How are things going on your path? Are they flowing smoothly or does it feel like you have come upon an ice packed snow back.

Maybe that snow bank is God trying to redirect us. That he has a need for us on a different path. Sometimes we have to stop and remember that it is not always about us, but God at work through us. That he leads us onto certain path to be his hands for him.

We need not know what lies ahead. If we did we would start relying on ourselves instead of God. God will show us the way. He will give us the faith needed as well as the gifts necessary for the paths upon which he has chosen to leads us. Paths that will ultimately lead us to our final destination.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3.

Let us pray: Loving God, you and only you knows what lies ahead. You sent your Son to bear our sins and your Spirit to lead us on right paths, paths that may at times seem overwhelming. Fill us with trust and hope so that as we journey step by step we can bring glory and praise to your name though our witness to the Light, Jesus Christ our Shepherd and King. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love and prayers,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

We are once again blanketed by dense fog here in eastern Nebraska, making it more difficult for those on the road to find their way to their destinations.

There are times in our lives when we feel like we are fogged in. We struggle to understand why things happen as they do. We can lose sight of our destination.

But there is a beacon of hope that can cut through even the thickest of fogs. That beacon is Jesus. He is the light of the world and nothing, not even death, can extinguish his light.

By faith we are able move forward. We can trust that the light of Jesus will guide our steps whether we are fogged in or can see the path clearly. He remains by our side as we journey homeward to our eternal destination.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4

Let us pray: Loving God, we give thanks and praise for your unending love, mercy, grace, and peace. Help us to see that in the midst of all the death and destruction, the light of your Son shines even brighter. Show us the way and use us to bring hope and comfort to those who are suffering. Help us to always be a light to those in the darkness. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

I would also like to say to my dear Wartburg Seminary friends reading this, that you all remain in my heart and my prayers as you grieve the loss Ben Larson, beloved child of God whose light will continue to shine through his music and the many lives he has touched. May God give you and his loved ones strength and courage for days ahead.

With love and prayers from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

It will be some time before we can remove the Christmas decorations from our front yard. With each new snowfall the wind has caused the snow to drift in around everything. Until the sun melts the snow away, the decorations will remain frozen where they are.

Life is filled with distractions. And like the blowing snow those distractions can quickly drift in around us. They can cause us to become “frozen” where we are, to lose our focus. Thankfully, we need only to look up to the Son. He will melt away the fears and doubts that can rob us of our focus. Then we are able to continue on the path before us. The path filled with the light of Jesus.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

Let us pray: Loving God, you sent your Son to be the Light for the world. When we struggle, become lost and confused, help us to look up and to feel the warmth of your Son’s love shining down on us, as he lights the way home to you. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane