Country Church Music - From the Heart

Greetings dear friends and family,

There is a tree that has stood for many years among several other trees not far from the banks of a nearby river. This past weekend that tree basically tipped over. The sandy, rain saturated soil could no longer hold the tree’s roots in place.

What is holding our roots in place? We can easily put down roots in the sandy soil of life. But soon we realize that we are not firmly rooted. We must go deeper. We have to push on and go deep down into the faith grounding soil of God’s love. We then are able to face whatever lies before us knowing that we are firmly rooted in his strength and his love.

do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Let us pray: God of strength and courage, help us to see that we are rooted in your love and of the strong hold you have on our lives. Give us voices to proclaim and hands to serve so others can know of the power of your love. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

The colors of the eastern horizon were breathtakingly beautiful this morning before sunrise. Rays of sunshine began streaming in my window. Then thick clouds moved in and suddenly the light was gone. But that does not mean the sun had disappeared. It was and is still there shining brightly above the clouds

So it is with the Son of God. Though we cannot see Jesus, it doesn’t mean that he is not there. Often we can see and feel the light of his love at work in our lives and in our hearts. Yet there are times when troubles, fears, and doubts cloud our world around us. We lose sight of the light of Jesus. But Jesus never loses sight of us.

Jesus is always right here with us. And he can break through even the thickest and stormiest clouds of our lives. Jesus will light the way for our hearts.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27: 1,14

Let us pray: Loving God, help us to see that you sent your Son to be the Light of the world. Open our hearts to receive his light so that we may shine for him in all we do, and to trust that no matter what the clouds of life may bring our way, his light will show us the way home. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Looking out the window I could see the leaves blowing in the early morning breeze. Yet I couldn’t feel the breeze. The walls around me prevented the breeze from entering. By simply opening the window changes occurred. Not only can I feel the wonderful breeze but had I not opened the window I would have missed the beautiful songs of the birds.

How about our hearts? Do we have walls around our hearts that prevent God from entering? What are we missing when we do? Changes can and do occur when we open up the window to our hearts. The renewing Breath of God enters as well as his love and his peace.

So let’s fling wide open the window to our hearts and journey through this day trusting in the awesome power of God’s Spirit in our lives.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans15:13

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, pour into our hearts the gift of your Spirit and lead us on paths where we can serve others in your name bringing glory and praise to you, our Creator and Redeemer. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Endings and new beginnings, our lives are filled with them. I was reminded of that the other evening by our grandsons Mason and Andrew. They arrived here all excited to tell me that they each had passed their grade at school. They then went on to tell me who their teachers would be next fall and how they were going to meet them this week.

But sometimes the endings and new beginnings we may encounter can be difficult. The loss of a job and the beginning a new one can be overwhelming. Facing life after the death of a loved one is painful and often lonely. And the list goes on.

Endings and beginnings touch our lives in so many ways. But we never journey alone. As I have sat here pondering what to write next the words of a poem by Mary Stevenson came to mind. So I will let her words that so often speak to me, hopefully speak to you.

Footprints in the Sand

Last night I had a dream. I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonged to me, the other to the Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.  “Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me.”

The Lord replied, “My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of suffering, when you could see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, as we face our endings and new beginnings may we grow in faith and trust in you and that no matter what lies before us, you will journey with us. And that one day we will have a new beginning with you for all eternity. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Kenny and our son Matt fertilized our yard Saturday. Until this morning the fertilizer just laid on top of the ground. For it to work properly, it needed to reach the roots. This morning we had a nice rain and now the yard is being fed.

How about you, are you being fed? No, not just your body, but your spirit, your soul. The nourishment is there. But it needs to reach our roots.

Out of love, God feeds our spiritual hunger. He has given us the Bible to guide us, friends to walk with us, and most important of all: a Savior who died for us. And it is at His table we are fed the bread of life, eternal life. Thanks be to God.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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 6:47-51

Let us pray: Nourishing God, feed our souls and fill our hearts with your endless love, strengthening us to serve you in ways that will bring glory and praise to your everlasting name. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Sunday afternoon I checked on the flowers we had purchased to plant in our flower beds. To my dismay all the heads on a four pack of daisies were drooping and the leaves were withered.

I gave them some water. A few hours later when I checked on them they no longer looked droopy or withered. The water had done its job.

We too have a job. And to do our job we need to pay attention. We need to be aware of those around us who like the flowers are thirsty and in need of our care.

Sometimes a smile or a hug is what it takes to perk up the soul of someone who is having a rough day. Or it may involve visiting someone who is ill or perhaps lonely. It might be that a phone call, e-mail, or letter is needed to remind someone that they matter. It also could be that someone just needs us to listen.

No matter what the situation, we must be willing to do the job set before us. No, it is not always easy and may take us away from what we may feel is more important. But we have to remember to trust God and let him use us for his good. And that as disciples of Christ we are called to love one another as he has loved us.

“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

Let us pray: Loving God, show us where you are calling us to serve you. Help us to reach out in love. And in those times in our lives when we are down, hurting, or feeling lost, help us to receive your love from those sent by you to water our souls. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Sunday afternoon we went to a local store and purchased a bouquet of helium filled balloons for my dad’s 75^th birthday. Inside the store I simply held on to the balloons and they stayed put. But as soon as I walked outside the wind caused them to twist and turn. I had to hold on to them tightly or I would have lost them.

There is a hand that we cannot see but by faith we trust that it holds ours. Whether we are experiencing calm days or days of feeling like we are being blown about by life, God has a firm grip on our hand. And in those times when our struggles become overwhelming, God grasps our hand even tighter. He will not let go. Even when we lose our grip on his hand, his love holds fast.

If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 9-10

Let us pray: By faith dear Father we cling to your hand, but yet there are times when we think we can do it on our own, that your hand is not needed. Reminds us in the still times and the turbulent times that you always have a firm grip on our hand and that in the palm of your hand we are safe and secure. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

The Boston Marathon will be run today by thousands. People prepare for months and even years for this race. It is a race where there are only a few runners who will receive prizes.

As Christian we are running a race. But unlike the Boston Marathon we can all be winners. To prepare for our race we must first let go of all that which weighs us down. Then we are to focus on Jesus and run a faith filled race. Living and sharing His love all along the route. Jesus is waiting there for us at the end of the race…….is there any better prize than that?!

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: God of all hope, you have given each of us gifts to use in life as we run the race set before us. In times of fear and doubt help us to stay on course, to look to the finish line and the endless joy that awaits us there. In your name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

I’m getting a little impatient…..the ornamental tree in our front yard is not blooming yet. Most years it would be nearly full of lovely white blossoms by now. But this year the buds are just barely beginning to show signs of bursting open. So the wait continues. There is nothing I can do to hurry things along.

Often in life we become impatient with ourselves, others and even with God. Too often we think our timing is best. Yet when we remember that God is in control and to trust his timing we can find peace. Peace in knowing that though we may not understand, God’s good and perfect timing is best.

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. Psalm 31:14-15

Let us pray: Gracious and merciful God, grant us the patience needed to realize that your will shall be done, to trust in your ways. Help us to grow in faith and love as we journey through each day. In your everlasting name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane

Greetings dear friends and family,

Tonight the final two teams in men’s NCAA basketball will battle it out. The victor will claim the title of 2010 national champions. It is a title that lasts for only one year.

As we journey through this Easter season let us give thanks and praise that Christ won the battle over sin and death. He has claimed the title of Victor. It is a title that will last for all eternity.

Christ is risen, he is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.” Luke 24:5b

Let us pray: Almighty God, you have won the battle, the victory is yours. You have set us free to do your work here on earth, to share the good news of Jesus. Help us to be disciples for you so others may see the wonders of your endless love through all that we do. In your glorious name we pray. Amen.

With love from the heart,

Diane