faith perspective

Music and Life

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I have said many times how music has played a significant role in my faith journey.  Every so often a song or hymn comes to mind as a message and because of technology I can go find it and listen to it.

This morning it was a song that was popular about 10 years ago but the message is still very true today.  The story behind the music is the original composer wrote the song as an instrumental and asked his favorite novelist to write the lyrics.  The composer then had the song performed for the first time at his mother’s funeral.  It’s intent became that you can relate to it by applying it to your own personal life…I chose to use it as a worship hymn to God because in the end we can do nothing without Him.  Here are some lyrics from “You Raise Me Up”…

Original composer Rolf Loveland, Original lyrics by Brendan Graham

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up… To more than I can be.

When Jesus was teaching his disciples he said:

“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.  Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 15:9-11

Today how does our Lord raise you up?

Do Not Worry

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This is the first section I ever highlighted in my bible…we waste so much time not trusting that God will provide all that we need that it is difficult to get to what he intends our lives to be…

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes?  See how the lilies of the field  grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you , O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2012 while driving to a lake in NW Wisconsin)

Don’t Give Up

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There are many paths in life to choose from…don’t give up on loving others and doing good as Christ has instructed us to do.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:7-10

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer of 2013)

Family First

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“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:12-13

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado while on a Family road trip)

Fruitful Living

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(We were able to take this photo in May of 2013 on a lake in NW Wisconsin after many years of attempts and practicing Fruits of the Spirit such as peace, patience, faithfulness and self-control)

The Cheerful Giver

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“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Our Foundation

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.  He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2

(This photo was taken while on a mission trip during the summer of 2015 near Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.)

He Can Do All Things

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“Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord, O my soul.  I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.  When the spirit departs, they return to the ground;  on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the Lord, who remains faithful forever.  He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.  The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.  The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 146

(This photo was taken during the summer of 2014 in central Minnesota)

How We Choose To Speak

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The tongue is a powerful muscle.  May our words work to lift others up…not knock them down.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

(This photo was taken during the winter of 2013 in northern Wisconsin)

Renew

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One of the hardest parts of faith is living in this world where the rat race or the climb of the corporate ladder are deemed most important by society.  Running around from here to there working longer and longer hours constantly putting pressure on ourselves to be more, to do more and to get more.  Comparing ourselves in every way to someone else…it is exhausting and the worst part of all is that takes us away from the One thing we need most…time with God.

For me the best part about a major snowstorm is it makes everyone affected slow down…live life more in the present moment of where you are, whoever you are with…nobody needs electricity to read the bible or to talk about faith with someone or better still to pray and accept our Lord and Savior into your heart and life.

Our spiritual life is just like our bodies it needs to be nourished and fed otherwise it will starve and die.  That nourishment comes from spending time in the Word, in peace and quiet and communicating with God.  I pray we all make time to feed our faith so it can grow.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken 2 years ago after a major storm in NW Wisconsin, that is a picnic table out on the deck.)