There Is Victory

Life is filled with ups and downs galore, but one thing is promised to the child of God: Victory.

We have the victory because Christ gave it to us through his death on the cross. In our daily struggles we don't always see the victory. Sometimes we do, but it is often swallowed up in the next struggle.

Tidbits about this song:

The first verse was written on February 25, 2013.

The second verse and chorus on May 18, 2013.

And lastly the third verse was written on May 22, 2013.

(It never ceases to amaze me at how often a verse of chorus comes and then months, sometimes years, down the road the rest of the songs comes about.

The first verse was written from the view of Mary Magdalene. She watched Jesus die on the cross and then went to his grave after the sabbath was over, only to find him gone. She had loved the Lord so much as he had set her free from her own demons. It was through him she found peace in her life.

The second and third verse of course could be anyone of us. We travel this life without hope or peace and it isn't until we find the Jesus that we find what we are seeking. Only then can we have the victory over this world!

I hope you enjoy this new song!

God Provided The Lamb

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Today is the day Christians celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior. He is the reason we have hope, forgiveness of sins and eternal life! 

A few weeks ago I spent a day recording a few songs, some were not ready and I was just playing with ideas for an arrangement, while others were ready but I had some difficulties with the final recording. So it's back to the drawing board for them! But this song- the one I didn't think was ready turned out okay- minus the really out off tune piano and a puppy jingling it's collar in the background! ;)

The song God Provided The Lamb was actually a song that took over ten years to write. The chorus was written in the 90's but I never could figure out what the verses would say. Then one summer day in 2008 the verse flowed freely and the song was complete!

I hope today is filled with joy and many blessings as you remember our Lord's sacrifice!

The Potter

The newest song I just finished is entitled: The Potter. I actually wrote the song all through the year of 2013. The Chorus was written on February 1st, the verses on September 30th and then I had some revisions in October 7th and 24th.

One thing I've learned from writing is that you can't rush it. It may take a day or a year or many years before it's done, but it will be finished in God's timing. The same way of thought can be added to how we view our life.

We are so used to the fast-service way of life- meaning when we want something we want it now! We've been spoiled by fast Internet, fast food, fast cars...everything has to be fast. But in reality, it takes a lifetime to do what you're here to do.

Constantly growing, learning and improving our life; and it's not easy. Especially if you desire to serve God with your life. But by trusting that he is working, even when we can't see it, can make the difference between living a life of victory or defeat.

I have to say, this song is one of my favorites right now! Here it is:

Welcome Home, Sweet Home

As you all know, if you've been reading my posts from the last two months, as 2012 came to a close I began to feel very unsettled about the beginning of 2013.  As the clock ticked closer and closer to midnight I wanted to pull away and not have to face the new year.  We all have ups and downs in life and over the last few year I've felt as if there haven't been very many ups. When the down times and trials overwhelm it's so hard to stay encouraged!

No matter how hard I pulled away, 2013 started anyways; and it was pretty rough.  Not even a week into the new year a family- that has been a great blessing to my family and that we've grown close to over the years as friends- went through a very difficult heartache.  It brought to the forefront so many emotions and feelings, that I didn't even realize I'd been ignoring and pushing down, about my dad passing away.  I felt like I was going through all of the pain all over again only this time I was experiencing those emotions and that pain in a way I don't think I even had back in 2002- when my dad's passing was fresh and new to our lives.

Since then it feels like everything has hit me harder from special events that my family has had to decisions I have had to make for my life.  When April rolled around, my dad's birthday month, I became very emotional and the emptiness of him being gone just filled my heart so much that I literally cried day after day.  For those of you who know me pretty well...you know I always have a challenge crying.  I want to and need to cry, but tears never come...very annoying...especially for a girl!  Let's just say I thought and felt like I was going crazy as tears couldn't stop flowing!

My heart aches and my heart grieves, but God never allows anything to happen without a purpose. Experiencing those emotions again has allowed me to focus a lot more on the books I've been writing.  In fact, I've made more progress due to the pain and struggles during the last six months!

 One of the songs that has been on my heart a lot in the last week or so is one that God used to show me that my dad had gone onto heaven.  Here's an excerpt, from a chapter of one of the books I've been working on, that tells how that came about:

"My mom went on the ambulance with my dad, while my siblings and I were left in an empty house.  I called a few people I knew would start a prayer chain and then tried to focus on what should be done next.  For a few minutes, I walked around unsure of where I should even start.  After having so many paramedics and first responder volunteers coming and going the house seemed especially quiet and emptier than it normally did.  That’s when God showed me the first hint that my dad was gone.

I had always wanted to write a song that would be a comfort to someone who lost a family member or friend.  Earlier that year a family we knew lost a little baby girl and God gave me the song I had desired to write.  A song that could give comfort during the loss of a loved one.  Often I would play and sing it at home.  There were times when my dad would be preparing his messages for Sunday and I would stop playing the music as I knew he like it to be quiet so he could concentrate.   Many times he would call out or stick his head out of his office and tell me to “keep playing, don’t stop!”

As I blindly walked through the house from room to room, my eye caught sight of the paper with that song, sitting on the piano.  I stopped and sat on the bench in front of the piano and read through the words.  My heart gripped me and a breath left my lungs as the thought came to me that my father was gone.  

I remembered the knowing look that that the volunteer gave my siblings and me, he had been the first to arrive and one of the last to leave the house, but he couldn’t tell us anything that had happened in my parents room.  Only a doctor could make the call that that someone had passed away.  Instead, as he walked out to his truck he glanced our way with a face filled with sadness as he knew what we didn’t-that my dad was gone. 

But once again, in that moment as I read those words and the realization came that my dad had gone home, I wasn’t filled with fear or terror, but a feeling of peace came over me; a calm knowing that God had a purpose, and would get us through."

God always brings comfort along. Sometimes we have to seek him to find it, other times, when we are at our weakest, he knowingly and faithfully brings just what we need.

Here's the video for Welcome Home, Sweet Home. A song originally written for the comfort of others long before I realized it was truly written for me.

Have Faith!

Just Believe, Just Have Faith-God's Got This!

Jesus Has Come!

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas holiday season has been quite different for my family. My brother is still overseas-like her has been for the last 3 Christmas's, but now my mom lives in Florida and unfortunately can't come home for Christmas.

While it may be different than other years, we are still making the best of it and enjoying the time we have together! We never know when one Christmas holiday season will be the last one we spend with our family as a whole. Meaning who knows when the next sibling will run off and be into something new with their life!

I did want to share a Christmas song I wrote a few years ago. I've always wanted to do a Christmas song as it seems like there aren't many out there...and as usual God didn't disappoint me!

Hope you have a very special Christmas this year and that the new year is simply amazing!

God is on Time-P.U.S.H.

God is on Time was written on February16-17, 2011.

The way I got the idea was very special and actually the very date I got the idea was on Christmas day in 2010. It had been a rough holiday season-well it'd been rough for quite a few months, but my holidays that year were like no other year before.

 I was actually working at an assisted living home and while I loved working with the people, the work was hard, stressful and very draining. Quite often you were doing the work of three people in just one 8 hour shift. It was difficult and I struggled almost every day to keep my attitude right and to be a light to the people around me.

They had a policy where if you worked one holiday-Thanksgiving or Christmas-you'd get the other one off...and you'd either work the day before or after but you'd at least get one day off around the holiday you worked.

So I worked Thanksgiving. Which was great as my family really wanted to spend Christmas day together. Then a week or two before Christmas 3 people up and quit...who does that? So our work load and days the rest of the employees had to work increased. I was also asked if I could work on Christmas day. At least out worked out that I was able to split my shift with a friend so I wouldn't have a full shift, but I was still disappointed.

I did the same thing I did every other day I worked and felt upset, down, depressed or whatever other emotions I was feeling. I prayed. I asked God to help me be a light to the people I was helping. To let me shine for him and asked if he could please just give me a special blessing that would brighten my day.

God always answers when you seek him. Every time I asked him to help me through a day he would give me a bible verse or a song that would go through my head all. Day. Long. It was something that may not seem like much, and maybe to some it would seem annoying, but to me it gave me strength to get through the day. It also made me feel special-like God was watching over me and loved me enough to fill my day with joy.

I arrived at the home-still continually praying that he would work in me and help me keep my attitude right as I was working the day before, the day of and the day after Christmas. God came through for me!

I was running around getting medication to some of the residents when one of my co-workers pulled me aside. She told me that she'd heard something from her pastor and wanted to share it with me. Despite being super busy, I stopped to politely listened. Here's the story she told me (I actually found the story she told me online and just copied that below. http://www.fathershands.com):

Pray Until Something Happens

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared.

The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day.

For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all of his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into his weary mind:

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't moved."

Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said,
"Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
 
The Lord responded compassionately,

"My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done.
Now I, my friend, will move the rock."
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong ... just PUSH!
When the job gets you down ... just PUSH!
When people don't react the way you think they should..... just PUSH!
When your money is "gone" and the bills are due ...just PUSH!
When people just don't understand you ... just PUSH!



After my friend told me that story, it was as if God had shown me to keep doing what I was doing. He would move those mountains when the time was right. He WAS and still IS working in my life. I just needed to keep on Praying Until Something Happened. Keep faithful to him.

Each of the verses touches on struggles we go through in life. The first verse touches on how you've been praying for so long that you're beginning to feel like giving up. Your joy, peace and happiness feels like it's gone and there is no hope of getting it back. You begin to think and even believe...if God had just come through this wouldn't have happened!

The second verse talks about how your heart and arms are empty because of the trials you've been through.
Perhaps you've been looking for that one person who will be your true love and God just hasn't brought them into your life.
Maybe you've wanted a child for so long, but nothing has happened or maybe you've had a child and God took that precious life to heaven.
At last you just fall into tears and your heart never feels full from all the loss you feel.

The third verse reminds us that we must keep looking to God through those moments in life where you never seem to make headway. To remember that God has a purpose in all that happens and he will be gloried as he works in our lives!

And finally the chorus:

God is one time, my friend,
Pray until something happens,
For he has not left you alone,
Just have faith he's by your side,
God is on time.

Trust, believe and keep the faith!

I Stand Amazed

Choosing a favorite song is very difficult.  Just like choosing a favorite color, or a favorite food or even a favorite Bible verse.  Why do I have to only pick one?!?!?!?!?  (Yes, that is said with a frustrated cry!) 

I love a all kinds of colors, too many Bible verses to put a number on it, songs and music-lets just go with the flow and sing!  And of course food...oh, I. Love. Food.

Choosing a favorite of anything depends on my mood...today I am feeling amazed.  The song going through my head is one that my mom considers one of her favorites and I have to agree.  Sometimes with a song you should just read the words.  It gives a deeper meaning to the words and you'll begin to see that song in a new light.

I Stand Amazed

I stand amazed in the presence

of Jesus the Nazarene,

and wonder how he could love me,

a sinner, condemned, unclean. 

For me it was in the garden

he prayed: "Not my will, but thine."

He had no tears for his own griefs,

but sweat-drops of blood for mine.

           

In pity angels beheld him,

and came from the world of light

to comfort him in the sorrows

he bore for my soul that night.

              

He took my sins and my sorrows,

he made them his very own;

he bore the burden to Calvary,

and suffered and died alone.

              

When with the ransomed in glory

his face I at last shall see,

'twill be my joy through the ages

to sing of his love for me.

Chorus:

How marvelous! How wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

How marvelous! How wonderful

is my Savior's love for me!  

This song just puts it so wonderfully and I am so overwhelmed by the Lord's love and care for someone like me.