Repost: Let Freedom Ring

I orginally posted this on July 4, 2011 and wrote:  I wonder how many of the verses to this song would be eliminated today because of so many references to God?  I'm so sad to say that our country has fallen much further away from God in the past eleven years.  But Pastor White reminded us yesterday, that 1 Samuel 12:23 says, "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."  We must keep praying for our country and our families.

AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.


My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.


Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.


Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.


Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!


Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.


Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!


Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

The Wise Hath Said

At the top of my blog the verse of the day is Psalm 14:1, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." For the last few years I have read that today is National Atheists Day.  It is kind of funny, but I can't think of a sadder state than not believing in God. 

I'm not here to debate the existence of God, I know He is.  He is the I AM.  In this holy week, as we contemplate God's amazing sacrifice, I am so thankful that He Is.

One of my favorite ways to contemplate the existence of God is simply by going to the zoo.  God's creation is so amazing!  None of this just happened.  God is the Creator.

But He didn't give His life for the king of beasts.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The wise hath said in his heart, there IS a God!!  I want to be wise!

Holy Matrimony

We had the most beautiful wedding last Saturday at our church.  I am our church wedding coordinator, but I can't take credit for how the Spirit of God resided in the sanctuary.

Jason and Stephanie have dated for years, but their engagement was just a little over two months.  That was a challenge!  Stephanie and I made plans to meet on Tuesday, February 21st, just two months before their wedding day.  The Sunday night before, I told her to think about what the most important part of her wedding was to her.  Each bride has her own dreams.  Stephanie said, "I want the ceremony to be meaningful."  The previous Wednesday night, Pastor White had taught a Bible study that included Ecclesiastes 4:12 "a threefold cord is not quickly broken."  Stephanie wanted to somehow incorporate that verse in their wedding.

With just a little Googling on my part, I found "God's Knot."  A website that had a 3 fold cord to be used in weddings.  This was brand new to me, but I was so excited about using it in their wedding.  They had also planned to do a Sand Ceremony.  We tried to decide if the two were redundant, but felt that the sand represented their two lives, but the cord would bring God into their marriage. Pastor White eloquently tied the two together during the ceremony.

Pastor White had a little something else up his sleeve.  When it came time for the prayer, he gave the best man a Jewish prayer shawl to put around Jason's shoulders.  In the Jewish faith, a young man is given his first prayer shawl on his wedding day and he is the first one to prayer over his new family.  Since we also serve the God of Abraham, Pastor White has decided to start incorporating this in all future weddings.  This was an incredible moment in the wedding.  With the prayer shawl across his shoulders, Jason prayed.  It was a private prayer that the rest of us did not hear, but the Spirit of God was so present.  I was frantically digging in my purse for Kleenex and sniffling with the rest of the congregation.  It was beautiful.

To all you singles who are dreaming of your wedding day ~ I have been to dozens of weddings in my life, but besides my own I can't think of one that had any more beauty.  The decorations weren't elaborate, but the bride was glowing and the groom had tears in his eyes as she walked down the aisle.  It isn't about outdoing the last bride, it's about a ceremony that will start your life together.  Sure, wear a beautiful dress, have all the flowers you want, serve delicious cake, but at the end of the day make sure you honor the One who created weddings in the first place.  Invite Him to come and the rest will just be icing on the cake!

P.S.  I only took a couple of pictures of the flower girls during the reception, but you can see pictures of the wedding on Ashlyn's blog.

Let Freedom Ring!

I wonder how many of the verses to this song would be eliminated today because of so many references to God?

AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.


My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.


Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.


Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.


Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!


Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.


Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!


Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

God Paints

The most amazing sunsets! These were taken from our car just as we were pulling into the church parking lot last night.


A little closer shot...

In Plain Sight

When I arrived at my Weight Watchers meeting last Friday, a police car was parked in my normal spot and a member who attends an earlier meeting was talking to him. I found out later that her car had been broken in to and her purse was stolen. She had over $500 in gift cards that she had received on her recent birthday, along with her ID, credit cards, and a little cash. She was obviously shaken by this event.

When I left the meeting, the policeman was still there. I said to him, "Thanks for watching my car." We chatted a few minutes and his final words were, "don't leave your purse in your car." I agreed and went on my way.

While I don't think anyone has the right to steal, I do feel that this member gave them an easy opportunity. She left her purse in plain sight.


I've been thinking about this for several days and have come to the conclusion that there are some things in our lives that we don't need to leave in plain sight. I Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"

Here are some things I DO know:

God is omnipotent - Satan is not
God is omniscience - Satan is not
God is omnipresent - Satan is not

I do not believe Satan is a mind reader, but he has been at this a LONG time. He is the thief that "cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (John 10:10). He is looking for anything that we leave in plain sight that he can use against us. Satan recognizes the signs of struggle and is just waiting for the moment of weakness to strike.

So instead of leaving our purse on the seat for him to grab, we need to:

Speak faith, not doubt
Speak of victories, not defeats
Speak of forgiveness, not guilt
Speak of healing, not sickness
Speak of God's power, not Satan's tricks

Will this keep him from trying? Oh, no! But let's not make it easy on him!

Heart Improvement

During our Home Improvement project I've had several thoughts running through my mind that I wanted to blog about, but with all the noise and distractions, I have not taken the time to sit and put those thoughts in order. This week could be very wordy!!

I have been comparing our home project to my heart lately. Just as I stated a few days ago, home improvement projects never seem to end, so it is with the heart. Just when I think I've gotten victory in one area, a new challenge arises.

While our home is beautiful on the outside, cleanliness on the inside is much more important to me. All the paint, trim, and stone work in the world can't cover grime, dust, or bugs! Jesus had a little bit to say about that in Matthew 23:25-28

25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

We have what we call the "low spot" in our house. It's a counter top in our family room, the first place we see as we come in through the garage. It's the "low spot" because so many things seem to land there! Keys, iPhones, watches, tape measures, sunglasses, books, papers, magazines - they all seem to land there! It's not a place I want anyone to see, and it is like this on a daily basis no matter how often I clean it.

We often have "low spots" in our hearts that we don't want anyone to see. There are times we like to hold on to old hurts, guilt or bitterness. "The Secret Place" is a song Bro. and Sis. Nathan Hurst sang in the early 80s when they were in revival with our church. I still hum it from time to time and check my heart for any secret places.

The Secret Place

1) My heart is like a house, one day I let the Savior in
There were many rooms that I'd visit now and then
Then one day He saw the door, I knew the day had come too soon
I said, "Jesus, I'm not ready for us to visit in that room."

Chorus 1:
That's the place in my heart where even I don't go
I have some things hidden there I don't want anyone to know
But He handed me the key, with tears of love on His face
He said, "I want to make you clean, let Me in your secret place."

2) Then He opened up the door, and the two of us walked in
I was so ashamed, His light revealed my hidden sin
But when I think about that room now, I'm not ashamed anymore
For I know my evil sins no longer hide behind that door

Chorus 2:
That's the place in my heart where even I didn't go
I had some things hidden there I didn't want anyone to know
But He handed me the key, with tears of love on His face
He said, "I want to make you clean, let Me in your secret place."

Chorus 3:
Is there a place in your heart where even you don't go?
You've got some things hidden there you don't want anyone to know
But he's handing you the key, with tears of love on His face
He says, "I want to make you clean, let Me in your secret place."

Tag: Jesus made me clean, I let Him in my secret place

This life is a never ending process. Titus 3:5 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." Cleansing, renewing, lather, rinse, repeat!

I worked on this post Saturday and Sunday and thought it was ready. Then Pastor White preached "Bonfires the World Doesn't Understand" on Sunday night. It was such an appropriate message for what has been going through my mind lately. His illustration about someone masking their body odor instead of bathing was priceless! There is a difference between cleansing and masking.

Heart Improvement - week 2,000... to be continued!

Peace that Passes Understanding

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Let me start this blog by saying: I AM OKAY.

Now that I've got your attention, I'll tell you what happened Monday afternoon.

It was about 3:15, I was exchanging emails with my friend, Sis. Cynthia, when someone knocked on my front door. We have a very quiet neighborhood, and it is usually the UPS or Fed Ex guy leaving a package. The knocking persisted. And persisted. I looked out the peephole and couldn't tell who it was. I peeked out the front window and saw a car I did not recognized. The knocking continued...

At this point, something started not to "feel right". I cannot explain it, other than it just didn't. I headed upstairs to get a better look, without being seen. The knocking continued...

I saw the passenger in the car motioning. The motion was not "come on, let's go." It was "knocking" and the knocking continued...

The passenger then got out of the car and came to the front of the house. He stopped in the grass near our water facet, while the knocking continued...

A third person joined the group, just as suspect number 2 opened my side gate. All three proceeded into my back yard and around the house. Yep, I'm freaking out at this point. What is going on?! I then realized I was in a part of the house that did not have a phone. To get to a phone, I would have to walk across an open hallway, exposing myself to the perps in my backyard.

I was praying and trembling with fear when I heard our sliding glass door open (and YES, it was locked!). THEY WERE IN MY HOUSE!!! Dear Jesus, what am I going to do? What will they do if they find me?

I was in the bedroom directly above our dining room where they were. I must have moved and made a board creak (or the Lord made a noise to startle them), because after about 15 seconds in the house, they skedaddled back out, out to the car, and sped away! I immediately sprinted to my bedroom and called 9-1-1.

It took several minutes for me to get the story out to the 9-1-1 operator. My voice was shaking and my heart was racing. SOMEONE HAD BROKEN IN TO MY HOUSE, WHILE I WAS THERE!!! Nothing was taken except my peace of mind. I was scared out of my wits. A police officer was dispatched, and while I waited, I called Les who headed straight home.

I have quoted and prayed every verse I know about fear and peace. I have sung songs about being "sheltered in the arms of God" and the "Peace Speaker." The very next day, my Verse of the Day on my blog was "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13

I am still claiming that peace, I will NOT let fear destroy me or hold me captive. What happened was real, but GOD protected me. I was NOT harmed. All the horrible things that I imagined did NOT happen. I believe God kept me from opening the front door. Would they have forced their way in? I don't know. But the Lord kept me from harm. I am taking back my peace of mind - they can't have it and neither can the devil.

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

The Theory of Relativity

The other night I read the most fascinating quote by Elsa Einstein, wife of the brilliant Albert Einstein.

"No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity, but I know my husband and I know he can be trusted."

I won't even pretend to understand the theory of relativity, I read some about it on the internet and still don't understand it. But I do understand about trusting my husband.

Several years ago, after buying the house we now live in, Les wanted to do some upgrades in our living room. He had it all figured out and explained it to me. I honestly could not see what he had in mind as he used terms like "dentil" and "capital". But I know my husband. I know he has an engineering degree and when a picture is hung in our house we don't start with a hammer and nails - we start with a tape measure, level, and stud finder! So I trusted him.

Here is what our living room looked like when we moved in. Can you say bland? One color from floor to ceiling!


Here is what it looks like today. Yep, glad I can trust my husband!


And so it is with living for God. There are just some things we don't see or understand. When all we can imagine is a bland world, with no light or color, we can say "I know my God and I know He can be trusted."

Enjoy Life

The LATimes reported this week about an atheist ad campaign on buses in London. The ads say: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

At first I was a little angry at the arrogance of those involved, but my feelings quickly changed to sadness. How sad for those who think God and enjoying life are mutually exclusive! Obviously, their only picture of God is one of judgment.

I'd like to introduce them to my God!

My God who "will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."
My God who "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases."
My God whose "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."
My God who "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
My God who said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

I could go on and on about my God!

I can truly say I enjoy living for God!