Nothing we ask of our Lord is too much for Him. No problem we give Him is too great. His love will comfort us; His peace will fill us beyond our ability to understand.
Come to Him, and give Him all the concerns of your heart. Lay your troubles at His feet. Our God is mighty to save, and He will free you from your fears.
Believe that the love of our Lord, our God, is greater than the world.
Trust that He loves you, just the way you are.
Raise your hands and sing along to Laura Story's song "Mighty to Save"
Subscribers please click on Hope to find to view this video on my blog site.
Mobile users, click here to watch this video on youtube.
Vacation Bible School was in full swing last week at our church. We had almost sixty children participating, along with
many youth and adult leaders. Through crafts, singing, Bible stores, games and
even snack time, the children learned more about Jesus and how God works in their
lives.
This year's theme helped the children learn that God can help them with anything they might need: wisdom, strength, comfort, hope or just the right words to say. They learned that they are forever safe in God's arms, and that they can always trust God for help whenever they need it.
It has been my special privilege to be the song leader for
our VBS during the last three years. I lead the children in singing songs that help teach the Bible verse for the day, including active motions which require lots of energy. I share my joy and love of our Lord with the children through my singing, and I draw upon their energy and enthusiasm to keep me going. I've found that this week can be rather exhausting, but very gratifying!
It brings me such joy to see their sweet smiles. Their faces light up as they sing, and I see innocence in their eyes and the promise of all their tomorrows. Sometimes I almost lose my place in the song as I look out at their sweet faces. There is such honesty in their sweet demeanor, and I am honored to be leading them. Sometime later they might recognize me in the parking lot or the hallway at church, and I feel a connection with them that will hopefully last for a lifetime. When the children see me in the in church leading the singing during worship or singing with the choir, they remember me from our fun times during VBS, and I think it may help them to feel a connection to the grown-up service and a sense of belonging.
The songs we sing are joyful and full of energy, and they offer a lesson to me, too. I may be having a
difficult day, and feel weary as I get up in front of the group; but then the
words of the song reach my own heart and I remember that God is with me, too, and
will help me to get through any struggles that I face. Soon my worries are
forgotten as I sing to those smiling little faces and share the joy I know
through God's love.
Joy through living, and especially through
singing, is what keeps me going through challenging times. And no matter what
the difficult days bring, if I can remember just to sing, my mood lifts
immediately and my focus is turned elsewhere.
It isn’t always easy to do. If I am feeling particularly
blue, singing is not the first thing I think of to help. But when I remember what a healing balm singing is to my soul, I make the choice to try to sing. Most often, I will sing a familiar hymn or contemporary
Christian song. At first, I think it can be almost mechanical, but soon the lyrics guide my thoughts right to where they need to be: with God. His healing grace carries me through my difficult days, and His love touches my heart with His mercy.
Today the children sang in worship, and shared two of their fun VBS songs. At the end, the entire congregation joined them in singing the last verse of Kum ba yah. It was a really special moment for everyone. This has been a wonderful week with the children, full of joys; and also a difficult and challenging week as I endured some personal sorrows, but music has carried me through, along with the prayers of my sweet sisters and brothers in Christ. Sharing music during worship today continued to be the healing balm I needed, and many others in the congregation as well. We sang Laura Story's "Blessings" during worship today, and as people's hearts heard the words, there were a few tears shed. Tears are good. They are healing, too. I will leave you with a song by Addison Road called "Hope Now" which always reminds me that God is my help; and no matter the storm, I need only to turn my thoughts - and my song - to Him. Blessings to you all, my friends.
Subscribers may click on Hope to find to view the video on my blog site. Thanks!
We lift prayers for family members who are traveling a
difficult road of life. We pray for healing and comfort for those who are ill
or recovering from surgery or another trauma.
When I pray for others, I ask for God’s
presence to be near the person in need. God’s all-powerful presence is calming and
peaceful for me, so I pray for others to feel the calming peace of knowing God is near to them, too.
Each time we face a trial, we have a choice. I know not long
ago my reaction to a stressful situation would have been to completely stress out. I would feel frustrated and out of control, totally unsure of what to do. Now I
have a new tactic. I pray.
Turning to God in the midst of my stress is very calming. I
wish I could say I always remember to do this right away, but I am still
learning! Each day is a new opportunity to try a different way of dealing with the challenges our lives bring. For me, turning to God releases some of my burden. I
envision leaning on Him for support, encouragement and direction. My
thoughts become clearer, and I look for solutions instead of focusing on the
problem.
I have also learned that my emotions are information. Very
important information. I used to be afraid of my strong emotions, and I held them inside instead of releasing them. Now if I feel sad, or confused, I try to figure out
why. Sometimes it’s good to just let it out (privately if possible). Go ahead and
cry or be angry and yell at the wind. Then, when the emotions have subsided, it
is easier to see more clearly. Examine where the emotion came from, what caused
it and what can be done to remedy the situation.
We are given emotions and nerves to sense our world. Another
great tool is our intuition, or instinct. We have come to rely on our material
world for all of our needs, but there is a part of us that can sense beyond
tactile or other sensory perception.
All animals are born with instinct to survive. We have
protected ourselves in our safe little worlds and don’t often use our instincts
anymore. But they are still there.
Sometimes we have an instinctual feeling
about a person or situation, and we need to trust the feeling and listen to that tiny
voice. It can be difficult with the noise and busyness of our lives. But if you
practice trusting your intuition, you will find it to be a helpful tool to use in
navigating your way through this life.
So where do I turn? I learn a lot about myself and how to
deal with a situation by understanding my reaction to it. When I am overwhelmed,
which is frequently, I turn to my Savior for peace and direction. Most of the time
I am sustained with the comfort that acknowledging Him brings me. Knowing that He
is always near is a great comfort. His peace calms my spirit so that I can find
a direction to resolve the situation.
God’s Spirit lives in us, when we make our hearts welcoming
to His presence. This is achieved through relationship with Him and through striving for
right living. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. We can never be. But we can
strive to live our lives according to His principles, learning and growing in
our understanding of ourselves and our place in this world.Through His love, we can learn of His
perfect peace.
Please enjoy this video of Laura Story's thought-provoking song, "Blessings". I have had the priviledge of sharing the message of this song through singing it with my sweet sisters in Christ in our trio at church. Laura has faced incredible trials in her life, through her husband's illness, and this song was born out of her experience of praying her way through that trial.
It has been my special privilege to be the song leader for
our VBS during the last three years. I lead the children in singing songs that help teach the Bible verse for the day, including active motions which require lots of energy. 
The songs we sing are joyful and full of energy, and they offer a lesson to me, too. I may be having a
difficult day, and feel weary as I get up in front of the group; but then the
words of the song reach my own heart and I remember that God is with me, too, and
will help me to get through any struggles that I face. Soon my worries are
forgotten as I sing to those smiling little faces and share the joy I know
through God's love. 
Today the children sang in worship, and shared two of their fun VBS songs. At the end, the entire congregation joined them in singing the last verse of Kum ba yah. It was a really special moment for everyone.
We sang Laura Story's "Blessings" during worship today, and as people's hearts heard the words, there were a few tears shed. Tears are good. They are healing, too.
We lift prayers for family members who are traveling a
difficult road of life. We pray for healing and comfort for those who are ill
or recovering from surgery or another trauma. 
Turning to God in the midst of my stress is very calming. I
wish I could say I always remember to do this right away, but I am still
learning! Each day is a new opportunity to try a different way of dealing with the challenges our lives bring. For me, turning to God releases some of my burden. I
envision leaning on Him for support, encouragement and direction. My
thoughts become clearer, and I look for solutions instead of focusing on the
problem.
All animals are born with instinct to survive. We have
protected ourselves in our safe little worlds and don’t often use our instincts
anymore. But they are still there. 
God’s Spirit lives in us, when we make our hearts welcoming
to His presence. This is achieved through relationship with Him and through striving for
right living. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. We can never be. But we can
strive to live our lives according to His principles, learning and growing in
our understanding of ourselves and our place in this world. Through His love, we can learn of His
perfect peace.