Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! What a lovely morning after the rain! The last day of July…a time to reflect and give thanks for all that has been and anticipate the adventure of a new month — with it’s 31 days of uncharted territory. I trust that you had a grand weekend and Monday with lots to be thankful for. Today I will be praying for you, asking Father to give you an opportunity to share your faith with someone today– to express the reason for the ‘hope’ you have.
This weekend I was able to accomplish two firsts in my life…preaching from a book of the Bible I had never done before and singing “karaoke” in a bar! … and they were both scary and dangerous! The book of the Bible was ‘Lamentations’ and it is really a discouraging read but right in the middle of the book is an encouraging passage about where God is and what He can do…and does when our world is falling apart! Listen to these words: The thought of my pain and my homelessness is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, so in him I put my hope…when life is heavy and hard, go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions. Wait for hope to appear. – Lamentations 3:19-26 (TEV), 28-29 (Message).
Now, about the karaoke…it was a family 30th anniversary, so the crowd was very friendly – and the crowd … numbered about six or eight! Of course – numbers don’t matter, it was the principle. Here is what some of my friends say about singing…“Singing provides a true sense of lightheartedness. If I sing when I am alone, I feel wonderful. It’s freedom” – Andrea Bocelli … ” For me, singing is a way of healing a situation…it gets the hurt out in the open into the light, out of the darkness” – Reba McEntire … “Singing is a way of releasing an emotion…music moves your soul, so music is the source of the most intense emotion you can feel” – Amanda Seigfried … “Singing is about telling a story” – Sabrina Carpenter. In the context of the church – singing is following a Biblical command, it is about teaching theology, it is the process of remembering.
So let me give you a little encouragement – don’t be afraid to read all of God’s Word, even the difficult passages for you never know what you will discover that will inspire you…and keep singing – by yourself, to yourself, for others, with others, and in all places. You never know – God has a way of meeting us in the strangest places.
Have a happy day – be blessed!