Then Sings My Soul Saturday

I invite you to go to my previous post honouring George Beverly Shea on his 100th birthday to hear him sing his song "The Wonder Of It All".
Then drop by Amy's blog to hear more songs that minister.

George Beverly Shea

***Updated to put the YouTube clip with him singing "The Wonder of it All"

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"Of all the gospel singers in the world today, the one that I would rather hear than any other would be George Beverly Shea."

-Billy Graham (Evangelist) Montreat, North Carolina

"If we've ever had a model in the field of Christian music, it would have to be George Beverly Shea. From a spiritual, musical and professional perspective, he has been the epitome of what a gospel singer should be. I really treasure the personal times that I have spent with Bev in the studio."

-Bill Gaither (Singer-Songwriter), Alexandria, Indiana

Read a brief biography here at Wikipedia.

Next Sunday, George Beverly Shea turns 100 years old. Click here to send him your wishes.

Did you all know that Mr. Shea is a Canadian? Yay! From Winchester, Ontario, near Ottawa.

I grew up in Trinidad hearing his voice singing at Billy Graham crusades. My parents love him dearly. I just saw a clip of him singing "The Wonder Of It All" on the 100 Huntley Street program today, January 29, 2009. (see below) Wow! To hear him sing that old hymn which he composed ..."the wonder of it all...just to know that God loves me..." It just makes me realize that even though this man glows with God's glory, he realizes profoundly the 'wonder' still that God loves me. The older I get, it is the more my sinful state is ever before me, and the more I grasp the concept of grace, the wonder that God loves me.

There's the wonder of sunset at evening,

The wonder as sunrise I see;

But the wonder of wonders

that thrills my soul

Is the wonder that God loves me.

Refrain

O, the wonder of it all!

The wonder of it all!

Just to think that God loves me.

O, the wonder of it all!

The wonder of it all!

Just to think that God loves me.

Verse 2

There's the wonder of springtime and harvest,

The sky, the stars, the sun;

But the wonder of wonders

that thrills my soul

Is a wonder that's only begun.

Happy Blessed Birthday, Mr. Shea!

Holy, Holy, Holy....

Isaiah 6:3(The Holy Bible, NIV Version)

And they were calling to one another:

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory."

Holiness...the one attribute of God that is voiced in triplicate in the Scripture...
....Holiness is a synonym for sanctity, the state of being holy or sacred. Holiness means to be set apart.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holiness)

“To me the greatest privilege in all the world would be perfect holiness. If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of, I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus, or, in one word, holiness.” - Charles Spurgeon

Set apart...a cut above the rest...for the next 6 weeks, our church will be focusing on the holiness of God. You can download the podcasts here. Please sing with this clip which draws you into the community of believers praising the holiness of God....

And what do you think is the opposite of holiness? See this rabbi's commentary...

"...But what is holiness? The Jewish answer is both complex and surprising. It runs counter to what most people believe.
Common wisdom assumes that the opposite of “holy” (or “sacred” — they are the same) is the very negative-sounding “profane.” In Hebrew, however, the opposite is hol, meaning “everyday,” or “ordinary” — with no negativity at all. The holy (kodesh) is just “extraordinary,” in the sense of transcending the ordinarily human and being like God. “Be holy,” we are told, “because I, your God, am holy.”

God's Love Letter To You...

This video is dedicated to my very special friend who has a unique place in my heart. As I looked into your eyes today, I felt the overpowering love of God welling up in my heart for you. Wow, He really loves you and sees the invaluable pearl that you are. Thank you for the privilege of being your friend.
Always,
With love, thoughts and prayers,
Sita


And for those God has brought here today, it is for this message no matter how many times you have heard it before. God loves you.

Reflecting God's Beauty in a Broken World...

...Setting the Captives Free!
That was the title theme of the conference sponsored by the Ratanak Foundation last weekend. The theme verse is : Proverbs 31:8 - "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." Their vision for the conference was threefold:
--To bring Awareness to child sex trafficking and exploitation.
--To Advocate on behalf of children in the global sex trade.
--To encourage individuals, groups and institutions to take Action to end child sexual exploitation.
This video clip is a Dateline clip, "Children For Sale" that gives a brief picture of sex trafficking in Cambodia:


I first attended a similar conference last year and wrote about it here.

I was shocked, horrified, angered, and moved beyond words that people could harm children like that. What do I do with this reality?
This weekend, God had been preparing me by bringing my personal brokenness to the forefront, so it was with a tender heart that I heard Kathy Klassen speak. Her topic? Broken and Spilled Out: Binding Up The Broken Hearted. In my previous post, I wrote about how her illustration about "you can take the girl out of the orphanage easily, but much more difficult to take the orphanage out of the girl" had confronted me about how I struggle with accepting my royal status. A breakthrough. Thank you, Lord.

This was preparation for how I should process the brokenness of these dear children. One of the speakers mentioned a book called Compelled By Love written about Mozambique orphans who were discarded at the side of the road and picked up and nurtured by someone who felt compelled to love them. They are all now educated and men of integrity. Two of these orphans were accepted into Ivy League schools. I got an image of a sense of greatness in them. The 'before' and 'after' images were powerful in my mind.

The next day, we were again confronted with the real horrors of children being sold, drugged, raped, beaten, tortured in Cambodia. With my set of personal traumas, I have nothing to compare to what these children are confronted with. Then, we see an "After" picture, girls rescued, put into a centre where they can receive medical care and counselling and most of all, hear about Jesus. I wondered, How on earth can someone so demoralized even smile? How on earth do you recover from something like that? Nothing I have experienced can compare to the horrible abuses they have endured. Yet here they were smiling, even radiant. Was it real?

Then I remembered the image of the Mozambique orphans, now holding their heads up high. And God brought to mind Lidj's blog profile, Crown of Beauty, and my friend Elaine's post, A Noble Stirring and a vision started to form in my mind. The theme? Nobility...royalty...

This was further developed as I watched the Presidential Inauguration today of President Obama: the presenting, the motorcade, the cheering, the tears. His Oath of Office was planted on a soil made rich with redemptive suffering and that is from where the tears flowed: greatness had now arisen from ashes.

Then I thought of these young girls, like Nhu and Sung** and the many others who have now accepted Jesus and are slowly being renewed in their hearts, minds and bodies. And I thought, to God, they are no less important than the US president today. Each one is presented before their Heavenly Father, and there is a holy chorus of cheering when each embraces the love of their Father and King for the first time. These girls have now become daughters of the King and although it will take time for them to process and grasp and live this out, my vision is that God, through the help of ordinary people like you and me, is raising up a generation of young princesses of noble character, who will stand out and raise up a new generation with a fragrance that is pleasing to Him in a country that has been ravaged by genocide, poverty and sex trafficking, the country of Cambodia.
**(except for Sung who has only recently been found and still lives in a brothel and has told her sister, Who notices me? Who will help me? quite unaware that people have been praying for a couple of years for her, some everyday...please continue to pray for her rescue and redemption).

There is no richer soil for the beauty of God's glory than the soil of suffering, in their case, extraordinary suffering. That is the hope I received in the midst of the reality of the horrific evil that abounds in Cambodia and other parts of the world where children are trafficked daily, even in Canada and the USA.

The Father is singing over us, them, me, you. Hear the song that my friend Lidj dedicated to me:


Isaiah 62:3-4

(NIV Version)

3 You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand,

a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
4 No longer will they call you Deserted,

or name your land Desolate.

But you will be called Hephzibah,

and your land Beulah;

for the LORD will take delight in you,

and your land will be married.

(The Message)

You'll get a brand-new name straight from the mouth of God.

You'll be a stunning crown in the palm of God's hand,

a jeweled gold cup held high in the hand of your God.

No more will anyone call you Rejected,

and your country will no more be called Ruined.

You'll be called Hephzibah (My Delight),

and your land Beulah (Married),

Because God delights in you

and your land will be like a wedding celebration.

For as a young man marries his virgin bride,

so your builder marries you,

And as a bridegroom is happy in his bride,

so your God is happy with you.

In the midst of the huge task before us and the enormity of the evil, let us not be overwhelmed, but let us remember that our God is MIGHTY to save:

Father, let each of these young children along with me have a vision daily of You singing over us, of the heavens rejoicing at our coronation. Let us grasp and live as daughters of the King. And Lord, please move your children here in the west to ACTION to help those who cannot help themselves. In the Name of Jesus, Who is mighty to save, I pray, Amen.

***I invite you to visit Lisa's blog (coordinator of conference) to find out more about her journey and how God is using her in this ministry.

What Action can I Take?

Donate to the Ratanak Foundation child sexual exploitation programs which are involved in prevention, restoration and rehabilitation of child sex slavery victims.

Click on the links below to check out the programs in place.

--The Newsong Centre -- a long term aftercare rehabilitation facility.

--Chab Dai -- a child prevention trafficking program.

--Daughters Cambodia -- a transition life skills program.

--Hagar -- a foster care program.

--International Justice Mission.

Let us pray...

Let us join Beth Moore as we offer our prayers up to God on this historic day in the USA...
...Today it makes no difference how anyone voted. God in His sovereignty has appointed this day and our new president needs our prayers. "This is good, and pleases God our Savior." 1 Timothy 2:1-3.
1You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 3Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

My prayer for President Obama:
2Timothy 2:15
"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."
May God bless your leadership and may you seek His approval only.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Beth Moore Scripture Memory #2

This is my second Scripture memory for the Beth Moore challenge in 3 versions again:

A) Psalm 119:9 B) Matthew 5:8

1. (NIV Version)

A) 9 How can a young man keep his way pure?

By living according to your word.

B) 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

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2. (The Amplified Bible)

A) 9 How shall a young man cleanse his way?

By taking heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it.]

B) 8 Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous--possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!

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3. (The Message)

A) 9 How can a young person live a clean life?

By carefully reading the map of your Word.

B) 8 You're blessed when you get your inside world

—your mind and heart—put right.

Then you can see God in the outside world.

~~~~~

Father, as I learn and ponder your Word, I ask that You purify my heart and eyes so that I may see You everywhere I turn, in every scene, in every person, in every circumstance that You allow in my life presently, that You allowed in the past, and that You will allow in the future.

In the Precious Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

Oswald Chambers on Solititude...

Today, I have decided to post another's writing that ministers. Please ponder with me yesterday's and today's meditations from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest.

January 12th.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ALONE WITH GOD?
"When they were alone, He expounded all things to His disciples." Mark 4:34

Our Solitude with Him.

Jesus does not take us alone and expound things to us all the time; He expounds things to us as we can understand them. Other lives are parables. God is making us spell out our own souls. It is slow work, so slow that it takes God all time and eternity to make a man and woman after His own purpose. The only way we can be of use to God is to let Him take us through the crooks and crannies of our own characters. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We do not know envy when we see it, or laziness, or pride. Jesus reveals to us all that this body has been harbouring before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look in with courage?
We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves, it is the last conceit to go. The only One Who understands us is God. The greatest curse in spiritual life is conceit. If we have ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we shall never say - "Oh, I am so unworthy," because we shall know we are, beyond the possibility of stating it. As long as we are not quite sure that we are unworthy, God will keep narrowing us in until He gets us alone. Wherever there is any element of pride or of conceit, Jesus cannot expound a thing. He will take us through the disappointment of a wounded pride of intellect, through disappointment of heart. He will reveal inordinate affection - things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. We listen to many things in classes, but they are not an exposition to us yet. They will be when God gets us alone over them.

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January 13th.
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ALONE WITH GOD?
"When He was alone the twelve . . . asked of Him . . ." Mark 4:10

His Solitude with Us.

When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship - when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound. Watch Jesus Christ's training of the twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were perplexed. They constantly asked Him questions, and He constantly expounded things to them; but they only understood after they had received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26).
If you are going on with God, the only thing that is clear to you, and the only thing God intends to be clear, is the way He deals with your own soul. Your brother's sorrows and perplexities are an absolute confusion to you. We imagine we understand where the other person is, until God gives us a dose of the plague of our own hearts. There are whole tracts of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now, or are we taken up with little fussy notions, fussy comradeships in God's service, fussy ideas about our bodies? Jesus can expound nothing until we get through all the noisy questions of the head and are alone with Him.

Father, in this age of 'constant noise' within and without, I pray that we will find and make that time to be alone, to listen, to search, to ponder. Hush our minds from the torrents of thoughts. May a stunned silence fall as your Holy Presence invades. Teach us, transform us, use us. We are Yours. In the Most Holy Name of Jesus, I bow, Amen.

Can you imagine?

After hearing Wynonna Judd sing "Testify to Love" on Touched by an Angel and "I Wanna Know What Love Is" on Oprah, I realize why she gets straight into my heart and brings my hands up and knees down in worship. This woman sings from her brokenness and opens her heart with its pain to the world.

In this song clip I am posting, I Can Only Imagine, she first shares her heart, which only makes the song that more powerful. Can you imagine what it would be like to encounter the Love your heart has always longed for? The Father you always yearned for? The Answer to all your deepest questions? A glory, a Light that fills and penetrates every cell of your body bringing life and vitality, joy unbelievable, gratitude inconceivable? How would you respond?
Will you let Him transform your brokenness into beauty?
Will you let His Light shine in and through and out the cracks?
Then sing along with her:

My desire, my delight...

In the Beth Moore challenge to memorize 2 verses month, I have chosen as my first verse (actually 2--I cheated), Psalm 1:2-3. Why? Because I want to delight in His Word this year. I feel His nudging in this area.

Psalm 1:2-3 in 3 versions

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

(NIV Version)

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2-3 Instead you thrill to God's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night. You're a tree replanted in Eden, bearing fresh fruit every month, Never dropping a leaf, always in blossom.

(The Message)

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2But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night
3And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].

(The Amplified Bible)

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Father, may it be so. Amen.

A Private Audience

2 Samuel 22 (The Message)

1 David prayed to God the words of this song

after God saved him from all his enemies and from Saul.

2-3 God is bedrock under my feet,

the castle in which I live,

my rescuing knight.

My God—the high crag where I run for dear life,

hiding behind the boulders,

safe in the granite hideout;

My mountaintop refuge,

he saves me from ruthless men.

4 I sing to God the Praise-Lofty,

and find myself safe and saved.

5-6 The waves of death crashed over me,

devil waters rushed over me.

Hell's ropes cinched me tight;

death traps barred every exit.

7 A hostile world!

I called to God, to my God I cried out.

From his palace he heard me call;

my cry brought me right into his presence

— a private audience!

8-16 Earth wobbled and lurched;

the very heavens shook like leaves,

Quaked like aspen leaves because of his rage.

His nostrils flared, billowing smoke;

his mouth spit fire.

Tongues of fire darted in and out;

he lowered the sky.

He stepped down;

under his feet an abyss opened up.

He rode a winged creature,

swift on wind-wings.

He wrapped himself in a trenchcoat

of black rain-cloud darkness.

But his cloud-brightness burst through,

a grand comet of fireworks.

Then God thundered out of heaven;

the High God gave a great shout.

God shot his arrows—pandemonium!

He hurled his lightnings—a rout!

The secret sources of ocean were exposed,

the hidden depths of earth lay uncovered

The moment God roared in protest,

let loose his hurricane anger.

17-20 But me he caught

—reached all the way from sky to sea;

he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate,

that enemy chaos,

the void in which I was drowning.

They hit me when I was down,

but God stuck by me.

He stood me up on a wide-open field;

I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!

21-25 God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

When I cleaned up my act,

he gave me a fresh start.

Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways;

I haven't taken God for granted.

Every day I review the ways he works,

I try not to miss a trick.

I feel put back together,

and I'm watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

26-28 You stick by people who stick with you,

you're straight with people who're straight with you,

You're good to good people,

you shrewdly work around the bad ones.

You take the side of the down-and-out,

but the stuck-up you take down a peg.

29-31 Suddenly, God, your light floods my path,

God drives out the darkness.

I smash the bands of marauders,

I vault the high fences.

What a God!

His road stretches straight and smooth.

Every God-direction is road-tested.

Everyone who runs toward him Makes it.

32-46 Is there any god like God?

Are we not at bedrock?

Is not this the God who armed me well,

then aimed me in the right direction?

Now I run like a deer;

I'm king of the mountain.

He shows me how to fight;

I can bend a bronze bow!

You protect me with salvation-armor;

you touch me and I feel ten feet tall.

You cleared the ground under me

so my footing was firm.

When I chased my enemies I caught them;

I didn't let go till they were dead men.

I nailed them;

they were down for good;

then I walked all over them.

You armed me well for this fight;

you smashed the upstarts.

You made my enemies turn tail,

and I wiped out the haters.

They cried "uncle" but Uncle didn't come;

They yelled for God

and got no for an answer.

I ground them to dust;

they gusted in the wind.

I threw them out,

like garbage in the gutter.

You rescued me from a squabbling people;

you made me a leader of nations.

People I'd never heard of served me;

the moment they got wind of me

they submitted. They gave up;

they came trembling from their hideouts.

47-51 Live, God!

Blessing to my Rock, my towering Salvation-God!

This God set things right for me

and shut up the people who talked back.

He rescued me from enemy anger.

You pulled me from the grip of upstarts,

You saved me from the bullies.

That's why I'm thanking you, God,

all over the world.

That's why I'm singing songs

that rhyme your name.

God's king takes the trophy;

God's chosen is beloved.

I mean David and all his children— always.

May 2009 find us always crying out to Him and finding a private audience.

Love, Sita

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

My song "Testify to Love" is posted below. God bless you all in this New Year.
Go to Amy's blog to hear more songs that minister.
Love, Sita