Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Blindsided. That's what some people are feeling in these times. The unexpected. The 'does-not-make-sense'. Hemmed in. No relief in sight. Maybe this story reflects your situation or perhaps that of a loved one:

THE BURNING HUT
(author unknown)

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.

He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him

and every day he scanned the horizon for help,

but none seemed forth coming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements,

and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food,

he arrived home to find his little hut was in flames,

the smoke rolling up to the sky!

The worst had happened; everything was lost!

He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could You do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day, however,

he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island.

It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?"

asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

------------------------------------------------

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

I invite you to sing with Don Moen, God Will Make A Way. Then pop by Amy's to hear more songs that minister.

God Will Make A Way

by Don Moen

God will make a way

Where there seems to be no way

He works in ways we cannot see

He will make a way for me

He will be my guide

Hold me closely to His side

With love and strength

For each new day

He will make a way

He will make a way

By a roadway in the wilderness

You lead me

And rivers in the desert will I see

Heaven and earth will fade

But His Word will still remain

He will do something new today

=============

For all the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it:

You say, "It's impossible." God says: "All things are possible." (Luke 18:27)

You say, "I'm too tired." God says: "I will give you rest." (Matt. 11:28-20)

You say, "Nobody really loves me." God says: "I love you." (John 3:16)

You say, "I can't go on." God says: "My grace is sufficient." (II Cor. 12:9)

You say, "I can't figure things out." God says: "I will direct your steps." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say, "I can't do it." God says: "You can do all things." (Phil. 4:13)

You say, "It's not worth it." God says: "It will be worth it." (Romans 8:28)

You say, "I can't forgive myself." God says: "I forgive you." (I John 1:9)

You say, "I can't manage." God says: "I will supply all your needs." (Phil. 4:19)

You say, "I'm afraid." God says: "I have not given you the spirit of fear." (II Tim. 1:7)

You say, "I'm always worried and frustrated." God says: "Cast all your cares on Me." (I Peter 5:7)

You say, "I don't have enough faith." God says: "I've given everyone the measure of faith." (Romans 12:3)

You say, "I'm not smart enough." God says: "I give you wisdom." (I Cor. 1:30)

You say, "I feel all alone." God says: "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Heb. 13:5)

(taken from http://www.gospelbreadoflife.org/kitchen/burnhut2.htm)

Friendship and history

Faazhya is my 'oldest' friend, going back to kindergarten and her parents are close friends of my parents. This past week, her father died. He was the mayor of the town of Arima in which I grew up in the island of Trinidad & Tobago. His passing was recorded in the Trinidad Express. He had been bedridden for over two years and death loomed over the family for a while. That did not make the 'passing' any easier. When I first got the message, I thought that it was a good thing he was not suffering anymore. Then as the day wore on, something began to grip me and I realized it was my friend's grief that somehow reached me. The depth of her pain gripped me. This is weird, but I sense the pain of anyone who is close to me and is suffering. A gift from God? I don't know, but it draws me into prayer. So I prayed for her and the rest of the family who are like my own family.

I spent many nights at my friend's place on El Carmen St. in Arima, Trinidad. They lived in this charming house with a beautiful garden surrounded by a low fence. They would often invite me to a beach hotel in Mayaro on weekends and treat me like their own daughter. Faazhya and I could talk for hours on the phone and we loved to poke each other in the back seat in their car when we spotted a cute guy as we drove home from school. They often gave me and my sister a ride home. Their family first emigrated to Canada and were instrumental in helping my family to follow a couple of years after. They have always showed kindness to me and made me feel like part of their family.

That is why their grief is mine and my feelings run deep for them. I share in their rejoicing that Mr. Rahim gave his heart to Christ 2 years ago. A miracle for a man who had said that he was born a Muslim and would die a Muslim. Instead, his children and grandchildren, most of whom are now Christians, celebrated his life in a Christian service, rejoicing that in his last days, he looked to heaven and raised his hand. My heart broke when I saw his wife, the grief emblazoned on her face for the man who was her childhood sweetheart, their love going all the way back to when he saw her on her porch at 13 years old. He adored her. His only son testified that he treated all his daughters like princesses and his only son with honour. I agree with that. I used to see his eyes light up when my friend Faaz walked into the room. He was also a jeweller by trade and made me a topaz ring which I still treasure. I am so glad I got the chance to thank him for all that he contributed to my life before he passed on.

Most of all, I am glad that he came to accept Jesus as his Savior and is right now completely healed in the Presence of the Father. In fact, on the morning he died, I had been praying for him, and I had a 'visual sense' of him being ushered into the Presence of the Father.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Father, would You please cover the Rahim family with Your blanket of protection? Would You pour Your comfort into the deepest recesses of their heart where pain resides? Would You heal this family and draw them into a more intimate knowledge of You and Your love for them? Would You provide for them financially, emotionally, spiritually? Please thwart any attempt of the enemy to strike them while they are so vulnerable. Bless them, Father and pour Your grace abundantly on them all. In the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.

I dedicate this song, I Will Rise, by Chris Tomlin to the Rahim family in honour of his memory:

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Will be at a memorial service tomorrow (Saturday) for the father of my childhood friend. So I invite you to pop down to my last post and listen to Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman as we remember the life of his sweet daughter Maria killed one year ago.

Then pop over to Amy's to hear more songs that minister.

Love, Sita

In Memory of Maria...

This morning I heard Steven Curtis Chapman being interviewed by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Today, his wife, Mary Beth, wrote this moving post, A Mother's Heart for 2 Very Brave Chapman Children. Please pop by and read.

Exactly one year ago his 4-yr-old daughter was accidentally run over in their driveway. He sang this song for her. I post it and dedicate it to her memory and also to all others dealing with the loss of a loved one, thinking about all the milestones in your life in which their absence is deeply felt.

Ole, Ole, Ole....feeling...

Psalm 118:24 (The Holy Bible, NIV)
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

..hot, hot, hot! Yay, finally! Summer weather! I am so happy. I must celebrate with a calypso from my island home. Enjoy and flail the arms and legs! And have some coconut water while you're at it.

No Need To Fear

My friend, Cheryl, sent this Youtube clip for me. How appropriate to address the atmosphere of fear in our day. I heard that "Do not fear" occurs 365 times in the Bible.

Let us combat our fears today together, with Him.

A soothing rendition , No Need to Fear, sung by Wintley Phipps.

While you're waiting...

...for that door to open...
...for the Light to break through...
...for a glimmer of hope...
...for deliverance...
...for healing...

If our wait is focused on the answer, we will get discouraged, we will lose heart...
but if we turn our focus to wait on Him,
He will give us 'heart', strength...
Psalm 27:13-14 says,
I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

God wants you to know that in the waiting, He is there...
while you wait, an eternal transformation is going on inside...

...with each day you persevere...
...with each day you doggedly determine to trust...

So join me while you wait in worshipping Him...

You can probably guess by now that the movie Facing The Giants continues to have a monumental impact on me. Let me share yet another song and video clip, While I'm Waiting by John Waller:


I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead,
bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You
while I'm waiting
I will worship
while I'm waiting
I will serve You
while I'm waiting
I will worship
while I'm waiting
I will serve you
while I'm waiting
I will worship
while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

We watched the movie Facing the Giants a couple of weeks ago in our family time and were all blessed. This is one of the songs from the movie that speaks of the theme of God never giving up on us no matter how it seems. This week when I wrote this post that reminded me of God's faithfulness in my life, this theme was reinforced.

Perhaps someone needs to hear that message today. The song is Never Give Up On Me by Josh Bates.


Pop by Amy's to hear more songs that minister.

In Honour of Kayleigh Freeman

It was only recently that I learnt about Kayleigh Freeman, a one-pound miracle baby who touched many lives. I sat spellbound and in awe of this little wondrous child who has undergone far more than I can imagine. My husband and 2 boys also watched mesmerized. I went through a couple of invasive medical tests that have literally traumatized me. This little baby went through over 284 such tests and 7 surgeries. This affected me in much the same way as when I watched The Passion as Jesus was receiving his lashes. I have only looked at it all the way through once, but have not been able to stomach it since.

On Monday, May 11, she finally succumbed and went home to be with the Lord. Please pray for her family. Go to Kayleigh's site to read more. Sandy at God Speaks Today has posted a prayer for Kayleigh's parents, Aimee and Adam. Please pop by to pray.

She was highlighted on The Doctors today.
Tears and prayers. That's all I have to offer. Thank you, Lord, for Kayleigh.

His-Story in Her-Story

Hi,
I started a new blog a while back but just left it waiting on God. I will only post on there when I 'feel' the nudging, so to speak. I've just posted a piece of 'His-story in my-story'. So feel free to drop by.
Love, Sita

Moab or Bethlehem: Where do you run to?

Ruth 1:1 (NIV Version)

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab.

Yesterday, our guest speaker, Nouhoum Coulibaly, spoke on Ruth and made an observation that I had never heard before. (Usually Beth does that!):
(taken from Abarim Publications)

the name Bethlehem means House Of Bread, with the strong connotation of House Of Battle.
the name Moab would carry the meaning of Who's Your Daddy? or What's Your Father?

Famine can arise through natural consequences like a shortage of water, or from war, a country under siege, or it can be brought by God Himself. Famine is enclosed in the Christian journey of transformation into His likeness, like it or not.

In Ruth 1:1, when famine arose, Naomi's family went away from the House of Bread to Who's your Daddy.

Well, excuse me, wasn't there a shortage of bread in the House of Bread? Physically, there was, but the Bread of Life had not moved.

How often, do we experience a famine of our own, a time of great need? Because it seems inconsistent with our "God", we run to Moab. We find that God is silent, in fact, to us, He's nowhere to be found! There is no relief.

....For example, we lose our jobs, instead of going to our knees, in panic, we run to others, "pray, please, for us!", or we run to the computer, frantically looking for positions, sending resumes.

....Or our marriage breaks down, we look for 'comfort' in someone else...

....Many possible scenarios, you can fill in your own....

BUT...no relief comes. In fact, like Naomi, we find ourselves saying,
... call me Bitter. The Strong One has dealt me a bitter blow. I left here full of life, and God has brought me back with nothing but the clothes on my back. Why would you call me Naomi? God certainly doesn't. The Strong One ruined me." (Ruth 1:20b-21, The Message)

She realizes that God's Hand was present in her 'ruin'. It has been 10 long years for her. Loss of her husband and sons. No grandchildren.

But then, she hears that God (The Bread of Life) had come to the aid of His people in Bethlehem by providing food for them, so she decides to return to the House of Bread. I have done this countless times. I am a slow learner and God's patience and mercy abound to me. After futile attempts of my own to 'fix' the situation, I must humbly come to my knees to my Father.

In the end, her daughter-in-law, Ruth, sticks by her, goes with her back to Bethlehem in time for the barley harvest, which is followed by the wheat harvest, and then the fruit harvest. Harvest upon harvest after 10 years of 'famine.'

Ruth finds favor with Boaz, marries him, and out of this union is born Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. From the line of David, comes our Lord Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Let us come back to the Bread of Life as humble, broken vessels. Leave your Moab behind. God may seem absent, but He has never left you or forsaken you, no matter what state you find yourself in. Like Naomi, Ruth, God has a purpose behind the famine, for His glory and that glory splashes on to your life in life-giving power.

John 6:35-38 (The Message)
Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don't really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don't let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me.

How about you? Shall we go get our Bread? Does the hope of harvest upon harvest appeal to you?

I invite you to come with me in your need today to Jehovah Jireh, "God will provide."

My Mother's Day PPP...

This morning I was summoned downstairs...
"MOM!!! You have to check the computer!"

Curious and intrigued, I came upon a power point presention (PPP)..a Mother's day greeting for me. I do so wish I could show all of you, but I have no idea how. I can show you the 'words' and the song that played while the slides with Mom 'pics' rolled.

=====================

To Our Awesomely (and slightly perturbed) Mother
(I believe memories from Friday are still vivid!)

The LowDown
=> Well mother, you’re quite insane.
But you love us so insanely much that it quite embarrasses us.
But no matter.
We love you a lot and appreciate all you would do and all that you do do for us.

Thanks so much Mom.

=> Love, the Kids. And Dad too.

Pics of Your Glorious MotherliNess
(Pictures inserted here)


HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
C.S. Lewis

-Never Forget That!

And the song:

Desert Song (Hillsong)

Verse 1:

This is my prayer in the desert

And all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in the hunger in me

My God is a God who provides

Verse 2:

And this is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial or pain

There is a faith proved

Of more worth than gold

So refine me Lord through the flames

Chorus:

And I will bring praise

I will bring praise

No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice

I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:

And this is my prayer in the battle

And triumph is still on it's way

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ

So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:

All of my life

In every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:

This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I'm filled to be emptied again

The seed I've received I will sow

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Our giants and waves may be different...
...chronic illness or pain...
...loss of loved ones...
...watching loved ones suffer...
...breakdown of marriage...
...financial stress...
and Satan's lie calling out.."you'll never get out!"
BUT...
Our Hope is the same...
...the Voice of Truth is calling out...
"Do not be afraid....this is for my glory..."

Listen with me as Casting Crown sings The Voice of Truth...
then pop over to Amy's blog to hear more songs that minister...


The Voice of Truth
by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy, you'll never win!""You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says,
"Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says,
"This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen
and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy you'll never win!""You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth!

Earth - the display of His glory

Romans 1:20 (The Amplified Bible)

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification],

Psalm 19:1-4

THE HEAVENS declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork.
2Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night shows forth knowledge.
3There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their voice is not heard.
4Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens has God made a tent for the sun,

Today, while my older son was in Muskoka for the final quiz meet of the year, my younger son and I went to see the movie Earth, narrated by James Earl Jones. All I can say is, "How on earth can a person not believe in a Creator? How on earth could such attention to magnificent intelligent detail have evolved from an accident?"


I can now more fully understand what is termed the dance of life. What kind of Choreographer is this? Mind boggling that He asked me to participate in this. Wow! What becomes clearer is that when any part of creation ceases to follow its/his/her part or modifies it in any way, the dance is interrupted, cues are missed, synchronicity is marred, injury happens.

It mainly follows the family of 3 sets of animals, great whales, polar bears and elephants over a period of a year as they journey to find food over vast spaces. There are also exciting clips inserted, like showing a bird of paradise doing a mating dance ritual, the frightening predator vs. prey cycle, the growth of vegetation and flowers, the flight of cranes over the Himalayas to India.

Poignant moments, like the bear cubs learning to walk and going in the opposite direction and Mama bear waiting patiently for them to turn back. Funny moments watching the free fall of the newly hatched mandarin ducks from their nests. Wow moments when you get an aerial vision of a 3-million caribou migration. Eye-opening moments to show how global warming is leading to the deaths of animals as shown when papa bear is unable to find food because of the ice melting and seals not where they usually are. He dies, exhausted and hungry.

The movie ends with a clip that shows how the earth regenerates itself, dust from storms added to water from runoffs and rain produce a lush vegetation with large waterways where all kinds of animals congregate to drink. Our amazing earth that God placed us in charge of. Makes me wonder, makes me think about that song in my last post.

Why does seeing all this resonate so deeply in me? Simply because we are all connected, all part of His creation. Thank you, Lord.
This song automatically came to my mouth as I prayed after the movie. Worship with me.

Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Like Keith Green, Graham Kendrick is another artist in whom I see God's heartbeat, because his words tug or slice at your heart. [In this clip, I am not sure who is singing the song.] Sing this prayer, Beauty for Brokenness, if you also yearn for the deliverance of creation, and for justice, and for freedom from oppression and poverty. Many among us, brothers and sisters around the world are in pain in one form or another this very moment. Read Melissa's last post with her eye-opening look at life in the slums of Calcutta. Read Lisa's blog of her work with child sex slavery in Cambodia.

Many of us are suffering from chronic physical ailments, depression, loss of loved ones. As long as we are on this earth stained by sin, there will be tribulation. But, there is hope and freedom to be found on our knees, in tears, in perseverance, in faith.
God is our Hope.
Read here in Romans 8: 17-25 (The Amplified Bible):

17And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.
18[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!
19For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].
20For the creation (nature) was subjected tofrailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it--[yet] with the hope
21That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God's children.
22We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.
23And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God's sons).
24For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?
25But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.

Beauty for brokenness
Hope for despair
Lord, in your suffering
This is our prayer
Bread for the children
Justice, joy, peace
Sunrise to sunset
Your kingdom increase!

Shelter for fragile lives
Cures for their ills
Work for the craftsman
Trade for their skills
Land for the dispossessed
Rights for the weak
Voices to plead the cause
Of those who can't speak

God of the poor
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame

Refuge from cruel wars
Havens from fear
Cities for sanctuary
Freedoms to share
Peace to the killing-fields
Scorched earth to green
Christ for the bitterness
His cross for the pain

Rest for the ravaged earth
Oceans and streams
Plundered and poisoned
Our future, our dreams
Lord, end our madness
Carelessness, greed
Make us content with
The things that we need

Lighten our darkness
Breathe on this flame
Until your justice
Burns brightly again
Until the nations
Learn of your ways
Seek your salvation
And bring you their praise

Graham Kendrick
Copyright © 1993 Make Way Music
http://www.grahamkendrick.co.uk/www.grahamkendrick.
All rights reserved.
International copyright secured
Used by permission

Please pop by Amy's blog to hear more songs that minister.