God loves all our praises!

Good Morning Friends!  Wrapped in HIS loving arms Wednesday!!  I Keep thinking about a special little Christmas blessing….. music….Christmas carols in the stores, on the phone, the car radio, but my most favorite is singing Christmas carols in church.  I love to sing and Christmas carols are just so singable….makes it easy….”to make music to Him…”  Psalm 33:2.  We are told in God’s word so many times to “make music to HIM”  so the joy of singing Christmas carols just fills my heart with HIS love…the trouble is, just doesn’t seem to be enough time to get them all in…So, I like to do my part….Sunday was our children’s program at church and a perfect opportunity for me to include lots of Christmas songs in the program….I was so excited to know that we would sing one after another….and of course I wanted everyone else to be just as excited as me to sing.  The kids….well, I am always on them to sing more, open their mouths and let out those praises….the kids…..they think I am nuts….well Sunday night, as usual, the kids just weren’t singing like I thought they should….but as we were singing the refrain to “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,”  I looked over thinking, “well surely they are singing the refrain”  what I saw…Well, one young teen boy was….no, not singing, rather he was tapping his fingers on his pant leg….in perfect rhythm to the song…His lips were closed, but his heart was singing….."making music to the Lord.”  Oh, I thought, Kathie, Kathie….your ways are not the only ways….This child…a teenager at that….taught me a much needed lesson.  God hears the praise of our hearts….oh yes, if you like to sing, sing…..if your blessed to play an instrument, play…..if you can tap a perfect beat on your leg….God hears, God loves….all our praises.  Joy to the world…..our Savior is born….let earth receive their KING and make music.  Father, thank you for the gift of YOUR Son, our SAVIOR, fill our hearts and lips with praise.  And Father, thank you for the special blessings we receive from children.  LET EVERY HEART PREPARE ROOM!

Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.  Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him on the ten-stringed  lyre.  Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy (or tap).  Psalm 33:1-3.  Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.  Psalm 95:2.  My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul.  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn.  I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.  For great is your love, higher than the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.  Psalm108:1-4. 

Silent Night Holy Night…..no crib for a bed…..the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay….HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING…GLORY TO OUR NEWBORN KING….Go Tell it on the mountain….JESUS CHRIST IS BORN!  Love you all.

June 24, 2013

Good Morning Friends!  Mighty awesome is our God, Monday!!!!  In all the years that I have been Sunday School Superintendent, I have never had a Sunday quite like yesterday.   Sunday a week ago, I found out that not only would all of my teachers be absent yesterday, but my faithful sub as well….. Oh my, that meant one thing….I was going to have to be teacher too!  As the morning went on, I discovered that most of the kids would be gone too….all of them except Emma and Ellie…..sisters…4 and almost 3….plus I would have Katy with me….Now, don’t get me wrong….I love the kids…..all of them, but like I said….it had been a long time since I had actually taught…..the thought of it…me and 3 wee ones….alone for an hour….yikes.  Silly, but I have to admit I was really concerned….actually kind of dreading the thought…. as hard as I tried, I could not find anyone that could sub….a while later, sitting in church, the light went on…..DUH…I told myself…God is calling you to teach HIS wee ones….that was all I needed….I would answer HIS call and make sure to take HIM with me!  All week, I made my plans….finally the time had come.  With a prayer in my heart, bubbles and snacks packed, Katy and I headed for Sunday School!  Emma and Ellie were already there and greeted Katy with enthusiasm fit for a princess!  The next hour was precious…..the girls were so good and so excited to be at Sunday school!  We drug out all of our instruments playing and singing joyful praises to our Heavenly Father, then headed outside to blow “Jesus loves me” bubbles….laughing and running, catching bubbles and shouting Jesus loves me….my heart was both joyful and sad at the same time…..look what I would have missed if our Heavenly Father had not nudged me do something I didn’t want to do…..Oh I wonder what other wonderful experiences I have missed because I wasn’t listening….or pretended not to hear…… worst of all, simply ignored….Father, thank you for knowing just what You need me to do and nudging me along….Forgive me when I am stubborn and ignore You.  Father, thank you so much for the blessing of small children that love you with every ounce of their being and fill our hearts with joy.

 

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever welcome a little child like this in my name welcomes me.”  Matthew 18:3-5.   Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matthew 19:14.  From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise…Psalm 8:2.  We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.  Hebrews2 :1.  Jesus said, Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.”  John 6:45.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Romans 12:10.