Falling into the Rain

Falling into the Rain

           Thanks for stopping in again, my blog-readers!  For days now, I have been praying and seeking what the Lord wanted me to share with you in this post, but every idea I thought up on my own, I just didn’t feel the Lord’s leading in it.  Finally I was praying today when I felt prompted to share with you the main illustration that the Lord’s given me as I’ve been writing on my newest novel Outlaw.

            When I first imagined the plot for the book two years ago, there wasn’t much spiritual depth to it.  It was a great story of redemption, forgiveness, and second chances, but as my walk with the Lord has deepened, those few elements in their subtle appearances in the story just weren’t enough to satisfy me.

            I was praying for God’s guidance in my writing of the book, asking Him what exactly He wanted me to write to convey an edifying message applicable to a wide variety of situations for His glory, when He inspired me with this image. 

            Here’s the background.  There’s a man.  He had a terrible past, and he was now guilt-stricken and desperate in hopelessness, heavy-hearted with shame, regret, and failure.  He had complete distrust of everyone and everything in life; he felt nothing besides hatred, desperation, and the emotions correlated with guilt and condemnation.  But he had one primary avenue of hope to which all other elements in the story directed him back to- his childhood Bible.  He didn’t know why he had kept it all these years, but he had.

            The underlying message of the story revolves around the theme of that man struggling to raise crops on his acres of property.  His land was dry and parched, and the soil was hardened and rocky so that virtually nothing could grow.  It was in a desert-like region of the American West in the 1880s when sprinkler systems weren’t available, but never the less, this man’s land needed rain desperately.  If his crops didn’t grow to testify that he had improved and worked the land, his property would be taken from him, and his attempt to build a home and live an upright life would have failed.  

            Months passed in the storyline, and the man began to attend the town church and began reading his Bible faithfully, searching for answers and for direction of how to escape this guilt he had been carrying for years.  He wants to believe and to learn to trust and love again, but after the wrong decisions he made in the past, he just can’t accept the truth that God’s grace and love is so powerful that He would still love and accept him with all of his past mistakes and would still have a plan for his life.  His life is as dry and barren as his land, and he’s desperate for a breakthrough.

            And now here’s the image the Lord placed in my mind.  Amidst this search, I saw this man frequently sitting outside by his plowed and planted land, reading his Bible… trying to find the courage to pray.  And then I saw a scene in his life one day, probably one of my favorite parts in the whole story plot.  It’s another hot, smothering day, and the man is sitting inside his little cabin, trying to keep cool out the noonday sun.  He’s sitting on the mattress of his bed, reading his Bible once again.  His life is ripe for the breakthrough, and he’s thirsty for the Lord’s presence in His life.  He’s struggling with the fears and feelings of failure and desperation again, wondering if he’ll ever find his way out of the monotonous emotions of regret that he bears every day.  Finally he can’t stand it any longer; he’s tried everything within his own power and has nowhere else to turn but on his knees.  For the first time in years, he gathers the courage to kneel at his bedside and pray.

            A sound comes from outside, softly at first and then it grows stronger until it catches the man’s attention.  He rises from his kneeling, turns around, and walks toward the door.  Opening the door, his gaze is met by the sight of a heavy sheet of rain pouring down, soaking into his parched land lying ready to receive the rain.  In a daze of disbelief, he woodenly steps outside.  He feels the rain on his skin as it begins to soak through his shirt and drips from his hair, running down his face.  He closes his eyes as he takes it in.  Cool, rejuvenating, wet.  It had been so long that he had begun waiting for that day, longing to feel the rain.  He falls to his knees in relief and turns his gaze up to the heavens… and after months of searching, he finally gets it.

            A few weeks later, the first shoots of his crops begin to appear.  It isn’t much, but it’s a start, paralleling to the new life and spiritual growth the man has begun to experience as he has fully surrendered to God and has entered the first steps of his journey in learning to trust the Lord and society again.

            As the Lord inspired me with this scene, I was reminded that in our own journeys, we often experience dry seasons in our lives.  Like this young man Daren, I’m sure all of us have experienced at some time or another a period when we have grown dry and hardened and parched in our lives and in our faith in God in some degree.  When we no longer feel the Lord’s touch anymore and we need a breakthrough of rain.  We no longer trust, we no longer love, and we no longer have the faith to believe God for who He truly is nor for the promises He makes in His Word.  We get so trapped and caught up in our past mistakes and wrongs that we lose sight of God’s incredible and unconditional love and mercy for us.  We begin to embrace hopelessness and accept the lie that our life is too far from God to be touched by His redemption and grace.  Feeling a burden of condemnation and of worthlessness, we carry the weight on our shoulders that we will never “measure up” or be “good enough” to win God’s approval and pleasure and make Him proud of us.  How often I wonder do we forget that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross at Calvary for our sins because we deserved it.  He died because He loves us even in our undeserving state.

            When we can fully grasp this truth of His unconditional love and powerful grace for us that is far greater than any sin we can commit, I truly believe that we will experience a sense of freedom like we have yet to ever feel before.  His abundant love and mercy is overwhelming.  It’s like a torrent that rises and rises until it grows into an ever-flowing flood.

            This message is so simple, but if you find that its truth touches you particularly, I pray that you will learn to let go of the lies that the Enemy has spoken to you, telling you that you can never become what God wants you to be because of wrong choices that you’ve made.  You can still find forgiveness and love and new life in Christ, and you can still be used by God and fulfill the plan that He has for your life.  It’s never too late to fall into the rain of His presence.  He is a flood of living water that makes all things new.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Co 5:17)  “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Eze 36:26) 

            This scene in the book has not been written yet, but in a few weeks once I write it, I will share it with you on my writing blog The Avid Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).  You can also read about the “theme song” there that I’ve chosen for the book.  If the message of this post ministered to you, know that I am praying for you as I write this new novel.  Blessings to you, and may you find true freedom and embrace unconditional love and acceptance in Him.

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11

Photo courtesy: Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

Media Madness

Media Madness

Welcome back, my blog-readers!  I had a wonderful Fourth of July, celebrating the birth of my country where, above the internal issues of the nation, I know I’m free at least.  I’m proud to be an American.  I pray you had a wonderful holiday as well, fellow Americans.  And to my international readers, I pray you had a beautiful day Wednesday, July 4^th.

            Technology is a pretty fascinating thing, isn’t it?  All the time, man is accomplishing feats with computers that we never thought possible to achieve before.  Just think: I could make a call with my cell phone to someone clear across the globe.  I can keep in touch with my cousins in Pennsylvania through emailing and with my cousin in Florida through text messaging.  I could watch an event that is occurring at that very moment in another country.  And through the use of the Internet, I share my thoughts here on my blog with readers all over the world- in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Romania, Australia, Chile, India, Russia, Canada, and perhaps even in other countries that I’m not aware my blog has reached.  That’s an exciting thought! 

            Technology is a blessing.  Just imagine the many ways it could be used to share the good news of the Gospel and further the Lord’s kingdom all around the world.  But unfortunately, the gift of technology isn’t always used for good and the Lord’s glory.  Every day, computers and printers are used to produce books and magazines that incite ungodly emotions.  Every minute, people are uploading unwholesome apps, videos, and websites on the Internet.  The television is constantly infiltrated with TV shows and commercials that evoke sinful passions.  Movies promoting loose and corrupt morals line the shelves of stores, and music with lyrics displaying ungodly standards and boundaries are becoming best-sellers on online stores like Amazon and iTunes.  Yes, technology can and is being used for evil.

            Remember this song from when you were a child?

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear…

           This may seem like just a children’s song, but its message isn’t for children only.  There’s a lot of spiritual truth in that song.  Its message is so especially applicable with the struggles we all face today through the media.

           

            I am an author; I believe in freedom of the press, and I exercise that right daily.  But with that privilege comes a huge responsibility.  You may not realize it, but authors have a tremendous amount of control over you as you read their stories.  A good author has the ability to manipulate his readers so as to produce the emotional reaction he wants them to have.  You may not be keen on the idea of being manipulated, but it’s true.  I do it all the time in my books.  If I want my reader to cry at a certain point of the story, I intentionally write that portion to evoke that response.  Sometimes I even make myself cry!  That’s just the power of words. 

            That kind of power isn’t only found in the pages of a novel though; it translates to the lyrics of a song, the words of an advertisement, of an article, the script of dialogue in a movie or show.  Why are words so powerful?  They are a tool of creating visions and mental images in your mind.  Don’t think your imagination’s that vivid?

            Approaching the window, the young woman brushed the sheer curtains aside and unlocked the brass handles.  Opening the windowpanes, she knelt at the windowsill and breathed deeply of the morning air.  Twittering caught her attention.  She turned towards the large oak tree extending its branches to her window, and a sudden movement caused her to peer closer to discover an intricately woven nest holding the treasure of a perfect egg.  A gentle breeze rustled the vibrant green leaves surrounding it.  Isabella brushed back her soft brunette hair as the cooling breeze blew across her face.  She sighed with delight.  Spring was indeed finally here.

If you couldn’t picture the young lady examining the bird’s nest outside her window in that paragraph, then you’re a lot better at controlling this imagination thing than I am.  For the majority of us though, words create a mental image for us.  That’s why pictures, TV shows, and movies are even more powerful than words. 

I was in church this past Sunday, and among other things, I prayed asking the Lord to inspire me in this new book that I’ve begun in the same way that He inspired me in my first novel.  I asked Him to speak to me personally through the message I want to share with my readers so that at its conclusion, I can look back on it and declare with confidence that I did not write it alone.

As I was sitting there, I felt a prompting to pray over my little Acer netbook.  To consecrate it for His glory and to anoint it for His purpose that it may never be used evil and to further the darkness in the world.  To surrender possession of it and give it back to Him.

Technology is being used for evil, but we don’t have to embrace it.  If you are the owner of a media device, you have the choice of how you’re going to use that device.  You don’t have to use it for evil just because there are avenues of evil available.  Having a media device- a computer, a cell phone, a TV, an iPod or tablet- it comes with a responsibility.  You are responsible for your actions, not for the actions of those who use technology for evil.

I don’t know where you find yourself in the midst of all this, but maybe you just need to take some time, take your device and go into your prayer closet- a quiet place alone with God, and just pray.  Pray over your device.  Surrender it to the Lord and give it back to Him.  After all, He was the one who provided the resources for you to have it.  Allow Him possession.  Owners decide how they’re going to use their tools, but when you use someone else’s tool, you follow the guidelines they set for its use.  “Death and Destruction are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man.” (Pr 27: 20)  The media takes advantage of this truth of human nature.  Don’t allow technology to use your beautiful, God-created mind for wrong.  But “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Pr 4:23)

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

TV, stories, and those magazines

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear

Evil words and lyrics sometimes good appear

For the Father up above is looking down with love

Oh, be careful little ears what you hear

 ~Sherwood Pictures

            Wholesome movies are difficult to find.  There are great family movies out there that will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings after a happily-ever-after ending, but when was the last time that you walked away from a movie being challenged personally in your spiritual walk?  That’s what Sherwood Pictures is about.  It’s not just about entertainment.  It’s about ministry.

            That’s why I love Sherwood Pictures movies.  Sherwood Pictures is a movie production branch of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia.  They have done an incredible job in their endeavor to produce family films that are rich in spiritual morals, messages, and truths, and the movie soundtracks are excellent, featuring songs by the church’s music pastor Mark Willard as well as tracks sung by Christian artists such as Casting Crowns, Third Day, Warren Barfield, Josh Bates, and Mark Harris.  I support Sherwood Pictures whole-heartedly.  Their films are some of my top favorite movies.  If you’re not familiar with Sherwood Pictures, I encourage you to visit their website at www.sherwoodpictures.com and to check out their movies.  You will be blessed by what this church is doing.  Below is a review of their films from my opinion.

-Flywheel:

            Flywheel is the story of car salesman Jay Austin as he learns to live a life of honesty and integrity and to set a godly example.  A great lesson applicable to each of our personal situations in life.  There’s absolutely no language- no cussing, no cursing.  The worst thing I can think to tell you about the movie is that there’s one scene where Jay slams his hand down on the kitchen table and speaks to his wife in a sharp tone.  Considering that’s the worst, I’d say that says something for the movie.  Flywheel is Sherwood Pictures first film so the lighting isn’t Hollywood standard, but it’s a great movie with a great message nonetheless.

 -Facing the Giants:

           This was Sherwood Pictures first big hit.  Sports fans, you’ll love it especially!  Facing the Giants follows the story of Grant Taylor, a high school football coach whose life seems like its falling to pieces.  A terrific story about sportsmanship, but more importantly, Facing the Giants portrays a message about facing your fears and failures with faith and trust in God.  A gripping football game at the end of the film will keep you on the edge of your seat and cheering for the Shiloh Eagles even from your family room couch.  Mark Richt, head football coach of the University of Georgia, also makes a special appearance in the film. 

This movie’s rated a PG, but again, there’s no language at all.  Why the PG rating then?  For thematic elements as Grant Taylor and his wife Brooke face the reality that they are incapable of ever having the children they so long for.  Sherwood Pictures took particular care in skillfully weaving this element into the story to ensure that the movie would still maintain its status of being a family film.  As for violence… well, it’s football.  Also Coach Taylor throws his clipboard down on the locker room floor and screams at his team in one scene after they play a miserable game.  Another scene shows Grant Taylor screaming at one the players as the high school student does the death crawl across the football field; yes, he’s actually urging the player to keep persevering and his screaming adds to the drama and intensity of the scene, but his encouragement could be misinterpreted by a young audience.  The scene is a fresh, effective way to convey the message of being “able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Eph 6:13)

-Fireproof:

          When Fireproof was released, it was dubbed the #1 inspirational movie in America.  Starring Kirk Cameron, Fireproof portrays the struggle of fire captain Caleb Holt as he strives to save his marriage that’s teetering on the verge of divorce.  For years, Caleb Holt has sacrificed his own safety to save others from fires, but can he learn to sacrifice his own pride and selfishness and submit to the Lord in order to save his marriage and win the heart of his wife again?

            This movie too was rated a PG for thematic material and some peril.  Like its predecessors, this film has no language.  The peril comes from two very action-packed scenes- one a house fire, the other a car wreck.  For queasy stomachs, yes, the girl in the car accident has a bloody nose; nothing too major though. 

            Thematic material?  Well, it’s a story revolving around this couple who is about to get a divorce.  That topic itself is a mature theme.  Secondly, there’s a pretty intense scene at the beginning of the movie where Caleb loses his temper and screams at his wife.  And thirdly, Caleb’s addiction to online avenues of pornography is implied.  What I love about Sherwood Pictures though is that they have a wonderful way of incorporating mature elements into their plots and yet adding them in a way so that the movie is still completely family-friendly and appropriate for young ages.  They have an incredible way of implying adult struggles so that they’re clear and meaningful to a mature audience but still preserve the naivety of children viewers.  They’re great movies.  Period.  If you understand the mature themes woven into the plots, they’re even better.

            At the end of the movie, we see a silhouette of Caleb and his wife kissing.  This was not his stage counterpart Erin Bethea; Sherwood Pictures brought in Kirk Cameron’s real wife for the scene.  What an innovative idea, right?      

            Fireproof is my personal favorite of Sherwood Pictures films so far; maybe because I’m such a romantic at heart.  Fireproof is a modern-day love story complete with heroic action, fantastic acting, and a faith-filled message to challenge the destruction of the family foundation in today’s society.  A great story about the true nature of sacrificial love that can come only from the Lord.   

 -Courageous:

            Courageous is Sherwood Pictures newest film.  This one was rated a PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements.  If it counts for anything, this is the only PG-13 movie my family has in the house though.  Still no language whatsoever.

            Courageous is the journey of police officers Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their comrades to discover the true role of a father.  A fantastic story about courageous and godly manhood and the role of a husband and father as the spiritual head of his home and leader of his family.  Sherwood Pictures did an especially incredible job on this latest project; following a thick plot with unexpected twists, opening with a dramatic scene, incorporating realistic action, and effectively reaching the public with a message of godly fatherhood, Sherwood Pictures did a great job.  You’ll be crying one moment, laughing hysterically the next, and on the edge of your seat at parts.  Like their other films, Courageous is definitely a two-thumbs-up movie.

            Violence and thematic elements.  It’s a movie with a lot of law enforcement action so there is some shooting and some grappling.  We see Adam with a bleeding lip at one point; again, nothing really gory.  The movie does a great job capturing the reality of modern-day crime, but because of that, it does show gang activity, including one scene in which the gang is beating up a new member as part of the process of initiation.  The scene could be quite disturbing to some.  And there is some drug content in the film.  No one is actually shown taking the drugs though, and it is definitely portrayed in a negative light.

            Overall, Courageous is certainly another great achievement of Sherwood Pictures, and I hope that they will be enabled with the means of producing more wholesome family films for the Lord’s glory as they continue to put God first in their endeavors.

*For more movie reviews, check out Focus on the Family’s website Plugged In.  Plugged In offers very thorough reviews of movies from a Christian perspective as well as reviews for TV shows, music, and video games.  Their reviews are so thorough; however, that it’s both a good thing and a bad thing. 

The good side is that it’s great because everyone has different levels of convictions.  Some people might be okay with watching a movie that has a bar scene but not a movie with a scene of someone smoking meth.  Others may be opposed to any content of alcohol or drug use.  Plugged In’s thoroughness allows you to decide for yourself if the movie is something you want to allow your family to see.

            The bad side is that, again, words are very powerful.  If you have a vivid imagination like I have, then the reviews are so descriptive that you might as well just be watching the worst parts of the movie.  Plugged In is a great sight, but like with anything, you should apply discretion and good judgment when using it.    

Photo courtesy: Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

Untied or United?

Untied or United?

        When was the last time that you recited the Pledge of Allegiance?  The pledge is so rarely recited now that many young children in this generation probably don’t even know the words by memory.  As a review, here are the words to the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States:

I pledge allegiance to the flag

Of the United States of America,

And to the republic for which it stands,

One nation under God, indivisible,

With liberty and justice for all

             I honestly cannot remember the last time that I recited this pledge.  I wonder why it’s so rarely heard outside of court rooms, and in some cases, outside of schools now.  Could it be because of those two words… under God?

The original Pledge of Allegiance penned by Francis Bellamy in 1892 did not actually include these two words.  It was not until 1954 that the phrase “under God” was added. 

Those two words may seem insignificant- after all, they’re only two words- but without those two, the three major words that follow it hold absolutely no value.  Indivisible means “cannot be divided.”  Without God there can be no lasting unity, no genuine liberty, and no sincere justice.

A brilliant philosopher once said a phrase that has become a considerably well-known quote: “America is great because she is good.  If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”  Now here’s the big question: are we as a nation still “good”?  Every year, unborn babies are being literally murdered in America under the guise of legalization.  Is abortion “good”?  Sexual sins are becoming more rampant and openly displayed in our ever-increasingly liberal American society.  Are fornication, homosexuality, and pornography “good”?  Every day, drug and alcohol-related crimes are committed in cities across America.  Is alcohol and drug abuse “good”?  In my opinion, our nation is no longer under God.

A mistake I often make when typing the words the United States of America is to reverse the order of the i and the t in united.  Even as I write this post, I find myself repeatedly making this mistake.  If you reverse the order of these two letters, the phrase reads the Untied States of America.  At first thought, this is a pretty comical error, but a further consideration of this typo reveals a very unwelcome truth.

Take a closer look at the word united.  The letters i and t are directly in the middle of the word.  And what does i and t spell together?  It.  I like to think of “It” as being the presence of God.  God is in the very center of unity, and without Him, nothing can hold together for any considerable length of time.

Indivisibility, liberty, and justice are all linked to this “It” and to each other.  Take the American Civil War for instance.  For the first and only time in our nation’s history was the country divided.  There were many causes for the war, but besides the issue of racial injustice, was there perhaps a seed of injustice growing between the northern and sthern regions of the country?  Could this be one of the issues that eventually led to the separation of the states?  And consider divorce.  Why are there so many more divorces nowadays than there used to be?  Could it maybe be because our society no longer builds its families upon the foundation of God and His truths?  Because they no longer keep “It” as the center of their lives?

If you take “It” and reverse its order- get it all mixed up- what do you get in the word united?  You’re right back to the word untied again!  Has our nation become confused when it comes to the presence of God and a relationship with Him?  Have we exchanged a relationship with Jesus Christ for a cold and stale Christianity, a false religion, or even no faith at all?  As much as I wish it were untrue, I honestly fear that our country is on a downhill course toward becoming not the United States of America, but the Untied States of America.  Unless we reverse our course and return “It”- the Lord- to the center our nation, we will never stay united. 

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, our nation’s Independence Day.  As we enjoy the displays of fireworks, our cookouts, and fellowship with friends and family, let’s have a good time and celebrate the birth of our country, but let’s also remember to keep the “It” in not only our day, but the everyday of our lives.  May the Lord continue to bless the U.S.A. and to turn the hearts of its people back to Him. 

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

~Francis Scott Key

“The Star-Spangled Banner”

1814

*For a list of great patriotic songs, see the Some Gave All Heart-chords post in May.  Also, if you enjoyed reading the short story I had featured in my Memorial Day tribute post series, now you can reread all of the scenes compiled together on my writing blog The Avid Author. (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com)  You can also find an excerpt and book trailer there for my new novel The Heart of a Hero.

NOTICE: I know some of you have had a difficult time trying to post a comment here without a Blogger ID.  I finally discovered the settings for my comments and have adjusted them so you shouldn’t have any more trouble.  You should be able to post a comment anonymously now without having a Blogger ID, although you can still sign your name at the end of your comment if you’d like.

Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3