Stepping Up

Stepping Up

           

            Well, today’s Valentine’s Day, everyone!  So a very Happy Valentine’s Day to you all and take the time today to show those special people in your life just how much they mean to you.  It’s true, this post should probably be about love, but unfortunately, that isn’t the lesson I was given to share, so this post will just have to not pertain to the occasion.

             I had my riding lesson yesterday, and this was my second time working with my new project horse.  Her name’s Cheyenne, and Cheyenne is an incredibly intelligent horse.  I mean, really really smart.  My riding instructor has assigned her to me as my new project because she says that Cheyenne will take me to the next level in my riding and training abilities.  Working with her will help me take the next step up.

            The Lord uses people as instruments in our lives sometimes, and the person He uses most in my life is my mom.  My mom is His chief instrument for confirmation in my life.  Here’s how the process normally goes: God begins speaking to me about something, I keep it to myself and never tell anyone what He’s doing in my heart, and then one day, my mom will say something in a casual everyday conversation that hits straight-on to what the Lord had been speaking to me about.  And the incredible thing is, because I never tell anyone what the Lord’s changing, shaping, and molding in me, my mom doesn’t even know the apt-timing of her words!  It seems like a coincidence, but I know it isn’t.  It’s God.  And it’s one of those “Whoa, what made you say that?” moments.

            Needless to say, one of those moments landed in a conversation a few days ago.  For a very long while, the Lord had been laying on my heart a burden for something and a desire to do something about it someday.  I dreamed about having an outlet for that passion He had placed in me, but I never once realized that maybe He had already placed an opportunity for that outlet in my path not someday, but right now.  A light-hearted conversation with my mom left the realization of it settling deep into my heart, and it kept me awake into the late hours of that night as I laid in bed allowing the Lord to speak to me. 

            Cheyenne, my new project, is an extremely intelligent horse, as I said, but because she’s so smart, she puts my confidence to a test.  She intimidates me a little and makes me question my training knowledge and abilities sometimes.  So why do I continue training her?  Because I know the experience will make me a better rider and a better trainer.  I know it’s for my good.  It isn’t necessarily easy, but I know it’s a step I have to take in order to go up to the next level.

            I had my conversation with my mom on my mind for most the day, and after my riding lesson, the Lord used my experience riding that morning to speak to me about our conversation.  He used my lesson on Cheyenne to illustrate to me a truth about my situation.  Just as my riding instructor has assigned Cheyenne to me to take me to the next level, so the Lord calls us to fulfill tasks to take us to the next level in our spiritual walk with Him.

            He calls us to do things that aren’t always easy, and unless we’re willing to endure the difficulties, we won’t want to do them.  Sometimes, He asks us to step out of our comfort zone and do something we might be intimidated or fearful to do.  But it’s for our good and it’s for our benefit and it’s the only way we’ll ever step up to the next level He wants to bring us to.  Unless we’re willing to follow His calling wherever it takes us and whatever He calls us to do, we’re never going to grow spiritually.  If we’re too fearful to take the next step, we’re never going to get any farther on our journey with Him.  You cannot travel down a road unless you take the first step.  And sometimes, you won’t see the end of the road.  Sometimes you’ll simply have to trust and take a step of faith.  (See the post Faith and Fingerpicking for more on the topic.)  For “we live by faith, not by sight.” (2Co 5:7)

            When I ride, I usually come home with bruises on my legs, particularly on the inner side of my knees.  After riding Cheyenne, I again had bruises.  Following the Lord’s call is not always pain-free.  He doesn’t promise that it’ll always be easy, but He does promise that He’ll always be with us every step of the way.  “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Jos 1:5)  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear…” (Ps 46:1&2)  We might get some bruises in the process, but knowing that we’re walking in His will for us is far worth the sacrifice, I promise, and He will equip us with the strength to see the task through.  “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Php 4:13)

            Training Cheyenne not only benefits me by fashioning me into a better rider and trainer, but it also benefits Cheyenne by making her into a better trained horse.  The Lord also revealed to me that the plans He has for me are not only for my personal benefit but for others’ benefits as well.  What the Lord calls us to do, He will also use to minister to others’ lives if we’re only willing and obedient to follow His guidance.

            So I ask you… What is God calling you to do that you’re reluctant to?  And why are you reluctant?  Because of fears, intimidation, and the inconvenience of it maybe?  As my favorite country singer Keith Urban admitted once “…my instincts have always been to run from things that are good for me...”  Don’t we all?  Or as my favorite Christian music artist Jonny Diaz sings in his song Irony, “I always liked the grass to be green, but I just can’t take the rain it seems sometimes.  And that’s how it is with You and me.  I hate the very things I need sometimes.”  It’s time we stop running though from what the Lord is calling us to do.  It’s time we prayerfully follow wherever He leads us and allow Him to take us to the next level in our relationship with Him.  “Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path…” (Ps 27:11)  “Teach me to do your will; for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Ps 143:10)  It’s time to step out of our comfort zones and leave behind the fears and intimidations, friends.  It’s time to take the step up.

 

 

“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”

Hebrews 6:1

 

 

*Although this post doesn’t coincide with Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share with you all a list of my favorite love songs, a mix of Christian, country, and pop.  Those marked with an asterisk are my top favorites.

 

Walking On Sunshine by Aly & AJ

*First Dance by Amanda Falk

*London by Brandon Heath

Love Will Be Enough For Us by Brandon Heath

But for the Grace of God by Keith Urban

I Could Fly by Keith Urban

*Without You by Keith Urban

Won’t Let You Down by Keith Urban

I’m Already There by Lonestar

When We’re Together by Mark Harris

*Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts

I Won’t Let Go by Rascal Flatts

*Begin Again by Taylor Swift

 

            Love is a blessing and a gift, but it also makes us vulnerable.  As Keith Urban put it, “It’s all well and good to say, ‘I can’t find anybody to love, I wish I could find someone to love.’  But do I have the courage to love?  Am I willing to open my heart and give the sword to my partner and go, ‘All right, I trust you, absolutely and completely?’”  Our world today has a different perspective of love and a different definition of it than what God’s definition and idea is.  Because of that, many have been hurt by love because they gave the sword to someone who didn’t understand God’s definition of it.  It’s time to begin again, and let’s show the world the love of God and the Biblical definition of love for others… love in its purest form. 

 

“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

1Corinthians 13:4-8

 

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

 

 

**You can also find beginner guitar chords for Irony by Jonny Diaz, First Dance by Amanda Falk, London by Brandon Heath, and soon Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts on The Avid Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).

 

 

Keith Urban quotations cited from www.keithurban.net

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

 

 



Faith and Fingerpicking

Faith and Fingerpicking

           

           What is your assignment?  For several weeks now, our pastor has asked his congregation this question.  What is your God-dream, he asks us.

            Let’s open by talking a little about music.  Whether you play guitar or not, we can probably all say that we’ve at least seen someone else play guitar before.  While you can both strum or fingerpick on an acoustic guitar and on an electric guitar, if you’re like me, you usually think of strumming a song on an acoustic guitar and picking it on an electric.  As most of you probably know by now, I play basic acoustic guitar.  But I don’t know how to play electric, nor can I pick on my acoustic guitar.  Naturally when I think of playing a song on a guitar then, my conception of the music is in strum-patterns, not picking.

            In my post Symphony Sonnet from June 2012, I described our lives as being a symphony of praise to the Lord, and at the end of every post here, I explain why I chose the name “Heart-chords” for this blog.  I chose to name it “Heart-chords” because the Lord reminded that our lives are instruments on which a song- hopefully a song of praise to Him- is being played.  We can all get our arms around that ideology, right?  I had.  But God continually changes and expounds my insight as He teaches me day after day, and this is one such concept He gave me a second music lesson on. 

            Because I can’t fingerpick, when I play a song on my guitar, I use strum-patterns.  Long up and down strokes.  That’s how I’ve come to think of the melody of my life as well.  Oftentimes, our minds get wrapped around the idea that our lives will unfold all at once, the song of our lives will be played in big strokes.  We expect the pieces of our futures to all fall into place at once, to see the big picture revealed in high definition color on a big LED flat-screen.  And when it doesn’t happen like that, we get discouraged.

            But sometimes, God doesn’t play our heart-instruments as acoustic guitars, but rather, as electric guitars.  He doesn’t always show us the big picture; He doesn’t always reveal to us His entire plan for the future.  Sometimes we’re only shown the list of materials needed, not the blueprints for the construction of the house.  Sometimes He plays our lives’ melodies piece by piece in a series of very intentional, rhythmic plucking of the strings, rather than in long, even up-and-down strums.

If you play a musical instrument though, you know that it isn’t easy to play a song when you’re only given one note at a time.  Neither is it easy to patiently listen to the Lord play our life-songs by picking string by string.  But, as my best friend reminds me, “patience is a virtue.”  Still, patience isn’t easy.  When nothing seems to make sense, when we feel like we’re lost wandering aimlessly in a fog, when life doesn’t seem fair and leaves us asking “Why?” we want answers, don’t we?  We want to see the big picture.  We want to know the whole song.  We want it to unfold in big strums, in broad glimpses that make sense to our narrow understanding.  But if the Lord always revealed to us the greater picture, there wouldn’t be a need for faith, would there?  For “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1)    

            Sometimes we also get a mindset that the Lord’s plan for our life is going to be like a big production.  Like it’s going to be a Mozart or Beethoven sonnet with all the bells and whistles and works.  We expect it to be big and to be a show-stopper.  Something that brings a “whoa.”  We want to do something “great” like be a missionary to a foreign country or an evangelist with an auditorium packed wherever he travels to preach.  There’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these, and if the Lord has called you to a big assignment like that, then my best wishes and prayers go to you in the task you’ve been called to.  But for most of us, our assignments aren’t what we call “big”; they don’t bring a “whoa.”  For some of us, no one will even recognize the work we do.  But God still has a song for each of our lives, an assignment He wants us to fulfill.  It won’t always be a concert that elicits a big applause and draws a big crowd though.  Sometimes it’ll just be like a song fingerpicked on a guitar in a quiet bedroom.  It doesn’t get a lot of attention, it isn’t a big musical composition, but it’s still a song being played that others can hear if they listen.  The Lord doesn’t require that we bring out all the orchestra instruments or have the flashing colored lights and the disco ball when we play the song of our lives.  He only requires of us that we play the song He’s written for us, whether it unfolds in clear strums or in little plucks of fingerpicking.  Whether we’re given a sheet of music to play or only a few chords at a time.  To wait patiently and to trust in His bigger plan and greater understanding.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Pr 3:5&6)

            So I ask you not “What is your assignment?” but “What is your assignment right now?”  What are the guitar chords the Lord has given you to play in this season of your life?  Life assignments aren’t always one big composition.  Oftentimes, they’re composed of little assignments instead, a song played piece by piece on your heart-chords and on your life as your heart-instrument.  It doesn’t have to be big.  Remember, a house is built nail by nail, and the world is changed heart by heart.  Maybe your life-song doesn’t make sense right now, and that’s okay.  Trust and have faith, because remember, every song is played note by note, chord by chord, strum by strum, or sometimes… by just a little picking here and there.

 

 
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5

 

 

*Two of my favorite songs about waiting on the Lord to reveal the greater picture to us and about trusting His plans over our own understanding are Waiting Room by Jonny Diaz and While I’m Waiting by John Waller (which happens to be on the Fireproof Motion Picture Soundtrack, one of my top favorite movies).  Good stuff!  Additionally, you can find beginner guitar chords for Waiting Room on my post Jonny Diaz Song Chords on The Avid Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).

 

**Live near Dacula, Georgia, and are looking for a home church?  I welcome you to come visit my home church Cornerstone Fellowship, Assemblies of God denomination.  For service times, directions, and more information about our various classes and ministries, visit our website at mycornerstonefellowship.org.

 

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