January 2019 Archives
CD Review: Silhouette (The Wisecarvers)
I first heard The Wisecarvers on the National Quartet Convention’s live feed in 2017, and I was immediately impressed. I didn’t realize until I started this review that they also write their songs which is a bonus in my book. The only song they didn’t write on this recording is the hymn Amazing Grace.
Songs of special mention:
Best of Forever “I’ll be with You for the best of forever because you saved me from the worst of forever.” It’s not because of anything that I have done but because of His mercy, He saved me. I am so thankful!
When You Look at Me Am I the person God created me to be? Is He pleased with how I am living my life? Good questions to ask yourself.
You Have My Attention I love this song. It starts by painting a picture of someone who is desperate to hear from the Lord and ends with God stopping and paying attention to the soul who is fervently seeking Him.
Love You Still No matter what my future holds, God has been so good to me. He continues to be worthy of our love.
Someone Else’s Valley When things are going well, it can be easy to forget others who are hurting. This song encourages us to not forget someone else’s valley.
Potter’s Wheel is an encouraging song for those who are hurting. God will put the pieces back together. He loves you.
Other songs included are Begin With You, Jesus to Me, Silhouette, Go Down Again, and Manufactured Smiles.
What Every Spouse (and Future Spouse) Needs
Although I am not married, I write on the topic periodically because I am grieved by how many marriages end on a daily basis. For those who are unmarried but desire to be married one day, I encourage you to work on this list now. It can also help to improve other relationships. If your marriage is on the rocks, I hope you will pray over this list and see if there are changes that you can incorporate to improve your situation. You may find that your spouse is not the problem. I don’t write because I have attained–I struggle in these areas myself–but they are Biblical principles that we all must strive for.
Humility – As you’ve no doubt heard me say before, I believe that pride is the root of every relational conflict you or I encounter. Whether the pride is in you, your spouse, or both, it is there somewhere. Humans like to be “right.” They like having their way. If you are not diligent to humble yourself when disagreements arise, you can be sure there will be conflict.
Patience – First Corinthians 13:4 tells us that love is patient and kind. It is very hard to be patient with those you live with. When dating, you may overlook a person’s quirks or idiosyncracies but these can become annoying when you experience them on a daily basis. If something is bothering you, talk with your spouse but do it in a gentle, loving manner. It’s possible that your significant other will be able to change some things to accommodate you. If they can’t or won’t, you must learn to have patience and love them anyway.
Selflessness – Love also does not seek its own way (1 Corinthians 13:5) but it esteems others as better than himself (Philippians 2:3). This is extremely hard to do but, if you want a truly joyful marriage, it is a must. I’ve known marriages that have ended because a husband or wife did not get the “me time” they wanted. Then I hear others complain that their spouse is never around. Everyone’s needs and desires are different so, if you are not yet married but are planning to be, this would be a good topic to discuss before your marriage. Find out what the expectations are and make sure that you are on the same page. If you are already married and struggling with this issue, again, talk it out. See if you can come up with a plan that will allow both parties to receive the time together and the time alone that they need.
I’m very aware that marriage is hard work (every married person I talk to wants to make sure that I know this) but the Bible talks about it as being a good thing and, with God’s help, I believe it can be. Not everyone is called to marry, but if you are, I hope that you will ask God to make you the husband or wife that your spouse needs. Two are only better than one if God is the one bringing them together. If He is, then you must allow Him to do a work in your heart to save your marriage if at all possible. If your spouse walks away anyway, then you can rest in knowing that you did all you could do, and your husband or wife is now in His hands. You may, however, find yourself loving your spouse more than you ever thought possible. God can do so much with a heart truly surrendered to Him.
CD Review: Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout (Various Artists)
If you like bluegrass gospel, you will like this new CD produced by Jerry Salley and featuring songs written or co-written by Rick Lang. Songs include are:
Thinkin’ Outside the Box by Dave Adkins
Heaven’s Back Yard by High Road
I See God by Marty Raybon
Don’t Tune Him Out by The Whites
The Back of the Church by Jerry Salley
Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout by Claire Lynch
Henry Clayton Parker by Bradley Walker
There Will Be Singing by The Cox Family
I’ve Read the Book by Marty Raybon
They Were Fishermen by Kenny and Amanda Smith
Sunday Morning Gospel Jubilee by Larry Cordle
There Is a Light by Dave Adkins
I like the songs sung by female singers or mixed groups. The others are just okay by my standards. This will be an occasional listen for me but there was enough merit to warrant a review.
Live Like Today is Your Last
In the last few years, several of my friends have gone Home to be with Jesus–some unexpectedly.
I think a lot about the brevity of life. We live like there will be a tomorrow, but the fact is that we don’t know whether we will live another day or not. This becomes more clear to me every day.
I wonder how differently I would live if I knew that this would be my last day on earth. I expect that I would spend more time with God and with my family. I would make sure those I love know how much they mean to me. The good news is that we can live this way every day … and I think we should.
In the eternal scheme of things, life is short. We have one chance to make a difference. I, for one, hope to live each day as if it were my last. I expect that I won’t always do it flawlessly but this is one of my goals for 2019. May God help each one of us to know what He desires of us, and may we be faithful to complete those tasks until the day He calls us Home.
What Does Humility Look Like?
This year, my mind has been going in so many directions that, whenever I come up with an idea for a blog post, I go ahead and make a draft with a title so that I can write it when I have time to put my thoughts together. This morning, I did a Facebook live video and shared a few thoughts on pride and humility. Therefore, I had to smile when I opened my drafts folder and found this title that I saved back in September. It is not easy writing this way as it can be hard to remember the direction I wanted to go months ago or what exactly was on my mind, but I know that God’s timing is perfect, and He has a way of bringing the posts together anyway.
Some of the points I made in my video were that pride seems to be the one sin that everyone struggles with. I don’t think I am overstating that. I believe that pride is at the root of every relational conflict when either one or more parties are determined to be “right,” to have their way, or to save face. With this in mind, I think it is important to understand what humility is … and what it is not.
I love how C.S. Lewis put it:
Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
A humble person does not constantly beat herself up as she focuses on everything she can’t do right or doesn’t think she is any good at. No, a truly humble person will “work heartily as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). The focus will be on Him, not one’s own inadequacies. This is something I have not mastered but I pray to improve in this area.
I rarely post anything on Facebook that people will argue with me about but occasionally I remind people that “self-esteem” is not Biblical. This typically brings a response. If you study Scripture, you will not find one place where we are told to love ourselves. In fact, in Romans 12:3, Paul gives us the opposite instruction:
I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
The answer is not low self-esteem either, as this can be rooted in as much pride as high self-esteem. The problem with self-esteem is the word “self.” You need to esteem others as better than yourself (Philippians 2:3). When you do this, you will become the servant Christ is calling you to be.
The best way to humble yourself is to focus completely on Christ and on others. When your goal is to please Him and serve others, you won’t have a need to brag and puff yourself up because you will know that you are only accomplishing what you are because of Him. He will increase but you will decrease … and you won’t mind one bit.
