 I grew up listening to Tom Petty. His music, with and without The Heartbreakers, and The Traveling Wilburys and others, was a staple in our home. It is still hard for me to believe that he is no longer with us. But, I am thankful that his music and lyrics are!
I think all of you know by now that music is a very important part of my life. And, if you read my blog regularly, you also know that I like to take popular and/or secular music and look for God in it. Or, find a way to point any music that I listen to back to God. It is just something that I do. So, yes, I am doing it again! In the unprecedented times in which we are living, where I feel that the devil and his minions are freely showing themselves and obviously think they have the upper hand and control our nation, I have news for these demons, WE have the victory. God has already won. You have been beaten! You may think you have won, but not so fast--we Christian, we Believers, We WON"T BACK DOWN! And, so this song and these lyrics have never been more relevant. Thank you, Tom for sharing this anthem and your many wonderful gifts with us! Well, I won't back down No, I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of hell But I won't back down No, I'll stand my ground Won't be turned around And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down Gonna stand my ground And I won't back down I won't back down Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out I won't back down Hey I will stand my ground And I won't back down Well I know what's right I got just one life In a world that keeps on pushin' me around But I'll stand my ground And I won't back down I won't back down Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out I won't back down Hey, I will stand my ground (I won't back down) And I won't back down
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 A while back I learned about the Japanese art form of Kintsugi. Kintsugi means "golden joinery." It is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer mixed with powdered gold. The philosophy behind this is to treat the breakage and repair as part of the history of the object, rather than to just disguise it.
Isn't this just beautiful? As you can see from the photo above, I think it makes this once ordinary bowl breathtaking, don't you? This is what God does for us as human beings. He takes our brokenness, our hurts, and our sorrows and with His heroic love He starts to make us whole. The Lord's love is not just any old love, His love is a triumphant mix of mercy, grace, tenderness, forgiveness, and kindness. His love heals us. His amazing and potent love; His combination of ingredients makes us golden. Over time, as we bask and grow in His love, we will go from glory to glory. And, as such, we will become more and more like Him. One might even say more golden. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18) This is what it means to grow spiritually in Christ. And, I don't know about you, but I want to be more golden--more like Him. And, we are all broken, aren't we? Each in our own way. Some of us are more broken than others. But, praise God, He can heal us. All we have to do is ask Him. I know that sounds too easy--too good to be true. But, it IS true. How do I know? Because, not only does the Bible tell me so, but I have personally experienced it for myself. I may be broken, but because of God's love for me, I am now beautifully so! My cracks are being sealed with God's golden love for me. His love makes me whole. And, as typically happens with me, this reminds me of a song I need to share with you that reinforces this thought: Beautifully Broken by Plumb. Here are the lyrics: Every tear, every doubt Every time you've fallen down When you're hurting, feeling shame When you're numbing all your pain When you've lost your way And feel so far away You're not You're beautifully broken And you can be whole again Even a million scars Doesn't change whose you are You're worthy Beautifully broken Every fear of being loved For who you are no matter what When you're stumbling, with each step And you're haunted by regret And the darkness closes in Just listen You're beautifully broken And you can be whole again Even a million scars Doesn't change whose you are You're worthy Beautifully broken You're beautifully broken (beautifully broken) You're beautifully broken Oh, the god who made the stars Is the god that made your heart And he's holding you right…  We are living in very stressful, very chaotic times. "Normal" life is stressful enough, but throw in a world pandemic, economic uncertainty, rioting and racial unease, and a presidential election into the mix, and stressful doesn't even begin to cover it. But, well, here we are. Welcome to life in 2020.
 Photo By Devin Harvey This past Friday evening, August 28, 2020, gospel artists "United to Fight Poverty" with a virtual concert on Youtube. It featured TobyMac, Hillsong Worship, Kirk Franklin, for KING & COUNTRY, Tamela Mann, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matthew West, CeCe Winans, Natalie Grant, Zach Williams, Mandisa, Big Daddy Weave, Matt Maher, Phil Wickham, Christine D'Clario, Blanca, Rita Springer, Dante Bowe, Colony House, and Jon Reddick. And, y'all it was AWESOME!! I have never heard of Colony House before. The band is composed of brothers Caleb Chapman on vocals and Will Chapman on drums, with guitarist Scott Mills, and bassist Parke Cottrell. Caleb and Will are the sons of contemporary Christian musician, Steven Curtis Chapman. Take a listen to their songs Looking for Some Light and Waiting for My Time to Come. I have never listened to Kirk Franklin before either. Y'all, I have been missing out! I have no idea where I have been, I guess under a rock or something! lol Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American choir director, gospel musician, singer, songwriter, and author. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel choirs such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew among many others. He has won numerous awards, including 16 Grammy Awards. His song Love Theory has me grooving! You will have this on repeat! And, Wanna Be Happy? has an amazing message. It never ceases to amaze me how much music can do for your soul. How it can just lift your heart or comfort your hurts or explain exactly how you feel. I have said it before and will say it until I die, music is medicine.
 A few Sundays ago I was listening to Mandisa on my Abide App while I was at the gym. She asked, "what is your song?" She was sharing with us that we each need to write our own song about our life. Mandisa pointed out that while all bluebirds sing and sound very similar in their song, that they each have a distinct sound that belongs to only them. We are the same way.
So, ever since then, I have been thinking about what my song is. I have written a few lines in my head and thought it would be good to actually get them on paper. (Or, type them out, as we do nowadays!) And, so here we are. I realized that for a few years now I have been repeating three words in my head to myself. I say them over and over. So, I figured these words would be the name of my song. Trust and Believe I trust and believe in you, O Lord. I trust and believe in you. Your Word is my lamp and my sword. I long to be in your presence and one day see your face. I am ever so grateful for your love and never-ending grace. When this world becomes too much and my struggles overwhelm. I turn to you and trust and believe, because you are at the helm. I trust and believe in you, O Lord. I trust and believe in you. I know the promises you have made. And I know that they are true. I know that you love and cherish me. I place all my hope in you. Many days my strength fails me, And my head and heart are a mess. But, in you, I find my comfort. In you, I find my rest. I trust and believe in you, O Lord. I trust and believe in you. I place my confidence and my heart in your hands. I gladly give you my life, It is yours to direct and plan. I rest securely in the knowledge that I seek and find in your Word. That I need not fear, nor worry, nor live my life on my own. I rest securely in the knowledge that Jesus will come again. It is for all these things and more, O Lord, I sing your praises evermore. I trust and believe in you, O Lord. I trust and believe in you. This is it. This is what I have so far. Maybe one day I can put some music to it, somehow. And, maybe even find my voice to sing out loud. So, what about you? What is your song? I would love to hear it!  It is an unprecedented time in our history. It is a time of fear and unease. We are smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic called the coronavirus. A lot of us are “social distancing” right now—or at least, I hope we are. And in response I think people are spending more time on social media.
One of the ways we are coping is by trying to focus on fun and light-hearted things. One of the ones I like that have been going around Face book is people listing songs that fit, or go along with, the COVID-19 crisis. They are naming songs like “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, and “One is the Loneliest Number” by Three Dog Night. For some reason, as I was lying in bed last night, another song popped into my head. One that I have not thought of in a long time, but realized would be the perfect song to be my “theme” song during this scary time. And, then I realized that it should not only be my theme song, but everyone’s theme song. The song I am referring to is “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle, which, by the way, hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987. (I was eleven years old.) In Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If you listen to “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” you will note that it’s more of a romantic-type song. It's a song that sounds like Belinda is singing to her love. Well, if you read the lyrics, you can actually paint a different picture for yourself. Read the words to yourself and direct them towards our Heavenly Father. They don’t need to be romantic at all. When you read them as if towards the Lord, they fit and make so much sense--especially in this time of fear, worry, and the unknown. When the night falls down I wait for you and you come around And the world's alive with the sound Of kids on the street outside When you walk into the room You pull me close and we start to move And we're spinning with the stars above And you lift me up in a wave of love Ooh, baby, do you know what that's worth? Ooh, heaven is a place on earth They say in heaven love comes first We'll make heaven a place on earth Ooh, heaven is a place on earth When I feel alone, I reach for you And you bring me home When I'm lost at sea I hear your voice And it carries me In this world we're just beginning To understand the miracle of living Baby, I was afraid before But I'm not afraid anymore Once we know God as our Lord and Savior, we don’t need to be afraid of anything anymore. As Isaiah 41:10 reminds us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” And, as we learn in Matthew, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. And, Mrs. Carlisle drives all of these point home with this song; "I'm not afraid anymore," “love comes first” and, “we’ll make heaven a place on earth”—just as Jesus tells us. By knowing and trusting in the Lord Jesus, we can do all of these things! What an encouraging and needed reminder in this time of the coronavirus. We don’t need to physically be near people to love them, encourage them, and uplift them. We only need a heart that cares. So, let’s take Belinda’s advice and put love first and make heaven a place on earth.  Photo taken from The Joy FM website. Ya’ll – I just have to drop in today and share something AWESOME with you.
I listen to the Joy FM every morning driving to work. This morning The Morning Cruise with Dave, Bill and Carmen were talking to Tauren Wells about his new album, Citizen of Heaven. This new album is AMAZING!! Tauren is AMAZING!! Please do yourself a favor and stop what you are doing and go and listen. Right. Now. Go. Listen. Go. You’re welcome! |
WELCOMEI am so glad you are here! I am Erica Strickland, a girl who loves God. My goal here is to simply share His love and light. Categories
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