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.

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.
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You’re welcome!

Last Wednesday, as I was driving home from work, I was flipping through the radio dial, as per my usual, when I heard a song that stopped me in my tracks. I was fortuitous enough to catch basically the entire song. It was a song I loved from a band I adored from many years past. (My sophomore year in high school, to be exact.) It was from an album that I listened to countless times over. And, to this day, I still regard that album as one of top favorites of all time.

That song was “Hole Hearted” by Extreme.

After the song finished playing, the DJ came on the air and informed us that that song, which reached #4 on the billboard charts, came off of the certified double platinum album Extreme II: Pornograffitti (A Funked Up Fairy Tale), which was released on this day (August 7) in 1990; 29 years ago.

I literally gasped out loud.

How on earth?

Twenty-nine years ago?!?!

That can’t be right!

I got home and hopped on the interwebs…and yes, that information the DJ shared with us was indeed correct.

This not only makes me feel old, but ancient. Le sigh…

I am hoping that since it made it to #4 on the charts, that you have heard of it. If not, you have probably heard of “More Than Words” which is also from that same album. It reached #1 on the charts.

Anyway, if you haven’t heard this song, I suggest you go check it out.

As I have shared with y’all in the past, I listen to music now with “new” ears and a heart for God, and I play a little game when I do so--Musical Hide and Seek. I try and find God in all the music I listen to, whether the songs writers meant for Him to be in there or not. So, in listening to “Hole Hearted”—a song I have heard a gazillion times—I heard it in a completely new light.

Here are the lyrics:
Life's ambition occupy my time
Priorities confuse the mind
Happiness one step behind
This inner peace I've yet to find

Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If I'm not blind why can't I see
That a circle can't fit where a square should be

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Can't be filled with the things I do

Hole hearted (x2)
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This heart of stone is where I hide
These feet of clay kep warm inside
Day by day less satisfied
Not fade away before I die

Rivers flow into the sea
Yet even the sea is not so full of me
If I'm not blind why can't I see
That a circle can't fit where a square should be

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
And this hole in my heart
Can't be filled with the things I do

There's a hole in my heart
That can only be filled by you
Should have known from the start
I'd fall short with the things I do

Hole hearted (x6)

As I sang along to the song, the lyrics really hit me. This could easily be a praise and worship song written to God. (I seriously doubt that Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone wrote this song to God or about God. But, I mean honestly, listen to it. Doesn’t it just fit perfectly?) It also goes along flawlessly with the post I wrote about “Filling the Hole.” The only thing that can fill the hole in our lives is God.
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Can’t you just hear this song being played today on your favorite contemporary Christian station? Oh…or how about someone like Phil Wickham or Matthew West redoing it with a Christian stance? I don’t know about you, but I would love that. And, I just can’t get over what a truly powerful song this is and how powerful it could be in terms of Christian ministry. I don’t know about you, but the next time I sing this song,  I will be singing it to God with my hole heart!

Trying to live a good Christian life is not always easy. As a matter of fact, the truth is, the devil does everything he can to make it hard for us and hard on us. That is why it is vital that we suit up in God’s armor each and every day. We need to pray, read our Bibles, and spend quality time with God each and every day—not just on Sundays. (For more on this read my post The Devil Inside.)

It is also super important that we seek and find joy every day as well. Once you start spending more and more time with God, the easier it becomes to find that joy. However, while there is beauty all around us, opening our eyes to it and finding the joy in life, well…that can be hard. We all get busy and just living life gets in the way. So, I wanted to share something with you today that I know will help you. Well, it least it has helped me, so I want to pass it along.

So, what is the little golden nugget of advice I have for you today, you ask? What is it that will help you find more joy in life? Listen to music. More specifically, listen to contemporary Christian music. (CCM for short.) And, while I am at it, might I suggest listening to The Joy FM?*  

I started my spiritual journey in earnest about seven years ago. I have been taking baby steps every day since—little, tiny, baby steps. And, all those little baby steps have added up over the years! One of the most crucial things I have realized is that listening to good Christian music can make a world of difference.

I specifically remember, a few years ago, lying in bed and it dawning on me that I needed Jesus all the time. Not just on Sundays, not just when I was depressed, not just when I was sick or needy, and not just when it suited me. I needed Him all the time: every day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

My next thought was, how on earth can I keep my focus on Him all the time? I actually started freaking out a little about it. I was already at a point in my journey where I was making sure to pray every morning before I got out of bed and every night before I went to sleep. I was spending time each day reading both my Bible and a devotional. Being married with a full-time job, doing contract work on the side, and living and dealing with what I refer to as a “mystery” illness that requires I get a lot more rest than normal women, what else could I feasibly do? Well, this is where the music comes in!

As some of you already know, I am a huge music fan. And, I listen to and love music of all different types. However, there is just something extra special about contemporary Christian music that fills me up, lifts my soul, and brings me joy. Instead of looking for joy with your eyes, listen to it with your ears and heart! It is amazing medicine for your soul.

I listen to music mainly in the car; flipping through radio stations, stopping any time I come across a song I like. During this specific time in my journey, I was already listening to CCM, just not all the time. But, once I started really listening to the lyrics of the songs, I basically started to transform my way of thinking. Songs were getting stuck in my head, that I would sing to myself all day. It really made a significant difference in how much I started thinking about Jesus each day. It really helped me focus on Him more and more. Now CCM is basically all I listen to. You really owe it to yourself to give it a try.

*Before I leave, I must share one more bit of advice with you. Listen to The Joy FM. They are a Christian radio station that has been serving the metro Atlanta area since 1981. They also have radio towers and can be heard in Florida and Alabama. And, thanks to the internet and an app, you can listen to them anywhere in the world. They are a nonprofit, listener supported station that is doing the imperative work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. They promise to help you find joy, share joy, and be joy, and boy do they ever deliver! They are genuinely good people who truly care.

​All of their DJ’s are great, but I especially love The Morning Cruise; Carmen Brown, Dave Cruse, and Bill Martin. Listening to them in the morning is like sitting down and hanging out with good friends. Come to think of it, they are more like family. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Spend a few days listening to them and I think you will agree. I encourage you to let The Joy FM and the contemporary Christian music they play fill up your heart, mind, and soul with God and joy. It is a very simple, but powerful way to help you keep your focus on God and bring you joy, each and every day.