Michael Buble. Love his super-smooth voice, love the emotional sentiment.
Category Archives: 5 Songs I am Singing
Lover of My Soul
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.” Ps 19.7
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul…” Ps 23.2-3a
“I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.” Ps 31.7
“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ Your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Ps 94.18, 19
“Be at rest once more, o my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For You, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.” Ps 116.7-8
Charles Wesley’s famous hymn called Jesus the “Lover of my soul,” and painting a picture of raging waters and a “storm of life” asks, even pleads with Jesus to be his refuge, his hiding place.
But this morning I am singing an older hymn – my current favorite “oldie” written sometime in the 1700’s: Be Still, My Soul. Amy Grant has an a m a z i n g rendition of it!
The soul, they say say, is the mind, the will and the emotions part of us. It is the center of the human personality and at times we think if we could just get past that part of ourselves, we could really serve God, be faithful, be holy. But I really think Jesus is the Lover of our souls. I think that is the part of us He created that brings Him a lot of joy. For even though that is where the anguish and battle of self-rule try to rage, the soul is also the part of us that makes the decision to repent.
Does He love me? All of me? Does He love the mind He created in me? Does He love my emotions? Does He love my very personality? Does some of it need a workover? Oh, yes, at times. But we are spirit, soul and body – and He made all of that – on purpose. He is the lover of my soul.
Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side Bear patienty the cross of grief or pain Leave to thy God to order and provide In every change He faithful will remain Be still, my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end. Be still my soul the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt here below…My Front Porch Looking In
I have a secret penchant for country music videos and really must avoid them, lest the suck me in to countless fruitless hours. A few years ago with a freshly broken foot and total loss of mobility, I indulged and saw this group singing about the most beautiful sight in the world being “from my front porch looking in” and it made me cry. At the time, Gavin was “a little carrot-top who can barely walk,” and it just struck my heart.
I just watched it again because it goes with my current “home” theme. It is by Lonestar and it remains one of my all-time favorite country music videos. They didn’t provide the code for imbedding the video, but link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-HtiZcHUmE&feature=related, watch, enjoy.
And I hope the people and things you love the most can be seen from your front porch looking in!
Where everybody knows your name…
Sometimes…
in this world
of strangers
and new-found friends
and doubtful dreams
and demands
and responsibilities
and troubles
and fast moves
and worries
and insecurities
a person wants to go seek out
the people and places that
knew what he used to be
what he dreamt
and what he hoped for
what he was and how he grew…
Sometimes a person just wants
To go home.
-Rhonda K Langefield
“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came…” The Cheers theme song
pictured: google snapshot called “forgotten”
A I
AI=Artificial intelligence
AI=Artificial Insemination (Wrex is trying to make me come to the farm to help increase the goat or cow population or something. I am simply not ready to hear about what a “jump steer” is and the “collection” of needed materials for artificial insemination, I’m not!)
AI=American Idol – my secret indulgence, my I-can’t-help-myself obsession. My judge-other-people-like-it’s-going-out-of-style possibly sinful conundrum.
So – can you believe I missed the first night (last Tuesday)? I had even read the yahoo article (by Matt Whitfield) on it beginning again and all the changes the new show and judge would bring and I still thought it was next week! But I caught the 2nd night of the season premier and I have to say: I still love this crazy, silly show! However, this season there will be big changes.
Matt’s article cited some:
Fewer trainwrecks: In an effort to bring more credibility to the show fewer freaks…delusional dorks…and [William Hungs] will be featured during the auditions. VERDICT: Boo! Don’t the producers realize that we voyeurs want to see as many sad clowns as possible? Guess not.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Actually, I (Jeanie) still felt I got my money’s worth on people I could judge and make fun of (not the obvious people – I have compassion on them, of course!). The show did feel more positive overall, more upbeat and dare I say it, even more encouraging!?!
Character development: With Hollywood Week finally becoming Hollywood Weeks, we’ll actually get to know the contestants and their stories, unlike in years past when the Top 12 could easily consist of strangers. VERDICT: Yay! Remember when Kelly Clarkson came out of nowhere in the final few weeks of the first season? She had virtually zero TV time until the finals. Blasphemy! Thankfully, that shouldn’t happen again.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: But I still don’t want them setting my emotions up for me. Go easy on the sob-story pitches, AI. I’ll choose those who deserve my pity.
Wild-card Round: For the first time since the show’s second season, the judges will select the final three contestants that will comprise the Top 12. VERDICT: Debatable. As much as I don’t trust the public opinion (hello, Taylor Hicks), I think the judges have enough power as is. Shouldn’t the viewers get to hand out the golden tickets? I dunno. This could be very good… or very, very bad.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: Hahhhahhahahhahha! For real – how did Taylor Hicks win?!
Top 12: With the semi-final round being comprised of 36 contestants — as opposed to the usual 24 — and with the judges determining the wild-cards, the makeup of the Top 12 won’t necessarily be split evenly among males and females. VERDICT: Finally! If more women (for example) deserve to make the finals, let them in! I think everyone is tired of the 6/6 split. The best singers should be in the finals. Not cute talentless hunks (Ace Young), not grandma-selected safe bets (Kevin Covais), and definitely not Sanjaya.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I soooooo agree. I also had to laugh when Matt called David Archulette a Monchichi lookalike! And yes – NOT Sanjaya!
New Judge: The new kid on the block is songwriter-producer Kara DioGuardi, the mastermind behind Xtina’s “Ain’t No Other Man,” Gwen Stefani’s “Rich Girl,” and Pink’s latest hit, “Sober.” Will she rely on her professional experience like Randy? Will she battle with Simon? Will she ultimately replace Paula? (All parties deny this rumor). Will she tell it like it is and risk hurting the contestants’ feelings? VERDICT: Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Well, at least we hope so.
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: I really like the new judge! I think she managed to improve Paula’s performance. Paula was almost lucid the other night. Still stupid, but almost normal. So, good move, AI. Kara seems like a smart addition, intelligent judge. I love how she sang that bikini-clad-clown under the table (saw the clip online).
The Matt Whitfield article also noted some rumored changes~
Fewer Themes: Rumor has it that viewers will no longer have to witness pop tarts trash country classics, crooners butcher Broadway tunes, and divas destroy Big Band standards. VERDICT: Phew! We can handle Billboard’s biggest hits, “songs from the year you were born” night and maybe a “movie soundtrack” theme, but an evening with Burt Bacharach must be banished!
HERE IS WHAT I THINK: The AI median fan age was just announced to be 40. But Burt Bacharach may be a stretch even for them. I like him, though. He wrote the soundtrack of my 1960s life. What the world needs now is love, sweet love…
Younger Mentors: In a perfect world, Season 8’s finalists won’t have to pretend to know who Neil Diamond is, let alone sing songs from his infinite oeuvre. Same goes for Andrew Lloyd Webber and anyone else with liver spots. VERDICT: This can’t happen soon enough. Did the producers ever think to invite anyone other than an octogenarian to mentor the finalists? It’s time. It’s time to tell Kelly Clarkson that in order to help her with her comeback, she needs to remember where she came from and make a triumphant return to the “Idol” stage. It’s time to enlist Rihanna and Chris Brown — no matter the cost. It’s time!
MY THOUGHTS: Dang, though. I was still hoping for a David Cassidy night. Guess not.
Yes, I will be watching American Idol for the next 5 months or so…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Set DVR!
Easy like Sunday Morning
You children of the 70s will recognize the title of this blog referencing the song, “Easy” by the Commodores. Frankly, church girl that I was, I couldn’t relate to the metaphor of Sunday being easy back then because Sundays were the hardest day of the week (Sunday morning church, people for Sunday dinner, choir practice at 4, Sunday night church, etc), but it was intriguing.
Sometimes I still cannot grasp the truth of what Jesus said about life following Him – that to follow Him would be to find rest for our souls (our minds, our wills, our emotions – our very personalities!) He even said that His yoke (which was a wooden beam used to tie two oxen together as they trudged forward in their very hard labor) would be easy. Easy. Seriously? When? Where?
What is the essence of what Jesus really said? Well, here it is 3 ways (Mt. 11.28-30):
“Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” NIV
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” THE MESSAGE
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-ladened and are overburdened, and I will cause you to rest [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls]. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good—not harsh, hard, sharp or pressing, but comfortable, gracious and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne. THE AMPLIFIED
Following Jesus is following REST!
Following Jesus and His plan for my days is NOT: ill-fitting (having a job to do but being stripped of the resources or authority to do it), heavy, harsh, hard, sharp (pain-causing), or pressing (can’t seem to stay ahead – losing your breath, feeling pushed), wearisome, burdensome, hard work (work is good, a blessing, but there is a work that is just nothing but hard and life-sapping), loud and abrasive.
Following Jesus and His plan for my days IS: go to Him, run, maybe. Because He is gentle and I will find rest for my whole being because He is going to give me rest! In Him? Real rest, recovery, living the abundant life freely, lightly. Ease. Relief. Refreshment. He’ll re-create me. And blessed quiet for my mind, my will, my emotions. Quiet for my emotions! I am sensing/feeling freer and lighter already!
And His call on my life? The work (good works) He prepared for me before time began (Eph. 2.10)? Easy. Light. Comfortable, gracious, and pleasant. Not to mention wholesome (whole, not fragmented, and holy).
I’ll trade this for all the churchy titles and religious service I have done all my life any day. Where do I sign up?…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: I am going to Him. I am going to follow Him and watch how He does this thing. I want to do life the way Jesus did…this is vital to life…”Why in the world would anybody put chains on me…”
Repeat the Sounding Joy!
I LOVE Christmas! I am not a very exuberant person by nature, not easily just all happy and light-hearted, but give me a vision and some understanding and I come alive. My Holy-Holiday-Calling is to remember and release a spirit of rejoicing in myself and in others as we make Jesus Christ and worshipping Him central to our sincere and over-the-top Christmas celebrating! And for all of the days of the year to follow…
“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8.10
The joy of the LORD is your strength. Are you hearing the sound?
This is the truth of this Christmas season for me. This is the message of hope God has directed me to over and again. This is the revelation of the gospel I am just beginning to understand. This is what the Apostle Paul tried to get through to the Philippians when he said “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!” (Ph 4.4). This is what I heard for the millionth and the very first time this Christmas season. It is the words you hear Linus recite in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and a sweet child’s voice inserted into Amy Grant’s 2008 Christmas hit, “I Need a Silent Night.” It is the truth above the roar of busyness and my epiphanic-fervor:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of GREAT JOY which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.'” Luke 2.8-11 NKJV
The revelation of Jesus Christ and His arrival as our Savior was good news of great joy! Our strength indeed!
The Jesus and joy connection?
“I have told you this so that My joy may in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15.11).
“Ask and you wll receive and your joy will be complete” (John 16.24).
“But I say these things…so that they may have the full measure of My joy within them” (John 17.13).
God set forth (even commanded) celebrations for the purpose of joy for the people. One example:
“And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and the children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away” (Neh. 12.43)
Joy is a verb. You gotta take action.
“I will rejoice in the Lord. I will JOY in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3.18).
Jack Hayford’s notes in The Spirit-Filled Life NKJV Study Bible gives this on the word “joy” in Habakkuk:
JOY: Strong’s 1523: To joy, rejoice, be glad…contains the suggestion of “dancing for joy” or “leaping for joy” since this verb originally meant to “spin around with intense motion.” This lays to rest the notion that the Biblical concept of joy is only a “quiet inner sense of well-being.”…altho everything is wrong in Habakkuk’s world-he is leaping for joy over his relationship with God …
These can be joyless times. The “holiday season” may have just been one more drain on you after a year of disappointment or lack. The condition of our nation may be bringing fear. Religious duty, a significant loss in our lives, strain in our marriages, unhappiness at work or any number of things may cause us to put on the smile-mask a Christian “should” wear and yet feel as flat and used up as the neighbor’s giant inflatable Santa looks on the lawn this morning.
But the good tidings of great joy are for me and for you. So how do we appropriate it? How do we walk in the kind of joy that gives us the strength we need to endure? Repeat the sounding joy.
The sounding joy? Good news! Great joy! I have a Savior! He came to save me! I think I’ll jump up and twirl and spin around like a madwoman while I echo the angels as loudly as I can: Glory to God in the highest! Glory to the God of my salvation! And peace to us here on earth, goodwill towards us from You, Father!
It is possible, I truly believe, that this act of joy as a verb – to joy – may actually begin to bring true giddy life-giving happiness to my soul. The sounding joy: God is God! He is faithful! He rules! He reigns! I receive my King! I join with all heaven and nature in rejoicing that the curse has been broken on my behalf! He has saved me from certain death and a joyless existence! Glory to God in the highest!
Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat the sounding joy. Repeat, repeat the sounding joy!
Not just at Christmas, but – as needed!
Joy! Seriously – be glad and dance a little!…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Don’t let the enemy steal my joy! Not one day. Worship and crazy praise a must!
pictured: an etsy.com image, Stephanie on Christmas morning (in the midst of physical joy!) finding out she had received the antique oak dining table and chairs she really wanted, and the chalkboard in the kitchen with my “epiphanic” stuff on it (and I am preety sure I invented that word this Christmas!)
With love from Gavin, Guini, Hunter, Gemma and Averi’s grandparents!
Our Christmas card to you!
Click on images to enlarge.
Gavin 5, Hunter 4, Guini 3, Gemma 1 1/2, and Averi on her first Christmas – 10 1/2 months.
Good tidings of great joy to you and yours…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: I could even plan to get my Christmas card photo taking done in like, October or November next year! (?) !
Thanks again to Tredessa and Tara for the photos, Wrex and Stef for the awesome locale and animals, Stormie for putting this together for me even though she is unbelievably busy, and to my children who have blessed me with these amazing five grandchildren. And thank You, Father, for the joy…
The lights on my tree, I wish you could see…
I LOVE Christmas! I am not a very naturally exhuberant person, not just all happy and light-hearted, but give me a vision and some understanding and I come alive. My Holy-Holiday-Calling is to remember and release a spirit of rejoicing in myself and in others as we make Jesus Christ and worshipping Him central to our raucous Christmas celebrating!
Between Steph and Tristan’s house just a couple of miles east of us and my house as you travel back on Bridge, you hit Brighton’s “high point,” which isn’t very high – as we are in the valley of the great Rocky Mountains. But there it is. And even in this recently rural-and-still-small, but-booming town, suddenly, you reach the peak and there they are: the lights! And especially in these long, dark nights, Christmas lights line streets and neighborhoods have come alive with twinkle.
Some one asked me recently why on earth people would still put their lights out with the world’s problems and the economy the way it is? If they had heard Guini the other night when we drove the kids around Brighton to see the lights, they would understand. For she and Gavin and Hunter oohed and awed over every single light. But Guini, each time she spotted a lit up star (and especially the really large one atop the 100-foot tree at the City Building, would scream, a la Buddy in the movie “Elf,” “CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! Star!!”
Yes, there are hosts of people all over Brighton and Denver and Colorado, all over our nation and the world who are celebrating, whether they even yet understand it or not, that the Light has come and the darkness can never be the same!
Isaiah 9.2 “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death – a light has dawned!”
John 8.12 “Jesus said, ‘I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.”‘
I love the lights of Christmas! And every twinkling light, every candle we light during this season is piercing a darkness that would otherwise be there and is representing that Jesus is the Light of the world!
Living in great light…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: More candles.
pictured: part of Dave’s Bedford Falls town
The Stuff of Christmas – Right or Wrong???
I LOVE Christmas! I am not a very exuberant person by nature, not naturally happy and light-hearted, but give me a vision and some understanding and I come alive. My Holy-Holiday-Calling is to remember and release a spirit of rejoicing in myself and in others as we make Jesus Christ and worshipping Him central to our raucous Christmas celebrating!
There are two reasons it is important to know and understand the symbols (the stuff) of Christmas:
- Because they are beautiful, visual touch points for teaching our children about our faith in Jesus Christ. Every year as we decorate with bows, and holly and stars and Nativity sets, we explain it, (here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept) and we are sowing spiritual seeds of faith. Christmas then becomes the accumulation of learning as year follows year and season follows season. When they are grown, the Truth is there – either for them to joyfully impart to their own children, or no matter how far thy may seem to wander from the Lord – as an inescapable testimony, the Truth they will see all around every Christmas season.
- And because, through the symbols of the season, we can impact others with the truth. For when we have a correct understanding, we’re gently able to impart spiritual truth to others. For many of our co-workers and neighbors are celebrating Christmas not even aware of the depth of what they do! Even so – they are acknowledging a Savior! Christmas=Christ’s mass=the worship of Jesus Christ. So we need understanding so we’re not sheepish about what Christmas has become. We should be the most joyous celebrants of all and welcome and use every symbol and facet of the season to give a reason for our hope and to set apart Christ as Lord – the Worthy One.
I believe.
I believe in the symbols! In each one there is lodged a deep and spiritual truth. Religious tradition doesn’t impose these truths. The truth exist and the symbols (the lights, the decorations, the songs, the trees and wreaths) have become the way we express Christianity through our decorating and celebrating and rich traditions! The things we do when we celebrate bring us understanding.
God loves a good party.
God loves celebrations! He, in fact, set forth many celebrations in the Bible. The one in Exodus 12 for the First Passover was His invitation as a way to teach the children. Joshua 4 tells of celebrations also meant to teach the children of the faithfulness of God. The gathering in Ezra says the celebrating was so loud (over several days) that is was heard far away.
So, I think it is OK with God to celebrate Christmas! I don’t think God would be displeased with us if we just listened to Bing Crosby sing about Rudolph and we made cookies and put lights on our house – just for a break, a nice celebration. But it is so much more dynamic than that when we understand and teach and share the symbols because of the rich and powerful spiritual meanings.
I plan to keep on exposing my children and their children and the people around me to the raw reality of my unhampered happiness. I plan to sing “Silent Night” when I stand in a long line at the bank. I plan to worship Jesus at the foot of my Christmas tree, an altar of peace and prayer in this harried season. I plan to say to every clerk and neighbor and service person I meet: Merry Christmas! Because when I do, whether they consciously understand the significance in the declaration, I have just prophesied into the atmosphere around me: Merry Christmas! Happy worship of the Christ! Jesus Christ, we worship You! And I pray that pierces their heart in the deep places in some way.
Yes, this is our season as Christ-followers. Because it is His and we can openly declare His glory in these few short days like at no other time of the year.
Happily hallowing the Name above all Names even and especially at Christmastime…Jeanie
1 Peter 3.15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have.”