Be Still and Know that I Am God

Psalm 37:3-9

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes. 

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

“Be still.”

When I first hear this phrase, I think of it in very literal terms. Stop what you’re doing, Camille. Slow down. 

Breathe.

And I think there’s a very important lesson in that for me. I’m usually on the go, go, GO and find it hard to stop and listen to what the Lord has to teach me. I know that I will learn so much when I stop to really read and apply the lessons from His Word. I know that my heart is always full after spending time in prayer, praising and thanking God for His work in my life. It’s just hard to slow down and drink in those moments.

I learned this week that the original Hebrew command translated “be still” comes from the word “rapha” which means to “cease” “let go” or “surrender.”

I was thinking about this Tuesday night - election night - as all of America was on edge awaiting word of the election results. No matter which candidate had your vote, the evening was filled with stress, anxiety, and fear.

I had the TV on and my computer open. I went back and forth from watching the polls close, to watching my friends comment on Facebook – friends from both sides of the political spectrum! And I noticed something interesting in myself. When I read commentary on the candidates, the state of our country, and the issues we face in the future, I felt the physical effects of stress. My muscles tightened and my stomach hurt. But when I read a scripture verse posted instead of a political rant, my entire body relaxed as I realized WHO was in control. Worldly concerns brought fear; spiritual reassurance brought focus.

Some of the verses that brought clarity and assurance were:

Psalm 13:5-6

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

What fear is gripping your heart today? He wants us, instructs us to be still…rapha…let go so that we can KNOW our Almighty God and see clearly His work in our lives.

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

he burns the shields with fire. 

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Beyond the Veil

Consider God's holiness, goodness, glory, and light. Contrast that with the darkness, evil, and ugliness of sin. The two cannot coexist. 

The day that sin entered the world, a barrier was formed cutting off the beautiful relationship between God and his beloved. A veil that could only be approached with a blood sacrifice. I was reminded this week that Adam and Eve were given garments made of animal skin to wear after that first sin made them aware of their guilt. These animal skins were the very first of many, many blood sacrifices that would need to be made to cover the shame of sin. 

Until the final sacrifice. 

Christ’s excruciating death provided the final solution to this barrier. Our loving Father reached out to his sinful children to offer us a way to commune with Him once again.

Hebrews 10:11-14 

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 

One awful, ultimate, complete, beautiful sacrifice.

One merciful path back to a holy relationship with our loving Father.

Instead of offering a temporary sacrifice through a high priest, we can now humbly go beyond the veil and, as Hebrews 4:16 says, “…approach the throne of grace with confidence...”

Hebrews 10:19-23 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Our God is Great

Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

(New International Version)

Because of Who You Are

Jeremiah 10:6

No one is like you, Lord; 

you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

I have been challenged through this song to consider the focus of my worship and praise. Is it more focused on what God has done for me or on who God is?

I was looking up the lyrics to this song and discovered more than one song with the same title! One worship chorus by the same name was written by worship leader Martha Munizzi. I read a little about her journey in writing the lyrics (which are very similar to those we will be singing this week).

As Munizzi tried to finish the song she realized she had some work to do. “I realized that I had to go deeper,” she says. “[The song says] ‘Because of who you are,’ but… who are you? I really wanted to make that as plain as I could.”

Munizzi went straight to the Bible, studying the names of God, and scouring scripture for clues about His identity and character.

After she finished writing the song, but before introducing it to the congregation, she tried it out on her church choir.

“The first couple of times the choir sang it through,” she says, “They hadn’t learned it yet, so it wasn’t really getting into their spirits. But by the end of the rehearsal it was such a worshipful atmosphere we knew we had something special. It was such a revelation to people of who God is. Sometimes we sing about Him. But when you sing to Him about who He is, there’s such power in that.”

The attributes of God. The more we understand these attributes, the more we are in awe of the God we serve.

So let’s practice! I’d love to hear some of the attributes of God that come to your minds. I’ll start with ETERNAL. 

(Choir shared) FAITHFUL, PROVIDER, OMNIPOTENT, UNCHANGING, LOVING, I AM, and many, many more.  (My pencil couldn't keep up with all I was hearing!)

Spend time daily studying God’s attributes and then pray them, speak them, SING them to our awesome God. A resource that you might enjoy is the book “Praying the Attributes of God” by Rosemary Jensen, which looks at 31 attributes – perfect for a month-long study!

A Sandi Patti song from about 20 years ago says this:

Oh Lord I stand amazed at the wonder of your deeds 

and yet a greater wonder brings me to my knees

Lord I praise you, Because of who you are; 

Not just for all the mighty things that you have done

Lord I worship you, because of who you are; 

You're all the reason that I need to voice my praise

Because of who you are

1 Chronicles 29:10-11 

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, 

“Praise be to you, Lord, 

the God of our father Israel, 

from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, Lord, is the kingdom."

For the complete article about Martha Munizzi, click here.

O Worship the King / You Are Good

At rehearsal on Wednesday, I shared a post from Randy Alcorn's blog.  You can read it here:

Trusting in God's Unfailing Love

To read his original post regarding his daughter's tumor discovery, click here.

To read the update to that post, click here. 

And this is a video that Randy made prior to receiving the news:

Does God really work all things for the good of those who love him? from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.

All of Randy's recent posts connect so closely with what we will be singing this week.  May you find encouragement in the words of this father who is clinging to the goodness of God during this time of fear and uncertainty.

Amazing Grace

2 Timothy 1:9-10 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 

A few weeks ago, we lost a great leader – a champion of the faith - Charles W. Colson. I wanted to read part of an obituary written by Tom Gilson, a strategist and writer on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ.

Charles "Chuck" Colson has gone home to be with the Lord. The Prison Fellowship ministry family invites you to join in celebrating his life.
Someone once asked me, "Don't you know he's a convicted felon?" The question made me laugh. Yes, I knew that. I was a senior in high school when Watergate happened. We watched the proceedings on TV in my Government class. I read his autobiography, Born Again, not long after it was released, and I heard him speak about it at the Governor's Prayer Breakfast in Lansing, Michigan in 1976.

Chuck Colson himself never lost sight of the fact that he was a convicted felon. He also never lost sight of God's gracious forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He founded Prison Fellowship Ministries, and led it to become a powerful force for spiritual, educational, and social change in prisons throughout American and around the world. But that is not the ministry or the realm in which I came to know and appreciate him. Rather it was in his leadership in Christian worldview thinking.

Along the way to prison, Chuck Colson discovered how desperately he needed the grace and life of Jesus Christ. I've never been behind bars except to visit, but my need is no less. Neither is yours. Chuck's purpose in all his ministry was to lift up the powerful and saving name and life and ethics and truths and glory of Jesus Christ. Now he is raised up with Christ. *

In the midst of the Watergate scandal and proceedings, Chuck Colson read a passage from the book “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. His life was forever changed. This heavy-drinking, chain-smoking, hard-nosed politician known as Nixon’s “hatchet man” became a humble servant of God who, against the advice of his lawyer, chose to plead guilty to the charges brought against him. He spent 7 months in jail, which ultimately led to his future ministry as a world-changer.

Shortly after his death a few weeks ago, I watched a video that was made to honor his life and ministry. In that video, he is quoted as saying:

It’s hard for me to get through ‘Amazing Grace’ without shedding a tear or two, and especially in a prison because it’s the prisoner’s national anthem. And I’ve never been in a prison and sung that and haven’t seen eyes glistening in the light. It’s so meaningful. I once was lost. They’re lost in that prison. And now I’m found. We were holding hands singing that and all I could think of was what God has done and how great it is that He has given us the privilege of the 35 years of singing that song inside prisons all over the world. And all I could think of was all of the places I’ve been and all of the prisoners I’ve seen and all of the people without hope. And you can join hands - it was one, it was solidarity. We were one with them and they were one with us and we all knew it in that room. And my mind just kept flashing over the sovereignty of God because I didn’t do this, I never strategized this. It wasn’t part of my game plan when I got out of prison. I might do it for awhile to help the inmates but I wasn’t going to spend my life doing this. And yet God ordered my steps every moment - day by day. 

God’s grace has changed our lives in dramatic ways. How are you now living your life to change the world for Christ?

Titus 3:3-7 

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

*To read the entire obituary written by Tom Gilson, click here.

Sing and Be Not Silent

Psalm 30:4-5

Sing the praises of the Lord, 

you his faithful people; 

praise his holy name. 

For his anger lasts only a moment, 

but his favor lasts a lifetime; 

weeping may stay for the night, 

but rejoicing comes in the morning. 

Every person in this choir has been given a gift. Specifically, every person in this choir has been given a voice to sing. What would you do if that gift was suddenly taken away from you?

A friend from college, a fellow music major, spent 2 weeks one September in total silence. It all started with a strenuous prior school year of singing (5 hours of choir rehearsals, a 2 hour concert every week, in addition to voice lessons and practice), combined with a heavy class load, followed by a summer tour with nightly concerts, and it finally culminated with a burst blood vessel in her left vocal chord. Days that should have been spent in the practice rooms, rehearsing for a senior recital, were instead spent walking around with a white board and a marker. No singing. No speaking. No assurance that her voice would ever return to where it had been before.

After her time of complete vocal rest was over, she began to slowly work with her voice teacher to strengthen her singing voice, but that entire fall, and on into winter, she struggled with the ups and downs of good and bad days. In December, her doctor asked her what she wanted to do after college and she told him that she wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. He told her that he thought that she would recover enough to use her voice some, but not as a career - probably not even as a Kindergarten teacher.

What might have devastated some was a challenge to this young college student. She had faith that God could heal her, but she also told the Lord that if she never sang again, she would still serve Him. During this time, she was greatly encouraged by the testimony of Duane Miller, a pastor who lost his voice to a virus but was miraculously healed in the middle of a sermon, which happened to be recorded.

When it became clear that she would not be vocally ready for a spring senior recital, she postponed it until the fall. She was able to walk at graduation ceremonies with the intent of finishing her recital and one remaining class post-graduation. And then that summer, while playing piano for a summer group overseas, she learned of the sudden death of her voice teacher. The devastating news was crushing.

But, out of this horrific tragedy came something unexpected – another voice teacher was recommended by three different people, and this new teacher brought new techniques, new hope, and ultimately a new voice.

A voice that had to go back to the very beginning, learning basic breathing and other vocal techniques. A voice that got stronger each day and was able to wow those who came to hear her beautiful recital a year and a half after her injury (and then another recital two years after that as she completed her Master’s degree in voice). A voice that we get to hear week after week in our Soprano section – the voice of Rebecca Genzink.

As she was preparing for that senior recital, she told her teacher that she was scared that people would listen and say, “Oh that poor girl. She’s compensating just fine, but imagine what she would sound like if she had never hurt her voice.” Her wise teacher responded by saying, “People will not know. And one day YOU will not know.”

Rebecca says that because of her injury, she is now vocally stronger. Because of her injury she is able to work in a special way with students who are also experiencing vocal hardships. Because of her injury, she teaches in the voice department at Azusa Pacific University and vocally leads our choir here at Pomona First Baptist. (And she could even teach Kindergarten if she wanted to!)

Rebecca told me this week, “When people pay me a compliment about my singing, I've often said, ‘The Lord gave me my gift twice.’ I think that my experience has made me twice as grateful for the opportunity to "Sing to the Lord, and be not silent." To me, instead of hearing that sentence as a command, I hear it as an opportunity, and one that I do not take for granted.”

So what are you doing with the gift God has given you? What an opportunity we have, what a JOY to come into this room on Wednesday night, and to stand in the loft each Sunday morning and share this beautiful gift for the glory of God.

Psalm 30:11-12

You turned my wailing into dancing; 

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. 

Lord my God, I will praise you forever. 

Triumphantly the Church Will Rise

I started thinking this week about life events – those memorable occasions that are anticipated, prepared for, planned in advance. Weddings, graduations, the Olympics, the birth of a baby, Come Celebrate Christmas, a 1st birthday (or maybe a 100th), a golden anniversary.

On December 28, 1996 I stood amidst twinkling Christmas lights, bouquets of flowers, and a church full of devoted friends and family, and became Mrs. Erik Waage. It was a magical, memorable day and as we left the reception, snow began to softly fall outside. My wedding was a glorious event that involved months of careful planning and years of faithful praying. BUT, if you ask anyone who was there on that beautiful day, they will tell you that the days preceding were not as magical! To begin with, our wedding took place in Oregon, 1000 miles away from where I was living and working. Planning a wedding long-distance brought its challenges, but it was worth it! Then, we chose a date following Christmas, right in the middle of my first year of teaching. Juggling a new career AND long-distance wedding planning was certainly stressful, but it was worth it! Two nights before the big day, an ice storm hit the Portland area. Power was out all over the city, streets were closed, flights were delayed or canceled. Our wedding party and many, many faithful friends and relatives made it (some, just barely – ask Rebecca sometime about a spinning car on I-5) but others, including my grandmother, could not. I had to make last-minute changes in my carefully laid-out plans and the frustration and disappointment caused physical and emotional stress that was almost too much to bear at times.

But it was all worth it. 

All of the frustrations, disappointments, and stress didn’t matter one iota when I walked down that aisle. It was beautiful, joyous, fun-filled day that I will treasure in my memory forever.

Planning, preparation – we put so much time, so much emotion, so much of ourselves into the anticipation of these big events in our lives. We’re willing to endure the stress because we know that, in the end, we will be able to say it was all worth it.

Do we eagerly anticipate Christ’s return in the same way? 

While we live here on earth, we will experience joy and sorrow, delight and pain. As believers, we know that trials WILL come our way. Bitter disappointment, frustration and failure, and rollercoasters of emotions are all part of the event-planning, the anticipation of Christ’s coming - the greatest event the world will ever know.

Matthew 24:29-31 

Immediately after the distress of those days

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 

Triumphantly, God’s church will rise to meet Him in the air, leaving behind every burden of this world.

It will ALL be worth it.

Click here to read the lyrics and listen to a solo arrangement of this song.

God Is Here

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 

What burden is weighing heavy on your shoulders tonight? What turmoil did you leave at home? What worries do you face tomorrow?

God has not promised us an easy road. Trials are inevitable. Pain is real and ever-present.

But, He offers comfort in our troubles.  Relief in our turmoil.  Stillness.  Peace.  Rest.

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; 

I will be exalted among the nations, 

I will be exalted in the earth.”

So often I get caught up in my circumstances, in my worry, that I find myself spinning in a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety – moving faster and faster, trying to put all of the pieces back together, trying to fix, to solve, to move the mountain in front of me!


And I forget to sit in the stillness of my Creator. To listen to His comforting words of love, of peace. To allow the tranquility of the moment to speak to my soul.

God IS here. He wants to speak to the brokenness of your heart, to lift your heavy burden, to ease your pain. We just need to still our hearts and our minds, and listen. Whether it is here in our choir room, singing in the sanctuary, driving in our cars, or kneeling at home – He is here.

Isaiah 32:16-18 

The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, 

his righteousness live in the fertile field. 

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; 

its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. 

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, 

in secure homes, 

in undisturbed places of rest. 

In this moment, in this sanctuary, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. 

He is here.

Heartbeat

Who remembers the sermon at PFB on Palm Sunday 2003?  Erik participated in the speaking that day, as each of the pastoral staff took a turn sharing a part of the Easter story.  At the end of his message, he showed a video – a video announcing that we would be welcoming Baby Waage in October of that year.  The video showed the first ultrasound photo of our precious Claire, and our PFB family heard the beautiful, strong heartbeat that was confirmation of God’s miraculous work in our family.

I will never forget hearing that heartbeat for the first time. Joy, excitement, wonder, relief…so many emotions flooded my senses. Those beautiful whooshing sounds gave me hope that my dream of motherhood would finally be fulfilled.

2000 years ago, into a world desperate for hope, came the most precious baby whose heartbeat meant not just the physical life of a great teacher, but everlasting life for those who proclaim Him as LORD.

Isaiah 42:1-4 foretells this great hope: 

Look at my servant, whom I strengthen.

He is my chosen one, who pleases me.

I have put my Spirit upon him.

He will bring justice to the nations.

He will not shout

or raise his voice in public.

He will not crush the weakest reed

or put out a flickering candle.

He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.

He will not falter or lose heart

until justice prevails throughout the earth.

And his name will be the hope of all the world.

1 Peter 1:3 speaks of the hope that we have as believers: 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

Titus 2:13 talks about our hope for the future:

…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…

Hope. We rejoice in its blessed promise for our lives both now and for eternity.  And we live in a world that is still desperate to hear that special heartbeat that can offer hope for the future.  What a gift we have to offer our neighbors, our friends, our families.  May we earnestly seek God’s leading to share His heartbeat – the promise of salvation – with a hurting world.

Jerusalem

Email to the choir from Bob and Barbara Stollmeyer:


The anthem for tomorrow, Jerusalem, speaks forcibly through its lyrics regarding the city of Jerusalem.

I want to rest on the banks of your river, in that city, city of God.

This is one of our favorite songs, and we'll be watching on streaming!


Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel; it is also the center point of our historical beginnings as Christians.  Jerusalem's heritage with God's nation of Israel spans a timeline of thousands of years.  Jerusalem, the song, reminds us to look again at the prophesies surrounding that wonderful city that God has sustained over these many years.



Thank you, Bob and Barbara for these thoughts about the beautiful city of Jerusalem!

Symphony of Praise

Isaiah 35:1-2

Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower—

Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color.

Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift. Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts.

God's resplendent glory, fully on display. God awesome, God majestic. (The Message)

Everything that God has created shouts His praises. When I saw the dusting of snow on the mountains Sunday morning, I was in awe of the beauty of His creation. As I’ve been riding to work, I’ve been delighted by the occasional scent of rich jasmine and something else this morning – a tall tree with yellow-orange flowers that had a sweet scent as I passed under it. Claire just received a butterfly hatching kit and our whole family is excited to watch the miraculous transformation of a little caterpillar into a beautifully colored butterfly.

Miraculous.

From the tiniest cell to the largest star, everything was created to work in perfect harmony in this creative, beautiful, awe-inspiring universe.

Aaron G. shared an amazing article this week. It is actually an interactive scale of the universe that explores and explains the smallest feature theorized by scientists – quantum foam – to the largest known object – Sloan Great Wall – which is made up of other galaxies. If you have a minute (or 20), check it out here.  It is truly fascinating.

Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they reveal knowledge. 

They have no speech, they use no words; 

no sound is heard from them. 

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, 

their words to the ends of the world. 

Just like the perfect symphony of God’s created universe, so His people have been created to work together in united harmony to bring glory to Him. Each of us brings our own God-given gifts together to further His kingdom here on earth. He is worthy of our best, and when we let go of ourselves and freely give, side by side with one another, it really is a beautiful symphony of praise.

Colossians 3:12-17 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Count Your Blessings

Ephesians 1:3 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. 

Are you a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person? When trials come your way, do you look for the blessing or get lost in feelings of frustration and hopelessness? I often lose my way in worry when faced with trouble, and I am so blessed to be married to a true optimist – always able to help me see God’s positive spin on a difficult situation.

Romans 8:28 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

All things. 

Not certain things. Not easy things. All things. 

Today was a hard day for our school staff. Several teachers were called up to the office individually to be told that they were receiving “reduction in force” notices – pink slips. The mood was somber. Some were so emotional that they couldn’t return to their classrooms. It was difficult to see anything positive in such devastating news.

One teacher who received a pink slip was my friend Judy. I shared her story last year when I wrote about the power of prayer. Her baby girl, Aimee, tested positive for cystic fibrosis as a newborn, but tests given later proved negative. The doctors wanted to continue monitoring and testing, and after several months of rollercoaster emotions awaiting test results and fearing that every little cough might be the sign of something more serious, they received very positive news – she continues to show no markers of the disease. 

And then today happened. 

With the district letting go of over 30 permanent teaching positions, she will likely lose her job.

I talked with her about this and asked how she was feeling. She said that it was hard to hear that news. She has faced this for the past few years as a temporary teacher, and always was able to be hired back in the fall; but this time, even though her position is now permanent, with the drastic cuts and increase in class sizes, it seems unlikely that she will return next year. She faces the loss of income and much-needed benefits. She faces an uncertain future in a should-be promising career.

But, as she was driving home today, she looked in the rearview mirror and saw her daughter in the backseat and her thought was “I could stay home with Aimee!”

Where is the blessing in losing a job? For Judy, it might be to gain precious time with the miraculous gift God has given to her.

John 16:33

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Trials will come. Troubles will face us. But we can take heart as we serve a God who has overcome the world.

Ezekiel 34:26

I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

The Love of God

1 John 3:1 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!

What words could you use to describe God’s love for us? Awe-inspiring… amazing… breathtaking… wonderful... mind-blowing. Or as the song says, “rich and pure…measureless and strong!”  How about crazy? 

David Powlison, author of the book Seeing with New Eyes writes, 

God’s love is active. He decided to love you when He could have justly condemned you. He’s involved. He’s merciful, not simply tolerant. He hates sin, yet pursues sinners by name. God is so committed to forgiving and changing you that He sent Jesus to die for you. He welcomes the poor in spirit with a shout and a feast. God is vastly patient and relentlessly persevering as He intrudes into your life. God’s love actively does you good. His love is full of blood, sweat, tears, and cries. He suffered for you. He fights for you, defending the afflicted. He fights with you pursuing you in powerful tenderness so that He can change you.


God’s love for us really is a crazy love, and it is so beautifully conveyed in the words of our song this week.

Frederick Lehman, the author of this hymn, found himself mid-way through his life moving from the Midwest to Pasadena, California and working a hard manual labor job to make ends meet. Inspired by words he had heard at a camp meeting years earlier, he found moments of time during breaks from his job to pick up a stub pencil, push a lemon box up against the wall, and pen the first two stanzas and chorus.

The words that had inspired Lehman were the words to the third stanza. Originally longer and part of a Jewish poem written in the year 1096, the paraphrased words, powerfully expressed in the spine-tingling poetry we know today, were found penciled by a patient on the walls of an insane asylum after he was carried to his grave.

Lehman believed that this insane man found moments of brilliant sanity in which he recalled the crazy love of God.

Could we with ink the ocean fill 
And were the skies of parchment made,

Were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill 
And ev’ry man a scribe by trade

To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry,

Nor could the scroll contain the whole tho' stretched from sky to sky.

George Sweeting, author and former president of Moody Bible Institute, is quoted as saying,

Down through the years God’s love has shined through misery, tears, and sin like a shaft of sunlight on a dark day. We see God’s love in His revelation, in His mercy, in His patience, and in His redemption. We see the love of God as the infinite One becomes an infant in Bethlehem’s manger. We see it in His life and ministry. And most of all we see it as He hangs on the cross, dying for our sins. 

To the world, it just seems insane. But to the believer, it is LIFE.

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 

Francis Chan, author of the book Crazy Love writes, "God didn't just give a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself."

Oh love of God, how rich and pure! 

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure – the saints’ and angels’ song.

I Believe God

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Isaiah 43:10-12

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me.

I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed - I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God."

Belief.  Faith.  Little words that can be big obstacles when someone is considering the existence of God and His work in our lives.  The enemy so often sows seeds of doubt in our minds, but God's Word calls us to consider His past faithfulness, so that we might believe.

In John 14:1, Jesus comforts His disciples by saying, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me."

A friend recommended the devotional book Streams in the Desert - a book that offers daily wisdom and encouragement through scripture - so I ordered it recently.  It arrived the day I began writing this devotional and, before I opened it, I thought to myself, "How cool would it be if today's lesson was about 'belief'?"  So I opened to that day's lesson and found this:

"I have prayed for you...that your faith may not fail." Luke 22:32

Dear Christian, remember to take good care of your faith, for faith is the only way to obtain God's blessings.  Prayer alone cannot bring answers down from His throne, because it is the earnest prayer of one who believes that leads to answers.  Faith is the communication link between heaven and earth.  It is on this link of faith that God's messages of love travel so quickly that even before we ask, He answers.  And while we are still speaking, "he hears us" (John 5:14). 

What a special gift God gave to me to help strengthen MY belief.  And with that belief comes assurance, peace, and power in prayer.

Erik's great Auntie Grace went to heaven earlier this year at the age of 99.  Her funeral celebrated her belief in God and His work in her life.  She was born and spent most of her life on Vashon Island in Washington State.  While she was hospitalized in Seattle in the week before her passing, she told Erik's mom, "I want to go home."  Erik's mom responded, "Do you mean home to Heaven, or to your house on Vashon?"  She simply replied, "Either one."

As evidenced by those two words, her belief in her Savior gave her joy in her living and peace in her passing.


Consider all that God has done in your life.  All that he can do, has done, and will do.  And with that assurance, let your life tell the world - "I Believe God."


Cowman, L.B. Streams in the Desert. Edited by Jim Reimann. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan (1997).

I Bless Your Name

Acts 16:23-25 

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

 Flogging. Imprisonment. Darkness. Feet in stocks. And…singing? Paul and Silas did not know the rest of the story. They had no idea that an earthquake would loosen the chains and burst open the doors. They had no idea that the jailer and his family would enter God’s family as a result of their testimony. They had no idea that they would eventually walk out of that prison to continue the work to which God had called them. And yet they prayed and sang in that inner prison cell, giving glory to their Lord and Savior.

On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake hit the country of Haiti. Trapped under the rubble of the Hotel Montana was a man named Dan Woolley. A graduate of Azusa Pacific, he was visiting Haiti on an assignment to gather stories about Compassion International’s work with poverty-stricken mothers and babies. Immediately following the earthquake, Dan was confined to the “inner cell” of an elevator for 65 hours before his miraculous rescue. He writes about his experience over these 2 and a half days in his book Unshaken and on his personal blog.

Somewhere between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, my first night after the earthquake, I was trying to calm my spirit and align my heart with God’s heart. I knew worship would help, but I was having trouble getting my mind there, so I indulged in an hour of iPhone battery power and listened to worship songs, there in my broken elevator.

The chorus of the song “My Savior, My God” was encouraging to Dan that night. He writes:

Then the chorus is one of my favorite sing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-in-the-car choruses

“My savior loves, my savior lives, my savior’s always there for me…My God He was, my God He is, my God is always gonna be…”

Can you imagine how encouraging those words were to me in my situation? I literally had to force myself to hold back my voice, because I was afraid i’d spook the others trapped with me (just picture me absolutely rocking out at the top of my lungs at the bottom of six stories of rubble–they’d think I lost it!). *

After reading this story, I wondered if Dan eventually found himself singing those praise songs in that dark inner cell of the broken elevator. So I was able to reach him by phone and I asked! He said that yes, singing hymns and songs of praise really ministered to him during that time. 

Imprisoned under six stories of rubble, trapped in the darkness, injured and in pain. And giving praise and glory to his Savior, not knowing that he would eventually be pulled from the ruins of the Hotel Montana.


Bill and Julie Davis, a young couple who used to attend PFB but are now living in the San Diego area, are currently walking through a time of unknowns - waiting and praising in that "inner cell." On November 26, Bill was mountain biking with friends from church when he hit a rock, flipped his bike, and landed on his head and back. He immediately couldn’t feel his legs. In surgery, it was discovered that there was damage to his spine, with an unknown prognosis for future mobility. Now, 2 months later, he is in intensive therapy in an attempt to regain muscle strength and control in his legs. Three days after his accident, his wife (Julie) wrote this: 

Bill is giving God glory in the midst of this horrible accident and choosing to Praise God when He gives and takes away…

About two weeks after that, while Bill was still intubated in the hospital, she wrote:

The amazing thing is Bill is very much awake and communicating via a sheet that has the alphabet on it. He just spells out the words with his thumb. It is good because it makes him focus. He keeps hugging everyone who comes in his room and he had me and Julia tell them that the hug was from Jesus because He loves them. He also had us play some worship music and he was lifting his hands and praising the Lord. Such an amazing man he is. I am so blessed by him. He is at total peace about the tubes because as he typed out… "it is God’s will." **

Imprisoned by tubes and paralysis, facing daily pain and the darkness of an unknown future. And giving glory to God.

Wow. Only a God who consumes our very being, who changes us from the inside out could bring beautiful music from a dark place. Only a God who has the power to move mountains could stir our souls to sing in spite of the chains of physical and emotional pain.

Psalm 47:6-7

Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. 

For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

Nehemiah 9:5 

…Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. 

Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.

Click here to see a video of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir singing I Bless Your Name.

* Excerpt from Dan's blog found here.

** Excerpt from Bill's blog found here.

Blessed Jesus

 Glorious, marvelous, grace that rescued me;

Holy, worthy, is the lamb who died for me!

What comes to mind when you think of great rescue stories? 

Maybe you think of the Chilean miners who miraculously survived their entrapment a mile underground for two months.

Or the astronauts on Apollo 13 who put their lives in the hands of their Houston-based team to bring them safely home from the void of outer space. 

How about the miracle on the Hudson River when, after the skillful landing of that engine-less airplane, every passenger and crew member was shuttled to safety away from the frigid water and sinking plane.

One rescue story that captured the hearts of Americans 25 years ago was the story of Jessica McClure - "Baby Jessica" - an 18 month toddler (the same age as my Levi) who was one moment playing with other children in the backyard, and the next moment tumbling deep into an unused well.  Trapped in the dirt and darkness for 2 ½ days, she was finally reached and pulled to safety by a team of dedicated rescuers.  Across the country Americans rejoiced at the news that she was safe.

Dirt, darkness, separation from her mother and father, fear, pain.  And Baby Jessica’s fall could have ended in death if it hadn’t been for those who bravely dug, drilled, and crawled until her rescuer’s hand finally grabbed that little pant leg and slowly pulled her inch-by inch back into the embrace of her loving family. 

This heroic story is a reminder of the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known.  Psalm 34:22 says “The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.”  This promise was fulfilled when Christ left the glory of Heaven to enter our dark, dirty, pain-filled world to reach out, grab us by the pant leg, and pull us back into the safe embrace of our Father.  And all of Heaven rejoiced!

Blessed Jesus – our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Savior.

Colossians 1:13-14 “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Psalm 103:2-4 “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”

Unlike Baby Jessica, whose fall was accidental, we have placed ourselves in that pit.  But despite our rebellion, despite our sin, God still pursues our hearts to redeem what was lost. 

Romans 7:24-25 “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I Will Exalt You

Psalm 145

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. 5 They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. 10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you. 11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, 12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. 14 The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever. 

Exalt is defined as: “to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate; to lift up; to praise; extol.” 

January always gets me thinking about priorities. With the changing of a calendar comes an urgency to make this year better than the last. Faced with the reality that another year is behind me, I want to make the most of the time God has given to me. So I start thinking about priorities. 

Family is more important than work. How do I make sure that my family feels valued amidst a busy work week? Relationships are more important than pastimes. I’m I spending more time pursuing a hobby than pursuing a friend in need? Do I truly exalt what I value the most? 

Above all, the most exalted should be my relationship with God. His creative work, as seen in the world and people around me, should be the first thought as I rise and the last thought as I lie down. 

Psalm 19: 1-2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 

Surrounded by his majestic creation, how can I go through my day without exalting Him to His proper place in my life? And yet distractions push their way in, and schedules get tight, and before I know it, I’ve replaced my time with the Lord with my to-do list. In my hurry through the day, I’ve completely missed opportunities to see His beauty and allow His guiding hand to bring joy and peace into my life.

Priorities. Now, I’m sure everyone has already made their New Year’s Resolutions (and some of us have already broken them!), but what if the ONLY thing we resolved to do this year was to exalt our mighty creator God above everything else in our lives. Above our to-do lists. Above our pastimes. Above SLEEP.

Psalm 99:5

Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy. 

May this be our New Year’s Resolution, this year and EVERY year for the rest of our lives.

Psalm 34:3

Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.