Do Not Be Like the Horse or the Mule...

^{Psalm 32:8-11
8} I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
⁹ Do not be like the horse or the mule,
which have no understanding
but must be controlled by bit and bridle
or they will not come to you. ¹⁰ Many are the woes of the wicked,
but the LORD’s unfailing love
surrounds the one who trusts in him.
¹¹ Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;
sing, all you who are upright in heart!

This week, as I prepared for my Tuesday Bible Study class, I came across this portion of scripture. We are studying the book, How to Know God's Will by Charles Shepson. (Which is a great book.) In the first section, the author discusses the issue of our wanting to know God's will and if He wants to reveal it to us. Psalm 32:8 states that, of course, the Lord desires to reveal His will to us. It is up to us to be receptive to Him and His instruction.

Verse 9 really stuck out to me as I read this, so I did some study of the role of the bit and bridle in horse training. First I confirmed what I already knew. The horse ins controlled by the bit when it is placed in its mouth to apply pressure to turn the head of the horse to point it in the direction the rider wishes to go. The idea is to only apply pressure, not pain, to the horse's mouth. If the horse will not respond to pressure though the bit is pulled harder, to the point of pain, to get the horse's attention.

This method of training seemed to correlate to methods the Lord has used in my life at times. There is pressure to go the way of His instruction. Just a gentle push at first and if I do not heed, the pressure increases until the pain is such that I relent to go the direction I have been resisting. But this verse reveals there is a better way! Praise the Lord!

Note the lack of bit or bridle!

In my study of the bit and bridle I also found a forum discussion of riding without bit or bridle. It is possible with horses and I feel it is possible with us too. The horse must learn to "hear" the communication of the rider. Maybe that is a gentle nudge in the ribs, or the way the rider leans his body or stands in the saddle. The key is that the horse is very aware of the riders instruction and trusts the rider enough to do whatever he says, even if the horse doesn't want to. In the same way, we must trust the Lord and listen closely to His instruction in order to be lead in a more gentle manner. I pray that I might be able to hear and respond in such a way that He need not use pressure and pain to achieve His purposes in me, only the gentle nudge.

Chris Tomlin

Exciting news everyone!!! Chris Tomlin has a new release. It is a collection of my (and I am guessing your) favorite Chris Tomlin songs. Most of them are the same as the first recording but he has new recordings of : "Forever", "We Fall Down", and "How Great Is Our God". Including a new "World Version" of "How Great Is Our God". About that song Chris says,

"I’ve been thinking for awhile if I ever did a ‘Best Of’ I’d want it to be called ‘How Great Is Our God’ just because of what that song has done and what that song has become globally. It’s such a privilege to be a part of a song like that. We’ve traveled around the world and done these world tours with Passion and have connected with different international leaders and sung this song in 20 languages. It just seems to translate universally, as people have picked it up in their own countries and own languages. I thought I’d love to bring in some of my friends, worship leader friends from around the world, and do a world edition of this song [to] hear it in all of these languages. So we created a track and sent it to our friends in several different countries [asking] ‘Would you just sing this in your language, sing some harmonies, whatever you want to sing. We put it together and I can’t wait for people to hear it. It’s the most special thing I’ve ever recorded. I don’t think I’ll ever record anything like it again in my life. It gives you a sense that this is the whole world worshipping God."

It is totally awesome too! Even though parts of the song are sung in a different language you can sense the worship and the adoration of Our Great God!

I have always loved Chris Tomlin and his music. He is such a talented worshipper. But it became much more precious to me when my son gave his life to Christ at an event while Chris sang "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." I have been singing that song at church for some time and it will always be one of my favorites.  It is included on this album as well.

I highly recommend picking up this collection of the best of Chris Tomlin's worship songs! And a big thanks to Media Collective for giving me a sneak peak at the album!

A Great Challenge...

I have decided to challenge myself to writing everyday (minus the Sabbath) for the next year. I have tried to set that as a goal before with private journaling but I guess I am just one that needs some accountability for follow through. To those of you who choose to follow this course I am taking, I say, "God bless!" I am not a great writer nor do I claim to have a year's worth of fabulous topics, but one can never improve without practice and you never know what you can do unless you try. So here goes!

Introducing Heather Williams...

I have the great privilege of introducing Heather Williams! Her music is absolutely wonderful. This Time Around is her first full album release. You have probably heard her top 10 song "Hallelujah" and the rest of the songs are just as great. Her songs are full of meaning and heart. You can feel the anguish and joy in the music and lyrics of each song. I hope you will watch the YouTube video and hear more of Heather's story. It makes her music even more real.

One of my favorite songs is "Hallelujah." Heather's story of her "Hallelujah" moment reminds me that in my deepest despair God is with me. The lyrics say:

But don't give up on me now
I'm so close to You now
I'm in need of Your grace today
Wipe the dirt off my face
Hold me in Your embrace
Your love always saves the day

During the past few years, as I have been searching hard for what the Lord has for me to do and seeking to serve Him with my whole heart and life I have fallen many times. I seem to constantly get it wrong or backwards. There is self doubt and dark times of uncertainty but I know the He is near and with each attempt I am getting closer to the prize. And His "love always saves the day!" I love to belt out this song in the car {alone!} and know that with each Hallelujah my will and His will are getting closer and closer to being the same.

The folks are Media Collective have provided me with a copy of Heather's new album This Time Around to give away. I know you will love it as much as I do!

To enter leave a comment below with your name and email address by 11:59pm CST, Wednesday, October19. I would love to hear a Hallelujah story of yours too!

THEO Giveaway!

What better way to start a new week than to giveaway a great prize?! Whitestone Media has allowed me the opportunity to give away a copy of their new release "Introducing Theo."  To enter leave a comment below before tomorrow night, October 11, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. I will randomly choose one commenter to receive this awesome prize. Keep watch for more opportunities to win!

"Theo" is a great way to teach children the basics of the Christian faith. The series revolves around Theo, an Englishman, who tells bible stories to lay a firm foundation for the fundamentals of our beliefs. It is well illustrated and fun too. There are two little mice who get into mischief and end up very practically showing children how the lesson that Theo is teaching looks in real life. I loved the way God's Word is presented in this format. The segments are very short for very short attention spans also. There is also an iphone app. How cool is that?!

Don't forget to comment and leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!

God's Love Letters to You

God's Love Letters to You, by Dr. Larry Crabb, is designed to be a 40 day devotional. It has a verse for each day from 40 of the 66 books of the bible, a writing by Dr. Crabb that summarizes the book of the bible chosen for that day, a few questions to help you think through the material and a summary prayer for God's help in recognizing Him in our everyday life. The daily passages are short and can be read in a few minutes each day. This a condensed version of the book 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God That Invites You into His Story, also by Dr. Crabb.

This book would be best understood by someone who is already fluent in the themes of each book of the Bible or as an accompaniment to reading through the Bible. To understand the passages written by Dr. Crabb one must possess a knowledge of the book it is referring to. It would be hard to pick up this book as someone with little or no Biblical background. Even with years of teaching, I found some of it confusing. It does provide the reader with a challenge to see the overall theme of each book individually. I did not really enjoy reading this book.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The New Giveaway!!

OK, here are the details of the giveaway I mentioned in my previous entry. I have two tickets for.........(insert drum roll here)...... the WOMEN OF FAITH CONFERENCE!!! It is in Atlanta, GA next weekend, August 12-13, 2011.




The line-up includes:

Luci Swindoll     Angie Smith

Mary Mary         Natalie Grant

Sheila Walsh      Nicole Johnson

Lisa Harper        Steve  Arterburn

Laura Story

 I was given the opportunity to go to blog about the experience, but due to a schedule conflict I am unable to go. The kind people at Women of Faith said that I could do a giveaway on my blog for the tickets so here it is!

The requirements for entering are as follows:
1) You MUST be able to attend the conference and provide your own lodging and food.
2) You must comment below with your name and email address.(Please put your email address in your comment because I can't see it otherwise!)
3) I would also love if you would write a short review when you return so that we will all get a little taste of how great it was.

UPDATE: Entries must be in by 9:00 PM(CST), Saturday, August 6, 2011.

All that is left to do now is comment and tell your friends to enter too! -Now don't be selfish! :0)