MUSICAL IMPRESSION

The man can sing.

His voice is as smooth as a lullaby. He has but one leg, the other lost long ago from a Caterpillar tractor accident. Melodies flow from his lips as he strums his guitar. The silky sound meets me.

They two are one. A few others and myself are in Sunday night church. The crowd is small. His hand softly strums the guitar. The songs are familiar to me; they hearken back to the 60s and 70s.

A Keith Green song, My Eyes are Dry, causes my forearms to tingle. I am back in the day when the artist who wrote it sang at Laxon auditorium in Chico to a college crowd. I recall his words to us.

He challenged us to walk the talk and to go light the city of Chico on fire. There was no messing around or empty words with Keith Green. He was real, and he was dynamite. It was profound.

We sing and sing. I love it. The songs lend themselves to harmonizing. Our vocals blend. My mind says, thanks, my friend, it’s good to sing tonight. Peace is a soft presence in the room.

When this songster sings, it is as natural and fluid as water flowing. He is not a performer aware of his performance; he is a minister sharing life through his singing. I am ministered unto.

Songs speak life.

Keith Green: My Eyes are Dry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyxoqHBkwqY

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IT’S NOT MINE

Her embrace is like a clinging.

Tears are streaming from her eyes. “You have no idea what this means,” she says to me. She hugs me again, tightly, and sobs. It’s been a rough few months for her. I feel her pain and overwhelm.

I just gave her a Benjamin Franklin as an impulsive gift. This morning, I had a feeling of God tugging at my heart. He says, she needs it more than you do. I say, okay, Lord, I’ll give it to her.

The woman has been dealing with major life-changing circumstances. We meet and talk and hash over life and the best ways to heal and deal with the emotional stuff. It is hard work but sweet.

Her tears and reaction tell me that it is one of those God-things, one of those just-at-the-right-time sort of moments, when the need is at its greatest. People need each other. She needs encouragement.

I remember times when we as a family were down to our last buck. Those were difficult days, with a family to feed and bills to pay. We were grateful for any help. But it was humbling.

As I write this, three teachers are teaching without pay at a local Christian school with declining enrollment. They don’t want the school to die off so they carry on. It breaks my heart.

The teachers’ willingness to do this amazes me. Teaching is hard work. But without pay? It can only be because of God and His love, and their desire to keep the school from folding.

My heart feels tender towards them. Do they feel appreciated? I doubt it. I plan to encourage them with a money gift tomorrow. It is right to give even when my own resources are tight.

What money I have I consider as a gift from God and not to be hoarded or spent foolishly but to be used to help others and care for my family’s needs. Everything we have is from God, really.

That is how it works. We let loose of the reins on “our” money—we let God move our heart with when and what to give—and then He provides for others through our acts of love and obedience.

Once this is realized, Christians become less selfish and more willing to let go of their plans and purposes for their resources, and they become more sensitive to God’s leading and promptings.

The joy of being at the right place at the right time is a blessing above and beyond the normal. It is a joyous and free way to live life. The blessings roll in because God delights in our spontaneity.

Follow your heart.

BOOK PROJECTS

What’s New: Country Wisdom for Heart and Soul is a collection of daily thoughts written during the year 2014 (originally theme-based tweets). I am refreshing this manuscript and plan to make it available in book form in the near future.

I am looking for Beta Readers to read Country Wisdom. Could you help? Please let me know if you are interested in reading for me. I would really, really appreciate it!!!

Update: Silent Sacred Space with God is with Beta Readers right now and is receiving finishing touches. It goes to the editor next.

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